French Open: Mensik seals first-ever Grand Slam semifinal; Zverev bea…

Paris [France], June 3 (ANI): Jakub Mensik sealed his first-ever major semifinal spot, beating teen sensation Joao Fonseca in the quarterfinal of the French Open on Tuesday night.

The 20-year-old Mensik overcame 19-year-old Fonseca 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(3). The clash between two of tennis’s most exciting young talents saw Mensik absorbing and giving back to Fonseca’s firepower, and he became the first man born after 2004 or later to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam in a match that lasted two hours and 33 minutes. afnews.co.za

Both stars were competing in their first-ever Grand Slam quarterfinals, and it was Mensik who rose to the occasion, becoming the youngest Czech player to reach the semifinal of a Grand Slam.

“We started a little bit nervous, then at the end of the match, there were some incredible shots," Mensik said in his on-court interview as per ATP’s official website. “I am super happy that I came back. In the third set, I was a couple of breaks down, so I am happy I managed to stay focused and keep fighting until the end," he added.

After winning the youngest French Open quarterfinal since 20-year-old Rafael Nadal defeated 19-year-old Novak Djokovic in 2006, Mensik’s semifinal challenge will be the second seed and 2024 French Open finalist Alexander Zverev.

On the other hand, Zverev outclassed another rising young talent, beating Rafael Jodar 7-6(3), 6-1, 6-3 on Tuesday. Zverev, who had dropped just one set in his five matches, rallied from being 2-5 down in the opening set and was largely dominant in a two-hour, 17-minute clash.

“It was difficult," Zverev said in his on-court interview. “He had perfect rhythm in the first set and I did not. My balls were very short, and I was very defensive. The conditions [under the roof] were completely different. The string tension was different, the way the ball reacted off the ground was different. The ball was not bouncing as high, so heavy topspin was not really beneficial, and I had to flatten my shots out a little bit more."

“He was playing amazing and outplayed me in the beginning of the first set, but I managed to come back, and he played a little bit of a nervous game when he served for it. Then I took my chances well, and after that it was a good match for me," he signed off. (ANI)

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England, like they have done for the better part of a decade now, will enter the upcoming international competition as one of the favourites. The Three Lions are among the odds-on favourites to win the FIFA World Cup 2026.

The English were among the first teams to announce their 26-man squad for the World Cup. The team managed by former UEFA Champions League winner Thomas Tuchel has quite a controversial squad, with several massive omissions.

Following is the 26-man squad that Tuchel picked for the World Cup –

• Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Dean Henderson, James Trafford
• Defenders: Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, Nico O’Reilly, Dan Burn, Jarell Quansah, John Stones, Reece James, Tino Livramento, Djed Spence
• Midfielders: Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Kobe Mainoo, Jordan Henderson, Eberechi Eze, Elliot Anderson, Morgan Rogers
• Strikers: Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Gordon, Ollie Watkins, Noni Madueke, Ivan Toney

After a successful decade under the management of Gareth Southgate, England announced German coach Thomas Tuchel as their manager at the start of 2026. Under the new leadership, England have played two friendlies, where they have not looked in top form.

The first one was a 1-1 draw against Uruguay, followed by a 1-0 defeat against the strong Japanese side.

Tuchel, known for his intensity as a manager, took some massive calls in announcing his squad for the World Cup. The likes of Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, and Trent Alexander-Arnold, despite being some of the biggest names in the sport, did not make the cut due to their underwhelming 2026-26 club season.

And while the likes of Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw might not be the flashiest names, they had excellent seasons for Manchester United and have always been solid performers in an England jersey.

But with the squad they have, what will be the likely starting XI for the first FIFA World Cup 2026 game of the Three Lions?

First, we must discuss what formation the team will take to the field. A four-man backline is their bread and butter. The question is, what formation will the players take in front of the defenders? While the team has traditionally played with a 4-3-3 formation, Thomas Tuchel has experimented with a 4-2-3-1 and is expected to field it, with two defensive midfielders and three attacking midfielders behind one striker.

England World Cup Predicted Starting XI

Let’s start with the goalkeeper. While Dean Henderson and James Trafford are promising talents with a lot of upside, there is clearly only one choice here, and that is Jordan Pickford, who, when wearing the England jersey, turns into one of the best goalies in the world.

Similarly, the striker role is all but taken as well. The pair of Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney provides a serious off-the-bench threat; it will be Harry Kane, arguably the best striker in the world and team captain, who will start all games for England.

Tuchel has two left-backs at his disposal for this tournament. While Djed Spence was a shining light in an otherwise dark season with Tottenham, Nico O’Reilly had a breakout season with Manchester City and was one of the best players in the Premier League in 2025-26. And so, the 21-year-old will have the spot locked down.

Meanwhile, the experienced Reece James is expected to start at left-back ahead of Newcastle’s Tino Livramento.

Next, the two centre-backs. One of the two available slots is most definitely secured for Marc Guehi. The 25-year-old, over the past couple of seasons, has emerged as one of the defenders in world football.

