Author: National Tone

Cameron Norrie’s title defence in Lyon ended with a one-sided loss to Argentine Francisco Cerundolo in the semi-finals of the ATP Tour event.More concerning than the 6-3 6-0 defeat, though, was Norrie’s physical condition, with the British No 1 clutching his stomach at points during the second set. Norrie is Britain’s main hope for success at the French Open, where he is due to start his campaign on Monday against eccentric Frenchman Benoit Paire.The 27-year-old won his fourth ATP title in Lyon last year but dropped serve in the opening game against Cerundolo and never looked like getting back into…

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Canada’s Olivier-Maxence Prosper will keep his name in the 2023 NBA Draft and not return to Marquette, the forward told ESPN on Friday. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reports the Montreal native could sneak into the first round on June 22 after a strong performance at the Draft Combine in Chicago. “After talking to my family, agents, and evaluating the feedback I’ve gotten after the draft combine and my pro day, I’ve decided to keep my name in,” Prosper said. “Teams say they are really intrigued by me and value my skill set and ability to impact the game on both ends.…

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The winners of June’s World Test Championship final between Australia and India will earn close to £1.3m, the International Cricket Council has announced.Australia and India will meet at The Kia Oval from June 7-11, live on Sky Sports Cricket. The beaten finalists will earn just shy of £650,000 with South Africa, who finished third in the standings across the two-year cycle, to receive close to £365,000.England, who came fourth in the table following a resurgence under captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum, scooped around £284,000.All nine World Test Championship participants – the other sides involved were Sri Lanka,…

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PHOENIX (AP) — Diana Taurasi had 23 points and 10 assists and the Phoenix Mercury hit 11 3-pointers in the first half on the way to a 90-81 win over the Minnesota Lynx on Thursday night. Phoenix went 5 of 6 from 3-point range — with triples from five different players — to open a 27-18 lead after one quarter. The Mercury made 11 of 17 3s in the first half, taking a 57-40 lead. Taurasi had three triples and 15 points. .acf-block-preview .instagram-twitter-container width: 340px; margin: 0 auto; Taurasi finished 4 of 9 from 3-point range, giving her 1,300…

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Claressa Shields will now face Maricela Cornejo for her marquee homecoming fight in Detroit, Michigan next month. The two-time Olympic gold medallist and women’s middleweight champion is now scheduled to face the top-ranked contender on June 3 at Little Caesars Arena. Shields was originally scheduled to take on Hanna Gabriels, before the Costa Rican was removed from the card on Thursday due to results from a Voluntary Anti-Doping Association test earlier this month. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Watch highlights of the epic between Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall in a fight-of-the-year contender! Gabriels (21-2-1, 12…

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Terence Crawford has announced on Instagram he will fight Errol Spence Jr on July 29 in Las Vegas.The American rivals will face off for the undisputed welterweight championship in one of the most highly-anticipated contests since Floyd Mayweather Jr’s clash with Manny Pacquiao back in 2015. “The wait is over, it’s game time,” Crawford said in a video. “Errol Spence Jr, Terence Crawford, July 29th, Las Vegas, Nevada.”Everybody come out, show support and watch my fry this fish.”Potential pound-for-pound supremacy beckons for the victor as the pair finally meet in the ring after years of a blockbuster showdown being touted…

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Toronto Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen is not in the starting lineup for Thursday’s series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays after exiting Wednesday’s game with left groin tightness. .acf-block-preview .instagram-twitter-container width: 340px; margin: 0 auto; Jansen was pulled Wednesday in the bottom of the fifth after he grounded out in his last at-bat and sprinted to first. The team has not made a roster move, though Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi reports triple-A catcher Tyler Heineman has a locker in the Blue Jays’ clubhouse and is on the taxi squad. Alejandro Kirk will start at catcher. Jansen is slashing .207/.273/.413 with…

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BOSTON (AP) — The Miami Heat will be without starting point guard Gabe Vincent for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics on Thursday night because of a sprained ankle. Vincent got hurt late in Miami’s Game 4 loss when he landed awkwardly while trying to save a loose ball near the Heat bench. He got re-taped and returned to that game, but the effects of the sprain led to the Heat downgrading Vincent to out for Game 5. Miami enters Thursday with a 3-1 series lead. .acf-block-preview .instagram-twitter-container width: 340px; margin: 0 auto; The move…

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Police in Tennessee have said suspended Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant and is “fine” after conducting a welfare check on after cryptic messages appeared on his Instagram account and were later deleted.Morant’s posts on Wednesday included messages and pictures saying “Love ya ma”, “Love ya pops” and “You da greatest babygirl love ya”. A fourth message simply read: “Bye”.Shelby County Sheriff’s Office spokesman John Morris told The Associated Press in a phone call that deputies checked on Morant at his home on Wednesday morning.”He advised us that he is taking a break from social media,” Morris said.Morant, 23, was suspended…

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Premiership Rugby and British and Irish Lions set to enter a partnership that would see Premiership final moved forward in 2025 to give Lions extended preparation time ahead of tour of Australia; finals in 2017 and 2021 were played just a week before the Lions’ first games Last Updated: 25/05/23 9:41am The British and Irish Lions last won a series in Australia in 2013, with the tour of South Africa in 2021 ending in a 2-1 defeat The British and Irish Lions are poised for a boost as they target a first series win in 12 years with the Premiership…

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