British teenager Mika Stojsavljevic was denied a first ever WTA win after an agonising 6-4 6-7 (7-9) 7-6 (8-6) defeat by Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima in the first round of the Pan Pacific Open.

The 15-year-old, the reigning US Open girls’ champion, held a 3-2 lead against Uchijima, ranked 57th in the world, but was broken three games in a row as she lost the first set in Tokyo.

Stojsavljevic saved two match points in the second set and went on to win the tie-break 9-7 to level the match.

She took that momentum into the deciding set, breaking Uchijima to take a 5-2 lead.

But the world number 633 missed the opportunity to serve out the match, allowing 23-year-old Uchijima to level at 5-5.

In the tie-break, Stojsavljevic saved two more match points but Uchijima recovered to see out the win.

Uchijima will face top seed Zheng Qinwen in the second round.

Elsewhere, British number one Katie Boulter is through to the last 16 after easing to a 6-1 6-4 win against Australia’s Priscilla Hon.

The 28-year-old broke the Australian three times in the first set, converting 100% of her break points.

It was similarly straightforward for Boulter in the second set as she broke Hon, ranked 184 places below her, twice.

The world number 33 will play Japan’s Kyoka Okamura next.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Francis Ngannou had a sport’s icon in his locker room ahead of his MMA return.

Ngannou (18-3) claimed the inaugural superfight heavyweight title by knocking out Renan Ferreira (13-4) in the first round of Saturday’s PFL: Battle of the Giants main event.

Prior to making the walk, Ngannou had Cristiano Ronaldo in his locker room. Eric Nicksick says the soccer icon provided Ngannou some comfort and support after going through a similar traumatic experience.

“He’s super down to earth, super cool guy, and he’s actually a huge fight fan,” Nicksick told MMA Junkie. “He had a bunch of questions. He was talking to me about Strickland, he was talking to me about this and whatever fight it was. At one point Francis got up to wrap his hands and Ronaldo was talking about that he could feel Francis’ energy and he’s like, ‘I’m going to give him words of encouragement.’

“He was talking about the loss of one of his children and how he related to things like that. It was pretty cool. I know how big of a star he is, but him sitting next to me and having this very personal conversation – he felt like he was a part of the team right then and there. His son was in there with us and hanging out. It was very much a welcomed energy to have in the room, especially with someone of that stature that understands the highest of pressure. It was cool. He was a great guy. Very down to earth. Very cool.”

Ronaldo, widely regarded as one of the greatest soccer players of all time and most well-known celebrities in the world, has been a longtime MMA fan, previously hanging out with the likes of UFC superstar Conor McGregor.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL: Battle of the Giants.

Rather than celebrating two elite drivers racing on the edge or applauding Ferrari’s impressive one-two victory, talk after the US Grand Prix once again shifted to regulations, stewarding consistency, and track limits.

Verstappen followed F1’s racing guidelines, but are they fit for purpose?

The incident unleashed differing comments from both sides, with Red Bull pointing out Norris made an illegal overtake off the track – an argument which the race stewards followed – while McLaren argued that drivers shouldn’t be allowed to just crowd a competitor off the road.

As Verstappen has apparently understood better than anyone else, the current driving standards guidelines encourage the defending car on the inside to just release the brakes and ensure it is ahead at the apex without having to give the car on the outside any room at the exit, a line of thinking which makes overtaking around the outside even more difficult that it already was.

Mercedes was apoplectic that Verstappen didn’t get punished while George Russell did for a similar-looking offence driving Valtteri Bottas off, but because the Mercedes driver was the attacker and overtook on the inside, the guidelines say Russell did have the responsibility to leave a car’s width for the Sauber at the exit.

Interestingly, the guidelines are just written from the attacking car’s point of view, including the requirement to drive in a safe and controlled manner and be able to make the corner within the track limits. That Verstappen did not do so was a mitigating factor in Norris only getting a five-second penalty as opposed to 10, and also explains why Norris wasn’t penalised for his fourth track-limits offence.

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, battles with Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images

Then there is another interpretation for the first lap of a race, where stewards take a much more relaxed “let them race” approach. That means drivers are less afraid of having a go at each other at Turn 1 for fear of being penalised, but at the same time it doesn’t help fans understand where the consistency is.

It is clear that the guidelines are just that, and only indicative of how the stewards might judge a particular incident. They offer room for interpretation, which in this case Red Bull and McLaren did differently. Those guidelines are supposed to see widespread adoption across all levels of FIA sanctioned racing in 2025, down to grassroots racing, but are now likely to return to the agenda as a point of discussion, as Jonathan Noble explains in detail.

