beats

NEW YORK — Carlos Alcaraz reasserted his superiority over Jannik Sinner with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory Sunday in the U.S. Open final — the third Grand Slam tournament in a row where these elite, young rivals met to decide the champion — for his second trophy at Flushing Meadows and sixth overall at a major.

President Trump sat in a sponsor’s suite in Arthur Ashe Stadium and received a mix of cheers and boos when he offered a wave beforehand and again when he was shown on videoboards after the first set. The match’s start was delayed by about a half-hour because thousands of fans were still outside in line, trying to get through the extra security measures in place because of the presence of a sitting president at the tournament for the first time since Bill Clinton in 2000.

Jannik Sinner reacts while losing to Carlos Alcaraz during the U.S. Open men’s singles final Sunday in New York.

(Seth Wenig / Associated Press)

Perhaps the extra wait got to the No. 1-seeded Sinner, who was the defending champion. Right from the beginning, under a closed roof because of rain earlier in the day, No. 2 Alcaraz was better as he sought to reverse the result from when they met at the All England Club less than two months ago.

He did just that, putting his leads over Sinner at 10-5 in their head-to-head series, 6-4 in major trophies, and 2-1 in U.S. Open championships. Plus, this win allowed Alcaraz, a 22-year-old from Spain, to take away the No. 1 ranking from Sinner, a 24-year-old from Italy.

These two guys are so, so much better than the rest of men’s tennis at the moment.

They have combined to collect the past eight Slam trophies in a row, and 10 of 13. Novak Djokovic, whom Alcaraz eliminated in Friday’s semifinals, took the other three in that span.

Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, celebrates after defeating Jannik Sinner, of Italy, in the U.S. Open men’s singles final Sunday in New York.

(Kirsty Wigglesworth / Associated Press)

Sunday’s showdown represented the first time in tennis history that the same two men played each other in three consecutive Slam finals within a single season.

This hard-court matchup followed Alcaraz’s victory over Sinner after erasing a trio of match points on the French Open’s red clay in June, and Sinner’s victory over Alcaraz on Wimbledon’s grass in July.

Both Sinner, who had won his past 27 hard-court matches at majors, and Alcaraz offered glimpses of why they are so good, although it was rare that both were at their best simultaneously on this occasion.

Alcaraz was elite in the first, third and fourth sets, Sinner’s top efforts arrived in the second.

In sum, Alcaraz was better and for longer, ending up with twice as many winners, 42-21.

Since the start of the 2024 U.S. Open, Sinner had won 33 of 34 matches at the majors and Sunday was his fifth straight final at those events. The loss? To Alcaraz at Roland-Garros.

Indeed, over the last two seasons, Sinner is now 1-7 against Alcaraz and 109-4 against everyone else.

Alcaraz, meanwhile, has won 37 of 38 contests since May. The loss? To Sinner at the All England Club — also Alcaraz’s lone defeat in a Slam final.

In 2025, Alcaraz now has more tournament titles (a tour-leading seven) than losses (his record is 61-6, also the best in men’s tennis).

During his defeat in Wimbledon’s final, Alcaraz was caught by a camera telling his team about Sinner in Spanish: “From the back of the court, he’s much better than me.”

So perhaps that’s why Alcaraz was aggressive Sunday with his sledgehammer of a forehand — and on-target too. Whenever even the smallest opening presented itself, Alcaraz tried to barge on through with that shot, going big early in points, which worked, either for an outright winner or forcing mistakes from Sinner.

Sinner had dropped a total of just one service game in his three matches leading into the final, but he did deal with an abdominal muscle issue in his semifinal Friday. Sinner and his coach said it was nothing serious, which might be right, but Alcaraz broke right away Sunday and five times in all.

To counteract the forehand effectiveness, Sinner made a tactical switch, going increasingly after Alcaraz’s backhand when possible. That both limited Alcaraz’s opportunities to strike a point-ending forehand and drew additional mistakes off the other wing.

Paid off for Sinner. Briefly.

In the first set and third, Alcaraz’s ratios were 11 winners to two unforced errors. Truly remarkable. In the second, those numbers swung the other way: five winners, 11 unforced errors.

An hour and 20 minutes in, it was a set apiece, after Alcaraz ceded one for the first time all tournament, allowing Neale Fraser to retain his distinction as the most recent man to win every set he played at the event — all the way back in 1960.

As Sinner worked his way into things, he would celebrate just about every point he gathered by looking at the corner of the stands where his two coaches and others, including Olympic champion ski racer Lindsey Vonn, were seated and pumped his right fist.

