Sport Live Blogs

Talk to Frank

Heavyweight Jermaine Franklin has beaten Ivan Dychko in an absolute stink fest.

Franklin – who lost to Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte in the past – won on the big stage but failed to inspire.

It might be another long wait for the phone to call again.

Jermaine Franklin wins

Meanwhile on the undercard, Jermaine Franklin has won via unanimous decision against Ivan Dychko.

It was far from a classic with fans inside the Allegiant Stadium booing amid their boredom,

The judges scored it 96-93. 95-94. 97-92.

It wasn’t just the fans wanting more, so did Franklin’s coach, who was heard saying between rounds: “If you want this fight, you gotta go in there, you gotta let your hands go, and you gotta work.

“This is an opportunity of a lifetime for you. You got to cash in on this, Jermaine.

“We got to get in there, we gotta work, man. We can’t be bulls*******g.”

Tip the scales

Canelo Alvarez is the bigger man but both he and Terence Crawford weighed in at 167.5lb on Friday’s weigh-in – 0.5lb inside the limit.

Crawford, who is a previous undisputed champ at super-lightweight and welterweight, has climbed two divisions for this bout.

Bud had tipped the scales to just 135lb in the past.

There is no rehydration clause, potentially allowing for the naturally bigger Mexican fighter to spend his prep time bulking up.

Injury fears

Rumours have swirled in the build-up to tonight that Terence Crawford has a shoulder issues.

He hilariously responded when asked it, saying: “Yeah, my shoulder’s messed up everyone. Don’t tell Canelo!

“Maybe the left, maybe the right, maybe both of them. I’m having problems with my shoulders.

“Shhh, keep that under wraps.”

Tonight’s full card

Here is what we have coming up as we build up to the main fight of the night.

We will keep you updated with all the results as they come in.

• Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford (undisputed super-middleweight titles)
• Callum Walsh vs Fernando Vargas Jr (super-welterweight)
• Christian Mbilli vs Lester Martinez (super-middleweight)
• Mohammed Alakel vs John Ornelas (lightweight)
• Serhii Bohacuk vs Brandon Adams (middleweight)
• Ivan Dychko vs Jermaine Franklin (heavyweight)
• Reito Tsutsumi beats Javier Martinez (TKO – super-featherweight)
• Sultan Almohammed beats Martin Caraballo (UD – super-lightweight)
• Raiko Santana beats Steven Nelson (TKO – light-heavyweight)
• Marco Verde beats Marcos Osorio Betancourt (TKO – super-middleweight)

Predictions

This bout splits opinion. But everyone is in agreement that it is going to be a classic.

British icon Amir Khan reckons Crawford will win, saying: “It’s a fantastic fight but I just can’t see Canelo beating him.

“I see Crawford winning this fight by skill, movement and holding his weight well.

“Crawford is an amazing wrestler so when it comes to grappling and pushing fighters’ around, he’s strong.

“I’m sure he won’t have a problem with Canelo, even though Canelo is a strong, big guy.”

But promoter Frank Warren is on team Canelo, adding: “My old adage is that a good big ‘un always beats a good little ‘un and I’ll go with Canelo on this.

“Against William Scull, he got clipped quite a few times and I thought he got frustrated.

“Then I look at Crawford in his previous fight against Israil Madrimov and I thought there were moments where it was quite close.

“But I’ve got to go with Canelo – and I hope it is Canelo because our man Hamzah Sheeraz is going to be ringside and we’re going to make it if Canelo wins.”

Luke Littler vs Simon Whitlock

The Nuke looks to defend his crown next up.

This was the first major the teenage prodigy won.

The Wizard will have to conjure up some real magic to cause an upset in this one.

Gerwyn Price 6-1 *Danny Lauby

Lauby played a lot better in this leg, seemingly getting some confidence from breaking his duck in the last leg.

However, with 68 remaining, Price hits treble 20 followed by double 4 to put the game to bed.

Solid performance from The Iceman, who outclassed the American in all areas.

