Justin Rose believes he has what it takes to live out his "dream" going into the final day of The Open.
Rose is just one stroke off leader Billy Horschel after the third round, having carded a two-over-par 73 on Saturday, leaving him three under ahead of the final round.
He is one of six in joint second, as he looks to become the first Englishman to win the Claret Jug since 1992 when it was lifted by Nick Faldo at Muirfield.
Rose is aiming to win just his second major, following his U.S. Open success in 2013, and having had to go through qualifying to make it into the field, he is relishing his chance among the chasing pack.
"I feel like I've got nothing to lose," he said. "I'm right there within touching distance.
"[Sunday] is going to be massive. Those are days I've been working hard for, days I've still been believing I can have.
"In a few years, it'll be someone else's dream. But it's still my dream right now, and I've got a great opportunity to go live it out."
Heavy rain and high winds affected the late starters at Royal Troon on Saturday, though Rose held his nerve along the back nine with eight pars and one bogey to keep himself in the running.
"That was super tough," Rose said. "I did such a good job on the back nine hanging in.
"Obviously, eventually, a bogey came [at the 17th], which I think was going to happen at some point.
"To sort of double down and bogey 18 as well would have definitely made dinner taste a little worse. I think really that par putt on 18 has really put me in a really great spot mentally."
Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley has agreed to a five-year, $224million maximum rookie contract extension that could become worth as much as $269million based on incentives, agents Joe Smith and Thad Foucher of Wasserman told ESPN on Saturday.
Since entering the league as the third overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Mobley has emerged as one of the NBA's premier defensive players. He finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2023 and was also named first-team All-Defense that year.
Mobley, 23, averaged 15.7 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks last season, while also notching career-high shooting percentages of 57.9 overall, 37.3 from 3-point range and 71.9 from the free throw line.
He is one of just four players to have at least 300 blocks and 150 steals over the past three seasons. The others are Anthony Davis, Rudy Gobert and Jaren Jackson Jr.
Mobley was likely headed for his second straight all-defense selection, but an early-season knee injury limited him to 50 regular-season games in 2023-24.
Over his 198 career games, Mobley has averaged 15.6 points on 54.4% shooting to go with 8.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 blocks.
He had arguably his best game as a pro in Cleveland's final game of the 2024 playoffs when he tallied 33 points, seven rebounds and two blocks in 43 minutes in a Game 5 loss to the eventual champion Boston Celtics.
The Cavaliers hired Kenny Atkinson to replace J.B. Bickerstaff as head coach earlier this offseason and signed star guard Donovan Mitchell to a three-year, $150.3million max extension.
Luis Ortiz pitched seven scoreless innings and Oneil Cruz homered and drove in three runs as the Pittsburgh Pirates won their season-high sixth straight game, 4-1 over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday night.
Ortiz allowed three hits in a season-high seven innings with two walks and two strikeouts.
Aroldis Chapman struck out the side in the eighth and David Bednar gave up Bryce Harper’s home run in the ninth.
The Pirates scored the game’s first runs with a pair in the sixth off All-Star Cristopher Sanchez.
Andrew McCutchen led off with a 431-foot home run and Bryan Reynolds singled before Connor Joe hit into a double play. Nick Gonzales then singled and came home on Cruz’s double off the wall in right.
Cruz extended the lead with a two-run blast – his 15th homer - in the eighth off Matt Strahm.
Pittsburgh (50-48) moved two games over .500 for the first time since late April and sent the major league-best Phillies to a season high-tying third straight loss.
Orioles back Rodriguez with three homers
Grayson Rodriguez struck out eight over six innings to become the first 12-game winner in the American League and was backed by three home runs in the Baltimore Orioles’ 8-4 win over the Texas Rangers.
Rodriguez (12-3) struck out the side in the sixth to end his night after 103 pitches. He allowed his only three hits and two runs in a four-batter span in the second before retiring 13 of the last 14 he faced.
Only Atlanta’s Chris Sale (13) has more wins in the majors than the second-year right-hander.