Ah, but it was Alcaraz who seemed to have more of the ticket-buyers on his side.

Fendrich writes for the Associated Press.

Carlos Alcaraz claimed the latest chapter of his compelling rivalry against Jannik Sinner with a four-set victory to regain the US Open title.

Spain’s Alcaraz started strongly, weathered a second-set fightback from Italy’s Sinner, before powering to a 6-2 3-6 6-1 6-4 victory in New York.

The men’s final was delayed by half an hour because of extra security measures put in place due to US President Donald Trump’s presence.

Once under way, the pair produced another engaging contest – albeit short of the drama and quality of their French Open and Wimbledon finals earlier this year.

Reigning French Open champion Alcaraz’s superior serving – an area which let him down against Sinner at the All England Club – ensured he reclaimed the US Open title that he first won in 2022.

The 22-year-old has now won six Grand Slam titles – making him the second youngest man behind Bjorn Borg to reach this tally.

Alcaraz’s victory ensures an even split between him and Sinner – who won the Australian Open as well as Wimbledon – at the four majors in 2025.

Alcaraz has also wrestled the world number one ranking away from Sinner, who held the position for 65 weeks.

After Sinner saved two championship points, Alcaraz reset to take his third opportunity with an ace out wide – celebrating with a now trademark golf swing.

This manifested through her forehand – another area where she has struggled to find consistency over the years – while her serve held up well.

Eleven unforced errors from the forehand took the first set away from her. Framing a return from that wing also proved pivotal in the second set.

The mishit brought up two more break opportunities for Osaka at 3-2, with Gauff’s more-reliable backhand letting her down on the first point indicated the pressure she was feeling.

For much of the match, it felt like a virtually-capacity 25,000 crowd were slightly conflicted in their support of two hugely popular players.

Gauff led the home challenge in terms of seeding and superstar status, but Osaka – despite representing Japan – grew up in the Queens borough of New York City where the tournament is held.

Both women have also endeared themselves to fans by eloquently using their voices to shine light on social issues including racism.

Sensing the younger player needed them more, the crowd tried to rally Gauff as she stared at defeat, but she was unable to recover and exited at the fourth-round stage for the second straight year.

“I felt so discombobulated on the court, because I was serving well but not returning well. The last two years, everybody can agree that’s like a weird thought,” said Gauff.

“I think there’s a lot of positives to take from this tournament and I’m trying to be positive.

“I promise you that, I don’t feel that way right now, but I am not going to let this crush me.”

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.

Elsewhere, eighth seed Amanda Anisimova made it safely through to the second round by beating Australian Kim Birrell 6-3 6-2.

American Anisimova, playing her first Grand Slam match since being beaten 6-0 6-0 by Swiatek in the Wimbledon final, hit 17 unforced errors in the opening set but improved markedly in the second.

She won the last five games of the match to set up a second-round meeting with another Australian, teenager Maya Joint.

However, her compatriot Danielle Collins made an early exit for the second consecutive year, winning just two games as she was beaten by Jacqueline Cristian of Romania.

World number 50 Cristian prevailed 6-2 6-0 against 2019 Australian Open semi-finalist Collins, who was hampered by a back injury.

Meanwhile, two-time champion Naomi Osaka – seeded 23rd – cruised past Belgium’s Greet Minnen in a 6-3 6-4 win.

Russian Diana Shnaider, the 20th seed, also went out after Germany’s Laura Siegemund secured a 7-6 (7-3) 2-6 6-3 victory over the 21-year-old.

Britain’s Jodie Burrage lost just four games as she began her bid to reach the US Open main draw.

Burrage, 26, won eight games in a row to close out a 6-4 6-0 victory over Romania’s Patricia Maria Tig in the first round of qualifying in New York.

The world number 149, bidding to reach the US Open main draw for the second time, will face 18th seed Arantxa Rus next.

Burrage is joined in the second round by Billy Harris, who fought back to beat Japan’s James Kent Trotter 3-6 6-1 6-2, but Johannus Monday lost 7-5 6-3 to France’s Harold Mayot.

Dan Evans and Jay Clarke will also begin their campaigns on Monday at Flushing Meadows.

Players must win three matches in qualifying to advance to the main singles draws for the tournament, which begins on Sunday.

Jack Draper, Cameron Norrie and Jacob Fearnley have direct entry into the men’s singles, with Emma Raducanu, Katie Boulter and Sonay Kartal in the women’s.