Gerwyn Price 5-1 *Danny Lauby

Price looks to win the match in style as he registers two 180s in his first couple of visits.

However, The Iceman starts to make a mess of his finish.

Fortunately, Lauby misses two darts at tops.

Price then misses a further two match darts at double 2, allowing Lauby to hit double 10 to avoid the whitewash.

Good afternoon and welcome to SunSport’s live blog of Celtic vs Man Utd legends!

The two European powerhouses meet again in a star-studded charity match.

Last year, Celtic claimed the bragging rights as Gary Hooper’s second half strike cancelled out Wayne Rooney’s stunning free-kick to take the match to penalties.

The Scottish giants prevailed on spot kicks, winning 5-4 after five perfect penalties.

Today, the likes of Michael Carrick, Joe Hart, Dimitar Berbatov and Darren Fletcher will all roll back the years.

SunSport will bring you minute-by-minute coverage of today’s huge charity match.

Revenge mission

Carlos Alcaraz is looking to get one over on Novak Djokovic after losing their previous two encounters at the Australian Open in January and in the Paris Olympics gold medal match.

The Spanish star said: “Novak, we all know Novak’s game. It doesn’t matter that he has been out of the Tour since Wimbledon. 

“[He’s] playing great matches here. I know he’s hungry. I know his ambition for more, so let’s see.

“I know I played a lot of times against him. I really want revenge. That’s obvious.”

‘Mess up’ the Sinner vs Alcaraz rivalry

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have dominated tennis this year, with them meeting in five finals, including the last two Slams, within the last year.

Novak Djokovic is likely to have to beat both to clinch glory in New York as the Italian faces Felix Auger Aliassime in the other semi.

On disrupting the Sinner-Alcaraz dominance, Djokovic said: “Everybody is probably expecting and anticipating the final between the two of them.

“I’m going to try to mess up the plans of most of the people.”

‘Not sure how the body will feel’ 

After beating Taylor Fritz in the last round, Novak Djokovic revealed concerns over his fitness, saying: “I’m going to try to take one day at a time. Really take care of my body. Try to relax and recover.

“The next couple of days is really key for me to really get my body in shape and ready to battle five sets if it’s needed.

“I just would really love to be fit enough to play and to play, potentially five sets with Carlos. I know that my best tennis is going to be required, but I’d rise to the occasion.

“Normally I like to play the big matches on a big stage. It’s just that I’m not really sure how the body is going to feel in the next few days. 

“But I’m going to do my very best with my team to be fit for that. 

“There’s going to be a lot of running involved, that’s for sure. It’s not going to be short points.”

Alcaraz’s path to the semi-final

Carlos Alcaraz has not dropped a set but has not come up against a player ranked inside the world’s top 20 yet. 

• Round One: Reilly Opelka in straight sets
• Round Two: Mattia Bellucci in straight sets
• Round Three: Luciano Darderi in straight sets
• Round Four: Arthur Rinderknech in straight sets
• Quarter-Final: Jiri Lehecka in straight sets

Djokovic’s path to the semi-final 

Novak Djokovic has dumped three Americans out of the tournament en route to tonight’s semi.

• Round One: Learner Tien in straight sets
• Round Two: Zachary Svajda in straight sets
• Round Three: Cameron Norrie in four sets
• Round Four: Jan-Lennard Struff in straight sets
• Quarter-Final: Taylor Fritz in four sets

Super semi-final

Welcome to SunSport’s LIVE coverage of the blockbuster men’s US Open semi-final clash between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.

The Serbian icon is in the hunt for his record-breaking 25th Grand Slam victory. 

Djokovic is currently tied at the top of the all-time charts with 24 major wins with Margaret Court.

Victory at Flushing Meadows this year would cement him as the undoubted greatest to ever step foot on a tennis court.

But aged 38 and without a Slam title since 2023, time is ticking for Djokovic.

As for Alcaraz, he and rival Jannik Sinner are the new big hitters in the sport.