Jordan Westburg had three hits, including a two-run homer, and Ramon Urias added three hits and a pair of RBIs. Cedric Mullins and Ryan O’Hearn had solo shots for the Orioles, who won their third straight following five consecutive losses.
Mullins became the eighth Baltimore batter with 10 home runs.
The Orioles lead the majors with 156 home runs, 16 more than the second-place Yankees.
Max Scherzer lasted just two innings, giving up four runs and five hits with two walks.
Meyers, Diaz homer in Astros’ win
Jake Meyers hit a go-ahead two-run homer and Yainer Diaz also went deep to lead the Houston Astros to a 4-2 victory over the reeling Seattle Mariners.
Houston has won six of eight to take over sole possession of the AL West lead for the first time this season, while Seattle dropped its fifth straight and fell out of first for the first time since May 11.
Julio Rodriguez provided all the offence for the Mariners with a two-run homer in the sixth inning, but Seattle fell to 8-17 in its last 25 games.
After Framber Valdez gave up two runs on three hits in 5 2/3 innings, Houston’s bullpen held the Mariners hitless the rest of the way.
Bryan Abreu, Ryan Pressly and Josh Hader struck out five over the final three innings.
George Kirby limited the Astros to one run and four hits in six innings with six strikeouts and left with a 2-1 lead.
Ryne Stanek walked Jeremy Pena to open the seventh and Meyers drove a 1-2 pitch over the wall in right-center field for his 11th homer to give Houston a 3-2 lead.
Diaz’s homer in the eighth off Trent Thompson bounced off the top of the wall.
Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley has agreed to a five-year, $224 million maximum rookie contract extension that could become worth as much as $269 million based on incentives, agents Joe Smith and Thad Foucher of Wasserman told ESPN on Saturday.
Since entering the league as the third overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Mobley has emerged as one of the NBA’s premier defensive players. He finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2023 and was also named first team All-Defense that year.
Mobley, 23, averaged 15.7 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks last season, while also notching career-high shooting percentages of 57.9 overall, 37.3 from 3-point range and 71.9 from the free throw line.
He is one of just four players to have at least 300 blocks and 150 steals over the past three seasons. The others are Anthony Davis, Rudy Gobert and Jaren Jackson Jr.
Mobley was likely headed for his second straight all-defense selection, but an early-season knee injury limited him to 50 regular-season games in 2023-24.
Over his 198 career games, Mobley has averaged 15.6 points on 54.4 percent shooting to go with 8.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 blocks.
He had arguably his best game as a pro in Cleveland’s final game of the 2024 playoffs when he tallied 33 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks in 43 minutes in a Game 5 loss to the eventual champion Boston Celtics.
The Cavaliers hired Kenny Atkinson to replace J.B. Bickerstaff as head coach earlier this offseason and signed star guard Donovan Mitchell to a three-year, $150.3 million max extension.
Shane Lowry believes it will be difficult, but not impossible, for him to win The Open for a second time after sliding down the leaderboard at Royal Troon on Saturday.
Lowry entered the third round with a two-stroke lead at seven under, but a six-over 77 saw him slip three shots behind new leader Billy Horschel.
The Irishman, who won the 2019 edition of the tournament at Royal Portrush, failed to recover from a dismal double bogey on the eighth, finding the bunker from the tee then missing a subsequent bogey putt.
Xander Schauffele and Justin Rose are among six players at three under, while Scottie Scheffler (two under) also sits between Lowry and the top of the leaderboard.
Asked if he was still in with a chance of winning the tournament, Lowry told reporters: "I am, but it's hard now. I've just finished, and I really wanted to hole that one on the last.
"I knew Billy made bogey, and I knew Dan [Brown] was obviously going to make double. I would have been two back. Three back, you're still right in the tournament.
"This is going to take me a couple of hours to get over. I'm obviously pretty good now, but I have a job to do tomorrow and a similar chance to win this tournament."
Lowry felt his putting let him down on a wet day in Scotland, outlining the impact the blustery conditions had on his game.
