Yastremska into Nottingham final despite grass allergy
Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska could be allergic to grass but said she loves the surface after reaching her first final on it at the Nottingham Open.The world number 46 beat Polish sixth seed Magda Linette 6-4 6-4 in a rain-interrupted semi-final to reach Sunday's final, where she will face American McCartney Kessler, who overcame Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova 6-4 6-2."I really love playing on grass, even though I think I have a bit of an allergy to grass," Yastremska said."I'm very excited, and I was proud of myself. In general everything worked pretty well. I can't wait to play in the final."Yastremska, who has dropped just one set on her way to the final, faces the player who beat Britain's Katie Boulter in the quarter-finals and top seed Beatriz Haddad Maia in the first round.You can watch the final on the BBC from 11:30 BST.
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BBC News
29 minutes ago
- BBC News
Fighting spirit lifts England U21s as they eye more history
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"But we had something similar in the final [in 2023]. Emotions run high in those scenarios, you don't want anyone to get sent off or throw a punch. "You can see what it means to the players, we probably have to give them a bit of leeway. Thankfully it didn't go over the top, it's still not nice to see. We are always trying to encourage younger players to take up football but the passion was just a bit much."James McAtee, scorer of England's early opener, also epitomised the mood, the Manchester City midfielder ready and willing to dish it out. He said: "We were the two big teams in the tournament, so them kicking off, we can't just sit back and just let them do it. We have to give them a bit back, so I'm happy with the boys." Is it all coming together for England now? "I think there's still a lot more to come from the team. I said at the start of the tournament that the longer we can stay in I think the more joined up we'll become," said Carsley. The head coach has always been confident in his assertion England would start to find their feet and momentum in the competition as long as they qualified from the group. A win over the Czech Republic was followed by a draw with Slovenia and the defeat by Germany. Cresswell and Jay Stansfield produced standout performances while the substitutes also made an impact, especially Elliot Anderson after he came on soon after the break. "They are a really together group but I've been with together groups who have gone home quite early," said Carsley. "It was just a matter of time before it did click. I think our expectation of these players is always very high and I'm just glad that we've got into a position now where I feel that we've got a real good chance of pushing."Yet, despite saying he did not feel like an underdog going into the game against Spain, Carsley was reluctant to paint his side as tournament favourites now. He added: "We have to be humble. It's going to be a really difficult game, the semi-final. So we'll be fully prepared again. The Netherlands are another team we've watched for maybe six months now."We're fully aware of all their players, their strengths, their weaknesses. I've already got a few ideas on what we might change in terms of how we're going to build and attack them and you can guarantee we'll definitely be attacking them again." Making light of missing men Losing Liam Delap - the striker's £30m move from Ipswich to Chelsea saw him going with the Blues to the Club World Cup instead - robbed Carsley of a focal point up front. While it is easy to focus on the missing forward it created a clear problem, with England lacking a presence going forward and someone to finish off promising moves in the group continued to work good positions in the group stage - creating the third most chances in the tournament - but lacked the finishing touch. Marseille's Jonathan Rowe started up front in all three group games but failed to score and Stansfield was the only recognised out-and-out striker in the squad. The Birmingham striker scored 24 goals to help win the League One title last season and he does not have the physical presence of Delap yet he ran himself into the ground in Trnava. His selfless work opened space for others and he never gave the Spanish defence time to rest. The striker came off late on when it was clear he had nothing left in the Friday, Carsley spoke about taking more risks and being brave enough to potentially leave the gaps and that is exactly what he absence was key but he was not the only missing Bellingham's £33m move to Borussia Dortmund also saw him head Stateside with his new club, scoring against Mamelodi Sundowns a couple of hours before England kicked off in Trnava. Off the back of helping Sunderland return to the Premier League via the play-offs the midfielder would have undoubtedly been an asset for Carsley, as would Adam Wharton. The concussion Wharton suffered in Crystal Palace's FA Cup final triumph means he is another key man missing in this Taylor Harwood-Bellis, a winner in 2023, was absent with an ankle injury while Jarrad Branthwaite - also a champion two years ago - suffered a hamstring injury to keep him out. Despite the missing players, Carsley's band of brothers have shown they are ready to defend their title.
BBC News
an hour ago
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Cazorla scores as Oviedo return to La Liga
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The Independent
an hour ago
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England U21s break Spain hearts once again to book place in Euros last four
England booked their place in the European U21 Championship semi-finals with a 3-1 victory over Spain in Slovakia. The Young Lions, who next face the Netherlands, benefited from an early let-off after a VAR check resulted in an overturned penalty. Harvey Elliott netted his second goal of the tournament five minutes later. Javi Guerra clawed a goal back for Spain with a 39th-minute penalty, but substitute Elliot Anderson's own spot-kick in second-half stoppage time assured Lee Carsley 's men of their spot in the final four. England got off to an unsteady start as Spain thought they won a penalty when Charlie Cresswell - looking like he was trying to get out of the way - was penalised with a handball by on-field referee Simone Sozza. The Italian was called to the monitor by his VAR compatriot, and England breathed a sigh of relief when the call was overturned. McAtee opened the scoring from an Alex Scott corner after a flick-on by Omari Hutchinson. Spain got a touch, but only in the direction of the alert England skipper, who turned home from close range. Elliott doubled England's advantage five minutes later, tapping in the rebound after Spain goalkeeper Alejandro Iturbe spilled a save from Jarell Quansah 's long-range effort. England gifted Spain another chance from 12 yards, however, after losing the ball deep inside their own third, exacerbating the error when Quansah, who dangled a leg, caught Alberto Moleiro and Sozza immediately pointed to the spot. Guerra stepped up and halved the deficit after coolly sending James Beadle the wrong way. Some great work from Quansah and Hutchinson after the restart nearly set up Jay Stansfield, who saw his effort deflect over, shortly before Cresswell nodded a corner into the side-netting. Beadle twice denied Guerra then gathered up a Mateo Joseph effort, while England were still in search of a first shot on target since Elliott's goal with 20 minutes remaining after Morton fired just wide. Jack Hinshelwood should have extended England's lead but he mistimed a free header over the crossbar. England hit Spain, who were searching for a late equaliser, on the counter when Iturbe was punished for bringing down Jonathan Rowe inside the penalty area, which Anderson slotted home to seal victory.