The second CB spot has two real contenders. One is John Stones. The Man City veteran, despite not being in top form for a few seasons now, has always been a fine performer for the national team. On the other hand, Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa had an excellent 2025-26 season and is the favourite to be a starter for England in the World Cup. So, we pick the in-form player, which is Konsa.

The two holding midfielders are among the most obvious starters for England at the moment. Declan Rice led Arsenal to their first league title in 22 years. He was the best player for the Gunners in a successful season for the London-based club. The second one is Kobbie Mainoo, who, on form, might be the best English midfielder at the moment.

Check Out: England World Cup Expected Starting XI

The second midfield line, which will involve a left-winger, a right-winger, and a No. 10 attacking midfielder. The latter of these, someone who will not only provide balls for the striker but will also be a goal-scoring threat.

While the likes of Eberechi Eze and Morgan Rogers are decent options, the position truly belongs to Jude Bellingham. The Real Madrid star, despite an underwhelming 2025-26 season, is still one of the faces of this team.

On the right wing, Arsenal’s Noni Madueke is a solid back-up option. But he will have to surrender the starting spot to his club-mate Bukayo Saka, one of the most talented wingers in the world.

The toughest competition to secure a spot in the starting XI will be at the left wing. The two choices here are Marcus Rashford and Anthony Gordon. The former spent the last season on loan at Barcelona. While coming in as a substitute in most games, Rashford impressed with 13 goals and 10 assists in all competitions.

Meanwhile, Anthony Gordon, who transferred to Barca in a big-money move this summer, impressed at Newcastle United, especially in the Champions League, where he scored 10 goals in 12 games.

But, despite Gordon being the more in-demand and higher-profile player at the moment, the starting position, at least in the first game of the World Cup, is likely to go to veteran Rashford, who has previously worn the England jersey in international competitions.

Here is the England World Cup predicted starting XI in a 4-2-3-1 formation –

Jordan Pickford (GK), Reece James, Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, Nico O’Reilly, Declan Rice, Kobbie Mainoo, Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, Marcus Rashford, Harry Kane (C)

England is in Group L of the FIFA World Cup 2026 alongside Croatia, Ghana, and Panama. They will take on Croatia in their opening league game on June 18 (1:30 am IST). The next game will be against Ghana on June 24 (1:30 am IST), while their final league game will see the Three Lions take on Panama on June 28 (2:30 am IST).

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Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) had a really disappointing IPL 2026 season, and the main reason behind finishing at the bottom of the table was the internal conflict. As soon as LSG’s season ended, captain Rishabh Pant stepped down as captain, and LSG has also accepted his resignation.

However, neither side has yet made any big statement regarding the situation, but it has now emerged that Tom Moody, director of cricket at Lucknow Super Giants, was behind Pant’s resignation. However, LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka wanted Pant to continue as captain.

Tom Moody behind Rishabh Pant's decision to step down as LSG captain?

As revealed by Revsportz journalist Rohit Juglan, the team environment was not positive at all inside the Lucknow Super Giants camp throughout the IPL 2026 season. The support staff and captain were not on the same page, leading to a rift between them this season.

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Before the start of the season, Rishabh Pant was clear about his role in the batting order. He reportedly wanted to open the innings and stick to that position to build rhythm and consistency until Josh Inglis joins the franchise in the IPL 2026, but Tom Moody didn’t let that happen.

It is being said that several key decisions were influenced by Moody, especially around batting combinations and player roles, which created confusion and a lack of stability in the team. The journalist claimed that the LSG team was completely run by Moody throughout the 2026 season, and Pant had almost no power as a captain.

Rishabh Pant was a powerless captain!!

All the decisions regarding Rishabh Pant and his batting position were solely taken by the director of cricket. LSG had a star-studded coaching setup involving Moody as director of cricket, Kane Williamson as strategic adviser, Justin Langer as head coach, Lance Klusener as assistant coach, Bharat Arun as bowling coach, and Carl Crowe as spin bowling coach.

During the tournament, Pant many times expressed his frustration over so much noise and opinion inside the dressing room, but the real story is far more surprising. It is being said that the LSG support staff has cancelled Pant’s plans and strategies and his own batting-position decisions.

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Moody and the team often made the final call on batting positions, leaving Pant in difficult situations. There were also tactical disagreements during the tournament. The left-hander didn’t want certain players in the playing XI, but still, the team management drafted them.

Rift inside the coaching setup and dressing room

Even they didn’t allow the former skipper Rishabh Pant to take the decisions involving big-match situations, including how players like Nicholas Pooran were used in pressure games and strategies against spin attacks led by bowlers like Sunil Narine, which added to the tension inside the dressing room.

Pat was simply not allowed to bat at his preferred position and lead the team on his way. Even the Indian wicketkeeper-batter mid-season approached Sanjiv Goenka, and even he wanted him to continue as captain, but he was not allowed to do things in his way, and eventually, he resigned.