Naomi Osaka crashed out of the Canadian Open with a straight-sets defeat to Elise Mertens in the second round on Thursday.
The Belgian held her nerve for her second win over Osaka this year, beating her 6-3 6-4 in Toronto to set up a meeting with Liudmila Samsonova in the round of 16.
Osaka was caught out by making errors from the baseline and failed to gain any momentum as her preparation for the US Open took a hit with her early exit.
Despite the defeat, the former world number one remained upbeat about her performance as she looks to build on this result.
"I feel like I could have put a bit more on the court, a bit more from the baseline shots," Osaka said. "I got a bit caught up in the idea of being consistent and staying in the exchanges, I don't know.
"I'm happy with how I fought despite not winning, but I feel like I learned a lot.
"Unfortunately, I have always suffered a lot from my perfectionism, and I also tend to doubt myself a lot, but I think it's necessary to go through this process and have tough losses from which you can learn a lot about yourself.
"I know there will be many tough defeats like this one, but hopefully, I hope to be back in the top ten soon."
Data Debrief: Fight fizzles out
Osaka struggled to gain a foothold in the match, losing her serve four times while only earning two breaks in return.
She won just 37% of her second serve points (10/27) and failed to win more than two games in a row as Mertens edged out of her reach.
The Rugby Championship is back.
All eyes will be on the Southern Hemisphere's finest throughout six matchdays in August and September, with the tournament returning to a full 12-game format after the 2023 edition was shortened due to the Rugby World Cup.
South Africa broke New Zealand's hearts in the final of that tournament in France, and now they are hoping to end the All Blacks' four-year streak of victories in this competition.
The two favourites have been kept apart on the opening matchday, and both will be desperate to avoid any slip-ups on matchday one, as the Springboks go to Australia and New Zealand entertain Argentina.
Here, we run through the best Opta stats ahead of this weekend's action, picking out the players to watch in each contest.
AUSTRALIA v SOUTH AFRICA
The action gets under way at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane as Australia host the world champions, who are targeting a third straight Test win against the Wallabies following triumphs in the last two editions of the Rugby Championship.
They only won two of their previous eight versus Australia (two draws, four losses) and last enjoyed a longer winning run against them between September 2012 and September 2013 (three matches).
With the Wallabies starting a period of transition under new head coach Joe Schmidt, Rassie Erasmus' men go in as handy favourites to follow up their 24-8 victory in Australia two years ago. They last won back-to-back Tests in Australia in July 1993.
The Springboks have won 13 of their last 15 Tests, their only two defeats in that time coming against Ireland, while their 10.8 offloads per game are the most of any Tier One nation in Tests this year.
They always bring plenty of physicality, boasting the only three Tier One players to make 10 or more carries into contact while managing a dominant carry rate of 70% or better this year, namely Ben-Jason Dixon (83%), Lukhanyo Am (82%) and Makazole Mapimpi (79%). However, the latter duo are absent from their matchday one selection.
Erasmus will be warning his side against any complacency, however, given Australia have won their last four Test matches including all three to be played in 2024.
The last time they started a calendar year with a longer winning run was in 2008 (five matches).
No Tier One team has conceded fewer than Australia's 11.3 turnovers per game in Tests this year, while only Argentina (15.33) have averaged more than South Africa (15.25). Keeping the mistakes to a minimum will be key if the Wallabies are to spring a surprise.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Australia – Jake Gordon
Gordon will form one half of Australia's run-on halves pairing, alongside Noah Lolesio. The 31-year-old has been a reliable performer at the start of this new era for Australian rugby, seeing six of his 21 kicks from hand retained by a team-mate in Test action this year.
His kick retention rate of 29% is the best of the 25 Tier One players to attempt at least 20 kicks in Test rugby in 2024.
South Africa – RG Snyman
Snyman will start at number five in place of the injured Franco Mostert, having proven a capable deputy so far this year.
He has made 10 offloads in just 182 Test rugby minutes in 2024, averaging 4.4 per 80 minutes. No other Tier One player has averaged three or more per match this year.
