Injured Tomiyasu Still Weeks Away from Arsenal Return, Arteta Says 

Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta shouts instructions to the players from the touchline during the pre-season friendly football match for the Emirates Cup final between Arsenal and and Lyon, at the Emirates Stadium in London on August 11, 2024. (AFP)
Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta shouts instructions to the players from the touchline during the pre-season friendly football match for the Emirates Cup final between Arsenal and and Lyon, at the Emirates Stadium in London on August 11, 2024. (AFP)
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Injured Tomiyasu Still Weeks Away from Arsenal Return, Arteta Says 

Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta shouts instructions to the players from the touchline during the pre-season friendly football match for the Emirates Cup final between Arsenal and and Lyon, at the Emirates Stadium in London on August 11, 2024. (AFP)
Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta shouts instructions to the players from the touchline during the pre-season friendly football match for the Emirates Cup final between Arsenal and and Lyon, at the Emirates Stadium in London on August 11, 2024. (AFP)

Arsenal will be without defender Takehiro Tomiyasu for the start of their Premier League campaign as the Japan international will be out for weeks with a knee injury, manager Mikel Arteta said on Sunday.

Tomiyasu, 25, was left out of Arsenal's pre-season tour in the US due to the injury, and was also absent from Sunday's 2-0 win over Lyon in London.

"I think it will take weeks on that one unfortunately," Arteta told reporters of Tomiyasu's injury. "He's going to have to be patient and work through it because I think it's going to take a few weeks."

Dutch defender Jurrien Timber, who missed most of last season due to an anterior cruciate ligament tear that required surgery, also missed Sunday's game with a knee injury but is expected rejoin the first team in the next week, Arteta added.

Arsenal, last season's runners-up, begin their Premier League campaign on Saturday at home against Wolverhampton Wanderers.



Swiatek’s Struggles Continue as Title Defense in Rome Ended by Collins

 Poland's Iga Swiatek reacts during the women's singles match against US' Danielle Collins of the WTA Rome Open tennis tournament at Foro Italico in Rome on May 10, 2025. (AFP)
Poland's Iga Swiatek reacts during the women's singles match against US' Danielle Collins of the WTA Rome Open tennis tournament at Foro Italico in Rome on May 10, 2025. (AFP)
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Swiatek’s Struggles Continue as Title Defense in Rome Ended by Collins

 Poland's Iga Swiatek reacts during the women's singles match against US' Danielle Collins of the WTA Rome Open tennis tournament at Foro Italico in Rome on May 10, 2025. (AFP)
Poland's Iga Swiatek reacts during the women's singles match against US' Danielle Collins of the WTA Rome Open tennis tournament at Foro Italico in Rome on May 10, 2025. (AFP)

Holder Iga Swiatek crashed out of the Italian Open to American Danielle Collins after a 6-1 7-5 third-round loss on Saturday in a major upset that will cost the Pole the world number two ranking as the defense of her French Open title looms.

Swiatek held a commanding 7-1 head-to-head record against Collins before the contest and yet another early defeat does not bode well for the 23-year-old, who has not won a tournament since her fourth triumph at Roland Garros last year.

"I played against Iga so many times ... When you play that many close matches and get this close and also play some of your best tennis and lose, I think you learn a lot," Collins, 31, said. "I feel like I applied that today, to the match."

Five-times Grand Slam champion Swiatek went 5-0 down in the opening set before getting on the board to avoid a bagel.

Collins was lethal from the baseline, mixing it up with forehand and backhand service return winners as she picked apart Swiatek's serve in an opening set that was one-way traffic.

The second was level at 4-4 as Swiatek showed flashes of brilliance, but 31-year-old 2022 Australian Open runner-up Collins showed no mercy, sealing victory in one hour and 44 minutes when a return went wide.

Collins fired 32 winners and converted six of eight break points while Swiatek, who had won the tournament three times in the last four years, made 22 unforced errors.

Swiatek has lost nine matches this year - as many as in all of 2024 - while she has not reached a claycourt final ahead of her bid to retain the French Open title later this month.