Category: Sports

Basket Ball / Sports

Warriors close out Celtics in Game 6 to win fourth NBA championship in eight years

The Golden State Warriors delivered a masterclass in closing out an NBA Finals on the road.

After a slow start in which the Boston Celtics opened a 12-point lead, the Warriors took control with an offensive outburst and defensive clinic that staggered the Celtics and silenced the crowed at TD Garden.

Golden State handled Boston 103-90 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, claiming its fourth title in eight seasons and first since 2018.

Steph Curry, who demoralized Boston with his shooting in the series, crushed the Celtics with one 3-pointer after another. He had 34 points on 12-for-21 shooting, including 6-for-11 on 3s. It was Curry’s fourth 30-point game of the Finals, and he earned earning his first Finals MVP.

It was a brutal way for the Celtics to learn a lesson. They led 14-2, and a Game 7 seemed possible.

But the Warriors’ championship pedigree flattened Boston. Golden State went on a 35-8 run, built a 54-33 lead just before halftime and never let Boston make it a game in the second half.

Here are four key takeaways from Golden State’s title-clinching win:

Golden State 3s

From the team that revolutionized 3-point shooting in the NBA, it’s not a surprise the Warriors put on a shooting display from that distance.

Late in the third quarter, the Warriors had made 16 3s on 53.3% shooting.

While Curry led the charge, every Warriors starter, including Draymond Green, made at least two 3-pointers. Andrew Wiggins made four 3s, and Jordan Poole had three off the bench.

Boston turnovers problematic again

Celtics coach Ime Udoka bemoaned his team’s turnovers throughout the playoffs. It became a familiar refrain after almost every Celtics loss.

In Game 6, Boston committed a series-high 23 turnovers, leading to 20 Warriors points. That followed 18 turnovers in Game 5, 16 in Game 4 and 19 in Game 2.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown had five each. In the fourth quarter, when the Celtics had a mini-run, they still had five turnovers — possessions that could’ve had an impact …

Football / Sports

El Tri comes from behind to draw Reggae Boyz in Nations League

Mexico showed personality to come from behind on the road in Kingston and leave with a 1-1 draw against Jamaica in their second of four CONCACAF Nations League group matches. The result leaves El Tri with ground to make up in the standings in the upcoming set of matches in September.

With the result, Gerardo “Tata” Martino’s men closed out a choppy three weeks of matches on a somewhat positive note. A handful of Mexican fans in Jamaica were still vocal with their “Fuera, Tata” chant (Tata Out), but the team enjoyed some good spells in its fifth and final match of the June period.

But things didn’t come easy for Mexico in Jamaica. The match got off to a disastrous start for El Tri: They failed to convert two clear looks at goal inside the opening minute, and then watched Leon Bailey score an early opener for Jamaica. The goal rattled Mexico and Jamaica looked like they could quickly get another, striking the crossbar on a set piece header by Damion Lowe.

But Mexico regained its composure and began taking the game to Jamaica. They registered several attempts at goal, but Jamaican goalkeeper and captain Andre Blake made several spectacular stops, as he is known to do when he faces the regional giants.

It looked like it would not be their night, but just before halftime El Tri got their goal on a set piece with Luis Romo finally beating Blake on a strong near-post header.

After Kevin Alvarez needed to make a last-ditch goal-line clearance at the start the second half to keep Jamaica from scoring a second, Mexico slowly emerged as the protagonist for the rest of the match. Only Blake kept the visitors from a second goal, stopping vicious strikes from Luis Chavez and substitute Diego Lainez (twice).

The draw was the fair end result, and Mexico can now look ahead to its next set of matches in the September FIFA international window. Before then, there’s also an Aug. 31 friendly against Paraguay in Atlanta …

Football / Sports

Jordan Morris rescues point for USMNT in muddy, sloppy CONCACAF Nations League game

90 minutes in El Salvador on a disgusting, sloppy, muddy mess of a pitch ended level as Jordan Morris rescued a point for the United States on the road in CONCACAF Nations League play.

