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Williams, a seven-time singles and 14-time women’s doubles Grand Slam champion, is playing her 25th US Open.

She won the first of her two women’s doubles titles in New York with younger sister Serena in 1999, three years before Fernandez was born.

Addressing Williams in her on-court interview, former US Open singles runner-up Fernandez said: “Seeing you play on court with the same big smile you had back then is so inspirational and motivates me to keep going. I love that you love tennis.”

It is the first time that Williams has reached the quarter-finals of a major since winning the Wimbledon title, also alongside Serena, in 2016.

Asked if she had a message for her younger sibling, Williams joked: “She’s so happy for Leylah and I, she’s given us advice and we just need her in the box, so my message is ‘Serena, you need to show up!'”

Their quarter-final opponents could be top seeds Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, whose third-round match had not begun when Williams and Fernandez left the court having signed autographs for many of their waiting supporters.

For Alexandrova, it was the second defeat of the day on Louis Armstrong Stadium, having earlier been knocked out of the singles by Iga Swiatek on the same court.

American Jessica Pegula says completing an escape room with friends helped her rediscover her form and embark on a run to the US Open quarter-finals.

Fourth seed Pegula needed just 54 minutes to beat a nervous Ann Li 6-1 6-2 on Sunday and keep alive her hopes of winning a career-first Grand Slam.

In the last eight she will face 2024 Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova, who saved eight match points on her way to beating home hopeful Taylor Townsend 1-6 7-6 (15-13) 6-3 in a thrilling match.

Pegula, 31, has endured a difficult summer, with a humbling first-round exit at Wimbledon followed by early round exits at WTA events in Washington, Montreal and Cincinnati.

“I felt terrible coming into this tournament, honestly,” Pegula said after beating compatriot Li.

After quitting midway through a practice session with world number one Aryna Sabalenka days before the US Open, Pegula’s mood improved after a night out with friends.

“[We] went and did an escape room with my friends and had, like, two drinks and [realised] I need to just chill and stop getting so frustrated and overthinking all these practices,” she said.

Pegula – who enjoyed a superb run to the final at Flushing Meadows 12 months ago – looked much closer to her best on Sunday as she broke Li six times on her way to victory.

“I know when she’s serving well and has confidence she’s really dangerous,” Pegula said of Li, who she beat in a much tighter match at the French Open back in May.

“I felt like she came out a little slow and nervous and I wanted to jump on that and not let her feel comfortable for a second, that was my motivation all match.”

Taylor Townsend put aside the controversy over comments made about her by Jelena Ostapenko to stun fifth seed Mirra Andreeva and reach the US Open last 16.

The 29-year-old American said her 7-5 6-2 win over the Russian was “bigger than me” as she reached the fourth round at Flushing Meadows for the first time since 2019.

Fellow players including Naomi Osaka came to Townsend’s defence this week after Ostapenko told her she had “no education” and “no class” after their second-round match on Wednesday.

Osaka said those comments were “one of the worst things you could say to a black tennis player”.

Ostapenko argued with Townsend after losing 7-5 6-1 and claimed the American doubles specialist had not apologised after a net cord landed in her favour.

The 2017 French Open champion denied any element of racism to her remarks and Townsend said she did not think there was a racial undertone to the Latvian’s comments.

After claiming one of the biggest wins of her singles career against Andreeva on Friday, Townsend told the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium: “This feels good.

“All I’m going to say is welcome to the show. I feel amazing. I’m really just proud that I kept the main thing the main thing.

“I want to say thank you to everyone who supported me over these last 48 hours.

“It’s bigger than me. It’s about the message, it’s about the representation, it’s about being bold and being able to show up as yourself and I did that tonight.

“You guys saw the real Taylor Townsend tonight.”

Townsend, who will play unseeded Barbora Krejcikova in the fourth round on Sunday, took just 76 minutes under the lights to surge past 18-year-old Andreeva with some fearless shot making.

