Wildcard Fery faces Zverev in Wimbledon semis, as Kostyuk meets Noskova

Men’s defending champion Jannik Sinner and women’s top seed Aryna Sabalenka both arrived at Wimbledon with question marks hanging over them but answered the doubters with contrasting first-round victories.Italy’s Sinner – playing his first match since his shock collapse and defeat in the second round of the French Open on a scorching day in Paris – was stretched to the limit by Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic but survived, winning 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-3 on Monday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Sinner shocked in French Open exit as Cerundolo recovers from two-sets downlist 2 of 4Sabalenka ‘mentally off track’ as French Open exit made her want to ‘quit’list 3 of 4Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva wins French Open to claim first Grand Slamlist 4 of 4Paris Diamond League to go ahead with safety measures amid heatwaveend of listSabalenka, who left Paris in a “deep, dark place” after losing the last 10 games of her quarterfinal against Diana Shnaider, followed Sinner onto Centre Court and breezed past Serbian qualifier Teodora Kostovic 6-2, 6-3.While world number one Sinner, the overwhelming favourite in the ⁠⁠absence of Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, lived to fight another day, there were some early seeded casualties.Norway’s 11th seed Casper Ruud was handed a tough draw in the shape of big-serving Pole Hubert Hurkacz and duly lost 6-4, 6-2, 7-6(7), while 12th seed Andrey Rublev was edged out in a five-set battle against fellow Russian Roman Safiullin, losing a deciding set tiebreaker 14-12 after missing two match points.Sabalenka celebrates beating Serbia’s Teodora Kostovic [Glyn Kirk/AFP]There was heartbreak too for surprise French Open runner-up Maja Chwalinska as she lost 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 to Thai qualifier Mananchaya Sawangkaew on Monday after the Pole fell and ‌‌hurt herself while on match point.Several women’s seeds moved through on a day mercifully cooler than the heatwave that gripped London last week.Japan’s Naomi Osaka once again dressed to impress, walking on court in a Kill Bill-inspired white kimono and tennis shoes that shone as the 14th seed beat Elsa Jacquemot 6-1, 7-5.American fourth seed Jessica Pegula beat Darja Vidmanova 7-5, 6-3, while newly crowned French Open champion Mirra Andreeva, seeded fifth, beat Magda Linette 7-5, 6-4.Swiss 11th seed Belinda Bencic had far too much experience for young wildcard Mika Stojsavljevic, whose defeat was one of many on a miserable day for home players.Home hopes ebb awayIt was a grim day for the home nation, who failed to celebrate a single victory.Twenty-one players, including 12 wildcards, were in the first-round draw, but after Emma Raducanu withdrew with an injury on the eve of the tournament, she ⁠⁠was followed on Monday by Jack Draper, who announced he was also pulling out with an arm injury.Ten British players lost, including British number ⁠⁠one Cameron Norrie, seeded 26, beaten in five sets by inspired American qualifier Michael Zheng.Sinner’s meltdown in the Roland Garros furnace against Juan Manuel Cerundolo had raised questions about his durability in long matches, but he answered those, albeit in relatively cool conditions, against Kecmanovic.Sinner racked up his 94th Grand Slam match win, equalling the Italian record of Nicola Pietrangeli, but shed plenty of sweat and a little blood in reaching that mark, his white shoe stained red after injuring a nail in a fall.“It was a little tight in the beginning; I didn’t play at my best, but I tried to get into it,” he said. “I’m happy I turned it around because the third set was very tough to swallow.”Sinner had a point to go two sets to one ahead but lost it, and Kecmanovic pounced. Sinner was in danger ⁠⁠of becoming only the third defending Wimbledon men’s champion to lose in the first round, but dominated from then on and later said his foot injury was not serious despite the pounding it took during his third-longest match at Wimbledon at three hours and 30 minutes.“I’m actually surprised that they let me keep play

