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Emma Raducanu: British No 1 reveals new coach Francisco Roig is helping her ‘not be a perfectionist’ ahead of US Open second round

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Emma Raducanu won her first match at the US Open since becoming champion in 2021; Raducanu is competing in her first Grand Slam under new coach Francisco Roig; The US Open is live on Sky Sports Tennis and Sky Sports+, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app

Emma Raducanu says new coach Francisco Roig is helping her “not be a perfectionist” after an impressive straight-sets win in the first round of the US Open.

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Raducanu recorded her fastest professional win as she crushed Japanese qualifier Ena Shibahara 6-1 6-2 in 62 minutes and will play another qualifier, Janice Tjen, in the next round on Wednesday, live on Sky Sports.

The 22-year-old has spent the majority of this season without a permanent coach but signed a contract with Rafael Nadal’s former coach Roig earlier this month following a trial in July after she was beaten by Aryna Sabalenka in the third round of Wimbledon.

Raducanu narrowly lost out to world No 1 Sabalenka again at the Cincinnati Open but visibly played with more aggression and served more accurately, areas of improvement she demonstrated in her dominant victory over Shibahara.

“I’m really enjoying working with Francis. He’s a great person to have on and off the court,” Raducanu told Sky Sports Tennis.

“He is chatty and great fun off the court, we have a lot of laughs which definitely helps. He’s great at having that calm and composure about him, reassuring me that all the work we’re doing off the court doesn’t need to pay off straight away but I know we are working towards something and building day by day.

“I can be pretty tough on myself sometimes. He just helps a lot with trying to be not such a perfectionist.”

Roig’s voice has often been picked up by the broadcast microphones when he’s given advice to Raducanu during the match.

However, the British No 1 says she has needed to lip-read Roig given the noise of the crowd.

“I really don’t hear much at all. It’s really difficult unless you’re at the box and you’re speaking very close and looking, it’s so hard to hear,” she said.

“I probably don’t take in much of what he’s saying, but I think, when I feel like I really need it, then I will go and look and will understand.

“But for the most part, especially when you’re in a match like Sunday, I felt like I had most things kind of under control on my side of the court. I just want to stay in my zone and keep going with what I’m doing.”

Raducanu: I put a lot of trust in Roig

There has been a lot of attention on Raducanu’s coaches during her career after several changes over the last four years.

Her first professional coach Nigel Sears left after she reached the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2021, before she chose not to extend her contract with Andrew Richardson, who helped the then 18-year-old to a memorable US Open title.

Torben Beltz had a short spell as her coach between November 2021 and April 2022, before being replaced by Dimitri Tursunov, who warned of “red flags” if Raducanu continued to listen to too many voices.

“I think the biggest milestones are I put a lot of trust in what I’m doing with Francisco on the practice court,” said Raducanu.

“I think we’re just working really well, doing the right stuff on the practice court, and I just feel like I’m improving. To take confidence from what I’m doing behind the scenes and not just because I have won these matches on the tour. I’m doing a lot day to day. It’s going well, and I’m enjoying it.

“I’m enjoying getting better, and the process of feeling like at the end of the day I’m satisfied I got a little bit better, and just repeating it. I think that’s probably the biggest success and reason to why I feel the way I do right now.”

 

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Paige Spiranac’s surprising NFL fandom confession triggers heated debate over loyalty, authenticity, and fan culture

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The 2026 NFL Draft starts Thursday night in Pittsburgh, and the spotlight isn’t only on prospects and front offices. Golf influencer Paige Spiranac has again found herself pulled into NFL conversation, this time for her open support of multiple teams.

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With the Steelers hosting the first round, her long-standing connection to Pittsburgh has resurfaced. But it’s not just about hometown ties. Her broader fandom, which stretches beyond one franchise, continues to draw mixed reactions at a time when fan loyalty is often treated as non-negotiable.

Paige Spiranac roots for 2 NFL teams: Who are they?

