Category: 6. Sports

British number two Cameron Norrie is out of the Canadian Open after a surprise second-round defeat by world number 99 Aleksandar Vukic.

The 29-year-old suffered a 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 loss to the Australian.

Norrie, now ranked 39 after his run to the Wimbledon quarter-finals in early July, last won a singles title in 2023.

While he registered some good victories during the grass court season, he has so far failed to carry that momentum on to the hard courts, quickly finding himself 3-0 down in the opening set against Vukic, 29.

Norrie appeared to be struggling with illness and had his blood pressure checked midway through the second set, but battled through to level the match.

However, a failure to take advantage of any of his three break points in the rain-interrupted deciding set ultimately cost him against his unseeded opponent.

In the women’s event in Montreal, world number three Iga Swiatek won her first match since lifting the Wimbledon title, breaking Chinese qualifier Guo Hanyu’s serve six times on her way to a 6-3 6-1 success.

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka saved successive match points to overcome 13th seed Liudmila Samsonova 4-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-3.

The 27-year-old survived break points in the 10th game of the second set, before coming back from a 5-2 deficit in the tie-break.

Japan’s Osaka, the world number 49, recorded her first success against a top-20 player since beating Karolina Muchova at the Australian Open in January.

Now working with Tomasz Wiktorowski after announcing on Monday she had split with coach Patrick Mouratoglou, Osaka broke Samsonova twice in the deciding set to clinch victory.

After ending a four-match losing streak in three-set encounters, she will face Jelena Ostapenko in the third round after the Latvian beat Mexico’s Renata Zarazua 6-2 4-6 6-2.

British number one Emma Raducanu is in action on Wednesday against Peyton Stearns.

Chelsea have agreed a deal for Ajax defender Jorrel Hato for an initial fee of £37m, subject to the Dutch club’s supervisory board approval.

The 19-year-old Dutchman is expected to sign a seven-year contract lasting until 2032 and will complete a medical, having been given the green light to travel to west London.

Chelsea consider Hato a talented young option to add competition to the backline, where he is capable of playing at either left-back or in central defence.

Hato made his senior debut for Ajax in February 2023 at just 16 years and 335 days old, making him the third-youngest player ever to feature in an Eredivisie game for the club

He has made 75 appearances for the Eredivisie side and made his senior debut for the Netherlands in 2023.

Ajax have decided to sell him, with a need to raise funds after a two-year hiatus from the substantial revenues of the Champions League. They will return to Europe’s top-tier competition this season.

Chelsea are believed to be close to finishing their summer business but remain in the market for another attacker, having held talks with the representatives of RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons without making a formal bid.

They are also aiming to make further player sales with Christopher Nkunku likely to leave, as well as an openness to sell striker Nicolas Jackson for the right price.

There also remains a squad of unwanted players training separately from Enzo Maresca’s first team, including Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell, Renato Veiga, Axel Disasi, Carney Chukwuemeka, Armando Broja and Lesley Ugochukwu.

Clarifying promised rules on female eligibility, track and field’s governing body set a Sept. 1 deadline Wednesday for athletes to pass a gene test for competing at the world championships.

World Athletics said in March it would require chromosome testing by cheek swabs or dry blood-spot tests for female athletes to be eligible for elite-level events.

The next worlds open Sept. 13 in Tokyo and Sept. 1 is “the closing date for entries and the date the regulations come into effect,” World Athletics said in a statement.

The latest rules update gives certainty for the 2025 championships in an issue that has been controversial on the track and in multiple courts since Caster Semenya won her first 800 meters world title as a teenager in 2009.

Semenya won a ruling at the European Court of Human Rights three weeks ago in Strasbourg, France, in the South Africa star’s years-long challenge to a previous version of track and field’s eligibility rules affecting athletes with medical conditions known as Differences in Sex Development. That legal win because she did not get a fair hearing at the Swiss supreme court did not overturn track’s rules.

World Athletics drew up rules in 2018 forcing two-time Olympic champion Semenya and other athletes with DSD to suppress their elevated natural testosterone levels to be eligible for international women’s events. Semenya refused to take medication.

Now, the Monaco-based track body requires a “once-in-a-lifetime test” to determine athletes it says are biologically male with a Y chromosome.

“We are saying, at elite level, for you to compete in the female category, you have to be biologically female,” World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said.

The governing body is covering up to $100 of the costs for each test with the protocol overseen by its member federations at national level. Test results should be ready within two weeks.

“The SRY test is extremely accurate and the risk of false negative or positive is extremely unlikely,” World Athletics said.

World Athletics has combined its eligibility framework for DSD and transgender athletes, with transitional rules that let “a very small number of known DSD athletes” continue competing if they are taking medication to suppress natural testosterone.

“The transitional provisions do not apply to transgender women as there are none competing at the elite international level under the current regulations,” World Athletics said.

Now age 34, and her track career effectively over, Semenya should now see her legal case go back to the Swiss federal court in Lausanne, where she lost her original appeal against track and field’s rules at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Jake Libby and Adam Hose came together for an unbeaten 126-run stand as Worcestershire enjoyed a dominant day two against Hampshire in their County Championship match, ending the day 187-2.