The Spaniard is already a five-time Slam champion at the age of 22 and he has cruised through his matches so far without dropping a set.

Alcaraz last lost a match that was not a final back in March when he suffered a shock second round defeat to David Goffin at the Miami Open.  

Pegula 4-3 *Krejcikova

Barbora Krejcikova is being very ambitious with her return position and instead of being a 6-0 set, she is now back on serve.

Tennis is a strange game like that.

Jessica Pegula hit a double fault in game seven, her second of the match, and then she was forced into an error by her Eastern European opponent.

Krejcikova could have found herself a set down. Instead she will be serving to level up at 4-4.

Pegula* 4-2 Krejcikova

Jessica Pegula has adopted an aggressive stance and is trying to get on top of the second serve.

This is forcing errors from Barbora Krejcikova, who is feeling the pressure.

She is clearly struggling with the sun in her face at midday in New York City.

A second double fault hands a break point to the Buffalo-born star.

But then a forehand into the net from the home player saves Krejcikova from going 5-1 down.

In a surprise tactic, she showed she is able to serve-and-volley and that method allows her to wrap up the game.

Sloane Stephens, the 2017 US Open champion, is courtside but when she was picked up on the TV cameras, she was texting on her phone.

So perhaps the action is not that exhilarating yet to grab her full attention… 

Pegula 4-1 *Krejcikova

Serving with the sun in her eyes, Jessica Pegula moves 4-1 ahead and closer to clinching the first set.

She shouted “come on” as she sealed the fifth game.

There was a 96mph ace down the line that almost took the racquet out of the hand of Barbora Krejcikova.

She is showing why she is the world No.4.

The last time these two played each other, at the WTA Finals last November in Riyadh, Krejcikova won 6-3 6-3 in 69 minutes.

But Pegula was not fit then due to a knee problem and she ended up pulling out of the season-ending tournament.

Pegula* 3-1 Krejcikova

Barbora Krejcikova, who served this time from the shady part of the Arthur Ashe stadium, gets on the board this time – after 17 minutes.

But Jessica Pegula had a break point and the chance to go 4-0 up.

Krejcikova hit a 102mph ace down the centre which prevented the American from breaking twice.

There is a fist clench and a brief smile flashes across her face.

The former Wimbledon champion has been standing from the baseline and hardly ventured towards the net.

Jessica Pegula hits the ball so flat and this means it flies very low for her opponent – so tricky for a rival to combat.

Pegula 3-0 *Krejcikova

Barbora Krejcikova is a mentally strong player – she did save eight match points against American ace Taylor Townsend in the last round.

She hit bravely and aggressively in that clash and went for her shots.

And she has also succeeded at the highest level of the sport.

But she will have to dig into those reserves again as Jessica Pegula heads to her chair for the changeover firmly in control.

Pegula produced her first double fault as her second-serve ace missed the line by two millimetres.

But it mattered little as she held serve.

Pegula* 2-0 Krejcikova

Before her first serve, Barbora Krejcikova took SIX balls and then threw two of them.

They are only a game old but clearly she is clearly quite pedantic about the condition of the balls.

The Czech had to serve from the sunny side of the court.

And the sun was clearly in her eyes when she tried to hit a smash but completely missed the ball.

It meant Jessica Pegula went love-40 ahead and then an awful double fault handed the break to her American opponent.

What a terrible start for Krejcikova.

Mainoo wants Napoli move

Manchester United ace Kobbie Mainoo has told club officials he wants to move to Napoli.

According to The Mirror, Mainoo – who could cost £50million – wants to reunite with former team-mate Scott McTominay in Naples.

However, United have denied this is the case and are unwilling to cut ties with the midfield.

The same source claims Man Utd weren’t keen on the deal after seeing the impact of McTominay has had with the Italian champions.

The Red Devils would be keen to avoid a repeat of last year’s transfer mistake involving the Scotland international.

However, the England international is said to be “adamant” about making the move to the Serie A.

