FORMULA 1
Verstappen takes pole
Formula 1 championship leader Max Verstappen yesterday took pole position for today’s Japanese Grand Prix as he looks to take a giant stride toward a third straight title. The Red Bull driver topped the timesheets in dry conditions at Suzuka with a fastest lap of 1 minute, 28.877 seconds — 0.581 seconds ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. Lando Norris, Piastri’s teammate, was third. Verstappen, who leads teammate and nearest rival Sergio Perez by 151 points in the championship standings, cannot clinch the title today, but a favorable result can set him up to seal it at the Qatar Grand Prix next month. “I already felt from the preparation that we had that this was going to be a good track,” Verstappen said. “You never really know how good it’s going to be, but from lap one it’s been really nice.”
MOTOGP
Bezzecchi fastest in India
Italy’s Marco Bezzecchi yesterday claimed pole position at India’s MotoGP on a hot and humid afternoon at the Buddh International Circuit. The Ducati-VR46 rider clocked a top time of 1 minute, 43.947 seconds in the second qualifying, with Jorge Martin and world champion Francesco Bagnaia completing the front row at positions two and three respectively. However, Alex Marquez was all but ruled out of today’s race when the Spaniard — ninth in the standings — crashed on his Ducati-Gresini and fractured his ribs in the first qualifying session. Bezzecchi scorched the track in extreme heat, which has forced organizers to chop today’s race by three laps to 21. “Was tough, but this morning I felt better on the bike,” Bezzecchi said. “Very happy for this pole position. Important to start the sprint and tomorrow’s [today’s] race at pole.”
CRICKET
India top in all formats
India have become only the second men’s team in the history of the sport to occupy the No. 1 spot across all three formats after defeating Australia in the first ODI of their series in India on Friday. India moved past Pakistan to take the top position in the one-day rankings as a result of their latest victory, just before they host the World Cup. They were already No. 1 in Tests and T20 internationals. Only South Africa in 2012 have previously achieved the feat. India’s five-wicket victory over Australia in Mohali took them to 116 rating points, one ahead of Pakistan, but they could slip down the table if Australia — on 111 points — win the remaining two matches in the series.
SOCCER
Guirassy scores brace
Serhou Guirassy on Friday continued his red-hot scoring form with two goals and an assist as VfB Stuttgart beat SV Darmstadt 98 3-1 to provisionally move into first place in the Bundesliga. Guirassy took his tally to 10 league goals in five games as Stuttgart staged a comeback after falling behind to an own-goal by defender Dan Zagadou in the 17th minute. The striker first set up Enzo Millot for the equalizer in the 22nd minute and then gave his team the lead when he swiveled in the area and smashed a hard shot into the net 10 minutes later. Guirassy added a cheeky lob over goalkeeper Marcel Schuhen to seal the win. He is the first player in Europe’s top five leagues to reach double figures in scoring this season. The win gave Stuttgart 12 points from five games.
The Philadelphia 76ers, fueled by 36 points from Tyrese Maxey and a triple-double from Joel Embiid, on Thursday beat the Houston Rockets 128-122 in an NBA overtime thriller. Cameroonian big man Embiid scored 32 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and handed out 10 assists, posting the ninth triple-double of his career to help the Sixers end the Rockets’ three-game winning streak. Rockets star Kevin Durant scored 36 points and Amen Thompson added 17, but Thompson was scoreless in the fourth quarter. Even so, the Rockets led by nine midway through the final frame, Maxey tying it at 115-115 with 40.1 seconds left. Durant missed a
Luka Doncic on Monday produced a 46-point masterpiece as the Los Angeles Lakers snapped the Chicago Bulls’ four-game winning streak with a 129-118 victory on the road. Doncic rattled in eight three-pointers on 15-of-25 shooting from the field, finishing with seven rebounds and 11 assists to lead an impressive Lakers effort at the United Center. LeBron James chipped in with 24 points, five rebounds and three assists, while Rui Hachimura delivered an eye-catching cameo off the bench with 23 points from nine-of-11 shooting. The win was another encouraging result for the Lakers after a 116-110 defeat of the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday. “We did
The Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo on Friday said that he will probably be out for an extended period after hurting his right calf again after a similar injury caused him to miss eight games earlier this season. Antetokounmpo had his right calf wrapped in the first half of their 102-100 loss to the Denver Nuggets. He did not appear comfortable the rest of the night and left for good with 34 seconds remaining. “At the end, I could not move no more, so I had to stop playing,” Antetokounmpo said. The two-time NBA Most Valuable Player said he expected to undergo an MRI
Taiwanese FORTUNES: Wu Fang-hsien and Hsieh Su-wei both advanced to the last 16 of the women’s doubles, but Ray Ho was ousted in the men’s doubles Carlos Alcaraz yesterday stepped up his quest to win a maiden Australian Open as he overwhelmed showman Corentin Moutet to reach the last 16, while Taiwan’s Wu Fang-hsien and Hsieh Su-wei both advanced to the last 16 of the women’s doubles. Three-time finalist Daniil Medvedev battled through on day six at a warm and sunny Melbourne Park, as did Coco Gauff. Top seed Alcaraz was never in danger against French 32nd seed Moutet, easing through 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 at Rod Laver Arena in 2 hours, 5 minutes. It was the Spaniard’s 100th Grand Slam match and he boasts a remarkable 87-13 win-loss record,
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