But what if in future cases the guidelines allowed the attacking car to stay ahead when being forced off? Would we end up seeing more wheel-to-wheel racing within the white lines rather than outside? That is a question for F1 and the FIA to answer over the coming months before the guidelines become a part of the wider FIA playbook. But many feel the current system is too confusing and open to interpretation, and doesn’t necessarily promote fair racing.

How much time should stewards take to make decisions?

McLaren also lamented that the FIA stewards made a call to penalise Norris within several minutes and before the end of the race. Team principal Andrea Stella felt that meant the stewards couldn’t take into account what both drivers and teams had to say about the matter. “When the case is so difficult, like Lando and Max, just take the time, review it after the race and hear from the drivers, try to understand the subtleties,” he said.

The quick decision making particularly affects cars finishing at the front, as it stems from a desire from the FIA and F1 to ensure the right driver is on the podium. Having a driver take to the rostrum only to be penalised and demoted hours after the race is an outcome nobody wants, so stewards are entitled to make a swift decision if they feel the case is clear enough.

Is this actually a track problem, and is gravel the solution?

Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38, runs through the gravel

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

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After numerous track-limits offences made a complete mockery of the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix, the FIA made well considered changes for this year, adding narrow gravel strips at several corners. The solution wasn’t perfect, as McLaren’s Oscar Piastri still managed to fall victim of a contested track-limits call in qualifying.

But the general idea was sound. Installing strips of gravel within a car’s width of the white line ensures corners naturally punish drivers for going wide before they actually cross the track limits. If there had been a gravel strip on the outside of Turn 12, would Norris still have persisted with his around-the-outside move? And would Verstappen have been as cavalier with the way he released the brakes to make sure he would be ahead at the apex and earn the right to the corner, less interested in whether he would actually make the corner or not?

On street circuits the walls will take care of that, while on natural road courses the fact that certain circuits – like COTA – also host bike racing can be an issue. But the Red Bull Ring, which too welcomes MotoGP, shows temporary or modular solutions can be implemented at relatively limited cost.

So, while questions will be raised over rules and officiating consistency, taking the decision out of stewards’ hands to begin with by letting the track set natural boundaries is the solution that has been right under our noses all along.

NOTTINGHAM FOREST owner Evangelos Marinakis was handed his five-match stadium ban after spitting on the floor in a “disgusting display of contempt”.

But he produced an outrageous excuse for his behaviour.

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Marinakis was charged following the 1-0 defeat at home to Fulham in September.

The FA confirmed the lengthy stadium ban last week – ensuring he would not take his seats in the stands until the home clash with Ipswich on November 30.

But now the incredible written reasons for the verdicts have been released.

And it is claimed Marinakis spat on the ground in the tunnel when the referees approached following the full-time whistle.

The disciplinary panel concluded: “The only reasonable inference we can draw from our rejection of EM’s explanation for the spit is that EM deliberately spat in a disrespectful and disgusting display of contempt towards the match officials.

“In our view, there is no other credible explanation for his conduct.”

But Marinkas’ defence left many baffled.

THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY..

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Brendan Schaub fired back at Nate Diaz with a fiery promo.

Last week on his podcast, Schaub emotionally opened up about his friend Shane Carwin, a former UFC interim champion, and his financial and physical struggles following an open letter written by Carwin as part of the UFC antitrust lawsuit. Schaub was in tears as he was giving more insight to the situation. Hours later, Diaz reacted by taking a personal shot at Schaub.

This week on The Schaub Show, the former UFC heavyweight, turned comedian and podcaster, delivered his response.

“This is just internet gossip,” Schaub said. “This is getting him trending, he doesn’t have a lot going on, didn’t get paid for the Masvidal fight, probably doesn’t know what he’s going to do next. Conor, he’s probably waiting on that. Conor’s tied up with the TV [rights] deal, so he’s probably banking on that. He fought Masvidal, lost to Jake Paul — that’s a big blow to his ego. So I guess he needs to do this to stay current.

“I retired 15 years ago, man. That being said, that’s social media. This isn’t real, because here’s what’s real: I will f*ck you up. That’s real. I’m not asking for this. I don’t want to f*ck him up, I’m not trying to f*ck him up. End of the day, if he walked in here right now, … only one of us is going to walk out unscathed, and it’s me. Every f*cking day of the week, 365 days a year, I will snap his f*cking neck.”

