Britons Jacob Fearnley, Toby Samuel, Harry Wendelken and Harriet Dart stand one win away from a place in the US Open main draw after coming through their second round qualifying matches in New York.
Fearnley showed great resilience in battling to a three-set victory over Frenchman Luka Pavlovic, which set up a meeting with Austria’s Jurij Rodionov.
The 25-year-old world number 100 recovered from a break of serve down to take the opening set, and held his nerve in the decider after his opponent levelled the match to clinch a 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 win.
Samuel, bidding to qualify for the US Open for the first time, produced a comeback victory against fellow Briton Billy Harris.
The 23-year-old, who made his slam debut at this year’s French Open, recovered to win 4-6 6-4 6-1 and set up a meeting with Chile’s former top-20 player Cristian Garin.
Wendelken, who has never contested the main draw at an overseas slam, saved a match point to come through a three-hour tussle with Switzerland’s Remy Bertola.
The 24-year-old, ranked 196th, appeared on the brink of elimination at a set and 5-2 down, but denied Bertola a match point to level at 5-5 before edging the second-set tie-break.
Wendelken took charge of the decider, establishing a 5-2 lead, but was forced to withstand a late fightback from his opponent before eventually clinching a 5-7 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 win. He will face Lithuania’s Vilius Gaubas next.
Britons Harriet Dart and Fran Jones both made winning starts to their bids to reach the US Open singles main draw.
Dart, who has twice reached the US Open second round, came through 6-0 6-7 (1-7) 6-1 against Jordyn Hazelitt in the first round of qualifying in New York.
She will face another American 16-year-old, Kristina Penickova, next.
Jones, who qualified for the US Open for the first time last year, will face Germany’s Mona Barthel after winning 6-3 6-4 against Italy’s Nuria Brancaccio.
But Jodie Burrage lost to Spain’s Guiomar Maristany 7-6 (7-1) 6-4, while Henry Searle was beaten 6-1 6-2 by American 16-year-old Michael Antonius in the men’s event.
Antonius will face former US Open finalist Kei Nishikori in the second qualifying round, after the Japanese 36-year-old battled to a 6-1 2-6 6-2 win over Austrian Sebastian Ofner.
Former US Open semi-finalist Grigor Dimitrov will face Kazakhstan’s Timofey Skatov in his second qualifying match after dismissing Italy’s Lorenzo Giustino 6-0 6-3.
In the women’s draw, 2019 US Open winner Bianca Andreescu progressed with a 6-1 6-2 win against Dutch player Eva Vedder.
Heather Watson resumes her qualifying campaign with a second-round match against Spain’s Angela Fita Boluda on Wednesday.
In the men’s draw, Britons Jacob Fearnley, Toby Samuel, Billy Harris, Harry Wendelken and Jack Pinnington Jones all return to action seeking to move one win away from the Flushing Meadows main draw.
Players must come through three rounds of qualifying to reach the singles main draw, which gets under way on Sunday.
Elsewhere, Britain’s Arthur Fery warmed up for the US Open with a 6-1 7-5 victory over Cruz Hewitt at the Winston-Salem Open.
Fery, playing just his third match since his stunning run to the Wimbledon semi-finals, came back from 4-1 down in the second set to advance.
The fourth seed will play either Czech Tomas Machac or Dutch qualifier Mees Rottgering next.
In the mixed doubles competition, Britons Henry Patten and Lloyd Glasspool will both seek to beat some of the sport’s biggest stars after coming through two qualifying matches on Monday.
The US Open mixed doubles was controversially revamped last year to include singles stars in a bid to attract more attention to the format.
Under the new format, the top six pairs with the best combined singles rankings received direct entry into the main draw, with another eight receiving wildcards.
The tournament now takes place over three days in the week before the main draw began, and features a shorter scoring system with only four games required to win a set in matches before the final, no ‘advantage’ scoring and 10-point match tie-breaks instead of a third set throughout.
Both Patten and Glasspool had to come through qualifying with their respective partners on Monday.