Teenager Luke Littler beat defending champion Luke Humphries 8-4 to win the New Zealand Masters in Auckland and complete a World Series double after his victory in Australia last week.

The world champion saw off Mike de Decker 6-2 and Gerwyn Price 7-2 in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively on Saturday before setting up yet another showdown with Humphries.

Littler threatened to make light work of the world number one, cruising into a 3-0 lead before being pegged back to 3-2.

The 18-year-old again rattled off three legs in a row to move 6-3 in the lead before eventually wrapping up an impressive 8-4 victory.

“I felt untouchable tonight,” Littler said.

“It couldn’t have gone any better – the scoring, the doubles and then in the final I just felt untouchable.”

The Englishman recorded an average of 115.02 on his way to victory – the highest average ever in a World Series event final.

It was the fourth consecutive success for Littler against Humphries and edges him ahead in their career head-to-head with eight wins to seven.

“I was really good tonight and he [Humphries] couldn’t do much,” Littler added. I was disappointed going in 4-2 because it could have been 5-1 or 6-0.

“I just want to win everything that comes my way – the next one is Antwerp for the European tour so hopefully I can make it four titles in a row.”

Justin Rose beat JJ Spaun in a nail-biting play-off to win the St Jude Championship, his first PGA Tour title in more than two years.

The 45-year-old Englishman had lost on the first hole of a sudden-death play-off with Rory McIlroy at this year’s Masters.

But this time the world number 20 held his nerve to take it to a third sudden-death hole with American Spaun at TPC Southwind in Memphis.

Both hit par on their first go at the 18th hole and birdied their second, before Spaun failed to follow suit after Rose claimed another birdie.

That gave Rose his 12th PGA Tour title while compatriot Tommy Fleetwood’s wait for his first win goes on after he had gone into the final round of his 162nd event on the US circuit with a one-stroke lead.

The world number 15, a seven-time winner on the European Tour, bogeyed the penultimate hole to relinquish a share of the lead and finish one adrift of Rose and Spaun.

After beginning the season with a 22-match unbeaten run on the second-tier ITF Tour, Mboko has shown over the past two weeks that she can mix it with the elite – beating Grand Slam winners Coco Gauff, Sofia Kenin, Elena Rybakina and Osaka.

It’s validation of hard work from the age of three, and for parents who landed in a very different United States in 1999 – one which provided solace from political unrest in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

But it’s in Toronto where Mboko – who was born in Charlotte in the US – was inspired to play tennis.

“I remember going there as a kid and watching all the great players playing,” Mboko told the Women’s Tennis Association.

“We were watching a lot of Serena and Venus [Williams], and that’s where I took a lot of inspiration, because Serena was literally the greatest of all time. I used to see how the pros are and I used to be in so much awe of them. And now I’m seeing them like right beside me.”

Mboko’s coach Nathalie Tauziat – a former world number three and Wimbledon finalist in the 1998 – has overseen Mboko’s remarkable form after previously guiding her in the junior ranks.

“I think what is important for her is to see us not panic when something happens. I remember at the beginning of the year, she always told me: ‘Oh, you’re so calm during the match,” Tauziat said.

“The US Open is the objective – who knows, maybe she can do something good? Here, we are going match by match, and hoping for no injury.”

BASEL, Switzerland — England thrived in the high drama yet again to take down Spain in a penalty shootout and win another Women’s European Championship title on Sunday.

Chloe Kelly lashed in her spot kick to give defending champion England a 3-1 win in the shootout after a 1-1 draw after extra time.

It’s the second straight Women’s Euros final decided by Kelly scoring.

England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton saved spot kicks from Mariona Caldentey and Spain superstar Aitana Bonmati, before substitute Salma Paralluelo dragged her shot wide of the goal.

England’s Chloe Kelly scores the winning penalty against Spain goalkeeper Catalina Coll during the Women’s Euro 2025 final at St. Jakob-Park in Basel, Switzerland, Sunday.

(Martin Meissner / Associated Press)

The defending champion won the only way it knew how at this thrilling Euro 2025.

England fell behind in the first half, fought back in the second and relied on its superb substitutes — just as it did against Italy and Sweden previously in the knockout rounds.

England leveled the score in the 57th on Alessia Russo’s header from a cross by Kelly after Caldentey had given Spain the lead in the 25th by finishing Ona Battle’s cross.

Spain trailed for only four minutes in the entire tournament — and not for one second against England — yet the reigning World Cup winner could not seal its first European title.