She came through a tense first set before running away with the second, hitting a total of 23 winners.

Elsewhere, Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak produced a superb comeback to knock out Russian ninth seed Karen Khachanov in an epic second-round contest.

Majchrzak came back from two sets down, overturned a 5-2 fifth-set deficit and saved five match points to come through 2-6 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 7-5 7-6 (10-5).

Meanwhile, Russian Andrey Rublev came through a tough four-set encounter with American Tristan Boyer.

Boyer, ranked 113th in the world, extended the match by taking the third set before 15th seed Rublev completed a 6-3 6-3 5-7 7-6 (7-4) victory .

Rublev’s next opponent will be Coleman Wong, who backed up his history-making first-round victory against Aleksandar Kovacevic with a four-set win over Australia’s Adam Walton.

Wong’s first-round success made him the first male player from Hong Kong to win a Grand Slam singles match in the Open era.

Lorenzo Musetti was a 6-4 6-0 6-2 winner over Belgian veteran David Goffin and the 10th seed will face fellow Italian Flavio Cobolli next.

Cobolli, the 24th seed, won a match tie-break to beat American Jenson Brooksby in a marathon second-round match that lasted more than four and a half hours.

Novak Djokovic says he is “trying to solve the riddle” and find his best form after fighting back from a set down to beat American qualifier Zachary Svajda in the US Open second round.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion appeared subdued in the early stages of the match before powering through to a 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-3 6-1 win.

“I’m not pleased with my level of tennis, but, you know, you have days like this where you’re not playing at your best, but you just kind of find a way,” Djokovic said.

“I’m just trying to solve the riddle once I’m on the court.”

The 38-year-old said he was “a bit with frustrated with his game” as he continues his bid for a standalone record 25th major trophy.

“It’s not like I’m not finding joy on the court competing. I enjoy competing, but I don’t enjoy not playing well,” the Serb said.

“That’s why I put extra pressure on myself and my team to be better the next day, the next match,” he said.

“It’s not a motivation thing. I kind of go through stuff internally. You don’t want to know the details of what I’m going through and telling myself.”

Djokovic has already set another record in New York in reaching the third round at a major for the 75th time – one more than Roger Federer’s tally.

He will face Britain’s Cameron Norrie – who he has beaten at the French Open and Wimbledon this year – in the third round.

Aug. 20 (UPI) — The outer bands of Hurricane Erin neared North Carolina’s Outer Banks on Wednesday evening, prompting the National Hurricane Center to issue warnings against swimming at most East Coast beaches.

The Category 2 storm, described as “large” by the NHC, had maximum sustained winds of 110 mph, just shy of a Category 3 hurricane. The eye of the storm was located about 490 miles west of Bermuda and 245 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C., and was moving north at 14 mph, according to the NHC’s 8 p.m. update.

A storm surge warning was in effect for from Cape Lookout to Duck, N.C., while a tropical storm warning was in effect for Beaufort Inlet, N.C., to Chincoteague, Va., including Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds.

Bermuda was under a tropical storm watch.

“Erin is expected to produce life-threatening surf and rip currents along the beaches of the Bahamas, much of the east coast of the U.S., Bermuda and Atlantic Canada during the next several days,” the NHC said. “Beachgoers in those areas should follow advice from lifeguards, local authorities and beach warning flags.”

Forecasters warned weather conditions were expected to deteriorate along the Outer Banks late Wednesday into Thursday. Storm surge and large waves could cause beach erosion and make some roads impassible.

Tropical storm conditions were expected to reach the Virginia coast Thursday and farther north through early Friday.

The season’s first Atlantic hurricane reached Category 5 status Saturday morning, the highest classification, after rapidly intensifying overnight Friday, when it became a Category 1 hurricane, the year’s fifth named storm.

Erin dropped to a Category 4 and then a 3 overnight into Sunday, but regained Category 4 strength late Sunday before again losing strength.

