Substitute Kadidiatou Diani was the star for the much-changed Les Bleus, who have never won the World Cup, with a second-half brace that saw a France team shorn of the majority of its Lyon stars cruise to victory despite missing two penalties after the break.

The French are hosting the World Cup, which kicks off in just under two weeks, and are among the favourites.

France missed their first penalty when Grace Geyoro crashed her spot-kick against the bar, before Diani cheekily pinched the ball off Sudarat Chuchuen and rolled home her first with 12 minutes left.

Six minutes later Geyoro then won the second penalty, which Eve Perisset saw well-saved by Thailand stopper Sukanya Chor. Thailand open their campaign against the USA on June 12 followed by games against Sweden and Chile.

The 30-year-old from Roi Et won the first stage on Friday, then landed second on Saturday before surging to the top again in yesterday’s UCI Elite 1.1 one day race – a separate event in the same province.

The results meant the local cycling star, winner of the Tour of Thailand this year, qualified for the Tokyo Olympics next year.

Kerber, bidding to complete a career Grand Slam, slumped to a 6-4, 6-2 defeat to the 18-year-old Russian who was making her Paris debut.

Potapova’s first win over a top 10 player gives her a second round clash against either China’s Wang Yafan or Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic.

The American star won her most recent major at the Australian Open in 2017 while pregnant.

However, the all-time record of 24 majors set by Australia’s Margaret Court between 1960 and 1973 has proved frustratingly out of reach.

Williams returned to Grand Slam tennis, after giving birth to her daughter, at Roland Garros in 2018, making the last 16 where she had been set to resume her bitter rivalry with Maria Sharapova.

An arm injury torpedoed that meeting and stalled her assault on a fourth title in Paris after 2002, 2013 and 2015.

She still made headlines in Paris by wearing an all-black bodysuit which has now been banned by Roland Garros officials.

Defeat in the 2018 Wimbledon final and US Open championship match, where her now-infamous meltdown overshadowed Naomi Osaka’s title triumph, followed her Paris heartbreak.

Her Australian Open campaign in January ended in a quarter-final loss to Karolina Pliskova despite having led 5-1 in the final set and holding four match points.

“It’s definitely not easy for me. From day one, I expect to go out and, quite frankly, to win. That hasn’t happened,” said Williams in the aftermath of her Melbourne defeat.

“But I do like my attitude. I like that I don’t want to go out here and say, ‘I expect to lose because I had a year off, I’ve been playing for 10 months. I’m not supposed to win.’

“I don’t have that attitude. I have the attitude of, ‘I’ve only been playing 10 months, but I expect to win, and if I don’t, it’s disappointing.'”

Since Melbourne, Williams has been unable to finish the three tournaments she has entered — she retired to Garbine Muguruza in the third round of Indian Wells, withdrew after winning a round in Miami, and withdrew after winning a round in Rome last week due to a right knee injury.

– ‘Least favourable surface’ –

In total, her 2019 activity reads just nine matches played — only one on clay, a straightforward win over Swedish qualifier Rebecca Peterson in Rome.

However, nobody is yet writing off a player who also battled life-threatening blood clots as she gave birth.

“Serena Williams will beat Margaret Court’s record,” said former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez, now the coach of world number two Pliskova.

Williams opens her Paris campaign against Russia’s Vitalia Diatchenko and could then face Indian Wells champion Bianca Andreescu, the promising Canadian who hasn’t played since Miami due to a shoulder injury.

Australia’s Ashleigh Barty is a possible last-16 opponent and should she keep winning, Williams could meet world number one Osaka in the quarter-finals.

With a question mark over her physical condition, her longtime coach is keen to keep a lid on expectations of her chances on the clay of Roland Garros.

“For her game, it’s perhaps the least favourable surface,” Patrick Mouratoglou told l’Equipe newspaper.

Williams, for her part, wants to keep playing even if she still harbours doubts over her match fitness.

“When you’re sedentary, it becomes hard to manage your body. So it’s just basically you have to eat grass. That’s kind of what I did. It was a nightmare,” she explained after her lone win in Rome on her recovery.

“But it worked and it paid off. I didn’t get to train too much. It’s more of a process. I feel like I’m taking it one day at a time. I’ve been really putting in the hours in terms of keeping my cardio as much as I could with a knee injury, which is really impressive how I’ve been able to do it.”

After a goaless first half, France started showing their superiority and broke the ice in the 61^st minute with a left kick from Elise Bussaglia. Then Kadidiatou Diani produced back-to-back goals in the 78^th and 85^th minutes to propel the home team to the victory.