NEW ZEALAND v ARGENTINA
New Zealand have not failed to win the Rugby Championship in 2019, and retaining their crown will be all the more important this year, following their dramatic 12-11 defeat to South Africa in the World Cup final almost 10 months ago.
Opening their 2024 campaign in Wellington, the All Blacks will be confident of maintaining their 100% record under new head coach Scott Robertson, who oversaw two wins over England and a 47-5 rout of Fiji last month.
New Zealand have an excellent record versus Argentina, winning 16 of their previous 17 Tests against them on home soil and averaging a winning margin of 34.8 points across those victories. The only defeat in that run came in the 2022 Rugby Championship, at the low point of Ian Foster's reign as head coach.
The All Blacks got their revenge by destroying Los Pumas 44-6 in the World Cup semi-finals last year, and they have now won their last three Tests against them, scoring 40 or more points in each of those meetings.
Before that run began, New Zealand had only tallied 40 or more points in three of their previous 22 meetings with Argentina.
Argentina, meanwhile, are yet to begin a Rugby Championship campaign with a win, losing their opening match in each of their previous 11 appearances. They did, however, beat the All Blacks in their first game of the 2020 Tri Nations.
Like their hosts, Argentina are entering a new era under Felipe Contepomi, who took the reigns from Michael Cheika after the World Cup.
Los Pumas have scored an average of 6.3 tries per game in Test action this year, the most of any Tier One nation, while they also lead the way for dominant contact on carries, doing so 51 times per game on average.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
New Zealand – Ardie Savea
Savea will lead New Zealand out for the ninth time on Saturday, with a finger injury leaving regular skipper Scott Barrett sidelined.
Savea has been directly involved in six tries in his last six Test matches (four tries, two try assists) and scored a try when the All Blacks last faced Argentina in the Rugby Championship last August.
Argentina – Pablo Matera
Matera is also a stand-in captain for this match, with Julian Montoya absent due to a rib injury.
He made a competition-high 44 carries in the 2023 edition of the Rugby Championship, while his four offloads were the joint-most of any player in that tournament.
Mitch Haniger lined a bases-clearing double to right field just out of the reach of a diving Ryan Vilade to lift the Seattle Mariners to a 4-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Thursday night.
The Mariners trailed 3-1 entering the bottom of the ninth but Luke Raley led off with an infield single against Luke Holton. Randy Arozarena followed with a single off Will Vest to put runners at the corners. Vest struck out Cal Raleigh and Justin Turner before walking Jorge Polanco.
Haniger then hit a sinking liner to right that Vilade dove for but misjudged, and the ball rolled to the wall, easily scoring all three runners.
It was Haniger’s franchise-leading eighth walk-off hit.
Raley homered in the sixth for Seattle’s first run and the Mariners snapped a three-game skid to move into a virtual tie with Houston for the AL West lead.
Zack McKinstry knocked in two runs for the Tigers, who were denied a sweep.
Brewers pound Braves for sweep
Rookie Jackson Chourio hit two of the Brewers’ six home runs and William Contreras added three hits, including a homer, and three RBIs as Milwaukee routed the struggling Atlanta Braves, 16-7 to complete a three-game sweep.
Sal Frelick had four hits and Garrett Mitchell, Willy Adames and Jake Bauers also went deep for the NL Central-leading Brewers, who collected 20 hits and swept the Braves in Atlanta for the first time since 2016.
Chourio, at 20 years and 150 days, became the youngest player in Brewers history with a multi-homer game. Billy Jo Robidoux, at 21 years and 266 days, set the previous record in 1985. Chourio is also the youngest player in baseball with such a game since Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in 2019.
Austin Riley and Marcell Ozuna homered for Atlanta, which allowed 36 hits in the past two games and dropped its fifth straight.
Charlie Morton was roughed up for eight runs on nine hits in just 2 2/3 innings.
Red-hot Padres sweep Pirates
Luis Arraez capped a three-run ninth inning with an RBI double and the San Diego Padres edged the Pittsburgh Pirates, 7-6, for a series sweep.
