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So easy for Serena as she rolls into quarter-finals

Seven-times champion Serena Williams prevailed in a Centre Court mothers' meeting on Monday, roaring past Russian qualifier Evgeniya Rodina into the Wimbledonquarter-finals.

The 36-year-old American was untroubled in a 6-2 6-2 victory -- her 90th singles match win at the All England Club.


Rodina, who like Williams combines a tennis career with motherhood, looked overawed at first as she went 3-0 down.

She steadied herself, though, and had a break point when Williams served at 4-2, but her chances were few and far between as her opponent continued to charge through a draw blown wide open by an exodus of seeds.

Rodina left the court for a few minutes at the end of the first set but when she returned Williams continued her domination with an early break in the second.

With her easy power game in sync Williams looked serene as she cruised to victory to set up a clash with Italy's Camila Giorgi, the fifth unseeded player she will have faced in a dream draw on her Wimbledon return.

"I faced a thousand and three seeds in my life, so I'm okay wit that," Williams responded when asked if she would have preferred stiffer tests.

None of the top eight women's seeds have reached the quarter-finals for the first time since seedings were introduced in 1927 -- although Williams' 25th seeding is misleading.

The way she is striking the ball and moving in her second Grand Slam back after childbirth she would arguably be favourite for the title even with the likes of Garbine Muguruza and Simona Halep still in contention.

She is unbeaten at the championships since 2014, winning the title in 2015 and 2016. She missed last year because of her pregnancy but is on an 18-match winning run at the All England Club.

As easy as she is making it look, however, the American is not satisfied with her level.

"There's a lot to improve on. This is only my fourth tournament back," she said.

"I feel like I'm getting to where I want to be. For me, there's so much further I want to go to get back where I was, and hopefully go beyond that.

"I'm always striving for perfection. There's a lot of things that I don't know if you can tell, but I really need to work on. Hopefully, I can get there."

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Southampton boss Tonda Eckert handed suspended ban and £28,000 fine over Spygate

Tonda Eckert, the Southampton head coach, looks on during the Sky Bet Championship 2026/27 match between Birmingham City and Southampton at St Andrew’s at Knighthead Park on September 01, 2026 in Birmingham, England.

David Rogers/Getty Images

Southampton boss Tonda Eckert handed suspended ban and £28,000 fine over Spygate

Highlights

  • The FA has sanctioned Tonda Eckert with a six-week ban from all football, suspended until the end of the 2027/28 season, plus a £28,000 fine and a reprimand
  • Eckert admitted three breaches of FA Rule E3.1 for directing or authorising the observation of Oxford United, Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough training sessions
  • He can lead Southampton into Sunday's south coast derby against Portsmouth (12:00 BST, live on ITV and Sky Sports)
  • The club were already expelled from last season's Championship play-offs and docked four points this season over the same scandal

The FA's decision

The FA has sanctioned Southampton head coach Tonda Eckert with a six-week ban from all football and football-related activity, suspended until the end of the 2027/28 season, together with a £28,000 fine and a reprimand. The independent regulatory commission announced its decision on Wednesday, nearly two weeks after a hearing on September 24.

Eckert admitted three breaches of FA Rule E3.1. The charges alleged that he acted improperly or brought the game into disrepute by directing or authorising the observation of training sessions at Oxford United, Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough before Southampton played them, in December 2025, April 2026 and May 2026 respectively.

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