Patten, a two-time winner of the men’s doubles competition at Wimbledon, and Czech team-mate Katerina Siniakova defeated Americans Peyton Stearns and Christian Harrison in straight sets in their second qualifying match.
Next, Patten and Siniakova – the respective men’s and women’s world number ones in doubles – will take on 24-time major winner Novak Djokovic and top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in the first round of the main draw.
After defeating El Salvador’s Marcelo Arevalo and France’s Kristina Mladenovic, Glasspool and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe will face 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams and seven-time major winner Carlos Alcaraz.
Alcaraz will be playing his first match in four months after recovering from a wrist injury, while Williams is making her return to the sport after a four-year absence.
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) runs a clearing process matching students with university and college courses which still have spaces., external
Students can use it if they:
Fail to achieve the grades for their conditional offer
Fail to receive any offers they want to accept
Decide after 30 June to apply for university
Achieve better grades than expected and want to change universities
Clearing opened on 2 July and closes on 19 October.
Each A-level grade is worth a certain number of Ucas points. For example, an A* at A-level is worth 56 points and a D is worth 24 points.
BTecs, T-levels and other qualifications are worth Ucas points too – you can work out how many points your results are worth using the calculator tool on their website, external.
Many students may decide not to go to university and start an apprenticeship or go straight into work.
Others take a gap year, external so they have more time to decide what to do next.
Suzano S.A. press release (SUZ): Q2 net revenue totalled R$11.6 billion and adjusted EBITDA reached R$4.7 billion, both above the levels recorded in the previous quarter.
Suzano sold 3.3 million tonnes of pulp and paper combined in 2Q26, comprising 2.9 million tonnes
Venezuela secured 216 medals to finish fourth in the XXV Central American and Caribbean Games. (AFP)
Mérida, August 11, 2026 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Venezuela concluded a successful performance at the XXV Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
The Caribbean nation’s delegation finished fourth in the overall medal table, securing 216 medals: 49 gold, 70 silver, and 97 bronze, finishing just two gold medals behind third-place Cuba. Mexico topped the standings with 407 medals, followed by Colombia with 266 medals. The competition lasted from July 24 to August 8 and featured athletes from 37 countries.
The Venezuelan athletes, with a mix of veterans and up-and-coming talents, enjoyed success across multiple disciplines. Olympic medallists Julio Mayora and Keydomar Vallenilla dominated their respective 73kg and 96kg weightlifting divisions, while 19-year-old phenom Mauricio Loaiza earned a breakthrough gold medal in the 110kg division. Venezuela racked up 11 weightlifting gold medals.
In aquatic events, open-water swimmer Paola Pérez successfully defended her regional title by taking gold in the 10-kilometer individual race, while swimmers María Yegres and Manuel Díaz won the 400-meter freestyle and 100-meter butterfly, respectively.
Combat sports also delivered critical victories. Venezuelan judokas Anriquelis Barrios and Karen León delivered dominant performances to secure two of the team’s three judo golds.
In women’s boxing, Omailyn Alcalá, Krisandy Ríos, and Maryelis Iriza achieved a historic three-gold sweep. Venezuelan fencers likewise maintained their regional dominance, winning their fifth consecutive title in men’s sabre and second in women’s epee, bolstered by gold in women’s foil by Anabella Acurero.
Rodolfo Monacelli secured first place in bowling, and chess grandmasters Vicmary Pérez and Félix Ynojosa captured top honors in their respective individual events. 19-year-old pole vaulter Ricardo Montes de Oca continued his promising career by soaring to victory in track and field.
Venezuela also achieved a gold medal in modern pentathlon, and surfer Rafael “Nono” Pereira edged out fellow countryman José Joaquín López in an all-Venezuelan shortboard surfing final at Encuentro Beach.
A major highlight of the South American nation’s performance came on the pitch, where Venezuela’s under-20 soccer team captured the gold medal by defeating a heavily favored Mexican squad in the final. The victory marked Venezuela’s third ever gold medal in men’s soccer at the Central American and Caribbean Games.
Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodríguez issued an official statement praising the national team’s performance at the games.
“The medals won reflect the strength, discipline, passion, and love for this land. My recognition goes to every athlete and coach who gave their all; they fought and dreamed to bring great joy to our people,” she said.