Pirates closer David Bednar was called on to protect a 5-4 lead in the ninth but gave up a leadoff single to Xander Bogaerts and walked Jackson Merrill.
After David Peralta struck out, Ha-Seong Kim walked to load the bases and the Padres tied it on a run-scoring grounder and went ahead when Oneil Cruz tossed a double play attempt past first. Arraez then tacked on what became the winning run with a double to right.
Manny Machado and Peralta homered as the Padres won their fifth straight and 14th in 16 tries to pull within 2 ½ games of the NL West-leading Dodgers.
Joey Bart homered and Cruz had three hits for the Pirates, who lost their fourth in a row.
Jannik Sinner began his defence of the Canadian Open title with a routine 6-2 6-4 victory over Borna Coric in Montreal.
Sinner, who won his first ATP Masters 1000 crown at the 2023 event and has since won the Miami Open and his first grand slam at this year's Australian Open, was victorious within one hour and 37 minutes at the Omnium Banque National presente par Rogers.
The Italian, who missed the Paris Olympic Games with tonsillitis, showed no signs of rust on his first hard-court outing since his Miami triumph in March.
He stuck the ball sweetly from the off and only dropped four points behind his own first serve, with breaks in the third games of both sets putting him on course for victory.
He will face 15th seed Alejandro Tabilo or Lorenzo Sonego in the last 16 as he prepares for a potential title tilt at the US Open.
Speaking after his win, Sinner said: "I've been here for a little bit so I'm maybe a bit more used to the conditions, but still, I'm very happy about the performance.
"It was a very tough match. Even if you watched the score, it felt closer for sure.
"I had to save a break point in the second set and if he makes that one it could potentially change the match. It was a very good mindset today and I'll try to keep going."
Data Debrief: Forty and counting for Sinner
Sinner's victory, coming at the age of 22 years and 357 days, made him the youngest player to achieve 40 successive wins against players ranked outside the ATP's top 20 since Rafael Nadal, who completed that feat aged 22 years and 285 days at Indian Wells in 2009.
Daniil Medvedev suffered a rare hard-court loss to an opponent outside the world's top 20 as Alejandro Davidovich Fokina sent him crashing out of the Canadian Open in the last 32.
Third seed Medvedev was beaten 6-4 1-6 6-2 by world number 43 Davidovich Fokina, the Spaniard coming through a one-hour, 56-minute contest in Montreal.
Davidovich Fokina, who reached the semi-finals of the tournament in 2023, will now face either Karen Khachanov or Matteo Arnaldi for a place in the quarter-finals.
It was only Medvedev's third hard-court defeat to an opponent ranked outside the ATP's top 20 since the start of 2023, with the others both coming against Sebastian Korda.
Medvedev was not the only player to be on the receiving end of an upset on Thursday, as Japan's Kei Nishikori beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4 6-4 for his first top-20 win since 2021.
However, things were far more comfortable for world number four Alexander Zverev, who crushed Jordan Thompson by a 6-1 6-1 scoreline to reach the third round.
Zverev won a huge 95% (18/19) of points behind his first serve, also slamming 20 winners past Thompson, who had previously led the duo's head-to-head series 2-1.
Coco Gauff continued her preparations for the defence of her US Open title by reaching the next round of the Canadian Open, beating China's Yafan Wang in straight sets.
Gauff needed just under an hour and a half to get the job done in Toronto, emerging a 6-4 6-4 victor to bounce back from her disappointment at the Paris Olympics.
The world number two started shakily, saving three break points in the third game before converting a break of her own to lead 3-1 in the opening exchanges.
Wang would fight back, however, winning the next three games on the bounce, but the American would rally to take the first set.
It looked as though Gauff would cruise to victory after taking a three-game lead, but her Chinese opponent would show her powers of recovery once more, levelling the encounter soon after.
The pair would trade blows for the remainder, with Gauff proving too strong for Yang late on, claiming the triumph with a love game on serve.
Gauff will face Diana Shnaider for a place in the quarter-finals following the Russian's triumph over Magdalena Frech earlier in the day.
Data Debrief: Gauff fights off spirited Wang
While Gauff was far from her best in Toronto, she adjusted well to the hard surface having competed on the clay courts of Roland-Garros at the Olympics.
