Sports
Coco Gauff, Mirra Andreeva and the tennis player’s challenge of getting out of their own way
With the start of the French Open just over two weeks away, the defending champion is doing what she does best. Coco Gauff is scrapping for her wins.
The 22-year-old American logged her third straight comeback victory Tuesday in the Italian Open quarterfinals, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, against world No. 7 Mirra Andreeva. She led 5-1 in the final set, but needed five match points to improve to 5-0 against the young Russian.
“Honestly, it was tough. … I know when I play her, she can play great tennis at any moment. But I was also thinking, I saved a match point in the last round, so I could easily not be here today,” Gauff said in her news conference.
“I was just trying to appreciate just being here, even if those match points weren’t going my way. I think it showed in my reaction every time I lost them.”
With the win, Gauff advanced to the semifinals of the Italian Open for the fourth time in her career and for the third consecutive year. It was a triumph over a player with whom Gauff shares much in common these days, beyond their superb defensive skills and prodigious talent that emerged at a young age.
Both Gauff and Andreeva are strong contenders for the Roland Garros title next month, part of a group that includes fellow Italian Open quarterfinalists Elena Rybakina and Iga Świątek, as well as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
Both are also in the process of trying to figure out key elements of their games while standing under a harsh spotlight, technically and mentally. Gauff and Andreeva have both been winning plenty of matches lately, but they have both needed to get out of their own way — especially when ahead on the scoreboard.
For Andreeva, her mental and emotional state during matches has wavered far more than her tennis.
The 19-year-old has had a successful clay-court swing, picking up a title on indoor clay at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz Open before reaching the final of the Madrid Open in both singles and doubles.
But her strong run has been peppered with public bouts of self-doubt, and Andreeva has spoken about how disruptive her untamed emotions can be in matches.
The most memorable recent moment came in a third-round match in Madrid against Hungary’s Anna Bondár, in which Andreeva had let go of a 5-1 lead in the third set. She then turned to her coaching team in the stands and said, “I’m not a champion, I’m not a champion. I will lose. I will lose. I choke.”
It appeared that Andreeva, who has gone through bouts of self-flagellation and dismay in moments big and small of late, culminating in cursing at the crowd after a loss at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, was done. Instead, she won the match.
Gauff, meanwhile, spoke of additional off-court challenges that have had her “on edge” and listening to gospel music before matches to calm down. She has also admonished herself the past week, even in matches she ultimately won.
She pulled off a pair of comebacks to reach the quarterfinals in Rome, fighting from match point down in the fourth round against rising American Iva Jović, the 16th seed, and from a double-break down against Solana Sierra in the third round. But in both matches, Gauff let a platform for victory strip her of her ruthlessness.
She went 3-0 down to Sierra in the third set after winning the second 6-0, while she led by a break in both of the first two sets against Jović, before finding herself down a set and 5-3. A combination of nerves and an issue with a finger on Jović’s right hand gave Gauff the assist she needed to win the second set. Then she took over the third.
Gauff said her motivation was flagging against Sierra, a symptom of what she called “some personal things off court” that she’s been going.
“For most of my career, I’ve been having to only focus on my game. So it’s weird when your mind is in a different place,” she said after winning that match.
What Gauff and Andreeva also share is a sense of distrust on their forehands. Gauff, who has been on an odyssey to fix her fickle serve, appears to have quelled the double faults that tended to define her losses in 2025. She is not there yet on the most important groundstroke for most players, with her footwork and spacing — how close she gets to the ball before hitting it — getting her off balance and needing her to compensate with her phenomenal backhand and foot speed. Andreeva, too, can swing through the shot, but often decelerates and plays it safer than she might need to do, slicing when she could drive.
Andreeva looked to be the more confident competitor at the start Tuesday. She dictated more often after breaking early for a 2-1 lead and captured her first set against Gauff since they played at the 2023 French Open.