Kelly had scored an extra-time winning goal for England at Wembley three years ago to beat Germany 2-1.

In extra time, Spain had good possession in the England penalty area so many times yet did not force a decisive goal.

Spain goalkeeper Cata Coll saved spot kicks from England captain Leah Williamson and the first by Beth Mead.

It was appropriate in England’s memorable tournament that Mead’s penalty was retaken under a brand new soccer rule that allows a second chance when a player scores by slipping and touching the ball twice. It did not matter after Hampton’s saves.

Classic Arsenal goals

Arsenal attackers like scoring with perfectly placed headers from inviting crosses sent to the ideal spot.

Spain took the lead Sunday with a very English goal — a fullback’s cross from the byline finding the head of an Arsenal player to score, on a rain-slicked field on an overcast, cloudy day.

The strong Spanish flavor leading to Caldentey’s opener was in the neat passing to find Athenea del Castillo in the penalty area and her vision to see Battle’s direct run into space.

Caldentey was in the Arsenal team that won the Women’s Champions League final in May beating a Barcelona side with six starters who also lined up for Spain on Sunday. Spain used three more Barcelona players as substitutes.

The Arsenal forward line in that final, Russo and Kelly, combined to tie the Euro 2025 final. Kelly’s right-foot cross from the left was floated toward the head of Russo who guided the ball back toward the top corner of the Spain net.

Wiegman’s hat trick

England coach Sarina Wiegman has still never before been eliminated from a Women’s Euros tournament. Despite how close she came three times this month.

The top female national-team coach of her generation has a Euros hat trick after leading England to victory in 2022 and her native Netherlands to the 2017 title.

Both those titles were won as the host nation team and no England senior team, men or women, had previously won a world or continental title abroad.

Wiegman also extended the run of title-winning women coaches to eight Women’s Euros editions across 28 years. Women were outnumbered by male coaches each time.

Royal appointment

There was royalty from both nations in the VIP box at St-Jakob Park, including heirs to each throne.

Prince William, the first son of Britain’s King Charles, was with his daughter Princess Charlotte. He is president of the English Football Assn.

Also present were Princess Leonor of Spain and her younger sister, Infanta Sofía. At the 2023 World Cup final Sofia was at the game with her mother, Queen Letizia in Sydney, Australia.

Dubar writes for the Associated Press.

Reinier de Ridder survives a brutal knockdown to win by split decision against Robert Whittaker in the main event at Etihad Arena in the UAE.

Reinier de Ridder secured the biggest win of his Octagon career at UFC Abu Dhabi, narrowly securing a hard-fought split decision over former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker at the Etihad Arena in the United Arab Emirates.

De Ridder (21-2) earned his third win of 2025 by defeating the Australian by split decision; two of the three judges scored the 84kg (185-pound) bout 48-47 for de Ridder, while a third had it 48-47 for Whittaker.

“I don’t want to fight like this [Whittaker], man, this guy was too tough,” de Ridder said in a post-fight interview on Saturday. “I expected to take him down. He was so tough, so durable. Heavy f****** hands.”

The Dutch fighter had to survive a brutal knockdown in round three when Whittaker dropped him with a right hand to the chin in the opening minute.

De Ridder managed to survive the attack, and consolidated his overall superiority in strikes – de Ridder landed 169 in total, compared with 100 for Whittaker, according to official UFC statistics – and recovered to win the final two rounds by wearing down the 34-year-old with repeated knees to the body and constant grappling.

Throughout the five-round fight, there was little to separate the pair. When the final bell sounded, the split decision reflected the closeness of the contest.

De Ridder’s victory was his fourth Ultimate Fighting Championship career victory. Whittaker (27-9) has now lost two straight and three of his five most recent fights.

Following his victory, de Ridder, ranked 13th heading into the Whittaker fight, called for a title shot against the winner of the middleweight championship bout between Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 on August 16.

“I want to finish a guy in the first round, so maybe it would be better if I fought Khamzat [Chimaev] or Dricus [Du Plessis]. Give me my title shot.”

In the co-main event, former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan defeated Marcus McGhee by unanimous decision. Yan outpaced his opponent in total strikes, significant strikes, control and takedowns.

In the middleweight match, Shara Magomedov bounced back from his first professional loss, which came against Michael Page in February, to win over Marc-Andre Barriault by unanimous decision. Magomedov earned a 30-27 score from all three judges.

