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Getty ImagesJonathan JurejkoBBC Sport tennis news reporter at Roland Garros5 June 2025, 16:39 BST30 CommentsUpdated 57 minutes agoFrench Open 2025Dates: 25 May-8 June Venue: Roland GarrosCoverage: Live radio commentaries across 5 Live Sport and BBC Sounds, plus live text commentaries on the BBC Sport website and appWorld number one Aryna Sabalenka moved a step closer to a maiden French Open title by taking out four-time champion Iga Swiatek in a blockbuster semi-final.Sabalenka will meet second seed Coco Gauff in Saturday’s showpiece after the American ruthlessly ended French wildcard Lois Boisson’s incredible run.Belarus’ Sabalenka earned a 7-6 (7-1) 4-6 6-0 victory to end fifth seed Swiatek’s 26-match winning run at the tournament.After a slow start on the Roland Garros clay, Poland’s Swiatek fought back to level but Sabalenka dominated a 22-minute deciding set.Sabalenka, whose three Grand Slam titles have all come on hard courts, has never reached the Paris final before.”It feels incredible but the job is not done yet. I’m thrilled with my performance,” the 27-year-old said.”Iga is the toughest opponent, especially at Roland Garros, I’m proud I managed to get this win.”Gauff, runner-up to Swiatek in 2022, won 6-1 6-2 against world number 361 Boisson, who was appearing in her first Grand Slam main draw.Sabalenka dominance underlines Swiatek uncertaintyThis was the potential match that everyone had their eye on when the French Open draw was made: the ‘Queen of Clay’ against the world number one in the crunch stages.Swiatek and Sabalenka have claimed six of the past 10 majors between them and dominated the WTA Tour over the past three years.But with Swiatek dropping to fifth in the world after a turbulent season, it was Sabalenka who came into Roland Garros as the favourite.The magnitude of the eagerly-anticipated encounter appeared to affect both players in an edgy opening set.With the roof closed because of the wet weather in Paris, Sabalenka initially settled quicker in the heavier conditions that suit her game.The pace of Sabalenka’s returning was too hot for Swiatek and allowed the top seed to quickly move a double break ahead.Swiatek took a step back in her baseline position to better absorb the pace and, after being a point away from going 5-1 behind, battled back.Getty ImagesThe tweak helped a sharper Swiatek elongate the rallies and put more pressure on Sabalenka’s serve, with the Pole winning the next three games to move 5-4 ahead.With both players looking tight, momentum continued to fluctuate.Swiatek’s serve buckled, Sabalenka could not serve out the set at 6-5 and a nervy encounter was ultimately decided on a tie-break dominated by the Belarusian.Three successive breaks – down to quality returning as much as poor serving – began the second set before Swiatek settled down to maintain the advantage and force a decider.However, Swiatek’s serve suddenly dropped off again and allowed Sabalenka to quickly reach her fifth final in the past seven Grand Slam tournaments.”I think I lost my intensity a bit,” said Swiatek.”She played as strong as in the first set, but I didn’t react to that well and just couldn’t push back.”Boisson’s thrilling run comes to an endFor the first time since 2011, fans had a home player to cheer in the women’s semi-finals – and nobody could have guessed it would be Boisson.The 22-year-old’s journey from an unknown player returning from serious injury to a Grand Slam semi-finalist competing with the world’s best is extraordinary.Boisson was set to be a wildcard entry last year but had to pull out after tearing an anterior cruciate ligament just a week before the French Open began.But 12 months on, she returned to make a remarkable run that will never be forgotten by French fans.Taking the scalps of third seed Jessica Pegula and sixth seed Mirra Andreeva put her into a first career semi-final on the biggest stage of all.However, Gauff proved to be a step too far.Despite having the backing of a raucous crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier, the energy provided was not enough to compensate for Boisson’s lack of quality.Gauff dominated the rallies, breaking Boisson’s serve six times before wrapping up victory in one hour and nine minutes.Related topicsTennis

