Eddie Jones said silencing Australia's supporters was a "great feeling" after England claimed a 25-17 victory in Brisbane to level the three-match series.
England had lost their past four games heading into the second Test at Suncorp Stadium, including a defeat to the Barbarians. They were jolted by last week's 30-28 loss to Australia in Perth but responded in style on Saturday.
Billy Vunipola crossed over early on for England's only try and Owen Farrell kicked four penalties to give the visitors a 19-0 first-half lead.
Taniela Tupou reduced the arrears before the interval and Samu Kerevi walked in a second, either side of a couple more Farrell penalties, but England saw out the victory.
After getting one over on his country of birth and the team he previously managed for four years, Jones admitted he took great joy from leaving the home hordes disappointed.
"I love coaching at Suncorp Stadium, it's a good experience," Jones said. "You've got 48,000 people all full of drink and all they want to see is their team win.
"When you turn them away, it's a great experience. A great feeling. I was coming out from the coaches' box and they all have their scarves on.
"When did Australians start wearing scarves? It's all the rage, isn't it? They are not so smart now.
"Before the game they are coming up saying to me, 'You are going to get belted tonight'. Now they are a little bit more quiet. So that's good. I enjoy that."
England have now won four of their past five games in Oceania, having won just one of the previous 12 away matches against teams from that continent.
Saturday's victory sets up a thrilling decider in Sydney next weekend, and Jones has no doubt it is the home side that will be under more pressure.
"It's 1-1. And the pressure's on the other mob now," he said. "So they've got to deal with that pressure. We'll find ways of getting better.
"It was a good effort by the boys. We just tightened our game up a little bit this week.
"The boys carried out the game-plan really well, and played with a lot of intensity, a lot of passion, and we had three new caps. Incredible.
"It's just time together. We're a very young, inexperienced team. It takes time to put things together, and we'll be more cohesive next week."
There was one big negative to come out of the game for Jones, however, as Maro Itoje failed to return to the field after undergoing a head injury assessment.
Itoje collided with Hunter Paisami shortly before the interval and Jones later confirmed the lock will play no part in the deciding Test.
"The medical situation with Maro is that he will be out next weekend," Jones said.
Prior to this weekend's fixtures, Itoje's 83 line-outs won in Tests since the beginning of 2021 was at least 21 more than any other player from a Tier One nation.
Elena Rybakina produced a breathtaking comeback to win the Wimbledon title as Ons Jabeur fell short in the women's final – a Russian native triumphing in the name of Kazakhstan.
Rybakina, who was born, raised and learned her tennis trade in Moscow, switched to represent Kazakhstan in 2018 after being offered an appealing financial package.
Russians were banned, along with their Belarusian colleagues, from playing at Wimbledon this year by the All England Club, owing to the Kremlin-led invasion of Ukraine.
The decision has cost Wimbledon, and Britain's Lawn Tennis Association, fines totalling $1million, albeit those are being appealed.
And still, somehow, a player with tight Russian ties has prevailed, handed the trophy on Centre Court by the Duchess of Cambridge. This was not, it seems safe to say, the ideal scenario for Wimbledon's blazer brigade.
Yet in Rybakina the tournament has an exciting young champion, and given she turned her back on playing for Russia to represent Kazakhstan, it is hardly a victory that Vladimir Putin can hold up as a great triumph for his country on the global sporting stage.
All the same, some of the power-brokers in SW19 might have been quietly hoping that Jabeur would see this through, the world number two delivering trophy success that would have been celebrated across Africa and the Arab world.
The crowd appeared to be pulling for Jabeur too, after the 27-year-old made herself a favourite thanks to her entertaining, enterprising brand of tennis, matched to a thoroughly charming personality.
The Tunisian, playing the biggest match of her life as the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha got under way, looked like her day in the sun had arrived when on a sizzling London day she took the first set without any particular fuss.
A pre-tournament sally by the seaside with Serena Williams served Jabeur well, their doubles liaison in Eastbourne emboldening the world number two for this fortnight, and yet come crunch point in the final, it all went over the cliff.
There was a skip of satisfaction when Jabeur broke early in that first set, and with the six-foot Rybakina spraying her powerful ground shots often out of court it looked to be a match that could only go one way. There were sizzling winners from Rybakina but too many unforced errors, with 17 in the first set alone.