The American impressed on serve, registering six aces throughout the contest while also winning 65% of her first-serve points.
Lamport Stadium in Toronto is to again host a senior men’s rugby league international for ranking points, when Canada face Jamaica on Saturday 19 October 2024. It is part of a reciprocal agreement between the nations which will see the Wolverines travel to the Caribbean island next year.
Jamaica are building up for their appearance as the Americas representative in the inaugural 2025 World Series, as they attempt to qualify for a second successive men’s World Cup to be held in Australia in 2026.
“Playing annual internationals is crucial to engaging our playing community, sponsors and fans,” said Jamaica RLA director of rugby, Romeo Monteith. “We won't improve as a nation unless we have regular games. It is a priority for us to play Canada and the USA in men and women fixtures annually.”
Montieth added: “It's always tough playing on the road, we have to contend with visa issues, time off work for players and of course the costs. However, the challenges make those games even more special. We have never won away versus Canada and so we expect another tough assignment.
“Roy Calvert and I are open to selecting players from all competitions, however, the majority of the squad is expected to be from the Island. I think both squads will be highly motivated to perform and this should make it another entertaining game for the fans.”
Canada men’s head coach, Aaron Zimmerle, noted: “We look forward to welcoming Jamaica to Toronto. Apart from meeting at the Americas Championship, geography makes playing regularly difficult for both nations. The dual game agreement allows our ever-improving Wolverines to plan for more challenges which is just what we need and want.”
CRLA chair, John Cameron, added: “We’re excited to enter into this home and away series with Jamaica, where our women already were welcomed with such warm hospitality last autumn. We hope to share the same spirit of friendship with the Jamaica men as they visit the heart of rugby league in eastern Canada.”
Naomi Osaka said her straight-sets victory over Ons Jabeur in the Canadian Open demonstrates her growing confidence.
The four-time grand slam champion defeated world number 16 Jabeur 6-3 6-1 in her first-round match in Toronto.
Osaka’s victory follows her early exit in the Olympics where she lost in straight sets to Germany’s Angelique Kerber last month at Roland-Garros.
Away from the clay courts, the Japanese player felt the surface and her opponent brought out the best in her in Canada.
“Everyone knows I really love hard court,” said Osaka. “So I don’t know, I wasn’t really thinking too much.
"It felt very instinctual and honestly when I play the best players like Ons I tend to play better."
Now, Osaka believes she is beginning to build momentum again after her hiatus.
“I think if you’ve been following my journey a little, I go through mountains and hills. But now I’m feeling quite confident in myself as a person and a player and I think that showed a little,” she explained.
“Hopefully I can continue to play a lot more matches, but I think I just really love playing tennis and it’s been an honour to play such a great match in front of everyone.”
Coco Gauff is not expecting to win the Canadian Open as she manages the transition from clay to hard courts following the Olympics.
Gauff fell short of a medal last month, losing to Donna Vekic in the singles while bowing out of the mixed and women's doubles with Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz.
The world number two is one of the headline names at the WTA event in Toronto after a number of high-profile players, including world number one Iga Swiatek and Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova, dropped out.
Her opening game of the tournament sees her face Yafan Wang, however, Gauff has tempered expectations as she prepares to defend her US Open crown at Flushing Meadows.
"I am not going into this expecting to win or anything. That would be great and it's the goal, but being realistic I was on clay three days ago," Gauff said.
"I'm just trying to use this to see where I am and what I need to do to get ready for the US Open."
After her frustration in Paris, Gauff will have to wait another four years to win an Olympic medal, but has the comfort of the next Games being held on home soil in Los Angeles.
And despite suffering disappointment in all three Olympic disciplines (singles, doubles and mixed doubles) this year at Roland-Garros, the American put her name forward to compete across the board again in 2028.
"I would still do all three [events] again if that’s a possibility in '28," Gauff said.
"I mean it's four years from now, I'll be 24, so I will still be on the healthier and younger side of things, and especially if the draw size for mixed is that small, I feel like that's one everyone wants to play.
