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New Zealand's Erin Routliffe and American Coco Gauff lost a tight women's doubles final of the Italian Open 3-6 6-3 8-10 to the Italian pair of Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in Rome. The match, which lasted two minutes short of an hour and a half, was played in front of a packed out Centre Court crowd and was eventually decided when Gauff double-faulted on the Italians’ first match point. LATEST HEADLINES: Canada score first win over Black Ferns Tactix win clash of south island sides Makeshift Warriors upset Penrith Panthers Wellington Phoenix bow out in semifinals Pulse continue winning form in Premiership It can all come down to a few key points and spurred on by the local support, Errani and Paolini had more of them go their way. In the first set of the final, Errani served at 5-2 and had a set point when the game went to 40-40, but this was saved by Routliffe, who put the ball away with a smash at the net. However, in the next game, on Gauff’s serve, the American made a couple of errors to find herself down 15-40, then on the next point went too long on a forehand. At 30-30 and deuce in the seventh game of the next set Gauff and Errani had a lengthy crosscourt exchange from the ad side and during it Gauff steadily overpowered her opponent to win the point and get the crucial break. Routliffe consolidated the break in the next game and Paolini saved two set points in the next, however, Gauff followed this by holding serve, to send the match into a third-set super tiebreak. Routliffe and Gauff went out to a 4-1 lead and at the second change of ends they were up 7-5. This was extended to 8-6, but the Italians then went on a charge and had a match point at 9-8 on Gauff’s serve. The parochial crowd, who cheered a Gauff double fault earlier in the super tiebreak, let out another huge hurrah when the American’s first serve went into the net and unfortunately, there was the same outcome from Gauff’s second serve. Routliffe has picked up enough points from this tournament to move up to third in the world rankings when they’re next released, a career-high for the Auckland-born 29-year-old. Routliffe will now play in Strasbourg and the French Open with Leylah Fernandez, Meanwhile, Lulu Sun has been drawn against world No 278 Nigina Abduraimova from Uzbekistan in the first round of qualifying at the French Open.

The Wellington Phoenix's season has come to a sudden end in the second leg of the A-League semifinals against Melbourne Victory in Wellington. Despite the enthusiastic crowd behind the Nix it was the Victory side who showed the initiative and eventually won 2-1 after an extra-time goal from Oskar Zawada gave the Phoenix hope. LATEST HEADLINES: Pulse continue winning form in Premiership Chiefs escape with late victory over Rebels Coll beaten in world championships semis Routliffe, Gauff into Italian Open doubles final Hurricanes win ugly against Moana Pasifika Scores were equal at halftime, then it was Adama Traore who scored first for Victory in the 82nd minutes. Zawada put the Nix on equal footing in the 99th minute and into extra time. The goal came through Sam Sutton pushing long to the head of Oskar van Hattum. Kosta Barbarouses followed after van Hattum’s header and crossed the ball to Zawada and the goal was scored. Unfortunately for the Phoenix, it was Chris Ikonomidis who scored in the 102nd minute. Even with all-attack in the remaining by the Phoenix they couldn't get the goal they needed. Zawada did come close again but his header was stopped by experienced goal keeper Paul Izzo Earlier in the game, Nix captain Alex Rufer missed a penalty while Ben Old hit the post from a shot. The first leg in Melbourne last weekend finished 0-0.