The U.S. found itself in a peak CONCACAF road match, on a field beat up by torrential rain against a physical opponent. Punched in the mouth on repeated occasions by poor conditions, poor officiating, and an emotional opponent, the United States found an answer in the 90th minute.

Goalkeeper Ethan Horvath was caught napping by Alex Larin before halftime, seeing El Salvador up at the break. The second half was chippy, and substitute Paul Arriola was sent off with 20 minutes to go. But less than 10 minutes later, El Salvador was reduced a player as well with Ronald Rodriguez sent off for a last man foul to take down Yunus Musah.

Eventually, Morris found the critical moment as he beat Larin in the air and headed a de la Torre cross into the back of the net to salvage a draw. The result means the United States needs four points from its next two matches to secure a spot in the Nations League final stage.

El Salvador vs. USA final score

1H 2H Final
El Salvador 1 0 1
USA 0 1 1
…
Sports / Tennis

Serena Williams to play at Wimbledon aged 40 and could face Emma Raducanu in mouth-watering clash

The seven-time singles champion, will make a sensational appearance at the 2022 Championships in her first competitive singles match in a year.

The American withdrew from the 2021 tournament after tearing her hamstring on Centre Court after six completed games of the first set against Belarussian Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

Williams has fallen to 1,208 in the WTA world rankings due to her inactivity but there was never any doubt someone of her stature would be missed off the initial wildcard list.

All England Club chiefs had to change their plans and bring forward the announcement by a day after an unexpected social media message by Williams to her 14.9million followers on Instagram.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion posted a photo of her white Nike trainers on grass and captioned it with: “SW (Serena Williams) and SW19. It’s a date. See you there. Let’s go.”

Raducanu, 19, will be seeded in the first round and if the draw is unkind, she could play the global superstar on the hallowed green turf.

As part of her warm-up plans, Williams will appear at the Eastbourne International next week but in doubles action alongside Tunisian world No.4 Ons Jabeur.

Tim Henman, who is on the committee board at Wimbledon, said: “It is a good selection on the women’s side.

“Serena requested one actually a couple of weeks ago and she is going to play down at Eastbourne.…

Football / Sports

Darwin Núñez completes move to Liverpool from Benfica

Liverpool has taken another of Portuguese soccer’s best players to strengthen its forward line, with Uruguay striker Darwin Núñez completing his move to Anfield from Benfica for an initial fee of 75 million euros ($78 million) on Tuesday. Núñez’s arrival comes six months after Colombia winger Luis Diaz joined from Porto, Benfica’s big rival, and had an instant impact at Liverpool in the second half of last season. Núñez is expected to become Liverpool’s starting striker as a replacement for Sadio Mané, who has been heavily linked with a move to Bayern Munich.

It is an immediate response by Liverpool to the signing of another of European soccer’s top strikers, Erling Haaland, by Premier League title rival Manchester City on Monday. Núñez doesn’t come with as big a reputation as Haaland but has a strong scoring record with Benfica, netting 34 goals in 41 matches last season including two against Liverpool in the Champions League. “I’ve played against Liverpool and I’ve seen them in lots of games in the Champions League, and it’s my style of play,” he said. “There are some great players here and I think it’s going to suit my style of play here.” In a brief statement to the Portuguese stock market, Benfica said Monday the transfer sum for Núñez could rise to 100 million euros ($104 million) based on variables. The transfer is subject to the successful granting of a work permit and international clearance.

Núñez, a tall and technically gifted striker, will offer something new to the attack of Liverpool, which has relied on the mobility of a smaller forward line containing Mohamed Salah, Mané, Roberto Firmino, Diogo Jota and Diaz. Salah and Firmino both have one year left on their contracts.

Núñez has made 11 appearances for Uruguay and follows in the footsteps of compatriot Luis Suarez in playing for Liverpool. Suarez was at Anfield from 2011-14.…

Football / Sports

Depay nets late winner as Netherlands beat Wales

Lively forward Noa Lang scored his first international goal and Memphis Depay got a late winner as group leaders Netherlands secured a dramatic 3-2 victory over Wales in their Nations League Group A4 clash at a festive De Kuip in Rotterdam on Tuesday.

