Title

The United Kingdom’s Prince Andrew on Friday announced that he would give up the title of the Duke of York days before the publication of a posthumous memoir by Virginia Giuffre, who had accused him of raping her after being trafficked by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Effective immediately, Prince Andrew will no longer sign off as the “Duke of York” or append “KG” – denoting Knight of the Garter – after his name. And the other titles will become inactive as well, like the His Royal Highness (HRH) honorific.

Giuffre, who died by suicide in April at the age of 41, had accused Andrew of forcing her to have sex on three occasions, including when she was underage. Though the disgraced UK prince denied Giuffre’s claims, he paid millions of dollars to settle a civil sexual assault case with her in 2022.

The 65-year-old was stripped of most of his titles and removed from royal duties in 2022 due to his connections to Epstein, who died by suicide in a United States prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His title decision came as he hit the headlines again in the wake of new revelations about his links to Epstein.

So, why has he “given up” his titles? What does it mean for the UK’s Royal Family? And what are his ties with US child sex offender Epstein?

What has the disgraced prince said?

“I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life,” Andrew added in the statement.

“With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me,” he said, adding that the continued accusations against him “distracted” the royal family.

He also used the statement, released via the Royal Family’s channels, to “vigorously deny the accusations” against him, as he has maintained.

What difference does it make to him?

Andrew had moved back to a largely private life in recent years, even though he remains part of the family, even if ceremonially, as brother of King Charles and uncle to Prince William and Prince Harry.

He has been shunned from using other titles given to him on his wedding day – the Earl of Inverness and Baron Killyleagh. Theoretically, Andrew will retain the dukedom – that can only be removed by an act of parliament – but he will not use it.

Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York and Andrew’s ex-wife, would also not use her title. The titles of their two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, will remain unaffected.

The couple will continue to live in the 30-room Royal Lodge mansion in Windsor, a Grade II-listed property.

However, the property has been leased from the Crown Estate, meaning he cannot sell it – as he did with Sunninghill Park home in 2007 for 15 million pounds ($20m) to Timor Kulibayev, the son-in-law of the then-president of Kazakhstan.

The 12-bedroom house near Windsor Castle was given to the disgraced prince as a wedding present from Queen Elizabeth.

What to know about Andrew?

Prince Andrew, earlier the Duke of York, is the second son and third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip – making him the younger brother of King Charles III.

Born in 1960, he was once one of the more popular members of the British royal family, known for his military service as a Royal Navy helicopter pilot during the Falklands War in 1982.

But in recent years, Andrew has largely withdrawn from public life following intense scrutiny over frequent scandals. His ties to the convicted sex offender Epstein – which pushed him to step down from his royal duties in 2019 – has resurfaced after the release of new Epstein files in September.

Andrew was stripped of his military titles and royal patronages in 2022 after a US judge allowed a civil sexual abuse case against him to move to trial. He was also stripped of his role as the Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, one of the oldest regiments in the British army, by the queen.

Widely believed to be the late queen’s “favourite” child, other titles held by the disgraced royal will be rendered dormant – leaving “prince” as his only remaining title, one that cannot be stripped since he was born the son of a queen.

What are the accusations against Andrew?

In 2021, Giuffre, one of the most prominent accusers of Epstein, filed a civil lawsuit against Prince Andrew in a US court, alleging that he had sexually abused her on multiple occasions, including when she was 17 years old – a minor under US law.

She claimed she was trafficked by Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, a British socialite, and forced to have sex with the prince in London, New York, and the US Virgin Islands.

Prince Andrew has denied all allegations – even insisting that a now-infamous photograph that appeared to show them together was doctored.

The case was settled out of court in early 2022, with Andrew reportedly paying about 12 million pounds ($16m) – then causing widespread backlash over whether UK taxpayers’ money was used for the payout.

In April this year, Giuffre was found dead at her home near Perth, Australia. Her family confirmed the death as a suicide, attributing it to the emotional toll of her past abuse and ongoing personal struggles.

Last Friday, the US House Oversight Committee also released documents from Epstein’s estate showing “Prince Andrew” listed as a passenger on the convicted sex offender’s private jet, the Lolita Express, from Luton to Edinburgh in 2006.

What does Giuffre’s posthumous memoir say?

On Tuesday, Giuffre’s posthumous memoir goes on sale, where she details her time with the prince and Epstein. In the excerpts published by several media organisations, Giuffre wrote that Andrew believed sex with her was his “birthright”.

In the book, Nobody’s Girl, Giuffre describes her meetings with the prince – and also recounts what unfolded in London during their meet-up.