“[The crowd] got their money’s worth. I think they wanted 15-all but that last leg, I just had to stay focused,” he told Sky Sports.

“I didn’t really panic. Leg by leg, Andrew started to win a few on the trot, but on the last leg, against the darts, I just had to get over the line.

“He played his part, it’s very tough. Andrew never goes out of rhythm, he’s the same throw by throw. I just had to find a rhythm to match him.”

Littler teased there would be “fireworks” in the fourth quarter-final and Rock delivered.

Both the 24-year-old (104.02) and Price (100.21) averaged above 100, but it was Rock who seized the moment, winning three consecutive legs to open up an 11-8 lead and then extending his advantage to 13-9.

Price rallied to make it 13-11, but Rock – who beat three-time champion Michael van Gerwen in round two – closed out the match in style, winning the last three legs and producing a checkout of 164 in the final one.

“I’m on cloud nine at the minute. What a game,” Rock told on Sky Sports.

“I was just like, ‘Josh, you’re doing nothing wrong, you’re playing your own game, happy days’. The form Gerwyn’s in, you know what to expect.

“Littler’s one of my closest friends behind the scenes. I hope we both turn up. Hopefully it will be a cracking game.”

The semi-finals will take place on Saturday evening with England’s James Wade facing Jonny Clayton of Wales, before Littler’s meeting with Rock.

“I played all right there,” Clayton told Sky Sports. “Total respect to Stephen, he didn’t play his best game but I kept him under pressure at times. I played well.”

Earlier in the evening, Wade found himself 4-1 down to Van Veen, despite dominating almost every leg as poor finishing cost him.

But the Englishman came out with renewed determination after the break and won the next eight legs on the spin to take control.

Although Van Veen closed the gap and finished the match with the better average – 99.24 to 96.35 – and a better checkout percentage, Wade did enough to see it through.

“I thought I’d thrown it away,” the 42-year-old told Sky Sports. “Towards the end, he was coming back and it was God’s gift to me, not my ability [that secured the win].

“I had a very stern word with myself [after the first session], I was disgusted. You do what you need to do.

“I’m lucky he didn’t make the most of his opportunities. But then if I’d made the most of mine, I’d have been 5-0 or 10-0 up. I’m proper buzzing.”

The third and fourth quarter-finals take place at Winter Gardens on Friday evening with world champion Luke Littler facing Andrew Gilding, while Wales’ Gerwyn Price takes on Josh Rock of Northern Ireland.

Britain’s Emma Raducanu is through to the quarter-finals of the women’s singles at the Washington Open after beating four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka in straight sets.

After previously upsetting Ukrainian seventh seed Marta Kostyuk in round one, the 22-year-old produced a dominant performance to overcome former world number one Osaka 6-4 6-2.

The 2021 US Open women’s singles champion will face wildcard Maria Sakkari in the last eight after the Greek player knocked out American second seed Emma Navarro.

Raducanu, who will replace Katie Boulter as British number one when the WTA rankings are updated on Monday, is also through to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles.

She and partner Elena Rybakina overcame Giuliana Olmos and Aldila Sutjiadi 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 to set up a last-four meeting with second seeds Shuai Zhang and Taylor Townsend.

However, in the men’s singles, Britons Cameron Norrie and Dan Evans were eliminated in the last 16.

British number two Norrie lost to 14th seed Brandon Nakashima 7-6 (7-3) 6-3.

After a tight first set was decided by a tie-break, American Nakashima twice broke Norrie’s serve in the second to reach the quarter-finals.

Evans, who won the tournament in 2023, fought back from 5-3 down and saved a match point to force a tie-break in the second set against Corentin Moutet but the Frenchman prevailed in straight sets, winning 6-2 7-6 (7-4).

Ni jet lag drag – prep is key for your long-haul flight, as Nigel Thompsonlearns with help from Qantas and Maddy Edgar, Qantas Business and First Class flight attendant

Have you ever stood in an airport immigration queue at the end of an overnight long-haul flight feeling like death warmed up?

And then the cheery cabin crew from your plane breeze by in their special fast-track lane looking as fresh as a daisy? The jet lag from eight hours or (much) more at 40,000ft in an aircraft cabin can leave you feeling – and looking – like you’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards.

Australian flag carrier Qantas, which has had a cabin crew base in London for 20 years, operates some of the longest flights in the world. It is currently working on Project Sunrise, which by 2027 should link both London and New York City directly to Sydney with record-breaking 20-hour nonstop journeys.

