Author: AFP

Venus Williams was knocked out of the Madrid Open in the first round on Tuesday as the 45-year-old went down in straight sets to Kaitlin Quevedo.

The 20-year-old Spanish wild card beat the seven-time Grand Slam champion 6-2, 6-4.

Ranked 479th in the world, Williams has now lost all seven matches she has played this season. It was her first match on clay since Roland Garros five years ago.

Every game was closely contested in a first set marked by numerous unforced errors due to the wind blowing across the Estadio Manolo Santana, but the world number 140, playing in her first 1000-level event, was the more consistent of the two.

Williams got off to a better start in the second set, taking a 3-0 lead, before Quevedo began to fight back and the match was then interrupted by rain while the roof over the centre court was closed.

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Quevedo won five consecutive games to seal her passage to the second round.

Last year’s French Open sensation Lois Boisson lost 6-1, 6-3 to American Peyton Stearns in just over an hour on her return from injury.

Boisson, who lit up Roland Garros with her stunning run to the semi-finals as the world number 361, won only four games in her first match since September.

Stearns goes on to play top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, the reigning champion and three-time winner in Madrid.

Earlier, former world number two Paula Badosa lost 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 6-0 to Julia Grabher as the Spaniard exited her hometown event in the opening round.

Beatriz Haddad Maia, a 2023 Roland Garros semi-finalist, went out 6-1, 6-1 to Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.

READ: New batch of FIFA World Cup 2026 tickets to go on sale

A new batch of World Cup 2026 tickets to all 104 matches will go on sale this Wednesday, just 50 days before the tournament kicks off, FIFA said Tuesday.

Tickets to games across the United States, Mexico and Canada will be available via FIFA’s website “on a first-come, first-served basis” from 1500 GMT, the sport’s governing body said in a statement.

“Along with this set of tickets, additional tickets will continue to be released to the public on an ongoing basis up until the final on Sunday, 19 July (subject to availability),” it said.

The latest batch of tickets comes after FIFA President Gianni Infantino said more than five million tickets have already been sold to the tournament, which begins June 11.

The most tickets ever sold previously for a World Cup were 3.5 million, when the event was last held in the US back in 1994.

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Based on the capacity of the 16 stadiums hosting this tournament, approximately seven million tickets are expected to be available in total for the 2026 edition.

FIFA has come under fire for the sky-high prices of tickets, with the most expensive ticket for the World Cup final surpassing $10,000, excluding the resale market.

Organizers have defended the pricing of tickets, which Infantino attributed to “crazy” demand, and used a “dynamic pricing” strategy where prices are automatically raised for high-demand matches.

On Tuesday, the Athletic reported that ticket sales were lagging for the United States team’s high-priced World Cup opener against Paraguay in Los Angeles — a claim disputed by FIFA.

“Ticket sales for the FIFA World Cup remain strong with a high degree of interest for all matches,” a FIFA spokesperson told AFP.

READ: Wasim Khan to leave role as ICC General Manager

Pep Guardiola has eased Manchester City’s fears that Rodri could be ruled out for the remainder of the Premier League season, but the Spain midfielder is set to miss Wednesday’s trip to Burnley.

The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner was instrumental to City’s critical 2-1 win over title rivals Arsenal on Sunday before being forced off late on with a groin problem.

Rodri, 29, is unlikely to feature as City aim to go top of the table for the first time this year at Turf Moor.

But City then have 12 days until their next league game at Everton as they face Southampton in Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final.

“I think for tomorrow he will not be ready,” Guardiola said at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday. “We’ll see for next games, the semi-final against Southampton or against Everton.”

Rodri’s return to form after an injury-disrupted 18 months has played a major role in City’s surge back into the title race as he has formed a dominant midfield partnership alongside Bernardo Silva.

“Both are experienced, they have a huge special personality,” added Guardiola.

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“They are not young guys anymore, experienced guys, but played a lot of this type of games and know how it must be played. They were exceptional.”