Thailand still have two more friendly games. They will travel to Belgium for a clash with that nation on June 1 and finally take on Kontich FC in the Belgian city of Leuven three days later.

They kick off their campaign in the World Cup with the US at the Stade Auguste-Delaude in Reims on June 11.

The fifth-ranked Zverev made a poor start to the clay season and crashed out in his opening match in Rome last week, and the German was in danger of throwing the title away against Jarry after taking the opening set.

A 90-minute rain delay interrupted play and Jarry twice had championship point in a final set tie-break before Zverev prevailed 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (10/8) to earn his first title of the season.

“It was a very tough match. He was playing aggressively, serving big and hitting everything he can,” Zverev told the ATP website.

“I thought I was in control until the rain came, but I’m happy to find a way. I felt it could have gone either way.”

Zverev, who has never got past the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam tournament, will open his Roland Garros campaign against Australian John Millman next week.

“When I start playing good, I don’t worry about titles. I know that I can be one of the best players in the world when I find my rhythm,” said Zverev. “This week definitely helped with that.”

Barcelona’s Spanish coach Ernesto Valverde conforts Barcelona’s French defender Clement Lenglet at the end of the 2019 Spanish Copa del Rey (King’s Cup).

Chasing a record fifth consecutive triumph, Barca were undone by a relentless and gutsy Valencia side, who hung on after Lionel Messi pulled a goal back to set up a dramatic finish in Seville.

By then, Valencia were already two up, Kevin Gameiro and Rodrigo scoring twice in 13 frantic first-half minutes, after the latter spurned a golden early chance that could have spared them a nerve-shredding last 17 minutes.

Messi drove the comeback effort and Goncalo Guedes twice should have wrapped it up for Valencia, missing a one-on-one and then an open goal before the final whistle sparked pandemonium.

Valencia’s coach Marcelino, who might have been sacked when his team were four points off relegation in January, raced around the pitch in a frenzy. Barcelona’s players sank to their knees.

“We always had faith,” said Marcelino. “Beating Barcelona to win the cup is very special. We deserved to win.”

Messi admitted on Friday his team had still not recovered from the “hard blow” suffered against Liverpool and certainly they seemed too easily disheartened here, finding their fight only once it was too late.

Messi also threw his support behind Barcelona’s coach Ernesto Valverde but it remains to be seen whether the backing of the board remains after two dreadful defeats have now spoiled such a brilliant La Liga success.

“I’m fine,” Valverde said. “When a coach loses you want to go again, to fight to overcome the next challenge. I know losing for this club is hard.”

“I do not think it’s the coach’s fault,” said president Josep Maria Bartomeu. “I think he has done a great job,” added Gerard Pique. “But it does not depend on us.”

They came here as favourites, but only just, their 1,457 consecutive days as Copa del Rey champions under threat, from their own sense of deflation, key players out injured and Valencia’s recent surge.

If Barca’s season all but ended three weeks ago, Valencia’s arguably found life a few days later, as they moved into the top four for the first time and then held on to qualify for the Champions League.

– ‘History made’ –

Winning their first trophy since 2008, in the club’s centenary year, completes a remarkable comeback campaign that, after 15 games, had them languishing in 15th.

“We have made history,” said captain Dani Parejo. Gameiro added: “In the difficult moments we stayed close. I don’t have the words to describe it.”

Some saw a metaphor in Barcelona’s pre-match tifo, spelling out ‘All Together’ splitting down the middle, while there were key absentees from their starting line-up too, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele all injured.

Valencia should have been ahead within five minutes, Clement Lenglet’s error sending Rodrigo clear but his finish was brilliantly scooped off the line by the recovering Gerard Pique.

Barca, with Sergio Busquets in the centre of a back three, settled but lacked zip and in the 23rd minute they were behind. Jose Gaya scuttled in behind Nelson Semedo and his pull-back wrong-footed everyone except Gameiro, who fired in.

Semedo had been beaten down the left and soon after Jordi Alba was outrun down the right, by Carlos Soler, whose cross needed only to be nodded down and in by Rodrigo for number two.

Barcelona stirred before the break. Ivan Rakitic volleyed and then headed wide, before Messi registered their first shot on target in the 43rd minute.

Malcom and Arturo Vidal came on for Semedo and Arthur during the interval, as Barca turned the screw. Messi might have turned the match but after wriggling through his sumptuous flick towards the far corner brushed the post.