“Back at the house, [Ghislaine] Maxwell and Epstein said goodnight and headed upstairs, signalling it was time that I take care of the prince. In the years since, I’ve thought a lot about how he behaved. He was friendly enough, but still entitled – as if he believed having sex with me was his birthright.

“He seemed in a rush to have intercourse. Afterward, he said thank you in his clipped British accent. In my memory, the whole thing lasted less than half an hour,” she writes in her memoir.

“The next morning, Maxwell told me: ‘You did well. The prince had fun.’ Epstein would give me $15,000 for servicing the man the tabloids called ‘Randy Andy’.”

Giuffre’s family has lauded the decision of Andrew being forced to relinquish his titles as “vindication for Virginia”.

“We, the family of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, believe that Prince Andrew’s decision to give up his titles is vindication for our sister and survivors everywhere,” they said in a statement.

“Further, we believe it is appropriate for King Charles to remove the title of Prince.”

What were Andrew’s ties with US sex offender Epstein?

Prince Andrew is reported to have had a longstanding association with Epstein, a convicted child sex offender and financier from the US.

The relationship reportedly began in the 1990s, with Andrew socialising with Epstein in elite social circles in both the UK and the US. He is reported to have stayed at Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse, his private Caribbean island, and flown on Epstein’s private jet on multiple occasions. Andrew was also listed on another flight to West Palm Beach, Florida, in 2000.

Epstein’s close associate, British socialite Maxwell, facilitated introductions between Andrew and other prominent figures, drawing him further into Epstein’s network. Maxwell is serving 20 years in prison for sex trafficking.

The association came to public scrutiny after Giuffre in 2021 accused Andrew of sexual abuse.

In an infamous 2019 interview with BBC Newsnight, Andrew said he broke off his friendship with Epstein in December 2010.

But the release of new documents last month shows Andrew reportedly sent a mail three months after the interview. In the email, Andrew appeared to tell Epstein “we are in this together” after the two men were photographed together strolling in New York.

In 2008, Epstein had pleaded guilty to charges of solicitation of prostitution and of solicitation of prostitution with a minor, for which he served 13 months in jail.

Epstein was found dead in his cell at a federal jail in Manhattan in August 2019, awaiting a trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide.

Has the prince been part of other scandals?

Andrew has been mired in a number of other scandals, including an instance of his “close confidant” being banned from the UK over allegations he was a Chinese spy.

Andrew reportedly held meetings in 2018 and 2019 with Cai Qi, a member of China’s ruling political bureau.

Cai was suspected by the UK government of being the recipient of sensitive information allegedly passed to China by two British nationals accused of spying for Beijing.

When Steve Cherundolo announced last spring that he would be leaving LAFC at the end of the season to rejoin his wife’s family in her native Germany, he seemed excited about the reunion.

Six months later, with LAFC preparing to enter the MLS playoffs, that reunion is just a loss away. So now Cherundolo, who took LAFC to the MLS Cup final twice in his first three seasons as coach, is hoping to put off that departure for another couple of months.

“I’d love to stay until early December,” he said. “That would be ideal. That is what we’re all trying to achieve at LAFC.”

And that appears well within reach for LAFC (17-8-9), which has six wins and 19 points in its last eight games, the last a 2-2 draw Saturday in Colorado. As a result LAFC, the No. 3 seed in the conference, will enter the playoffs as the hottest team in the West and arguably the best team in MLS since the mid-summer acquisition of forward Son Heung-min.

LAFC has lost just one of the 10 games the former Tottenham captain has played in, with Son scoring nine goals and assisting on three others. He has also provided a big boost to winger Denis Bouanga, who scored 11 times in his last 10 games, giving LAFC the most dynamic scoring tandem in the league.

LAFC will open the best-of-three conference quarterfinals next weekend against Austin (13-13-8) at BMO Stadium. The second leg will be played in Texas with a third game, if necessary, in Los Angeles.

Austin is one of just two teams that beat LAFC twice this season, though it enters the postseason having lost three of its last four. Cherundolo said none of those numbers matter now. Not only do regular-season records get thrown out for the playoffs, but even the rules change. In the first round of the MLS postseason, for example, games that are tied at the end of regulation go straight to penalty kicks.

“It’s a new scenario. So it does change the way you play a little bit,” Cherundolo said. “I don’t think current form has a ton to do with it. Last season there were some surprises in the first round of playoffs.

“We’ll do our very best to make sure that doesn’t happen to us.”

Should LAFC, which has never lost in the first round of the playoffs under Cherundolo, make it past Austin it will face the winner of the Vancouver-Dallas series in the conference semifinals. That could be a matchup between Son and Vancouver’s Thomas Muller, who has seven goals and three assists since joining the Whitecaps from German power Bayern Munich two months ago.