31 minutes agoSporting forward Viktor Gyokeres is open to reuniting with Ruben Amorim at Manchester United, Arsenal target Morgan Rogers and Igor Paixo, Tottenham will have to pay Ange Postecoglou £4m to leave the club.Sporting’s 27-year-old Sweden forward Viktor Gyokeres is open to reuniting with former manager Ruben Amorim at Manchester United. (Talksport)Arsenal have added Aston Villa’s English winger Morgan Rogers, 22, and 24-year-old Brazilian forward Igor Paixao, who plays for Feyenoord, to their list of targets this summer. (Times – subscription required) Brentford have rejected Manchester United’s first bid for Cameroon forward Bryan Mbeumo. The Old Trafford club are believed to have offered £45m plus £10m in add-ons but the Bees want more than £60m for the 25-year-old. (Independent) Tottenham will have to pay head coach Ange Postecoglou £4m in compensation if they decide to sack the 59-year-old Australian. (Telegraph – subscription required)Israel winger Manor Solomon, 25, is set for a second chance at Spurs after impressing on loan at Leeds last season. (Sun)Borussia Dortmund’s 20-year-old English winger Jamie Gittens is a top summer target for Chelsea. (Sky Sports)Bayer Leverkusen boss Erik ten Hag is monitoring the situation surrounding Manchester United’s 25-year-old winger Antony, who he brought to Old Trafford after working with the Brazilian at Ajax. (Sky Germany)Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal have offered Napoli £55m plus £4m in add-ons for Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen. (Fabrizio Romano)Manchester City are close to agreeing a deal with Wolves to sign 23-year-old Algeria left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri. (ESPN)Portugal midfielder Joao Palhinha has struggled for first-team football at Bayern Munich and, while he says he is keen to stay at the German club, the 29-year-old might leave if his situation does not look like improving. (Sky Sports Germany) Arsenal are interested in signing Real Madrid’s 24-year-old Brazil winger Rodrygo. (Sky Sports)Inter Milan and Italy defender Francesco Acerbi, 37, might follow former Inter manager Simone Inzaghi to Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal. (Florian Plettenberg)Related topicsFootball

Getty ImagesJonty ColmanBBC Sport journalist5 June 2025Oklahoma City Thunder face the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals, starting on Thursday night.The Thunder booked their place in their first national finals since 2012 with a 4-1 series win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference finals.In the east, the Pacers beat the New York Knicks 4-2 to reach their second national finals and first since 2000.Before the final, BBC Sport’s Ask Me Anything team looks at what to watch out for in during the best-of-seven series.Get in touchSend us your questionsContact formContact formNBA finals fixturesGame 1 – at Oklahoma Thursday, 5 June – 20:30 local time (01:30 Friday 6 June BST)Game 2 – at Oklahoma Sunday, 8 June – 20:00 local time (01:00 Monday 9 June BST)Game 3 – at Indiana Wednesday, 11 June – 20:30 local time (01:30 Thursday 12 June BST)Game 4 – at Indiana Friday, 13 June – 20:30 local time (01:30 Saturday 14 June BST)Game 5 – at Oklahoma Monday, 16 June – 20:30 local time (01:30 Tuesday 17 June BST)Game 6 – at Indiana Thursday, 19 June – 20:30 local time (01:30 Friday 20 June BST)Game 7 – at Oklahoma Sunday, 22 June – 20:00 local time (01:00 Monday 23 June BST)How to watch the NBA finals All seven matches of the NBA finals will be showing in the United Kingdom via TNT Sports and discovery+.First-time hopefuls vs a 46-year waitAs far as historic NBA longevity goes, a final between the Thunder and the Pacers is one that is a surprise to many.The Pacers are only here for the second time in their history, while the Thunder are only making their fourth finals outing themselves.Spearheaded by Olympic champion Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers are among the 10 active franchises never to win the NBA’s national championship.The Thunder’s only NBA finals crown came in 1979 when they were the Seattle Sonics, meaning no Oklahoma-based side has won the competition.The Larry O’Brien Trophy will head to a new state for the first time in either Indiana or Oklahoma.Will SGA join the exclusive MVP club?This season, Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander became the first Canadian to win the NBA’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award since Steven Nash in 2006.A finals win with Olkahoma could also see him join an exclusive club with some of basketball’s all-time greats.Not since 2015 has the season MVP gone on to win the finals with their franchise that season, with the last being Steph Curry.Better known as ‘SGA’, Gilgeous-Alexander is the third Thunder player to be named MVP after Kevin Durant (2014) and Russell Westbrook (2017).SGA could join the likes of LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird as an MVP and NBA champion.Thunder’s 2-0 record vs PacersThe two finalists have met twice already this season, coming in December in Indiana and March in Oklahoma.On both occasions, the Thunder came out on top.Between Christmas and New Year, the Thunder were 120-114 winners on the road and they beat the Pacers 132-111 in March.During the play-offs, the Thunder recorded