Italian tennis player Flavio Cobolli is in the semifinals of a Grand Slam tennis tournament for the first time.

So, what does the 24-year-old put his career-best run at the French Open down to?

He says he’s not ‘crazy’ superstitious, but he has been using 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal’s preferred shower in the locker rooms all tournament.

After winning his quarterfinal against Felix Auger-Aliassime, Cobolli said he knows it’s Nadal’s shower because a few years ago, the Spanish tennis legend asked him to hurry up so he could use it.

He added: "So I think the best thing that I'm doing (this ​year) ... the shower."

6
That's how many Australians will tee off at the US Women's Open, the second women's golf major of the year, which gets underway on Thursday (local time) at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles. The group is led by major champions Hannah Green, Minjee Lee and Grace Kim, alongside Stephanie Kyriacou. Debutants Karis Davidson and 19-year-old amateur Sarah Hammett complete the Australian field after coming through qualifying.

"No thoughts, no emotions. I just want to quit tennis right now, but we'll see in a few days. Hopefully I'll get back on track mentally."
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka speaking at her post-match press conference after exiting the French Open in the quarter-finals. The Belarusian led Russia's Diana Shnaider by a set and two breaks, before dropping 12 of the last 13 games and losing in three sets (3-6, 7-5, 6-0). Shnaider, 22, was contesting her first Grand Slam quarter-final, while Sabalenka was the only previous major winner left in the draw.

The record for most goals in a VFL/AFL season has stood for 92 years and been equalled just once. Bob Pratt kicked 150 for South Melbourne in 1934, and Peter Hudson matched it for Hawthorn in 1971. The closest anyone has come since was Jason Dunstall, who kicked 145 for Hawthorn in 1992. The AFL hasn't seen a 100-goal season since Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin for Hawthorn in 2008.

How do you go from uni student to working at the AFL?

For Alessia Del Tito, it meant a double degree in Sport Science and Business at Deakin, internships at Collingwood FC and the AFL's Umpiring and State League departments, and a Masters of Applied Sport Science - before landing a full-time role as AFL Umpires Performance Analyst in 2022.

In April 2025, she stepped into her current role as Talent Pathways Performance Analyst, working at the intersection of data, development, and the future of the game.

For her, it's a career where high performance, collaboration and real impact all sit in the same role. Working at the AFL is pretty cool too.

Inspired by Alessia’s story? Your journey could start here – at the #1 sport science school in the world and global leader in sport education*

^{*Shanghai Ranking of Sport Science and Departments 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and QS World University Rankings by Subject.}

^{Transparency: This is a sponsored part of the newsletter - the best way to keep the newsletter free for you.}

🏉 Brisbane Broncos legend Ali Brigginshaw has announced she will give up her captaincy role for her ninth and final season. The 36-year-old has led the Broncos to all four of their NRLW Premiership titles and won the 2020 Dally M Medal as the league's best player. "For me, captaincy has been a huge part of my life, but there's also a part of me that wants to have a bit of fun and release the pressure a little bit,” she said. The Broncos, who defeated the Sydney Roosters in last year’s NRLW Grand Final, begin their title defence in July.

🎾 Australian tennis player James McCabe has accused a member of staff at the Birmingham Open of assaulting his father and coach. The world No. 234 said the staff member began shouting at the pair on a war-up court before following them and putting his hands on his father, who was later admitted to hospital. "My understanding is that the staff member admitted to the police that he put his hands on my father, although the venue disputes the characterisation of assault," McCabe told The First Serve.

🏀 The New York Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs 105-95 in Game One of the NBA Finals in San Antonio today. Knicks guard Jalen Brunson starred with 30 points, while teammate Karl-Anthony Towns added 18 points and 12 rebounds. The result sees the Knicks extend their playoff winning streak to 12 matches and take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. It also marks the first time the Spurs have lost the opening game of an NBA Finals series. Both teams will remain in San Antonio for Game 2 on Friday (Saturday morning AEST) before heading to New York for Games 3 and 4. 

