Category: 6. Sports

The next stop for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, the unofficial home of Graham Rahal, who was born and raised not far from the facility where his father often won races. Rahal also happens to be a former race winner at this 13-turn, 2.258-mile road course.

So, yeah, Rahal feels a special connection. But he’s not the only one.

Scott Dixon has dominated Mid-Ohio races in this series like no other driver. He has won six of the 19 races held in this iteration of the sport. He also has finished second and third once each and netted a pair of poles. When it comes to this series, Dixon is the undisputed king of Mid-Ohio.

SEE: Mid-Ohio Event Details

Reigning series champion Alex Palou has recently staked a fitting claim to this track, as well, winning the 2023 race and standing on the podium in each of the four races in which he has driven for Chip Ganassi Racing. It’s fair to say he, too, feels right at home at Mid-Ohio.

Want other series drivers who are particularly fond of this place? Try Pato O’Ward, who won last year’s race and added a pole in 2022, along with Josef Newgarden (two wins and a pole) and one-time winners Alexander Rossi (one pole), Will Power (five poles), Colton Herta (two poles) and Scott McLaughlin. They all love racing on this track.

Give all of this, it’s not a surprise that Mid-Ohio lays claim to a surprising fact: Eight different drivers have won the past eight races, and each of them will compete in this weekend’s Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the All-New 2026 Passport.

Add in a few other drivers who have had podium finishes at this track – Marcus Ericsson and Felix Rosenqvist come to mind – and it’s easy to see why nearly half of this weekend’s field will be optimistic when the green flag drops Sunday shortly after 1 p.m. ET (FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).

The competition has been just as strong among teams at this track north of Columbus, with Chip Ganassi Racing and Team Penske sharing the record for most wins (12 each). Arrow McLaren earned its first Mid-Ohio win last year. Andretti Global and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing also have won races in recent years.

Palou brings a 93-point series lead over Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood into this event, and it could be another opportunity to tighten his grip before the schedule turns to a pair of oval races at Iowa Speedway (July 12-13). At Mid-Ohio, Palou’s average finish with Chip Ganassi’s team is 2.0; Kirkwood’s average finish in two races with Andretti Global is 12.5.

O’Ward could use a productive weekend to close his wide gap to Palou. He stands 111 points in arrears with eight races left this season.

Again, O’Ward might consider this a good track for him, but so does Palou. So does Dixon, Newgarden, Rossi, Power, Herta, McLaughlin, Ericsson, Rosenqvist and of course Rahal. You get the idea. There will be many eager for this annual return to Mid-Ohio.

The action begins Friday with the weekend’s first practice at 4:30 p.m. (FS2, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).

No. 4 seed Jasmine Paolini prevailed in a three-set battle at Wimbledon on Monday, but No. 9 seed Paula Badosa was not so fortunate as she lost to British hope Katie Boulter.

Wimbledon: Scores | Order of play | Draws

Here’s the lowdown on these two first-round tussles involving Top 10 players:

Paolini prevails: Italy’s Paolini, last year’s Wimbledon runner-up, posted a come-from-behind 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over returning mom Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia. Paolini took 1 hour and 51 minutes to execute the comeback on No. 2 Court.

Paolini went 0-3 in her first three Wimbledon main-draw showings (including two losses to former champion Petra Kvitova) but that all changed last year in London, when she stormed to her second straight Grand Slam final.

Paolini lost to Barbora Krejcikova in last year’s Wimbledon final, but that run bolstered her grass-court confidence. And she needed all of that mettle to hold off Sevastova on Monday.

After giving birth to her daughter Alexandra in 2023 and a serious ACL injury the following year, former World No. 11 Sevastova was contesting her first Grand Slam main draw since the 2022 Australian Open.

The Latvian sent out an upset alert early, taking the first set as she showed flashes of the form that led her to three straight US Open quarterfinals between 2016 and 2018 (including a semifinal finish in 2018).

But Paolini regrouped in the second set, where she hit 10 winners to Sevastova’s two. Sevastova took a medical time-out after the second set, where she was undone by 13 unforced errors.

Paolini maintained the momentum in the third set, where she once again had the wherewithal to dictate play on the steamy Monday. In a near-carbon copy of the second set Paolini had 13 winners while Sevastova had three.

The win continues Paolini’s magical career turnaround at Grand Slam events. She started her career 4-12 in Grand Slam first-round matches, but since 2023, the Italian has gone a perfect 7-0 in her first-round matches at Slams.

Paolini is one of five women to have reached the third round or better at each of the last six Grand Slam events (along with Iga Swiatek, Elina Svitolina, Coco Gauff and Badosa).

Boulter notches fourth Top 10 win: World No. 43 Boulter, though, stopped Badosa’s run of third-round showings at Slams with an upset victory on Centre Court.

Boulter, the British No. 2, outlasted Badosa 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in 1 hour and 51 minutes on the biggest court of her home Slam. Boulter has now reached the second round or better at every Wimbledon this decade.

It’s a landmark victory for Boulter, who came into the match just 3-16 against Top 10 players in her career. This marks her first Top 10 win since she defeated Jessica Pegula back in the first week of the 2024 season at United Cup.