After Lang had opened the scoring, Cody Gakpo added a second for the home side before Brennan Johnson pulled a goal back for the visitors.

That was the way it stayed until Gareth Bale netted a 92nd-minute penalty which looked to secure a point for the Welsh, but Depay, who missed a penalty late on in the 2-2 draw with Poland last time out, still had time to score the winner.

Netherlands lead Group Four with 10 points from their four games, three ahead of second placed Belgium. Poland (four points) and Wales (one) fill the bottom two positions.

The Dutch have now won all 10 matches they have played against Wales, but were made to work hard for this latest victory.

The pace and quality on the ball of their young forwards had the Wales defenders chasing shadows in the opening stages and the home side were rewarded with two goals.

Lang had already forced a good save from goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey before he found the back of the net on 17 minutes as he twisted and turned past three Wales defenders and rifled his shot into the net.

Gakpo then scored in similar fashion six minutes later as it was his turn to bamboozle the visitors’ defense, holding off four defenders before a fortunate ricochet back into his path allowed him to fire low into the bottom corner of the goal from the edge of the box.

Wales mounted a rare attack midway through the opening half after they were gifted possession by Jordan Teze in the midfield. Johnson was able pick his spot from the edge of the box with a precise finish for a third goal in the game in nine minutes.

Bale looked to have rescued a point late on when he …

Football / Sports

England suffer shock 4-0 home loss to Hungary as Nations League misery continues

England are staring at the prospect of relegation from UEFA Nations League Group A3 after suffering their worst home loss since 1928 with a 4-0 defeat to Hungary at Molineux on Tuesday.

Roland Sallai found the net in both halves to propel the visitors to their first away win against England since a famous 6-3 win at Wembley in 1953. England’s misery was compounded in the final 10 minutes as Zsolt Nagy and Daniel Gazdag scored further goals and John Stones was shown a second yellow card to make it one of the worst nights of Gareth Southgate’s reign.

England remain winless and at the bottom of their Nations League group with two points from four games, including a 1-0 defeat to Hungary in the reverse fixture earlier this month. Hungary top the group on seven points, ahead of Germany and Italy. The group winners go to the Nations League finals next June while the bottom team are relegated.

Southgate made nine changes from the team that drew with Italy at the weekend to give some fringe players a chance. But despite dominating possession, England created few chances, and the experiment backfired leading to loud boos from the home support.

“It’s not pleasant,” Southgate said. “The irony is that the pressure we’ve had and the reputational comments have come in the two Nations League campaigns, and in neither campaign have we been anywhere near able to pick our strongest teams for the games. The matches where every other England manager has been judged, we’ve had the best performances for 50 years.

“So there is a balance in my head. I’m really clear. But I totally understand the response tonight. I totally understand there’s been this narrative all week. I didn’t think that was correct after the Germany game. But tonight, I can’t dress up what’s happened tonight in any way, shape or form. But if we’re judged on the matches with our full strength players, then I think it’s a different assessment.

“So I’ve got to accept the next period …

Football / Sports

Super Eagles Set to Soar Over São Tomé in Agadir

After the opening day’s slim 1-0 win over the Leone Stars of Sierra Leone last Thursday in Abuja, the Super Eagles are set to battle ‘The Falcons and True Parrots’ of São Tomé and Príncipe in the southern Moroccan city of Agadir on Monday, June 13.

The Nigerian delegation for the 2023 AFCON qualifying match landed in Morocco yesterday morning.

The Super Eagles are said to be in buoyant spirits following the victory over Leone Stars in Abuja.

Head Coach Jose Peseiro said at the Aeroport Agadir Almarissa that the encounter against ‘The Falcons and True Parrots’ will bring the best out of his team as they seek to go top of the Group A table.

“We want to be the team at the top of the table, so we must fight hard against the opponents. Every match, we must commit ourselves fully to winning it.

“As I said earlier in the week, Nigeria have huge pedigree and they also have both quality and quantity of players. It is important that we select the best all the time to win the big games.”

Meanwhile, the three-time African champions will be without the services of defender and deputy skipper William Ekong and midfielder Innocent Bonke who have returned to their respective bases in England and France to attend to injuries copped during the international break.

