Even prior to David Warner's barnstorming return in the World Cup, Marcus Harris knew the two opening spots available for Australia in the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston would be reduced to one.

While Harris impressed in his first international summer against an outstanding India attack, he walked away without the defining innings to show for it. He reached 20 in six of his first seven Test innings but made only two half-centuries with a highest score of 79. Slim pickings against a comparatively gentler Sri Lanka attack left him frustrated but he knows no matter what he might have done, Warner's return was always a certainty.

"I'm not sure he's nipping at my heels, I'm pretty sure he's there," Harris said. "He's probably the best opening batter of my generation. Just to watch the way he played, how he took it on against other sides and how consistent he was."

Warner has been the most successful opener in Test cricket since 2013 with 5341 runs at 49.91 including 18 hundreds - seven ahead of the next best of M Vijay's 11 hundreds. However Harris, an incredibly pragmatic character, doesn't see Warner's return to the Test side as a door closing in his face.

"If I had the opportunity to play with him it will be a great learning experience to watch the way he goes about it and how he takes on other teams," Harris said. "I don't see it as a hindrance, I see it more as an opportunity to learn from someone who's probably the best, in my opinion, at that position. And I think the Australian cricket team will be better for having him back in the side."

Harris arrived in England earlier this week to join the Australia A team for the red-ball section of the tour in the lead up to the Ashes. While most of the potential Ashes squad have been playing cricket in England, either in the World Cup, with the Australia A one-day side or an English county, Harris has had to make do with the indoor centre at the Junction Oval in cold, wintery Melbourne, save for a week-long camp in Brisbane at the start of last month.

"You make the most of what you've got but it's not outdoor nets, out in the sun," Harris said.

He has spent his time wisely, working closely with Victoria coach Andrew McDonald and assistant coach Mick Lewis, recalibrating his batting rhythm after a lengthy spell following the best summer of his career. His specific focus has been the moving ball, playing under his eyes and not following the line.

"It's probably just trying to play the ball late with batting stuff," Harris said. "Going over to England that's probably the main focus. It can be hard on the indoor wickets with the way that they play. Just trying to hold my line which I've spoken about before."

He has vast experience playing league cricket England, spending two summers in Taunton, but none playing at first-class level.

Opting not to play county cricket, unlike Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Bancroft, has its pros and cons. He could have continued his sparkling form from the back end of the Sheffield Shield season, where he passed the magical 1000-run milestone for the season and was player of the Shield final with a fine century, but he also risked burn out.

"I'm quite aware that I might not walk out in the first game in England and come out straight away and blaze them," Harris said. "But if I give myself the opportunity to come out in the middle and occupy the crease for a little while, I think my form will hopefully carry through into England. It could have been quite easy to keep going but if I kept going then I could have been at the point now where I'd had enough and needed a break. I think having the break will work for me."

He learned some valuable lessons last summer about the demands of Test cricket.

"I was knackered after the Test series and even just to have a week off before BBL and Shield cricket was really good," he said. "To be able to have an extended break now to do some training and stay at home for a bit has been really good. I think it makes you hungry and to actually really want to go out there and play.

"It's one of those things where it wasn't so much physical exhaustion, it was more mentally, I think it was just such a big emotional rollercoaster of my first summer. I think from having the experience I'll be better for it. Obviously the Ashes will be another kettle of fish if I'm there but I think I'll be better for the run."

However, he knows he is no guarantee to make the Ashes squad let alone walk out to bat alongside Warner in the first Test. Joe Burns made 180 in his last Test as Harris' opening partner but has had the misfortune of coming home from his county stint with Lancashire to recover from post-viral fatigue.

Burns has recovered and was added to the Australia A squad after initially being left out. It appears that Harris and Burns will have a three-match shoot-out to partner Warner, but Harris is unperturbed.