Paige Spiranac has never hidden where her loyalties lie, even if they don’t fit the usual mold. She has consistently pointed to her roots while leaving space for other allegiances.

“Both my parents are from Pittsburgh so I’ve been a Steelers ..fan since the day I was born. I also love the Bills. It’s a complicated relationship…Who’s your team?” she previously asked her followers. It’s a candid admission, one that reflects personal history more than calculated fandom.

Still, the reaction has been sharp. NFL culture tends to rew ..

 

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Quiet moments on the course can say a lot about what’s coming next.

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Sometimes the most important work happens when nobody is really watching.
Lexi Thompson was out on the 18th green, working through her putting during a practice round ahead of the Chevron Championship in Houston.

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It’s a simple scene, but it shows the kind of quiet preparation that goes into these big tournaments—getting the feel of the greens, adjusting to conditions, and building trust in every stroke.

These are the small details that can shape how a player starts when the pressure kicks in.

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Predicting what will happen to Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson if LIV Golf collapses

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It looks like LIV Golf is over.

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The Saudi Public Investment Fund has reportedly decided that this league simply isn’t worth the hole it’s burning in their pocket, and they’re pulling funds at the end of 2026.

That gives them less than a year to seek new investment. While CEO Scott O’Neil seems confident, it’s going to be extremely difficult to secure funding for a league that is operating at such eye-watering losses.

So this probably pulls the curtain closed on one of the most turbulent, frustrating, confusing, and ridiculous eras in golfing history. Hopefully, we can all return to some reality after the year is over.

But there is still so much uncertainty surrounding golf’s future thanks to this. Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed saw the signs early and jumped ship, but they did that with some leverage. So what on earth is going to happen to the rest of these players who didn’t take the olive branch when it was offered to them?

Feelings will be hurt, and careers will be ended. Let’s take a look.

Jon Rahm rejoins the PGA Tour

Koepka returned to the PGA Tour under the returning member program, which saw him pay $5 million to charity, accept that he’ll receive no FedEx Cup bonus money, and agree he cannot be a sponsor exemption for the 2026 signature events.

 

That same deal was offered to Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau. They didn’t accept it, but a similar offer will likely be handed out to them again.

 

If LIV Golf folds, Rahm will not hold the same leverage as Koepka did, but he is a bigger star at this stage of his career. Make no mistake, the PGA Tour will want him back immediately.

But Rahm does risk leaving himself without any options at all. Reed didn’t come straight back to the PGA Tour, so he’s spending a year on the DP World Tour first. You’d imagine Rahm would consider doing the same, but it might not be so easy for him.

Rahm is in a feud with the DP World Tour, as the only one of eight players to reject a deal which would have seen him retain his full-time membership. If Rahm agreed to play in six DP World Tour events this year, then he could have played on both LIV Golf and the tour. He did not agree.

For now, his membership is at risk. So, will it be possible for him to spend a season on the DP World Tour like Reed? Maybe not. That makes it all the more likely that Rahm will be back on the PGA Tour the moment LIV folds.

Bryson DeChambeau does YouTube full-time

With DeChambeau, I don’t think it’s as much of a done deal that he returns to the PGA Tour. Not immediately anyway.

He’s been negotiating his contract with LIV, which expires at the end of this season. During these negotiations, he’s made it very clear that he is completely willing to step away from full-time competition and be a full-time YouTuber.

DeChambeau’s channel has over two million subscribers, so he could feasibly do that with all of the money he’s making there.

He was annoyed to see LIV move to a four-day format, so he could commit himself fully to being the content king. It would be a wild thing to do, but it’s also exactly the kind of move you could see the two-time major winner making.

He could qualify for The Open Championship and the US Open, and earn enough points there to play The Masters and the PGA Championship. It’s possible.

He does seem to live for competition, so maybe YouTube won’t quite scratch the itch, but it is on the table for DeChambeau. At least for a year until his suspension expires. Out of Rahm and DeChambeau, the American is absolutely the least likely to take a deal.

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