"I felt like I played unbelievable golf today. Missed the first fairway and then didn't miss another fairway until 16," he said.
"I hit some great iron shots, just didn't hole the putts early on when I had the chances, and then I missed a few par putts.
"It's not much fun out there. You have to question why there wasn't a couple of tees put forward, to be honest. I think 15 and 17… 15 is 500 yards playing into that wind.
"They keep trying to make holes longer, yet the best hole on this course is about 100 yards."
Billy Horschel will go into the final round of The Open with a one-shot lead after carding a two-under 69 on Saturday, with Shane Lowry tumbling down the leaderboard.
Horschel leads a group of six players on three under, with Daniel Brown joined by Xander Schauffele, Justin Rose, Thriston Lawrence, Russell Henley and Sam Burns.
The American, who missed the cut at last year's tournament and has never finished higher than T21 at The Open, did well in blustery conditions at Royal Troon.
Horschel bogeyed the last after six straight pars, but a fine first nine featuring four birdies put him in a strong position as he chases his first major title.
Speaking to Sky Sports after completing his round, Horschel said: "This round in the Open Championship is by far the best one I've played in a major.
"I knew I had to grind out a score. I knew it wasn't going to be pretty, it was going to be tough... but I was prepared for what the last nine holes were going to entail.
"It would be the biggest win of my career. I have won a lot of great events, but this one would top all of them, and it's something I've always wanted in my golf career."
Having started the day at five under, Rose hung on in challenging conditions to stay within reach, while Brown – who has never won a tournament on the PGA Tour – found himself at six under after making a brilliant birdie on the 16th.
However, a double bogey on the last saw him lose the lead, a poor shot into the bunker leaving him with a 25-foot putt for bogey.
Despite an excellent showing, the 29-year-old was disappointed with the way he let his lead slip, telling Sky Sports: "That finish is a little bit frustrating.
"But at the start of the week, if you told me I was going to be one back going into the final round of The Open then I would have snapped your hand off!
"I've not really come here with any expectations... I've still got one round to go, I'm not going to get ahead of myself and start thinking about outcomes.
"I'm going to keep going about my business and hopefully come tomorrow evening, we will be there or thereabouts."
Further back, two-time major champion Scottie Scheffler is at two under after finishing even for the day, one stroke ahead of second-round leader Lowry, who endured a dismal third round.
Lowry carded a six-over 77, failing to recover from a double bogey at the Postage Stamp eighth as he found a deep bunker from the tee.
In every tournament, there is always that one individual that sticks out among their peers. Not in a negative way, like the proverbial sore thumb, but because of their skillful plays and standout performances.
Jamaica's Roxanna McLean is one such individual who excelled among her peers, as her name echoed with every game in which she served as a defensive pillar at the recently-concluded Americas Netball World Youth Cup qualifiers in Guadeloupe.
Not only did the 20-year-old defender and captain lead Jamaica to victory in the Under-21 tournament, but she also earned the prestigious titles of Best Defender and Player of the Tournament, which solidified her status as a rising star in netball.
While the accolades were a testament to her hard work, dedication, and the impact she had throughout the tournament, McLean attributed the success to her coaches—Phyllis Thompson and Nicole Aiken-Pinnock—and teammates.
“I’m incredibly honoured to receive these awards, which are just a testament to our hard work. Every time I go out there on court, I ensure to stay disciplined but hungry to get as many tips, gains, or intercepts as possible,” a beaming McLean told SportsMax.TV.
“But these awards are not just mine; they belong to the entire team because it has been a challenging journey, but with the support of my teammates and coaches, we achieved something special,” she added.
That special something for McLean, who had a stint with the senior Sunshine Girls against England Roses last year, is the fact that they entered the tournament with high hopes and a determination to secure their place in next year’s Netball World Youth Cup in Gibraltar, and they achieved it.
Guided by strategic gameplay and team cohesion, the young Sunshine Girls navigated the qualifiers with poise and precision as they went unbeaten throughout, with crucial 40-33 and 54-29 victories coming against Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados in the semi-final and final, a feat that McLean believes underscored their dominance in the region.