"There's definitely still a bit of water to go under the bridge," Harris said. "But I felt like I finished off the summer in really strong form and did as much as I could. A couple of [Sheffield Shield] 90s I could have turned into a couple more hundreds but I feel like after my first couple of Test series I finished the summer strongly. It could have been easy to peter out and let it slip but I was really driven to finish off well. There's definitely competition for spots but I feel like I'm doing all the right things at the moment."

New Zealand coach Gary Stead hopes "lady luck" starts to shine on them in the World Cup semi-final after their campaign stalled at the end of the group stage with three consecutive heavy defeats.

Barring a victory by an astonishing margin for Pakistan against Bangladesh at Lord's (more than 300 runs) New Zealand will line-up in a semi-final against the top-placed side, either Australia or India, at Old Trafford on Tuesday.

They have been left thankful for the way their fixtures played out in the group stage with comfortable early victories against Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, alongside a nervy chase against Bangladesh, giving them breathing space plus the benefit of a point from a washed out match against India which would have been one of their tougher matches.

The major issue has been the lack of runs from the top order in support of Kane Williamson with Martin Guptill (166 runs) enduring a poor tournament and neither Colin Munro (125 runs) or Henry Nicholls (scores of 8 and 0) finding success alongside him. Ross Taylor has also slightly underwhelmed with an average of 37.28, but Stead believes that the batsmen haven't always had the rub of the green - especially in the match against England where Williamson was run out backing up.

"We are working very hard in the nets, but at the end of the day sometimes you need a bit of lady luck as well and that hasn't always been," he said. "If you take [the England match], Henry Nicholls had an lbw that he possibly should have reviewed, Martin Guptill was caught down the leg side off a glove and your next two batsmen are run out - one off the fingers of the bowler - little things like that can turn a game, especially when it's your top order.

"If we get a little bit of luck going our way and they continue to be really positive in their mindset then it doesn't really matter what has happened in the past. Martin Guptill can go out there and we know he's capable of getting a double hundred - he could do that in the semi-final and all of a sudden we won't be talking about form."

New Zealand will take a couple of days away from training to refresh having achieved their first aim of the tournament, albeit with some significant issues to address.

"For our guys it's probably more a mental break than anything," Stead said. "We are thinking, playing, training cricket just about every day of the week so having some pre-planned breaks - and this is one we were always hopeful for - will be a good thing. But I know the guys will still be thinking about what's ahead. We are under no illusions, it's going to be a tough, tough game but if we can fire some shots then we are a real chance.

"Spirits aren't too bad, our first goal was to make the semi-finals and pretty sure we will be there. There's obviously some individuals who aren't getting the runs or wickets they want to and that's just about getting around them and knowing why they are here, the role they are doing, but cricket's also a harsh game and we know you aren't going to be perfect every day."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

LONDON -- Nick Kyrgios refused to apologize for attempting to hit Rafael Nadal with a ball during their hotly contested Wimbledon second-round clash Thursday.

During the third set of a match littered with drama at the All England Club, Kyrgios aimed a forehand at the 18-time Grand Slam champion, though Nadal was able to deflect it with his racket. Nadal glared at the Australian but ultimately kept his cool and went on to win 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5) 7-6 (3).

During a spicy postmatch news conference, Kyrgios admitted he had purposely aimed the ball at Nadal's chest -- and would not say he was sorry for doing so.

"Why would I apologize? I mean, the dude has got how many Slams, how much money in the bank account?" Kyrgios said. "I think he can take a ball to the chest, bro. I'm not going to apologize to him at all."

Nadal said he was concerned more for the safety of others.

"I don't say Nick does this stuff to bother the opponent, but [it] is true that sometimes he's dangerous. When he hit the ball like this, [it] is dangerous," Nadal said. "[It] is not dangerous for me, [it] is dangerous for a line referee, dangerous for a crowd. When you hit the ball like this, you don't know where the ball goes.

"I know he's a big, talented player, but I am a professional player, too. I know when you hit this kind of ball, the ball can go anywhere. This time the ball went in, [it] almost hit me, no problem. I am professional, so I know how to avoid this. But another one, the ball goes straight to the back. So have been dangerous moment for the line umpire. That ball hits an eye or something like this, is a problem. That's it."

