SPORTS

Carlos Alcaraz faces a tricky test on Sunday against volatile Russian Andrey Rublev in his charge towards a third consecutive Wimbledon title, while Aryna Sabalenka looks unstoppable as she prepares to take on Elise Mertens.

A huge explosion at a petrol station in a Rome suburb on Friday injured nearly 30 people, two of them seriously, and rattled windows across the Italian capital.

The US Supreme Court agreed on Thursday to wade into the hot-button issue of transgender athletes in girls and women's sports.

Today, Marcus Bailey is a beloved coach at Pan American Charter School in Arizona, where he's led the school's soccer team to extraordinary success.

Carlos Alcaraz spoiled Oliver Tarvet's Wimbledon adventure as the defending champion moved into the third round with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 win over the British amateur on Wednesday after Aryna Sabalenka stemmed the tide of shock exits.

Line judges were as much a part of the Wimbledon tennis championships as strawberries and cream.

Carlos Alcaraz launches his bid for a third straight Wimbledon crown on Monday while Aryna Sabalenka seeks to banish a season of Grand Slam final misery as temperatures soared on the opening day of the championships.

The battle to be crowned Wimbledon women's champion is wide open, with the possibility of an eighth successive first-time winner at the All England Club.

Pep Guardiola's Manchester City demonstrated their Club World Cup credentials with a 5-2 victory over Juventus on Thursday while Vinicius Junior starred as Real Madrid beat Salzburg 3-0 to secure a spot in the last 16.

Asian markets rose Friday on fresh trade hopes and the dollar held around three-year lows amid bets of cuts to US interest rate cuts.

Wimbledon is guaranteed to be picture-perfect when it gets under way next week but the courts will never look the same again after the demise of line judges.

Marchenko introduced structured planning frameworks to address differences in stadium infrastructure and operations across North America. These systems allow each venue to meet FIFA standards while accounting for local practices and regulatory conditions.

Members of the Senegal women's national basketball team hustled across the court in central Dakar, dribbling and pivoting as the scuffing noise of their trainers echoed across the empty arena.

Can anyone stop two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz or world number one Jannik Sinner lifting the Wimbledon men's title?

North Korea has completed construction on a massive tourist resort boasting colourful water slides and swimming pools, state media said on Thursday, a pet project of leader Kim Jong Un. Kim was an enthusiastic visitor this week to the sprawling site on the isolated country's east coast, which is set to open its doors on July 1 to domestic tourists and maybe one day foreign ones.

Esports is helping Ukrainian war veterans, who "often feel out of place" when they return from the front line, to reintegrate into society, the head of Ukraine's Esport Commission has told AFP. Denys Davydov, 43, speaks with authority as he also leads a commission on the development of rehabilitation programs for veterans through esports.

In a remote town in southern Kyrgyzstan, teacher Nur Akhmatov watched workers building a library, conference hall and women's sports centre -- construction mostly funded by Kyrgyz emigrants sending money home from Russia.

Inter Milan kept their cool to beat nine-man River Plate 2-0 and reach the Club World Cup last 16 on Wednesday, while Mexican side Monterrey followed them through from Group E. Borussia Dortmund defeated Ulsan HD 1-0 to claim top spot in Group F and the Germans will face Sergio Ramos' Monterrey, who thrashed Urawa Red Diamonds 4-0.

Wimbledon head gardener Martyn Falconer is the only man at the All England Club who welcomes a drop of rain.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday the league is studying a rash of recent Achilles tendon injuries, days after Indiana's Tyrese Haliburton became the latest player to be hobbled by such an injury in game seven of the NBA Finals.

Benfica beat Bayern Munich 1-0 in searing heat at the Club World Cup on Tuesday to progress to the last 16 as group winners, while minnows Auckland City claimed a memorable draw against Boca Juniors.

Amateur side Auckland City earned the greatest result in the team's history with a 1-1 draw against Boca Juniors at the Club World Cup on Tuesday.

Their whirlwind romance began under a cloud of scandal, but now Lauren Sanchez, a former morning TV anchor with a love of flying, is set to wed Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the world's fourth-richest person, in a Venice extravaganza.

Inter Miami's Lionel Messi faces a tantalising reunion with former club Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup last 16 after both sides on Monday progressed to the knockout phase.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Achraf Hakimi scored either side of half-time as European champions Paris Saint-Germain eased to a 2-0 win over Seattle Sounders on Monday to secure their place in the last 16 of the Club World Cup.

Rishabh Pant became the first India batsman to score hundreds in both innings of a Test against England on Monday's fourth day at Headingley before the hosts hit back to set up a dramatic finale to the series opener.

Kirsty Coventry became the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the most powerful person in sport, on Monday in a handover ceremony with her predecessor Thomas Bach.

Manchester City hit Al Ain for six on Sunday to secure a place in the last 16 of the Club World Cup after Real Madrid shrugged off an early red card to beat Mexican side Pachuca 3-1.

The Oklahoma City Thunder crowned a dazzling season with an NBA title on Sunday, pulling away relentlessly in the second half to beat the injury-hit Indiana Pacers 103-91 in game seven of the NBA Finals.