Diaz is looking for his next fight after defeating Jorge Masvidal in a boxing match earlier this year. Diaz filed a lawsuit against Fanmio, the promoter of the event, saying he’s allegedly owed $9 million.

As far as Schaub goes, he respects what Diaz has done as a fighter, but in his eyes, that wouldn’t matter in this situation.

“He’s had some great fights, tough dude, I don’t give a f*ck,” Schaub explained. “I’m 245 pounds, trained black belt, top-10 UFC heavyweight in the world at one point, I’m not out of shape. I’m a f*cking beast when it comes down to it. I know, I tell jokes, I do crazy shit, I made some mistakes, ‘Oh, he got knocked out by Nogueira, … silly dude, I get all that. At the end of the day, the way this works, I’m not a civilian like the rest of his goons around him. I’m not this fake gangster, I don’t go looking for fights. I know I’m tough.

“I don’t have to get on Twitter and blast it out, and prove it every day because I’m insecure, because of whatever shit he has going on with his childhood trauma. I don’t have to do that. At the end of the day, I will twist your f*cking neck off. …

“The difference between you and I is if your brother — Shane’s a brother to me — but if your actual f*cking brother came out and started getting emotional, or if you started getting emotional about your brother’s issues with CTE and fighting and all this shit — because we know he has his issues — I would support you,” Schaub continues. “Even though you’ve been a dick to me the entire time.

“That’s what I do. That’s what men do, bud. I wouldn’t bash you, and this whole narrative, this entire narrative, ‘Oh, f*ck the man,’ bud, you’ve been paid more than 99 percent of the fighters. Cut the bullshit. You’re no different than Colby Covington with his MAGA shit. It’s all fake, bud. You’re not fooling anybody. I’ve seen how the sausage is made. You’re not tough to me. I know tough guys. Tough guys don’t get on the internet and tweet at another grown f*cking man, who’d beat the shit out of him when they’re crying, or getting emotional because their friend of 20 f*cking years is having major issues, suicidal thoughts. That’s p*ssy.”

Schaub ended up retiring from the sport in 2014 following a first-round TKO loss to Travis Browne at UFC 181, a moment that led to friend and UFC color commentator Joe Rogan having a real moment where he urged Schaub to retire.

The fighter is still inside of Schaub, as he says, and while he’s not seeking a fight, if Diaz wants one, Schaub will be happy to oblige.

“What are you going to do Nate? What are you going to do? You going to volume punch me, motherf*cker?” Schaub said. “That’s what you’re going to do? What are you going to do, out grapple me? In what f*cking sense? What world are you living in? This is the real world.

“Now, if you’re doing this because you fancy yourself [some] fisticuffs, if you fancy yourself [and] you want to actually grapple me, I’m not hard to get a hold of. Pull the f*ck up. And you can show up with all your boys, do all that stuff, but what a real man will do is pull up one-on-one. I don’t have a posse, I don’t need one, bud. I’ll drop my kid off at f*cking practice, roll over, twist your f*cking neck off, and then pick him up just in time unscathed with a Diet Coke. And that’s how this goes for the rest of your f*cking life, bud.”

Of course, Diaz was made aware of Schaub’s comments, and reacted to them on Twitter — using one of Schaub’s infamous quotes in the process.

“I think you’d be surprised,” Diaz wrote.

Tottenham, West Ham United and Hammers midfielder Mohammed Kudus have been charged by the Football Association following Saturday’s Premier League match.

Ghana winger Kudus was sent off during his side’s 4-1 defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for kicking Spurs defender Micky van de Ven and pushing both the Dutchman and midfielder Pape Matar Sarr in the face.

But the FA have charged the former Ajax player with violent conduct and acting in an improper manner for an incident “after the offence he was sent off for”.

Additionally, both clubs have been charged with failing to ensure their players “didn’t behave in an improper and/or provocative and/or violent way” at the time of Kudus’ sending off.

Kudus, 24, was initially shown a yellow card for his push on Van de Ven but it was upgraded to a red following a VAR review, which showed referee Andrew Madley the pushes on Van de Ven and Sarr.

Both sets of players gathered around Kudus, who had put West Ham ahead in the game, following the incident.

If found guilty, he could serve an extra punishment on top of the three-game ban he will serve for his violent conduct dismissal.

The three parties have until Thursday to provide their responses.