The most glamorous picture in sport? Sharapova leads cast of tennis stars at launch of the WTA Finals in Singapore

Top seed Simona Halep was pooled with Grand Slam winners Maria Sharapova and Flavia Pennetta in a formidable looking Red Group for the end-of-season WTA Finals on Friday. With world No 1 and defending champion Serena Williams opting out after narrowly missing out on a rare calendar Grand Slam, Romanian Halep is the highest seed for the eight woman end-of-season championships which begins on Sunday. Halep, who lost to Williams in the final last year after beating the American in the pool stage, was drawn against Italian Pennetta, who lifted a shock US Open title after compatriot Roberta Vinci beat Williams in the last four.

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Mourinho refuses to confirm if Hazard will return to the Chelsea starting line-up against West Ham

Eden Hazard will hope he has done enough to work his way into Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho's starting line-up when he takes his side across London to face West Ham on Saturday. The Blues are aiming to build on their 2-0 victory over Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge last weekend, in which Mourinho opted to start with Ruben Loftus-Cheek in an unfamiliar No 10 position.

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Qualifying under threat at US GP after second practice is cancelled due to thunderstorms from Hurricane Patricia

Second practice for the United States Grand Prix has been cancelled after bad weather wreaked havoc in Austin on Friday. A torrential downpour over the Circuit of the Americas, coupled with thunder and lightning, saw the session delayed before it was eventually scrapped altogether.

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It's style versus steel: City are promising goals but can they break down dogged United?

IAN LADYMAN: With two largely unexcitable, foreign managers currently in office, the preamble to a Manchester derby is perhaps not what it once was. In truth, there was not a great deal of noise from either of the neighbours on Friday. Thank heavens, then, for the football. This time round, that remains terribly difficult to call as Manuel Pellegrini's City head to United on Sunday knowing that Louis van Gaal's side will overtake them in the Barclays Premier League with a win.

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Best of mates: One shone for City, the other was United's superstar. Summerbee recalls how he and George loved the good life

INTERVIEW BY IAN LADYMAN: Ten years ago this autumn, George Best died. He was 59. The world of football lost one of its most captivating stars and Mike Summerbee, the former Manchester City forward, lost his best friend. As the red and blue of Manchester prepare to come together at Old Trafford for the 170th derby, an examination of Best and Summerbee's friendship is like looking through a window into a different world.

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Manchester City are favourites for the derby, insists Van Gaal ahead of Old Trafford showdown

Louis van Gaal believes Manchester United are underdogs for the derby at Old Trafford on Sunday. Manchester City are without first-team stars Sergio Aguero and David Silva for the 170th meeting between the two sides, but Van Gaal still thinks Manuel Pellegrini's men are favourites.

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Murray beats Johnson to reach Shanghai Masters third round in return to action after Davis Cup success

STUART FRASER IN SHANGHAI: Andy Murray's break after his Davis Cup exploits looks to have served him well as he comfortably dispatched American Steve Johnson in straight sets in his opening match at the Shanghai Rolex Masters. Murray needed just 73 minutes to beat world No 47 Johnson 6-2, 6-4 and book a third-round clash with another American in big-serving John Isner.

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It's not quite Vegas, eh Floyd? Boxing star Mayweather delights Cuban fans as he visits rundown gym in Havana

Hanging out at a dilapidated boxing gym in Cuba, Floyd Mayweather looked right at home as he embarked on the next leg of endless journey into supposed retirement from the sport. Mayweather has been showcasing his 'new found appreciation for all the Cuban boxers' on a recent trip to the Spanish-speaking Caribbean island, winding his way through the streets of Havana. The undefeated champion took to Instagram to signal his presence in the country, which was typically conspicuous given his garish green socks and trademark snapback TMT hat.

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Scotland put through their paces as they prepare for World Cup quarter-final clash with Australia at Twickenham

Scotland's World Cup hopefuls continued their preparations for Sunday's quarter-final clash against Australia as the players were put through their paces during training on Wednesday. Vern Cotter's squad are bidding to succeed where England failed by beating the impressive Wallabies at Twickenham and preserving their status in the tournament.

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It's been a rollercoaster ride so far but Wales are ready to plunge back into World Cup battle after enjoying day at Thorpe Park

The Wales players have been enjoying the ride at this year's Rugby World Cup and were able to let their hair down at Thorpe Park on Wednesday ahead of a crucial quarter-final. Warren Gatland's side take on South Africa at Twickenham this weekend after progressing from the 'Group of Death', eliminating hosts England in the process. Injuries to key players in their last defeat against Australia could have lowered morale in the Welsh camp but the squad seemed to enjoy their well deserved day off at the Surrey theme park.

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Willian strikes after just 40 seconds to set Brazil on way to simple World Cup 2018 qualifying win

Willian scored after 40 seconds and added a second just before the break as Brazil beat Venezuela 3-1 to pocket their first points in South American qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup. After their 2-0 defeat to Chile last week, Brazil, again without the suspended Neymar, raced out of the blocks at the Castelao in Fortaleza and Willian slotted home between Venezuela goalkeeper Alain Baroja and his near post.

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Belgium have risen from 66th to become the No 1 team in the world in just six years... so are they the men to fear at Euro 2016?

