Stars return to Royal Box as Wimbledon welcomes back the sunshine
Among the guests in the Royal Box were adventurer Bear Grylls, broadcaster Sir Chris Bryant and actor Rory Kinnear.
Deborah Meaden soaked up the sunshine on centre court (John Walton/PA)
Former Dragons' Den star Deborah Meaden and comedian Clive Anderson were also spotted taking in the action on Centre Court.
Musician-turned-environmentalist Feargal Sharkey was seated alongside Dutch tennis legend Betty Stove, who turned 80 in April and famously reached three Wimbledon finals in 1977.
They were joined by a host of sporting figures including former England rugby coach Sir Clive Woodward, Olympic sprinter Donna Fraser, and incoming Lawn Tennis Association chairman William Jackson. Prince Michael of Kent led the royal contingent.
Novak Djokovic during his match against Daniel Evans on day four of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships (John Walton/PA)
The stars were there to see Novak Djokovic face off against British Dan Evans on Centre Court, before Iga Swiatek takes on American qualifier Caty McNally.
Top seed Jannik Sinner took on Aleksandar Vukic of Australia on No 1 Court, followed by Mirra Andreeva's match against Italy's Lucia Bronzetti.
Later in the day, Maria Sakkari is scheduled to play 2022 champion Elena Rybakina, and British hope Jack Draper will face former US Open winner Marin Cilic.
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The Guardian
17 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Sonay Kartal reaches Wimbledon fourth round for first time after sweeping past Parry
British tennis may have found its newest rising star after Sonay Kartal reached the fourth round at a major for the first time with a dominant 6-4, 6-2 victory over the French qualifier Diane Parry. The Brighton native becomes the fourth unseeded British woman to reach the fourth round at SW19 this century after Laura Robson (2013), Emma Raducanu (2021 and 2024) and Heather Watson (2022). This time last year, she was ranked 259th in the world. Now she is the world No 51 and may rise above her career high of No 49 if her form continues. Kartal started this third-round match on No 1 Court aggressively, putting Parry on the defensive, and unleashing an overhead smash to lead 30-15 in her opponent's opening service game. The Frenchwoman, 22, rallied with a beautiful forehand down the line before Kartal brought the game to deuce and earned a break point. Parry, undeterred, saved it with a well-placed volley and ultimately held serve after a hard-fought six-minute game. The British No 3 fired down two successive aces but followed those up with a double fault. Parry's willingness to approach the net paid off handsomely, as a deft backhand volley earned her a break point, which she converted. Parry held serve to 30 in the third game, with a slice from her single-handed backhand. The world No 103 continued to dominate at the net, executing a stretch volley winner off an attempted backhand pass but eventually – after 21 minutes of play – Kartal finally got on the board, holding serve to 30. 'I was pretty nervous,' said Kartal. 'It's a big court with a match that has a lot of meaning to me. Obviously last year, that was also in the back of my mind, losing to Coco [Gauff] on the same court in the same round. I tried to take everything I learned from that match and put it into play on the court. I tried to relax as best as I could. Losing 4-1, I just tried to get back on the scoreboard one by one.' The tide began to turn in the sixth game of the first set with Kartal holding serve with an ace to finish the job. She surged to a 40-0 lead in the next game, earning three break points. Parry bravely saved the first two before a tense, cat-and-mouse rally: Kartal attempted a drop shot, Parry dug out a shot to the baseline and Kartal, opting for a down-the-line backhand instead of an obvious lob, hit her shot into the net. A double fault presented Kartal with a fourth break point which she secured. At this juncture, the home player's ground strokes began to find their mark, much to Parry's frustration. Kartal consolidated the break by holding serve to 30 and, suddenly, it was the unforced error count across the net that was climbing, reaching 15 for the set as the 23-year-old levelled at 4-4. An extra bounce in her step and increased confidence in her shot-making were palpable. Momentum swung. Kartal dug deep, battling back from deuce, to break Parry once more, taking a 5-4 lead after a fourth double fault from her opponent. Serving to take a set that initially looked done and dusted, Kartal hit two unreturned serves. 'I kind of trusted in my game that eventually I was going to start to relax into it, whether that was me winning the first set or losing,' said Kartal. 'I knew I probably had maybe an hour left on this court, so I was trying to give everything I had in the tank for that one.' Frustration began to mount for the French player in the second set with a meekly sliced backhand into the net, offering Kartal two immediate break points – she took the game with a sliced backhand. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion Kartal then held serve with a high topspin forehand, winning her ninth game in a row. Parry managed to hold serve twice and force Kartal to serve for the match. She delivered, with little sign of nerves, as she hit a forehand winner and a blistering ace to set up match point before an unreturnable first serve sealed the win. The Briton has been vocal about wanting to add to her 14 tattoos to commemorate her run this year, even asking the crowd for suggestions. A current one reads: 'The show must go on.' And on it goes to a match against Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova who defeated the former world No 1 Naomi Osaka. 'I'm going to go out on the court in the next round with nothing to lose at the minute,' said Kartal. 'I'm going to go swinging. The pressure that I'll feel is the pressure I will be putting on myself just wanting to perform as best as I can.'
