semifinals

Last week, player Rob Hawkins said England “were not playing to our standards” in their opening 98-18 win over Wales and rated the team five out of 10.

Asked how he would rate England’s showing against the USA, Billington told Premier Sports: “At least a seven. All week, we have been banging on about playing the way we want to play, and the boys really stuck to their principles.

“I’m over the moon for the guys to put on such senior performances.”

Finlay O’Neill was named player of the match as he recorded 38 points, with two tries and 15 conversions.

“It was a good team effort, not just myself,” O’Neill said. “We talked about how we could improve, and I think we did that.

“We need to take the positives – [there are a] few areas to work on but I think we can be very happy with that performance.”

The four semi-finalists have now been set, with the final group games to decide who faces who in the knockouts.

In Pool A, Ireland ensured they will qualify alongside England with a 68-28 victory over Wales.

Ireland, who are ranked third in the world, will face the English in their final group game on Friday in Wollongong (06:00 GMT).

In Pool A, two-time champions France and hosts Australia both booked their passages through while scoring triple figures.

France, who were losing finalists against England in 2022, thrashed New Zealand 120-10.

Australia beat Scotland 104-24, and will play the French on Friday to determine the pool winners.

Scotland, New Zealand, Wales and USA all go into a ranking competition to determine fifth through to eighth place.

Wales will face USA in Pool A on Friday, while Scotland play New Zealand.

Former Northern Ireland Open champions Kyren Wilson and Mark Williams remain on course for a potential meeting in the final of this year’s tournament in Belfast after winning their respective quarter-finals on Friday.

World number nine Wilson ran out a convincing 6-1 winner over Anthony McGill in the afternoon session at the Waterfront Hall, while Williams, who sits one place higher in the rankings, defeated David Gilbert 6-4 during the evening’s play.

Wilson, who claimed both the world title and the NI Open crown in 2024, established a 4-0 lead over his Scottish opponent with the help of breaks of 77, 75 and 122.

McGill took the next with a run of 66 but the Englishman eased home to progress and secure a first semi-final appearance at a ranking event since March 2025, with compatriot Sam Craigie his next opponent.

Craigie advanced to only his second-ever ranking event semi-final by beating Elliot Slessor 6-2.

Slessor took an early lead after compiling an 82 but Craigie reeled off five frames in a row and ultimately clinched a comfortable passage to the last four.

Gilbert built a 3-1 lead over Williams with the help of breaks of 62, 95 and 60, but after they shared the next two, Williams scored three centuries in consecutive frames as he took the next four to seal victory.

The 51-year-old three-time world champion and 2017 NI Open winner will take on fellow Welshman Jak Jones in Saturday’s second semi-final.

Jones, who has already collected the British Open and Championship League titles this season, edged out Scott Donaldson 6-5 in a late-night thriller, a break of 84 in the decider proving decisive in booking his berth in the last four.

Speaking on court after her victory, Kartal said she knew “what a great fighter” world number six Svitolina is, so she “was never safe” in the match.

“It was solid composure from me throughout,” she added. “It’s breaking new ground for me this week.

“I love playing here and on this court. The atmosphere was amazing, so big thank you to the crowd.”

Kartal had not dropped a set during her run to the quarter-finals at Wuhan, and she broke Svitolina early in the first to start on a positive note.

Svitolina then called for a medical timeout for treatment on her right arm, but she came back strong to take the second set 6-2 and send the last-eight tie to a decider.

The two players were evenly matched in the third set but it was Kartal, using a protected injury ranking to play, who managed to break Svitolina’s serve at 5-4 and book her place in the last four.

In the other quarter-finals, Polish 16th seed Maja Chwalinska faces Greek Maria Sakkari, while American Ann Li takes on six-time Grand Slam winner and seventh seed Iga Swiatek.

Luke Littler missed out on the chance to hold the senior and youth world titles simultaneously after suffering a surprise semi-final defeat at the World Youth Championship.

The 19-year-old world number one was beaten 6-5 by world number 68 Cam Crabtree, who will face German Jan Schmidt in the final on 29 November.