Perhaps it was the scale of what she was halfway to achieving, but Jabeur's focus then slipped. An ill-advised 'tweener', the between-the-legs party piece favoured by Nick Kyrgios, found the net and pointed to incoming trouble.
Rybakina swept to a 5-1 lead in the second set. Jabeur, known as the "minister of happiness" in Tunisia, soon looked pretty glum as Rybakina levelled the match with an ace on set point.
The winners-to-errors ratio had swung around dramatically from the first set, and when Rybakina sprinted ahead in the decider with an immediate break, dominating the battles of craft as well as the full-power rallies, Jabeur was in the doldrums.
The usually mild-mannered Jabeur lashed out when she was outsmarted at the net by Rybakina, lucky not to make full contact as she swished out at the ball in frustration.
Leading 3-2 and approaching the finish line, Rybakina slipped 0-40 down, as some of Jabeur's great touch returned with drop-shot and lob winners. That could have been a turning point, but Rybakina fended off the danger in terrific style, finishing off the game with a simple volley at the net.
Victory came from the first match point, Jabeur hacking a backhand wide. Rybakina raised her left wrist to her mouth, puffed out her cheeks and jogged up to the net to greet Jabeur, before waving to all corners of Centre Court.
The world number 23, whose age matches her ranking, becomes the second-lowest ranked women's singles champion at Wimbledon since the Open Era began in 1968. Only Venus Williams in 2007, when ranked 31st, triumphed from a lower rung on the ladder.
It was 3-6 6-2 6-2 in the end, and Rybakina became the first women's singles champion since Amelie Mauresmo in 2006 to come back from losing the first set to carry off the Venus Rosewater Dish.
She passed 50 aces in a WTA-level tournament for the first time in the process, with four in this match taking her Wimbledon 2022 total to 53, and becomes the youngest women's champion in these parts since 2011, when a 21-year-old Petra Kvitova saw off Maria Sharapova.
Sharapova was champion for Russia as a 17-year-old in 2004. This, though, was for Kazakhstan, Rybakina effusively thanking the wealthy federation president Bulat Utemuratov who watched on proudly.
As Wimbledon hung on every word, he was emphatically the right president to acknowledge.
Ons Jabeur is hopeful that she will have another shot at winning a maiden grand slam title after losing to Elena Rybakina in three sets in Saturday's Wimbledon final.
The third seed let slip a one-set lead to lose 3-6 6-2 6-2 to Rybakina in a Centre Court clash between two females contesting their first major finals.
World number two Jabeur had won all 11 matches played on grass in 2022 heading into the final, including six wins en route to the Championship match at the All England Club.
But the Tunisian struggled to build on a bright start, winning just two of her 12 break points and finishing with 17 winners to 29 for Rybakina, who she felt was a deserving winner.
"I want to congratulate Elena and her team – it was a great job and she deserved this and hopefully next time it will be mine," Jabeur said in her on-court interview.
"I wouldn't do this without my team there. They always pushed me to do more so thank you for your support and believing me."
Saturday's contest was the first time in the past 15 such occasions, since 2006, that a player has lost the first set and gone on to win the Wimbledon women's singles final.
While she may have fallen just short of becoming the first Arab and African female to win a grand slam, Jabeur hopes she has inspired children back home.
"Elena stole my title but it's okay," she joked. "I love this tournament so much and I feel really sad, but I'm trying to inspire many generations from my country.
"I hope they are listening. I also want to thank his beautiful crowd for all their support over the two weeks. It's been amazing. I want to wish Eid Mubarak to everyone celebrating."
Surprise champion Elena Rybakina doubted she would make the second week at Wimbledon, never mind win the title.
After a 3-6 6-2 6-2 victory over hot favourite Ons Jabeur, Rybakina spoke of her pride at becoming the first player representing Kazakhstan to win a grand slam singles title.
She is Russian-born and raised, switching nationality four years ago after receiving financial incentives to do that, so in a year when players representing Russia were banned from Wimbledon, her triumph has perhaps come at an inopportune moment for tournament chiefs.
Rybakina was concerned purely with sporting success rather than politics and war on a day when she picked apart Jabeur's game so impressively in the second and third sets.
She became the first women's singles champion to come back and win after dropping the opening set of a Wimbledon final since Amelie Mauresmo did so against Justine Henin in 2006.