Pique fired wide as Valencia dropped deeper. Finally, Messi broke through, the post this time his friend after Lenglet’s header struck the woodwork and landed kindly at his feet.

There were 17 minutes to survive and with six left, Messi headed over. The Valencia fans roared and then again when Messi was dispossessed by a sliding challenge.

Messi drove from the edge of the area but it was blocked and Guedes twice should have wrapped it up, first missing a one-on-one and then an open goal when Jasper Cillessen had gone up for a corner. He was perhaps as relieved as anyone when the whistle blew.

Hataoka, who earned her third LPGA title at the Kia Classic in Carlsbad, California, in March, had five birdies in her first 12 holes at Kingsmill Resort and bounced back from her lone bogey at the par-four 14th with an eagle at 15.

“I wasn’t thinking about where I was going to get a bogey or anything like that, so when it came, it came,” Hataoka said. “Then I just cleared it.”

She was in the clubhouse on 13-under 200 when Law, who shared the overnight lead with Americans Jennifer Song and Jacqui Concolino, birdied the 18th to join her.

“I’ve led from the start and I kind of wanted to continue that so that was huge to keep that going,” said Law, who finished with six birdies and two bogeys in her four-under 67. “That was really my goal when I teed up on 18.”

The leading pair were one stroke in front of Song, who carded a 68 to drop out of the leading group for the first time all week, and Canadian Brooke Henderson, who had eight birdies in her seven-under 64.

It was a further shot back to Spain’s Carlota Ciganda, who carded a 68 for 202.

Song said unpredictable winds made for a challenging day.

“The wind was just switching here and there,” she said. “It was kind of hard to make decisions with my club.”

Whatever the conditions Sunday, Law said, she’ll have to stay aggressive if she is to have a shot at a first LPGA title after six top-10 finishes.

“I think you have to keep pushing, you can’t sit on anything,” Law said. “At no point can you stop making birdies, and you’ve just got to limit those mistakes.”

The Kingdom’s team hoped to stay for another day after upsetting defending champion South Korea in the quarter-finals on Thursday but the Chinese side thought otherwise.

Thailand lost the first rubber when Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai were toppled by world No 1 mixed doubles team Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong 21-18 21-7. The Chinese pair scored a sweet revenge with the Thai duo who beat them in the Singapore Open semi-finals earlier this year.

Kantaphon Wangcharoen appeared to sparkle some hope for Thailand in men’s singles when he had several chances to force the third game from world No 2 Chen Yufei but he failed to capitalize on those crucial points. The 20-year-old Thai finally surrendered 21-15 26-24, allowing the host to extend the lead to 2-0.

With China taking the driver’s seat, Thailand’s hope diminished in men’s doubles as Tinn Isriyanet and Kittinupong Kerden were underdogs up against 2018 world champions Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen. Miracle never happened as the Thai players went down 21-14 21-17.

For the third time, Thailand reached the semi-finals in the mixed doubles team competition. The first was in 2013 and the second two years ago.

China moved to the final and will face the winner between Indonesia and Japan.

A lack of direct flights between London and Baku means supporters face costs of over £1,000 ($1,300) just to make the 5,000-mile round trip before tickets and accommodation are taken into account.

Arsenal had initially complained over their small allocation, but confirmed to AFP that they have returned 2,200 tickets for the Gunners’ first European final in 13 years.

AFP understands that Chelsea have sold just 2,000 of their 6,000 allocation.

UEFA denied reports that sponsors had also returned tickets and said they were confident that local fans will snap up the spare tickets to ensure there is a capacity crowd at the 68,000 Olympic Stadium.

“The majority of these tickets have already been sold to local fans in Azerbaijan and we are confident that the remaining ones will also be sold as demand is very high,” UEFA said in a statement to AFP.

The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust (CST) joined other supporters’ groups in criticising UEFA for the location of the final, but also turned on their own club’s handling of the affair.

“Baku is a totally unsuitable location for a major European final. The combination of cost, complexity in regard to travel arrangements and time off work has massively reduced the travelling support, including those who loyally and ordinarily go to all home, away and European matches,” said the CST in a statement.

The CST also complained about the cost of charter flights put on by Chelsea and that the club has not extended the time for season ticket renewals in order to help fans’ cash flow.

Arsenal midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan will also not travel to the final due to safety fears.

Mkhitaryan’s native Armenia and Azerbaijan have feuded over Nagorny Karabakh since Armenian separatists seized the territory in a war that claimed about 30,000 lives in the early 1990s.