Andreeva and Gauff traded characters in the second set. Gauff was more assertive at the net and played perhaps the cleanest, most assured set of her clay-court swing this year as Andreeva faded into the background. She often finds clarity on her forehand when she pairs it with intent to move forward, and this was no exception.
There were no emotional outbursts this time from Andreeva, only an absence of emotion that lasted until Gauff led 5-1 in the third set. Then, as against Sierra, Gauff became passive and Andreeva, free of pressure and with her coaching team shouting, “You can win this match!” from the stands, came back online. She forced errors from Gauff’s forehand, but ultimately wasn’t aggressive enough to fully shake her opponent.
Coco Gauff is trying to make her forehand a more reliable shot. (Robert Prange / Getty Images)
Gauff may be having difficulties with her forehand and focus, but the three years in age and four years on tour that separate Gauff and Andreeva make a difference. Self-trust is not something that Gauff lacks.
“I was trying to find the balance of being aggressive and not missing, and on some of those match points I made some unforced errors. But also just forgetting them. I mean, it’s a missed opportunity, but that doesn’t mean you can’t create another one. I was trying to get myself as many opportunities and hopefully [with] the math, eventually one will land my way.” Gauff said in an interview on Tennis Channel.
Late in the third set, Gauff fist pumped after hard fought points even if she lost them. After Andreeva broke her to win her third straight game and make it 5-4, Gauff was confident her return game could carry her home.
“It’s disappointing when you’re 5-1 and all of a sudden it’s 5-4, but I also reminded myself I have a really good return percentage, I think I’m one of the best on tour percentage-wise with that,” Gauff said.
“So I don’t know, just like, the numbers are on my side. I have to hope that they stick today.”
They did, after a 13-minute final game in which Andreeva saved two match points.
Next up, Gauff faces Sorana Cîrstea, the Romanian who handed world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka her earliest loss at a tournament in more than a year Saturday in Rome. At 36, Cîrstea is playing her final year on tour, meaning Gauff has plenty in common with her upcoming opponent, too. For different reasons, they share a similar mindset.
“It’s just trying to not leave the court with regrets,” Gauff said.
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Sports
The NFL returns to the UK more committed than ever to international growth after Rio and Melbourne games – but is a European team possible? | NFL News
The NFL returns to the United Kingdom this weekend with the first of three London games to be played in the month of October.
We’ll see the Indianapolis Colts take on the Washington Commanders at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday and the following week we will welcome back the Jacksonville Jaguars as they clash with the Philadelphia Eagles at the same venue.
The trio of games will end at Wembley Stadium on October 18 with the Jags taking on their division rivals in the AFC South in the Houston Texans.
The NFL continues its commitment to the UK but it’s clear they are looking more globally than ever before. By the end of this 2026 season we will have seen nine regular season games played internationally and the NFL is growing braver.
I think London played a big part in that as well by proving time and time again how you can get teams in, get them practising efficiently, get them playing the game and then get them out.
That blueprint has now been taken quite literally to the other side of the world. So this season we’ll see firsts with games already played in Australia and in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. We’ll also see a first this year with a game in Paris, France towards the end of October.
So this NFL train is not slowing down. In fact it’s only going to gather pace. I think we’ll see 10 games played next season and I don’t think we’re very far away from seeing 16 being played internationally every year.
That of course will come once the league negotiates any new deal with the Players Association that takes the regular season up to 18 games from its current 17 right now. So at first glance the league is intent on continuing with its Formula 1 approach. Different teams playing in different markets, growing the fanbase around the entire world and I understand why.
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The Baltimore Ravens had just seven seconds to work with at the start of their drive – which proved to be just long enough to win the game in Brazil against the Dallas Cowboys
I’ve spoken to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell about this in the past and he’s told me that if we play in just one or two markets you only grow the fanbase in one or two markets. If you can play in 10, 11, 12 markets around the world then you’re growing significantly in a number of different countries, so it certainly looks like that’s the plan, but we still hear this talk of international franchises, potentially even a European division and the commissioner himself alluded to that this summer when in Germany.