Hojlund’s Napoli deal

Manchester United ace Rasmus Hojlund is set to move to Napoli.

United have reportedly reached an agreement with the Partenopei for Hojlund.

According to transfer insider Nicolo Schira, the striker’s agent is currently in Naples to finalise the deal. 

The paperwork is being completed and the Denmark international is signing a contract until 2030 with the option to extend for another year.

Marseille trying to sign Zinchenko

Marseille are working on a deal to sign Arsenal ace Oleksandr Zinchenko. 

Zinchenko is among a group of players, which includes Jakub Kiwior, Reiss Nelson, Fabio Vieira and Albert Sambi Lokonga, that will be allowed to leave the Gunners.. 

This comes as the North Londoners look to ensure they comply with UEFA’s Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) rules.

According to transfer insider David Ornstein, L’OM are exploring a permanent deal for Zinchenko but talks are complicated by his salary demands.

Simons transfer to Tottenham DETAILS

Xavi Simons has officially joined Tottenham from RB Leipzig.

Spurs confirmed Simons is joining the club on a five-plus-two-year contract.

This comes after the North Londoners struck a £52million deal with Leipzig.

The Playmaker revealed a meeting with Tottenham boss Thomas Frank was the moment he decided to join the club.

Liverpool plan record Isak bid

Liverpool are expected to make a record bid for Newcastle star Alexander Isak in the coming days.

SunSport revealed last week that the Reds’ chiefs had sanctioned a £130million bid for Isak.

And the Merseysiders are now expected to finally launch it ahead of Monday’s transfer deadline day.

According to The Telegraph, discussions over the potential sale of the striker have progressed in the last 24 hours.

Liverpool are now set to launch a Premier League record offer this weekend.

The Prem champions are hopeful that it will be accepted, although the bid is £20m short of the Magpies’ £150m valuation.

Mourinho to Forest DENIED – EXCLUSIVE

Jose Mourinho has left his position as Fenerbahce boss after failing to lead the Turkish giants to the Champions League.

Mourinho has been linked with a move to Nottingham Forest after the Premier League outfit’s current manager Nuno Espirito Santo’s explosive press conference.

Nuno claimed his relationship with Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is not as close as it used to be and strongly suggested he will be leaving the club.

SunSport, however, understand Nottingham have no interest in hiring Mourinho at the moment and their current manager is not leaving.

Marinakis also stated his relationship with Nuno is “solid” without problems “whatsoever” and the two will meet over the weekend.

The Greek businessman also said the Portuguese tactician is the right man to lead the Tricky Trees this season.

Eden Hazard’s humility

It’s nice to see Eden Hazard is humble in retirement!

The Belgian was just asked about Estevao Willian wanting to emulate him at Chelsea.

Hazard responded, channelling his inner Zlatan: “They wanna be like me, but they won’t be like me.”

A new special guest

Jurgen Klinsmann has departed stage left, and been replaced by Eden Hazard!

The Belgian will presumably take over the extremely important button pushing duties.

Conference League pots

While a bizarre VT plays recounting last year’s Conference League campaign, here is a reminder of the pots.

Conference League draw

Blimey, we’re onto the Conference League already!

It’s all eyes on where Crystal Palace will land.

Nottingham Forest’s draw in full

Here’s a recap of Nottingham Forest’s draw in full.

Nuno’s men will take on; Porto (h), Real Betis (a), Ferencvaros (h), Braga (a), Midtjylland (h), Sturm Graz (a), Malmo (h) and Utrecht (a).

Meanwhile, in Monaco, we’re being treated to a cover of Believer. Lovely.

Pot 4 fixtures in full

I still can’t believe how faff free this has been! Other than the magician of course.

Here are the Pot 4 fixtures in full.

Grimsby 2-0 Man Utd

60. The energy from Grimsby has been brilliant tonight.

With an hour gone, they still seem to have plenty in the tank.

The next goal is criitical in this game, Man Utd have enough quality on the pitch to turn this match in an instant.