A makeshift NZ Warriors side has defeated premiers the Penrith Panthers against the odds in the NRL's Magic Round in Brisbane. The sometimes scrappy 22-20 victory was a huge win in the season for the Warriors after an injury list which was long and featured many star players. LATEST HEADLINES: Wellington Phoenix bow out in semifinals Pulse continue winning form in Premiership Chiefs escape with late victory over Rebels Coll beaten in world championships semis Routliffe, Gauff into Italian Open doubles final Wayde Egan can now be added to the injured list after failing a HIA in the 12th minute. Twice the Warriors had to come from behind to win, their first in six games at Suncorp Stadium and first win over the Panthers in their past nine attempts. The Warriors were looking down the barrel of five straight defats as they trailed by four with 10 to play, backup fullback Taine Tuaupiki scored and converted to give his side a two-point lead, before the against-all-odds victory was confirmed when Dylan Edwards pushed a late penalty goal wide. The Warriors made the worst start possible by kicking out on the full and giving up a try to Edwards before they'd even touched the ball and it only got worse when Egan was ruled out a short time later. When they managed to score and even things up midway through the first half it had a negative attached to it, with Marcelo Montoya picking up a head knock as he crossed, although he was later cleared to return. With the Panthers up by six at the break, the sin-binning of Isaah Yeo three minutes into the second half for a professional foul was the first turning point and on the very next set Ali Leiataua crossed for his first try at NRL level, which Tuaupiki converted to tie scores again. After a quiet first half Te Maire Martin was at it again a short time later, laying on his second assist in five minutes to put Adam Pompey over and give his side the lead for the first time. Once back to their full complement the Panthers seemed to find their mojo, with Yeo strolling through a yawning gap before Izack Tago made the Warriors pay for a glut of penalties and six again infringements. But the Warriors weren't to be beaten on this day, with Tuaupiki's late six points giving the club their first win in six games. NZ Warriors 22 (Marcelo Montoya, Ali Leiataua, Adam Pompey, Taine Tuaupiki tries; Taine Tuaupiki 3 con) Penrith Panthers 20 (Dylan Edwards, Jarome Luai, Isaah Yeo, Izack Tago tries; Dylan Edwards 2 con). HT: 4-10

The Black Ferns have had their first loss to Canada in 18 matches in their Pacific Four Series decider in Christchurch. The Canadian women also won the Pacific Four Series title as a result of the victory. LATEST HEADLINES: Tactix win clash of south island sides Makeshift Warriors upset Penrith Panthers Wellington Phoenix bow out in semifinals Pulse continue winning form in Premiership Chiefs escape with late victory over Rebels The Black Ferns will slip to third place in the women's World Rugby rankings, with Canada moving ahead of New Zealand to second. England now heads the rankings by a margin, but Canada makes its first appearance inside the top two. Black Ferns wing Katelyn Vaha'akolo scored two first-half tries, as the home side went to an early lead. The home side held a 14-10 half-time advantage after Fancy Bermudez has crossed for the Canadians. Early in the second spell McKinley Hunt scored and then 10 minutes later Bermudez finished off an attack her team linked together to force its way through the New Zealand defence which at times proved to lack cohesion. A successful conversion by de Goede extended Canada's lead to eight, putting them in a strong position as the match entered its final stages. Despite New Zealand's late surge, Canada's defence held firm, and they managed to maintain their slim lead until the final whistle. The Black Ferns were held back in the game by a lack of discipline with yellow cards to Sylvia Brunt and Aldora Itunu. Canadian Olivia Apps was also carded, but overall her side kept their heads focused when required The Black Ferns final game of the tournament is against Australia in North Harbour next Saturday. Canada 22 (Fancy Bermudez 2, McKinley Hunt tries; Sophie de Goede 2 con, pen) Black Ferns 19 (Katelyn Vahaakolo 2, Patrica Maliepo tries; Ruahei Demant 2 con). HT: 10-14

