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Home Hero Vacherot Thrilled to Beat Musetti in Monte Carlo

Tennis - ATP Masters 1000 - Monte Carlo Masters - Monte Carlo Country Club, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France - April 8, 2026 Monaco's Valentin Vacherot reacts during his round of 32 match against Italy's Lorenzo Musetti REUTERS/Manon Cruz
Tennis - ATP Masters 1000 - Monte Carlo Masters - Monte Carlo Country Club, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France - April 8, 2026 Monaco's Valentin Vacherot reacts during his round of 32 match against Italy's Lorenzo Musetti REUTERS/Manon Cruz
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Home Hero Vacherot Thrilled to Beat Musetti in Monte Carlo

Tennis - ATP Masters 1000 - Monte Carlo Masters - Monte Carlo Country Club, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France - April 8, 2026 Monaco's Valentin Vacherot reacts during his round of 32 match against Italy's Lorenzo Musetti REUTERS/Manon Cruz
Tennis - ATP Masters 1000 - Monte Carlo Masters - Monte Carlo Country Club, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France - April 8, 2026 Monaco's Valentin Vacherot reacts during his round of 32 match against Italy's Lorenzo Musetti REUTERS/Manon Cruz

Monaco's Valentin Vacherot could barely have scripted his second career win over a top-five player better after he defeated world number five Lorenzo Musetti 7-6(6) 7-5 in front of a joyous home crowd at the Monte-Carlo Masters on Wednesday.

The victory made the 27-year-old just the second Monegasque, after his half-brother and coach Benjamin Balleret, to reach the Monte-Carlo Masters third round, Reuters reported.

It also marked his second win over a top-five ⁠ranked opponent following ⁠his triumph over 24-times Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic en route to his maiden ATP title at the Shanghai Masters last year.

"If someone had told me that my first top-five win of the season, second ⁠after Shanghai, would be here on a night session, on the center court that I've been hitting on since I'm six years old, I wouldn't have believed it," Vacherot said on court.

"Maybe people don't know that I love clay. I grew up playing here for 18 years before going to college and learning how to play on hard courts. ⁠But this ⁠is where I learned how to play tennis.

"Let's say I needed a set and a half to get on it in the first round. And now my game is back."

Vacherot, who rocketed from number 204 in the world to number 40 after his win in Shanghai and also reached the third round of the Australian Open this year, takes on Poland's Hubert Hurkacz later on Thursday.

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Guardiola Set for Emotional Man City Farewell After Era-Defining Decade

Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola poses with the trophy on the pitch after the English FA Cup final football match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley stadium in London, on May 16, 2026. (AFP)
Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola poses with the trophy on the pitch after the English FA Cup final football match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley stadium in London, on May 16, 2026. (AFP)
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Guardiola Set for Emotional Man City Farewell After Era-Defining Decade

Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola poses with the trophy on the pitch after the English FA Cup final football match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley stadium in London, on May 16, 2026. (AFP)
Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola poses with the trophy on the pitch after the English FA Cup final football match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley stadium in London, on May 16, 2026. (AFP)

Pep Guardiola is expected to take charge of Manchester City for the final time on Sunday, drawing the curtain down on a decade that has reshaped not only his club but English football itself.

When the Catalan arrived in 2016, he was already regarded as one of the game's great innovators. What followed was something even more profound: a transformational reign that turned City from wealthy contenders into the defining team of an era.

Ten years on, Guardiola leaves City having won 15 major trophies, not including the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup.

His trophy cabinet includes six Premier League titles -- including a record four in a row -- and the club's first Champions League crown, a haul that places him among the most successful ‌managers in English ‌football history.

This season alone, he has guided City to both the League ‌Cup ⁠and FA Cup ⁠titles, and pushed Arsenal right to the wire in the Premier League race.

His final match, expected to be Sunday's league game against Aston Villa, will close the book on a story of dominance, reinvention and influence that extended far beyond results.

And the Etihad Stadium crowd will surely soak up every second, singing their tribute song to their beloved manager: "We've got . . . Guardiola!" to the tune of The Dave Clark Five's "Glad All Over".

Guardiola's legacy at City is measured not just in silverware but in the scale of control his teams exerted. At their peak, ⁠they amassed points totals previously unimaginable, winning four straight league titles between ‌2021 and 2024 and forcing rivals into near-perfection just to keep ‌pace.

In 2023, they completed the treble, joining Manchester United's 1999 side as the only English teams to hoist the ‌league, FA Cup and Champions League trophies in the same season.

GAME CHANGER

The 55-year-old is credited with changing ‌the game by imposing a level of control and technical precision rarely seen in English football, turning City into the benchmark for how the game could be played.