wins in 12 of their 16 games, including a 4-0 sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round. The Pacers have an identical record.Pacers’ outstanding comebacksGetty ImagesA major factor in the Pacers reaching a first finals in 25 years has been their ability to overturn games that have at times, seemed close to impossible to do so.In game five of their play-off first-round meeting with the Milwaukee Bucks, the Pacers found themselves 118-111 down with 40 seconds of overtime remaining, only for Andrew Nembhard to nail a three-pointer and Haliburton to score five unanswered points for a 119-118 victory.Trailing by 14 points in the third quarter of game two in the Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Thunder were 119-112 down with 57 seconds left, but recorded a 120-119 victory as Haliburton found a three-pointer with one second remaining.A hat-trick of memorable play-off comebacks again had Haliburton at the heart of it. In the first game of the Eastern Conference finals, the Pacers trailed 121-112 to the Knicks with 52 seconds remaining of regular time. As the buzzer sounded, Haliburton’s long-range shot with one foot on the three-point line bounced up off the rim and dropped in for two points, sending the game to overtime before the Pacers won 135-134.The Pacers could need their ability to dig deep into games against a Thunder side that averaged 3.1 more points per game than them in the regular season.Thunder’s home-court advantageThe Thunder have got the home-court advantage for the seven-game series, meaning they will host games one, two, five and seven, should all seven matches be required.This is because the Western Conference champions had a significantly better record during the 82-game regular season, winning 68 matches to the Pacers’ 50.Since the Pacers’ previous finals appearance in 2000, 16 of the 25 teams with home-court advantage have won the finals.However, each of the 2024, 2023 and 2022 finalists with home-court advantage failed to make it count.This article is the latest from BBC Sport’s Ask Me Anything team.What is Ask Me Anything?Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your questions.We want to reward your time by telling you things you do not know and reminding you of things you do.The team will find out everything you need to know and be able to call upon a network of contacts including our experts and pundits.We will be answering your questions from the heart of the BBC Sport newsroom, and going behind the scenes at some of the world’s biggest sporting events.Our coverage will span the BBC Sport website, app, social media and YouTube accounts, plus BBC TV and radio.More questions answered…Epsom Derby start time, horses and previous winnersHow is the Ballon d’Or winner decided?What does the new Premier League ball look like?What are penalty points in F1 and how do they work?Related topicsBasketball

Getty ImagesMatthew HenryBBC Sport Journalist8 hours agoIndia coach Gautam Gambhir has criticised the decision to host the victory parade where 11 people died on Wednesday and says his “heart goes out” to those affected.Dozens were also injured outside the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium as Royal Challengers Bengaluru celebrated their Indian Premier League victory.Karnataka state chief minister Siddaramaiah told reporters that authorities had not expected the number of people who had turned out.”If we are not ready to hold a road show we should not have done that,” former India batter and IPL-winning captain Gambhir said.”As simple as it can get. I know fans do get excited, everyone gets excited, but nothing compared to what happened yesterday.”One police official told the BBC more than 200,000 people packed the streets to see the team parade through the streets to the stadium but police expected half of that amount.An official said a stampede occurred when people tried to push through a small gate.On Thursday, RCB said they would give 1,000,000 rupees (£9,000) to the families of those killed.”I was never a believer that we need to have roadshows, never,” Gambhir said.”My heart goes out to the people who lost their lives.”We need to be responsible. We need to be responsible citizens and responsible in every aspect because every life matters.”You cannot at any point in time lose 11 people. We can be more responsible.”Getty ImagesRelated topicsIndiaCricket