Bonke was injured in the friendly game against Mexico in Dallas on 28th May, while Ekong suffered a groin strain in the 2-1 defeat of Sierra Leone in Abuja on Thursday.…

Football / Sports

BELGIUM DOMINATES POLAND IN STATEMENT NATIONS LEAGUE WIN

Five days after suffering a 4-1 shellacking by the archrival Netherlands — a defeat that left many wondering if the No. 2-ranked Red Devils really have what it takes to lift the World Cup later this year — Belgium responded in convincing fashion Wednesday, with a 6-1 comeback victory over Poland in both teams’ second match of the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League.

Polish star Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring against the run of play in the 26th minute, but Roberto Martinez’s team, which squandered several chances to take an early lead in Brussels, equalized through Axel Witsel before the first half was over.

In the second half, the hosts dominated, eventually turning the match into a farce with five unanswered strikes from Kevin De Bruyne, Leander Dendoncker, Loïs Openda and two from Leandro Trossard.

Here are three quick thoughts on the rout.

Motivation no issue for Belgium

Everyone knows how talented Roberto Martinez’s squad is. With all-world players at every position and backups who would start for just about any other national team, their quality has never been in question. Their commitment to winning this tournament, on the other, hand, certainly was after they fell behind at home for the second game in a row.

Before losing to the Dutch, star Manchester City midfielder De Bruyne raised eyebrows when he publicly disparaged the four-year-old Nations League, Europe’s second-most prestigious event for national teams following the quadrennial Euros.

“For me, the Nations League is unimportant,” he said. “Just glorified friendlies after a long and tough season. I am not looking forward to it.”

De Bruyne and his teammates looked like they didn’t want to be there last week, especially after veteran forward Romelu Lukaku went down with an injury, underscoring De Bruyne’s concerns about the load the competition places on players.

But the Belgians were on the front foot from the opening whistle Wednesday, and they looked every bit like World Cup contenders against a fellow Qatar-bound foe who just happened to have the player voted FIFA’s best the past two …

Basket Ball / Sports

Celtics beat Warriors 116-100, take 2-1 lead in NBA Finals

Throughout the postseason, the Boston Celtics had played their best basketball away from home.

Not anymore.

Jaylen Brown scored 27 points, Jayson Tatum added 26 and the Celtics rode the energy of a raucous TD Garden crowd to beat back another third-quarter onslaught by Golden State in a 116-100 victory Wednesday night that gave them a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals.

Marcus Smart added 24 points and helped fuel a defensive effort that held the Warriors to 11 points in the fourth quarter — third-fewest in a finals game in the shot clock era.

“Game 2, they brought the heat to us,” Smart said. “For us, that left a bad taste in our mouth because what we hang our hat on is effort on the defensive end and being a physical team. It definitely woke us up a little bit.”

Tatum said the fact the Celtics didn’t hang their heads after the Warriors’ third-quarter flourish is something they didn’t always do in the regular season. “I think that’s when we are at our best when we respond to tough situations. We respond to teams going on runs and things like that,” he said. “I think we did that several times tonight.”

Boston improved to 6-4 at home, compared to 8-3 on the road this postseason. The Celtics haven’t lost two straight games since the end of March.

Stephen Curry led Golden State with 31 points and six 3-pointers. He had 15 points in a 33-25 third quarter by the Warriors but was hurt late in the fourth after Al Horford rolled into his leg on a loose ball. Curry said it was similar to a play during the regular season in which Smart dove into Curry’s legs while chasing a loose ball but “not as bad.”

“I got caught — obviously in some pain, but I’ll be all right,” Curry said. “See how it feels tomorrow and get ready for Friday.” Klay Thompson broke out of a finals slump and finished with 25 points and five 3s. But the …

Boxing / Sports

Oscar De La Hoya Wants to Make Gervonta Davis Lucrative Offer to Fight Ryan Garcia

Gervonta “Tank” Davis is a hot commodity in the world of professional boxing, and Oscar De La Hoya is attempting to make him an offer he can’t refuse.