"I'm speechless because I was super nervous before the match, during the match, and I'm honestly happy it's finished," said Rybakina.
"Really, I've never felt something like this. I just want to say big thanks to the crowd for their support, it was unbelievable all these two weeks.
"I didn't expect to be in the second week at Wimbledon and to be a winner is just amazing."
Rybakina, whose world ranking of 23 matches her age, hailed third seed Jabeur, who had been bidding to become Africa's first women's singles champion in a grand slam.
"I want to thank Ons for the great match and everything you achieved," Rybakina said. "You are inspirational, not just for the young juniors but for everybody. You have an amazing game and I don't think we have someone [else] like this on tour. It's just a joy to play against you."
Rybakina was presented with the trophy by the Duchess of Cambridge, and she savoured playing in front of British royalty.
It has been widely perceived that a factor behind the ban on Russians and Belarusians this year was that the optics of royalty handing over the trophy to a player from either country would not be ideal, given the Kremlin-led ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The Duchess spoke warmly to Rybakina as she presented the trophy, and the newest grand slam winner on the women's tour had a message for the royals, too.
"Thank you for the Royal Box," she said. "I'm playing first time [in front of royalty] and it's an honour to be here in front of you. Thank you so much. It's just an unbelievable atmosphere, thank you."
Max Verstappen continued his excellent record in Formula One sprint races as he cruised to victory at the Red Bull Ring to secure pole position for Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix.
The reigning champion began the sprint in first place and rarely looked likely to relinquish his lead as he added to his success at Imola earlier this season in the shortened format.
At their home grand prix, Red Bull will be hoping for a successful weekend and Verstappen's victory provides them with a dream start and eight points, extending his overall lead for the season to 38.
The race itself was delayed twice as Fernando Alonso – who was subsequently unable to start – and Zhou Guanyu – consigned to a pit-lane launch – had car trouble.
When it eventually began, with the length reduced to 23 laps, Verstappen held off the two Ferraris at the start and managed to build up a handsome lead as Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz began to tussle with each other.
The top four ultimately ended as they started, with Leclerc beating Sainz to second and George Russell finishing fourth, but undoubtedly the most impressive performance on the grid came courtesy of Sergio Perez.
The Mexican felt his nine-place punishment for exceeding track limits in qualifying was excessively harsh, but he came out with a vengeance in the sprint, taking fifth despite starting way down in 13th.
Esteban Ocon, Kevin Magnussen and Lewis Hamilton closed out the top eight as the other drivers who took points.
PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +1.675
3. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) +5.644s
4. George Russell (Mercedes) +13.429s
5. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) +18.302s
6. Alexander Ocon (Alpine) +31.032s
7. Kevin Magnussen (Haas) +34.539s
8. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) +35.447s
9. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) +37.557s
10. Lando Norris (McLaren) +38.580s
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 189
2. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) 151
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 145
4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) 133
5. George Russell (Mercedes) 116
Elena Rybakina recovered from behind to beat Ons Jabeur in three sets in Saturday's Wimbledon women's singles final and claim her first grand slam title.
In a groundbreaking contest on Centre Court between two females contesting their maiden major finals – an Open Era first – it was number 17 seed Rybakina who held her nerve.
She prevailed 3-6 6-2 6-2 in two hours and 52 minutes against the in-form Jabeur, who had won 11 matches in a row, to win just her third career title – and a first since 2020.
The 23-year-old, who had lost her past four finals, becomes the youngest female to win the singles title at the All England Club since Petra Kvitova in 2011.
World number two Jabeur settled the quicker of the pair and got an early break in the third game, blunting Rybakina's big baseline hitting
Despite passing up two break points in the fifth game, Jabeur looked composed and again broke her opponent in the ninth game to grab a huge foothold in the match.
Rybakina's 17 unforced errors in the opener suggested a gulf in quality, but she earned a first break in the opening game of the second set following a poor forehand from Jabeur.
Jabeur let a break point of her own pass her by in the next game as a growing-in-confidence Rybakina held, but the Tunisian dug deep to save a break point in the third.
That looked like being a big moment as, from 30-0 up, Rybakina gifted her opponent three break points, but Jabeur failed to take any of them – a running theme.
The Kazakh took three of the next four games to take the match all the way, and that momentum was carried into the decider as she won the opening game against serve.
