Swiatek the one to beat in New York while Alcaraz and Sinner dominate men’s draw

about 12 hours ago

Iga Swiatek has finally had a brief moment to catch her breath,Her life has been on fast-forward for the last few hectic yet rewarding weeks, emerging from the heat and humidity of the Cincinnati Open with another significant title,Fourteen hours later she was on court in New York, throwing herself into two long days of competition alongside her new partner, Casper Ruud,The stakes were low for singles players in the mixed doubles this week but every point she played meant more mental energy expended,There is still little time for Swiatek to reflect on how the summer has developed, but with the final grand slam tournament of the year starting on Sunday it is clear the past few months have become a defining moment in her career.

Swiatek started the season swimming upstream, still reeling from her doping case last year.She emerged from that difficult period with the most surprising, special victory of her career, a triumph on grass, her least favourite surface, at Wimbledon, which she sealed with a merciless 6-0, 6-0 demolition of Amanda Anisimova in the final.In stark contrast to the relief she felt after previous triumphs, this victory brought her only joy.That emotion has endured throughout Swiatek’s hard-court season, and as a result the Pole will begin the US Open as the favourite, seeking her seventh grand slam title.The competition, however, is varied and difficult.

Aryna Sabalenka rightfully remains the world No 1, although she has repeatedly frozen in the most significant moments, despite how frequently she has put herself in position to win big titles,After two major finals and a semi-final this year, the Belarusian’s US Open title defence represents her last opportunity to end a year of near misses with a massive victory,Sabalenka’s challenges, however, pale in comparison with Coco Gauff’s struggles,It was reasonable to assume the American’s triumph at the French Open, where she established herself as a multiple slam champion, would have inspired more freedom and confidence in her game,Instead, her serve has completely deteriorated over the past few months.

On the eve of the US Open, she took the decision to part ways with one of her coaches, Matthew Daly, and hire Gavin MacMillan, the biomechanics expert who helped to revive Sabalenka’s serve.It was a drastic move.As is always the case, a wide variety of characters can compete for the title, depending on how they are feeling in New York.Although Mirra Andreeva’s form has cooled over the past few months, the Russian has the talent to break through at any time.Madison Keys, the victor in Australia, and Anisimova had spectacular grand slam runs this year and can do so again on home soil.

Elena Rybakina appears to be on the verge of rediscovering her top form.Perhaps the Canadian Open will turn out to be a sign of things to come, with the 18-year-old Victoria Mboko putting together a spectacular breakout title win and Naomi Osaka showing promising signs by reaching the final.In contrast to the notable shifts in women’s tennis this year, absolutely nothing has changed at the top of the men’s game.Just as in Paris, Wimbledon and the Masters 1000 events since, the question remains whether any challenger is prepared to take down just one of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.As the gap between them and the rest of the field continues to grow, they will start the US Open attempting to contest a third consecutive grand slam final and a fifth final this year overall.

Novak Djokovic, now 38, has been the third-best player at the grand slam tournaments with three semi-finals.However, he has not competed since Wimbledon.After his straight-sets defeat by Sinner there in early July, Djokovic himself cast doubt on his ability to win his 25th grand slam title due to the physicality of these events across the best of five sets, which are increasingly difficult to navigate due to his ageing body.Sign up to The RecapThe best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend’s actionafter newsletter promotionOne of the most significant developments this summer has been Ben Shelton’s continued growth.He followed up his quarter-final run at Wimbledon by emerging from a bruising two weeks in Toronto with his first Masters 1000 title.

Already a two‑time grand slam semi‑finalist, the 22-year-old American produces his best tennis at the major tournaments and in front of home crowds.The coming weeks are a chance for him to consolidate his status as a top contender.In the spring it was Jack Draper who seemed to have positioned himself as the younger player most likely to challenge Sinner and Alcaraz, but the Briton’s last few months have been complicated.After frustrating defeats at the French Open and Wimbledon, a left forearm injury forced Draper off the tour for three months and he has not competed in singles since losing in SW19.A year after his first big grand slam breakthrough, a rousing semi-final run, he returns to the US Open without any hard‑court preparation.

Time is not on Draper’s side this week, but the qualities that have put him in this position as the fifth-best player in the world at a grand slam – his ability and ambition – mean he is more than capable of quickly finding his feet and taking another significant step forward.