The Western Conference playoffs will open with Wednesday’s wild-card match between Portland and Real Salt Lake. The winner of that game will meet conference champion San Diego in the first round. The other final first-round series will see No. 4 seed Minnesota face fifth-seeded Seattle.

Regardless of who reaches the MLS Cup, for the 13th consecutive season the league will not have a repeat winner. The Galaxy (7-18-9), which won the title last season, were eliminated from playoff contention a month ago and finished the season with franchise-worst totals for wins (seven) and points (30) in a full season while matching the record for most losses with 18.

They did end on a high note, however, beating Minnesota 2-1 in their season finale for their third win in their final four games. That allowed them to escape the conference cellar and finish two points ahead of last-place Sporting Kansas City (7-20-7).

Messi wins Golden Boot

Inter Miami star Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring against Atlanta on Oct. 11.

(Lynne Sladky / Associated Press)

Still think Lionel Messi doesn’t care about MLS?

Locked in a tight battle for the league scoring title entering the final month of the season, Messi took his game to another level — if that’s possible — and scored five times in Inter Miami’s final two matches to claim the Golden Boot by a wide margin over Bouanga.

Messi had a hat trick against Nashville on Saturday, putting the game away with a third goal in the 81st minute to finish with 29 goals in 28 games. That’s the fourth-best single-season total in MLS history. Bouanga finished with a career-best 24 goals, tying him for second place with Nashville’s Sam Surridge.

Messi also had five assists in three October games to finish with a league-high 19, tying him for fourth place on the all-time list there as well. Messi’s 48 goals contributions (29 goals, 19 assists) is second all-time to Carlos Vela, who scored 34 times and had 15 assists for LAFC in 2019.

Eastern Conference playoff field

MLS bills the final day of the regular season “Decision Day” because it’s the day the postseason field is determined. But in the Eastern Conference, the nine playoff qualifiers had already been decided by the final weekend. So had the conference champion, with the Philadelphia Union (20-8-6) having secured the league’s best overall record and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs two weeks ago.

Still, some playoff pairings were determined on Decision Day.

With its win over Montreal, Cincinnati (20-9-5) grabbed the second seed in the postseason tournament on a tiebreaker over Inter Miami (19-7-8). Both teams finished with 65 points, but Cincinnati had one more regular-season victory.

As a result Cincinnati will open the playoffs against seventh-seeded Columbus (14-8-12) while Inter Miami will face No. 6 Nashville (16-12-6).

With its win over Philadelphia, Charlotte (19-13-2) clinched a fourth-place finish and home field for its playoff opener with New York City (17-12-5) next weekend. The two wild-card teams, Chicago (15-11-8) and Orlando (14-9-11), will meet Wednesday in Chicago with the winner facing the Union in the conference quarterfinals.

Lisa Tertsch claimed the world triathlon title for the first time as Great Britain’s Beth Potter had to settle for third place in the overall standings.

Tertsch won gold in the World Triathlon Championship finals in Wollongong, Australia, with a time of one hour 56 minutes 50 seconds.

The 26-year-old German finished 14 seconds clear of Italy’s Bianca Seregni, with France’s Emma Lombardi a further 12 seconds back.

Tertsch collected 1,250 points for winning the event, which took her overall tally to 3886.26 as she leapfrogged defending champion Cassandre Beaugrand (3577.04) of France and Potter (3313.18) into top spot.

Olympic bronze medal winner Potter was bidding to win the title for a second time, following victory in 2023, but could only finish 16th in the final event.

The 33-year-old Scot was joint leader with Beaugrand before the event began but Tertsch, who had been fourth, produced a superb performance to seal victory.

Beaugrand lost ground early in the 10km run, in hot and blustery conditions, while Potter failed to keep pace with the leading pack – which allowed Tertsch to cash in as she excelled on a steep course.

In the men’s event, Australian Matt Hauser capped a dominant season as he won gold in a time of 1:42:42 to clinch his first world title success.

Hauser finished with 4,250 points, comfortably clear of Brazil’s Miguel Hidalgo and Portugal’s Vasco Vilaca.

The crash and Verstappen’s subsequent sprint win cut the four-time champion’s deficit to Piastri to 55 points, while he is now 33 behind Norris.

The Australian led Verstappen by 104 points after the Dutch race on 31 August, so nearly half that advantage has been eroded in three grands prix and a sprint. There are still six races and two further sprints to come.

In the normal run of things, it seems inevitable that Piastri will lose more ground to Verstappen on Sunday in Texas. Norris has a chance to get ahead, but as he pointed out, the McLaren has not looked like a Verstappen-beating car at any point this weekend.