We asked Maddy Edgar, Qantas Business and First Class flight attendant, to share her top tips for travelling long haul, including how to prepare, pack, and manage jet lag.

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PRE AND POST- FLIGHT CARE

First up, plenty of sleep is key. The night before one of my long-haul flights, I steam my uniform, pack the essentials (more on that later), and log into our Qantas portal to confirm my crew position and review roles and responsibilities. Then I head to bed to get as much sleep as possible.

It’s also incredibly important to stay hydrated. I have an extensive skincare routine and hydration plays a huge role both before and after a long-haul flight. The lack of humidity in cabin air can really dry out your skin and lips, so besides drinking plenty of electrolyte-infused water, a hydrating skincare routine is a must.

In the morning, to prepare for our 17-hour direct flight from London to Perth – one of the longest in the world – I start by cleansing my face with Effaclar Purifying Gel Cleanser. Now I have a clean base, I apply The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid over Mario Badescu Rosewater spray to maximise water absorption. It makes a huge difference in keeping my skin plump.

Next, I use a thicker-than-usual moisturiser, such as Wella Skin Food, to protect my skin barrier. Then, even though I’m inside a plane, we’re also closer to the sun, so I apply a generous amount of 50+ La Roche-Posay SPF to protect against higher UV rays and premature aging. Plus, as an Aussie, the smell of SPF makes me feel right at home. I’d also add that Laneige lip mask is essential.

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A top tip for your skin throughout the flight – invest in a mini travel-sized version of your favourite hydration mist so you can keep spritzing during the flight.

Then once we land and I’m at my hotel it’s time for a much-needed skin reset and some self-care. Face masks are a must. I love using the viral Bio Collagen mask or Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Overnight Rehydrating Mask.

WHAT’S IN MY CARRY-ON BAG?

Inside my bag I have some long-haul flight attendant essentials I just can’t live without.

I always keep fresh supplies of everything I need because there’s no Australian Priceline or Tesco 40,000ft up.

Here’s what I pack:

• Travel-sized Mario Badescu Rosewater spray.
• My entire long-wear make-up kit, including my favourite Hourglass Concealer and Rimmel lip liner for touch-ups after waking up from crew rest.
• Travel-sized hair spray, bobby pins, and spare hair ties.
• Latte coffee sachets.
• Mints and fresh mint gum.
• Toothbrush and toothpaste.
• iPad, iPhone and chargers.
• Nail glue, in case one of my French tip acrylics pops off unexpectedly.
• PJs and a book for getting cosy in our crew rest area.
• Healthy high-protein snacks such as protein bars, protein shakes, and boiled eggs.
• Sometimes, I even squeeze in a quick Sainsbury’s shop for Galaxy chocolate bars to bring back to my Aussie family in Perth.

MANAGING JET LAG POST-FLIGHT

As a former primary school teacher, I had a pretty regular bedtime. Now, as an international long-haul flight attendant with Qantas, jet lag and time zones can throw me. But honestly, I wouldn’t trade this dream job for anything.

My main go-to tip? Focus on sleep hygiene. I love listening to meditation music to unwind after a flight. Keeping the room dark and cosy is a must, and I can’t resist a bit of lavender pillow spray. It makes all the difference.

I also try not to stress about when to sleep or wake up. If I’m tired, I just close my eyes and enjoy the quiet.

It’s all about finding that balance, so I’m ready to welcome our Qantas customers with a smile when I fly again.

Sharon Osbourne said Ozzy, her husband of 43 years, died “surrounded by love” on Tuesday following a journey with Parkinson’s disease, which affectsthe central nervous system

A fiery throwback clip of Sharon Osbourne protecting her husband Ozzy is going viral following the rock icon’s death.

Fans have praised Sharon’s loyalty as, in the clip, the mum of three hits back at Megan Hauserman, then a contestant on Rock of Love: Charm School, who had insulted Ozzy. Megan had said: “The only thing you’ve managed to do as a celebrity is to watch your husband’s brain turn into a vegetable.”

But Sharon turned to the audience and said: “I feel so sorry for her,” before standing up, calmly taking a sip from her cup — and then hurling the rest of the drink in Megan’s face. The explosive exchange happened during the 2008 series of Sharon’s show, which saw contestants compete to develop proper etiquette in order to win $100,000 (£73,000).

Megan, a model and actress, was eliminated in episode four of her series, shortly after the showdown with Sharon, then aged 56 and a household name in the music and TV industries in the US and the UK. She told her audience: “They can f*** with me… I don’t give a sh** — but not my family.”

