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Anthony Joshua gives honest answer when asked if he would ever face Moses Itauma

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Moses Itauma hopes to rule over the next generation of heavyweights, but there currently appears to be a lack of willing dance partners. Anthony Joshua insists he isn’t one of them, after declaring himself to be ‘100%’ up for the challenge.

Itauma’s time in the ring has not exceeded the 18-minute mark in any of his fights, with questions still needing to be answered in regards to his gas tank and chin, largely due to the fact that the 21-year-old has dispatched of all 14 of his opponents without truly being tested.

His next outing could be telling, linked to a scrap with Filip Hrgovic, with the pair expected to collide in August, with an official date and venue set to be confirmed in the near future.

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Victory over Hrgovic is anticipated to lead to a world title shot, with Frank Sanchez and Murat Gassiev being considered as future opponents in a possible vacant title fight, but in an interview with Fight Hub TV, Joshua revealed that he too would be prepared to take on Itauma, after his fights with Kristian Prenga and Tyson Fury.

“Let me get these two [Prenga and Fury] out of the way and 100% [I would fight Itauma]. Yeah, man. Why not, bro? Let’s go. So many great opportunities are still presenting themselves.”

Joshua takes on Prenga in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday, July 25, with a long-awaited showdown against Fury being mooted for November. If successful in both bouts, ‘AJ’ could then face Itauma in a crossroads clash during the first half of 2027.

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19-year-old Mirra Andreeva claims first Grand Slam with French Open triumph | Other Sports News

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Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva was already a tennis phenom at age 15 is now at 19, she’s a Grand Slam champion.


The eighth-ranked Andreeva ended the run of 114th-ranked Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska by 6-3, 6-2 in the French Open final on Saturday.


Andreeva became the youngest player to win the women’s singles title since Monica Seles, who was 18 when she landed her third straight French Open in 1992.


“You’re so young and talented. It’s so annoying,” Chwalinska told Andreeva during the awards ceremony.

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When Andreeva executed a backhand cross-court winner on her first match point, she threw her racket into the air and dropped on her knees to the clay to celebrate.

 


During the trophy presentation, Andreeva took the unusual step of thanking herself “for believing in myself, always giving my 100%, even when it’s tough, trying every day to be better as a person and as a player, believing that I can do this, fighting so many demons inside of me.


“Only I know how tough it was for me,” Andreeva added. “How nervous I was throughout these two weeks.” 
Chwalinska was attempting to become the first qualifier to capture the Roland Garros title.

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Andreeva was born Siberia and moved to Sochi and eventually France to develop her tennis career.


She drew a loud applause from the crowd on Court Philippe-Chatrier when she spoke a few words of French during the trophy presentation.


“Thanks for your support today and over these past two marvellous weeks here in Paris,” Andreeva said. “It was very important for me.” 
Alexander Zverev plays Flavio Cobolli in the men’s final on Sunday to conclude the wildest Grand Slam in recent memory.


Breakthrough at 15 
Andreeva has been considered a Grand Slam contender since she burst onto the scene as a 15-year-old at the 2023 Madrid Open, where she became the third youngest player to win a main draw match at a WTA 1000 tournament and made the quarterfinals.

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Lately, Andreeva has had to contend with playing under neutral status and without her country’s flag due to the war with Ukraine.


When she beat Marta Kostyuk in the semifinals, Kostyuk refused to shake her hand, as has been the custom for Ukrainian players facing Russians ever since the war started in 2022.


Andreeva has gone a step further than her coach, Conchita Martinez, who lost the 2000 French Open final to Mary Pierce.


Pierce presented the winner’s trophy to Andreeva.

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Polish fan support 
The final was played under mostly sunny skies but wind was a factor in the first Grand Slam final for both player.


Chwalinska double-faulted on the opening point of the match but she was the first player to hold serve in the fifth game for a 3-2 lead.


But then Andreeva won nine stright games to take control as she found a way to hit through the wind and answer Chwalinska’s array of spins and drop shots.


Andreeva produced 25 winners to Chwalinska’s 10 and also had fewer unforced errors: 26 to 29.

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There was a strong Polish presence in the crowd.


When Chwalinska was introduced, fans held aloft red-and-white Polish flags and chanted her name: “Ma-ja, Ma-ja.” 
Andreeva had little support from the crowd, although there was a shout of “Davai Mirra!” (“Go Mirra”) in Russian late in the match.


Men’s doubles 
In men’s doubles, top-seeded Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos retained their title with a 6-4, 6-2 win against Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten.

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Alexander Zverev vs Flavio Cobolli LIVE Score, French Open 2026 Final: Zverev Breaks Cobolli, Leads 1-0 In First Set

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Alexander Zverev vs Flavio Cobolli Final LIVE Updates, French Open 2026 Men’s Singles: Alexander Zverev vs Flavio Cobolli French Open men’s singles final has begun at the Roland Garros Stadium. Second-seed Zverev aims to win an elusive Grand Slam title as he takes on tenth-seeded Cobolli, who is playing his first-ever major final. While the Italian tennis player faces an uphill task, Zverev, who is playing his fourth Grand Slam final in pursuit of a maiden title, will be keen to use his experience and put pressure on his opponent.

Here are the Live Score and Updates of French Open 2026 men’s singles final between Alexander Zverev and Flavio Cobolli:

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Christmas Day & Ronan Whelan Win Betfred Derby at Epsom

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Christmas Day came early for jockey Ronan Whelan as he won his first Betfred Derby at Epsom on Saturday afternoon.

A son of Coolmore stallion Camelot, Christmas Day (7/1) was a two-and-three-quarter length winner over the Tom Marquand-ridden Maltese Cross (12/1).