Grimsby 2-0 Man Utd

58. What a chance for the Red Devils.

Mbuemo swings a cross into the box and Heaven has a completely free diving header.

Somehow, he puts his effort over the crossbar.

Woeful effort.

Grimsby 2-0 Man Utd

56. This weather may be helping the hosts.

The rain is torrential and makes conditions very difficult to play passing football in.

Man Utd have a free-kick some thirty yards out, good chance to ask some questions of the keeper.

Grimsby 2-0 Man Utd

54. Green does brilliantly to hold the ball up.

He seemed to have got in behind the defence but did not have the legs to make the most of it.

Grimsby are still looking dangerous on the attack here.

View from SunSport’s Gareth Davies at Kassam Stadium

A word for 39-year-old James Milner, named as Brighton skipper on his first start for four days short of a year.

He was named as skipper, and kept things ticking along nicely as Albion’s class kept them way out in front.

It was almost too easy for Brighton, who made it 3-0 seconds before the hour mark when Diego Gomez scored right footed from close in with the home defence opened up again.

Grimsby 2-0 Man Utd

52. That was a massive chance for Grimsby.

It should give them confidence that the Red Devils look very open when the hosts come at them.

As the rain pours down, Man Utd get a low cross into the box but the mixture of keeper and defender allows the League Two outfit to clear.

Here we go

Hello and welcome to SunSport’s coverage of the Wuhan Open!

Unfortunately we do not have anyone working through the night – or from China – to cover the early games (3am BST).

However, we will keep you updated with all the latest scores as they happen for the later sessions, which start at 7am and 12.30pm BST.

Our first person through the door arrives at 7am and has been tasked with immediately updating this blog with the latest headlines.

Eight matches are due to start in 10 minutes, with a further eight at 7am and then eight more in the final session.

Mark Allen headlines this first session, while the likes of Judd Trump, Mark Williams, Mark Selby, defending champion Xiao Guodong and Zhao Xintong are all in action at different points in the day.

Today’s matches are also a mix of round one holdovers and round two games.

Today’s matches:
3am BST – Round 1

• Mark Allen vs Hewen Tang
• Hossein Vafaei vs Jinhao Zhou
• Robbie Williams vs Xinbo Wang
• Xiao Guodong vs Mink Nutcharut

3am BST – Round 2

• Louis Heathcoate vs Matthew Selt
• Joe O’Connor vs Ben Woollaston
• Noppon Saengkham vs Zhou Yuelong
• Elliot Slessor vs David Grace

7am BST – Round 1

• Umut Dikme vs Allan Taylor
• Ding Junhui vs Hao Zhang

7am BST – Round 2

• Chang Bingyu vs Liam Highfield
• Marco Fu vs Jimmy White
• Dan Gilbert vs Haris Tahir
• Zhao Hanyang vs Zhang Anda
• Jamie Jones vs Barry Hawkins
• Xu Si vs Jak Jones

12.30pm BST – Round 1

• Judd Trump vs Farakh Ajaib
• Zhao Xintong vs Iulian Boiko

12.30pm BST – Round 2

• Jack Lisowski vs Ryan Day
• Jackson Page vs Ali Carter
• Mark Selby vs Michael Holt
• Mark Williams vs Liam Davies
• Gary Wilson vs Lyu Haotian
• Wang Yuchen vs Si Jiahui

HALF TIME

The Gunners two-up at the interval.

GOAL DETAIL: Arsenal 2-0 Leeds

The atmosphere had completely gone in what was an uninspiring 46 minutes.

But they win the ball back high up and Timber feeds a ball down the outside for Saka, inside the box on his right foot.

He has Gyokeres waiting for a cut back but Saka makes the right choice in ignoring that and firing a right-footed shot over the shoulder of Perri who probably should do better and into the top corner!

That’ll likely be game over now here and a much-needed second for Arsenal.

GOAL!! ARSENAL 2-0 Leeds

BUKAYO SAKA makes it two in first half injury time!