That match will take place on finals day at the Players Championship Finals in Minehead – an event Littler has also yet to qualify for having skipped the majority of Pro Tour events this season.

He is currently ranked 126th in the Players Championship order of merit and only the top 64 qualify.

Four Players Championship events remain, but two of those are in Den Bosch in the Netherlands – where Littler withdrew from events recently after being subjected to boos by the crowds.

Littler has won successive full World Championships and won the youth title as a 16-year-old in 2023, but the semi-final loss to 23-year-old Crabtree was his second successive exit at that stage having lost to Beau Greaves in 2025. He could though enter four more times, with the tournament open to players aged 23 or under at the start of the season.

The loss is the latest in a series of surprise exits for Littler, who was knocked out of the World Grand Prix in the first round by Luke Woodhouse and lost to Jonny Clayton in the quarter-finals of the World Series of Darts finals.

Novak Djokovic to face Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals in Beijing after the Russian defeats Francisco Cerundolo.

Novak Djokovic has brushed aside ongoing injury-related struggles and produced a trademark comeback to defeat top seed Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 for a place in the China Open semifinals, extending his unbeaten record in the tournament.

Playing the ATP 500 event in Beijing for the first time since 2015, the six-time champion was pushed to the limit by reigning French Open and US Open champion Zverev, who delivered 19 aces in the match on Sunday.

Meeting for the first time in nearly 16 months, Djokovic struggled to contain the German’s power in the early stages as the 29-year-old Zverev claimed the opening set, but the Serb gradually worked his way into the match and refused to let his opponent pull away.

“I had a terrible start – two double faults at the beginning. It was quite cold, and honestly, I didn’t feel warmed up, but my fault,” Djokovic said.

“I gave him an early break, and then it was hard to come back in the first set.”

The contest was briefly interrupted by a moment of controversy when Zverev argued that the electronic advertising signage had gone dark during a rally and requested a video review after losing the point.

Replays showed a section of the signage had switched off although not as Zverev was missing the forehand. The chair umpire ordered the point to be replayed, prompting a frustrated exchange from Djokovic.

‘Held my nerves’

The turning point came late in the second set when Djokovic broke at 5-4 to level the match, shifting the momentum in his favour after a tightly contested battle.

With little separating the pair in the third, the Serbian struck again at 5-4 on the Zverev serve, securing the decisive break to seal the victory in two hours and 35 minutes.

“I was trying to be aggressive and come to the net and change up the pace, not giving the same pattern,” Djokovic said.

“I am just glad that I held my nerves, played good shots at important moments, 5-4 in the second and third.”

The pair had not met since Roland Garros in 2025, where Djokovic won in four sets, and Sunday’s encounter again highlighted the Serb’s ability to deliver under pressure despite a season disrupted by physical issues.

With the victory, Djokovic moved a step closer to a seventh China Open title and an elusive first trophy of the year while denying Zverev another opportunity to strengthen his bid for the world number one ranking.

Djokovic will face Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals after the Russian defeated Francisco Cerundolo 7-6(4), 6-3 earlier.

Rybakina withdraws from Wuhan after China Open exit

World number one Elena Rybakina withdrew from this month’s Wuhan Open due to a foot injury, tournament organisers said on Sunday, a day after the Kazakh suffered a shock defeat in her opening match at the China Open.

Rybakina, who lost to world number 118 Alina Charaeva in Beijing, said she would take time away from competition to recover.

“I’m very sorry to the fans who were looking forward to seeing me play,” Rybakina said in a story posted on the tournament’s Instagram account.

“I’ll take some time to rest and recover. Thank you for your understanding and continued support.”

The 27-year-old has been managing a lingering lower leg and foot problem that also forced her to retire from her Cincinnati quarterfinal against Iga Swiatek in August.

Despite the setback, Rybakina recovered in time for the US Open, where she claimed her third Grand Slam title, rose to world number one and became the first player to qualify for the season-ending WTA Finals.

Rybakina is next expected to compete this month in the Ningbo Open in China, where she will try to defend her title.

The Wuhan Open is scheduled to take place from October 12 to 18.