“Qualifying for the World Youth Cup is a big accomplishment for all of us. We worked incredibly hard going into tournament, which basically prepared us mentally and physically for the challenges that we faced from teams like Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados. We now have the opportunity to represent our country on the world stage, which is an even bigger honour,” McLean, who found her passion for netball at Denbigh High school, shared.
Still, the bubbly player, who possesses an exceptional ability to read the game, knows all too well that the young Sunshine Girls’ defensive strategy and attacking plays were not all that polished. As such, McLean’s focus is already on continuous improvement with hopes of achieving greater feats.
In fact, though her personal accolades are motivation, the Moneague College student declared that the ultimate goal remains the success of her team.
“One of my biggest goals right now is to really hone my skills. There is a lot of room for improvement in my game and a lot more for me to learn, so that is my main focus going forward, as I always want to be at my best to make my coaches teammates and country proud,” McLean stated.
“So, I will definitely be putting in a lot of hard work, both individually and with the team, at our training sessions. Because we have a lot of work to do before Gibraltar, so we will continue to train hard and develop our game, and we have two of the best coaches with us to see to that. So I’m excited for what’s to come,” she ended.
Max Verstappen believes Red Bull are currently playing catch-up to McLaren, who sealed a lock-out in qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday.
Lando Norris clinched his third career pole at the Hungaroring, beating team-mate Oscar Piastri by 0.022 seconds with Verstappen 0.046 back in third.
Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez, meanwhile, crashed out in Q1 and will start the race 16th on the grid, casting further doubt on his future with the team.
Red Bull started the 2024 season with three one-twos in the first four races, while Verstappen came out on top on seven of his first 10 outings.
However, they have seen their sizeable advantage whittled down, with both McLaren and Mercedes pushing hard in recent races.
Speaking after Saturday's final qualifying session, Verstappen said: "I tried, the whole weekend we have been a little bit behind, and I think that was also the case in qualifying.
"I tried to make it as close as possible but unfortunately just not enough, a bit difficult to pinpoint why. I would have liked a bit more grip but it's not there at the moment."
Verstappen finished second at the British Grand Prix last time out, having been fifth in Austria one week earlier – the first time he has failed to win at two straight races all year.
"I love competition but I like being on top of the competition," the three-time world champion added.
"At the moment, I feel like we are chasing and having a few more difficult weekends, I don't back out of a fight but it's just a tricky situation I guess.
"The last few races, especially the McLaren has been really good in the race, even compared to qualifying.
"Today was a lot colder than expected I guess with the clouds and the rain, tomorrow is going to be quite a different day and I just hope that will help us."
Alexander Zverev will have a chance to defend his Hamburg Open title against Arthur Fils after overcoming Pedro Martinez in the last four on Saturday.
Zverev needed one hour and 25 minutes on court to beat Martinez 6-2 6-4, ending a run that saw the Spaniard eliminate seeds Matteo Arnaldi and Francisco Cerundolo.
The home favourite earned his first break in the third service game and followed up with another in the seventh, also winning 92% of his first-serve points in the opener as Martinez failed to apply any sustained pressure.
Zverev broke again at the start of the second set before producing crucial holds in the second and seventh games, reaching his third straight clay-court final after also going all the way at the Masters 1000 in Rome and the French Open.
He will face Fils in the showpiece match after the Frenchman overcame Sebastian Baez by a 6-2 6-2 scoreline in just 67 minutes, reaching his first ATP 500 final.
Data Debrief: Zverev eyes Hamburg history
Zverev became just the second German to win the Hamburg title last year after Michael Stich in 1993, and he could now become the first to defend the trophy with Stich falling to Yevgeny Kafelnikov in the 1994 semi-finals.
George Russell was left to rue "a fundamental error" that led to a "disaster" in Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying.
The Mercedes driver will start Sunday's race towards the back of the grid in 17th place after suffering a shock exit in Q1 on a dramatic day of qualifying at Hungaroring.