Following the strong performance, the country’s best in eight years, Venezuela is set to host the XXVI Central American and Caribbean Games in 2030. Sports Minister Franklin Cardillo announced that Venezuela’s candidacy was officially ratified during the closing ceremony in Santo Domingo.
Cardillo affirmed that Venezuelan authorities and regional athletic federations are already coordinating logistics to prepare world-class facilities and host a successful edition of the Games in 2030. Venezuelan athletes will next represent the national tricolor flag at the upcoming South American Games in Argentina starting on September 12.
“It’s been a little bit hectic the last few days,” Salt told BBC Sport.
“Birmingham, back to Cardiff, up here. It’s a lot to be honest with you in five days and managing bodies through.
“From a player’s point of view I’d like this competition to be probably a week longer.”
The Hundred group stage takes place over 23 days with teams playing eight games in that period.
In comparison, Indian Premier League sides each play 14 group games in a 56-day period, while in last season’s men’s Big Bash League in Australia teams played 10 group games each in a 36-day window.
Since its introduction in 2021, The Hundred has further complicated a packed English summer schedule, with the Professional Cricketers Association (PCA) continuing to raise concerns about the impact on player welfare.
In their response to the 2026 schedule, which saw the T20 Blast reduced by two matches, PCA chief executive Daryl Mitchell said, external the unchanged County Championship season “does raise concerns with player burnout with mental and physical dangers attached to an overly intense end to the season following the conclusion of The Hundred”.
Salt acknowledged the difficulties of finding more time in the schedule, while noting the impact the current scheduling had on his squad.
“We import the best stars in the game for this. We’ve got on our side [the 6ft 8in tall] Marco Jansen and Lockie Ferguson,” he added.
“They’ve done a lot of time on the bus in the last three days! A bus that’s not built for lads that size.
“I’d like a bit more time in between to be honest with you, but I understand we’re working with a pretty tight schedule already as it is.
“I’m not the man for the answer on the schedule, I just like to magic another week of the year somewhere!”
Welsh Fire return to action at Headingley on Sunday (14:30 BST) against Sunrisers Leeds, before playing their final group game at home to London Spirit next Wednesday.
Ireland international Orla Prendergast took 4-18 as Welsh Fire beat Manchester Super Giants by three wickets at Old Trafford.
Playing only her second Hundred match after arriving as an injury replacement for Sophie Devine, the seamer tore through the Super Giants’ top-order as the hosts slipped to 24-4.
Prendergast bowled Super Giants captain Meg Lanning for a golden duck, had Mady Villiers caught for five and then trapped Kathryn Bryce (4) lbw, before Heather Graham had Paige Scholfield (5) stumped.
India’s Smriti Mandhana made 15 before she was run-out after being called through for a risky single, while Sophie Ecclestone (9) became Graham’s second stumping victim.
Richa Ghosh was Prendergast’s fourth wicket, caught in the covers for 11, but Ryana MacDonald-Gay top-scored from number nine, hitting an unbeaten 18 to help her side reach 85-9.
Fire reached 27 in their reply, before losing Sarah Bryce, caught and bowled by Bex Tyson for 16, while fellow opener Georgia Voll reached the same score before skying a catch off Villiers.
Ecclestone removed Freya Kemp (6) and Prendergast with successive balls, having her England team-mate clip to Lanning at short mid-on and then bowling the Ireland all-rounder. She also had Georgia Wareham caught well by Lanning for 17 in her figures of 3-14.
Graham guided Fire to a nervy victory, losing two further partners but hitting an unbeaten 16, including the winning runs as her side reached 88-7 with nine balls to spare.
The win moved Fire above Leeds Sunrisers into fourth place and two points behind Super Giants who remain third.
Ben Duckett struck a half-century and took a sharp diving catch to remove England team-mate Harry Brook as The Hundred leaders Trent Rockets beat Sunrisers Leeds by five runs.
The 31-year-old smacked Liam Patterson-White for five consecutive fours to bring up his fifty off 35 balls, but it was an otherwise measured innings from the opener, who made 64 (47), including nine boundaries, to help Rockets post 146-4.