Erin became the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic storm season Friday morning.

There have been four named storms so far this season in the Atlantic. Tropical Storm Chantal caused major flooding in North Carolina but has been the only one of the four to make landfall in the United States this year.

The Atlantic hurricane season began on June 1 and ends on Nov. 30. The peak hurricane season runs from mid-August through September and into mid-October.

Ninety-three percent of hurricane landfalls along the U.S. Gulf Coast and the East Coast have occurred from August through October, the Weather Channel reported, citing data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Last year at this time, there had also been five named storms.

Three US warships to be stationed off the coast of Venezuela in so-called fight against ‘narco-terrorists’, according to reports.

Three United States warships ordered to deploy off the coast of Venezuela by US President Donald Trump could arrive by the weekend, according to reports, as Washington sends its military to curb drug trafficking by Latin American crime cartels.

The reported deployment of the warships comes as the Trump administration increases pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, after recently doubling a reward for his arrest to $50m on what the US claims are drug offences linked to cocaine trafficking.

Sources told the Reuters and AFP news agencies on Wednesday that an amphibious squadron consisting of three US Aegis-class guided missile destroyers is heading to the waters off Venezuela and could arrive as early as Sunday.

Two sources briefed on the deployment, and speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the USS San Antonio, USS Iwo Jima and USS Fort Lauderdale are moving towards the Venezuelan coast and are carrying 4,500 US service members, including 2,200 Marines.

The sources declined to detail the specific mission of the squadron. But they have said that recent deployments are aimed at addressing threats to US national security from specially designated “narco-terrorist” organisations in the region.

Maduro said on Monday that he would be deploying millions of militia members across Venezuela in response to US “threats”, which included the reward for his arrest and the launch of a new anti-drug operation in the Caribbean.

“This week, I will activate a special plan with more than 4.5 million militiamen to ensure coverage of the entire national territory – militias that are prepared, activated and armed,” Maduro said in a televised address.

Washington has accused Maduro of leading the Venezuela-based Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns) cocaine trafficking gang.

The US Department of the Treasury designated the cartel as a global terrorist organisation last month, accusing it of supporting the Venezuelan crime group Tren de Aragua and Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartels, which were also designated foreign terrorist organisations earlier this year.

“President Trump has been very clear and consistent, he’s prepared to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country and to bring those responsible to justice,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday.

“Maduro, it is the view of this administration, is not a legitimate president; he is a fugitive head of this cartel who has been indicted in the United States for trafficking drugs into this country,” Leavitt said.

Al Jazeera’s Latin America editor, Lucia Newman, reports that Maduro has ordered the grounding of all aerial drones for the next 30 days, “an indication that he might be expecting an attack from the air rather than sea”.

“President Trump’s vow to send warships to the Caribbean and elsewhere in Latin America to stop the flow of drugs to the United States is being seen as more than just a threat to Venezuela. It could apply to many, many countries in this region,” Newman said.

“They say today it may be Venezuela, tomorrow it could be any one of them,” Newman said.

Many in the region are also wondering why Trump has chosen to implement “such an aggressive move in the United States’ backyard while he portrays himself as a global peacemaker”.

The Mam Tor circular in the Hope Valley has been named one of the UK’s best walks that can be easily reached by public transport, and it’s less than an hour from Manchester

A stunning walk in the Peak District, boasting breathtaking views, has been hailed as one of the UK’s best accessible by train — and it’s just a stone’s throw from Manchester.

The Mam Tor circular in Hope Valley clinched second place in a ranking of the country’s top walks reachable via public transport, according to research by outdoor specialists at Blacks. In fact, this Peak District trek was only pipped to the post by the Seven Sisters and Seaford trail in East Sussex.

To compile the list, researchers scrutinised Google search data, All Trails reviews and the proximity of each walk to the nearest railway station.