I think the reason for that is that the NFL just doesn’t want to lose momentum. So they are keeping an open mind. Yes at the moment it’s the Formula 1 approach but if it works well enough in enough countries then does it become something else? Does it become something more substantial in London? Do we have a European division with a team in London, one in Germany, one in Spain, one in France?
When you look at it you can see the groundwork being laid for that.
I think if I were a betting man I wouldn’t necessarily know which way to go. I’ve seen very early on a lot of talk about a franchise, especially in London, then that went away to a degree and we looked at this Formula 1 approach of different teams in different countries.
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Highlights of the Baltimore Ravens at the Dallas Cowboys from Week 3 of the NFL season
But now the commissioner has put the franchise discussion back on the table which to me suggests the league is just focusing at the moment on continuing to grow fan numbers, continuing to grow interest, finding new fans and players through flag football and seeing where it goes in the future.
I don’t think they’re committed to one path or the other and it won’t hurt that we’re using the Formula 1 approach now and then pivot to something else later.
I tell you one thing, the commitment has never been greater among NFL owners and commissioner Roger Goodell to grow the game internationally.
It is one of the biggest things the NFL will be working on now and for many years to come and for us as fans of the game internationally that can only be good news for us.
Watch the 2026 NFL season live on Sky Sports, including every minute of the playoffs and Super Bowl LXI on Sunday February 14, 2027. Get latest Sky Sports deals or stream with no contract on NOW.
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Sports
Joss Buttler says Brendon McCullum’s removal as England Test coach may have boosted Cricket World Cup chances | Cricket News
Jos Buttler believes Brendon McCullum’s removal as Test coach may have boosted England’s World Cup chances, with the New Zealander now “all in” on lifting the trophy next winter.
McCullum was relieved of his red-ball duties in July, with Stephen Fleming eventually named as his successor, but remained in charge of a limited-overs set-up that ended the summer with a record of 11 wins and two defeats.
That included ODI series wins over India and Sri Lanka, raising England’s stock in a format that has seen them decline since they became world champions in 2019.
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McCullum has remained in charge of England’s white-ball teams, alongside specialist mentor Kevin Pietersen
Buttler, who captained the team in their ill-fated 2023 title defence, thinks the split coaching model has allowed McCullum to throw all his energy towards next year’s tournament in southern Africa.
“He’s only got one focus now and that is the white ball,” Buttler said on his For the Love of Cricket podcast.
“It’s not that he couldn’t do everything, because he could, but your time is more spread and you’ve got more to think about with the Test team as well.
“Now he can focus solely on white-ball cricket – T20, yes, but mainly ODI cricket with that World Cup on the horizon. It seems like Baz is naturally all in on, ‘how do I win this World Cup with this team?’
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Buttler said McCullum now has more time to focus on the white-ball format
“I think he can sort of see that World Cup is not that far away. It’s a real target, now his remit has changed from four months ago being in charge of everything to, ‘right, I can really nail down on this’. He’s just got more time and more focus on that.
“ODI cricket for England has not been consistently great for a couple of years, so there’s some nice growth to go on that and this summer’s been a really good start.”
Buttler delivers update on hamstring injury
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Buttler was forced to retire after suffering a hamstring injury during England’s second ODI against Sri Lanka
Buttler is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury and has already been ruled out for the forthcoming tri-series tour of Pakistan.
He is also a doubt for the November trip to Australia, meaning the team’s most experienced one-day player could miss as many as eight ODIs and a significant chunk of the pre-World Cup preparations.
“I’ve had a scan and I’m waiting to see the specialist. Then we’ll know what the next steps are,” he said.
“The unknown is often the tough part. Any cricketer just wants a physio or a doctor to tell you, ‘on this date you’ll be back playing cricket’. Unfortunately, they can’t do that just yet.”
