• Briton wins 6-2, 6-2 to reach third round of Italian Open
• 21st seed Alexandrova withdrew hours before match

It was during her days of preparation for the Italian Open that Emma Raducanu decided her approach to clay court tennis needed to change. Instead of making significant adjustments to her game to try and suit the surface, she would make the red clay adhere to her own vision. She resolved to take the initiative and dominate her opponents from the front foot.

To her credit, she has effectively backed up those intentions in the heat of battle. Raducanu continued to build confidence and momentum in Rome as she produced one of her cleanest performances of the season to reach the third round with a 6-2, 6-2 win over the lucky loser Jil Teichmann.

• American looking to increase stake beyond 80%
• He faces competition from NY Jets owner Johnson

John Textor is attempting an audacious takeover of Crystal Palace but faces competition from the New York Jets owner Woody Johnson as the battle for control at Selhurst Park heats up before the club’s appearance in the FA Cup final next Saturday.

It is understood that Textor, who failed in his bid to buy Everton last year, has held talks with his fellow American shareholders David Blitzer and Josh Harris about buying their shares in Palace, which constitute about 36% of the club. That would take Textor’s stake to more than 80% and mean he would be able to complete a full takeover – a situation that could threaten the future of the long-serving chairman, Steve Parish.

The Labour veteran looked an awkward choice for the court of Trump, but now the president is holding his hand and complimenting his beautiful accent

Peter Mandelson, with his elegant suits, smooth patter and high-end lifestyle, has always had a dark secret: an interest in the minutiae of trade deals, left over from his period as EU trade commissioner, a period when he could bore for Europe on the virtues of the Mercosur trade deal. Alongside his networking skills, and political antennae, it was his knowledge of trade that possibly persuaded Keir Starmer to take the political risk of appointing him ambassador to Washington.

A pro-European social democrat with a full record of insulting remarks about Donald Trump’s racism, Lord Mandelson might not have been the obvious man to open previously closed doors in the US administration.

Eleanor the Great, The Chronology of Water and Urchin are all in the festival’s prestigious Un Certain Regard sidebar. A first step to being the next Clint Eastwood?

First-time directors with films premiering at Cannes next week would be forgiven for feeling nervous. But three of the directors who are unveiling their debut features in France are less likely than their peers to be quaking as they approach the red carpet.

Actors Scarlett Johansson, Kristen Stewart and Harris Dickinson are all among the film-makers with movies screening in Cannes’ prestigious sidebar Un Certain Regard over the next 10 days.

Prince Albert Jacob is disappointed in the continued ignorance of role many non-whites played in war effort

“Most black people went overboard and tried hard to make sure that they did their best for Britain,” says Prince Albert Jacob, a 99-year-old veteran from Trinidad who joined the RAF in 1943.

Sat in a hotel lobby in London after a busy week of VE Day celebrations, Jacob describes feeling disappointed at findings from a recent survey that showed British people remained largely unaware of the black and Asian contribution to the second world war.

Tottenham’s riches have underpinned Europa League progress but, win or lose in Bilbao, they need to be decisive about their manager to thrive at home

Take the emotion out of it. It is easier said than done. Tottenham Hotspur are not in the business of hoarding silverware and there will be a temptation to stick with Ange Postecoglou if they beat Manchester United in the Europa League final. The pressure on Daniel Levy to give Postecoglou another chance would be intense. It is not hard to see which way a chair with a history of populist moves would go.

Yet there is rarely much to gain from the impulsiveness of judging a manager on the basis of a one-off game that could be won on penalties or with a lucky late goal. The obvious cautionary tale is provided by United keeping Erik ten Hag after last season’s triumph in the FA Cup, only for the Dutchman to be sacked five months later. Serious clubs are supposed to be clinical. The mistake is often to look for wider meaning in a weird and illogical cup run.

Maro Itoje has listened to Martin Johnson and Sam Warburton as he prepares his ‘tough men’ for Australia

Do you know what really stuck out as Maro Itoje sat chatting in the O ₂ Arena after the British & Irish Lions squad announcement? His biceps. This year’s Lions jersey is tight enough on the shoulders and sufficiently short on the arms to make their already well-muscled captain look like Popeye on steroids. Say what you like about the Lions squad but they have chosen a strong leader .

It has worked for them in the past. Who can forget the pipe‑smoking Willie John McBride and his classic response – “Do you think there will be many of them?” – when an angry hotel manager in South Africa threatened to call the police to arrest a number of 1974 Lions who had been enthusiastically “rearranging” the furniture. Legend also has it that Ian McGeechan picked the hulking Martin Johnson as his skipper in 1997 partly because of the intimidating effect he might have on the Springboks – and the referee – when he entered their changing room.

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Martyna Ogonowska was sentenced in 2018 to 17 years in prison for stabbing Filip Jaskiewicz to death in a car park

A woman who stabbed a man to death as he sexually assaulted her has lost an appeal against her 17-year jail term.

Martyna Ogonowska was handed a life sentence aged 18 after being convicted of the 2018 murder of Filip Jaskiewicz, 23, in a Peterborough car park, using a knife she said she carried for self protection.