Tens of thousands of pilgrims are expected at the Vatican Sunday for the canonisation of an Italian teenager dubbed “God’s Influencer” for his efforts to spread the Catholic faith online.

Carlo Acutis, who died of leukaemia in 2006 aged 15, will be made the first millennial saint by Pope Leo XIV in a solemn ceremony in St Peter’s Square.

The teenager’s body, dressed in jeans and a pair of Nike trainers, lies in a glass-walled tomb in Assisi, visited by hundreds of thousands of people a year.

The canonisation of the so-called “cyber-apostle” was initially set for April but postponed when Pope Francis died. It will be US-born Pope Leo’s first such ceremony.

Among the crowds expected at the Vatican for the mass, which begins at 10:00 am (0800 GMT), are over 800 people travelling to Rome on a special train from Assisi.

The mass will also be watched by faithful on giant screens in Assisi, a medieval city and pilgrimage site in the central region of Umbria.

“I know that many will come, many will follow on television — many came already for April 27. And I’m sure that Carlo thanks them,” said his mother, Antonia Salzano.

In a video published by the Assisi diocese on Saturday, she said her son was proof that “we are all called to be saints… everyone is special”.

A large tapestry featuring a photograph of the saint-to-be hung on the facade of St Peter’s Basilica ahead of the ceremony.

‘Exemplary life’

Acutis, born in London in 1991 to Italian parents, had an ardent faith, though his parents were not particularly devout.

He grew up in the northern city of Milan, where he attended mass daily and had a reputation for kindness to bullied children and homeless people, bringing the latter food and sleeping bags.

A fan of computer games, Acutis taught himself basic coding and used it to document miracles and other elements of the Catholic faith online.

Domenico Sorrentino, bishop of Assisi, called on young people on Friday to follow Acutis’s example.

“Today more than ever we need positive examples, exemplary life stories that can help our young people avoid following discouraging images, violent examples, and fleeting fads that leave nothing behind,” he said in a statement.

The Vatican has recognised Acutis as performing two miracles since his death — a necessary step on the path to sainthood.

The first was the healing of a Brazilian child suffering from a rare pancreatic malformation, the second the recovery of a Costa Rican student seriously injured in an accident.

In both cases, relatives had prayed for help from the teenager, who was beatified in 2020 by Pope Francis.

NEW YORK: US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka may be nicknamed “The Tiger”, but her New York triumph on Saturday was less about raw aggression and more poise, as the world number one steadied herself and regrouped in key moments to claim a fourth Grand Slam title.

Determined to become the first woman since American great Serena Williams (2012–14) to defend her crown at Flushing Meadows, the Belarusian carried the weight of recent major setbacks to claim a 6-3 7-6(3) win over Amanda Anisimova in the final and retain her crown.

After final defeats at Melbourne and Paris, and a Wimbledon semi-final setback against Anisimova, Sabalenka turned all that disappointment into fuel, earning the right to show up to her press conference in party mode, goggles perched on her head and a bottle of champagne in hand.

“After the Australian Open I thought that the right way would be just to forget it and move on, but then the same thing happened at the French Open. So I figured that, okay, maybe it’s time for me to sit back and to look at those finals and to maybe learn something,” an ecstatic Sabalenka told reporters.

“Going into this final I decided for myself that I’m going to control my emotions. I’m not going to let them take control over me, and doesn’t matter what happens in the match.

“My mindset was just going out there, fight for every point. Doesn’t matter of the situation. Just focus on myself and focus on things that I have to do to win the match.”

The occasion seemed ripe for Sabalenka to crumble under the roar of a partisan Arthur Ashe crowd cheering her American opponent, but the 27-year-old showed that she was equipped to prevail in the toughest moments.

Sabalenka was serving for the match when she gifted Anisimova a break with a flubbed smash in what seemed a pivotal momentum shift. Yet the top seed did not miss when it mattered the most, winning a record 19th straight tiebreak.

“There were moments where I was really close to losing control, but I told myself, ‘No, it’s not going to happen. It’s absolutely okay’,” Sabalenka said.

“I was really close to losing it, because you cannot make these kinds of mistakes on important points. Sometimes it can be crucial, from my experience.

“But then I turn around and I took a deep breath in, and I was, like, okay, it happens. It’s in the past. Let’s focus on the next one.”

Sabalenka added that her milestone 100th Grand Slam match win carried extra weight because of the road it took to get there.

“You know, this one felt like I had to overcome a lot of things to get this one,” she said. “I knew that the hard work we put in, like, I deserved to have a Grand Slam title this season.

“It means a lot to defend this title and to bring such great tennis on the court. To bring the fight and be able to handle my emotions the way I did in this final, it means a lot. I’m super proud right now of myself.”

Harry Styles and Zoë Kravitz’s alleged relationship is not just a fling, says an insider.

The couple, who was spotted strolling on the streets of California this week, are serious in their romance.

A Hollywood insider tells Page Six: “I feel like they’ve gone from 0-60.”

“It’s so hard to date as a celebrity … Harry wouldn’t have gone public with Zoë if it wasn’t anything,” said the source. “(But) it’s very new and fresh and they’re just having fun.”

The source added: “Harry doesn’t label this stuff.”

Meanwhile, insiders told RadarOnline about Kravitz: “She’s bold, self-assured and has this undeniable pull. People close to him believe she might be the only one exciting and captivating enough to get him to leave his playboy image behind.”

“He’s showing more effort with her than he ever has before, and that speaks volumes,” they added.