A 71-run third-wicket stand between Mitchell Marsh and Brook put Sunrisers in control of their chase, with just 35 runs required from 20 deliveries.
However, Mohammad Amir only conceded five runs off the next four balls before Brook found a leaping Duckett in the covers to depart for 46 (33).
Amir had Marsh (41 off 35) caught behind by Sam Billings five balls later, finishing with figures of 2-20, and an equation of 25 runs from 10 deliveries proved too much for Dan Lawrence and Tom Alsop.
Duckett had earlier anchored his side’s innings, with his knock in stark contrast to Trent Rockets debutant Aneurin Donald.
Introduced early in the powerplay after Brydon Carse (2-20) bowled Finn Allen, Donald thrashed three sixes and dominated his 63-run second-wicket stand with Duckett, hitting 40 runs off 19 deliveries.
Carse also accounted for Donald, whose free-scoring was unmatched on either side, while Duckett was bowled by Nathan Ellis with five balls remaining.
Tim David was laboured for his 24 (22) but struck a crucial six off the penultimate ball of the innings.
A fourth consecutive victory moves Trent Rockets four points clear at the top of The Hundred table. Sunrisers Leeds remain fifth, with two wins and two defeats.
In the Musa family home in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, for three siblings, the announcement of this year’s high school examination results on July 24 reflected a long journey of determination.
Despite the ongoing genocide in Gaza, Sama, Abdullah and Nada Musa had focused all their attention on their Tawjihi, a series of exams that decide Palestinian high school students’ academic future, to insulate their futures from incessant hardships and uncertainty.
Their trepidation turned into a family celebration when all three found out that they had passed their exams with flying colours. Sama scored 97.5 percent, Abdullah 94.6 percent, and Nada, 94.4 percent.
Sama Musa, who achieved the highest grade among the siblings, said the path to academic success was “exceptional and difficult”.
“Thank God for everything. I expected a higher grade, but the circumstances determined the result we achieved,” he told Al Jazeera.
“Even psychologically, a person did not have the energy to continue, but I challenged all circumstances so I could make my family happy and achieve the grade I had dreamed of for years.”
Educational challenges
The path was particularly demanding for Abdullah and Nada, who could not attend private lessons due to their physical disabilities, so the family arranged for teachers to come to their home.
Their mother, Hind Muhanna, says years of care and support had played a role in their children achieving exceptional grades. “Thank God, we worked very hard for them, and today I am reaping the fruits of their success. Our efforts did not go to waste,” she told Al Jazeera.
“We always made them feel that they were better than everyone else. From kindergarten through school, everyone who knew them would ask me: ‘What is the secret behind their confidence?’”
Nada Musa acknowledged that their parents’ support was a key motivation to push them towards achieving high grades.
“Thank God, because of my parents I was able to challenge all difficulties. They supported me at every step and never fell short,” she said.
Despite the students’ work and parents’ backing, the genocide in Gaza inevitably affected their academic year, so Abdullah was relieved that their grades reflected the family’s joint efforts.
“Thank God, it was a grade that reflected the effort and hard work. It was a very difficult year filled with displacement and hardships, but despite the pain, we were able to reach the top and achieve the goals we worked for,” he said.
The Musa family in Khan Younis [Eman Abyu Zayed/Al Jazeera]
In an environment that makes life for Palestinians unbearable, thousands of students in Gaza – including the three siblings – worked hard over the year to prepare themselves for the exams.
Palestinian Minister of Education Amjad Barham said about 89,000 students in the occupied West Bank, occupied East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip took the Tawjihi this year. Another 2,000 students sat for the exams in 46 other countries.
Barham said that more than 106,000 students in Gaza have taken the Tawjihi exams over the past three years, including 36,900 students in 2026. More than 1,100 students who were due to take the Tawjihi exams this year were killed by Israel.
The United Nations said in November, shortly after a truce was announced for Gaza, that more than 97 percent of schools have been damaged or destroyed over the past two years of war.
