men

NEW YORK: Alexander Zverev won his second major championship and kept American men without a Grand Slam title since 2003, beating Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2 on Sunday in the US Open final.

Zverev finally broke through in the majors by winning this year’s French Open and followed up by finally adding the title in New York that he so painfully let slip away in 2020.

The No. 1 seed in a Grand Slam for the first time, he capitalized on Shelton’s shaky start in his first major final, played a nearly flawless tiebreaker on serve and then turned back Shelton’s comeback attempt in front of a crowd that desperately cheered him on.

Shelton was trying to win the first title by an American man since Andy Roddick won in Flushing Meadows in 2003, as well as the first by a Black man since Arthur Ashe in 1968.

But Zverev was too good in majors this year and apparently didn’t even know how good he was. He finished the match on his serve but didn’t seem to realize it, dropping back behind the baseline as if set to return. Only a few moments later did he figure out he had won, raising his arms in celebration.

CAROLINE Quentin has revealed she may never buy another home after selling her sprawling six-bedroom farmhouse, art collection and jewellery.

The Men Behaving Badly actress, 66, has deliberately stripped back her lifestyle after admitting her huge Devon property and its grounds had become “a bit too much”.

She and husband Sam Farmer now rent a smaller home in Somerset, with Caroline saying they are perfectly happy to remain tenants.

Speaking to Saga, she said: “We’ve been in Somerset for just over a year, with a more manageable garden. We’re really happy. I don’t think we’ll buy again.”

Opening up about her former property, she added: “It had a two-acre vegetable garden, a two-acre orchard and a pool. The veg alone was exhausting.”

Caroline also revealed she auctioned off her art collection and jewellery after deciding possessions were no longer important to her.

QUAINT QUENTIN

Inside Strictly’s Caroline Quentin’s farmhouse home with 35 acres of land

WOKE FAIL

Men Behaving Badly could never be made for today’s woke TV, says Caroline Quentin

She said: “Possessions aren’t important to me any more. I got rid of a lot of things two years ago. I took them to auction and sold them.

“I had quite a big art collection and a lot of jewellery, and I sold it all.

“Now we live in a rented house and I don’t have much stuff. That was very deliberate.”

It marks a change of heart for the actress, who previously said she and Sam hoped to buy a smaller cottage and create a new garden.

Speaking to Gardens Illustrated in February 2024, she said: “My big beautiful garden in Devon came with a big house and it was all getting a bit too much for me.

“My husband Sam and I are renting a lovely cottage in Somerset and are looking for a cottage nearby where I can start a new garden and a new gardening adventure.”

Caroline is best known for playing Dorothy in Nineties sitcom Men Behaving Badly, as well as starring in Jonathan Creek and Blue Murder.

She married Sam in 2006 and the couple share two grown-up children, Emily Rose and William.

A star-studded legal drama, which viewers have described as ‘one of the best shows’, is starting tonight on ITV and ITVX

ITV viewers looking for their next fix need look no further.

The broadcaster will be airing the legal thriller series, The Rainmaker, on Friday 28 August at 9pm on ITV after acquiring the star-studded US show. The show will air weekly and also be available to stream on ITVX.

A synopsis teases of the legal thriller: “Based on the best-selling novel by John Grisham, Rudy Baylor, who is fresh out of law school, goes head-to-head with courtroom lion Leo Drummond as well as his law school girlfriend, Sarah.

“Rudy, along with his boss, Bruiser, and her disheveled paralegal, Deck, uncover two connected conspiracies surrounding the mysterious death of their client’s son.”

The incredible star-studded cast sees Rivals actor Milo Callaghan as Rudy Baylor, Mad Men legend John Slattery as Leo Drummond, Once Upon a Time’s Lana Parrilla as Jocelyn “Bruiser” Stone and Jumanji star Madison Iseman as Sarah Plankmore.

Other cast members include The Wolf of Wall Street actor P.J. Byrne as Deck Shifflet, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them star Dan Fogler as Melvin Pritcher, Bodkin’s Robyn Cara as Kelly Riker and The Split’s Karen Bryson as Dot Black.

The Rainmaker was first released in the US back in 2025, receiving rave reviews at the time. The show has been confirmed and renewed for a second series.

The first series got an impressive 84% on Rotten Tomatoes with many fans praising the ‘outstanding’ legal drama.

One person said: “This is one of the best shows I’ve seen this year. Anyone interested in a nice show should try it. For this one don’t judge by the rating. Trust me. Its one of the best shows you will find this year, 2025.

“I loved and enjoyed every single episode hour, minute and second. I was honestly angry that I now have to wait for the season 2. Its a very good tv show and i would wish to watch the complete story.”

A different viewer wrote: “This is absolutely the best show I have seen for awhile,I love all the actors they couldn’t not have done a better job on that all great actors.

“I just wish we could binge watch I don’t like waiting a week to see what happens. USA is not a monthly subscription its always a week ahead . Well I really hope I see several seasons of this show . I absolutely love it.”

Another show watcher commented at the time: “I was skeptical since the book and original movie were so good, but this series hooked me from the first episode!

“Love Rudy! He’s young, vulnerable, but knows the law and doesn’t cave under pressure. Outstanding casting and storyline! Bruiser is bad*ss and Deck is the best sidekick! Really hope there is a season 2, can’t wait!!!”

The Rainmaker is available to watch on ITV and ITVX from Friday 28 August

This train track claimed the lives of hundreds of people during its 24 years of construction.

Burrowing beneath a towering mountain range in Massachusetts is a railway tunnel with a long and blood soaked history. The Hoosac Tunnel travels between North Adams in the west to the town of Florida, Massachusetts in the east. It was constructed in 1851 and finally finished in 1975.

However, during its 24 years of construction, this railway tunnel claimed the lives of around 200 men, giving it the terrifying nickname of ‘the Bloody Pit’. Men were killed by explosions, falling rocks and accidents with ladders and scaffolding, leading to a strike in 1865 where workers burned buildings in protest of the horrific working conditions.

Over the year following the strike, a further 14 men were killed or injured at work in the tunnel.

On October 17, 1867, the tunnel saw the deadliest accident of its 24 years in construction.

Workers were digging a 1,028 foot long vertical exhaust shaft when a candle ignited the fumes that had leaked from a lamp.

An explosion ripped through the shaft, setting the hoist alight. It collapsed into the shaft, trapping 13 men working at the base of the shaft inside the darkness.

The pumps were destroyed, and the shaft began to fill with water.

In a desperate attempt to save the men trapped below, a worker was lowered into the shaft the following day but was overcome by fumes and reported no survivors once he reached the surface again.

Horrifyingly, when workers reached the bottom of the shaft months later they found that at least some of the men had survived long enough to build a raft to escape the rising flood waters before they suffocated.

The men died due to a lack of oxygen as fires burned through the air.

Despite the tragedies that befall construction, the tunnel was finally completed and used by both passenger and freight trains.

Today, the tunnel still stands but is only used for freight trains.