READ MORE: People warned to avoid popular Welsh beach after ‘serious public health concern’

With an impressive All Trails rating of 4.8 and a UK search volume of 1,127,000 from July 2024 to June 2025, Mam Tor scored a commendable 9.17 out of 10, narrowly missing out on the top spot to the Seven Sisters’ score of 9.38, reports the Manchester Evening News.

The circular walk kicks off in the beautiful village of Hope, which is a mere 48-minute train ride from Manchester Piccadilly train station. Taking roughly one and a half hours to complete, this moderate route leads you to one of England’s most iconic hills, Mam Tor, offering spectacular views across the Hope Valley.

After their hike, walkers can unwind with a well-deserved visit to one of historic Hope’s numerous picturesque pubs and cafes, including the dog-friendly Cheshire Cheese Inn or the Old Hall Hotel. Other notable nearby villages include Castleton and Edale.

One of the top ten walks easily accessible by train from Manchester is the Kent Estuary and Arnside Knott Circular in Cumbria. Starting in Arnside, just an hour and 20 minutes away from Manchester Piccadilly by train, this walk offers stunning views of Morecambe Bay and the Lakeland fells.

UK’s best walks that you can reach by train, as recommended and ranked by Blacks:

1. Seven Sisters and Seaford, East Sussex
2. Mam Tor Circular, Hope, Derbyshire
3. Box Hill Circular, Box Hill & Westhumble, Surrey
4. Arthurs Seat, Edinburgh Waverley, Edinburgh
5. Whernside and Ribblehead Circular, Ribblehead, North Yorkshire
6. Kent Estuary and Arnside Knott Circular, Arnside, Cumbria
7. Dover White Cliffs Walk, Dover Priory, Kent
8. East Strand, Portrush, County Antrim
9. Cleveland Way: Scarborough to Filey, Scarborough, North Yorkshire
10. Ilkley Moor and Cow & Calf Rocks, Ilkley, West Yorkshire

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Maybe it’s knowing the beach is a short walk from their high school campus, but the special teams trio of punter Jackson Shevin, long snapper Jackson Reach and kicker Nico Talbott are feeling relaxed, comfortable and confident for Mira Costa High‘s football team.

Early in the season, fans sometimes need to close their eyes and pray when there’s a punt or PAT attempt. The special teams play can be that bad.

At Mira Costa, this coming season should be a good one for the special teams. The two Jacksons, Shevin and Reach, did their roles last season. Shevin is also a holder on field goals. Talbott assumes the No. 1 role for kicking. And Reach rarely leaves the field, because he’s also the team’s standout linebacker.

On any football team, it’s always intriguing to see how the special teams players blend in. Many are soccer players trying to learn the football culture.

The Mira Costa trio work well together, and it helps with their versatility. Mira Costa opens its season Aug. 29 against St. Francis. …

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email [email protected].

Previous indirect talks between Israel and Hamas, facilitated by mediators, ended without any results to end the Israel-Palestine war.

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has held talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to discuss a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, as Israel intensifies its offensive to seize Gaza City.

“El-Sisi and the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar stressed the importance of efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza,” according to a statement by the Egyptian presidency on Monday.

The two leaders “affirmed their rejection of the reoccupation of the Gaza Strip and the displacement of Palestinians”, as Israel plans to seize Gaza City and force Palestinians from the enclave’s main urban centre. They also insisted that establishing a Palestinian state is “the path to peace”.

A source told Al Jazeera that “intensive discussions” are currently taking place in Egypt between a Hamas delegation and mediators. Hamas, which governs Gaza, has been calling for a ceasefire, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rebuffed the offer.

Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been mediating between Israel and Hamas since the beginning of the war in Gaza that has killed 62,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children.

Efforts by mediators have so far failed to secure a lasting ceasefire in the ongoing war, which over more than 22 months has created a dire humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

A truce brokered by Qatari, Egyptian and US mediators that came into force in January was broken by Israel in March. Since then, it has imposed a total blockade, causing famine and starvation. More than 260 Palestinians have died due to the Israeli-induced starvation crisis.