Tom Taylor (5-55) led from the front as the hosts bowled Hampshire out for 293, with Tom Prest anchoring the innings for Hampshire.

That was all the away side could enjoy as they toiled in the afternoon sun, as Libby (70*) and Hose (82*) took Worcestershire to the close trailing by just 107 runs.

The home side, buoyed by the late wickets poached from the night previous, were jubilant once more as Ben Allision produced a beauty of a delivery to remove Nick Gubbins in the second over of the morning.

Eddie Jack continued as nightwatchman for Hampshire, batting through the opening hour with poise, while the impressive Taylor castled Tilak Varma with a full, swinging delivery to check the visitors progress at 171-4.

As the sun appeared over New Road, Khurram Shahzad entered the attack for the home side without success, as Prest guided a single down to third-man, easing Hampshire past 200.

It was Adam Finch who reinvigorated his side after the late morning lull, with an energetic spell from the Diglis End. He removed Eddie Jack for a stubborn 29, before returning in his next over to have Ben Brown caught behind, as a positive morning session for the Pears took them to lunch with their opponents 213-6.

Prest continued into the afternoon session but was given a major reprieve when he was dropped at gully on 30, before Felix Organ’s turgid 46-ball stay at the crease was ended when he was bowled by Matthew Waite for three.

James Fuller (41 off 32) played an enterprising cameo that included five boundaries as Hampshire reached 250, shortly after Prest had secured an assured half-century of his own midway through the afternoon session.

The new ball came into effect for the home side in timely fashion, as Taylor returned to remove Prest for 54, and Fuller and Baker (0) in quick succession on his way to a second red-ball five-for of the season – taking his tally in the County Championship to 42 in what has been a standout campaign for the 30-year-old.

Having wrapped up the visitor’s innings for 293, Gareth Roderick and Libby started the reply in faultless fashion as they navigated their way to tea, 38-0 in the now idyllic batting conditions.

Momentum was wrestled back by the visitors courtesy of two wickets in consecutive overs, shortly after the opening pair had registered their second successive fifty-partnership, when Eddie Jack caught the edge of Roderick, who departed for 26, and Fuller forced Kashif Ali to chop on to his own stumps.

Hose joined Libby as they eased their way through the afternoon and into the evening against a lacklustre Hampshire attack, with both batters cashing in on the loose balls on offer and rotating the strike with ease.

Having registered a record-breaking partnership against the same opponents in the reverse fixture back in June, the pair looked in similar run-scoring moods as they took the home side past 100 in the 33rd over and batted through to the close with comfort.

As stumps were called shortly after 7pm, Worcestershire left the field in the driving seat at 187-2 with Hampshire’s bowling attack facing an uphill battle heading into the third day with a lead of just 107.

Rescuers had hoped to find the double Olympic gold medallist on the 6,096-metre (20,000-foot) Laila Peak in Pakistan’s Karakoram Mountains.

German biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier has died on a mountain in northern Pakistan after a climbing accident at a remote site that rescuers struggled to reach because of bad weather, a local government spokesman has said.

Dahlmeier, an Olympic gold medallist, was ascending Laila Peak in the Karakoram Mountains on Monday when she was struck by falling rocks while climbing with a partner who survived.

Rescuers were able to confirm Dahlmeier’s death on Wednesday but were not able to retrieve the body because of unfavourable weather, said Faizullah Faraq, a spokesman for the regional Gilgit-Baltistan government.

Any final decision on retrieving the body would follow the wishes of Dahlmeier’s family, Faraq said. A statement on Dalhmeier’s Instagram page said it had been her wish that nobody risk their life to recover her body after an accident.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier offered his condolences to Dahlmeier’s parents, writing that she “was an exceptional sportswoman”. He recalled that he presented her with the highest honour in German sport, the Silver Laurel Leaf, shortly after she won her first Olympic gold medal in 2018.

“Laura Dahlmeier was an ambassador for our country in the world, a role model for peaceful, cheerful and fair coexistence across borders,” he said.

Authorities launched the rescue mission Monday after receiving a distress signal from Dahlmeier’s climbing partner, Marina Eva, who managed to descend to base camp with help from rescuers on Tuesday.

Dahlmeier’s partner had tried for several hours to rescue her, but that wasn’t possible because of the difficult terrain and persistent rockfall, the statement on Dahlmeier’s Instagram page said. “Her partner, who could no longer hear any signs of life, eventually decided to leave the danger zone and resume her descent,” according to the statement.

It was Dahlmeier’s express wish “that in a case like this, no one should risk their life to recover her”, the statement said, calling for that wish to be respected. It said Dahlmeier’s family members thank the rescue team and climbers, who did their best to make her rescue possible.

Bodies of foreign climbers who die attempting to summit mountains in Pakistan are typically recovered at the request of their families, but if the family declines a rescue, the remains are left at the spot where the climber died.

