Defending his title from last year, Alcaraz will be looking to celebrate his 20th birthday on Friday with a win against either Croatian Borna Coric or surprise German qualifier Daniel Altmaier in his sixth Masters 1000 event semi-final.
* More than half a million people have applied for a place in the 2024 edition of the London Marathon, the organisers said on Thursday. In total, 578,374 applications have been received to participate in the April 21 marathon in London, with the number eclipsing the previous mark of 457,861 set pre-pandemic in 2019 by applicants for the 2020 edition.
* Britain's Emma Raducanu will miss the French Open and Wimbledon while she recovers from surgery on her wrists and ankle, the former U.S. Open champion said on Wednesday.
* Dusan Vlahovic shot Juventus into second place in Serie A on Wednesday (May 3) with his first Serie A goal in nearly three months which earned his team a 2-1 win over struggling Lecce.
* Botswana's Nijel Amos has been banned for three years after the 2012 Olympic 800 metres silver medallist tested positive for a banned metabolite, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said on Wednesday. The AIU said the ban would come into effect from July 12 2022, which was the date of his provisional suspension, and end on July 11 2025.
* Sam Kerr netted a late winner to keep Chelsea in the driving seat for the Women's Super League title as they came from a goal down to beat Liverpool 2-1 at Kingsmeadow on Wednesday despite a superb defensive performance from the visitors. Chelsea are in third place in the table on 43 points after 17 games, four behind Manchester United and one behind Manchester City, but the Blues have two games in hand over the Manchester clubs.
* Sky broadcast executive Marina Storti has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of WTA Ventures, the new commercial entity of the governing body of women's tennis. Storti, who most recently ran Sky's sport, cinema and entertainment streaming platform NOW after becoming its managing director in April 2019, is expected to begin her new role in August and will also be on the WTA Ventures board.
* Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara will miss the remainder of the season to undergo a minor operation for a hip issue, British media reported on Tuesday. The Spaniard has played 28 times for Liverpool in all competitions this season and only recently returned to action after two months out with a hip flexor problem.
* Leeds have sacked manager Javi Gracia and appointed Sam Allardyce for the final four games of the season as they scramble to avoid relegation from the Premier League. The Spaniard leaves Elland Road after just 10 weeks and 12 games in charge, with the club outside the drop zone only on goal difference.
* A reunion is on the cards for former Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho, with his current Roma side set to square off against Spurs at Singapore's National Stadium on Jul 26. Promoters TEG Sport and Left Field Live confirmed the football friendly in a press release on Wednesday (May 3). The 7.30pm match will be part of both Tottenham Hotspur and AS Roma's pre-season tours.