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Federal Reserve set to cut interest rates – but still Trump won’t be happy

Stocks soared on Friday following the strongest signal yet that US the Federal Reserve is gearing up to start cutting interest rates again this fall. But how long can this celebration last?While Wall Street cheered the biggest headline from the speech by the Fed chair, Jerome Powell, at the annual Jackson Hole symposium in Wyoming, Powell also delivered a reality check on where interest rates could settle in the longer term.“We cannot say for certain where rates will settle out over the longer run, but their neutral level may now be higher than during the 2010s,” said Powell.In other words: even if the Fed does start cutting interest rates again this year, they may not fall back to their pre-pandemic levels. It’s a signal, despite the short-term optimism on potential rate cuts, that the Fed’s long-term outlook is more unstable

about 23 hours ago

Wall Street jumps after US Fed’s Powell signals possible rate cut – as it happened

US Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell has nodded to a possible rate cut at the central bank’s September meeting.However, Powell stopped short of committing to cutting rates next months during a speech to policymakers and economists at the Fed’s annual Jackson Hole conference.He acknowledged the tight rope that policymakers have to walk at a time of potential risks for the US jobs market, while there is the possibility that inflation moves higher.Powell said:The stability of the unemployment rate and other labour market measures allows us to proceed carefully as we consider changes to our policy stance. Nonetheless, with policy in restrictive territory, the baseline outlook and the shifting balance of risks may warrant adjusting our policy stance

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Trump says Intel has agreed to give US government a 10% stake

The US government has taken an unprecedented 10% stake in Intel under a deal with the struggling chipmaker and is planning more such moves, according to Donald Trump and the commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, the latest extraordinary intervention by the White House in corporate America.Lutnick wrote on X: “BIG NEWS: The United States of America now owns 10% of Intel, one of our great American technology companies. Thanks to Intel CEO @LipBuTan1 for striking a deal that’s fair to Intel and fair to the American People.”Trump met with Lip-Bu Tan on Friday and posed for a photo with Lutnick. The development follows a meeting between Tan and Trump earlier this month that was sparked by the US president’s demand for the Intel chief’s resignation over his ties to Chinese firms

about 22 hours ago

Elon Musk and X reach tentative settlement with laid-off Twitter staff

Elon Musk and his social media platform, X, reached a tentative settlement on Wednesday with former Twitter employees after a years-long legal battle over severance pay. Former staff had sought $500m in a proposed class action suit against the billionaire.A court filing released on Wednesday stated that both parties had reached a settlement agreement in principle and requested that a scheduled 17 September hearing in the case be postponed while they worked to finalize a deal. The filing did not disclose any details of the tentative agreement and it is unclear what level of compensation that former employees may receive.Former Twitter employees, led by Courtney McMillian and Ronald Cooper, alleged that the company failed to appropriately pay thousands of workers severance after conducting mass layoffs

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Ethical Diamond shines bright to hand William Buick a first success in the Ebor

It paid to follow the money in the Ebor as the 5-1 favourite, Ethical Diamond, one of two runners in the field from the Willie Mullins yard, replaced his stable companion, Hipop De Loire, at the top of the market and then came home as a comfortable winner under William Buick. Ascending (12-1), Queenstown (25-1) and Stressfree (28-1) were next across the line.It was a first success in Europe’s richest Flat handicap for Buick, and a third for Mullins, whose immense strength in depth over jumps is increasingly being deployed in major staying events on the Flat.“Willie said to let him float along down the back and that’s exactly what he did,” Buick said. “I’ve never won the Ebor before, but I’ve never had a better ride in the Ebor before, and when I asked him to accelerate, he was right there for me

about 5 hours ago

Amy Cokayne calls for England to be ‘more clinical’ despite USA thrashing

England want to be “more clinical” at the Women’s Rugby World Cup, their hooker Amy Cokayne said after the 69-7 thrashing of the USA in Friday’s opening game.While the Red Roses were dominant on the scoreboard, the performance was not the most efficient, with many try chances going begging because of errors. Cokayne, who is playing in her third World Cup, said England would be frustrated with the points they left out there and also a failure to deal cleanly with the USA’s kicks at restarts.“There are a few things that didn’t quite go right, so lots for us to work on,” the 29-year-old said. “We’ll look at it, but it is competition rugby

about 5 hours ago

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