Kyrgios spent much of the match, which was contested on Centre Court, complaining about Nadal's speed of play. His constant bemoaning led him to an official warning, before he branded the chair umpire "a disgrace."

The tension began when Kyrgios claimed early in the first set that his request to challenge a call had been missed. He then began to question Nadal's speed of play and, when Nadal left for a bathroom break at the end of the first set, Kyrgios continued to vent his frustration toward the chair umpire.

In between a pair of underarm serves and attempted "tweener" shots, Kyrgios' complaints became a common theme throughout the next hour on court and the performance continued in his postmatch interviews.

There Kyrgios again branded the umpire "horrendous" while facing questions from the press, before he explained why he felt wronged.

"I'm serving, I'm like starting my routine. Rafa said, 'Stop.' The rule is like, 'Play to the speed of the server.' Why do I have to wait for him to get into his rhythm every time?" Kyrgios said. "I got angry at the ref. He's like, 'No, I'll tell him what I want to tell him.' I was like, 'Oh, a little bit of a power trip there.' He obviously feels pretty important sitting up in the chair. He was just terrible. I thought the way he handled the match was just bad."

Nadal will go on to play Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the third round on Saturday.

Top-five rising senior Jalen Johnson announced his commitment to Duke on Thursday.

Johnson chose the Blue Devils over Kentucky, Arizona and Wisconsin.

A 6-foot-8 small forward from Nicolet High School (Wisconsin), Johnson is ranked No. 4 in the 2020 class. He is the top small forward in the class. He averaged 17.0 points and 9.2 rebounds on the Nike EYBL circuit this spring and summer for Phenom University.

#TheBrotherhood? I'M COMING‼️ pic.twitter.com/ryxNzkXY4J

— Jalen Johnson (@Jalen_J23) July 4, 2019

Johnson is the second five-star commitment for Duke in the 2020 class, joining point guard Jeremy Roach. Johnson and Roach are the only five-star prospects committed from the rising senior class.

With coach Mike Krzyzewski securing two five-star prospects this early in the process, it puts Duke on track for yet another highly ranked recruiting class. The Blue Devils have landed the No. 1 class in two of the past three years and in four of the past six.

Watch highlights as two-time Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal defeats a highly charged Nick Kyrgios to book his place in the third round.

WATCH MORE: Nadal laughs after Kyrgios' signature underarm serve

WATCH MORE: ‘Why would I apologise?’ – Kyrgios not sorry after ball hits Nadal

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Watch the wonderful and weird moments from day four at Wimbledon as Andy Murray returns to action in the men's doubles and an irate Nick Kyrgios entertains the Centre Court crowd.

WATCH MORE: ‘Why would I apologise?’ – Kyrgios not sorry after ball hits Nadal

WATCH MORE: Strange moods, weird hats & a great catch - day three funnies

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Nick Kyrgios insisted he had no need to apologise to Rafael Nadal despite blasting the ball at him at one point in their Wimbledon match.

"Why would I apologise? I won the point," said Kyrgios after his four-set second-round defeat. "I was going for him. I wanted to hit him.

"The dude has got how many Slams, how much money in the bank account? I think he can take a ball to the chest."

Nadal managed to get his racquet in the way but said the shot was "dangerous".

"It is not dangerous for me, it is dangerous for a line referee, dangerous for a crowd," the Spaniard said.

"When you hit the ball like this, you don't know where the ball goes.

"I know he's a big talented player, but I am a professional player too. I know when you hit this kind of ball, the ball can go anywhere."

It was only one flashpoint in a stormy 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-3) win for two-time champion Nadal.

The build-up

The pair met on Centre Court five years ago when a 19-year-old Kyrgios, ranked 144th in the world, pulled off a shock four-set victory over the then world number one.

Before Thursday's encounter their head-to-head record stood at six wins apiece, with Kyrgios winning a testy encounter in Acapulco in February.