Even if City win to condemn Burnley to relegation, they will still only be level on points with Arsenal with five games to go.

Momentum is with Guardiola’s men, but he is wary of a tougher run-in for his side, which includes visits to Everton and Bournemouth, who are both in the running to qualify for Europe next season.

“Both teams know we cannot lose or drop points,” said Guardiola, who is aiming to win a seventh league title in nine seasons.

“It will be difficult to recover and our calendar is so demanding. The opponents are really tough.”

READ: PSL 11: Fakhar Zaman stars as Lahore Qalandars edge Quetta Gladiators

Ten years after authoring the ultimate sporting fairytale, former Premier League champions Leicester are on the brink of a humiliating relegation to the third tier.

If Gary Rowett’s side fail to beat Hull on Tuesday, they will be condemned to League One for only the second time in their history.

Languishing eight points from safety with only three games left, the Foxes appear destined to plunge into the third tier for the first time since 2008-09 following an astonishing decline over the last five years.

It would be a third relegation in four seasons for Leicester, who dropped out of the Premier League in 2023 and 2025.

After Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez, N’Golo Kante, and company defied 5,000-1 odds by winning the Premier League in 2016, Leicester reached the Champions League quarter-finals the next season and won the FA Cup in 2021.

But Leicester’s golden era is a distant memory as they face the unpalatable prospect of playing the likes of Bromley, Mansfield and Wycombe next season.

Crashing out of the Premier League limply three years ago should have been a wake-up call for Leicester’s Thai owner, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha and much-maligned sporting director Jon Rudkin.

However, Leicester’s hierarchy was painfully slow to address numerous flaws on the pitch, while the club’s ruinous finances have cost them a six-point deduction this season for breaching spending rules.

Vardy’s departure at the end of last season severed the last tie with the title-winning squad.

Marti Cifuentes, hired to lead a promotion push, struggled to rebuild an unbalanced and inexperienced squad before his sacking in January.

Interim boss Andy King was unable to turn the tide, and relegation fears began to mount after Leicester blew a 3-0 half-time lead in a dismal 4-3 defeat against Southampton.

By the time Rowett was hired in February, the Foxes were two points from safety, and the former Leicester defender has mustered only one win from his 11 matches since.

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But it is his players that have taken the brunt of the blame, with fans chanting “you’re not fit to wear the shirt” and engaging in an altercation with midfielder Harry Winks after last weekend’s loss at Portsmouth.

“A lack of fight is something that’s been labelled at the team over the course of a season. I don’t know whether that’s fair, but I think we’ve shown a lack of quality,” Rowett acknowledged.

Boardroom blunders have been the defining influence on Leicester’s plummet towards League One.

Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha has struggled to fill the shoes of his father, Vichai, who was killed in a helicopter crash at the King Power Stadium in 2018.

Claudio Ranieri, architect of their title-winning campaign, was sacked just months after lifting the trophy, with Craig Shakespeare and then Claude Puel proving inadequate replacements.

Brendan Rodgers, who masterminded the club’s FA Cup triumph and two fifth-placed finishes in the Premier League, was dismissed as relegation beckoned in 2023.

Even when Enzo Maresca led Leicester to promotion in 2024, he immediately departed for Chelsea, necessitating the unpopular and unsuccessful appointment of Steve Cooper, who previously managed rivals Nottingham Forest.

Rudkin’s recruitment has been no better, with expensive flops Patson Daka, Oliver Skipp, Jannik Vestergaard and Harry Souttar adding to a wage bill that topped £200 million ($270 million) in 2023 and reportedly contained no clauses to reduce salaries upon relegation.

Foreshadowing Leicester’s descent, Aiyawatt said in January: “In almost 16 years, we have won five trophies, we’ve had two relegations, three times in Europe. It’s like a movie. It’s like a super drama on Netflix.

“We grew bigger and bigger, and we forgot what we were before. We thought we are here and that is the most dangerous position to be in.”