Davis, who is coming off an impressive sixth-round TKO victory over Rolando Romero on May 28 to remain undefeated and retain his WBA “regular” lightweight title, is free to negotiate with promoters, as his contract with friend Floyd Mayweather Jr. recently came to an end.

De La Hoya isn’t pushing to sign Davis but rather is trying to put together a lucrative fight offer for Davis to face fellow undefeated lightweight Ryan Garcia.

“Tank, I know you had your last fight with Floyd Mayweather, and I respect Floyd Mayweather. I think he did a tremendous job with your career,” De La Hoya said during an appearance on TMZ Sports. “But I’m ready to offer you a multi, multi, multi, multimillion-dollar offer to fight Ryan Garcia.”

De La Hoya went on to guarantee that this fight would be “the biggest purse that Tank Davis has ever made.”

A fight between Davis (27-0, 25 KOs) and Garcia (22-0, 18 KOs) would pit two of the most exciting young lightweights in all of boxing against one another. However, not everyone believes that De La Hoya wants to put his top talent against someone like Tank.

“The closest he’s going to get to Gervonta Davis is where he was tonight,” Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe said May 28 after Garcia was in attendance for Davis’ win over Romero. “He don’t want to fight Tank. It’s all talk. All talk.”

Before a fight between Davis and Garcia can be made, Garcia first has to get past veteran boxer Javier Fortuna (37-3-1, 2 NC, 25 KOs) on July 16.

De La Hoya has confidence in Garcia, and he reiterated his plea to Davis to agree to the fight, which would surely draw a ton of public interest.

“Let’s make this fight happen,” De La Hoya said. “Everybody makes a s–tload of money, and we give the fight fans …

Football / Sports

Italy cling on for 2-1 win over Hungary to top England’s Nations League group

The Azzurri held on to go from the Italian Sob to the Italian Job done as they sunk the Three Lions’ conquerors 2-1 in Cesena.

European champions Italy have kept just one clean sheet in their last eight games.

But until Mancini lunged in on the hour to fizz home a near-post cross from Attila Fiola they looked likely to halve that staggering stat.

Nicolo Barella, emphatically, and Lorenzo Pellegrini, easily, had rewarded Italian dominance by scoring after 30 and 45 minutes respectively.

But Mancini gave his team-mates and namesake manager Roberto some twitchy moments by arriving in the wrong place at the wrong time to put through his own net.

Fiola matched his impressive approach work down the right by raking the ball across.

And Mancini slid in with a precision of touch and timing that would have been applauded… had he produced it at the other end.

The Roma star remained flat out at full-stretch on the ground with anguish and embarrassment before team-mates dragged him up.

In the end, though, Hungary lacked the extra class to make him fully pay for his slide-fool finish with an equalizer.

And now it’s England who lie prone – at the bottom of the group with just a point.

Italy clearly deserved their victory overall.

Hungary keeper Denes Dibusz parried out a Mancini header early on.

Azzurri stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma reacted just as smartly to deny Roland Salli.

But it was all change once Italy pounced on the half-hour.

Leonardo Spinazzola slotted the ball across the edge of the area for Barella to power home.

Pellegrini nearly teed up Wilfried Gnonto to double the lead but promptly prodded home himself from a Matteo Politano center.

Napoli winger Politano hit the bar soon after the break.

And Italy’s flowing play seemed on course for a possibly bigger win – until Mancini’s unexpected intervention made for a surprisingly tight finale.…

Football / Sports

Harry Kane late penalty rescues England draw at Germany in Nations League clash

Harry Kane scored a late penalty to help England secure a vital 1-1 draw at Germany in the UEFA Nations League on Tuesday.

Jonas Hofmann put the Germans ahead after 50 minutes but the visitors were awarded a penalty in the final five minutes.

After a long VAR check, Nico Schlotterbeck was adjudged to have brought down Kane in the area and Kane equalized from the spot to claim his 50th international goal.

The result means that England came away with one point from their opening two Nations League games after defeat to Hungary on the weekend.

After suffering a first defeat by Hungary for 60 years on Saturday in their opening League A, Group Three fixture, England fielded an experienced lineup in a noisy Allianz Arena but were second best for much of the clash.

Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Hofmann had the ball in the England net early on as Germany dominated but an offside flag cut short his celebrations.

He was not to be denied though and he beat Jordan Pickford with a powerful, slightly-deflected shot from the edge of the penalty area five minutes after the interval.

Despite a rather labored performance, England had their chances with Bukayo Saka inches away in first-half stoppage time and Mason Mount and Kane both denied by Germany keeper Manuel Neuer as England sought a leveler.

“It is really important to show the mentality, 1-0 behind we showed good character to get back into the game and get a result,” Kane, who is now three goals behind England’s all-time top scorer Wayne Rooney, said.

“We were playing against a very good Germany side. We kept going and played our best football in the last half an hour.”

It was a frustrating end to the game for Germany who have drawn both their opening matches in the group. England, who face group leaders Italy at the weekend, are bottom.

Germany were far sharper for most of the evening and thought they had gone ahead midway through the first half when Hofmann galloped clear …

Sports / Tennis

Iga Swiatek wins French Open, defeating Coco Gauff in women’s final

On the eve of her first Grand Slam final, 18-year-old Coco Gauff insisted that nerves wouldn’t be an issue, vowing to hit freely and compete as if she had nothing to lose in Saturday’s French Open championship.

That was more easily said than done against world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, whose ruthless efficiency didn’t give Gauff a chance to find anything resembling comfort on the red clay of Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Swiatek raced to a 6-1, 6-3 victory in 68 minutes to claim her second Grand Slam just days after turning 21. At the 2020 French Open, she was an unseeded 19-year-old who became a national heroine overnight as the first tennis player from Poland to win a major. With her triumph Saturday, Swiatek extended her winning streak to 35 matches.

In an on-court trophy ceremony tinged with tears on both players’ parts, Gauff congratulated Swiatek on her achievement and voiced hope that they would meet in future Grand Slam finals. “And maybe I can get a win on you one of these days,” Gauff said with a giggle, wiping her tear-streaked face.

Swiatek, after thanking her family and supporters, particularly those who waved Poland’s flag so proudly throughout the two-week tournament, spoke directly to Gauff as her own tears fell.

“I can see every month you are progressing, all the time,” Swiatek said. “When I was your age, [it] was my first year on tour, and I had no idea what I was doing! You will find it.”

Then she addressed the people of Ukraine.

“I want at the end to say something to Ukraine: To stay strong because the war is still there,” said Swiatek, who competes with a yellow and blue ribbon on her cap in solidarity with Ukraine, a neighbor of Poland.

Swiatek wanted this French Open title badly, she revealed afterward.

When she won it at 19, before a largely empty stadium at the height of the pandemic, it left her “confused” and feeling a bit “lucky,” she said.

On Saturday, a second French Open title

…
Basket Ball / Sports

Steph Curry, Warriors use gigantic 3rd quarter to blowout Celtics, even series

Stephen Curry didn’t play in the fourth quarter – and didn’t need to.

The Golden State Warriors routed the Boston Celtics 107-88 in Game 2 of the NBA Finals to even the series 1-1. Curry had 29 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals to help Golden State bounce back from a Game 1 loss and take the even series back to the East Coast.

“They said we needed to play with desperation, that’s what we did. Good feeling to get back on track and now we got to take it on the road,” Curry told ESPN’s Lisa Salters after the game.

The Warriors used a 35-point third quarter to seal Game 2. Golden State ended the quarter on a 16-2 run in the final 4:17.

Jordan Poole would nail a 39-foot three-pointer to put Golden State up 87-64 heading into the fourth and it was more than the Warriors could’ve asked for.

Curry said their third quarter in Game 2 was just like in Game 1, they just played better defensively. He said making it difficult for guys like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown “carries over to the rest of the game.”

“Our third quarter was great. We got enough separation… the fourth quarter was a little bit easier tonight.”

Boston was 4-for-17 from the field and only scored 14 points in the third.

Tatum and Brown were the only two Boston starters who finished in double figures in scoring. Tatum had 28 points and Brown had 17 points. Derrick White was the only other player to have double digits in scoring, finishing with 12 points.

