Victory ensured Australian Open runner-up Rybakina won her second title of the year following her Indian Wells triumph and fifth overall. The 23-year-old, who won three of her matches in Rome after her opponents retired, will break into the top five on Monday. She also reached the final in Miami and heads to Roland Garros as a top contender for the year's second major.
* Holger Rune battled from a set and break down to seal a 6-7(2) 6-4 6-2 win over world number four Casper Ruud in an absorbing all-Scandinavian Italian Open semi-final on Saturday and will face Daniil Medvedev for the title. Medvedev, who has repeatedly said he feels more comfortable on hardcourts, continued his stellar run on clay with a 7-5 7-5 win over 2021 French Open runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas and will aim to capture his fifth crown of the year in Sunday's final.
* England's Chantelle Cameron scored the biggest win of her career by handing Irish fighter Katie Taylor her first professional defeat to retain her undisputed super-lightweight world championship title at the Three Arena on Saturday. The majority decision win on the judges' scorecards moves Cameron to 18-0 as a professional while Taylor, the undisputed lightweight champion and one of the most influential figures in women's boxing, drops to 22-1.
* National Treasure won the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore on Saturday, giving Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert a record-breaking eighth win in the middle jewel of US thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown. With John Velazquez aboard, National Treasure held off a late charge from Blazing Sevens. Kentucky Derby winner Mage finished third, meaning the chestnut colt will not have a shot at becoming US thoroughbred racing's 13th Triple Crown winner.
* Mikel Merino and Alexander Sorloth scored in each half to earn Real Sociedad a 2-1 win at Barcelona on Saturday, handing the LaLiga champions their first home defeat of the season on a day when they were celebrating their title triumph. With three games left, fourth-placed Real Sociedad moved on to 65 points and tightened their grip on the last Champions League qualification spot, five points ahead of fifth-placed Villarreal who beat Girona 2-1 earlier on Saturday.
* Nottingham Forest were rewarded for their faith in Steve Cooper, ensuring their survival in the Premier League with a thrilling 1-0 victory over Arsenal on Saturday in their penultimate game of a roller-coaster season. The victory put 16th-placed Forest six points clear of the relegation zone with 37. They have one game remaining, against Crystal Palace on May 28, to cap a remarkable first season back in the top flight in 23 years.
* Lille came from a goal down to earn a home 2-1 win over Olympique Marseille in Ligue 1 on Saturday as the race for the Champions League places intensified. Marseille remain third on 73 points and, despite the loss, can be sure of at least a place in the Champions League qualifying round for next season after Olympique Lyonnais beat fourth-placed AS Monaco 3-1 earlier on Saturday.
* An Olivier Giroud hat-trick helped AC Milan demolish already-relegated Sampdoria 5-1 in Serie A on Saturday, earning Stefano Pioli's side a much needed morale boost. Milan remain fifth on 64 points and have provisionally cut the gap with fourth-placed Lazio to one point before Maurizio Sarri's men travel to Udinese on Sunday.
* Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel was at a loss for words after his team gave up a 1-0 lead to slump to a 3-1 home defeat to RB Leipzig on Saturday and leaving their title hopes hanging in the balance with one game left in the season. Bayern remain in top spot on 68 points but Dortmund, on 67, are in action at Augsburg on Sunday and a win would see the Ruhr valley club go into next week's season finale in the driving seat.
* While Liverpool had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa that all but doused their hopes for a Champions League berth, manager Juergen Klopp said considering where his squad were a few weeks ago, he was satisfied with the result. Liverpool's chances at the Champions League are all but gone. They need to win their final game at Southampton, and have to hope Manchester United nor Newcastle take a point from either of the two games they each have left.
* Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti denied he has had offers from other clubs as rumours intensified in Italian media this week that he is set to leave the Serie A champions in the close season. The 64-year-old led Napoli to their first Serie A title in over 30 years and reached the Champions League quarter-finals, but the speculation around the future of Italian coach came amid comments from President Aurelio De Laurentiis who said he didn't want to 'clip the wings' of his tactician.
* A late goal by Joel Ward rescued a 2-2 draw for Crystal Palace at Fulham on Saturday, after the hosts' striker Aleksandar Mitrovic bagged two goals on his first start since serving an eight-match ban. Fulham have 52 points from 37 games - four behind ninth-placed Brentford - and remain 10th in the Premier League standings.
* Yerry Mina equalised in the 99th minute as relegation-threatened Everton secured a 1-1 draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday and a precious point in their bid to avoid dropping out of the Premier League.
* A late own goal sent holders Wydad Casablanca of Morocco into the African Champions League final on away goals after holding Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa to a 2-2 draw in Saturday’s semi-final second leg. Sundowns’ defender Mothobi Mvala powered a header into the back of his own net in a botched clearance eight minutes from time to hand Wydad a ticket to next month’s decider against Al Ahly of Egypt.
* Midfielder Casemiro scored a brilliant acrobatic volley to give Manchester United a 1-0 Premier League win at Bournemouth on Saturday that took them closer to Champions League football next season. United moved on to 69 points in fourth place in the table, behind Newcastle United on goal difference and needing one point from home games against Chelsea and Fulham next week to seal a return to European club soccer's most prestigious competition.
* German Nico Denz won stage 14 of the Giro d'Italia on Saturday with another powerful sprint to the finish line of the rain-soaked 193km ride from Sierre to Cassano Magnago, while France's Bruno Armirail seized the leader's maglia rosa jersey. Bora-Hansgrohe's Denz launched his sprint with Israel-PremierTech's Gee and Alberto Bettiol in hot pursuit and narrowly claimed his second stage victory after winning stage 12 this week.
* Union Berlin slumped to a 4-2 loss at Hoffenheim on Saturday to require victory on the last Bundesliga matchday to secure what would be a sensational Champions League spot for next season as fellow Berlin club Hertha were relegated. Union, this season's surprise team, have only themselves to blame for the defeat, gifting the first two goals to the hosts and remain fourth on 59 points, as many as fifth-placed Freiburg.
* Brentford shrugged off an eight-month ban imposed on striker Ivan Toney as Bryan Mbeumo scored twice in a 3-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday in their penultimate Premier League game of an impressive season. Tottenham have 57 points from 37 games, a point behind sixth-placed Brighton & Hove Albion who have a game in hand. Brentford, who host leaders Manchester City next week, have 56.
* Carlo Ancelotti ended any doubt about his immediate future on Saturday by saying he will honour the last year of his contract with Real Madrid amid interest from Brazil.