Russell did so as a result of his team failing to provide him with enough fuel in the wet-dry conditions.
"There are two factors," he told Sky Sports. "The first was I didn't do a good enough job at the beginning. The second was we didn't have enough fuel to complete the session.
"It was a disaster from both aspects. We should have got through comfortably. Not having enough fuel is a fundamental error from the team."
There were better fortunes for Oscar Piastri, who finished in second place and just 0.022 seconds behind team-mate Lando Norris, ensuring McLaren's first lock-out in qualifying since the 2012 British Grand Prix.
"It's cool to be here, especially when you get a result like this," he said. "Very happy, of course, but I missed out by two-hundredths, so you think of all the little things you could've done better.
"We had a bit of a tricky day on my side yesterday, but it's nice to bounce back this morning and obviously this afternoon in [qualifying].
"It wasn't easy - a lot of decisions on the fly - but to end up with both cars on the front row is an amazing result."
Lando Norris is expecting to secure a second-ever Formula One victory after claiming his third career pole at the Hungaroring on Saturday.
Norris edged out team-mate Oscar Piastri and Red Bull's Max Verstappen as McLaren claimed their first lock-out in qualifying since the British Grand Prix in 2012.
McLaren now have the opportunity to reach 10 or more podiums for the first time since 2012 (13), with Norris also presented the chance to equal Denny Hulme as the driver with the eighth most podiums in the history of the British team.
Norris beat Piastri to pole position by 0.022 seconds with Verstappen 0.046 back in a session that featured two red flags and changing weather conditions.
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton will have to achieve a record 200th podium from fifth place, while Ferrari duo Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc will start fourth and sixth respectively.
“I am very very happy, not an easy qualifying, different conditions, always ending up on top, it’s the best part of it all," Norris said.
“I’m happy especially for the team, a one-two is even better to see so congrats to the team.
“We are in the best position for whatever the conditions throw at us, I’m looking forward to it. Two cars on the front row, we can control it from there so as long as we stay where we are, we will be happy.
“I’m expecting to [do well], if I don’t it’s not been a good day. The car is doing well, I feel like I’m driving well so it’s obvious what the aim is for tomorrow."
Aston Martin duo Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll finished seventh and eighth respectively, with RB's Daniel Ricciardo finishing a place behind.
Yuki Tsunoda completed the top 10 but sustained a heavy crash in the final qualifying session.
Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez endured another difficult time out on track, crashing out in the first qualifying session and will start 16th on the grid.
George Russell will also start towards the back of the grid after he and the Mercedes team were unable to recover from a poor opening wet-dry session.
Top 10
1. Lando Norris (McLaren)
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
7. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
8. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
9. Daniel Ricciardo (RB)
10. Yuki Tsunoda (RB)
Lando Norris said he is expecting to secure a second-ever Formula 1 victory after claiming his third career pole at the Hungaroring on Saturday.
Norris edged out team-mate Oscar Piastri and Red Bull's Max Verstappen as McLaren claimed their first lock-out in qualifying since the British Grand Prix in 2012.
The McLaren pair have the opportunity to reach 10 or more podiums for the first time since 2012 (13), with Norris also presented the chance to equal Denny Hulme as the eighth driver with the most podiums in the history of the British team.
Norris beat Piastri to pole position by 0.022 seconds with Verstappen 0.046secs behind in a session that featured two red flags and changing weather conditions.
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton will have to achieve a record 200th podium from fifth place, while Ferarri duo Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc will start fourth and sixth respectively.
“I am very very happy, not an easy qualifying, different conditions, always ending up on top, it’s the best part of it all," Norris said.
“I’m happy especially for the team, a one-two is even better to see so congrats to the team.
“We are in the best position for whatever the conditions throw at us, I’m looking forward to it. Two cars on the front row, we can control it from there so as long as we stay where we are, we will be happy.
“I’m expecting to [do well], if I don’t it’s not been a good day. The car is doing well, I feel like I’m driving well so it’s obvious what the aim is for tomorrow."