On the precipice of relegation, Leicester will hope for another against-the-odds miracle, but the bleak reality of their situation is impossible to ignore.

READ: Wolves relegated from Premier League

Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club, commonly referred to as Wolves, were relegated from the Premier League on Monday after West Ham’s goalless draw at Crystal Palace sealed their fate.

The Midlands club are now 16 points behind fourth-bottom West Ham with just five games to go and are mathematically certain to drop down to the Championship.

Bottom of the table Wolves, managed by Rob Edwards since November, have endured a miserable campaign, winning just three league matches from their 33 games to date.

Despite notable recent wins against Aston Villa and Liverpool, Wolves have looked like relegation certainties for months, and their eight-year stay in the Premier League is coming to an end.

Vitor Pereira, now in charge of Nottingham Forest, started the season in charge of the Molineux club, but the Portuguese coach was sacked in early November after a terrible start to the campaign.

Former Middlesbrough boss Edwards was brought in, but he had an almost impossible task and has been unable to work a miracle.

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Second-bottom Burnley look certain to join Wolves in the second tier next season. They will be relegated if they lose against title-chasing Manchester City on Wednesday.

Tottenham came agonisingly close to climbing out of the relegation zone on Saturday but conceded a last-gasp equaliser in a 2-2 draw against Brighton.

The north Londoners have not won a Premier League match since December, with new boss Roberto De Zerbi winless in his first two games.

Nottingham Forest and Leeds are also in the relegation battle, but both won at the weekend to pull well clear of the drop zone.

Frank Lampard‘s Coventry, currently top of the Championship, on Friday sealed their return to the Premier League next season after a 25-year absence.

READ: Carlos Alcaraz may skip French Open rather than rush injury comeback

French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz insisted Monday he would rather miss defending the Roland Garros title in May rather than rush treatment on a “serious” wrist injury.

The 22-year-old pulled out of the Barcelona clay-court tournament last week when he felt his wrist “give out on a return” and then revealed the injury to be “a more serious injury than any of us expected”.

He then pulled out of the Madrid Open on Friday, casting doubt on his participation in Paris as of May 18.

On Monday, that doubt deepened when he told the press at an award ceremony he was taking a long-term view.

“I’d rather come back a little later but in great shape than come back early, rushing around, and unwell.”

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“God willing, I have a very long career ahead of me, many years, and pushing myself too hard at this Roland Garros could seriously harm me in future tournaments,” he said Monday.

“Things happen in the professional world. You have to accept them,” he said. “I need to recover really well if I don’t want it to affect me later on.”

The world number two lost his top ranking following his defeat by Jannik Sinner in the Monte Carlo Masters final on April 12.

Before that, Alcaraz had won his past 17 matches on clay, dating back to last season when he lifted titles in Rome and at Roland Garros.

READ: Cafu says 2026 World Cup is the perfect time for Brazil to win again

Two-time World Cup winner Cafu believes that the 2026 edition is the perfect time for the five-time champions, Brazil, to take back the crown for the first time in 24 years.

Cafu was captain when Brazil won their fifth World Cup, beating Germany 2-0 in the 2002 final in Yokohama. He was also part of the side that beat Italy on penalties to win in 1994 in Pasadena.

“Twenty-four years after the last title win, I think it’s the perfect moment for Brazil,” Cafu told reporters in Madrid, where he is attending the Laureus Awards.

“We’ve also brought in a serial winner of a coach, Carlo Ancelotti, who will add to the greatness of the Brazilian national team.”

Cafu, who was a right-back, said Brazil already had strength in midfield and attack, so Ancelotti had focused on strengthening the defence for this year’s tournament to be held in the US, Mexico and Canada.

“Because if Brazil doesn’t concede goals in a World Cup, they’re sure to score a goal per game,” Cafu said.

He said he hoped Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior, a player often embroiled in controversy, would have a strong tournament, saying: “The World Cup is the best way to overcome any kind of controversy.

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“In those eight matches (if they reach the final), Vinícius Junior has the potential to show the whole world his worth and what he can do in terms of football.”

