Jannik Sinner dethrones Carlos Alcaraz as Wimbledon champion
Jannik Sinner
as he put his Paris heartbreak behind him to claim a first
Wimbledon
title.
Only five weeks have passed since
Carlos Alcaraz
stunningly saved three match points in a
French Open
final fightback for the ages but his hopes of a third straight victory in London were dashed by his great rival.
This time it was world number one Sinner, who becomes the first Italian to win a Wimbledon singles title, that came from behind, claiming a 4-6 6-4 6-4 6-4 victory in three hours and four minutes – nearly two-and-a-half hours quicker than their Roland Garros epic.
The victory, which Sinner celebrated by thrusting both arms aloft, puts their rivalry back on a knife edge, with the 23-year-old now trailing Alcaraz only by five Slam titles to four and putting an end to a five-match losing streak against the Spaniard.
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It is also Sinner's first Slam title away from his favoured hard courts, while Alcaraz suffered a first major final defeat, unable to find the same magic that had brought him back from the brink on the clay.
Full report to follow
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Irish Times
6 hours ago
- Irish Times
Long after Jonathan Edwards lost God, his record leap of faith still stands
God knows how Jonathan Edwards popped up in my Google news feed this week. Especially singing the praises of a round of golf at Royal Portrush. Can your phone, like God, know your thoughts even before you speak? It had crossed my mind at some point that in this summer of fast-tumbling world records, the triple-jump mark set by Edwards 30 years ago next month remains in a realm of its own. Not once but twice inside 20 minutes Edwards made sure of that, leaping out with near-miraculous faith to 18.29 metres – exactly 60 feet – at the 1995 World Championships in Gothenburg. Then just like that, there he was in Google news, in Portrush this week as an ambassador for R&A global development, also helping to keep score at the 153rd Open. Golf being his thing now. God and Edwards were once very close. Long before pushing the world record to where no mortal had the right to expect to go, Edwards had declared that triple jumping was a mere extension of his devout Christianity, a faith fundamental to his identity. It was what drove him to become a full-time athlete back in 1987. READ MORE Then, four years after his retirement in 2003, came his sudden leap away from faith, Edwards losing his religion in 2007. Born in Westminster, the son of a Devon vicar, Edwards soon became Britain's most famous advocate of divine intervention, or at least divine inspiration, on the road to sporting glory. If faith can indeed carry the devout, Edwards always looked to God for the courage and strength to take on the world's best triple jumpers, and to beat them. Such was his devotion, Edwards initially refused to compete on the Sabbath, skipping the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo because his qualifying took place on the first Sunday. He eventually relented on that stance. 'My relationship with Jesus and God is fundamental to everything I do,' Edwards said at the time. 'I have made a commitment and dedication in that relationship to serve God in every area of my life.' After winning a bronze medal at the 1993 World Championships, Edwards went to Gothenburg two years later in the form of his life, his annus mirabilis. In July of 1995, he broke his first world record, his 17.98m surpassing by 1cm the mark which had stood for the previous 10 years to Willie Banks from the US. Edwards also jumped a wind-assisted 18.43m that June. A sign of things to come. British triple-jumper Jonathan Edwards makes his third jump at the World Championships in Athletics in Gothenburg, Sweden, on August 7th, 1995. Edwards' previous jump set a new world record at 18.29m. Photograph:With his first triple jump in Gothenburg, Edwards landed beyond the 18m marker in the sand, clearly a world record even before measured at 18.16m. His second attempt measured 18.29m. The next-best triple jump in history is the 18.21m Christian Taylor from the US landed to win the 2015 World Championships, 20 years after Edwards' record. When winning his Olympic gold in Sydney 2000, Edwards carried a tin of sardines in his kitbag, symbolising the fish Jesus used in the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand, and a reminder that the result, win or lose, was in God's hands. At his retirement after the 2003 World Championships, Edwards quoted from the Bible: 'A man's heart deviseth his way, but the Lord directeth his step.' Then he began presenting Songs of Praise on BBC. So it made for shock reading when Edwards told the Times newspaper in 2007 that 'when you think about it rationally, it does seem incredibly improbable that there is a God'. His new revelations were all personal, and begged another profound question: could Edwards have broken that world record without his belief in God? 'I now realise my belief in God was sports psychology in all but name,' he said. 'Believing in something beyond the self can have a hugely beneficial psychological impact, even if the belief is fallacious.' Jonathan Edwards celebrates after winning gold in the Men's Triple Jump final at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. Photograph: Stu Forster/Allsport/In another interview in 2014, Edwards said: 'Seven years on I don't feel a gap in my life, and I suppose that's the proof of the pudding, isn't it? Had I suddenly thought that life doesn't quite feel right, maybe I'd re-examine that – re-examine my faith. In fact, more than ever, I feel comfortable with where I am in life.' [ Edwards's loss of faith no godsend Opens in new window ] There was never any doubting the merits of his triple-jump efforts, the speed Edwards carried through to his final jump phase his greatest ally. 