TENNIS: Spanish 25th seed Nicolas Almagro has withdrawn from Wimbledon due to injury.

The 28-year-old clay-court specialist was named among the seeds on Wednesday, which begins next week, and in his absence Canadian 23-year-old Vasek Pospisil is promoted into the top 32.

Pospisil becomes the 31st seed, ahead of Russian Dmitry Tursunov, who has lost in the first round in four of the last five years.

FOOTBALL: Keeper Emma Byrne was the hero yesterday as the Republic of Ireland’s women kept their faint hopes of World Cup qualification alive.

Ireland skipper Byrne, currently playing her club football with Arsenal Ladies, produced important saves at the end of either half as the Republic battled their way to a 0-0 draw with Russia in Krasnoarmeysk to remain five points adrift of their second-placed opponents in Group 1 with three games each to play.

FOOTBALL: Manchester City will play Hearts in a pre-season friendly as part of the Scottish club’s Main Stand centenary celebrations.

The game, which will be preceded by an open training session involving both teams at Tynecastle, will take place on July 18.

“Manchester City are honoured to join with Hearts as they celebrate the centenary of their main stand at the Tynecastle Stadium,” said chief executive Ferran Soriano.

FOOTBALL: One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson and former Doncaster Rovers chairman John Ryan have completed their takeover of the League One club.

Twenty-two-year-old Tomlinson announced the takeover together with former chairman John Ryan yesterday.

Tomlinson is a Rovers fan and will share the ownership 50-50 with Ryan, who resigned as chairman in November after 15 years associated with the club.