“It’s going to be difficult,” Norris said. “We were hoping to learn a lot in the sprint in terms of how the car set-up would be from qualifying to race and hopefully make tweaks but that didn’t go to plan so we are certainly on the back foot. But we won’t make it an excuse for tomorrow.

“It’s clear we were not going to be as quick as the Red Bull so we have to be happy with second. It’s not being distracted by the mess and nonsense that everyone creates.

“Saturdays have never been as good this year so I’m hoping we can turn it up tomorrow and be a little bit quicker.

“I have to be optimistic. Every lap we did today was 0.3-0.5secs off Max so to turn that around will be pretty difficult. I’m sure if Max had done his final lap he would have gone a good step quicker anyway.

“They have been quick in a lot of races recently. They have been doing a very good job and seemed to catch us up a little bit. It’s not a lot, just enough that they are more consistently ahead. And then you can get more opportunities and of course Max is good at making the most of them.”

Meanwhile, Stella admitted that McLaren were even more aware of just how potent Verstappen can be for the remainder of the season.

“I would have expected a smaller gap here, if anything, so we have to look at the facts, we have to look at the numbers,” he said. “Just objectively, not necessarily we maximised what the performance was available today in the car.

“But we need to be ready as a team and as drivers for Max and Red Bull being competitive and possibly the fastest car at every one of the remaining races.”

Beth Potter says she has felt less pressure this year as she seeks to clinch a second world triathlon title on Sunday.

The British Olympic bronze medallist is joint leader with defending champion Cassandre Beaugrand of France before the final event in Australia.

Potter admitted the build-up to the 2024 Paris Olympics and event itself took its toll.

“I was going in as one of the favourites to win Olympic gold and there was a lot of pressure and expectation on that one day,” said the Scottish triathlete, 33.

“It was really hard and I felt like I could never really get into my groove last year.

“I struggled when I got off the bike to feel like myself running and it was really frustrating as there was no reason for it, because it wasn’t like that in training.

“It just shows how much pressure I put on myself that year to come away with a medal. I don’t think I’ve ever dug as deep as I did in that Olympic race to get that medal and it meant so much to me to just get the bronze.”

She won the World Triathlon Championship Series from Beaugrand in 2023 before roles were reversed last year.

Potter has tried a new coaching set-up this year and spent nearly a month at altitude in the Swiss alpine resort of St Moritz.

“I just never found any part of my running easy last year and that was the one thing I always relied on to get myself out of trouble in races. It took me longer than I thought to recover off the back of that Olympic race,” she said.

“Even just to enjoy doing triathlons again, it took me a good few months of off-season and getting back into the new season to actually think I wanted to be on the start line and race, and enjoy it. That was quite hard for me as it’s my job, my livelihood.

“It’s taken me a bit of time at the start of the year to get to grips with some new training and part of it was mentally getting over the toll last year took on my mind and body. I’m really enjoying the new training methods and trying something a little different. It’s the lowest risk year to try something.”

Potter is tied with Olympic champion Beaugrand on 2,925 points but insists Sunday’s finale in Wollangong is “not a two-horse-race.

There is a gap of more than 200 points to the chasing pack led by Jeanne Lehair, ahead of Lisa Tertsch and Leonie Periault, with 1,250 points on offer to the winner in Australia.

The Scot will be cheered on by several family members – including two aunts who live nearby – as she takes on the 1.5km swim, 40km bike ride and 10km run.

LONDON — Prince Andrew said Friday he is giving up his royal title of the Duke of York and other honors after his friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein returned to the headlines.

Andrew, the younger brother to King Charles III, said in a statement released by Buckingham Palace that “the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the royal family.”

“With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me,” Andrew said in his statement Friday. “As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”

The news came in the wake of the release of excerpts of an upcoming posthumous memoir from Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who has alleged she was trafficked by Epstein and had sex with Andrew when she was 17.

It’s the latest fall from grace for the 65-year-old prince, who had already stepped down from public life in 2019 over his links to Epstein despite his denials of any wrongdoing.

Giuffre died by suicide in April at the age of 41. In the memoir, she details alleged encounters with Prince Andrew, who she sued in 2021, claiming that they had sex when she was 17. Andrew denied her claims and said he didn’t recall having met her.

Andrew, once second in line to the British throne, has long been a source of tabloid fodder because of his links to Epstein, other questionable characters and money woes.

His attempt to refute Giuffre’s allegations backfired during a November 2019 BBC interview. Viewers saw a prince who proffered curious rebuttals — such as disputing Giuffre’s recollection of sweaty dancing by saying he was medically incapable of perspiring — and showed no empathy for the women who said Epstein abused them.