"I had a great experience, from not being able to go to Tokyo to being able to go here, I just feel like LA, I'll hopefully be on the podium.
"I just feel like that's what my life consists of, having a disappointing result and then the next time is the best thing in the world."
Steve Kerr warned the United States must not "get lulled to sleep" by the fact they have already beaten Serbia twice recently.
The USA cruised past Brazil to reach the semi-finals of the Olympics, and Nikola Jokic's Serbia are next up.
Serbia have already faced the USA in the group stage, with the four-time reigning Olympic champions winning 110-84.
The USA also beat Serbia by 26 points in a warm-up match prior to the Games, but Kerr is taking nothing for granted ahead of Thursday's clash.
He said: "We can't get lulled to sleep because we beat them twice.
"We have to be prepared for their best effort. We've got to think about what they are going to do differently.
"Jokic, I guess he could play 40 minutes. What else do they have up their sleeve?"
It was a sentiment echoed by LeBron James.
"Every game is its own test. No matter what happened in the first two, it's about what goes down Thursday night," he said.
"So we need to lock in our film session, lock in during the day on Thursday, and then come out and be ready to go."
Jokic inspired Serbia to an Olympic-record comeback against Australia in the quarters.
How Serbia plan to manage Jokic's minutes is an intriguing question, but Joel Embiid is setting himself up to face the reigning NBA MVP for over 40 minutes.
"I guess we'll be ready for that," said Embiid.
"If that's what they think they have to do to try to beat us, then they won't hesitate to do that."
Iga Swiatek is sure of her place at the WTA Finals after it was announced the world number one had qualified for season's grand finale.
The season-ending tournament will take place in the Saudi Arabian city of Riyadh for the first time, and will be held in November.
Swiatek, who won bronze at the Paris Olympics last week, has become the first player to secure her place at the Finals.
The 23-year-old has scooped five titles in 2024, including the French Open, which she has won four times.
“It's a great feeling to qualify for the WTA Finals for the fourth year in a row," said Swiatek, the reigning WTA Finals champion.
"I hope that the performances of the eight best players of the season will give a lot of joy to the fans all over the world."
Swiatek will become the youngest player to appear at the WTA Finals for four consecutive years since Victoria Azarenka (2009-2012).
After been knocked out early on in 2021, Swiatek reached the semi-finals in Fort Worth in 2022 before triumphing in Cancun last year.
Kyle Schwarber homered three times, doubled and matched a career high with seven RBIs as the Philadelphia Phillies rallied for a 9-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in a matchup of division leaders on Wednesday night.
Schwarber led off the game against Gavin Stone with his first home run of the night and delivered a two-run double in the fifth to get the Phillies within 4-3. His three-run shot off Joe Kelly capped a five-run sixth and he took Michael Grove deep in the ninth for his 27th of the season.
The seven RBIs were the most by a Phillies player since Carlos Ruiz had that many against Atlanta in 2012.
Schwarber’s three-homer game was the second of his career, the other coming on June 20, 2021, for Washington against the Mets. He had seven RBIs one other time, on July 28, 2019, for the Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee.
Freddie Freeman drove in three runs for the Dodgers, who had their lead in the NL West sliced to three games over surging San Diego and Arizona. That is their smallest lead since April.
Surging Diamondbacks sweep Guardians
Josh Bell homered twice and Eduardo Rodriguez won his season debut as the Arizona Diamondbacks remained red hot with a 5-3 win over the first-place Cleveland Guardians to complete a doubleheader sweep.
Ketel Marte, Geraldo Perdomo and Corbin Carroll each hit two-run homers to give the Diamondbacks a 7-3 victory in the opener.
Randal Grichuk went deep in the second game for Arizona, which won for the 12th time in 14 games and has won seven consecutive series, reinforcing its hold on a NL wild-card spot.
Rodriguez signed with the Diamondbacks in December but had been sidelined with a left shoulder strain. He allowed three runs and four hits over 5 2/3 innings and Justin Martinez loaded the bases in the ninth before striking out Lane Thomas for his second save of the series and his career.