Gaza’s educational system was on the verge of collapse, the UN added, with nearly 92 percent of education facilities requiring full reconstruction or major rehabilitation to become functional.
Teaching amid a genocide
Also behind the students’ success were teachers who continued their duties despite the exceptional circumstances.
Hanaa al-Sayed, a mathematics teacher, supported a number of Tawjihi students through classes at an educational centre in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, amid the destruction wrought by Israel.
Many students arrived at class carrying heavy psychological loads caused by the grief and trauma of losing family members. Her response to the situation was to treat them not just as her students, but also as children, with love and care.
“The students did not only need someone to explain the curriculum; they needed someone to listen to them and stand beside them,” she told Al Jazeera.
“I treated them as if they were my own daughters, trying to support them psychologically before teaching them mathematics.”
Thousands of Palestinian children have had to study in tents or shelters during Israel’s war on Gaza [Abdel Kareem Hana]
Inside the school, which also served as a shelter for displaced people, children sat on mats during lessons.
“There were no desks or chairs. The school was divided between Tawjihi students and displaced people, but despite that, we insisted on continuing education,” she said.
Palestinians have demonstrated a commitment to education despite the difficult circumstances they have faced over the past decades, and the Tawjihi results this year reflect this.
“What I saw from the students was something exceptional. They came to study despite everything around them because they believe education is their path to the future,” Hanaa said.
Some of her students who paused their education before the war have since returned to school.
“There were students who had lost hope of completing their education before the war, but they returned and decided to start again,” Hanaa said. “This reflects the level of determination and desire to achieve their dreams.”
Celebrations amid grief
While many students celebrated their Tawjihi results, this was also a time mixed with grief.
Tala Abu Sukkar, from the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, lost her mother, Salwa, in 2010 when she was just two years old. During the war on Gaza, she lost her older brother Yusuf, then her father, Mahmoud, followed by her sister and her four nephews and nieces. Tala now lives with her uncle, who became her main support carer after the loss of so many family members, and took her Tawjihi exams this year.
The final year of school was not only an academic challenge, but also a major psychological struggle as she tried to cope with the pain and grief that followed her throughout the year.
“I lost people who were part of my life. The hardest thing was continuing my path while carrying all this pain inside me, but I tried to stay strong and keep going,” she said.
“The Tawjihi period was one of the most difficult stages I have gone through. I was studying while trying to deal with grief, but I had a goal to succeed and achieve something that would make my family proud.”
Tala’s father, Mahmoud, with three of his grandchildren [Supplied/Al Jazeera]
When she received her certificate, achieving an average score of 86 percent, it was a moment mixed with joy and sadness.
“When the results appeared, I felt mixed emotions. I was happy that I succeeded, but I wished my father and my family members were with me to share this joy,” she said.
“My uncle has been my support after losing my family, and his presence beside me helped me continue and not give up.”
The stories of this year’s Tawjihi students in Gaza represent the determination of a generation to continue education and work towards a better future, despite great hardships.
Despite losing loved ones, changing learning environments and daily difficulties, students continued their journey with the support of loving family members and teachers.
The Tawjihi journey is a story of patience and determination but also shows how important education is to Palestinians’ lives. For the children of Gaza, schools remain a place of hope, care and ambition.
Meanwhile, a boxer from Tuvalu claimed her country’s first ever Commonwealth Games medal without winning a fight.
Because there were only five entrants, Tarona Taafaki received a bye to the last four, meaning she was automatically guaranteed at least a bronze medal.
The 20-year-old lost her first and only fight in the women’s 75kg division – which was a semi-final – to India’s Lovlina Borgohain on Friday, losing every round on all three of the judges’ cards.
Taafaki’s coach and father, Badi Taafaki, says the population of the tiny Pacific island nation – at 10 square miles the fourth smallest in the world – will celebrate the medal and use it to highlight a climate change emergency.
“For the people of Tuvalu, this medal means everything,” he said. “We’re one of the smallest nations in the world, so a medal like this is hugely significant.
“If we can win medals, more people around the world will recognise Tuvalu and begin to understand the challenges we face because of climate change.