Fly now, get rewarded later

Footy finals, music festivals, interstate weekends – if you're flying anyway, you may as well get rewarded for it. Virgin Australia's Velocity program lets you earn Points and Status Credits on every eligible flight, working towards complimentary upgrades, free flights and Pilot Gold status faster than you'd think.

Flexible fare options mean you only pay for what you actually need. Fly smart this EOFY.

A first-time Grand Slam champion is guaranteed in both singles draws at the French Open, with none of the eight semifinalists having previously won a major title. It's the first time since 1977 that both the men's and women's semifinals have featured no former Grand Slam champion. The women play tonight, with the men to follow on Friday. Here's what to know.

The first semifinal pits 19-year-old Mirra Andreeva, the highest seed remaining and a Roland Garros semifinalist in 2024, against Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk. Kostyuk is unbeaten on clay this year and knocked out four-time champion Iga Świątek in the fourth round. She is the first Ukrainian woman to reach the French Open semifinals in the Open Era.

In the second semifinal, Russia's Diana Shnaider, fresh from knocking out world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, faces Polish qualifier Maja Chwalińska. Ranked outside the top 100, Chwalińska is only the second qualifier to reach the French Open semifinals in the Open Era, after Nadia Podoroska in 2020.

German second seed Alexander Zverev is the highest-ranked player left in the draw. He has lost all three major finals he has contested, including last year's French Open final, and is still chasing a maiden Grand Slam title. He meets Czech Jakub Mensik, a big-serving 20-year-old playing in his first major semifinal.

The other match is the first all-Italian men's semifinal at a Grand Slam, with close friends Flavio Cobolli and Matteo Arnaldi meeting after training together since their junior days. The winner will become the first Italian man to reach the French Open final since Matteo Berrettini at Wimbledon in 2021 was the nation's last male Grand Slam finalist.

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The NRL has announced ‘Jai July’, a month-long fundraising campaign supporting South Sydney Rabbitohs forward Jai Arrow after his shock motor neurone disease (MND) diagnosis.

The initiative comes as Arrow prepares to take part in the AFL's Big Freeze fundraiser on Monday.

Here's what you need to know.

30-year-old Arrow announced his retirement from the NRL in May, sharing he’d been diagnosed with MND. 

The progressive neurological condition causes a gradual loss of muscle strength and function. There is currently no cure. 

Four days after Arrow’s announcement, AFL legend and 2025 Australian of the Year Neale Daniher died, 13 years after his MND diagnosis.

According to MND Australia, most people diagnosed with the disease live an average of two to three years.

Arrow played 178 NRL games and represented Queensland 12 times in State of Origin, including three series wins. 

He was ruled out of the current season with a shoulder injury before being diagnosed with MND.

During his retirement announcement, he said MND had already “affected different parts of my everyday life”. 

“What I need right now isn't sympathy or sadness. What I need is support, understanding, and privacy while my family and I navigate this difficult time.”

The NRL has announced ‘Jai July’, a fundraising campaign in support of Arrow, during his birthday month.

The campaign will build towards South Sydney’s 12 July clash with the Newcastle Knights, which falls on Arrow's 31st birthday and has been billed as the “world's biggest birthday party”.

Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V'landys told the Sydney Morning Herald: “It will be a huge occasion with the whole game involved. Don't bring presents. Bring a donation.“

Support for Arrow has already begun across the NRL, as well as the AFL. 

Last month, the North Queensland Cowboys donated more than $50,000 to the Rabbitohs’ charity arm, while the Manly Sea Eagles will auction their warm-up jerseys when they face South Sydney on Thursday.

Arrow, who has been receiving treatment in Spain, will return to Australia for Monday’s Big Freeze at the MCG, tossing the coin before Collingwood’s King’s Birthday clash against Melbourne as a special guest of the Magpies. 

It will be the first Big Freeze without FightMND co-founder Neale Daniher.