'I was very light, very quick across the ground,' he told Eurosport last year. 'And I maintained my speed, and my technique and my rhythm was very good, so my final jump was a long way ... that was the key for it.' Talking to National Club Golfer magazine on Thursday, Edwards still believes faith can play a role in sporting success, especially in a high-pressure game like golf. 'In some ways, it becomes part of your psychology for dealing with the pressure,' he said. 'I think subconsciously, your mind finds ways to just ratchet down the pressure a little bit. 'My faith certainly helped me do that, to deal with the pressure ... It's out of your hands. You do the best with what you've got, and the result is separate from that. Winning wasn't the be-all and end-all of those things, and no matter what happened, my worth as a person wasn't the penalty of the result. There was a whole bunch of stuff that the Christian narrative gave me which made it much easier to go out and compete.' Such words may or may not be a godsend to anyone playing for the Claret Jug at Royal Portrush this weekend, unless of course God has already made plans of his own.
Irish Independent
12 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Scottie Scheffler insists he was unaware of Rory McIlroy's charge as he took command of The Open at Portrush
The world number one was not at his very best but as roars rang out all over Royal Portrush as McIlroy shot 66 to go into the final round six shots behind, he relentlessly pushed forward to edge closer to the third leg of the career Grand Slam. "I feel good," said Scheffler, who eagled the seventh, birdied the eighth and followed stellar par saves at the 11th and 14th with his third birdie two of the week at the 16th. "I had another good day today. I made a couple of nice par saves. I had a really good par save on 11, really good par save on 14 and I did some good stuff. "Like you said, I was pretty patient most of the day but felt like I was hitting it really nice. Just sometimes major championships it can be tough to make birdies, and today was one of those days where I just had to give myself some looks and was able to hole a few. "I'm just trying to execute, not overthinking things. I feel like I've been doing the right thing so far, and I'm looking forward to the challenge of tomorrow." Asked if he was aware of McIlroy's charge, he was in no mood to give the Holywood star any encouragement, even if he was aware of the Holywood star's move up the leaderboard to joint fourth. "Ehhh, no," Scheffler said as he headed for home to recharge for a final round pairing with China's Haotong Li, who trails him by four shots on 10-under after a 69 Scheffler added a third major title to his two Masters victories by claiming the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow in May and admitted it would be satisfying to add a Claret Jug to his collection and leave himself needing only the US Open to join McIlroy in the career Grand Slam club. "Yeah, it would be nice, but I'm not going to be thinking about that tonight," said the American, who leads the putting statistics and lies second for strokes gained on approach. "I'm going to be going home, trying to get some rest and get some recovery and then get ready for tomorrow." ADVERTISEMENT Ominously for the chasing pack, Scheffler has converted his last nine 54-hole leads into wins. Why he's such a good front runner is a mystery to him. "Your guess is as good as mine," he said. "I like being out here competing. This is why we work so hard is to have opportunities like this, and I'm excited for the challenge of tomorrow. "Winning major championships is not an easy task, and I've put myself in a good position. "Going into tomorrow, I'm going to step up there on the first tee and I'm going to be trying to get the ball in the fairway, and when I get to the second shot I'm going to be trying to get that ball on the green. "There's not really too much else going on." As for the chasers, Haotong feels he has nothing to lose when he heads out with Scheffler in the final group at 2:30pm after almost quitting the game due to swing yips two years ago. "I'm actually quite looking forward to it," he said. "Four shots behind, kind of like play for second, especially play with world No. 1. "I just try to play my best out there and hopefully make something happen. "For sure, nothing to lose. Especially from two years ago, swing yips, couldn't even pull the trigger until now. It's a massive step for me." Fitzpatrick will play in the penultimate group with McIlroy and at five strokes adrift, he knows it won't be easy to catch a player of Scheffler's calibre. "Let's be realistic, he's five ahead," he said. "It's not easy. But if you get off to a good start, then obviously put a bit of pressure on early doors and hope for the best, really." McIlroy also knows it will be tough to catch Scheffler from six shots behind. "Yeah, he's playing like Scottie," McIlroy said. "I don't think it's a surprise. Everyone's seen the way he's played or plays over the last two or three years. "He's just so solid. He doesn't make mistakes. It looked like he could have made bogey on 14 there. "He's turned himself into a really consistent putter as well. So there doesn't seem to be any weakness there. Whenever you're trying to chase down a guy like that, it's hard to do. But he's incredibly impressive." The Down man planned to watch "Oppenheimer" to distract himself from his task. "I started 'Oppenheimer' last night," he said. "Try to get through another hour of it tonight and maybe finish it tomorrow morning. "Apart from that, just keep my mind off of things. I always do better with distraction. So if I can just distract myself and get my mind on something else, that's always a good plan for me.'