Aston Martin duo Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll finished seventh and eighth respectively, with RB's Daniel Ricciardo finishing a place behind.
Yuki Tsunoda completed the top 10, but sustained a heavy crash in the final qualifying session, with the Italian team facing a race to get their car ready for Sunday's race.
Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez endured another difficult time out on track, crashing out in the first qualifying session and will start 16th on the grid.
George Russell will also start towards the back of the grid after he and the Mercedes team were unable to recover from a poor wet-dry session.
Top 10
1. Lando Norris (McLaren)
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
7. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
8. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
9. Daniel Ricciardo (RB)
10. Yuki Tsunoda (RB)
Rafael Nadal insisted he was forced to "find a way to survive" to reach his first tour-level final since 2022 during his win over Duje Ajdukovic in Bastad.
Nadal continued his preparations for the Paris Olympics by coming from a set down to reach the final of the Swedish Open on Sunday.
The Spaniard will either play Thiago Agustin Tirante or Nuno Borges before travelling to France to try and claim a third gold medal at the games.
Nadal's last tour-level final came at Roland Garros two years ago, where this year's tennis will be taking place during the Paris Olympics.
Nadal's semi-final test came just a day after a gruelling four-hour win over Mariano Navone, the second-longest three-set match of his career.
The Spaniard was able to complete the victory in just two hours and 12 minutes, but insisted that Ajdukovic posed a difficult opponent on Centre Court.
“I think it was a tough match," Nadal said in his on-court interview. "My opponent had one of the best backhands that I played against.
"He came here with a lot of confidence. I think I was trying to push him back.
"It was very, very difficult, honestly, but I found a way to survive and be through to that final after a long time without being in a final. So that’s great news and I’m very happy with that.”
Nadal continues his Olympic Games preparation later on Saturday, with a doubles semi-final clash against Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos, alongside partner Casper Ruud.
Rafael Nadal insisted he was forced into survival mode to reach a first tour-level final since 2022 following his win over Duje Ajdukovic in Bastad.
Nadal continued his preparations for the Paris Olympics by coming from a set down to reach the final of the Swedish Open on Sunday.
The Spaniard will either play Thiago Agustin Tirante or Nuno Borges before travelling to France to try and claim a third gold medal at the games.
Nadal's last tour-level final came at Roland Garros two years ago, where this year's tennis will be taking place during the Paris Olympics.
Nadal's semi-final test came just a day after a gruelling four-hour win over Mariano Navone, the second-longest three-set match of his career.
The Spaniard was able to complete the victory in just two hours and 12 minutes, but insisted that Ajdukovic posed a difficult opponent on Centre Court.
“I think it was a tough match," Nadal said in his on-court interview. "My opponent had one of the best backhands that I played against.
"He came here with a lot of confidence. I think I was trying to push him back.
"It was very, very difficult, honestly, but I found a way to survive and be through to that final after a long time without being in a final. So that’s great news and I’m very happy with that.”
Nadal continues Olympic Games preparation later on Saturday, with a doubles semi-final clash against Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos, alongside partner Casper Ruud.
Rafael Nadal booked his place in the final Swedish Open after beating Duje Ajdukovic in Bastad.
Nadal came from a set down, as he did in his quarter-final triumph over Mariano Navone, to win 4-6 6-3 6-4 on Centre Court.
Ajdukovic started the faster of the two, winning a break point early on and raced into a three-game lead against the Spaniard.
While Nadal found his rhythm, winning a break of his own in the fifth game, the Croatian was able to hold his serve to take the first set with relative ease.
The 22-time major winner learned his lesson from his slow start, trading blows with Ajdukovic and earning a quick break point of his own in the third game.
Ajdukovic would rally, but another break point from Nadal in the seventh game proved decisive as he saw out the set to take it to a decider.
And it looked as though the Spaniard would ease into Sunday's final as he led 3-0, but Ajdukovic would fight back, going on to win the next three games.
Nadal, however, used all his experience to regain composure before finding a crucial break in the eighth game, ending the contest on serve as his opponent deft touch from the back of the court found the net.