Within days of the interview, Andrew stepped down from his royal duties. Giuffre sued him and the case was settled in 2022 for an undisclosed sum. A statement filed in court said that the prince acknowledged Epstein was a sex trafficker and Giuffre was “an established victim of abuse.”

As well as no longer using the title of the Duke of York, a long-established title that was gifted to him by his mother Queen Elizabeth II at his wedding to Sarah Ferguson in 1986, Andrew will also give up other titles: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order and Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. He will remain a prince, which he has been entitled to since birth.

Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson will also no longer use the title of Duchess of York. Their children, Beatrice and Eugenie, will remain princesses.

Andrew’s chaotic marriage to Ferguson, widely known as Fergie, lasted a decade though the two remain close, living together at a 30-room mansion near Windsor Castle. He has long been criticized for his opulent, globe-trotting lifestyle.

Andrew had been the poster boy of the royal family for many years, and his romantic links to a number of models and starlets during his youth were widely chronicled in the British press.

His star status within the royal family was at its peak after he flew in multiple missions as a helicopter pilot in the Royal Navy during the 1982 Falklands War when British forces sailed to the south Atlantic to eject the Argentine military that had invaded the U.K. overseas territories.

Lawless and Pylas write for the Associated Press.

Kelly Reichardt’s watchful cinema is one of the indie world’s most exquisite bounties, a space for pioneers (“Meek’s Cutoff,” “First Cow”), artists (“Showing Up”) and wanderers (“Old Joy,” “Wendy and Lucy”) who command your attention the way an ER waiting room does, lingering tensely.

One might not consider a heist film in such anthropological terms. And yet “The Mastermind,” Reichardt’s latest and one of her best, while set in motion by a daylight art grab orchestrated by Josh O’Connor’s middle-class Massachusetts suburbanite, is another precisely turned Reichardt movie: honest, sad, funny and inherently philosophical about our engagement with the world. As you might expect, it’s really about the crime’s aftermath, our cut from this robbery being a deft, fascinating character study rooted in an apathy that’s starkly juxtaposed with the restive year it’s set in: 1970.

By the look of things, preppy, soft-spoken James Mooney (O’Connor), an unemployed carpenter, isn’t obvious criminal material, no matter what composer Ray Mazurek’s propulsive, horn-forward jazz score might imply. James cases his local art museum, often with his unwitting wife, Teri (Alana Haim), and two young boys in tow. Otherwise, James is just a distracted dad, checked-out husband and disappointing son living off the status and largesse of his parents, an esteemed judge (Bill Camp) and a society mother (Hope Davis).

Still, based solely on the error-prone heist — it’s been ages since pantyhose masks seemed so ridiculous — thievery isn’t this spoiled man’s strong suit either. (You didn’t think that title was respectful, did you?) When he’s stashing the stolen paintings later in a farmhouse’s hayloft and accidentally knocks the ladder out from under him, the moment is amusing and appropriately metaphorical.

Reichardt is laying bare a privileged man’s half-assed delinquency, especially with O’Connor so hypnotic at conveying self-absorbed cluelessness with his woeful eyes, posture and movement. As the movie then hits the road for his escape, the early fall colors of Christopher Blauvelt’s cinematography shift to gray tones and darker interiors, and James’ vibe is less rebel eluding capture — even if a pal he visits (John Magaro) expresses admiration — than alienated loser leaving behind a mess, an assessment radiating from Gaby Hoffmann as Magaro’s wife. The bebop groove abandons James, too, slowing into jagged drum solos.

The last contextual indignity are the details of the period itself: Nixon posters, anti-war signs, Vietnam footage on televisions, a protest march. Unforced but ever-present in Reichardt’s mise-en-scène, they remind us that this bored aesthete’s misadventure is an especially empty way to buck conformity. When good trouble beckons, why pick the bad kind?

One can even detect, in this brilliant, captivating Reichardt gem about fortune and fate, a what-if attached to her disaffected male protagonist: Would today’s version of James, just as adrift and arrogant, steal art to assuage his emptiness? Or, thanks to the internet, succeed at something much worse? “The Mastermind” may be an ironic title as heists go. But it also hints at the male-pattern badness still to come.

Jody Cundy claimed his 22nd world track gold medal with victory in the 1km time trial at the Para-Cycling World Championships in Rio de Janeiro.

Cundy, 47, led home a British one-two in the men’s C4 event, finishing 1.7 seconds ahead of Archie Atkinson.

It is an incredible 16th C4 1km world title in a row for the English rider.

Cundy – who has six Paralympic golds in cycling and three in swimming, first competed at the track worlds in 2006, two years after team-mate Atkinson was born.

Reigning champion Blaine Hunt was second in the MC5 1km time trial, with Matthew Robertson third in the MC2 10km scratch race.