More to come…

Wimbledon 2025 – João Fonseca keeps calm, carries on, reaches round two

Fonseca admitted after the match that he was feeling the nerves – coming into his Wimbledon debut against a Briton is no easy welcome to the Championships.

But the world No.54 looked as if he had been playing at SW19 since he was born, so co-ordinated with each shot and winning 84 per cent of his points on first serve.

This also marks the Brazilian’s third consecutive debut triumph in a Grand Slam main draw, achieving victory on his maiden outings at both the Australian Open and French Open this year.

“Probably the place that you play, you just feel like you want to win a lot,” Fonseca explained of what brings out the best of him at majors. “You’re playing a Grand Slam. It’s an opportunity. It’s once in a year, so you just give it all. I was very focused today and I gave my best. So I’m very happy, I worked very much for this one.”

For Fearnley, he falls short of consecutive second-round appearances at Wimbledon and bids farewell to the home crowd, who roared him on through the challenging conditions in south-west London.

On the other side of the net, Fonseca looks to just be getting started. At the tender age of 18, he is the first player that young to reach the Wimbledon men’s singles second round since Carlos Alcaraz in 2021.

Having reached the second round at Melbourne Park and the third round at Stade Roland-Garros, what lies in store for the boy from Rio de Janeiro at the Championships 2025?

The County Championship clash between Division One strugglers Yorkshire and Essex is nicely poised at its midway point after an engaging day two at York.

Essex closed on 248-3 on the opening day, but things were different upon the resumption this morning, with Yorkshire claiming the last seven Essex wickets for 95 on a placid Clifton Park pitch, bowling the visitors out for 368 during the early stages of the afternoon.

Yorkshire trailed by 225 runs after they closed on 143-3 from 54 overs, including opener Adam Lyth’s 65 not out off 172 balls.

This was a tireless display from a Yorkshire bowling unit who gained little reward on day one, with new-ball seamer Jack White returning 3-68 from 27 overs.

He, alongside George Hill and Dom Bess, struck twice during the first half of day two, while Noah Thain compiled an unbeaten 50 not out off 81 balls.

Thain was then one of Essex’s three wicket-takers before close via his seamers, alongside Shane Snater and Simon Harmer. Like Yorkshire’s bowlers had done, Essex’s bowlers also stuck to their task well in difficult conditions.

Essex’s innings was a curious affair, highlighted by the fact they batted through 110 overs on a pitch lacking pace for 278-6 and only one batting bonus point. They really did seem to get stuck between a rock and hard place on day two. Unable to attack whilst being unable to survive.

While Yorkshire did not race away in their reply, they started more positively than Essex had batted. Lyth drove particularly well.

The White Rose county struck three times in five overs for the addition of only three runs just before midday, as Essex slipped from 273-3 in the 104th over to 276-6 in the 109th. With it, Yorkshire secured a second bowling point.

Hill claimed two of those wickets, with England fringe batter Jordan Cox caught behind for 33 playing off the back foot, and Charlie Allison caught slicing to point.

Thain shared a seventh-wicket 56 with Michael Pepper through until early afternoon and reached his fifty off the last ball that he faced, with the last four wickets falling for 36.

Off-spinner Bess picked up two of those. He had Harmer caught at slip and Snater caught at long-on.

Yorkshire openers Fin Bean and Lyth then started their reply confidently either side of the tea break, sharing 81 on a pitch lacking pace.

Both men pulled confidently, with Bean looking a completely different player to the one who had posted a top score of only 31 in the first seven games.

An impressive 224 on a similarly slow pitch against leaders Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge has done wonders for his confidence.

It will, therefore, have been a major frustration to him that he could not go on beyond 31 as, after tea, he was caught behind down leg off Snater’s seam in the 27th over.

James Wharton then drilled Harmer’s off-spin to mid-on having advanced down the pitch looking to hit over the top – 110 for two in the 34th over.

One man who did go on was Lyth. Sandwiched in between the two wickets, he reached 50 for the seventh time this season, this one off 110 balls.

But the fixture’s fourth leg-side strangle did for Pakistan international Abdullah Shafique for four as Thain left Yorkshire at 125-3 in the 41st over. Pepper took a brilliant one-handed catch going to his left.

Survival was the main aim for Lyth and Jonny Bairstow late on. The former was stuck on 63 from the 39th over until the day’s last. He navigated the threat of Harmer, who was excellent for 1-18 from 15 overs.

Early morning wickets on day three will put eighth-placed Essex in a strong position, whereas second-bottom Yorkshire will know batting big is imperative for their own victory hopes.

ECB Reporters’ Network supported by Rothesay

Somerset 17-year-old Thomas Rew hit the fastest one-day century for England Under-19s as they levelled their 50-over series against India with a tense one-wicket win in Northampton.

England captain Rew made a sublime 131 from 89 balls, an innings packed full of effortless strokeplay, to break the back of a chase of 291 with England winning with three balls to spare.