With a well balanced squad and plenty of character will world No 1 team Belgium prove they are the best in France next summer? Here Sportsmail looks at their likely squad. There is undoubtedly plenty of talent in Marc Wilmots' squad, with ten Premier League players including wily campaigners like Vincent Kompany and Jan Vertonghen alongside world class attacking players Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne with youngsters like Divock Origi coming through. Here Sportsmail looks at their likely squad

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How Ronaldo became King of the Selfie: Self-obsessed star is bombarding fans with relentless stream of pictures

When Cristiano Ronaldo was given time away from international duty this week following a typically frantic start to the season, the Real Madrid star fell back on what he loves doing most away from the pitch. Ronaldo, who on Tuesday scooped his fourth golden boot as Europe's top goalscorer during the 2014-15 season having scored 48 goals in 35 Spanish league games, took time off from representing Portugal to relax with friends. This is known by his 32.8million Instagram followers, who have found the Ronaldo 'selfie' to have become a staple of their daily browse. 

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England have been confronted by the anti-Ashes in Abu Dhabi... spinners' figures of 0-302 are the worst in their history

LAWRENCE BOOTH IN ABU DHABI: It's easy to get lost on the way to the Sheikh Zayed Stadium. Our taxi driver did exactly that on Wednesday morning. Access is via is a road surrounded by sand. Once inside, spectators are unlikely to be trampled in the rush. Three-quarters of the ground is unsheltered - and thus empty. Boundaries are greeted with a smattering of applause and few, easily discernible, cheers. After revelling in the green, green grass of home, England have been confronted out here with what amounts to nothing less than the anti-Ashes. And, so far, they haven't enjoyed what they have seen.

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England will be top seeds at Euro 2016 alongside Germany and Spain... but why are Austria in pot two and Wales stuck down in pot four?

Austria's near-perfect qualification record has catapulted them into the second Euro 2016 pot ahead of December's draw, with Roy Hodgson's England entering as top seeds. Marcel Koller's side finished well clear of second-placed Russia, not dropping any points since the opening fixture against Sweden, meaning they leapt a whopping 15 places in UEFA's coefficient table.

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As Holland fail to reach 24-team Euro 2016, who's in and who's out in rebuilding job?

Holland's failure to qualify for next summer's European Championship has been met with plenty of soul searching about the direction of the national team. While Danny Blind insists he will continue as manager, it is evident from their abject qualifying campaign that an overhaul of the playing personnel is required. We take a look at five ageing stars who may find themselves cast aside in the overhaul and five youngsters who need to step up to the mark.

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Desperate Barcelona turn to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in last-ditch bid to overturn transfer ban

PETE JENSON: Barcelona will go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in a final attempt to get their player registration ban lifted before the end of the year. In a statement issued on Wednesday night the club complained that FIFA had ignored their request for clarification over whether they would be able to play new signing Arda Turan before the transfer window reopens in January.

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Liverpool's new era starts here: Klopp united with stars back from international duty... with just three days to go until his first match

New Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp (left) had a full complement of stars for the first time this afternoon as he welcomed players back to step up preparations for the return of the Premier League. Former Dortmund coach Klopp was appointed as Brendan Rodgers' replacement a week ago and will make his debut at Tottenham on Saturday.

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I want to win trophies with Dortmund - JANUZAJ

Adnan Januzaj has completed his loan move to Borussia Dortmund after a change of heart from Louis van Gaal about whether the player is equipped to play a significant role for Manchester United this season.

Januzaj’s move to the Bundesliga comes only two weeks after Van Gaal backed him to have a much more influential role at Old Trafford this season, the Belgium international having fallen out of favour since David Moyes’s sacking from the club. Van Gaal has never been fully convinced by the player Moyes described behind the scenes as “the new Cruyff” and, until recently, the 20-year-old was close to moving to Sunderland on loan.

Instead, Januzaj will spend the season in Dortmund, with reports in Germany saying there is an option to make the deal permanent at the end of the season. “Borussia Dortmund is a big club and the fans are supposed to be unbelievable here,” Januzaj said. “I want to achieve big things with this team.”

Marcos Rojo's Manchester United future in doubt after bust-up with Louis van Gaal

Marcos Rojo's long-term future with Manchester United has been plunged into doubt after he had a serious bust-up with Louis van Gaal.

The Argentine defender, who cost £16million when he arrived at the club 12 months ago from Sporting Lisbon, has not figured in the squad once this season as Van Gaal has preferred to use Daley Blind alongside Chris Smalling.

He enraged Van Gaal earlier this summer and was fined £140,000, which amounts to two weeks' wages, after he failed to join up with United for their pre-season tour of North America because of passport issues.

Tensions between the pair have been building since then, with Van Gaal having raised concerns about Rojo's fitness and it is understood the 25-year-old has clashed with his manager over the way he has been treated.

It now leaves Rojo, who played 60 minutes of a friendly against Ajax last Thursday, in a difficult position, as Van Gaal would be open to the prospect of him leaving on a deadline day.

When United were discussing terms with Monaco over the deal for Antony Martial, Rojo was initially put forward as being part of the deal. Valencia also registered an interest before the Spanish deadline closed.