In the wake of that win, the Australian had described Nadal as "super salty" in defeat and admitted earlier in the Championships that the pair would not be sharing a drink any time soon.

Underarm, but underhand?

One of the flashpoints in his win in Mexico had been Kyrgios' decision to serve underarm. He produced the same tactic twice on Centre Court, winning the point on each occasion.

He was asked afterwards why he did not attempt it more often with Nadal standing deep behind the baseline to field a serve that delivered 29 aces.

"If I do something outrageous, I get destroyed in the media for it. I thought I'd be professional and hit a normal serve. That's what I was thinking," he said

"No, I'm kidding. I just didn't want to hit another one. Oh, shoot me down for not hitting an underarm serve Centre Court against Rafa.

"What do you want from me, man? I don't know what you want from me."

Clashes with officialdom

During the first half of the match, Kyrgios repeatedly argued with umpire Damien Dumusois, mainly about the time that Nadal was taking between points.

Kyrgios described the official as "a disgrace" during the match and his opinion had not mellowed in the aftermath.

"The umpire today was horrendous. I mean, he was terrible

"The rule is like play to the speed of the server. Why do I have to wait for Rafa to get into his rhythm every time?

"I thought the way he handled the match was just bad."

Analysis

Three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker:

"I want Nick Kyrgios to learn from that, he's such a fine tennis player, we want him in tennis, we maybe even need him in tennis once the big three are gone.

"Yes you should get emotional every now and then but don't get emotional for nothing. You're not going to change the tennis world without winning a major.

"Quite often these blockbuster matches that we talk up when we see the draw just don't deliver because one player is too strong or one doesn't turn up. This one I was pleased it didn't end in a bar-room brawl."

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The IMSA-sanctioned Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama series was at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park just two months ago for Victoria Day SpeedFest, and it returns for another equally big weekend with the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

While CTMP hosted the opening rounds of the 2019 GT3 Cup Challenge Canada season, this weekend’s Mobil 1 Sports Car Grand Prix marks the fifth and sixth races in the series’ 12-round championship. The two most recent races were held at the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix in June at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.

All eyes will be on Roman De Angelis, the 18-year-old who is riding a three-race win streak that started when he won Round 2 at CTMP. De Angelis then proceeded to sweep the doubleheader weekend in Montreal in his No. 79 Mark Motors Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, which will be one of 14 on the grid this weekend.

“I’d just like to start by saying what a performance by the team in Montreal,” said De Angelis. “It was a really important weekend for me, and for it to come off perfect is what I could have hoped for. I cannot wait for the upcoming back-to-back weekends with Mark Motors. I really hope we can keep the momentum pushing at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.”

De Angelis has built a 15-point lead in the championship standings over Parker Thompson in the No. 3 Porsche for SCB Racing. One point separates the drivers in third and fourth place, with Patrick Dussault in the No. 77 Lauzon Autosport racecar having 112 points and Jeff Kingsley at 111 in the No. 16 Policaro Motorsport Porsche. Kingsley was the winner of round one at CTMP.

Seven drivers in the field are also competing for the Platinum Masters championship for drivers 45 and older. Again, a narrow one-point margin separates the top two contenders in that title hunt. Alan Metni in the No. 99 Kelly-Moss/AM Motorsport Porsche has 120 points and Marco Cirone with 119 in the No. 88 Porsche with Mark Motors.

It’s Cirone, though, that has claimed two of the four Platinum Masters wins so far this season and two overall podiums, making some competitors view him as one to beat.

One of those competitors is Michael Levitas in the No. 37 TPC Racing Porsche. Levitas joined the GT3 Cup Challenge Canada field at Montreal and scored a Platinum Masters victory of his own in round four.

“I’ve raced quite a few times at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and I’m really excited to come up there and race,” said Levitas. “I just can’t say enough about being able to join the Canadian series and I feel really fortunate to be able to race with everybody. I’m looking forward to some great racing and maybe I’ll have something for that Marco Cirone.”