The latest round of indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas, facilitated in Doha by mediators, lasted for several weeks before ending on July 25 without any results.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, visiting the Rafah border crossing with Gaza on Monday, said that Qatar’s prime minister was visiting “to consolidate our existing common efforts in order to apply maximum pressure on the two sides to reach a deal as soon as possible”.

Alluding to the dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people living in the Gaza Strip, where United Nations agencies and aid groups have warned of a humanitarian crisis, Abdelatty stressed the urgency of reaching an agreement.

“The current situation on the ground is beyond imagination,” he said.

Thousands of Palestinians have been forced to flee again from Gaza City ahead of an impending Israeli offensive.

‘Genocides don’t end through negotiated solutions’

Commenting on the Qatari prime minister’s trip to Egypt, Abdullah Al-Arian, an associate professor of history at Georgetown University in Qatar, said it was important to remember that similar negotiations have occurred before, but it is “a lack of Israeli political will” that has ultimately stalled them.

Israel “has continued to pursue this genocide and taking it to new, horrific, unprecedented levels”, he told Al Jazeera, adding that there has been a lack of international pressure to secure a ceasefire agreement.

“Historically, genocides don’t end through negotiated solutions … They end usually because the party that committed the genocide is forced to end it, usually through external pressure, external intervention of some kind, and that has not happened yet,” the academic stressed.

On Monday, human rights group Amnesty International accused Israel of enacting a “deliberate policy” of starvation in Gaza as the UN and aid groups continued to warn of famine in the Palestinian enclave.

In a report quoting displaced Palestinians and medical staff who have treated malnourished children, Amnesty said: “Israel is carrying out a deliberate campaign of starvation in the occupied Gaza Strip.”

The UN and the international community have been slamming Israel for blocking necessary aid from entering the war-torn enclave.

Aug. 15 (UPI) — Erin became the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season on Friday morning and is forecast to rapidly strengthen as it heads near the Leeward Islands, and later Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

In its 10 a.m. EDT update, the National Hurricane Center said Erin became a hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph — just 2 mph above the tropical storm designation.

In the 7 p.m. update, Erin increased to 85 mph.

Erin was 310 miles east of the Northern Leeward Islands, and was moving west-northwest at 17 mph in warm waters.

The NHC said the motion is expected to continue through the weekend with some decrease in forward speed.

With rapid strengthening the next two to three days, Eric is forecast to become a major hurricane during the weekend with winds at least 111 mph.

On the forecast track, Erin is likely to go just north of the Northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico over the weekend. Erin is forecast to reach Category 4 at 130 mph on Monday, the NHC said.

By 2 p.m., Wednesday, the storm was forecast to be a few hundred miles west of Bermuda and outside the big tracking cone.

“While the threat of direct impacts in the Bahamas and along the East coast of the United States appears to be gradually decreasing, there will still be a significant risk of dangerous surf and rip currents along western Atlantic beaches next week,” NHC forecaster Jack Beven wrote in a discussion.

Tropical storm warnings remain in effect for Anguilla St. Martin and St. Barthelemy, Saba and St. Eustatius, and Sint Maarten.

Hurricane-force winds extend up to 75 miles from the center, and tropical-force winds outward to 115 miles.

Marine warnings are in effect for the Atlantic, Caribbean and southwest Atlantic and the southwest North Atlantic.

The NHC said Puerto Rico and the northern Leeward Islands — which include Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the British and U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Martin, St. Barts, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Montserrat — should expect heavy rainfall Friday night through Sunday. Rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches are forecast with isolated totals of 6 inches. It could lead to flash and urban flooding, along with landslides and mudslides.

Swells will begin affecting this area and will spread to the western Atlantic next week.

Wind gusts or tropical storm-force winds are possible in rainbands over portions of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico this weekend.