Josh Naylor, Jose Ramirez and David Fry hit home runs in the doubleheader for Cleveland, which has lost a season-high five straight and had its AL Central lead cut to 3 ½ games over Minnesota.
The Guardians still own the best home record in baseball at 35-20.
Santander’s blasts power Orioles
Anthony Santander homered from both sides of the plate and Jackson Holliday added a two-run shot to lead the Baltimore Orioles to a 7-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Eloy Jimenez added a two-run double for the Orioles, who rebounded after losing Tuesday’s series opener to tie the Yankees for first in the AL East.
Baltimore trailed 3-2 when Holliday went deep for the third straight game in the seventh inning to score Jimenez, who hit an infield single.
At 20 years, 274 days, Holliday is the youngest player in AL history to homer in three straight contests.
Santander hit a two-run shot off Bowden Francis in the first inning and belted a solo shot as a right-handed hitter in the eighth. The homers were his 33rd and 34th, a career high.
Santander leads the majors with 25 homers since the start of June.
Naomi Osaka put her Paris Olympics disappointment behind her as she eased to the next round of the Canadian Open in a straight-sets win over Ons Jabeur.
Osaka fell at the first hurdle to Angelique Kerber at Roland-Garros last month, but was back to her best as she emerged a 6-3 6-1 victor in Toronto.
The four-time grand slam champion wasted no time in stamping her authority on proceedings, earning a two break points to take a 3-0 lead early on.
And that would prove decisive, with the world number 95 seeing out the rest of her service games, closing out the first set with a love game.
Jabeur would have no response to Osaka's stunning display, with the Japanese finding another pivotal break before winning the remaining three games to confirm the win.
Osaka will face Elise Mertens in the round of 32 after the Belgian beat Katie Volynets in straight sets earlier in the day.
Data Debrief: Osaka over Olympics disappointment
Having suffered disappointment in Paris, Osaka responded in emphatic style upon her return to the court and will want to continue that momentum moving forward.
Osaka converted all three of the break points she had, winning all eight of her service games.
It proved to be a difficult day at the office for Jabeur, who uncharacteristcally served seven double faults throughout the contest compared to Osaka's four.
Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the US Open, claiming he would be unable to give 100% effort should he participate.
Nadal, who played in both the singles and doubles at the Paris Olympics, skipped Wimbledon earlier this year in order to feature at Roland-Garros.
However, after losing to Novak Djokovic in the singles and then failing to reach the medal matches alongside Carlos Alcaraz in the doubles, Nadal has elected to miss this season's final major and instead ready himself for the Laver Cup, which will take place in September.
It means the 38-year-old, who has triumphed four times at Flushing Meadows, may well have featured at the last major of his extraordinary career.
In a post on social media, Nadal wrote: "I have decided not to compete at this year’s US Open a place where I have amazing memories.
"I will miss those electric and special night sessions in NYC at Ashe, but I don't think I would be able to give my 100% this time.
"Thanks to all my US fans in particular, will miss you all and will see you another time.
"Best of luck to all for the always amazing US Open! My next event will be the Laver Cup in Berlin."
Jamaican goal shooter Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard has once again demonstrated her dominance in the Suncorp Super Netball League by winning the prestigious Stacey Marinkovich Medal for the sixth time. The 35-year-old star player, who has been a cornerstone of the West Coast Fever team, secured the award after polling 10 out of 14 votes in a remarkable season.
Fowler-Nembhard, who has won the medal in six of the seven seasons she has played with the Fever, expressed her profound gratitude and joy at receiving the accolade. "Having won the Stacey Marinkovich Medal for the sixth time is an overwhelming feeling. It’s great. I am beyond honoured," she said. "I am happy to know that my performance and my hard work have been paying off and I am grateful to know that it has been recognized."
In the recently concluded season, the Fever narrowly missed out on reaching the final, losing 73-72 to the Melbourne Vixens in a nail-biting Preliminary Final last month. The Vixens went on to lose 59-57 to the Adelaide Thunderbirds, who clinched back-to-back titles. Despite the team's narrow miss, Fowler-Nembhard's individual performance was nothing short of spectacular. She led the scoring for the Fever and league with an impressive 813 goals and accumulated 1571.5 Nissan Net Points.