Dahlmeier, age 31, was injured at an altitude of about 5,700 metres (18,700 feet) around noon Monday, according to her management team in Germany.

Dahlmeier had been in the region with friends since the end of June. The 6,069-metre (20,000-foot) Laila Peak was the second peak on her tour after she climbed the 6,287-metre (20,626-foot) Great Trango Tower on July 8.

Military helicopters were on standby to assist in any rescue, but have been unable to deploy because of bad weather, Faraq said. Climbers including two Americans have been attempting the same ascent done by Dahlmeier to try to join the rescue operation, he said.

Dahlmeier won seven gold, three silver and five bronze medals at the Biathlon World Championships, along with 20 World Cup races and the overall World Cup in the 2016-17 season, according to her website.

She won gold medals in the sprint and pursuit races at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea in 2018 and the bronze medal in the individual competition.

Dahlmeier ended her biathlon career in 2019, when she was 25. She grew up in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the German Alps and turned to mountaineering challenges after ending her biathlon career. She had been a state-certified mountain and ski guide since 2023 and volunteered for the Garmisch-Partenkirchen mountain rescue team.

Hundreds of climbers try to scale mountains in northern Pakistan every year, and accidents are common because of avalanches and sudden weather changes.

The region has also been battered by above-normal seasonal rains, triggering flash floods and landslides. Since last week, at least 20 Pakistani tourists have been missing after floodwaters swept them away near the northern district of Chilas.

Lyth went to 50 for the eighth time this season in the heart of the afternoon session, off 117 balls.

An impressively watchful effort on a pitch with some juice in it, which has not been easy to score runs on, Lyth and Wharton quietly put their county into a very strong position.

Wharton claimed a stunning outfield catch at deep square-leg on day one and with the bat, he was more aggressive than Lyth, highlighted by successive sixes off Carson to move into the forties and take his side to 161-2.

The first was pulled, the second lofted handsomely over long-on.

Wharton reached his seventh fifty of the season shortly afterwards, off 79 balls, and by this stage him and Lyth were upping the ante.

Lyth reached the 1,000 mark just before tea where Yorkshire got to in rude health at 199-2 from 58 overs, the third successive season he has achieved the feat.

His third Championship century of the summer came up in 200 balls just after tea, with Yorkshire taking the lead moments later.

Sussex’s attack, missing Jofra Archer because of England and Ollie Robinson through injury, came under increasing pressure.

But they hit back midway through the evening session to get rid of Lyth and Wharton inside three overs, leaving Yorkshire 250-4 in the 74th.

Lyth was stumped by John Simpson off Carson – two for 70 from 28 overs – and Wharton bowled by the left-arm spin of James Coles.

Matthew Revis and Harry Duke then saw the day out for Yorkshire with 22 and 20 respectively.

Today’s question: The NTT INDYCAR SERIES just conducted five races in July. What is your biggest takeaway from this intense summer stretch of action?

Curt Cavin: Since I lead off this discussion, let’s begin by acknowledging Alex Palou’s successful month. In tennis it’s called holding serve, and he actually did more than that. He entered July with a 93-point lead and exits it ahead by 121 points, thanks to four top-five finishes (two wins) in five races. Pato O’Ward did the best he could, losing only 10 points to Palou during the month, but the Arrow McLaren driver needed to do more to unseat the champ. Meanwhile, Kyle Kirkwood faded, and Scott Dixon has had too large of a points hole to climb out of it. So, July’s big winner is Palou. The Astor Challenge Cup awaits him in August.

Eric Smith: How about the emergence of Pato O’Ward? Entering the month, Alex Palou and Kyle Kirkwood had won the first nine races and were considered the championship favorites. But O’Ward surged past Kirkwood in July to second in the standings, scoring 194 points — second-most among all 27 drivers, and just 10 points shy of Palou for the month. He went head-to-head with the two-time defending series champion and delivered an impressive run: two wins (Iowa 1 and Toronto), two fifth-place finishes (Mid-Ohio and Iowa 2) and a fourth-place at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Most impressive? After a seventh-place finish in Detroit, O’Ward told me street courses had been his team’s Achilles’ heel. He had previously finished 11th in St. Petersburg and 13th at Long Beach. For him and his team not only to improve on street circuits but to break through with a win proves just how legitimate this team is.

Paul Kelly: Curt and Eric make solid points about Alex Palou and Pato O’Ward’s winning ways in July. But I’m looking a little further down the results sheet and like what I see. It was refreshing to see some new names enter the upper echelon of the series with strong results at one or more of the five races this month. There are plenty of examples, whether it was Rinus VeeKay chasing winner O’Ward to the finish at Toronto, Kyffin Simpson’s impressive first career podium at the same race, Marcus Armstrong placing third on the short oval at Iowa or Christian Lundgaard continuing his breakout season with podium finishes at Mid-Ohio and Laguna Seca. There appears to be a trend of young drivers finding their way in one of the toughest, most competitive series in the world. I won’t go so far as to say this is a changing of the guard, but this field just continues to get deeper with emerging talent if you look past Palou’s deserved dominance.