CK Updates
Spanish Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton says he and Charles Leclerc have ‘squashed’ Monza controversy
F1 faces a fresh challenge this weekend at the first Spanish Grand at the new Madring, a hybrid street circuit built on the Ifema complex near the city’s international airport.
Hamilton said: “It’s a massively challenging circuit. Of all the new tracks that I’ve gone to, this one, maybe Saudi, are the two closest in terms of how difficult it was to get on top of the car and find the right lines and such.”
Mercedes driver George Russell said: “It’s a crazy circuit, I would put it. Arguably one of the most risky circuits of the whole calendar.
“Because you have real high-speed corners, sort of Jeddah-esque, the walls are very close, so there’s no margin for error, but then you have other corners… where you’re coming from a high speed into a slow braking zone, you’re braking and turning at the same time, so locking tyres are going to be easy and if you lock up you’ll be straight in the wall.
“So, excited to try that out, I think it’s going to be really challenging for us as drivers, the race is going to be challenging to overtake, so on the whole it’s not an easy one.”
Russell heads into the race 66 points behind team-mate Kimi Antonelli after the Italian’s landmark victory in Monza from 19th on the grid.
The Briton acknowledged that his title hopes with nine or 10 races left, amid uncertainty about the end of the season, were fading fast.
“I would definitely need some luck and I need some good performances,” Russell said. “It’s not really something I’m thinking about, because he’s performing better than me, so he deserves to be leading the championship.
“There’s still a long way to go, but he’s yet to have a bad weekend in terms of performance.
“So he’s performing exceptionally well, my performances are better, but if I want to win this championship, I’m going to need some luck on the way. But it’s not something I’m focused on. I’m focused on driving faster and just finding more performance.”
Antonelli said: “I don’t really want to try thinking about the championship. I think Monza was the proof that I wasn’t driving thinking about, or worrying about the championship. I was just driving to win, to do my best. So that’s the mindset.”
The Italian said his win in Monza was “so far the best day of my life and definitely one I will remember forever”.
He said a day karting with Mercedes on Monday helped him move on from the excitement of the day before.
“After Monza, that night, that day overall, I was very excited. But then going karting on Monday helped me to go back to earth, just go back to the ground.
“It was a good day, good fun day with the team. It was also a way to remind myself where I came from, all the journey that was done.
“And then about pressure, I try to embrace it as much as possible. And I try to see it as a positive thing and try to see it as an opportunity too. That’s also what is helping me to stay calm under difficult situations.”
World champion Wu Yize fell in the third round of the English Open as Liam Davies scored an eye-catching 4-1 victory in Brentwood.
Welsh prospect Davies, 20, opened up a 3-0 lead on his way to the first ranking event quarter-final of his career, helped by a break of 105 in the second frame, then completed his victory as China’s Wu struggled to find his dynamic best form.
Tantalisingly, Davies will face compatriot Mark Williams, the three-time world champion, in the last eight on Friday evening.
Williams, still a major force on the baize at the age of 51, had breaks of 76, 103 and 63 in a late-night 4-1 victory over England’s Barry Hawkins.
Mark Selby, who was runner-up at last week’s British Open and won the China Open in August, had his hopes of reaching another final ended by a 4-3 defeat against fellow former world champion Kyren Wilson.
Selby led 2-0 in the all-English tussle after an early break of 112 but then lost the next three frames. He dragged himself level, but Wilson trebled in the yellow to effectively make sure of victory in the decider.
England’s Judd Trump, newly deposed as world number one, edged a tense decider against Scot Anthony McGill to take a 4-3 victory.
Trump will face a quarter-final against Shaun Murphy who was taken the distance after midnight by Pang Junxu before racing through the deciding frame with a 103 break.
Ali Carter had a highest break of 75 as he completed a 4-2 win over Gong Chenzhi, Zhou Yuelong made a 141 in his 4-2 victory over Chinese compatriot Yuan Sijun, and Ding Junhui beat Joe O’Connor 4-1.
Scrum-half Rhea Clarke will make her first start when Scotland begin their WXV Series campaign against Canada in Edinburgh on Saturday.
Evie Gallagher returns on the openside flank for her first appearance since last year’s World Cup.
She will partner captain Rachel Malcolm, who leads the team from the blindside, with Becky Boyd taking the number eight shirt for the match which will be broadcast live on BBC ALBA and BBC iPlayer (kick-off 16:10 BST).
Shona Campbell is selected on the left wing, joining the experienced pair of Rhona Lloyd and Chloe Rollie in the back three.
Glasgow fly-half Ceitidh Ainsworth and Exeter full-back Katie Buchanan, both uncapped, are among the replacements chosen by interim head coach Dave Butcher.
Second row Adelle Ferrie is also on the bench, having replaced the injured Alex Stewart in the squad.
World Cup runners-up Canada have won seven of their eight meetings with Scotland, including a 40-19 success in the group stage of the tournament last September.
After taking on Canada, Scotland have Tests against New Zealand and Australia.
CK Updates
US Open 2026 results: Britons Joe Salisbury and Henry Patten into men’s doubles semi-finals
Reunited three-time US Open men’s doubles champions Joe Salisbury and Rajeev Ram knocked out last year’s winners Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos to reach the semi-finals.
Britain’s Salisbury won the title at at Flushing Meadows in New York alongside American Ram in 2021, 2022 and 2023, but they split in 2024 before teaming up again this year.
They won 6-4 6-4 against the second seeds and will face 2024 runners-up Kevin Krawietz and Tim Putz from Germany on Thursday.
In the other half of the draw, Briton Henry Patten and Finn Harri Heliovaara saved three match points on their way to a 6-7 (7-9) 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 triumph over seventh seeds Manuel Guinard and Guido Andreozzi.
Wimbledon champions and top seeds Patten and Heliovaara spurned four set points in the opening set and had to stave off match points in the second.
They will meet Briton Neal Skupski and American Christian Harrison, who beat Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 6-3 6-2 in the last quarter-final.
In the women’s doubles, top seeds Katerina Siniakova, from the Czech Republic, and American Taylor Townsend are one victory away from lifting all four Grand Slam titles together after winning 6-0 7-6 (10-8) against Diana Shnaider and Elise Mertens.
They will contest Friday’s final with Americans Robin Montgomery and Ashlyn Krueger, who saved three match points and came from 8-2 down in the match tie-break to beat second seeds Luisa Stefani and Gabriella Dabrowski 4-6 6-4 7-6 (10-8).
English Open: Liam Davies beats world champion Wu Yize to set up Mark Williams match
Spanish Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton says he and Charles Leclerc have ‘squashed’ Monza controversy
WXV Series: Clarke & Gallagher start for Scotland against Canada
US Open 2026 results: Britons Joe Salisbury and Henry Patten into men’s doubles semi-finals
Chelsea 6-3 Leeds: Xabi Alonso ‘takes responsibility’ as Palmer, Rogers and Welbeck rescue Blues in cup
England vs Pakistan: Bowlers rout tourists before runs for Emilio Gay and Harry Brook
FIA: Ukraine automobile federation calls for sanctions on Russian counterpart
Max Verstappen interview: Red Bull driver on McLaren talks, ‘numb’ cars and why he speaks his mind
Trent Alexander-Arnold: Real Madrid right-back returns to midfield
Jordan Ayew: Sheffield United sign veteran forward on deal to end of season
WXV Series: Clarke & Gallagher start for Scotland against Canada
