Norrie sees off big-hitting Jarry in thriller to reach last eight
LONDON - Briton Cameron Norrie came through a severe mental and physical examination from big-serving Chilean Nicolas Jarry to beat him 6-3 7-6(4) 6-7(7) 6-7(5) 6-3 in a classic match under the roof on Court One to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals on Sunday.
Norrie, the world 61, a semi-finalist in 2022 and now the last home player left in the tournament, scrambled brilliantly to snatch the first set with what proved to be the only break of the first four.
He took the second on a tiebreak and had match point in the third-set tiebreak, only for towering Chilean world number 143 Jarry to save it and force a fourth set, which he sealed with an ace.
Jarry, who came through qualifying, banged down 46 aces to take his tournament-leading tally to 111, but Norrie returned superbly to break early in the decider, save three break points in the next game and close out victory after four and a half hours. REUTERS
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Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Butler's Bangladeshi battlers secure historic Women's Asian Cup spot
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Few expected Bangladesh to stamp their ticket to the Women's Asian Cup at a qualifying tournament last week after a year in which they had failed to win a game and lost some of their most experienced players. Ranked 128th in the world and 25th in Asia, the Bengal Tigresses headed to Myanmar without all-time top-scorer Sabina Khatun, who led a walk out in protest at English coach Peter Butler in February. Bangladesh defied the odds, however, by winning all three games in Yangon to top their group and secure one of only 12 spots in Australia next year, their first appearance at the continental tournament. "I'm really proud of the players ... these girls have sacrificed a lot," Butler told Reuters on Sunday, before flying to Dhaka where a large crowd gathered late at night to welcome the team home. "They were put through the mill and they have reaped the rewards." Butler, a former West Ham United midfielder who has spent two decades coaching clubs and national teams across Asia and Africa, took over in March last year. "When I came into the national team ... some of the players were picking themselves," the 58-year-old said. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Eligible S'poreans to get up to $850 in GSTV cash, up to $450 in MediSave top-ups in August Singapore Four golf courses to close by 2035, leaving Singapore with 12 courses Singapore Fewer marriages and births in Singapore in 2024; greater stability for later cohorts Singapore Construction starts on Cross Island Line Phase 2; 6 MRT stations in S'pore's west ready by 2032 Asia 72-year-old man on diving trip to Malaysia's Pulau Tioman found dead on the beach Singapore $1.46b nickel scam: Ng Yu Zhi opts to remain silent after judge calls for his defence Asia Bali flights nixed after huge Indonesia volcano eruption Life How to cope with the heat when travelling: 5 expert-backed tips "There was no discipline. Unfortunately, if there's no discipline, you're really on the road to nowhere." Butler introduced a new training regimen and tried to bring through some younger talent, leading to the rebellion of a group of established players. They sent a letter to the federation calling for Butler's dismissal and accusing him of favouritism, dividing the team, making inappropriate comments about their personal lives and insulting them. "No coach likes to be accused of things that are totally unfounded and untrue," Butler said. "It was lies, more lies, and it seems like it's never going to end. It can be tedious and tiring. "I didn't have a personal agenda... at the end of the day, what I've done has been for the betterment, the good of Bangladeshi football." The rebellion fizzled out when the players signed new contracts in March, although Khatun, Sanjida Akhter and Masura Parvin have not played for the country since. 'A COMPETITIVE EDGE' Butler ploughed on with his new regimen, placing a big focus on fitness and making big demands on the players. "It had five o'clock wake-up calls, six o'clock starts, 90-minute sessions, high-tempo, high-intensity. Not easy," he said. "I think it was a defining moment of change in Bangladesh football when discipline came into the forefront where previously there was none." In a culture where seniority is highly prized, he also continued with his mission to bring younger talent through to complement the veterans. More than half of the squad he picked for last week's qualifying tournament were under 20 years old, players he said were previously not given an opportunity. "Young players bring a competitive edge... it takes people out of their comfort zones. That's what I've done, I've shaken it up," he said. Bangladesh started their Asian Cup qualifying campaign with a 7-0 win over Bahrain, but the real test for Butler's team arrived when they took on hosts Myanmar in a decisive battle for the group's single qualifying slot. Ritu Porna Chakma, one of the rebel players, scored a brace to secure a 2-1 win over Myanmar, ranked 55th in the world. Bangladesh rounded out their group games with a 7-0 win over Turkmenistan on Saturday. "Our brand of football really surprised a lot of people," Butler said. "You've got to have the belief, and I had the belief in my players." Butler, however, was not sure whether he would continue in his role, with his contract ending soon. "I don't even know if I'll be in charge going into the next tournament. I don't know what my future holds," he said. "Whether I'm there or not there is not important. I've achieved what I set out to achieve... we got there, and it's history. "I'd like to think I've helped change the women's football landscape in Bangladesh." REUTERS
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Wimbledon day eight