“Do not underestimate the power of a major hurricane even passing by offshore,” Alex DaSilva, the lead hurricane expert with AccuWeather, said. “These massive storms produce very rough surf and lethal rip currents that can impact beaches even hundreds of miles away.”

The previous four named Atlantic storms this year were Andrea, Barry, Chantal and Dexter. None of them became hurricanes, and Chantal was the only one to make landfall in the United States, causing significant flooding in North Carolina.

Helene struck that state last year as a tropical storm, causing an estimated $53 billion in damage, after hitting western Florida as a Category 4 hurricane.

Four other hurricanes made landfall in the United States in 2024: Beryl, Debby, Francine and Milton.

The NFL has reached a deal to take a 10% ownership stake in the Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN, the league and Disney announced Tuesday evening, a move that is expected to solidify the sports media outlet’s relationship with the league for years to come.

In return for the equity stake valued at more than $2 billion based on recent valuations of the company, ESPN will take over the NFL’s cable properties including the NFL Network and Red Zone, the popular channel that continuously updates fans on the slate of Sunday contests. The NFL Network also has the rights to seven regular season games.

In addition to the sale of NFL Network, the NFL and ESPN are also entering into a second non-binding agreement, under which the NFL will license to ESPN certain NFL content and other intellectual property to be used by NFL Network and other assets.

The deal is a big win for ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro, who took over the Disney unit in 2018 with a mandate to improve the company’s relationship with the NFL.

The equity stake comes ahead of ESPN’s move into the direct-to-consumer streaming business this fall, which gives consumers the opportunity to purchase the company’s sports channels without a cable or satellite TV subscription. NFL Network will also be available on the streaming service.

“This is an exciting day for sports fans,” Pitaro said Tuesday in a statement. “By combining these NFL media assets with ESPN’s reach and innovation, we’re creating a premier destination for football fans. Together, ESPN and the NFL are redefining how fans engage with the game — anytime, anywhere. This deal helps fuel ESPN’s digital future, laying the foundation for an even more robust offering as we prepare to launch our new direct-to-consumer service.”

The new product is aimed at recapturing sports fans who are forgoing cable and satellite services. ESPN has seen its reach in cable decline from 98 million homes in 2013 to around 72 million as a result of cord-cutting.

“Today’s announcement paves the way for the world’s leading sports media brand and America’s most popular sport to deliver an even more compelling experience for NFL fans, in a way that only ESPN and Disney can,” Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger said in a statement.

ESPN has the broadcast rights to “Monday Night Football” and two Super Bowl games in the current NFL contract that runs through 2033 but is expected to be reopened in 2029.

The deal with Disney means the NFL’s other partners — Fox, NBC, CBS, YouTube and Amazon — will be bidding against an entity that the league has a financial interest in next time the media rights come up.

Lachlan Murdoch, executive chairman of Fox Corp., told Wall Street analysts Tuesday he is not concerned the NFL’s partnership with ESPN will impact his network’s standing with the league.

“We have a tremendous relationship with the NFL,” Murdoch said. “We appreciate that they are fans of the broadcast and cable networks, and we look forward to working with them and deepening our relationship with them as we move forward.”

In the men’s event, taking place in Toronto, Alexander Zverev battled back from a set down to beat defending champion Alexei Popyrin 6-7 (6-8) 6-4 6-3.

The 28-year-old German is into his 75th semi-final on the ATP Tour, becoming the only active men’s player to have reached that milestone alongside Novak Djokovic.

He will face Russian Karen Khachanov, who moved past Alex Michelsen of the United States 6-4 7-6 (7-3).

The Cincinnati Open confirmed Djokovic had withdrawn for “non-medical” reasons from the tournament, which begins on Thursday.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion, who is not competing in Toronto because of a groin injury, has not played since losing to Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals of Wimbledon.

The 38-year-old is unlikely to play before the US Open, which starts on 24 August.