His teams did not simply win; they dominated by keeping the ball, dictating tempo and suffocating opponents through positional play and relentless pressing.

Beyond the results, fans will surely miss Guardiola's entertaining, ‌restless presence. Usually dressed in his favored knit jumpers and smart trousers, he prowls the technical area, arms cutting through the air as he ⁠points, waves and barks instructions.

Frustration ⁠flashes quickly, sometimes with a sharp kick at a cooler. He has been known to cushion stray balls with a deft touch of a foot, or turn and encourage the crowd to cheer.

He frequently speaks to opposing players on the pitch after matches, to offer tactical tips or praise a performance.

City's players have praised his impact and marveled at his relentless quest for excellence.

"He changed the way I see football," City captain Bernardo Silva said after Saturday's FA Cup win.

"That winning mentality is nothing like I've ever seen," defender John Stones added.

For all the tactics, Guardiola's greatest legacy will have been cultural. He made style the norm and forced the Premier League to evolve around it.

If Sunday indeed ends his tenure, his influence will not fade.

Sports

Stuttering Sabalenka Seeks to Set Down Marker at Roland Garros

Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka returns the ball to Romania's Sorana Cirstea during their match at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Saturday, May 9, 2026. (AP)
Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka returns the ball to Romania's Sorana Cirstea during their match at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Saturday, May 9, 2026. (AP)
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Stuttering Sabalenka Seeks to Set Down Marker at Roland Garros

Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka returns the ball to Romania's Sorana Cirstea during their match at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Saturday, May 9, 2026. (AP)
Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka returns the ball to Romania's Sorana Cirstea during their match at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Saturday, May 9, 2026. (AP)

Aryna Sabalenka looked unbeatable when the clay-court season got underway last month, but now as the world number one arrives in Paris for her latest tilt at winning Roland Garros, her dominance of the women's game has started to show cracks.

The four-time Grand Slam champion still holds more than 1,000 ranking points on her closest challengers but foremost on her mind over the next fortnight will be going one better than her runner-up finish last year in the French capital, when she lost in three sets to Coco Gauff.

If her aims ahead of the tournament, which starts on Sunday, mirror that of her men's counterpart, Jannik Sinner who is also hunting a first title on the red dirt in Paris, Sabalenka's stranglehold over her competitors is suddenly a lot less dominant than the Italian's.

When Sabalenka swept to the Sunshine Double at the WTA 1000 hardcourt events in Indian Wells and Miami in March, she had then won three of the four tournaments she had played in this season -- the only blight on that record being a three-set defeat to Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open final.

And as she jetted into Madrid for the start of the European clay swing on a 15-match winning streak, it had seemed little would stand in her way to claiming a fourth career title at the Caja Magica as she began preparations for the French Open.

But a quarter-final exit at the hands of 30th seed Hailey Baptiste put paid to the Belarusian's ambitions in Spain, before she followed that up by crashing out of the Italian Open against a resurgent Sorana Cirstea in the third round, after which she said she felt like "my body was limiting me from performing on the highest level".

"I guess we never lose; we only learn, so it's OK," Sabalenka mused after exiting a 1000 tournament at the round-of-32 stage for the first time since February 2025.

With the 28-year-old top seed now looking uncertain on the clay, the draw again appears to be wide open.

- 'Big battles' -

Rybakina, who beat Sabalenka in last season's WTA Finals decider and then in Melbourne in January to claim her second major title, will be one of the main contenders despite having never progressed beyond the last eight at Roland Garros.

The Kazakh world number two is the player who has arguably enjoyed the best season on the tour this year, barring Sabalenka, and last month won indoor on the clay in Stuttgart but similarly had disappointing runs in Madrid and Rome.

Iga Swiatek, the erstwhile "queen of clay", has of late shown glimpses of the form that took her to world number one and four Roland Garros titles in the early 2020s.

Since her last triumph in Paris two years ago, the 24-year-old has struggled to find consistency but will be hoping her new collaboration with Rafael Nadal's former coach Francisco Roig can help her re-find her best tennis on the surface she had for so long dominated.

Defending champion Gauff will certainly not cede her title lightly and the world number four enters the fray on the back of a strong run in Rome, which ultimately ended in defeat at the final hurdle to the in-form Elina Svitolina.

The 31-year-old Ukrainian has won two titles already this year, including a first 1000-level crown in eight years at the Italian Open, and will certainly fancy a deep run in Paris, after reaching the final eight for the fifth time in her career last year.

"(Winning Rome) gives me a lot of confidence. Gives me a good look at Roland Garros," Svitolina said.