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 5, 2025 Serbia's Novak Djokovic in action during his third round match against Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Highlights of the eighth day at the Wimbledon tennis championships on Monday (times GMT): 1006 PLAY UNDER WAY Play began under overcast skies at the All England Club, with the temperature hovering around 17 degrees Celsius (62.6°F) and expected to climb to 21 degrees, and cool and dry conditions expected throughout the day. READ MORE: PREVIEW-Milestone hunter Djokovic set for De Minaur test Sabalenka stands tall, Norrie survives to reach Wimbledon quarter-finals You cannot be serious! Wimbledon line-calling system under fire after major glitch Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Eligible S'poreans to get up to $850 in GSTV cash, up to $450 in MediSave top-ups in August Singapore Four golf courses to close by 2035, leaving Singapore with 12 courses Singapore Fewer marriages and births in Singapore in 2024; greater stability for later cohorts Singapore Construction starts on Cross Island Line Phase 2; 6 MRT stations in S'pore's west ready by 2032 Asia 72-year-old man on diving trip to Malaysia's Pulau Tioman found dead on the beach Singapore $1.46b nickel scam: Ng Yu Zhi opts to remain silent after judge calls for his defence Asia Bali flights nixed after huge Indonesia volcano eruption Life How to cope with the heat when travelling: 5 expert-backed tips Anisimova ends Czech three-peat hopes with victory over Noskova Alcaraz resists red-hot Rublev to reach Wimbledon quarter-finals Norrie sees off ace-monster Jarry in thriller to reach last eight Siegemund stops lucky loser Sierra to reach Wimbledon quarter-finals Sabalenka passes Mertens test to reach Wimbledon quarter-finals Pavlyuchenkova beats Kartal to reach last eight despite line-calling glitch WIMBLEDON ORDER OF PLAY ON MONDAY (prefix number denotes seeding) CENTRE COURT (Play begins at 1230 GMT) 11-Alex de Minaur (Australia) v 6-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) 7-Mirra Andreeva (Russia) v 10-Emma Navarro (U.S.) 1-Jannik Sinner (Italy) v 19-Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) COURT NUMBER ONE (Play begins at 1200 GMT) 18-Ekaterina Alexandrova (Russia) v Belinda Bencic (Switzerland) 10-Ben Shelton (U.S.) v Lorenzo Sonego (Italy) 8-Iga Swiatek (Poland) v 23-Clara Tauson (Denmark) COURT NUMBER TWO (Play begins at 1000 GMT) Marin Cilic (Croatia) v 22-Flavio Cobolli (Italy) 19-Liudmila Samsonova (Russia) v Jessica Bouzas Maneiro (Spain) REUTERS
Straits Times
10 hours ago
- Straits Times
Wimbledon expansion plan goes into legal tie-break
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 4, 2025 General view during the third round match between Australia's Jordan Thompson and Italy's Luciano Darderi REUTERS/Toby Melville TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY LONDON - Wimbledon fans will have eyes only for the tennis this week but for those who run the world's oldest and most prestigious Grand Slam, the real high-stakes contest will unfold not on their grass, but in London's Royal Courts of Justice. On one side of the legal net is the campaign group Save Wimbledon Park, while facing them in a judicial review of their ambitious expansion plan on Tuesday and Wednesday will be the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC). It is the latest stage of a long-running fight that has split the south-west London "village", which has been home to the Championships since 1877. Last September the AELTC secured planning permission from the Greater London Authority (GLA) to treble the size of the main site to include 39 new courts including an 8,000-seat show court by redeveloping a former golf course on parkland land it already owns. The 200-million-pound ($272.92-million) expansion aims to increase daily capacity to 50,000 people from the current 42,000, upgrade facilities and move the qualifying rounds on site to mirror the Australian, French, and U.S. Opens. The plans have the backing of several leading players, including Novak Djokovic, and 62% of 10,000 residents in Merton and Wandsworth, the London boroughs that share the new site, also support the scheme, according to the AELTC. 'Our confidence in the development and the proposals that we've been working on for many years is as strong as it ever has been,' Wimbledon tournament director Jamie Baker told Reuters. 'For the championships to continue to be in the position that it is and to deliver all the benefits to stakeholders including the local community it is vital that we are able to stage the tournament on one site and bring all the grounds together." However, this week's judicial review will decide whether the GLA's decision to grant planning permission was unlawful. Opponents of the development, including Thelma Ruby, a 100-year-old former actress who lives in a flat overlooking the park, and West Hill Ward Councillor Malcolm Grimston, say the club's plans will cause environmental damage and major disruption to the area. 'It's terribly important that it does not go ahead not just for myself but for the whole planet and future generations," Ruby told Reuters. "I overlook this beautiful landscape and there are all sorts of covenants that say you mustn't build on it, and yet the tennis people have this unnecessary plan they admit will cut down all these glorious trees, which will harm wildlife. 'They're using concrete, building roads, they're going to have lorries polluting and passing my window every 10 minutes. The whole area will be in chaos as they're closing off roads,' she said. Save Wimbledon Park says the GLA failed to consider covenants that were agreed by the AELTC, including restrictions on redeveloping the land, when it bought the Wimbledon Park golf course freehold from Merton council in 1993 for 5.2 million pounds. The AELTC paid a reported 63.5 million pounds to buy the Golf Club's lease, which was due to run until 2041. The campaign group also believes the GLA failed to consider the land's statutory Public Recreation Trust status which means it should be held as "public walks or pleasure grounds". 'It is not antipathy towards the AELTC that's driving this, as some of the benefits are real, such as the extension of lake,' councillor Grimston told Reuters. 'The problem is that it will treble the footprint of the current Championship and turn what currently has very much a feel of being rural England and a gentle pace of life into an industrial complex that would dominate the views of the lake. 'That's why it's classified as Metropolitan Open Land, which is the urban equivalent of the green belt that has been protected for many decades in planning law in the UK and rightly so,' he said. The AELTC say the plans will improve the biodiversity of the park, as well as bringing parts of it back into public use. 'The London Wildlife trust have endorsed the plans, they've spent many hours scrutinising our analysis and our expert views," the AELTC's head of corporate affairs Dominic Foster said. "We know that this expansion will deliver a very significant benefit to biodiversity, whereas golf courses are not good for biodiversity.' REUTERS
