CRICKET
Ashes Test too close to call
England extended their lead beyond 150 on the fourth morning of the opening Ashes Test against Australia as Ben Stokes’ risk-taking side again dictated a fast and furious tempo at a sunny Edgbaston in Birmingham yesterday. A compelling session ended with England on 155-5, 162 runs ahead at lunch, but with Australia only having played their first innings. With Joe Root and Harry Brook both falling just short of half centuries Australia were very much in the hunt with the opening match of the series delicately poised. The pressure was on for England’s sixth wicket partnership of Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow, both of whom survived reviews before lunch. Stokes was 13 not out with Bairstow on one.
TENNIS
Tiafoe breaks into top 10
Frances Tiafoe became only the third African-American man to reach the top 10 in the world rankings, joining Arthur Ashe and James Blake, after the 25-year-old captured the third title of his career in Stuttgart on Sunday. The US Open semi-finalist survived a championship point in the third-set tiebreak to seal a thrilling 4-6, 7-6 (7/1), 7-6 (10/8) win over German Jan-Lennard Struff for his first grass court crown. Tiafoe was born to immigrant parents who eventually settled in the US after fleeing civil war in Sierra Leone in the 1990s. He was exposed to the sport when his father worked as a caretaker at a tennis center in Maryland. “I’m a guy who shouldn’t even really be here doing half the things he’s doing, and now when you say his name, you can say he’s top 10 in the world. So [that is] something that no one can take from you, and I’m going to remember that forever,” Tiafoe said.
GOLF
Clark wins US Open
Wyndham Clark on Sunday held his nerve to win the 123rd US Open, capturing his first major title and denying four-time major winner Rory McIlroy his first in nine years. Clark, whose previous best finish in six prior major starts was a tie for 75th, shrugged off two late bogeys to close with a pair of confident pars for an even-par 70 to seal victory with a 10-under-par total of 270 at Los Angeles Country Club. That was good enough for a one-shot win over McIlroy, who also closed with a 70. Clark, ranked 32nd in the world, broke through for his first US PGA Tour victory at Quail Hollow just last month. “I just feel like it was my time,” he said of Sunday’s win.
CYCLING
Bike thefts mar tours
Stolen bikes prevented the Euskaltel-Euskadi and Baloise Trek Lions teams from completing the final stages of the Tour of Slovenia and the Tour of Belgium respectively, the teams said on Sunday. “Euskaltel-Euskadi suffered the robbery of a vehicle with all its bicycles in it at the Tour of Slovenia so we can’t start the fifth and final stage,” the Spanish team wrote on Twitter. The Belgian Baloise Trek Lions team suffered the same fate on the Tour of Belgium. “Last night we fell victim to a theft of bicycles and wheels,” the team said in a statement on Instagram. Bicycle theft is a common problem for cycling teams. Women’s Dutch team SD Worx had several of their bikes stolen in November last year, while earlier in the year Israel Cycling Academy were robbed of bikes at a training camp in Spain.
SSC Napoli’s Italian Serie A title hopes suffered a late setback on Sunday when they were held to a 2-2 draw at home against Genoa, setting up a thrilling season finale with closest rivals Inter just one point behind. The hosts remain top with 78 points, holding a slim lead over Inter, who won 2-0 at Torino earlier on Sunday, with two rounds remaining. To make matters worse for Napoli, midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, struggling with an ankle injury, was forced off just minutes after the match began. Scott McTominay delivered a perfect pass into the box where Romelu Lukaku got
A stunning Lamine Yamal strike on Thursday helped crown Barcelona La Liga champions with a 2-0 win over local rivals RCD Espanyol, with victory ensuring Real Madrid cannot catch them at the top of the table. Yamal’s effort and Fermin Lopez’s goal took Hansi Flick’s side seven points clear of Los Blancos with two matches remaining, to clinch Barcelona’s 28th title and complete a superb domestic treble. Only the UEFA Champions League title escaped an exciting young Barca side this season, as they won the league for the second time in six years, at Espanyol’s ground again just as in 2022-2023. Back then,
Jannik Sinner on Thursday marched into the semi-finals of the Italian Open after destroying Casper Ruud in straight sets 6-0, 6-1, while Coco Gauff won a marathon three-set battle with China’s Zheng Qinwen to advance to the women’s singles final. American Gauff is to face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in today’s title match after pulling through 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) in a match that lasted over three-and-a-half hours. Ruud was supposed to be Sinner’s toughest test in Rome since he came back from his three-month doping ban, as the Norwegian came into the match in hot form on clay after winning in
Shohei Ohtani on Thursday delivered his first two-homer game of the season and had six RBIs as the Los Angeles Dodgers poured it on with five long balls in a 19-2 victory over the visiting Athletics. Max Muncy, Andy Pages and James Outman also hit home runs for the Dodgers, who left no doubt by taking a 13-2 lead following a seven-run third inning. Muncy and Kim Hye-seong each had three hits for Los Angeles. Dodgers right-hander Matt Sauer led off a bullpen game by allowing two runs in four innings. Left-hander Justin Wrobleski (1-1) finished with four scoreless innings after he
RSS