Sport from Wednesday, September 9th, 2026

Second seed Elena Rybakina ended Chinese qualifier Zheng Qinwen's stirring US Open run with a 3-6 6-1 6-4 victory on Wednesday, advancing to the semi-finals and securing the world number one ranking for the first time.

England are on course to complete a series whitewash after Pakistan’s brittle batting collapsed again on the opening day of the third test at Edgbaston on Wednesday.

Ben Shelton beat defending champion Carlos Alcaraz 6-7(5) 6-1 6-3 1-6 7-6(10-7) in the early hours of Wednesday to reach the semi-finals of the US Open in the latest-finishing match in tournament history.

Jessica Pegula has reached the US Open semifinals for a third straight year, coming from a set down to beat Emma Navarro 3-6 6-4 6-3 in an all-American clash on Tuesday.

Frances Tiafoe has recovered from two sets and a break down to beat US compatriot Alex Michelsen 5-7 3-6 7-5 6-3 7-6(6) at the US Open on Tuesday, reaching the semi-finals for a third time in a thrilling fightback.

Real Madrid has punished two costly Inter Milan mistakes to win their Champions League opener 2-1 on Tuesday, with Kylian Mbappe and Federico Valverde scoring and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois keeping the visitors at bay at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Lionel Messi is close to completing a deal to buy Spanish second-tier club CD Eldense, adding to his growing portfolio of football ownership interests, according to multiple reports in Spain.