The Central Pulse have secured their sixth consecutive win to hold their top spot on the ANZ Premiership ladder despite a number of injuries. Missing three of their regular lineups, the Pulse dug deep to hold out a fast-finishing Northern Stars for a 58-52 victory in Wellington. LATEST HEADLINES: Chiefs escape with late victory over Rebels Coll beaten in world championships semis Routliffe, Gauff into Italian Open doubles final Hurricanes win ugly against Moana Pasifika Bulls ease by Hawks; Tuatara beat Nuggets Experienced wing attack Whitney Souness, who was in commanding form assisting an inexperienced shooting circle, and captain Kelly Jackson. stood out. for the Pulse. But it was also newcomer Martina Salmon, who made her first start in the ANZ Premiership, who stood up for the side netting 41 goals after coming in this week to replace an injured Amelia Walmsley who is out of play for up to eight weeks. Walmsley (knee) is the Pulse’s third significant injury blow of the season as they started the game without Tiana Metuarau and Maddy Gordon. Salmon was drafted into the side as shooter and Kiana Pelasio taking on the goal attack role while Claire Kersten was back at centre. Celebrating her 100th national league game in charge, Stars coach Kiri Wills went for the same line which finished strongly against the Mystics last week. Salmon, who has already suited up for the Steel this season as injury cover, netted her first goal in Pulse colours to get the full house at TSB Arena behind the team. Souness had little trouble finding the strong hold of Salmon as the hosts opened up a two-goal advantage after five minutes of play. The visitors, who may have given themselves a better chance of toppling the injury-stricken Pulse, found themselves on the backfoot with defender Khanye-Lii Munro-Nonoa suspended for two minutes for dangerous play. The Stars were measured in their response and levelled the scores with shooters Maia Wilson and Monica Falkner sharing the load.There were more changes with Kersten heading to the sidelines for a concussion check which saw Fa’amu Ioane to centre and Kelea Longi on in defence. The Pulse went on a five-goal run to again edge ahead and with Salmon netting 16 goals went to the break with an 18-14 lead. Wills made some positional changes heading into the second spell with Rahni Samason moving to shooter and Wilson to goal attack while Lili Tokaduadua came on to goal keep.It did little to stop the Pulse juggernaut as the goals just kept coming. Kersten was given clearance to return to court as the hosts opened up a 10-goal buffer and the Stars looked for more answers from the bench as Emma Thompson made her first appearance in the purple dress, coming on at wing attack. Reverting back to their original shooting circle, the Stars’ patience was again key as they closed the gap to five before slipping to trail 27-34 at the main break. Souness was immense in the opening half, ensuring her new shooting circle received quality, stress-free ball and had 12 goal assists in 30 minutes of play while Jackson and Parris Mason had snaffled seven gains between them. But with just eight goals between them, the Stars were always within reach of the hosts with defender Kate Burley (five gains) doing her best to keep her team in the race. The energy – no matter the combination – and hunger for ball from the Pulse ensured they nailed the third spell on the scoreboard, turning into the last spell leading 49-38.

The Mainland Tactix have dominated the southern derby and returned to winning with a well-constructed 53-44 win over the Southern Steel in Christchurch on Sunday. With more ball in hand, the home side were able to dictate terms from the outset to dismantle an inconsistent Steel. A non-stop defensive effort laid the platform for an improved attacking effort from the home side who were quick to reassert their game leading from start to finish. LATEST HEADLINES: Makeshift Warriors upset Penrith Panthers Wellington Phoenix bow out in semifinals Pulse continue winning form in Premiership Chiefs escape with late victory over Rebels Coll beaten in world championships semis No scoring woes for the Tactix this week with Ellie Bird scoring 37 on her own missing just the one shot. The Steel won the final quarter but with an overall inferior share of the ball were always on the back foot. Shooters Grace Namana and Georgia Heffernan provided strong accuracy under the hoop but lack of volume for the pair counted against the side. Bird, once again, slotted in at goal shoot in place of the injured Aliyah Dunn in a settled Tactix line-up. With injury recently ruling out the experienced Shannon Saunders for the rest of the season, the Steel opted for the up-and-coming Ivari Christie to make the start at wing attack in an otherwise regular starting side. Looking to shed last week’s loss, the Tactix were all business at the outset with midcourters Erikana Pedersen and Kimiora Poi spearheading a quick and steady stream of ball into shooter Bird’s hands. At the other end, the home side’s defensive unit smothered the Steel’s attacking progress while providing plenty of turnover opportunities. Forging out to a six-goal lead, the Tactix looked set to take off but the Steel held their own to finish the quarter strongly. Limiting the damage, the Steel remained within touching distance when trailing 14-11 at the first break. It was a similar pattern on the resumption, the Steel needing to work overtime to thread the ball through court where multiple passes were required. But through patience the southerners found reward through shooters Heffernan and Namana. However, the relentless combined defensive pressure from the Tactix began to take its toll. With the classy defensive pairing of Karin Burger and Jane Watson alongside intercept expert Poi, the home side were able to take a firm grip on proceedings. The Tactix did not make the most of all their opportunities on attack, several passing lapses handing the Steel extra ball. Charlotte Lourey came on for her ANZ Premiership debut, taking over at wing attack for Christie but the Tactix built on their buffer to hold a 27-20 lead at the main break. With Christie returning for the third quarter, the Steel made a promising start, gaining momentum on attack while a sterner defensive challenge slowed the Tactix progress. A lack of defensive gains hindered the Steel’s ability to eat into the deficit, the goal-for-goal impasse finally snapping midway through the stanza. Unable to absorb the constant pressure, the Steel were guilty of too many turnovers and the Tactix were quick to pounce. Watson provided the impetus from the defensive end, the error rate on attack was cleaned up as the home side clicked up a gear to take full advantage. Bird and Te Paea Selby-Rickit were smooth and accurate with their finishing under the hoop as the Tactix took a handy 41-30 lead into the last break.