Rew’s dismissal in the 40th over was the first of five lost for 49, leaving final pair Seb Morgan and Alex French to get 12 from 11 balls.

But while Morgan showed superb nerve to end 20 not out – he hit a four to seal the win halfway through the final over – the match will be best remembered for the innings of diminutive right-hander Rew, the younger brother of recent England call-up James.

Having come in at 47-3, Rew reached three figures in 73 balls – six deliveries quicker than Ben Foakes, who held the record after his century against New Zealand in 2012.

He put on 123 in 128 balls with Rocky Flintoff, the son of England legend Andrew, who was England’s next highest scorer with 39 off 68.

Rew targeted the leg side against India’s spinners with powerful pulls and slog sweeps while also playing an inventive reverse sweep for four, a glorious drive high over long-on off leg-spinner Mohammed Enaan for six and taking seamer RS Ambrish for 19 runs in one over with off-side drives.

And while his highly-rated brother has scored 10 first-class centuries by the age of 21, he did not score a century at Under-19 level, meaning the younger sibling has pipped him to that mark.

“There is a lot of competition in our family,” Rew said. “He messaged me just now saying ‘well done’ which is nice of him.

“It is up there [with the best innings he has played]. Once I got going I targeted the short boundary and tried to put the pressure back on the bowlers.

“The way Rocky spoke to me and we batted together, really helped us get on the front foot.”

Rew joined Somerset’s academy in 2023, a year after his brother, now 21, made his first-class debut.

James, who has said Thomas is “further ahead” than him at the same age, was named the Professional Cricket Association’s men’s young player of the year in 2023, having become Somerset’s youngest double centurion earlier that year.

He was called into England’s squad for the one-off Test against Zimbabwe earlier this year but did not play.

The five-match series continues at Northampton on Wednesday.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the 14-year-old who hit a century in the Indian Premier League earlier this year, also made 45 in India’s 290 all out. Surrey seamer French took 4-71 for England.

Ben Geddes scored his first century for Middlesex and Naavya Sharma took four wickets to put Division Two leaders Leicestershire under pressure on day two of their County Championship match at the Uptonsteel County Ground.

Badly dropped on 11 on the first evening, Geddes, 23, was eventually out for a career-best 137 as the visitors amassed a challenging total of 534 after being asked to bat first.

Then England Under-19 right-arm quick Sharma – playing in only his third first-class match at 19-years-old – plunged them into disarray with four wickets in 11 balls as the promotion favourites found themselves in unfamiliar territory, despite a half-century from opener Rishi Patel.

Ben Green, the on-loan Somerset all-rounder who had been guilty of the error from which Geddes profited so handsomely, had been the best of a depleted home attack with 3-54 from 28 overs, seamer Roman Walker finishing with a career-best 3-78.

Geddes, who moved to Middlesex from Surrey over the winter, supplemented Sam Robson’s 133 on day one as next-to-bottom Middlesex posted their biggest total of the summer before Sharma (4-24) showed the way to bowl with the much-criticised Kookaburra ball, finding movement that had eluded others.

Tom Helm chipped in with two of his own as Leicestershire plunged from 39-1 to 99-8, as the hosts finished the day on 103-8.

Earlier, Middlesex added a further 102 before lunch to their 336-five overnight for the loss only of nightwatchman Sharma.

Leicestershire could not make more inroads until the eighth over after lunch when Cracknell (38) nicked Green to first slip, the pair having added 92 for the seventh wicket.

Moments earlier, Geddes had pulled Sam Wood for his ninth four to complete his hundred from 167 balls.

Zafar Gohar was caught off bat and pad, before Geddes, having overtaken his previous best (124 for Surrey v Kent in 2022), was bowled by Patel, whose off-spin had not been seen in competitive professional cricket before last week, but now has two wickets to his name.

Noah Cornwell, the 20-year-old left-arm seamer, was leg before without scoring but Middlesex would have been delighted with their work, even though it was worth only three bonus points.

They were happier still to have Leicestershire 39-2 inside nine overs in reply.

Sol Budinger perished for 10 from eight balls, leg before to Cornwell. Trevaskis, promoted to number three in the absence of the injured Rehan Ahmed, fell for three, edging Ryan Higgins to first slip.

Patel and Lewis Hill battled to rebuild, but after the third-wicket pair had added a painstaking 43 in 16 overs, the Middlesex tactic of bowling short to Hill paid off as the former Leicestershire captain was caught behind off the glove, pulling.

What looked initially like a well-worked breakthrough on a pitch that had hardly been helpful until then turned out to be the start of a devastating spell by Sharma that yielded four wickets in 11 balls without a run conceded.

The right-arm quick followed the dismissal of Hill by nipping one away to have Australian Test batter Peter Handscomb nicking behind, before taking two in three balls as Green fended to short leg and Ben Cox was beaten past the inside edge to be leg before, leaving Leicestershire in deep trouble at 88-6.

That became 99-8 as Helm bowled Patel and had Logan van Beek caught behind from consecutive deliveries before Chris Wright survived the hat-trick ball.

ECB Reporters’ Network supported by Rothesay