Reflecting on her achievement, Fowler-Nembhard said, "To be MVP for my club is a great feeling and will definitely be something that I have to look back on after I hang up my boots, knowing that I have put out so much in my career and it has paid off in numerous ways, winning these awards year-in, year-out."
The veteran player also acknowledged the collective effort of her teammates throughout the season. "I am grateful for it. I am over the moon. I am humbled by these awards as well because my teammates have put in a lot of work this season, and anyone could have won this," she noted. "But the fact that I have won gives me great pleasure to know that I am still performing at a very high standard which is what is required when you’re playing at this level, but to be able to maintain this over the years has been really good."
Fowler-Nembhard's consistency and excellence have not only been crucial for the West Coast Fever but have also set a high benchmark in the league. Her sustained performance over the years underscores her dedication, skill, and passion for the sport.
Her latest accolade adds to a storied career that will be remembered long after she decides to retire.
The Utah Jazz have signed forward Lauri Markkanen to a five-year, $238million contract that includes money added to next season’s salary and four additional years through the 2028-29 campaign.
The 2022-23 All-Star and NBA Most Improved Player will see his salary increase from $18million to $42 million next season before earning $196million from 2025-29.
“I’m excited to get this extension done,” Markkanen said. "I’m excited to get back to work and build with this franchise.”
The Minnesota Timberwolves selected Markkanen with the seventh overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft before dealing him to the Chicago Bulls in a draft-night trade.
Markkanen went on to earn First-Team All-Rookie honours in 2017-18 before Chicago traded him to the Cleveland Cavaliers in August 2021.
He spent one season with the Cavaliers before they dealt him to Utah in the trade that sent Donovan Mitchell to Cleveland.
Markkanen averaged a career-high 25.6 points in his first season with the Jazz in 2022-23 while adding 8.6 rebounds per game. He was named an All-Star for the first time as well as the NBA’s Most Improved Player.
The 27-year-old Finland native followed that campaign by averaging 23.2 points and 8.2 rebounds last season.
Markkanen's 1,004 made 3-pointers rank third all-time in NBA history for players seven foot or taller behind Dirk Nowitzki (1,982) and Channing Frye (1,049).
Brandon Aiyuk seems set to leave the San Francisco 49ers after he was granted permission to speak to other teams.
Contract talks between the 49ers and their top wide receiver have stalled in recent weeks.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, the New England Patriots and the Cleveland Browns have all been credited with an interest in Aiyuk, who had 1,342 receiving yards last season, a career-high.
And San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan has now confirmed Aiyuk has been allowed to open talks with other teams.
He said: "You're always disappointed when you can’t keep hold of all your players and it’s not going exactly right.
"I don't like losing anybody, so that’s why I am hoping it does work out here. But right now, we don't have that solved.
"You want everybody out there. You truly understand the business side of our league and what these guys do and what they have to go through in these deals.
"Whether it’s a hold-in or a holdout, this stuff is pretty common and you've just got to be patient with it as a coach."
Asked about signing a replacement if Aiyuk were to leave, Shanahan added: "Brandon's a great player, so it's really hard to be better when you lose a great player.
The 36th Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championship (CAJGC) teed off in vibrant fashion on Tuesday evening with a colourful opening ceremony at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston. Hosted by the Jamaica Golf Association (JGA), the event welcomed teams from eight countries to compete in the prestigious tournament.
This year’s championship sees participation from teams representing the Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago, and host Jamaica. The opening ceremony set an enthusiastic tone for the competition, which had been rescheduled from July due to the passing of Hurricane Beryl.
Jodi Munn-Barrow, president of the JGA, extended a warm welcome to all teams and expressed confidence in a successful tournament. "Everything is in place for a very good championship," Munn-Barrow stated, emphasizing the meticulous preparations made despite the earlier postponement.
Eduardo Figueroa, coach of defending champions Puerto Rico, expressed high expectations for his team, indicating their strong preparation and determination to retain the title.
