Forest FA Cup Semi No Different to Other Games, Says Nuno

Football - Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur v Nottingham Forest - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - April 21, 2025 Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo celebrates after the match. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur v Nottingham Forest - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - April 21, 2025 Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo celebrates after the match. (Action Images via Reuters)
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Forest FA Cup Semi No Different to Other Games, Says Nuno

Football - Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur v Nottingham Forest - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - April 21, 2025 Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo celebrates after the match. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur v Nottingham Forest - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - April 21, 2025 Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo celebrates after the match. (Action Images via Reuters)

Nottingham Forest compete in their first FA Cup semi-final since 1991 this weekend, but with the club also aiming for Champions League qualification, the tie holds no more importance than their other games, manager Nuno Espirito Santo said on Friday.

Forest won that last semi-final but have not lifted the FA Cup since 1959, while their most recent trophy win was a League Cup success in 1990 which came during the club's golden era under Brian Clough.

Clough's Forest won the league title in 1978, back-to-back European Cups and four English League Cups, but were relegated in 1993 in his last season at the club.

Nuno has brought the good times back to the City Ground, and does not feel the need to change his approach ahead of Sunday's quarter-final clash with Manchester City.

"Inside our preparation, this game is not different from any other one," the Portuguese coach told reporters.

"So we have retained our normal cycle of preparation and we approach the same, knowing that it's going to be a tough match but it's a special occasion, we have to enjoy it.

"The importance of the game is exactly the same as the previous one, and the next one. So the approach is exactly the same."

Forest are fourth in the league standings, one point behind Manchester City, and aiming for a return to Europe's premier club competition for the first time since 1980.

After suffering two consecutive league losses, Forest bounced back with a 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Monday, which was also a much-needed confidence boost ahead of the Cup semis.

"It helps a lot. The best way to prepare the match is when you perform well in the previous one," Nuno said.

"And I think we did, we bounced back from previous performances and the players were good, so we are confident."

Forest reached the semi-final with three consecutive penalty shooutout wins against Exeter City, Ispwich Town and Brighton & Hove Albion, and the winner of Sunday's game will meet either Crystal Palace or Aston Villa who play on Saturday.



Paolini Beats Gauff to Become 1st Home Player in 40 Years to Win Italian Open

Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 17, 2025 Italy's Jasmine Paolini celebrates winning her final match against Coco Gauff of the US REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel
Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 17, 2025 Italy's Jasmine Paolini celebrates winning her final match against Coco Gauff of the US REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel
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Paolini Beats Gauff to Become 1st Home Player in 40 Years to Win Italian Open

Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 17, 2025 Italy's Jasmine Paolini celebrates winning her final match against Coco Gauff of the US REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel
Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 17, 2025 Italy's Jasmine Paolini celebrates winning her final match against Coco Gauff of the US REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel

Jasmine Paolini took advantage of the crowd’s support and beat Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-2 to become the first home player to win the Italian Open in 40 years on Saturday.

With top-ranked Jannik Sinner to play Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s final on Sunday, Italy could earn its first sweep of the Rome singles titles, The Associated Press reported.

The last Italian woman to win the open was Raffaella Reggi in 1985 in Taranto. The last local man to raise the trophy was Adriano Panatta in 1976.

Paolini and partner Sara Errani are also in the women’s doubles final and will play Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens for that trophy on Sunday.

With the country’s tennis boom in full force, Italy President Sergio Mattarella attended the woman’s final at the Foro Italico.

Numerous fans held aloft Italian flags and they constantly shouted “Vai Jasmine” (“Go Jasmine”).

The fifth-ranked Paolini was the runner-up at the French Open and Wimbledon and led Italy to the Billie Jean King Cup title last year. She’ll move up to No. 4 in the rankings on Monday — which will improve her position in the draw for the French Open next weekend.

Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion who was ranked No. 3, struggled with unforced errors and double faults. It’s the second time in two clay-court tournaments that Gauff has finished runner-up. She lost the Madrid Open final two weeks ago to Aryna Sabalenka.

Paolini also beat Gauff at a clay-court event in Stuttgart, Germany, in April.
Monica Seles in 1990 was the last woman to sweep Rome’s singles and doubles titles in the same year.