New Zealand's No 1 golfer Ryan Fox is almost certain to make the cut at the PGA Championship. Fox sits in a share of 51st at two-under after the second round at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky on Friday (Saturday NZ Time), 10 strokes off the lead and one shot above the projected cut-line. LATEST HEADLINES:   Chiefs escape with late victory over Rebels Coll beaten in world championships semis Routliffe, Gauff into Italian Open doubles final Hurricanes win ugly against Moana Pasifika Bulls ease by Hawks; Tuatara beat Nuggets The world No 57 carded a three-under 68 on day two, featuring five birdies and two bogeys, to climb 34 places, leaving him almost assured of playing the weekend with 18 players yet to complete their second rounds. Starting at the 10th hole in the after wave, Fox started his round birdie-bogey, with another bogey at the 16th followed by back-to-back birdies at the 17th and 18th, making the turn back at even-par. Fox made a tap-in birdie at the par-five first, rolled in an 18-footer for birdie at the par-four 17th and almost chipped in for eagle from 66 yards on the 18th. The 37-year-old put his approach shot to within three feet at the par-four fourth for another tap-in birdie, before just missing a 20-foot putt for eagle at the par-five seventh, getting him back into red numbers for the week. It was another story for Kazuma Kobori, playing his first major, who shot a six-over 77, featuring two birdies, six bogeys and a double-bogey, on Friday (Saturday NZT) to drop to 139th at eight-over, missing the cut. Similarly, Lydia Ko missed the 36-hole cut at the LPGA Tour's Americas Open in Jersey City, New Jersey. Ko could only manage a five-over 77, featuring two birdies, five bogeys and a double-bogey, in the second round at the Liberty National Golf Club on Friday (Saturday NZT), falling to a share of 96th, missing the cut by six strokes. At the Ladies European Tour's German Masters, Momoka Kobori made the cut by two strokes after a one-over 73 in the second round at the Golf and Country Club Seddiner See on Friday (Saturday NZT). Kobori made four birdies and five bogeys to rise to a tie for 30th at three-over after 36 holes, seven shots behind the leader.