The finals run until Sunday and are the fourth edition of the event to be held in the Olympic Velodrome in Rio, after 2018, 2021 and 2024.

Although that option is viable, it is much more likely Crocker will either face Benn or enjoy another big night in Belfast for a first voluntary defence.

However, much will depend on the outcome of November’s middleweight rematch between Benn and Chris Eubank Jr in terms of when Benn could be ready to return to the ring and drop back to welterweight.

The updated IBF rankings have former light-welterweight champion Liam Paro in the number two position with Donovan, who is understood to be appealing September’s decision at Windsor Park, in third.

A successful outcome for Donovan would most likely see him retain his high ranking and secure a final eliminator against Paro for the mandatory slot.

“Benn is the fight Crocker wants and he is confident he will beat him,” Conlan confirmed.

“That’s all well and good and the numbers are exciting, but you are putting Lewis’ livelihood on hold in hope of what will happen in another fight [Eubank-Benn II] and it doesn’t work like that, so get something booked for Belfast and most likely that’s what will happen next. If they [Matchroom] control the situation with the mandatory, then it can be pushed off and we can do Benn [after a first voluntary].

“There are still a few moving parts to happen, but I think Paro will fight Donovan or Karen Chukhadzhian next.

“Donovan’s team have appealed so his ranking hasn’t moved. That could be good news for ‘Croc’ as his mandatory will be kept on the long finger if Paro is out in the early part of next year. That could give us the opportunity of two voluntaries before we have a mandatory.”

Reigning Masters champion Murphy, 43, was aiming for back-to-back ranking tournament victories after winning last month’s British Open in Cheltenham.

The Englishman continued his excellent form in China to reach another final, but was punished for any errors he made during an opening session which his opponent dominated with ruthless efficiency.

Williams seized control by winning the first four frames, pinching the third and fourth frames with contributions of 56 and 68 respectively after Murphy had held significant leads in both.

A superb 127 break in frame eight, to go with his six earlier half-centuries, ensured Williams went into the concluding session 7-1 ahead.

He compiled a 122 break in the ninth frame to extend his advantage further and although Murphy won two frames in a row to reduce his deficit to 8-3, Williams took the next two either side of the mid-session interval to create snooker history.

World champion Luke Littler clinically defeated world number one Luke Humphries 6-1 to win his first World Grand Prix title.

Littler, 18, was knocked out in the first round of the ‘double-in and double-out’ tournament on debut last year, but was more impressive throughout this campaign.

His average was lower than Humphries’ in the final, but he was ruthless throughout, winning five of his six sets in final-leg deciders to claim the £120,000 prize money.

It gives Littler his seventh PDC major televised title – the joint seventh-highest in history.

He has closed the gap between himself and leader Humphries to just over £70,000 at the top of the PDC’s order of merit as the two battle to arrive at December’s World Championships as world number one.

More to follow.

Marco Penge held his nerve in a play-off to defeat fellow Englishman Daniel Brown and take the Spanish Open title in Madrid.

Penge held a four-shot lead over nearest challenger Joel Girrbach going into the final round, while he was five shots better off than Brown.

However, he only had a one-shot advantage going to the 18th on Sunday after his lead was trimmed.

After Penge made par to finish with a one-over 72 for his final round at the Club de Campo, Brown sank a birdie putt for a 67 which forced a play-off as both finished on 15 under.

At the first time of asking in the sudden-death play-off, Penge birdied the 18th with an eight-foot putt to secure a third European Tour title of the season.

Penge’s victory in Spain also means he has automatically qualified for the 154th Open at Royal Birkdale next year.

“It was a strange day for me,” said Penge, who carded 66, 67 and 64 in his first three rounds.

“I had it in my head that the golfing gods were kind of against me in a way. Dan and Joel played great, they were holing putts and putting the pressure on me.

“I just couldn’t get it in the hole. It felt like I was really up against it, but I felt like I managed myself really well.”

Penge was given a three-month ban in December 2024 for placing bets on multiple events, with one month suspended for a year.

He has resumed his career in fine fashion and said: “I think tee to green I played solid and it was just a matter of the putts – I think I used them all yesterday, but holing that one [on the play-off hole] was worth the wait.”

Switzerland’s Girrbach finished with a 69 as he ended up in third place on 14 under.

Three-time champion Jon Rahm carded a closing 65, which included seven birdies and a bogey, as the Spaniard finished tied for ninth at his home Open.

Xander Schauffele won his first title since last year’s Open Championship at the Baycurrent Classic in Japan.

American Schauffele carded a final-round 64, featuring eight birdies, to finish one shot clear of compatriot Max Greyserman on 19-under at Yokohama Country Club.