"But... There are really tough players. You cannot underestimate (them). You need to be ready for the first-round matches, big battles. Everybody's there to beat you."

Alongside Svitolina, Madrid Open winner Marta Kostyuk, rising starlets Mirra Andreeva, Iva Jovic and Victoria Mboko, as well as Amanda Anisimova will be dark horses for a maiden Grand Slam title.

Sports

World Cup Glory Attracts Superstar Coaches into International Battle

Coach Carlo Ancelotti arrives to announce Brazil's squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Rio de Janeiro, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP)
Coach Carlo Ancelotti arrives to announce Brazil's squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Rio de Janeiro, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP)
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World Cup Glory Attracts Superstar Coaches into International Battle

Coach Carlo Ancelotti arrives to announce Brazil's squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Rio de Janeiro, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP)
Coach Carlo Ancelotti arrives to announce Brazil's squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Rio de Janeiro, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP)

The 2026 World Cup has bucked the trend of international football's struggles to compete with the riches of the club game when it comes to securing some of the world's best coaches.

AFP Sports looks at five of the big names who have been lured by the quest for World Cup glory:

Thomas Tuchel (England)

The former Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain boss has become the English Football Association's latest gun for hire in a bid to end a wait to win a major tournament that stretches back to 1966.

Englishman Gareth Southgate came closer than any of his predecessors to ending that drought when in charge of the Three Lions, reaching two finals of the Euros, plus a World Cup quarter and semi-final.

But Southgate's in-game management and tactical acumen was often questioned in the biggest games.

A Champions League winner during his time at Chelsea, Tuchel boasts a more impressive CV at club level.

But questions remain over how his methods will transfer to the very different demands of international tournament football, particularly in the oppressive conditions that a squad run down by the rigors of the exhausting schedule of English football is expected to face.

Carlo Ancelotti (Brazil)

After decades of coming up short against European opposition in the latter stages of the World Cup, Brazil have turned to one of European football's greatest ever coaches to end the 24-year wait for a sixth star upon the famous yellow jersey.

By a distance the most successful boss in Champions League history with five titles, Ancelotti is an expert in navigating knockout football and the Italian already has experience working with some of the stars at his disposal.

Vinicius Junior's best football of his career came under Ancelotti's orders at Real Madrid.

A squad lacking some of the magic synonymous with Brazil sides of previous World Cups will need Vinicius at his best if they are to conquer the world again.

Famous for keeping a cool head and egos in check, Ancelotti can bring calm to the Selecao's often over-emotional quest to rule the world once more.

Mauricio Pochettino (US)

After a rollercoaster two years in charge without much competitive football, Pochettino's time in the States faces the acid test.

The Argentine has at times clashed with local media, while results have been underwhelming.

The US have failed to win either the Gold Cup or CONCACAF Nations League under Pochettino, losing in embarrassing fashion on home soil to Panama, Mexico and Canada.

Hope that a corner had been turned in impressive friendly wins over Uruguay and Japan was quickly quelled by comprehensive defeats to Portugal and Belgium in March.

Marcelo Bielsa (Uruguay)

A reference point for many of the top coaches of the modern game from Pep Guardiola to Pochettino, Bielsa has possibly a final chance to shine on the global stage as he leads a third different nation at a World Cup.

Landmark victories over Brazil and Argentina in qualifying fueled the optimism that greeted the Argentine's arrival on the other side of the Rio de la Plata.

But in a familiar pattern to Bielsa's career in club coaching, cracks have begun to appear with a squad struggling to match his famously exacting standards.

Luis Suarez hit out at Bielsa's methods after retiring from international football, claiming he had reduced former Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez to tears at half-time of a 2-0 win over Argentina such was the force of his criticism.

Results have also regressed, with Bielsa stating he was "ashamed" by a 5-1 friendly defeat to the USA in November.

Bielsa oversaw his native Argentina's disappointing group stage exit at the 2002 World Cup, but guided Chile to the last 16 in South Africa 16 years ago.

Julian Nagelsmann (Germany)

Nagelsmann fell just short of delivering glory to Germany on home soil at the Euros two years ago when they were knocked out by eventual winners Spain in the quarter-finals and he is expected to have just one more shot before returning to the club game.

Still aged just 38, the former Bayern Munich boss restored pride to die Mannschaft after a disastrous run of three major tournaments without a knockout victory between 2018 and 2024, which included two consecutive group stage exits from the World Cup.

Nagelsmann may need all of his tactical nous if Germany are to move alongside Brazil as the most successful nation in World Cup history.

Complicating his task, the key trio of Florian Wirtz, Jamal Musiala and Kai Havertz have endured difficult club seasons due to form or fitness.