Nadal will face either Thiago Agustin Tirante or Nuno Borges in Sunday's final.
Data Debrief: Nadal back on top
His second as a wildcard after Hamburg in 2015, Nadal has now reached his 72nd ATP event final on clay. It is the second-most of any player on the surface in the Open Era, trailing only Guillermo Vilas (76) over that span.
Nadal's victory sees him reach his first tour-level final for the first time since Roland Garros in 2022 where he beat Casper Rudd for his 14th French Open title.
Matteo Berrettini is through to his third Swiss Open final following an impressive straight-sets victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The 2018 champion - and 2022 runner-up - prevailed 7-6 (8-6) 7-5 after one hour and 42 minutes to set up a championship showdown with Quentin Halys in Gstaad.
Berrettini had lost all five of his previous meetings with top seed Tsitsipas, but dropped just one point on serve during the opening set, which he eventually snatched in a tie-break.
The Greek was seeking his third ATP final of the season on clay, having triumphed in Monte-Carlo and been runner-up to Casper Ruud in Barcelona.
However, he just could not shake off the Italian, who crucially broke in game 11 of the second set before holding for victory.
He will contest Sunday's championship match with Frenchman Halys, who saw off fifth seed Jan-Lennard Struff in straight sets.
Data Debrief: Big-serving Berrettini stuns Tsitsipas
The statistics certainly favoured Tsitsipas, who was 14-1 against Italian opponents on clay and 29-2 against players ranked outside the top 50 on surface since the start of the 2021 season.
However, Berrettini had other ideas. The former Wimbledon finalist, who was 1-6 against top-15 opponents on clay, won 92% of his first-serve points.
And while Tsitsipas double-faulted on four occasions, Berrettini stood firm and is now an impressive 12-1 in Gstaad.
Jamaica’s trio of Shamera Sterling-Humphrey, Latanya Wilson, and Romelda Aiken-George will again grace the Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) League’s big stage, as Adelaide Thunderbirds secured a spot in the grand final with a dominant 68-43 win over Melbourne Vixens in the major semi-final at Adelaide 36ers Arena on Saturday.
Aiken-George again led from the front with 39 goals from 44 attempts, while Lauren Frew had 18 goals from 18 attempts, including a Super Shot worth two goals. Lucy Austin (10 goals from 11 attempts), and Georgie Horjus, with a solitary goal from three attempts, got in on the act in the 25-goal blowout.
An elated Wilson told SportsMax.TV that last week’s narrow two-goal win over Sunshine Coast Lightning, served as motivation for this, the biggest finals winning margin in Suncorp Super Netball history.
“From the outside looking in, it might seem easy, but it is never easy. However, I believe we needed that close game last week to motivate us to win this one by such a wide margin, especially with a spot in the final up for grabs,” she shared shortly after the win.
Sterling-Humphrey registered 300-intercept milestone.
While it will be back-to-back finals for Wilson and Sterling-Humphrey with the reigning champions, it will be Aiken-George’s first with the Thunderbirds, as she joined the franchise earlier in the season. However, the towering goal shooter won three Premierships in a 14-season stint with Queensland Firebirds and, as such, is no stranger to being in a final.
“I know the capabilities of my team, and I am sure that we have the ability to go back-to-back. We are a team that is evolving, and we are playing each game on its merit. We don’t talk about the game; we play it. So from here, it is just to rest, recover, and prepare for whoever we will meet in the final,” Wilson noted.
Meanwhile, the Vixens, who got their goals from Kiera Austin (16 goals from 19 attempts), Sophie Garbin (15 goals from 19 attempts), and Lily Graham (12 goals from 13 attempts), will have a second shot at making the grand final. They will face the winner of the minor semi-final to be decided between West Coast Fever and Sunshine Coast Lightning.
Spurred on by a sell-out crowd at Adelaide 36ers Arena, the Thunderbirds went straight to work from the start, as they opened up a six-goal lead at 19-13 to end the first quarter.