RTÉ News
15 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Scottie Scheffler in command in Portrush but Rory McIlroy challenge still alive
Relentless Scottie Scheffler kept his head as others around him were losing theirs, but while his main rivals fell away, the spectre of Rory McIlroy loomed in the distance. However, the Holywood man's six-shot deficit may be too far back even for someone who completed the career Grand Slam at the Masters earlier this year, considering the quality of his quarry. Shane Lowry's woes continued as he fell to three-over par. The Offaly man, controversially hit with a two-shot penalty at the end of Friday's play, revealed afterwards that a virus had left him unwell during his round, but he refused to use it as an excuse. A triple bogey was particularly costly for Lowry as he finished his day in a tie for 63rd and on three-over par. McIlroy's description of Scheffler as "inevitable" summed up the situation perfectly, as while the American was not as spectacular as he was on Friday in assuming the lead, his progress to a 67 and a four-shot advantage was serene. Matt Fitzpatrick, who began the day one behind, briefly drew level after an eagle at the second but he was never able to edge himself in front, and every time he slipped up he was punished by his playing partner, either by moving another shot away or saving an unlikely par. McIlroy, six groups ahead, rode the wave of home support hyped by three birdies in his first four holes, and while his momentum stalled it was reignited by a monster 56-foot eagle putt – his longest of the week – at the 12th which produced the loudest roar of the tournament. It was important as he had bogeyed the previous hole in a bizarre incident when his shot from the rough dislodged a previously buried ball. But it was a stroke of good luck at the 15th which brought his final birdie of the day as, coming out hot from the rough, it bounced against the flagstick and dropped four feet from the hole. McIlroy mania reached its peak at the 17th. With his burnt orange shirt appearing red on television screens, the sight of him marching out of the packed gallery surrounded by thousands of fans was reminiscent of Tiger Woods. The crowd were so ramped they went wild as he pitched 33 feet past the hole, offering little chance of birdie, but they believed – as they will continue to do on Sunday. The Masters champion, however, is a little more realistic. "Scottie Scheffler, he is inevitable. Even when he doesn't have his best stuff he has become a compete player," said McIlroy. "It's going to be tough to catch him tomorrow if he keeps playing the way he does, but if I can get out tomorrow with a similar start to today and get the crowd going, hopefully he feels that behind me – and you never know." Scheffler looks unshakeable, though. Already with a three-shot lead, he birdied the difficult Calamity Corner 16th for the third successive day and the gap was looking as big as the chasm in front of the par three. China's ultra-consistent Haotong Li is his closest challenger, with Fitzpatrick dropping back to nine under – where he started the round – having reached 11 under. Scheffler reeled off six straight pars but still did not lose his overnight lead before a back-to-back eagle and birdie represented a gear shift. His back nine included eight pars, and the kind of nerveless saves which have made him one of the most successful and consistent golfers of the last three years – closing out victory the last 10 times he has held the outright 54-hole leads. "A lot of it is staying patient. I know what I need to do tomorrow and it is a matter of going out and doing it," said Scheffler, whose three majors wins have all come leading after the third round. DAY 3 RECAP - MCILROY FINISHES SIX BACK "I'm not thinking about winning The Open when I go to sleep tonight." Englishman Tyrrell Hatton got himself to nine under but a bogey at the 16th halted his progress, while slightly further down the leaderboard 52-year-old compatriot Lee Westwood had a round of two halves, going out in 40 before an Open record-equalling 29 for the back nine. "It was a good back nine, wasn't it? I'd have taken 29 on the back nine stood on the 10th tee," he said. Defending champion Xander Schauffele, who started the day two under having been in danger of missing the cut until a birdie run on his Friday back nine, played the three par-fives in five under with two eagles on the back nine after a birdie at the second. His 66 moved him to seven under but the two-time major winner accepts he is too far back. "It would have to be a perfect storm situation, it doesn't look like any of those boys up front are letting up," he said.