Jabeur's best shot at hitting back arrived in the sixth game, where three break points came and went, and with that Rybakina claimed the next two games for a famous victory.
Jamaica swept past host Trinidad and Tobago 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-13) to register their first win of the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association Junior Men (Under-21) Championship round-robin series at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena.
The win lifted Jamaica to a 1-1 record after two matches and six points in the five-team round-robin winner-take-all pool, one ahead of Suriname (1-0) while Haiti with four points (1-0) and T&T (1-1) with three points are next and US Virgin Islands, fifth with two points and a 0-2 start.
Following the win, Steve Davis, coach of the winning Jamaica team said his team was delighted to get among the winning column after the tough start to the tournament.
"Our travel arrangements and late get in time didn't help us much in our first game and we were able to get some rest after that and managed to give off a better performance in this match,” he said.
"We also adjusted our game plan as we were able to watch part of the Trinidad and Tobago and US Virgin Islands match last night and devised a game plan which we executed good enough for the win,” he added.
Team captain, Andrae Robb said he was very satisfied that his team was able to rebound from the loss and get a win against the host country.
"We knew from watching Trinidad and Tobago play their first match it was not going to be an easy challenge for us, but with the rest we got we were able to come out and do much better and we are hoping that we can continue to improve in each match."
England held firm to overcome Australia 25-17 on Saturday as they snapped a three-game losing run and levelled up their three-match series Down Under.
The visitors let slip a commanding lead and a one-man advantage to lose 30-28 in last week's opening Test, but they responded in Brisbane with a resilient and aggressive display.
Australia made six changes to last week's winning side, many of them enforced, and England took full advantage by taking a 19-7 lead into half-time at Suncorp Stadium.
Billy Vunipola crossed over inside five minutes following a spell of sustained early pressure and Owen Farrell added to the successful conversion with four penalties.
An undisciplined Australia, who also lost Izaia Perese for 10 minutes for a deliberate knock-on, gave themselves hope just before the interval when Taniela Tupou powered over.
Another Farrell penalty early in the second half gave England breathing space, only for Samu Kerevi to walk in from an overlap for the hosts' second try of the contest,
Australia finally had some momentum, and Noah Lolesio's penalty after Marcus Smith was sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on made things even more interesting.
But three more points from the boot of Farrell put the game out of Australia's reach as England saw out just a second win in their past six matches away from home.
Head coach Andy Farrell was gushing with pride following Ireland's historic victory over New Zealand on Saturday.
The Irish, who were beaten 42-19 in the first Test last week, responded brilliantly by prevailing 23-12 in Dunedin for their first ever away win over the All Blacks.
Farrell's side opened up a 10-0 lead thanks to Andrew Porter's try and the right boot of Johnny Sexton, but that was cut to three points before half-time when Beauden Barrett went over for the hosts, who had Angus Ta'avao sent off following a clash of heads with Garry Ringrose.
Nevertheless, the visitors capitalised on their numerical advantage after the break. Porter crossed again with Sexton adding a further eight points, while Will Jordan's late try was a mere consolation for New Zealand as the Irish held out for a famous win.
And Farrell heaped praise on his players as they levelled the series ahead of the final Test in Wellington next week.
"I'm just pleased for the players because they're so desperate to inspire people back home, and they keep turning up time and time again and doing special things for Irish rugby and the Irish people," he told Sky Sports.
"I'm so glad they were able to get it over the line because it had a bit of everything, it was a courageous effort.
"We all know the All Blacks come out of the blocks; they're stronger, faster, and we were courageous, we hit the ground running right from the start.
"We didn't get sucked into the allure of the game. Going down to 14 men, and then going down to 13 men, we kept playing the right game in the right parts of the field and applying pressure. I'm just so proud of them.
"The main thing is we're learning how to deal with the pressures of the top-level game. Our composure's really good.
"Things are not always going to go sprightly for you, especially against the world's best, but our composure doesn't change when we make a mistake, and we got what we deserved.
"These lads have made history, but they've also earned the right to compete for a series."
Sexton added: "No Irish team has ever done it before. We are delighted, but it is all on the line next week. We have got a fantastic coaching team and they had us well up for the game.
"We didn't give the best account of ourselves last week and the All Blacks punished us for our mistake, but they [the coaching team] put us in a really good place this week. We had to go and deliver, and we did that."