Defenders Sterling-Humphrey, Wilson, and company then applied consistent pressure to shut down Vixens’ attackers in the second quarter, and that resulted in the Thunderbirds outscoring the opponents 19-9 for a massive 16-goal lead—38-22—at the half-time interval.
The Vixens were well off colour where ball-handling and shooting accuracy are concerned, and that made life much easier for the Thunderbirds, who rode their momentum in the third quarter to extend the lead to 22 goals at 54-22 heading into the final quarter.
With such a wide lead, one would think the Tania Obst-coached Thunderbirds would relent, but not if Sterling-Humphrey had anything to say about it. The 28-year-old, as she has done all season, again paraded her athleticism and impressive timing to register a 300-intercept milestone.
In fact, she ended the contest with 14 gains and five intercepts, while Wilson had five gains, and Tayla Williams proved the link in mid-court with 19 goal assists and two gains as the Thunderbirds wrapped up an emphatic victory.
They are set to host the final at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on August 3.
Joe Schmidt has said he remains unsure about some of his Australia players following their 40-29 victory over Georgia at Sydney Football Stadium.
Rob Valetini and Fraser McReight scored doubles for the hosts, with Australia surviving a red card picked up by Filipo Daugunu for a knee to the head of Sandro Todua to maintain the Wallabies' new head coaches unbeaten start.
Schmidt made 10 changes to the side that beat Wales last Saturday in Melbourne, with some taking the opportunity with both hands, while others fell short.
"Some guys have really put their hands up and other guys probably need a bit of work," Schmidt said.
"Some guys are delivering really consistent training performances and pushing for match day selection. Whether you're playing Georgia or next time we come out in Brisbane, it will be South Africa.
"We have a number of players who we're not sure about, who is maybe the best option in a particular position or who's the best combination."
Australia led 26-10 at the break, and although Georgia rallied in the second half, the home side triumphed in only the third meeting between the pair.
Hunter Paisami and Isaac Kailea went over the line early on, but Dauganu's sending off allowed Georgia a way back into the contest.
The visitors closed to within two points of Australia with two scintillating tries early in the second half through Davit Niniashvili and Akaki Tabutsadze.
However, their challenge faded as Niniashvili was sin-binned for a deliberate knockdown, as McReight and Valetini secured three successive wins for the first time since late 2021.
“It is only three weeks that we’ve been together and we made 10 changes and we knew there was an element of risk in that,” Schmidt said.
“But I like the way we built our way into the game, bar the early three points.
“We put a few nice tries together and built a lead, but it was really disappointing that they got back into the game and we were scrambling just a little bit.”
The Wallabies next face world champions South Africa in their Rugby Championship opener in Brisbane on August 10.
New Zealand captain Scott Barrett insists improvements will be made despite the All Blacks easing to a 47-5 win over Fiji in San Diego.
Scott Robertson's men scored seven tries at the Snapdragon Stadium in a side that included six debutants from their 2–0 series win over England last week.
The All Blacks led 26-5 at half-time, but Fiji still managed to restrict their opponents to the lowest score of their eight Test encounters.
"Fiji certainly showed up tonight in the physical areas," said captain Barrett. "It wasn't fully polished, we have pretty high standards in this team.
"They were able to get their hands on the ball to turn it over at times but we created enough opportunities to turn into points."
Caleb Clarke and Cortez Ratima scored converted tries in the opening exchanges, before Vilimoni Botitu notched Fiji's only try of the contest.
Sevu Reece would increase the All Blacks' advantage in the second half, before George Bell, on his debut, went over for the final try of the encounter.
The result maintains New Zealand's eight-game winning run, with head coach Scott Robertson nodding to the future following impressive performances from his debutants.
“Keeping them to five points is pretty special," Robertson said. "We scored some great tries, we left a lot out there.
"I’m really proud of a lot of efforts and the six debutants who really stood up.
“It was exciting to see how that talent went. They showed why we picked them. We’ve had seven debutants over the three games.
"It’s been intense with the travel coming over here. I’m pleased everyone has learnt quickly and been incredibly professional off the field.”
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