Curry got scoring help from Poole, who had 17 off the bench. Kevon Looney added 12 points and seven rebounds. Andrew Wiggins had 11 points and six rebounds.

Draymond Green had nine points, seven assists and five rebounds. Curry praised Green for his presence on the defensive side of the floor.

“He was just being himself. Finding different ways to impact the game on both sides of the floor,” Curry said. “Sometimes …

Sports / Tennis

Rafael Nadal wins record-extending 14th French Open title with straight-sets victory against Casper Ruud

After a year-long hiatus, the “King of Clay” reigns once more in Paris.

Rafael Nadal claimed a record-extending 14th title at the French Open as he defeated Norwegian Casper Ruud 6-3 6-3 6-0.
The Spaniard dominated Sunday’s final and won 11 consecutive games across the second and third sets to wrap up a 22nd grand slam title — two ahead of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic at the top of the men’s all-time list.
The victory also means the 36-year-old Nadal, who won his first French Open title 17 years ago, becomes the oldest men’s singles champion at Roland Garros.
“For me personally, it’s very difficult to describe the feelings that I have,” Nadal said in his on-court interview after the game. “It’s something that I for sure never believed I’d be here at 36, being competitive again, playing in the most important court of my career one more final — it means a lot to me.”
It was a case of the master against the apprentice at Roland Garros on Sunday with Ruud, who has trained at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca since 2018 and admired Nadal when he progressed through the tennis ranks, appearing in his first grand slam final.
But the 23-year-old was outclassed by Nadal in what was the first time the two had faced each other.
Having led 3-1 at the start of the second set, Ruud saw the contest slip away from him and failed to register a game in the final set.
He later paid tribute to Nadal, saying in his on-court interview: “We all know what a champion you are and today I got to feel how it is to play against you in the final. It’s not easy and I’m not the first victim — I know that there have been many before.”
Nadal was defeated by Djokovic in the semifinals of last year’s French Open — ending a run of four consecutive titles — but defeated his rival in the quarters this year before a walkover against Alexander Zverev 
…
Basket Ball / Sports

Boston Celtics survive wild Miami Heat comeback to win Game 7, advance to NBA Finals

The Boston Celtics held on for dear life against the relentless Miami Heat in Game 7 and survived.

Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart — the core of a team that had lost two previous chances together to win the Eastern Conference finals — combined for 74 points in a 100-96 victory to advance to the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors. Boston won for the third time in four games in Miami.

“The road that we took to get here, not a lot of people believed in us,” Tatum said on the court after slaying Brooklyn, Milwaukee and Miami in successive rounds. “We took the toughest route, and it worked out.”

Tatum won the NBA’s first-ever Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals MVP award after scoring 26 points in Sunday’s win-or-go-home game. Brown and Smart each added 24. The trio also combined for 25 rebounds and 17 assists. Al Horford grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked a pair of shots in a dominant defensive effort.

“We stayed with it. We believed in each other. We made a commitment on the defensive end,” Horford, who reached the Finals for the first time in 141 playoff games, said as he accepted his team’s trophy. “That was the biggest thing, defending, and that was going to be our identity — and that’s what’s carried us this far.”

Jimmy Butler scored 35 points, playing all 48 minutes for the Heat in defeat. Bam Adebayo added 25 points. Miami’s two bright stars shot 56% from the field. Their teammates had 36 points on 28% shooting.

Once the Celtics took a 98-85 lead with 3:35 remaining, the Heat rallied on an 11-0 run, and Butler saw a wide-open transition 3-point attempt that would have given them their first lead with 16 seconds left, but he fired it off the front rim. Smart connected on a pair of free throws on the other end to prevent a collapse.

The Celtics pushed the pace in the first quarter and played lockdown defense, taking a 32-17 advantage with …

Football / Sports

Thibaut Courtois’ clutch saves cement Real Madrid’s UCL winning pedigree

Real Madrid might not be leaving the French capital with Kylian Mbappe in their luggage but they are taking a 14th UEFA Champions League trophy home with them after a 1-0 win over Liverpool at Stade de France on Saturday.