Daily Mail
24 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
'John wanted to be an aristocrat in football, and he attained it': Poignant tributes shared as mourners bid a final farewell to Lisbon Lion Clark
Celtic great John Clark attained footballing immortality as a member of the club's famous European Cup-winning Lisbon Lions side, the mourners at his funeral have heard. The defender from Lanarkshire, who played more than 300 times for the Glasgow club, died last month at the age of 84. His most famous match was undoubtedly the 1967 European Cup final in the Portuguese capital when Celtic defeated Inter Milan 2-1 to become the first British side to lift the European Cup — a victory that ensured a place in footballing folklore for the players and manager Jock Stein. Celtic stars past and present gathered in the east end of Glasgow yesterday for the funeral mass at St Mary's Church in Calton — a setting synonymous with Celtic, with the club's formation traced back to a meeting in the church hall in 1887. One of the last surviving Lisbon Lions, Jim Craig, attended, as did current manager Brendan Rodgers, club captain Callum McGregor and several other members of the first-team squad. Roy Keane and Ian Wright, who both played for Celtic, and former club captain and manager Neil Lennon were among the many well-known footballing figures in attendance. Portuguese flags hung from the balconies inside the church during a service that also heard the Celtic anthem You'll Never Walk Alone played on the organ. At the start of the mass, priest Father John Mulholland extended his sympathies to Clark's widow, Eileen, his children Mairi and Martin, his three grandchildren and other family members. He then reflected on the legacy created by Clark and his team-mates from 1967. 'How many people would be able to name those 11 men without even thinking, they are second nature to all of us, simply because of what they did that afternoon,' he said. 'That immortality has gone with them for what is now nearly 60 years — wee boys at school can rhyme off the names of the Lisbon Lions.' Delivering the homily, priest Father Mark O'Donnell described Clark as a 'happy and quiet man' who was known for his displays of 'authentic kindness'. Clark's association with Celtic extended long beyond the end of his playing days. He also served spells as coach, assistant manager and kit man. As well as his European Cup winners' medal, Clark also won four league championships, three Scottish Cups and four League Cups during his playing career. Former players Roy Keane and Ian Wright turned out to pay their respects to the Parkhead icon In a 25-minute eulogy, renowned Scottish football commentator Archie Macpherson hailed Clark as the 'most modest and genial footballer' he had ever encountered. The broadcaster also shared his memories of the final whistle in Lisbon. 'I remember the scenes well. I remember the scenes of the players at the end, utterly exhausted and the supporters pouring on. The goals themselves you all know about, you've seen them so often,' he told mourners. 'And, yes, the word has been used — immortal — about Stein and the others, and that is the case. 'For myself, personally, I am simply a privileged man to have been there and rubbed shoulders with the greats, saw in that glorious sunshine a Scottish victory that nobody will ever forget. 'And John was part of that, the wee Lanarkshire boy who grew up wanting to be an aristocrat in football, and attained it. 'But, he showed his other side by becoming the kit man at Celtic Park. And I remember so many times from different players talking about how this man could suddenly do that, and he did it simply. 'He wanted Celtic still to be a success, and although he wore his boots magnificently, he also carried other people's boots and their jerseys just to keep Celtic going. 'That gives you an idea of another side of his personality. Yes, I'm honoured to have met him, honoured to have been in Lisbon and certainly honoured to be with you today.' After the service, hundreds of fans braved wet and windy weather outside Celtic's Parkhead stadium to pay their own tributes as the cortege passed. The mourners gathered at Celtic Park in response to an invite to send a 'final farewell to one of the club's greatest ever servants'. The fans applauded as a cortege passed by the stadium.
Reuters
32 minutes ago
- Reuters
Lucky loser Sierra's Wimbledon fairytale continues
LONDON, July 4 (Reuters) - Solana Sierra continued to make the most of her good fortune at Wimbledon as the Argentine on Friday became the first lucky loser to move into the fourth round of the grasscourt Grand Slam since tennis turned professional in 1968. The 21-year-old squandered a match point and crashed in the final round of qualifying to Australia's Talia Gibson, but went into the main draw at the very last moment when Belgium's Greet Minnen pulled out and she has not looked back since. After seeing off Australia's Olivia Gadecki and stunning local favourite Katie Boulter, she came through a challenging test against Spain's Cristina Bucsa to win 7-5 1-6 6-1 and dropped to the ground in celebration. Sierra, who looked at her team in disbelief for several moments as she sat on the turf after match point, will pick up a cheque worth at least 240,000 pounds ($327,336) for her surprise run. She meets Laura Siegemund or Australian Open champion Madison Keys in the next round. ($1 = 0.7332 pounds)