Naomi Osaka lost just one game as she outplayed Anastasija Sevastova to reach the Canadian Open quarter-finals in Montreal.

The four-time Grand Slam champion took just 49 minutes to wrap up a 6-1 6-0 victory against the 35-year-old Latvian, who had knocked out defending champion Jessica Pegula in the previous round.

Japan’s Osaka, a winner twice at the US and Australian Opens, is seeking her first title since returning from maternity leave early in 2024.

The 27-year-old parted with coach Patrick Mouratoglou after less than a year and is now working with Poland’s Tomasz Wiktorowski, former coach of Iga Swiatek.

“I had a solid plan coming in here and it just happened to work out pretty well,” said Osaka, currently ranked 49 in the world.

American Madison Keys had to fight back to beat Czech Karolina Muchova 4-6 6-3 7-5 in two hours and 20 minutes.

Teenager Victoria Mboko produced the shock of the tournament as she defeated top seed Coco Gauff to reach the quarter-finals of the Canadian Open in Montreal.

The 18-year-old Canadian, who was handed a wildcard entry into the main draw, needed just 62 minutes to defeat the two-time Grand Slam champion 6-1 6-4 and continue her meteoric rise up the rankings.

Mboko converted four of five break points against Gauff and has now dropped just one set in four matches at the tournament.

“Coming into the match, I was so locked in,” Mboko said.

“I tried to keep my composure as much as I could, especially playing in front of so many people. This is a very special experience for me.”

She began the year ranked 333rd in the world, and proceeded to win 22 successive matches without dropping a set on her way to securing five titles on the second-tier ITF Tour.

Mboko entered the tournament ranked 85th, but victory against Gauff will move her up to 53rd, and in the quarter-finals she will face Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, ranked just two places higher.

Gauff once again struggled with her serve, committing six double faults to take her tournament total to 43 in three matches.

“I think she’s going to have a lot of success on tour. I’m sure we’re going to have many more battles in the future,” Gauff said.

Meanwhile, second seed Iga Swiatek cruised into the last 16 with a 6-2 6-2 victory against Eva Lys.

In Toronto Casper Ruud suffered a 6-4 7-5 defeat against Karen Khachanov, before top seed Alexander Zverev advanced to the quarter-finals with a walkover victory against Francisco Cerundolo.

Fifth seed Holger Rune threw away an early lead to lose 6-4 2-6 3-6 to Australian Alexei Popyrin.

Wales will play in the European top flight for the first time in 24 years in 2027 after beating Austria 2-1 in dramatic fashion in their Women’s EuroHockey Championship II semi-final in Poland.

It will mark Wales’ return to the European A Division for the first time since 2003 having already secured a place in the World Cup qualifiers for just the second time in their history, by progressing from the group stage in Gniezno.

Wales’ men will also play in the World Cup qualifiers and Europe’s 2027 top flight after their 5-0 win over Italy in the EuroHockey Championship II in Portugal.

Against Austria, Wales women captain Beth Bingham struck first, in the 21st minute, by tapping in from a penalty corner rebound.

Kristine Vukovich levelled for Austria with 10 minutes left through a penalty corner, but Amy Cradden stepped up to score the winner late on, also from a penalty corner, to spark Wales’ celebrations.

Bursa governor’s office says 1,765 people have been evacuated as more than 1,900 firefighters battle the flames.

Wildfires that have engulfed Turkiye for weeks have surrounded the country’s fourth-largest city, causing more than 1,700 people to flee their homes and leaving one firefighter dead.

Fires in the forested mountains surrounding Bursa in northwest Turkiye spread rapidly overnight on Sunday, causing a red glow over the city.

Dozens of severe wildfires have hit the country since late June, with the government declaring two western provinces, Izmir and Bilecik, disaster areas on Friday.

Bursa governor’s office said in a statement on Sunday that 1,765 people had been safely evacuated from villages to the northeast as more than 1,900 firefighters battled the flames. Authorities said 500 rescue workers were also on the ground.