READ MORE: Ozzy Osbourne insider lifts the lid on why ‘we just fell in love with’ the family

Security scrambled on the stage as tensions escalated on the VH1 programme. Following the feisty confrontation, Megan sued Sharon for battery and distress, while Sharon countersued, saying the reality star had assumed the risk and broken their TV agreement by suing. The case quietly settled in 2011 for an undisclosed six-figure sum.

Since then, Megan, 43, has starred in her own short-lived, infamous dating show: Megan Wants a Millionaire. It was axed during the first – and last – season with just three episodes airing in 2009.

Social media users took aim at Megan this week as the Rock of Love: Charm School clip re-emerged online. They also lauded Sharon’s loyalty, with one user stating: “The way she loved Ozzy is something not common… She really, REALLY loved her husband.” Another posted: “Ozzy was so blessed to have someone as loving as she was.”

A further fan posted: “Ozzy was the king of metal, but she was the queen. Never attack royalty.” Another comment reads: “GO Sharon. She doesn’t play when it comes to her man.”

And music manager Sharon, 72, expressed her heartbreak at Ozzy’s passing this week. The TV personality, who has been a judge on The X Factor, said in a family statement: “It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”

She married Ozzy in Hawaii, US, in July 1982 and went on to have three children; Jack, Kelly, Aimee, with the music legend. The family’s light-hearted reality TV series, The Osbournes, was a huge hit and ran for three seasons between 2002 and 2005. Ozzy died on Tuesday “surrounded by love” following a battle with Parkinson’s disease.

Top seed Sinner defeats Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the final to win his first Wimbledon and fourth Grand Slam title.

Wimbledon, United Kingdom – It has taken Jannik Sinner just five weeks to exact revenge against Carlos Alcaraz in their blockbuster tennis rivalry and win the men’s singles final at Wimbledon 2025.

The top-seeded Italian overcame the emotional and physical toll of losing the French Open final to Alcaraz by defeating the Spaniard 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London on Sunday.

Sinner turned the tables on the defending champion by overcoming a loss in the first set – and some early nerves – to win his fourth Grand Slam trophy and first on the famous Centre Court at SW19.

Two-time champion Alcaraz began the final with a strong service game, pouncing on Sinner’s nervous start in his first appearance in a Wimbledon final. The 22-year-old went on to break the world number one’s serve and wrap up the first set in 45 minutes, deploying a serve-and-volley style strategy to win the crucial points.

Sinner dug deep in the second set and was back to his ice-cool self as he applied the brakes on Alcaraz’s attempt for a three-peat of titles at Wimbledon.

The quality of tennis went up a notch as the 23-year-old matched Alcaraz shot for shot and left the crowd gasping at every other point.

Sinner didn’t waste much time in breaking back against the defending champion by deploying an excellent service game to keep Alcaraz at bay, altering his speed and delivery to ensure his opponent scurried for every point. He was soon on level terms.

The third set was, by far, the highlight of the final as both players threw everything at each other with sensational court coverage, scintillating aces, sublime drop shots and even a “tweener”.

It was end-to-end action up until the eighth game, when Alcaraz slipped up by the barest of margins but ended up having his serve broken. Sinner wasted no time to bring out his ruthless streak and finish off Alcaraz’s chances in the set.

Leading the final two sets to one, Sinner stepped on the gas in the fourth and ensured there would be no late Alcaraz comeback as so memorably occurred in the French Open final on June 8.

He broke Alcaraz in the third game, and the stoic Italian showed a glimpse of emotion as he looked towards his team in the stands.

Crowd favourite Alcaraz had most of the capacity crowd on Centre Court behind him, including King Felipe of Spain, but it was not enough to help him stay in the final for one more set as Sinner sealed the trophy with a faultless service game.

‘Dream of a dream’

With joy and disbelief etched on his face, and with the match now over, Sinner raised both arms with a jolt before squatting down on the court to pat the grass with the other hand, all the while hiding the emotions on his face.

Not only did he avenge his French Open final loss with a fourth major trophy, Sinner also moved to within one Grand Slam title of his great contemporary Alcaraz.

The two-time Australian Open champion has become the first man from Italy to win the Wimbledon title, a feat he described as akin to “a dream of a dream”.

“I had never thought of being in this position [to win Wimbledon] growing up so far away from here,” an unusually emotional Sinner said on court after the match.

“I had a very tough loss in Paris, but I tried to understand what I did wrong and kept working [hard].”