Vinícius produced an assist in the 3-1 victory over Croatia in Orlando on April 1, which helped dispel doubts after the defeat against France in another friendly. Endrick, 19, also shone in the Croatia win.

“I think it’s a good time for him,” said Cafu, who believes Real Madrid’s decision to loan the forward to French club Lyon last year had been a positive move for the teenager.

“It did him a lot of good. It helped him grow, play, make his mark, and become a key player. It’s obvious that at Real Madrid, with so many stars, it’s difficult for a young player to become a key player.

“He’s a young player who can contribute a lot to Brazil, and I’m sure Ancelotti is looking at him favourably,” added Cafu.

Bookmakers have placed Brazil among the top five favourites, with reigning European champions Spain currently leading the way.

READ: Dasun Shanaka breaks silence on his PSL ban

Eight runners were taken to the hospital with heat-related illnesses after a marathon near South Korea’s demilitarised zone with North Korea took place amid record temperatures, local authorities told AFP on Monday.

The DMZ Peace Marathon in the city of Paju allows participants to test their mettle on a course running close to the highly sensitive area that separates South from North Korea.

Temperatures approached 30 °C for Sunday’s race as much of the Korean peninsula baked under a warm front more akin to summer than its typically mild spring weather.

Twelve runners fell ill, including suffering convulsions, dizziness and hyperventilation, officials said.

Eight were taken to the hospital, including a 43-year-old who needed intensive care. Authorities said the stricken runners appeared to have pushed themselves despite the rising heat.

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A fire official urged people to look out for signs of heatstroke and “stop exercising immediately and cool down” if they occur.

In the capital Seoul, about 30 kilometres (19 miles) from Paju, temperatures hit 29.4 °C over the weekend, the highest in mid-April since modern record-keeping began in 1907.

The Korea Meteorological Administration told AFP that the heat spike was likely caused by a temporary weather system drawing warm air northwards, a pattern sometimes seen during spring.

Human-driven climate change is also raising global temperatures and worsening extreme weather.

READ: Pakistan’s Test selections raise more questions than answers

Manchester City are breathing down Arsenal’s necks after Erling Haaland’s strike beat the Gunners 2-1 on Sunday to land a potentially decisive blow in the Premier League title race.

Pep Guardiola’s men are close to within three points of the leaders and have a game in hand with momentum firmly in their favour as Arsenal’s quest for a first league title in 22 years unravels.

Defeat to City in the League Cup final last month has sparked a run of one win in six games in all competitions for Mikel Arteta’s men, including four consecutive defeats in domestic competitions.

Victory over relegation-bound Burnley on Wednesday will take City top for the first time this year.

After finishing second for the past three seasons, Arsenal are at risk of seeing another huge chance to end their long wait to be champions of England slip away. But they will also rue their luck after twice hitting the post, either side of Haaland’s winner in the second half.

After Rayan Cherki’s stunning solo effort opened the scoring, City gifted the visitors a route back into the game when Kai Havertz charged down Gianluigi Donnarumma’s attempted clearance to equalise.

But the difference in quality up front proved the difference.

Haaland pounced to sweep in his 34th goal of the season, 25 minutes from time, before Havertz headed over a glorious chance deep into stoppage time.

Guardiola’s men looked to prey on Arsenal’s anxiety in a blistering start.

Cherki’s deflected shot then came back off the post, and City’s claims for a penalty against Gabriel Magalhaes for handball were ignored.

The visitors were just starting to gain a foothold when a moment of magic from Cherki prised open the Gunners’ notoriously mean defence.

The French international danced through challenges from Gabriel and Declan Rice before coolly slotting in the bottom corner.

However, Arsenal were handed an immediate lifeline thanks to Donnarumma’s disaster. The giant Italian was the scourge of Arteta’s men when playing for Paris Saint-Germain in last season’s Champions League semi-finals.

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But he handed them a gift as he dallied and allowed Havertz to charge down his attempted clearance into the top corner.