It's an official sell-out at Wellington's Sky Stadium for Saturday night's A-League football semi-final between the Phoenix and Melbourne Victory. Although it should be noted that not every seat in the stadium is sold to Nix supporters. It means 32,000 fans will pack the Wellington stadium for the match, the biggest in the club’s 17-year history. LATEST HEADLINES: Coll into semis at PSA World Championships Routliffe, Gauff into Italian Open doubles semis Added-time goal gives Auckland City victory Cleaver, Milne, Robb to play NZ Darts Masters Makeshift Warriors face champions Penrith The record attendance for a Phoenix game in Wellington is 32,792, set when they last hosted a semifinal, against Perth Glory in 2010. The ground capacity is 34,5000 however the Phoenix are not able to sell the extra seats as they are for away fans only. The Phoenix are chasing their first-ever grand final berth in the club's 17-year history, with the semi-final tie level after the first leg in Melbourne was tied 0-0. Phoenix captain Alex Rufer said earlier in the week that playing in front of a capacity crowd was huge for the team. "We deserve it, Wellington deserves it and it would be awesome for the club," said Rufer . "We've really given it everything this year and hopefully we get a good crowd to show us that they support us too." The winner will play either defending champions Central Coast Mariners or Sydney FC in the final.

Paul Coll has been beaten in a five-game thriller by Mostafa Asal the PSA World Championships semifinals in Egypt. Asal will take on Diego Elias in the decider tomorrow evening, with the Peruvian also featuring in his maiden final in this tournament. LATEST HEADLINES: Murray wins in wet at World Cup MTB Routliffe, Gauff reach Italian Open final Hurricanes win ugly over Moana Pasifika Phoenix semifinal second leg now a sell out Five Phoenix in PFA A-League Team of Year West Coaster had the measure of Asal from their recent meetings, winning the last four, including the final of the London Squash Classic. However Asal made a positive start as he mixed the pace well with his strong line hitting giving him seven game balls in the first. Four of those were wiped out by Coll, but Asal finally converted at the fifth attempt. The Egyptian then took his chances in the second set before Coll got off to an ideal start in the third as he upped the pace and taking the ball early to go in front. Asal’s ruthless accuracy got him back into the game, but Coll did enough to halve the match deficit. The New Zealander was starting to find his feet, and he was managing play much better in the fourth, getting in front of Asal and utilising the drop to restore parity. Asal looked to be well on his way to booking his place in the final of the World Championships when he had three match balls, only for Coll to save all three to send the fifth into a tiebreak. However two strokes went against the kiwi, confirming Asal’s spot in the final. “Fair play to Paul [Coll] – he’s an amazing athlete coming from 2-0 down. I’m really grateful. “In between games, at 2-2 he [James Willstrop, Asal’s coach] said to me, ‘come on it’s a World Championships. Why aren’t you giving your 100 per cent?’ All credit to him and it’s a turning point having this legend behind me.” The eventually score was 11-7, 11-6, 8-11, 3-11, 12-10 in 83 minutes. The next tournament for Coll is the British Open starting the first week in June in Birmingham.

New Zealand's Erin Routliffe and American star Coco Gauff are into the final of the Italian Open in Rome after a straight-set victory over the Chinese team of Wang Xinyu and Zheng Saisai. They won their semi-final 6-3 7-6 (3) in just under an hour and a half and in front of a big crowd on Centre Court. LATEST HEADLINES: Hurricanes win ugly over Moana Pasifika Phoenix semifinal second leg now a sell out Five Phoenix in PFA A-League Team of Year Teams set for Super Rugby Pacific Round 13 Coll into semis at PSA World Championships Bulls ease by Hawks; Tuatara defeat Nuggets In the final, which will be played on Sunday, they will be up against the all-Italian team of Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini, who will no doubt have the crowd behind them. But Routliffe and Gauff, who are the No 3 seeds, will go into that match on the back of yet another impressive performance and they’ve been a combination that clicked from the first moment they stepped on court together. Gauff, the 2023 US Open singles champion, was strong around the court while Routliffe was also impressive and this result is expected to move her up to No 3 in the world rankings when they are next released. In the first set in this semi-final, Gauff and Routliffe broke their opponents twice, while only suffering the same fate themselves once. In the second set, Routliffe and Gauff were down 4-2 but fought their way back to a position where Gauff was serving for the match at 5-4. However, she made a couple of uncharacteristic errors at the start of that game to go down 0-30 and she was eventually broken on a deciding point. Incredibly, the Chinese team won all four deciding points in the match. But Routliffe ripped a winner down the line on the first of three break points she and Gauff had in the next game. So this time Routliffe served for the match, but once more the Kiwi/American team lost early points and were down 0-40. Even though they got it back to 40-40 for their second match point, Wang hit an incredible lob when Routliffe and Gauff were both at the net, sending the set to a tiebreak. At the change of ends, Routliffe and Gauff were up 4-2 and after the switch there were a couple of superb points from Gauff, hitting a smash that had no chance of coming back, then unleashing a forehand winner. Although Routliffe went too long with a forehand at 6-2, she put away the ball at the net in the next point to clinch the victory.