18 minutes agoHugh SchofieldIn ParisReutersPatrick Bruel rose to fame in the 1980s and he has appeared in dozens of filmsOne of France's best-known showbusiness stars, Patrick Bruel, has been placed under judicial investigation on several counts of rape and sexual abuse, in the latest fallout from the Me Too movement.After two days in custody in the western Paris suburb of Nanterre, the 67-year-old singer and actor went before a panel of four judges on Wednesday evening.They confirmed the state prosecutor's request that Bruel be placed under investigation in several cases of rape, attempted rape and sexual assault and harassment.Bruel has consistently denied the charges against him. The judges released him from custody under judicial supervision, rejecting a request from prosecutors that he remain in detention.Being placed under investigation means that an examining magistrate will now look more deeply into the charges against Bruel, whose lawyers will have access to the prosecution file. In most cases, the procedure results in a trial.Under French law, rape is defined as "any non-consensual act of penetration".Feminist campaigners reacted to the news with satisfaction. The case against Bruel comes at a time of heightened sensitivity in France about judicial treatment of sex offences, after the murder of an 11-year-old girl called Lyhanna, whose suspected killer had been the object of several prior denunciations for abuse.Alongside actor Gérard Depardieu, Bruel is the most celebrated French figure to be targeted by accusations of sexual abuse.Depardieu, 77, was given a suspended sentence last year for sexual assault on a film set, and he has appealed against the conviction.Born Patrick Benguigui in Algeria in 1959, Bruel rose to fame in the early 1980s with songs like Marre de cette nana-là (Had enough of that chick). His strong voice and dark, brooding looks led to a wave what was termed at the time Bruelmania.He has also appeared in more than 30 films, and was recently on stage in a theatre production in Paris. Bruel's last performances there were cancelled because of the allegations, as were most dates on a planned concert tour of France, Belgium, Switzerland and Canada. This will now definitively not take place.The singer was the object of a previous series of complaints for sexual harassment, but these were shelved in 2020 for lack of evidence.In May this year, investigative website Mediapart reported that around 30 women had told similar stories of harassment or assault, many of them taking place on film locations or off-stage in music venues.Last month the accusers were joined by well-known TV and radio presenter Flavie Flament, who alleged that in 1991 – when she was 16 and he 32 – the singer had drugged and raped her at his Paris home.The Flament case was not among the nine cited by the judges, because the alleged crime took place too long ago. However, the state prosecutor had asked that it and 12 other older allegations be reconsidered with a view to possible inclusion in the charges.Bruel has denied the allegations. According to French media, he told his "entourage" recently that "I may have been heavy-handed… but I always took no for an answer".In a post on Instagram last month the singer said that he had never in his life "forced myself on a woman"."Nor have I ever drugged, manipulated or tried to subjugate anyone… nor used my fame to abuse or obtain non-consensual relations," he said.

Alexander Zverev of Germany reacts after winning the men's final match against Flavio Cobolli of Italy at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Sunday, June 7, 2026. Aurelien Morissard/AP hide caption toggle caption Aurelien Morissard/AP PARIS (AP) — Alexander Zverev is no longer one of the best players never to win a major title. He's finally a Grand Slam champion. In his fourth major final, Zverev beat Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-1 for the French Open title on Sunday. It was a unique opportunity for Zverev without Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz across the net and the third-ranked German took full advantage on the red clay of Roland Garros. When Cobolli missed an overhead on the second championship point after more than four hours of the five-set encounter, Zverev dropped on his back to the clay and covered his face with his hands as he began sobbing. When he got up, with his shirt and arms covered in clay, Zverev put his hands back on his face before he lifted both arms in celebration. Zverev has now joined an elite group of players that captured their first major in their fourth final: Eight-time major champion Andre Agassi, 2001 Wimbledon winner Goran Ivanisevic and 2020 U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem. No Sinner or Alcaraz Zverev had been an overwhelming favorite for the title ever since the top-ranked Sinner struggled in the first week's heat wave and wasted a two set and 5-1 lead against Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the second round. A day later, 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic was also eliminated. Alcaraz, the two-time reigning champion, withdrew before the tournament with an injured right wrist. It was Zverev's second French Open final, having wasted a lead of two sets to one against Alcaraz in the 2024 championship match. Zverev had an even bigger advantage — two sets to none — in the 2020 U.S. Open final and lost that one, too, to Thiem. He was also beaten in straight sets by Sinner in the 2025 Australian Open final. It was the 25th title of Zverev's career. Cobolli's 1st Slam final The 14th-ranked Cobolli had never been past a Grand Slam quarterfinal until this week. He was attempting to become the first Italian man to raise the singles trophy at Roland Garros since Adriano Panatta 50 years ago. Cobolli comes from the same tennis club in Rome as Panatta did and Panatta was asked by tournament organizers to present the Coupe des Mousquetaires to the champion to celebrate the anniversary of his 1976 triumph. The honors, however, were going to Zverev. Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva won the women's singles trophy on Saturday. Zverev took control early on The match was played in perfect conditions and Zverev's game was almost flawless at the start. Zverev broke Cobolli's serve in a long opening game when Cobolli shanked a forehand into the first row of the stands. The break came after Zverev had a bit of luck when a backhand return hit the net but dribbled over on game point for Cobolli. A group of women in the stands held up letters to form Zverev's nickname: "Sascha." Cobolli likes to stand way over near the corner of the court and hit big kick serves out wide into the ad court. Zverev knew what was coming and returned one such kick serve early in the first set with a backhand that he wrapped around the outside of the net post. Cobolli ended up winning the point, but it was a message from Zverev that he knew how to handle his opponent's tactics. The next time Zverev hit a wrap-around-the-net-post return, Cobolli couldn't handle it and Zverev won the point. Cobolli's supporters in his box were all dressed in blue, the color of Italy's national teams, and as Cobolli worked his way back into the match, there were chants of "Ole, Ole, Ole; Flavio, Flavio." After Zverev held for a 6-5 lead in the fourth, he had his upper right leg treated by a trainer. Then Zverev wasted a 3-1 lead in the tiebreaker, which Cobolli concluded with a forehand winner up the line that pr