The nature of the equaliser knocked City off their stride and it took until Guardiola’s half-time team talk for the hosts to regain control.

Haaland should have scored when he hit the post after Arsenal failed to clear a corner. But then came two moments which will haunt Arsenal if they fail to end their long wait to win the title.

Donnarumma redeemed himself with a massive save when one-on-one with Havertz before Martin Odegaard’s follow-up effort was hooked off the line by Matheus Nunes.

Moments later, Eberechi Eze hit the inside of the post and saw the ball roll agonisingly along the line rather than into Donnarumma’s net.

City pounced on their moment of fortune to retake the lead.

Haaland outmuscled Gabriel to meet Nico O’Reilly’s cross and hooked past David Raya.

Arsenal were denied by the woodwork once more when Gabriel’s header deflected off O’Reilly onto the post, and Havertz failed to turn in the rebound.

Gabriel was then lucky to stay on the field after an attempted headbutt on Haaland, which received only a yellow card.

But they had the chance to level when Havertz connected sweetly with Leandro Trossard’s cross, but could not keep his head down.

Arteta fell to the ground in disbelief but now has the job of trying to raise his players for their final five games of the campaign.

Arsenal have on paper the kinder run-in, but appear to have run out of steam when it matters once more.

READ: Bayern Munich sink Stuttgart to claim Bundesliga title

Harry Kane scored his 32nd goal of the campaign as Bayern Munich cruised to a 4-2 home win over Stuttgart to claim a record-extending 35th Bundesliga title.

Raphael Guerreiro, Nicolas Jackson and Alphonso Davies joined Kane on the scoresheet, while Chris Fuehrich and Chema Andres scored for the visitors.

Borussia Dortmund’s limp 2-1 defeat at Hoffenheim on Saturday, their second in two matches, left the door open for Bayern, who only needed a point at home to secure the title with four games to spare.

Coach Vincent Kompany left regular starters Kane, Michael Olise, Manuel Neuer, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Dayot Upamecano and Jonathan Tah on the bench with Wednesday’s German Cup semi-final at Bayer Leverkusen in mind.

Bayern fell behind when Chris Fuehrich scored with 21 minutes gone, but roared back, scoring three goals in seven minutes.

Jamal Musiala created Guerreiro’s opener before Luis Diaz laid on two goals in four minutes for Jackson and Davies to grab control of the match by the break.

Kane grabbed another early in the second-half to ensure another Bundesliga crown was quickly added to his burgeoning team trophy collection.

With victory secure, Bayern took their foot off the pedal as an assistant brought bags full of ‘ 2026 Champions’ t-shirts to the sideline.

Andres added a late goal for Stuttgart with two minutes remaining, but Bayern Munich were on cruise control with title celebrations in mind.

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The title victory once again illustrated Bayern’s modern and historical dominance of German football. The Bavarian giants have now won 13 of the past 14 Bundesliga titles. Bayern have 35 league titles, with no other team reaching double figures.

Bayern’s wealth and influence outshines all of their domestic rivals, and this season has been truly remarkable.

Bayern have scored 109 goals, the most in Bundesliga history and eight more than the previous record set back in 1971-72, with four games remaining.

Free-scoring Bayern have 79 points and a goal difference of 80. If the season ended today, Bayern would become the first team to have a greater goal difference than points tally in Bundesliga history.

With four wins in their remaining four games, Bayern could bring up 91 points, equalling the best mark set by their treble-bound side in 2012-13.

Then there are the individual records. Kane, who became the first Englishman since 1930-31 to reach a half-century of goals in a season in all competitions on Wednesday, can still reach Robert Lewandowski’s single-season goals record of 41.

The England captain has 32 goals from his 27 games this campaign and is in with an outside chance of catching Lewandowski.

Michael Olise has 18 assists, three shy of the all-time mark set by Thomas Mueller in 2019-20.

READ: Babar Azam reflects on his approach after century against Quetta Gladiators