Vinicius Junior scored the only goal of the game on the hour mark, but the Saint-Denis spectacle was unfortunately marred by the chaotic scenes of supporters unable to enter the venue in time for kickoff with questions already being asked by the Reds.

As finals go, it was far from pretty and the atmosphere was deflated further once it became clear that there were major issues going on in and around the stadium and it was an opportunistic Real who came out on top thanks to a Thibaut Courtois masterclass between the sticks. Karim Benzema had a first-half strike disallowed for offside after a VAR check but Vinicius’ effort from a Federico Valverde assist just before the hour was Los Blancos’ only shot on target over the 90 minutes as the Spanish giants somehow kept Liverpool at bay.

Jurgen Klopp’s men created plenty with nearly double figures in terms of efforts on target, but they found Courtois in inspired form and the Belgium international once again showed his value for Carlo Ancelotti’s side as he earned his UCL crown.

“Back in England, I do not get enough respect,” said Courtois after the final whistle. “So, well, I showed it today. I wanted to put some respect on my name there.”

Courtois’ nine saves on the night were the most on record since 2003-04 by any keeper in a single Champions League final, according to Opta. Liverpool won the xG battle 2.14 to 0.88 but came away empty-handed due to Courtois’ heroics.

Whether or not Real’s is a valid approach long-term given their ageing squad and inability to truly dominate opponents remains to be seen, but their failure to land Mbappe means that any planned summer rebuild will need to be reconsidered.

Based on this performance, the French superstar would not …

Sports / Tennis

Halep experiences panic attack during French Open match

Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep said she had a panic attack while leading her second-round match that she eventually lost at the French Open on Thursday.

The 2018 Roland Garros winner said she “lost it” and couldn’t regain focus while playing 19-year-old Qinwen Zheng, who won 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 at Court Simonne-Mathieu.

“I had a break in the second set, but then something happened. I just lost it,” the 30-year-old Romanian said in her post-match press conference. “It was just a panic attack. It happened. I didn’t know how to handle it because I don’t have it often.”

Halep, the 2019 Wimbledon champion, had already amassed 20 wins this season and had beaten 74th-ranked Zheng in January.

Halep said she likely put too much pressure on herself.“It’s something normal that everybody has. I will be better next time, for sure. I don’t have these things so it was new for me,” she said.

Halep said she was assured by doctors that she’s OK physically.

“After the match was pretty tough. But now, I’m good. I’m recovered, and I will learn from this episode.”

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Basket Ball / Sports

Golden State Warriors advance to their 6th NBA Finals in 8 years with a win against the Dallas Mavericks

Klay Thompson shimmied his way to 32 points, and the Golden State Warriors advanced to their sixth NBA Finals in eight seasons by beating the Dallas Mavericks 120-110 in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals Thursday night.

Thompson scored 19 points in the first half, including a 3-pointer that he punctuated with teammate Stephen Curry’s signature shake as the Warriors raced out to a 17-point halftime lead and coasted the rest of the way.

Andrew Wiggins added 18 points and 10 rebounds, Draymond Green scored 17 points and Curry had 15 points and nine assists for the Warriors.

Luka Doncic overcame a slow start to score 28 points for the Mavericks. Spencer Dinwiddie added 26.

After missing the playoffs in 2020 and ‘21 in back-to back injury-plagued seasons, the Warriors are returning to a familiar stage. They are the first team to make six finals appearances in an eight-year span since the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls had a pair of three-peats from 1991-93 and 1996-98.

The Warriors will host the winner of the Eastern Conference finals between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat on June 2 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The Celtics hold a 3-2 lead heading into Game 6 at home Friday.

The Warriors followed their pattern from the first two rounds by bouncing back after squandering a chance to end a series on the road by winning at home. The Warriors are 9-0 at the Chase Center this postseason, tying the 2017 team for the the most consecutive home wins in a single postseason in NBA history.

The star this game was Thompson, who sat out the last two seasons with injuries but showed flashes of his old self in this clincher.

After making just seven 3-pointers in the first four games of the series, Thompson had eight. He gave the Warriors a 13-point lead in the first half when he hit one from the corner before dancing and added two early in the third quarter for a 23-point lead.

The Mavericks cut a …