All eyes turn to what will be an exciting series finale at the Sky Stadium next week, and two-try scorer Porter insists he and his team-mates have nothing to lose.
"All that matters for us now is next week, but we will enjoy tonight," the prop said.
"Obviously we had an extra man for most of the game, so we will have to put in a better performance next week and give our supporters even more to cheer.
"We have created a bit of history today, but it would be even sweeter if we could pull off the win next week as well.
"We will take our learnings from today and throw everything at it. We have got nothing to lose."
Ireland secured a historic first away win over New Zealand as they defeated the 14-man All Blacks 23-12 in Dunedin on Saturday.
Andy Farrell's visitors found themselves on the wrong end of a comprehensive 42-19 All Blacks victory in the first Test last weekend, but Ireland managed to tie the series.
They were seemingly given a helping hand by the first-half dismissal of New Zealand prop Angus Ta'avao for a head clash with Ireland centre Garry Ringrose.
Ireland were already 10-0 to the good by that point thanks to Andrew Porter charging over early on, before Johnny Sexton – a controversial starter after failing an in-game head injury assessment last time out – added the extras and later scored a long-distance penalty.
The All Blacks did well to only trail by three points at the interval, with Beauden Barrett's converted try right at the end of a pulsating first half frustrating Ireland.
The 10-point advantage was restored by Porter's second try following great work by Bundee Aki down the right, and Sexton's conversion and two more penalties had Ireland 23-7 to the good.
Will Jordan crossed for New Zealand near the end, but it was too little, too late as Ireland sealed a famous win.
"There's definitely times when I hate this sport."
It is difficult to imagine Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic coming out with such a line – but then Nick Kyrgios does not pretend to be comparable to any of those tennis greats.
Kyrgios' maiden major singles final appearance has come about due to unprecedented circumstances, with a tear to Nadal's abdominal muscle making his opponent the first to benefit from a walkover in a Wimbledon semi-final in the Open Era.
"It's not the way I wanted to get to the final," said Kyrgios in the same news conference on Friday.
But injuries are becoming increasingly commonplace for the 'Big Three' – already trimmed from a 'Big Four' due to the fitness woes endured by Kyrgios' great mate Andy Murray.
So, does the first-time finalist see an opportunity to step into that void at the forefront of the sport?
"No, no, I don't," Kyrgios replied. "I don't think anyone's able to fill those shoes."
He added with a grin: "If I ever win a grand slam trophy, please don't put the pressure on my to do another one."
This might be Kyrgios' first and only title run, but it is one he has waited a long time for.
"I saw some of the professionals walking around when I'd be a junior here, and I never thought that I'd be playing for the actual men's title," he said.
"It's the pinnacle of tennis. Once you're able to raise a grand slam trophy, it's like: what else is there to achieve?
"I never thought I'd be here, and I'm just super proud and ready to go. I'm going to give it my all and see what happens."
Australia has waited a long time, too. Aussies have won six Wimbledon men's singles titles but none since Lleyton Hewitt's sole success in 2002.
Their last finalist was Mark Philippoussis in 2003, beaten by Federer for his first championship. By Sunday, 6,944 days will have passed since an Australian man walked out for a singles final on Centre Court.
That sort of legacy does not appeal to Kyrgios, though, as he explained: "The greats of Australian tennis haven't been the nicest to me, and they haven't always been the most supportive – they haven't been supportive these two weeks."
Hewitt is an exception – the Davis Cup captain was briefly a hitting partner prior to the tournament – but Kyrgios considers himself "definitely the outcast of the Australian players".
"It's pretty sad," he said, describing his relationship with other Aussie greats as "weird". "They have a sick obsession with tearing me down. It sucks."
No, rather than bid to join those ranks, Kyrgios believes he is inspiring others like him.
"I grew up in Canberra, the courts I trained on were horrible, and now I'm here with the chance to play the Wimbledon final," he said.
"I think it's honestly an inspiration for any kid who's been 'outcasted' or been surrounded by negative headlines or negative clouds or been brought down from a lot of different angles.
"It's possible, it's still possible to achieve something quite special if you just believe in yourself. I never really lost belief in myself."
There have certainly been no shortage of negative headlines.
Kyrgios spat at a spectator earlier in the tournament; his epic third-round win over Stefanos Tsitsipas was one of the matches of the fortnight, but his typically brash approach to that encounter was not widely popular; and when he spoke of having already prepared tactics for Nadal – a previous foe – it was easy to wonder whether Kyrgios intended to outplay his opponent or simply get under his skin.