Sinner has now won Grand Slam titles on two of the three surfaces and said he was happy to have held his nerve while serving for the championship in the fourth set. Alcaraz, ever the gracious opponent in defeat as in victory, kept up his applause for Sinner even after returning to his chair after losing the match. But he said it was a difficult loss.

“I love playing here and I’m going to be back for sure,” the Spaniard told his fans on Centre Court.

Both players walked off to a loud round of applause after providing yet another enthralling glimpse into another “golden era” of tennis.

Sinner and Alcaraz have won all seven Grand Slam finals since the beginning of 2024, and it will only be a matter of eight weeks until tennis fans can hope to see the next instalment of their flourishing rivalry at the last Grand Slam of the year, the US Open.

LONDON — Jannik Sinner defeated two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday to win his first Wimbledon championship and reverse the result of their epic French Open final five weeks ago.

The No. 1-ranked Sinner earned his fourth Grand Slam title overall, moving him one away from No. 2 Alcaraz’s total as the two no-longer-rising-but-firmly-established stars of the game separate themselves from the rest of the pack in men’s tennis.

This victory also allowed Sinner, a 23-year-old Italian, to put an end to several streaks for Alcaraz, a 22-year-old Spaniard.

Alcaraz had won the past five head-to-head matches between the pair, most recently across five sets and nearly 5 1/2 hours at Roland-Garros on June 8. Sinner took a two-set lead in that one, then held a trio of match points, but couldn’t close the deal, allowing Alcaraz to improve to 5-0 in major finals.

Jannik Sinner holds the trophy after winning the Wimbledon men’s singles final against Carlos Alcaraz in London Sunday.

(Kirsty Wigglesworth / Associated Press)

“I had a very tough loss in Paris. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter how you win or you lose the important tournaments. You just have to understand what you did wrong. Trying to work on that — that’s exactly what we did. We tried to accept the loss and then just kept working,” Sinner said Sunday. “And this is, for sure, why I’m holding this trophy here.”

This time, he didn’t waver, asserting himself in a match that featured moments of terrific play by both men, but also the occasional lapses — and one memorable, brief, interruption right before a Sinner serve when a Champagne cork came flying out of the stands and settled on the turf.

With Prince William and Princess Kate in the Royal Box, along with King Felipe VI of Spain, Alcaraz stepped into the sunlight bathing Centre Court as the owner of a career-best 24-match unbeaten run. He had won 20 matches in a row at the All England Club, including victories against Novak Djokovic in the 2023 and 2024 finals.

“It’s difficult to lose,” Alcaraz said. “It’s always difficult to lose.”

The last man to beat him at Wimbledon? Sinner, in the fourth round in 2022.

So this served as a bookend win for Sinner, who proved what he kept telling anyone who asked: No, there would be no carryover from his heartbreak in Paris. Hard to imagine, though, that that collapse wasn’t on his mind at least a little on Sunday, especially when he faced two break points while serving at 4-3, 15-40 in the fourth set.

But he calmly took the next four points to hold there, and soon was serving out the win.

“Very happy that I [held] nerves,” Sinner said.

When it ended, Sinner put both hands on his white hat. After embracing Alcaraz at the net, Sinner crouched on court with his head bowed, then pounded his right palm on the grass.

Yes, Sinner put the French Open behind him in the best way possible and demonstrated that his matchups with Alcaraz could delight tennis fans for years to come.

“Really happy to be able to build a really good relationship off the court,” Alcaraz said, “but then a great rivalry on the court that makes me improve every day.”

Sinner told Alcaraz: “Thank you for the player you are. It’s so difficult to play against you.”

Jannik Sinner reacts after defeating Carlos Alcaraz to win the Wimbledon championship in London on Sunday.

(Kirsty Wigglesworth / Associated Press)

These two guys have divvied up the past seven Grand Slam trophies, and nine of the last 12.

Fittingly, this marked the first time the same two men faced off in the title matches on the clay at Roland-Garros and the grass at the All England Club in the same year since Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal did it in 2006, 2007 and 2008. It hadn’t happened for more than a half-century before that trilogy.

Sinner has participated in each of the last four major finals, a stretch that began with a triumph at the U.S. Open last September and was followed by another at the Australian Open this January.

Wearing the same tape job and white arm sleeve to protect his right elbow that he has been using since falling in the opening game of his fourth-round win on Monday, Sinner never showed any issues, just as he had not while eliminating 24-time major champion Djokovic in the semifinals.

Fendrich writes for the Associated Press.