It was Schauffele’s first event since the United States’ Ryder Cup defeat by Europe at Bethpage Black in New York.

The 31-year-old struggled with a rib injury at the start of the year which disrupted the momentum generated by his 2024 Open victory at Royal Troon, which came only two months after his maiden major win at the PGA Championship.

“It feels good, it’s nice to know I’ve still got it,” said Schauffele. “It was a rough year but my team dragged me through it.

“Hopefully I’m catching my stride. It was a big learning experience with the injury this year.”

Schauffele added that it was “special” to win in Japan, where his mother grew up and his grandparents still live.

Michael Thorbjornsen, who briefly tied for the lead after an eagle at the fourth hole, finished three strokes behind Schauffele in third on 16 under par.

Schauffele’s Ryder Cup team-mate Collin Morikawa finished tied for 14th on 10 under.

American Matt McCarty had the round of the day, hitting 12 birdies – including eight in a row on the back nine – for a final-round 11-under 60, with only a bogey at the 18th denying him a sub-60 round.

PHOENIX — A’ja Wilson scored 31 points, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young both added 18 and the Las Vegas Aces won their third WNBA championship in four seasons, beating the Phoenix Mercury 97-86 on Friday night for a four-game sweep of the Finals.

The Aces made quick work of the league’s first best-of-seven Finals. It was another offensive onslaught from Las Vegas, which scored 54 points in the first half and averaged more than 90 points per game in the series.

Wilson — honored as the Finals MVP — was in the middle of the action once again even if she didn’t have the best shooting night. The four-time regular-season MVP finished seven of 21 from the field, but made 17 of 19 free throws. Gray made four three-pointers, including two in the fourth quarter to help turn back a final rally by the Mercury.

The Aces were presented the championship trophy by embattled WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, who was greeted with boos from the sizable contingent of Las Vegas fans who made the trip to Phoenix.

The Aces led 76-62 going into the fourth quarter, but the Mercury went on an 8-0 run early that cut the deficit to 76-70 with 7:56 left. That was as close as they would get.

Kahleah Copper led the Mercury with 30 points, shooting 12 of 22 from the field. Alyssa Thomas had 17 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts was ejected in the third quarter after receiving two quick technical fouls from official Gina Cross. Tibbetts was arguing a foul call against Mercury guard Monique Akoa Makani, and reacted in disbelief as he was escorted off the court.

DeWanna Bonner and Copper also got called for technical fouls in the fourth quarter.

The Aces never trailed in the series clincher, building a 30-21 lead by the end of the first quarter on 55% shooting. Jewell Loyd, Gray and Dana Evans made three straight threes early in the second quarter to put Las Vegas ahead by 19.

Las Vegas settled for a 54-38 halftime advantage. Wilson had 14 points before the break while Gray added 10.

The Mercury were without forward Satou Sabally, who suffered a concussion near the end of Game 3. They suffered another injury blow on Friday when Thomas had to leave just before halftime after taking a hard hit to her right shoulder on a screen from Loyd.

Thomas returned for the second half but was hampered by the injury.

The Mercury enjoyed a deep playoff run under Tibbetts, but couldn’t find a way to slow down the Aces. Phoenix made it to the finals after beating the defending champion New York Liberty in the opening round and knocking off the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx in the semifinals.

Phoenix lost in the WNBA Finals for the second time in five years, also falling to the Chicago Sky in 2021. The Mercury have won three championships, with the last coming in 2014.

McLaren have won the constructors’ championship but Oscar Piastri has sounded fed up since qualifying at Monza, and with the ‘papaya rules’. Is it time the drivers’ title actually becomes a more gloves-off, not-so-friendly fight? – Nick

The conversations at McLaren following the Singapore Grand Prix are certainly going to be long and involved, and may well be tense.

Oscar Piastri made it clear during the race that he was not happy with the fact Lando Norris had collided with him in his overtaking move at Turn Three, and clearly questioned whether it complied with the team’s internal code of conduct governing on-track battles.

As Piastri put it: “That wasn’t very team-like, but sure. Are we cool with Lando just barging me out of the way?”

When he was told the team would take no action in the race, but would review it afterwards, Piastri said that was “not fair”.

This follows the Italian Grand Prix, when Piastri was ordered to give second place back to Norris, after the Briton lost it because of a slow pit stop.

And Hungary, where Norris was allowed to switch to a one-stop strategy and ended up beating his team-mate despite being three places behind him after a difficult first lap.

And Canada, where Norris drove into the back of Piastri but immediately accepted blame.

In this situation, it’s easy to see why Piastri could feel hard done by, although he insisted after the race he was not concerned Norris was getting preferential treatment.