James J Braddock, the mount of Dylan Browne McMonagle, took third for trainer Joseph O’Brien, two-and-a-half lengths behind the William Haggas-handled runner-up.

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The victory of Christmas Day, in the Coolmore colours, was a 12th win in the race for Aidan O’Brien, who becomes the first trainer to win the race four years in-a-row following the successes of Lambourn (2025), City Of Troy (2024) and Auguste Rodin (2023).

It is also a 50th British classic win for the County Wexford-born handler – his first coming with King Of Kings in the 1998 2000 Guineas at Newmarket.

The pre-race favourite Benvenuto Cellini, the mount of Ryan Moore, was declared a non-runner after a stewards’ inquiry post-race. The son of Frankel had one leg caught on a bar in the stalls as the race began. As a result, stewards deemed that he was denied a chance of winning and declared him a non-runner.

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LiveScores Now Available at IrishScores.com

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Top 5 expert reactions to Suryakumar Yadav being sacked as captain ahead of Ireland and England 2026 T20Is

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In a massive decision, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) sacked Suryakumar Yadav as T20I captain ahead of the tour of Ireland and England. He was also dropped from the T20I squad that was picked on Saturday, June 6 for the tour of Ireland and England. Shreyas Iyer was named as the new Team India skipper in T20Is, while Tilak Varma was picked as his deputy.

Earlier this year, Suryakumar led India to victory in the T20 World Cup played at home. However, his form with the bat was scratchy as he managed just one half-century in the ICC event. The 35-year-old also struggled for runs while representing Mumbai Indians (MI) in IPL 2026.

There have been mixed reactions over the decision to sack Suryakumar as T20I captain. In this feature, we take a look at top five expert reactions to the move.


#1 Sanjay Manjrekar

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar reckons that, apart from batting form, Suryakumar’s fitness also played a role in him being dropped from the Indian T20I side. He opined that the 35-year-old could have worked a bit harder on his fitness. Speaking on Sony Sports, Manjrekar said:

“Surya losing form at his age made me wonder if he will have a second wind in T20s and become the player he was three to four years back. He’s not a 25 or 30-year-old. And as it panned out, with T20 being a hand-eye coordination game, you need to be supremely fit or young to have the kind of reflexes to meet bat on ball. Age not being on his side and plus, if he could have worked on his fitness a lot more, maybe things would have been slightly different.”

Suryakumar scored 270 runs in 13 innings during MI’s IPL 2026 campaign, averaging 20.76 at a strike rate of 147.54, with two half-centuries.


#2 Ravichandran Ashwin

Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin questioned the selectors over their decision to sack Suryakumar as T20I captain. Admitting that the MI star’s form has been a concern, he opined that T20 World Cup-winning skipper should have been given a chance to prove himself in the England series. During a discussion on ESPNcricinfo, Ashwin said:

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“Is there a possibility that they could have given Surya a bit more time? And if you feel he’s not walking into your XI, (take the call). Could he have been given that big England series to ask himself to be proving once again as a batter that he belongs in that place? I just think he deserved that after having accomplished such a huge feat in his career.”

In nine innings in T20 World Cup 2026, Suryakumar scored 242 runs at an average of 30.25 and a strike rate of 136.72, with a solitary half-century.


#3 Subramaniam Badrinath

Former India batter Subramaniam Badrinath expressed surprise at the selectors’ decision to sack Suryakumar as T20I captain even though he had led India to World Cup glory. Pointing out that something similar had happened with Rohit Sharma after the Champions Trophy, Badrinath said on (his YouTube channel):

“It’s definitely the end of the road for Suryakumar Yadav. We won’t see him in international cricket anymore. His winning percentage as a T20I captain is extremely high. Yet, these selectors have easily thrown him out. The same thing happened to Rohit Sharma after winning the Champions Trophy. There is a certain ruthlessness in the current team management.”

Rohit led India to victory in the 2025 Champions Trophy in the UAE. However, he was subsequently sacked as one-day captain and replaced by Shubman Gill.


#4 Aakash Chopra

Former India opener Aakash Chopra has questioned the manner of Suryakumar’s sacking as T20I captain. According to Chopra, having won the T20 World Cup, the 35-year-old could have been given a farewell series by the selectors. The former India batter commented:

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“The last image you’ll have is him holding the World Cup trophy. World Cup trophy and then he gets dropped from the team. That doesn’t happen, man. That usually doesn’t happen. What I believed was that he should have been given an ‘off-ramp’ like telling him, ‘these are your last two series, play them, we’re making you captain. After this, it’s goodbye.’ If you don’t say goodbye, then we will drop you and that would have been the fair thing to do.”

Having made a belated T20I debut in 2021, Suryakumar has featured in 113 matches and has scored 3,272 runs at an average of 36.35 and a strike rate of 162.94, with four hundreds and 25 half-centuries.


#5 Sadagopan Ramesh

Former India opener Sadagopan Ramesh stated that Suryakumar should not be too surprised or disappointed over being removed as T20I captain. Ramesh pointed out that the 35-year-old has been struggling with the willow for a couple of seasons now and opined that the time had come to move on from him. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ramesh said:

“Though dropping a captain immediately after he led the side to a World Cup win is surprising, it’s a transition that Surya himself will be able to accept. Yes, he will be disappointed inside. But I feel this move would have been communicated to him weeks after the T20 World Cup itself.”

Suryakumar captained India in 52 T20Is, winning 40 and losing just eight. Two matches ended in a tie, while two produced no result. He ended his captaincy stint with a win percentage of 76.92.