Alison Reid, manager of the Jamaican team, acknowledged some logistical challenges resulting from the rescheduling but remained optimistic. "Some persons who planned to compete when it was scheduled for July are no longer available, and the team will have fewer numbers than previously committed," Reid said. "However, the team will still put on a good show."
Jamaica’s coaching duo, Jonathan Newnhan and Jason Lopez, also shared their confidence in the team’s potential. Newnhan highlighted the team’s thorough preparation, while Lopez pointed out the advantage of competing on the Caymanas Golf Course, where the team has been practicing extensively.
The Jamaican team features talented players including team captain Mattea Issa, Trey Williams, Aman Dhiman, and Ryan Lue, all competing in the Under-18 category. Players will also compete in the Under-15 and Under-13 categories for both boys and girls.
Peter Levey of the major sponsor British Caribbean Insurance Company (BCIC) expressed his company’s delight in supporting the event. "We are very happy to be on board for this year’s staging of the CAJGC as it represents a very good opportunity to support the development of youth sport," Levey remarked.
The championship boasts a wide array of sponsors including Restaurants of Jamaica (KFC), Sandals Foundation, WATA, CMK, Jamaica Pegasus, Fleetwood Jamaica Limited, R&A, Island Car Rentals & Tours, Digicel Business, Titlest, and several others, demonstrating strong community and corporate backing for the event.
The competition tees off on Wednesday at 8:00 am with the first of three rounds of 18 holes each, concluding on Friday. The closing ceremony will follow the final round, celebrating the achievements of the young golfers.
Zak Brown has admitted to being shocked by McLaren's competitive performance in the Formula One world championship this season.
McLaren sit just 42 points adrift of Red Bull in the Constructors' Championship, with lead driver Lando Norris also second to Max Verstappen in the standings.
The team have achieved podium finishes in their last 10 races, and they are well placed to challenge across the back half of the campaign.
Brown, however, was not expecting such success so soon.
"If I were to sit here and say I'm not surprised, that would be disingenuous," Brown told BBC Sport.
"Red Bull had such an advantage over everyone and Mercedes has been so dominant.
"I felt like we'd continue to close the gap. Did I think we would be here at the summer break, one race away from getting the lead?
"That race would have to be first and second and fastest lap, and do I think it's going to happen like that? No. But if we keep the same trajectory we've been on the last six, seven races, we'll be where we need to be by the end of the year.
"I thought we might get where we are now by 2025. I didn't think we would be where we are now in 2024. But I'm not complaining."
Both Norris and Oscar Piastri have claimed their maiden race wins this season indicative of an increasingly competitive McLaren.
Brown credits team principal Andrea Stella, who was appointed ahead of the 2023 season, for the growing success.
"He unlocked the talent that we already had here," Brown said. "We've got approximately 1,000 people here in F1. I changed three. But it was three leaders. So, 997 are the same people who gave us the [uncompetitive] car at the beginning of 2023.
"A leader's job is to get the most out of their people and that's what we didn't have previously. We weren't able to let the talent we have in here flourish.
"Andrea communicates very well. He listens very well. He's very hard-working. He's very technical. He leads by example. All the traits you would want in a great leader. He unlocked the potential this team clearly had sitting there."
While Piastri continued McLaren's podium success at the Belgian Grand Prix, Norris could not make gains in the driver standings despite Verstappen having to deal with a 10-place grid penalty.
He finished fifth, one place behind Red Bull’s reigning champion. Brown, however, sees these experiences as a learning curve for everyone.
"We've all made a variety of errors, which to me are learning experiences," he reflected.
"I thought [Mercedes team principal] Toto [Wolff] was accurate with his comment. He said: 'Well, sometimes you figure these things out once they've kind of been put on your plate.'
"So if I look at the mistakes we've made - whether those are drivers or us, kinda doesn't matter; we're one team - we wouldn't make these mistakes again. We're learning. And I think maybe because we have got where we are quicker than we thought, it shows we still have learning to do.
"Lando is trying to fight for a world championship. He's going for it. He's learning, as are we. So I'm not concerned about it."
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