It remains to be seen, of course, what Piastri says about Singapore when he gets to the next race in Austin, Texas.

So far, both McLaren drivers have bought into the team’s philosophy.

Fundamentally, that is that the team should be fair and equitable and the drivers are allowed to race, on the proviso they don’t compromise the team’s interests. Essentially, that means don’t crash into each other.

After Singapore, both Norris and team principal Andrea Stella said nothing would change on that front now the constructors’ championship is sewn up.

The team still want to win the drivers’ championship, and Max Verstappen is still a threat, albeit a distant one, so Piastri and Norris can’t throw caution to the wind.

They also want to beat each other, and the outcome of any contact is always uncertain in F1.

So, while it seems likely that the tension will increase between Piastri and Norris as the championship fight comes to a head, any decision to start throwing punches on track, so to speak, would come with risk.

Crashes also cost money, of course.

Red Bull’s Verstappen finished second, and McLaren’s Norris, finishing third, now has a 22-point lead in the drivers’ standings.

George Russell of Mercedes has won the Singapore Grand Prix ahead of Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, as McLaren clinched the Formula One constructors’ championship.

Red Bull’s world champion Max Verstappen and the two McLarens were to fight it out for the other podium spots on Sunday as Briton Russell took the chequered flag under the lights of the Marina Bay Street Circuit to claim his second victory of the season.

“It feels amazing,” said Russell. “We don’t really know where this performance came from, but really, really happy.

“I was really nervous at the beginning when I saw Max on the soft [tyres], but that first stint was great from us.”

Norris put pressure on Verstappen towards the end of the race, but had to settle for third ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri, the pair earning enough points to seal a second consecutive constructors’ title for the team.

“It was a tough race,” said Norris. “Max didn’t make any mistakes. I gave it my all today, and got close.

“I’m happy with today. I got forward two positions. We won as a team, the constructors’ once again.”

Piastri’s lead over Norris in the drivers’ standings was cut to 22 points, while Verstappen is 63 points behind the Australian with six races remaining in the season.

“I think second was the maximum result today,” said Verstappen.

“I think the whole race was quite difficult, more difficult than I hoped for, for a lot of different reasons.”

The celebrations for the constructors’ title in the McLaren garage might be muted, however, with Piastri fuming at the way Norris forced his way past his teammate on the opening corner.

Kimi Antonelli was a distant fifth in the other Mercedes with Charles Leclerc sixth ahead of his Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton.

Fernando Alonso was eighth for Aston Martin, while Haas driver Oliver Bearman and Carlos Sainz, who started at the back of the grid after the Williams cars were disqualified from qualifying, took the final points in ninth and 10th.

The crown is secured 👑🔐

McLaren win their second consecutive Constructors’ Championship, but it’s still all to play for behind 👇#F1 #SingaporeGP pic.twitter.com/QOIH6jfKEr

— Formula 1 (@F1) October 5, 2025

Dan Bethell claimed his fifth European men’s singles title in Istanbul as part of a successful European Para Badminton Championships for the Great Britain team.

The defending champion once again met Oleksandr Chyrkov in the SL3 final, after beating the Ukrainian in Rotterdam to claim the crown two years ago, and this time saw out a 21-9 21-8 win.

The British team claimed 13 medals in total, including three gold, two silver and eight bronze, which are awarded to players who reach the semi-finals but fail to progress.

“To see so many pathway players performing alongside the GB players is fantastic and shows how much the sport is developing across the country,” double Paralympic silver medallist Bethell, 29, told Badminton England.

“There’s been some amazing performances and victories across the board.”

Englishman Jack Shephard reached the final of the men’s SH6 singles but was unable to defend his title, losing 21-17 21-12 to France’s reigning Paralympic champion Charles Noakes.

But Shephard, 28, did win gold in the mixed doubles alongside 17-year-old compatriot Anya Butterworth, who stepped in after Shephard’s regular partner Rachel Choong sustained an injury before the tournament.

Butterworth also upset the odds to reach her first European singles final, beating second seed Daria Bujnicka in the last four, but had to settle for silver after losing a tight medal match 23-21 18-21 21-11 against Polish top seed Oliwia Szmigiel.

Meanwhile, England’s Krysten Coombs teamed up with men’s singles champion Noakes to win gold in the SH6 men’s doubles.

Scot Andrew Davies claimed bronze medals in both the men’s and mixed doubles in the SH6 category, while Wales’ David Jack Wilson and Englishman Robert Donald finished with bronze in the men’s SU5 singles.

Other British players to win bronze include Emma Louise Stoner (SL4 women’s singles), David Follett (WH1/2 mixed doubles), Curnow Pirbhai-Clarke and William Smith (both SL3/4 men’s doubles).