Getty ImagesSami MokbelSenior football correspondentNizaar KinsellaBBC Sport football news reporter13 minutes ago2 CommentsChelsea are in talks with AC Milan over signing France goalkeeper Mike Maignan.The Italian club value Maignan at about £25m but the Blues do not want to meet that price and are in talks about a lower fee.The 29-year-old has been a regular for Milan since joining on a five-year contract from Lille in 2021.He has also been first choice for France since Hugo Lloris retired from international football in January 2023, and has won 30 caps since 2020.Sources have told BBC Sport that Maignan would be interested in a move to Stamford Bridge.Chelsea have struggled to find a long-term option in goal since buying Kepa Arrizabalaga in 2018 for £71m, which remains the world-record fee for a goalkeeper.Two years later they signed Edouard Mendy, who left for Al-Ahli in 2023, while Kepa has spent the past two seasons on loan at Real Madrid and then Bournemouth.In the past two years Chelsea have also signed Robert Sanchez, Djordje Petrovic and Filip Jorgensen but the club appear unconvinced by all three.Petrovic spent last season on loan at Strasbourg while Sanchez and Jorgensen had spells in the Chelsea first team.Related topicsChelseaPremier LeagueFootballAC Milan

Getty ImagesJonathan JurejkoBBC Sport tennis news reporter at Roland Garros9 hours agoFrench Open 2025Dates: 25 May-8 June Venue: Roland GarrosCoverage: Live radio commentaries across 5 Live Sport and BBC Sounds, plus live text commentaries on the BBC Sport website and appLosing at the French Open is not something Iga Swiatek is accustomed to.Having won four of the past five titles at Roland Garros, the 24-year-old has become known as the ‘Queen of Clay’ – but her reign always felt under threat coming into this year’s tournament.Swiatek’s current frailties were exposed by world number one Aryna Sabalenka in a blockbuster semi-final on Thursday.Swiatek’s serve was obliterated by Belarus’ Sabalenka, who converted eight break points to end Swiatek’s 26-match winning streak on the Paris clay.”Iga will be back and she will be better,” said former world number nine Andrea Petkovic, who analysed the match for BBC Radio 5 Live.”I did think this year’s tournament was a huge step forward for her in terms of form.”Not a ‘bad’ tournament but Swiatek falls shortIn the eyes of many seasoned observers, Swiatek was the third favourite for the title behind Sabalenka and American second seed Gauff, who beat French wildcard Lois Boisson in Thursday’s second semi-final.Swiatek has been nowhere near her dominant best over the past year, failing to reach a final since last year’s French Open triumph and slipping to her lowest ranking since March 2022.After a chastening defeat in the Italian Open third round, Swiatek’s return to Paris offered positivity.”I think I already changed my mindset before this tournament,” said Swiatek shortly after her first French Open defeat since 2021.”Losing early in Rome gave me some time and perspective.”The former long-time world number one looked more like her old self as she rolled through her opening three matches without dropping a set.When a tougher test arrived against Elena Rybakina in the last 16, Swiatek fought back from losing the opening set 6-1 and answered more of the lingering questions around her form.She showed similar resilience in the opening set against Sabalenka, recovering from 4-1 down to force the set back on serve.Altering her return position helped Swiatek fight back from a poor start, where she was overwhelmed by Sabalenka’s power, and take the match into a decider.However, the fifth seed did not have the capability – or perhaps belief – to sustain her level and rolled over in a 22-minute third set.Overall, though, Swiatek felt she had positives to take from the past fortnight.”I played some quality matches,” said Swiatek, who has still won 32 of her 42 matches this season.”Now it’s probably not the best time to look at the wider perspective. “Probably it wasn’t a bad tournament, but obviously not the result I wanted.”Why has Swiatek’s form dipped?There are a mixture of reasons – on and off the court – as to why Swiatek’s level has dipped.Losing in the Olympics semi-finals in Paris last summer was a bitter blow, with Swiatek saying she cried for “six hours” afterwards.But later came a bigger bombshell – Swiatek had failed a doping test.It was announced in November she had tested positive for heart medication trimetazidine (TMZ) in an out-of-competition sample. She was subsequently given a one-month ban after the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted the result was caused by contamination.Swiatek decided to switch coach at the end of last year, replacing Tomas Wiktorowski with Wim Fissette, and it is taking time for the changes she is making to bed in.The destructive forehand – her most effective tool on the clay – has lost some of its reliability, while her service game has been picked apart by big-hitting opponents.”Maybe she lost a little bit of a confidence, so that’s why sometimes you see her missing balls that she shouldn’t be missing,” said Sabalenka.”But overall, I think it was a really high-level match and she played really great tennis.”Sabalenka’s victory emphasised her position as the runaway leader on the WTA Tour and it is hard to see Swiatek challenging her on the Wimbledon grass next month.Sabalenka’s powerful game transfers well onto the faster surface, while Swiatek has never gone past the SW19 quarter-finals.”We know Iga doesn’t love that surface so I’m interested to see where she goes from here,” added Petkovic.”I think that is going to be very fascinating to watch.”Related topicsTennis

