Ground gives way in Linz as Austria beat Cyprus

A sinkhole discovered on the pitch during Austria’s 1-0 home victory over Cyprus in Saturday’s World Cup qualifier in Linz forced play to be halted late in the match, Reuters reported.

After 75 minutes a football-sized sinkhole was seen just outside Austria goalkeeper Alexander Schlager's penalty area.

Danish referee Jakob Kehlet stopped play for several minutes as groundstaff at the Raiffeisen Arena rushed to cover the hole and ensure the pitch was safe, according to Reuters.

Sabalenka crowned queen of Queens with back-to-back US Open titles

World number one Aryna Sabalenka retained her U.S. Open crown with a battling 6-3 7-6(3) win over American eighth seed Amanda Anisimova in the U.S. Open women's final on Saturday, underlining her claim as the modern queen of the hardcourt, Reuters reported.

The Belarusian has not missed a hardcourt major final since 2022. Her latest trophy brings her Grand Slam haul to four, as she became the first woman to win back-to-back U.S. Opens since Serena Williams claimed three straight from 2012 to 2014.

The clash between two of tennis's hardest-hitting, biggest-serving women boiled down to unforced errors as Sabalenka kept them to 15 compared to 29 from the racket of her opponent, according to Reuters.

Sabalenka to face American in US Open final for third year in a row

World number one Aryna Sabalenka will brace herself for a partisan crowd in the U.S. Open final for a third year in a row on Saturday, as she stands across the net from American Amanda Anisimova in the final match of her title defence, Reuters reported.

Sabalenka recovered from a set down to get past American fourth seed Jessica Pegula in Thursday's semi-final, as she bids to become the first woman to win back-to-back U.S. Open titles since Serena Williams in 2013 and 2014.

She take the court on Saturday with fans squarely in her opponent's favour, after eighth seed Anisimova downed four-time major winner Naomi Osaka in another three-set thriller, according to Reuters.

 

Spain thrash Bulgaria but Georgia test Turkiye in 2026 World Cup qualifiers

Spain kicked off their World Cup 2026 qualification campaign with an emphatic 3-0 win in Bulgaria, Aljazeera reported.

The Euro 2024 champions eased to a comfortable victory on Thursday at the Vasil Levski Stadium in Sofia with first-half goals from Mikel Oyarzabal, Marc Cucurella and Mikel Merino.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente was able to bring on Rodri Hernandez and Dani Carvajal for their first international appearances in several months after both recovered from severe knee injuries, according to Aljazeera.