If the Hurricanes were looking to assure their fans they were back to winning ways after the defeat to the Blues a week ago, they took the hard route to success. Missing a heap of All Blacks and other top player the Hurricanes beat Moana Pasifika 32-24 in Wellington to reclaim top spot on the points table. LATEST HEADLINES: Phoenix semifinal second leg now a sell out Five Phoenix in PFA A-League Team of Year Teams set for Super Rugby Pacific Round 13 Coll into semis at PSA World Championships Bulls ease by Hawks; Tuatara defeat Nuggets The top place on the ladder may be only temporary as the Blues face the Highlanders at Eden Park on Saturday. The Canes victory wasn't pretty, but was enough despite leading just 19-12 at halftime after they held a 19-0 lead. It was then the visitors came back strong through a try to prop Sione Mafileo in the 26th minute and Abraham Pole also a frontrower before halftime. In the second spell Fine Inisi scored first to keep Moana Pasifika right in the match before Pater Lakai continued his good form of the season with a try for the Hurricanes. Moana Pasifika loose forward Alamanda Motuga finished off the try scoring for the game in the 75th minute but in the end the goal kicking of Aidan Morgan with three conversions and two penalties which won the match. Hurricanes 32 (Raymond Tuputupu, Siale Lauaki, Richard Judd, Peter Lakai tries; Aidan Morgan 3 con, 2 pen) Moana Pasifika 24 (Sione Mafileo, Abraham Pole, Fine Inisi, Alamanda Motuga 75’ tries; William Havili 2 con). HT: 19-12

The Chiefs had to rely on a late Damian McKenzie penalty to defeat the Rebels 26-23 in Melbourne and keep their top-position in Super Rugby Pacific. It was the fourth consecutive victory for the Chiefs but was not convincing as the home side fought back from a 12-point deficit midway through the second half to equal scores with six minutes to play. LATEST HEADLINES: Routliffe, Gauff reach Italian Open final Hurricanes win ugly over Moana Pasifika Phoenix semifinal second leg now a sell out Five Phoenix in PFA A-League Team of Year Teams set for Super Rugby Pacific Round 13 The Chiefs kept their cool and stole possession and attacked before a penalty was awarded and converted by McKenzie in the final minutes, who finished with 16 points, all from kicks. The otherwise scrappy contest proved McKenzie's worth to the franchise as he directed play around the field and generally held the team together. Wing Glen Vaihu scored early for the Rebels before the Chiefs had to work hard for a 13-11 halftime lead. Lock Tupou Vaa'i was a notable first-half figure, scoring a try in the 23rd minute before being shown a yellow card for a high cleanout. The Chiefs appeared to grab control with hooker Samisoni Taukeiaho scored a converted try and McKenzie landed his third penalty to put them 23-11 ahead. The Rebels's best period, with winger Lachie Anderson crossing twice, in the 57th minute and then with five minutes remaining to set up the tense finish. The Chiefs moved to third, but will know their position depending on the Brumbies result against the Crusaders. The Rebels remain sixth but aren't yet guaranteed their first-ever place in the Super Rugby post-season. Chiefs 26 (Tupou Vaa’i, Samisoni Taukei’aho tries; Damian McKenzie 2 con, 4 pen) Melbourne Rebels 23 (Lachie Anderson 2 tries, Glen Vaihu try, Nick Jooste con, 2 pen). HT: 13-11