Getty ImagesHarry PooleBBC Sport journalist5 June 2025French Open 2025 men’s singles semi-finalsDate: Friday, 6 June Time: 13:30 BST Venue: Roland GarrosCoverage: Live radio commentaries across 5 Live Sport and BBC Sounds, plus live text commentaries on the BBC Sport website and appThe era of the ‘Big Three’ may be coming to an end – but the threat has not disappeared.Players born in the 1990s were restricted to just two Grand Slam singles titles between them as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic diced up the major prizes for more than two decades.Two players born after 2000 have captured seven major titles between them.That is the current top two of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who are on a collision course in Paris.But Novak Djokovic still looms large.The 38-year-old faces Sinner – who is 15 years younger than him – in Friday’s first French Open semi-final, having become the oldest man to reach the last four since 1968.”I think at the moment he’s a bit underrated,” world number three Alexander Zverev said after falling to Djokovic in four sets on Wednesday.”I think a lot of people count him out already, but this year he’s had wins over Carlos at the Australian Open, he has beaten me at the French Open. “Forget the age. For any player, those are pretty good results.”Defending champion Alcaraz, meanwhile, will look to continue his recent dominance over Lorenzo Musetti in the second semi-final.Djokovic is bidding for another slice of history. Win in Paris and he will secure a record-breaking 25th major singles title.But no man has defeated the top three men’s players to win a major since the ATP rankings were introduced.Djokovic is on a nine-match winning streak heading into the 51st major semi-final of his career. Victory in Geneva last month secured him the 100th tour-level title of his career – a timely confidence boost following a run of three successive defeats.That run included consecutive opening-round defeats to begin his clay-court season, and the Olympic champion entered Roland Garros in the unusual position of sixth seed.But he showed age is not inhibiting him as he won a 41-shot rally to save a break point in the fourth set on his way to beating Zverev in three hours and 18 minutes.He displayed impressive variety to disrupt the German’s baseline dominance with drop shots and serve-and-volley tactics.Sinner, however, will pose a sterner test. While their head-to-head record stands at 4-4, the Italian has won their past three meetings.The reigning US Open and Australian Open champion is on a 19-match winning streak at Grand Slam tournaments – the fourth longest this century after the Djokovic (30), Federer (27) and Nadal (25).He is chasing history of his own at Roland Garros, seeking to become the first Italian man to win the tournament since Adriano Panatta in 1976.In his 52nd week as world number one – despite serving a three-month doping suspension between February and May – Sinner could become the first man to win three consecutive majors since Djokovic in 2021.With unshakeable consistency and devastating precision, Sinner is yet to drop a set this fortnight before attempting to break down arguably the greatest defensive player the game has seen.Alcaraz looks to continue dominance over MusettiGetty ImagesAlcaraz appears to have hit top gear at the perfect time.After losing just five games in his straight-set quarter-final win over American Tommy Paul, the Spaniard said: “I could close my eyes and everything [would have gone] in.”My feeling today was unbelievable. I was trying to hit every shot at 100% – not thinking about anything else, just hitting.”The four-time major winner did not face a single break point in that match and will now target a sixth successive win over Musetti, having lost just one set in their previous five meetings.Musetti, whose sole victory over Alcaraz came in their first meeting back in 2022, has risen to sixth in the live rankings after moving to the brink of a first major final.The Italian will hope to offer greater resistance in their latest meeting after working to improve his serve in the off-season.”We shortened a bit the motion to have more control, and then I got more confidence in what I was having as a motion,” Musetti said.”Right now in really difficult situations, I make an ace or have my serve as a weapon, and it was a pretty big change for my game.”Related topicsTennis