The highway linking Bursa to the capital, Ankara, was closed as surrounding forests burned.

A firefighter died from a heart attack while on the job, the city’s mayor, Mustafa Bozbey, said in a statement, adding that the flames had scorched 3,000 hectares (7,413 acres) around the city.

Orhan Saribal, an opposition parliamentarian for the province, described the scene as “an apocalypse”.

Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said fire crews across the country battled 84 separate blazes on Saturday. The country’s northwest was under the greatest threat, including Karabuk, where wildfires have burned since Tuesday, he said.

Unusually high temperatures, dry conditions and strong winds have been fuelling the wildfires.

The General Directorate of Meteorology said Turkiye recorded its highest ever temperature of 50.5 degrees Celsius (122.9 degrees Fahrenheit) in the southeastern Sirnak province on Friday. The highest temperatures for July were seen in 132 other locations, it said.

The previous national record was set on August 15, 2023 in Saricakaya, Eskisehir, at 49.5C (121.1F), the Anadolu news agency reported.

At least 14 people have died in recent weeks, including 10 rescue volunteers and forestry workers killed on Wednesday in a fire in Eskisehir in western Turkiye.

Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said late on Saturday that prosecutors had investigated fires in 33 provinces since June 26, and that legal action had been taken against 97 suspects.

The creators of Comedy Central’s “South Park” reached a breakthrough Monday in the tense negotiations over the streaming rights of the long-running satirical cartoon.

Paramount agreed to buy the global streaming rights for “South Park” to bring the show to the company’s digital service, Paramount+, for the first time in the U.S., according to three people close to the negotiations who were not authorized to comment.

The deal with Trey Parker and Matt Stone, through their Park County production company, values the global streaming rights at $300 million a year, according to two of the people close to the agreement, who could not discuss the matter publicly because the deal is not final.

The five-year deal means the show will fetch $1.5 billion for streaming alone.

The sum preserves the show’s status as one of the world’s most valuable TV franchises.

Both sides were motivated to reach a deal before Wednesday, when Paramount’s Comedy Central channel kicks off the 27th season of “South Park.”

Paramount also wanted to avoid any public relations fiascoes when Stone and Parker take the stage Thursday at fan-fest Comic-Con in San Diego.

Separately, the two sides have been negotiating an overall deal for Parker and Stone, to renew their previous $900-million pact that kept the show on Comedy Central with new episodes through 2027. Parker and Stone’s team are seeking a higher valuation in order to produce new seasons.

This is a developing story.

Nigeria cruised into the semi-finals of the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations with a statement 5-0 victory over Zambia in Casablanca.

The Copper Queens had been expected to pose a tough challenge for the record nine-time champions, but were blown away by a stunning performance which was underlined by clinical finishing.

The West Africans never looked back after centre-back Osinachi Ohale was left unmarked at a free-kick in the second minute and headed past Petronella Musole.

Grace Chanda missed a glorious chance to equalise on the half hour mark and three minutes later Nigeria doubled their lead through a fine finish from the impressive Esther Okoronkwo.

Chinwendu Ihezuo capitalised on hesitancy in the Zambia defence to make it 3-0 to the Super Falcons on the stroke of half-time with a composed finish.

Oluwatosin Demehin nodded in the fourth from another pinpoint free-kick delivery midway through the second half at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium, and Folashade Ijamilusi rounded off the scoring in the first minute of stoppage time.

Zambia had beaten Nigeria to finish third at the 2022 finals, yet their formidable strike partnership of Barbra Banda and Racheal Kundananji – who had scored three goals apiece in the group stage – failed to register a shot on target between them.

Nigeria, who are still yet to concede a goal at this year’s finals, will face either defending champions South Africa or Senegal in the semi-finals on Tuesday (16:00 GMT).

Those two sides meet in the last eight in Oujda on Saturday at 19:00 GMT.