More seriously, this week started with Kyrgios being summoned to appear before a court in Canberra next month to face an allegation of common assault.
Those Australian greats would not be alone in responding to a Kyrgios victory unenthusiastically, even if the Centre Court crowd appear to have warmed to him.
No amount of noise will be new to Kyrgios, and while this is his first major singles final, a doubles title at the Australian Open provided some vital preparation for getting to this stage, too.
"I realised in Melbourne that it's a long time; it's a really long time in one place," Kyrgios said.
He was ready then for the rollercoaster of a grand slam run: "I beat Paul Jubb 7-5 in the fifth set in my first round, and now I'm in the Wimbledon final. You've just got to ride the waves, roll with the punches.
"In a grand slam, you just don't know; you could be four points away from losing the tournament and then 11 days later you're in the final."
There is undeniable excitement at the opportunity that lies ahead of Kyrgios, who considers himself "one of the most competitive people I've ever met".
But for once he will be able to see the bigger picture if Sunday's match does not go his way; Kyrgios is the first unseeded major finalist since Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the 2008 Australian Open and the first unseeded Wimbledon finalist since Philippoussis.
"I just know whether I win or lose on Sunday, I'm going to be happy, because it's just such a great achievement that I never thought I'd be a part of – especially at 27," Kyrgios said.
"For me, I thought it was the later stages of my career; I just never thought that it would be right here that I'd have a chance."
Now he does have that chance, though, he is determined to give his all – something that has not always been a given with Kyrgios, his critics might suggest.
"Since I've been born, only eight people have won this title, only eight," he said. "I'm just going to give it my best shot."
Los Angeles Angels superstars Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout went a combined six-for-10 from the plate on Friday, but their side still went down 5-4 on the road to the Baltimore Orioles after a ninth-inning collapse.
There were three runs scored in the opening six innings, and all three came from one Mike Trout swing in the third frame, sending a 376-foot shot to left-field to open up a 3-0 lead.
Angels starting pitcher Reid Detmers was spectacular, allowing just two hits and one walk in six scoreless innings, striking out seven batters.
But when Detmers was withdrawn, the Orioles finally found their offense, with Ramon Urias getting them on the board with his RBI single in the seventh inning.
Ryan Mountcastle's RBI base hit an inning later trimmed the lead 3-2, but the game appeared to be put to bed in the top of the ninth inning when Ohtani connected on a 418-foot blast to center-field.
Trailing by two, with two outs in the last inning, the Orioles were able to reduce the margin to one run when rookie Adley Rutschman delivered a clutch RBI double into the gap at right-center.
As the very next batter, Cedric Mullins tied the game when his base hit brought Rutschman in to score, and after a wild pitch put Mullins into scoring position, the comeback was completed as Trey Mancini came through with the Orioles' third consecutive hit to win the game.
Raisel Iglesias takes the loss and the blown save for the Angels, giving up four hits and three earned runs in two-thirds of an inning.
For Ohtani, it was his 19th home run of the campaign – only 12 players have more this season. Trout is one of those 12 players, with his long-ball registering as his 24th, good for fourth in the majors.
Phillies pitchers dominate in St. Louis
Zack Wheeler and Alec Bohm put on a show as the Philadelphia Phillies made some unique history in their 2-0 shutout win against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Wheeler pitched seven rock-solid innings, giving up five hits and one walk without conceding a run, with Seranthony Dominguez and Brad Hand also delivering a scoreless frame each to close it out.
With the bat, Bohm scored both of the Phillies' runs with a solo home run in the sixth inning, and then another in the eighth inning.
It was the first time in MLB history that a team has won 2-0 with a multi-homer game by a player eighth or ninth in their side's batting order.
Yankees smack the Red Sox
The New York Yankees have won the first two fixtures of their four-game road series against the Boston Red Sox, hammering the home side 12-5.
Despite a poor outing from Yankees starter Nestor Cortes, where he was withdrawn in the fourth inning after giving up eight hits and two walks for four runs, the Yankees' bats were able to pick up the slack.
Aaron Judge went a disappointing zero-for-five at the plate, but Matt Carpenter and Josh Donaldson were able to hit home runs, and the Yankees racked up 14 hits as a team, although the Red Sox also had 13.