“It is very real for us. The coastal erosion is unbelievable, and the countdown is now measured in years, not decades.”
Mitch Marsh was at his destructive best as he bludgeoned 63 to help Sunrisers Leeds end Manchester Super Giants’ unbeaten start to The Hundred with an eight-wicket win at Headingley.
The experienced Australia opener crashed six fours and five sixes during a fearless 26-ball knock which provided the impetus for the Sunrisers to chase down 182 for victory.
Marsh was bowled by a yorker from Sonny Baker with the score on 118 but the momentum from his tone-setting innings was continued by England duo Zak Crawley and Harry Brook.
Sunrisers skipper Crawley blitzed an unbeaten 56 off 34 balls to notch only his second half-century of the summer, having lost his Test place earlier this year.
Crawley’s average in The Hundred (34.50) so far this summer has been superior to what he has managed in the T20 Blast (23.54) and in first-class cricket (20.54).
The 28-year-old felt “in the zone” and was able to play with “a lot of freedom” as he helped his side pull off the highest successful run chase at Headingley in The Hundred.
“I’ve spent too much of my career trying to prove to people how I can play. I’m buzzing that I’ve scored some runs, that’s what I get joy out of,” Crawley told BBC Test Match Special.
“I’m just thankful I can do that, I’m not too worried about who liked it and who didn’t – I know I did and that’s what I want to do.”
Brook chipped in with 42 not out from 17 balls as he also kickstarted his tournament with an innings bristling with clean ball striking.
The England limited-overs skipper had only managed scores of three and eight in his first two innings but mainly dealt in sixes against the Super Giants.
Brook’s six boundaries all cleared the ropes, including the winning runs off Noor Ahmad with 12 balls to spare.
Earlier, England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler continued his impressive start to this year’s tournament with an unbeaten 63 off 33 balls which provided the bedrock of the Super Giants’ 181-3.
Heinrich Klaasen had chipped with 53 off 27 balls while Aussie seamer Nathan Ellis bagged 2-30 to finish the pick of the Sunrisers’ bowlers.
The Sunrisers have won two of their opening matches in The Hundred and join the Super Giants, who stay top on net run-rate, Welsh Fire and MI London on eight points.
An impressive Welsh Fire earned their first win of the women’s Hundred with a 60-run thrashing of MI London in Cardiff.
Fire suffered a poor defeat by Southern Brave in their opener but bounced back to post 177-4, comfortably the highest total of this year’s tournament and the third-highest in the tournament’s history.
After openers Ella McCaughan and Georgia Voll added 49, captain Sophie Devine and all-rounder Georgia Wareham added 79 from just 35 balls for the fourth wicket as MI London’s bowlers wilted.
Devine was stumped from the penultimate ball for 52 from just 29 balls including four sixes, one of which was smacked out of the ground, while Wareham finished unbeaten on 43 from 20.
To conclude the entertaining innings, Em Arlott came out with one ball to face and launched it for six, as Fire’s performance provided some much-needed entertainment for the women’s tournament where the previous-highest team total so far was just 126.
In reply, MI London – despite a batting line-up stacked with international quality – crumbled to 117 all out and suffered their second successive defeat.
Fire seamer Grace Potts dominated the powerplay with figures of 3-24 as MI London crumbled under the run-rate pressure. Potts accounted for MI London’s powerful top three of Hayley Matthews for 10, Danni Wyatt-Hodge for 12 and Kira Chathli for two.
Devine backed up her knock with figures of 2-15, including the wicket of Chinelle Henry who was MI London’s top-scorer with 30, while Welsh left-arm spinner Sophia Smale chipped in with 2-17.
MI London will take on unbeaten Southern Brave on Monday as they search for their first win, while Fire face Trent Rockets on Wednesday.
![The Musa family in Khan Younis [Eman Aby Zayed/Al Jazeera]](https://i0.wp.com/www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AA61B45D-EC83-4D59-8810-1FD593851F8A-1785588122.png?w=640&ssl=1)
![Tala's father with his grandchildren [Eman Abu Zayed/Al Jazeera]](https://i0.wp.com/www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/IMG_7801-1785588117.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)
