Southgate Says He Hasn’t Made Decision on Grealish for Euros Squad 

Football - International Friendly - England Training - Rockliffe Park, Middlesbrough, Britain - June 2, 2024 England manager Gareth Southgate during training. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - International Friendly - England Training - Rockliffe Park, Middlesbrough, Britain - June 2, 2024 England manager Gareth Southgate during training. (Action Images via Reuters)
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Southgate Says He Hasn’t Made Decision on Grealish for Euros Squad 

Football - International Friendly - England Training - Rockliffe Park, Middlesbrough, Britain - June 2, 2024 England manager Gareth Southgate during training. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - International Friendly - England Training - Rockliffe Park, Middlesbrough, Britain - June 2, 2024 England manager Gareth Southgate during training. (Action Images via Reuters)

England manager Gareth Southgate is still weighing up the attacking options for his Euro 2024 squad and said that while Jack Grealish has not played as much as he would have liked this season, he is still in the running to make the cut.

Marcus Rashford was left out of the provisional 33-man squad for Germany and there has been talk that Grealish could be the next big name axed with Southgate set to cut the squad to 26 players by June 7.

Grealish made just 20 Premier League appearances for Manchester City this season, scoring three goals, and was an unused substitute in their FA Cup final defeat by Manchester United last month.

Asked if Grealish was in danger of missing out, Southgate said: "I don't think we're defining that just yet. I think we know where we're likely to be.

"I haven't talked to him specifically about the Cup final. But he has been really bright and he loves being here.

"This season he has not played as much. I'm sure he would have liked that to be different but we know the qualities he can bring. He is a player we enjoy working with."

Southgate added there was time for people to impress in friendlies against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iceland this week.

The likes of James Maddison, Eberechi Eze, Cole Palmer and Jarrod Bowen are all pushing for berths in the squad and Southgate said he had not settled on how many attacking players he would need.

"What we don't totally know is how many we need to take or how many we can allow ourselves to take because of the cover we might need in other positions as well," he added.

England host Bosnia at St. James' Park later on Monday and Iceland at Wembley on Friday before opening their Euro 2024 campaign on June 16 against Serbia in Group C.



Sabalenka Sees off Pavlyuchenkova to Reach Australian Open Semifinals 

 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus celebrates winning her Women's Singles quarterfinal match against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 21 January 2025. (EPA)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus celebrates winning her Women's Singles quarterfinal match against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 21 January 2025. (EPA)
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Sabalenka Sees off Pavlyuchenkova to Reach Australian Open Semifinals 

 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus celebrates winning her Women's Singles quarterfinal match against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 21 January 2025. (EPA)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus celebrates winning her Women's Singles quarterfinal match against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 21 January 2025. (EPA)

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka reached the semifinals of the Australian Open with a battling 6-2 2-6 6-3 win over Russian 27th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, as her quest for a third straight title at Melbourne Park gained momentum.

Sabalenka had looked shaky early in her quest to become the first woman to complete a "three-peat" since Martina Hingis from 1997-99 and the top seed had to manage gusty winds and a gutsy opponent to extend her Melbourne win streak to 19 matches.

"Honestly, I was just praying today. I was just praying to put the ball back in these tough conditions," Sabalenka said.

"We both were trying to put the ball back. It was very difficult to play. She played amazing tennis, aggressive. I'm super happy I was able to somehow magically win this match."

After three straightforward holds of serve at the start of the match, Sabalenka displayed the variety she has added to her game with a drop shot from deep to earn break points and then converted it with a more familiar backhand bullet.

Pavlyuchenkova, who has the word "MEOW" tattooed on her leg in sharp contrast to the tiger on Sabalenka's arm, attempted to claw her way back in a tight game that followed but only found herself in more trouble down 4-1 after a shot into the net.

"I was born in the year of tiger and I literally dreamt for six months about getting a tiger tattoo," Sabalenka added of the animal that has become her totem.

"After six months of this crazy dream, I was like 'you know what, I have to go and get it done' and now, it's a reminder to never give up and just stay aggressive, stay hungry and push yourself no matter what what's going on in your life."

A running crosscourt winner handed Sabalenka the first set but the 26-year-old Belarusian squandered break points early in the next set before surrendering her serve for the first time, as Pavlyuchenkova showed her own repertoire of big shots.

Sabalenka splashed cold water on her face after dropping serve again to go 4-1 down and despite pulling one back with a sliced winner, the world number one allowed Pavlyuchenkova to level up the contest on Rod Laver Arena.

The breaks of serve flowed at the start of the decider before Sabalenka settled herself with a hold to go ahead 3-2 and then 5-3 up with a crucial break, which allowed her to secure victory and book a clash with her best friend Paula Badosa.

"Sometimes maybe it's good to have these tough battles, to go through it, to be tougher for the last stages of the tournament," Sabalenka said.

"I wish I would win this match in straight sets but it is how it is. I'm glad I'm in the semis and I cannot wait to play against Paula."