D.J. LeMahieu, Carpenter, Gleyber Torres, Aaron Hicks and Jose Trevino all finished with multi-hit games for the pinstripes as they extended their league-leading record to 61-23 – six games clear of the second-placed Houston Astros.
Adam Svensson followed up his terrific 10-under opening round in solid fashion, finishing Friday with a five-under 67 to sit at 15 under, two strokes clear of the chasing pack.
After posting two birdies and two eagles on the four par-fives in his first trip around the course, Svensson came back to earth with one birdie and three pars, but a string of three birdies from four holes on his front-nine left him in a strong position.
While he is the leader going into the weekend, it remains to be seen if he will be the 36-hole leader as a lengthy five-hour rain delay wreaked havoc. It meant a number of contenders were forced to head off the course at the end of the day with plenty of holes remaining due to poor lighting.
In outright second place at 13 under is American Trey Mullinax, who had six birdies and seven pars through his first 13 holes on Friday before having to call it a day. He will resume at 8:30am, with a chance to begin the third round right up with Svensson if he can finish the way he started.
There is a seven-man logjam for third place at 12 under, and only three of those players – Mark Hubbard, Robin Roussel and Brandon Hagy – have made it through their full 36 holes.
Tom Lewis still has four holes to play, Jonathan Byrd has five holes to play, Matti Schmid has eight holes remaining and Max McGreevy had only made it through nine.
Hagy and Byrd were the standouts from that group on Friday, with Hagy posting a 10-under 62 for the round of the day, while Byrd had seven birdies across a nine-hole stretch and is yet to record a bogey.
International players Ricardo Gouveia of Portugal, Colombia's Camilo Villegas and Germany's Yannik Paul highlight the group at 11 under tied for 10th place, and they are six strokes clear of the projected cut-line.Golden State Warriors big man James Wiseman is set to make his return from a torn right meniscus on Sunday against the San Antonio Spurs in the Las Vegas Summer League.
Wiseman missed the entire 2021-22 season while recovering from the injury and had a plasma-rich injection in April to promote healing in the knee. He was cleared for full-contact workouts recently and is ready to engage in a competitive atmosphere.
Selected with the second overall pick in the 2020 draft, Wiseman averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting 51.9 percent from the floor in 39 games as a rookie.
He provides a strong defensive presence and could slot into a starting role next season or at least provide valuable depth for the defending NBA champions if healthy.
"I cannot wait to go out there and just play the game of basketball again. I’ve been through a lot of tough times," Wiseman said.
Without the 7-foot-1 Wiseman last season, Golden State used six-foot-nine Kevon Looney and six-foot-six Draymond Green at center, but Wiseman brings a level of vertical spacing and athleticism that is unique to the Warriors roster, making him a big part of their plans going forward.
Los Angeles Angels superstars Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout were among the players elected Friday to start in the MLB All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium on July 19.
Mookie Betts and Trea Turner will represent the host Los Angeles Dodgers, while Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk, Miami Marlins second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., San Francisco Giants outfielder Joc Pederson, Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson and Turner were voted to start as first-time All-Stars.
Sluggers Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers and Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals were added to the rosters by commissioner Rob Manfred under a provision in the sport’s new labor agreement. It will be the 11th All-Star selection for Pujols and the 12th for Cabrera. The two future Hall-of-Famers have combined for five MVPs, and both are members of the 3,000-hit club.
''I've always looked up to Albert,'' Cabrera said. ''I've always followed his career. He's one of the best hitters I've ever seen in my life. To be part of this together is going to be great.''
Already named starters as the top vote-getters from the first round of balloting were outfielders Aaron Judge of the Yankees and Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves. Judge leads the majors with 30 home runs.
Joining Judge in the AL outfield will be teammate Giancarlo Stanton, making them the first pair of Yankees to start in the outfield together since Rickey Henderson and Davie Winfield in 1988.
The other AL starters are Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve, Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers and Ohtani as the designated hitter.
The NL starters include Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras, St. Louis first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado and an outfield of Betts, Acuna and Pederson.
Philadelphia's Bryce Harper was elected as the National League's first DH following the expansion of the DH rule to both leagues, but will be replaced in the starting lineup after breaking his left thumb when hit by a pitch from San Diego's Blake Snell on June 25. Harper earned his seventh All-Star selection, his sixth as a starter.