England vs Sri Lanka white-ball series’ results
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Man City Premier League charges: Appeal process, punishment hearing and what happens now after guilty verdict | Football News
Manchester City have been found guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of Premier League financial rules by an independent commission. Sky Sports analyses what could happen next in the inquiry…
What is the appeals process?
Manchester City have confirmed they will appeal the ruling. They have until Friday October 2 to do so.
The appeal – which is permitted under section W of the Premier League rules.- would be heard by a new three-person commission.
Can sanctions be imposed while an appeal is under way?
There will be a separate hearing with the independent commission to determine sanctions. It is unclear when this hearing will take place but, reading between the lines, the Premier League wants this concluded this season.
The Premier League will put forward what they think the punishment should be and City will argue their case. The commission will then go away and decide what the punishment should be.
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Manchester City CEO Ferran Soriano refuses to answer questions after the club was found guilty of serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules
Would the appeal be the end of the matter?
The appeal would be the end of this part of the process.
City cannot appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). But they could go to the High Court and argue that the process has not been fair and impartial.
There could also be more legal cases, with clubs potentially taking action against City over missing out on trophies and Champions League qualification.
What are the potential punishments?
There are a range of sanctions available to the independent commission which include fines, points deductions and other sporting sanctions – which could be applied this season.
The Premier League do not have set sanctions for financial rule breaches. Clubs decided not to have them because there were fears clubs would break the rules and just take the punishment if they knew what the punishment was going to be.
In February 2025, Richard Masters, the Premier League chief executive, said the league was looking at having a sanctions grid – setting out agreed sanctions for different rules breaches.
Everton were deducted six points on appeal during the 2023/24 season and then two points for profit and sustainability rules (PSR) breaches. Nottingham Forest were deducted four points in the same season.
In the 2008/09 season, Luton were deducted 30 points (10 points for illegal payments to agents and 20 points for exiting administration without a Company Voluntary Arrangement).
In 2021/22 season, Derby were deducted 21 points (12 points for entering administration and nine points for financial irregularities).
How could City be relegated?
Manchester City can only end up in the Championship if they are given a significant enough points penalty which means they go on to be relegated from the PL.
What happens if City are expelled from the Premier League?
Expulsion means they are no longer a Premier League (PL) club. It does NOT mean that they have been relegated.
City will then have to go to The Football Association and apply to rejoin the football pyramid further down.
Then the problem of re-integration lies with The FA and English Football League.
The FA will have a huge part to play in deciding where City play their football next, in this scenario. Where that might be is unknown, and very complicated and political.
Will the Premier League decide to negate all City’s results for this season because it has happened mid-season? It’s something they will have to decide upon.
How would they enter the EFL?
Written into the EFL laws: any new member who joins EFL, has to join at League Two.
The EFL, like the Premier League, is a collective of its member clubs, and so any decision to re-enter Man City at a certain level (any level from the Championship or below) would have to be ratified by a vote of the member clubs.
If it went to a vote, it would be passed or rejected on a simple majority, a vote that involves all 72 EFL clubs.
That was the system for when the Championship play-offs were expanded from 4-6 teams last season – it required a majority of the 72 AND a specific majority of the Championship clubs.
Will clubs in any division be keen for a club of Man City’s power to join their league?
What would happen to the Premier League’s missing place?
It certainly causes problems in terms of numbers in each competition – leaving only 19 clubs in the Premier League. This will almost certainly mean that only two clubs are relegated from the top division that season.
What have Man City said?
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Ben Ransom talks through the statement Manchester City have made in response to the Premier League after it found the club guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of its financial rules
City released a statement stating they are “disappointed and surprised” after the club were found guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of Premier League financial rules.
“Manchester City is both disappointed and surprised by the opinion of the Premier League commission that has been published today.
“The club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions, relating to this case.
“The club will therefore be relentless, and where necessary proactive, in any and all appropriate regulatory and legal forums.”
Manchester City’s statement refers to a Premier League commission. For clarity, this was an independent commission.
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