Pitchers and reserves will be announced Sunday.
Jordan Spieth categorically rejected speculation surrounding a possible switch to LIV Golf.
Reports from Golf Monthly claimed Spieth was negotiating with the controversial Saudi-backed breakaway series.
However, Spieth took to Twitter to clear up any uncertainty.
"Because of false reporting today, I feel the need to comment. Let me be clear, any reports that I am contemplating competing anywhere other than the PGA Tour are categorically untrue," Spieth's post read.
"I am NOT in discussions with LIV. I have been quoted on the record for months that I fully support the PGA Tour and have never considered any alternatives.
"My goal has not changed since I began playing golf—to win PGA TOUR events and major Championships, and to compete against the best players in the world. Those who truly know me, know what is most important to me."
The emphatic denial of the reports comes hours after Golf Monthly published a statement by Spieth's agent, Jay Danzi.
"Jordan is not in discussions with LIV and is fully supportive of and happy on the PGA Tour," the statement said.
The same report that mentioned Spieth also listed Cam Smith, Henrik Stenson, Tommy Fleetwood and Hideki Matsuyama as players who were considering talks with LIV Golf.
The Portland Trail Blazers are nearing a two-year max extension with Damian Lillard worth $120million.
According to a report from Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the extension – which will take his contract through the 2026-27 NBA season – will see the point guard paid $270m over the five years on his current contract.
Lillard is a six-time All-Star who has averaged 24.6 points per game since entering the league as the sixth pick in the 2012 draft.
Only four players – James Harden, Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Stephen Curry – have averaged more in that span.
However, he played only 29 games last season due to an abdominal injury and averaged 24 points per game, his fewest since his third season in the league in 2014-15 (21).
With Lillard on the sideline and former backcourt partner C.J. McCollum traded to the New Orleans Pelicans, the Blazers missed the playoffs for the first time since 2012-13 –Lillard's rookie year.
Despite the disappointing campaign, Lillard remains the face of the franchise and, by handing him a lucrative extension, the Blazers have made it clear he will continue to be the focal point as they look to get back among the contenders in the Western Conference.
Jamaica’s UK-based Formula Woman driver, Sara Misir, is set to compete on Saturday, July 9 as the GT Cup Championship heads to Oulton Park in Cheshire, England.
Twenty-seven cars across four groups will join the grid for rounds 13 and 14.
Misir will compete in car number 65, alongside English teammate Steph Sore in a McLaren 570s GT4. The pair crossed the finish line in 7th and 9th place, respectively, in rounds 11 and 12 at the Snetterton Circuit on June 11 and 12.
“The first race day was about getting accustomed to competing on the circuit as a team," Misir said. "We started slowly but gained momentum as the races progressed. For Oulton Park, it’s the toughest circuit for both car and driver but I’m confident we’ll rise to this new challenge.”
Misir last competed at the “Clash of the Titans” JRDC meet at the Dover Raceway in St. Ann on July 3, where she dominated with three wins from three races in the Modified Production Class III.
The Oulton Park leg marks the fourth weekend of the 2022 GT Cup season.
Sergio Perez will start Saturday's sprint race at the Austrian Grand Prix in 13th after being dropped down the grid for exceeding track limits.
The Red Bull driver, who trails team-mate Max Verstappen by 34 points in the drivers' championship, provisionally qualified fourth at the Red Bull Ring.
However, the Mexican had his Q3 times and the fastest lap in Q2 that got him into the top-10 shoot-out deleted for track-limit violations.
Several drivers had lap times deleted throughout qualifying in Spielberg as they battled high winds and struggled to keep wheels on the track, especially at the final corner before the start/finish straight.
Perez must now work his way through the field in the sprint to get into the top-eight point-scoring positions and improve his place on the grid for Sunday's feature race at his team's home grand prix.
Verstappen, by contrast, will start on pole ahead of the two Ferraris and Mercedes' George Russell.
Perez said after qualifying: "Yes, it was a tricky day. Already from FP1 things didn't feel great so a bit of understanding on our side and yes, hopefully tomorrow we are able to recover.
"I wasn't able to get into the rhythm – so some understanding [needed] but obviously now it's sprint tomorrow, and a long race ahead.
"So we have got to keep our heads down and push hard for tomorrow's sprint to try to make some progress and get a good position for Sunday's race."
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