Category: 6. Sports

Give Alex Palou credit. He didn’t let up, and he didn’t give in – at least not without a fight.

The driver already assured of his fourth NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship valiantly chased history Sunday, dominating the Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250 in a bid to match A.J. Foyt’s record of 10 wins in a single season, a mark that has stood for more than 60 years.

As the top qualifier, Palou led 199 of the first 234 laps only to lose the lead of the 250-lap race on tire strategy. Palou and two other frontrunners didn’t retreat to pit road for new Firestone Firehawks during a late caution, and it cost them as Christian Rasmussen stormed to the front.

But Palou made Rasmussen earn what he got. Their two cars went side-by-side through Turns 3 and 4 on Lap 235, and they appeared to have contact as they motored onto the front straightaway. Rasmussen’s fresher tires proved to be the difference, and he did the rest to become the series’ first first-time winner since Christian Lundgaard in 2023 at Toronto.

“He always races hard,” Palou said of Ed Carpenter Racing’s spirited driver. “He was going to pass me or go to the fence.”

Palou settled for second place and confirmation that the most wins he can achieve this season is nine. One final opportunity will come next weekend in the season-ending Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix presented by WillScot (2 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX One, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network) at Nashville Superspeedway.

“I knew he was fourth, then next corner he was third, then he was second,” Palou said of Rasmussen’s march from the seventh position after the restart on Lap 222. “He was only a second and a half (behind). Then I started pushing 100 percent.

“I wanted to get at least one more second (ahead) or try and extend a little bit more the laps. I couldn’t make it. I knew that he was coming and (his getting alongside in Turn 3) caught me by surprise. Obviously, I didn’t want him to overtake me. He was very good on the outside in (Turns) 1 and 2, getting great exits. Also, (Turns) 3 and 4.

“Yeah, I couldn’t do very much.”

Palou (photo above, left) can’t be blamed for letting this win get away. He drove brilliantly, knifing through traffic better than anyone else for most of the race. At one point Palou led by nearly 10 seconds, and at the final restart he had a two-car buffer from second-place Scott McLaughlin. The winner of two other oval races this season was going to earn a third, barring a dramatic turn of events.

That turn of events came from the clouds. On Lap 209, Race Control had no choice but to issue a caution for light (and brief) sprinkles. Palou and McLaughlin both agreed with the decision.

“We could see quite a lot of drops,” Palou said. “Maybe … suddenly you spin because they don’t call the yellow, so, yeah. If you feel (the rain), that’s it.”

The short-lived yellow gave everyone the opportunity to pit. Given their place at the front, Palou’s No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda crew decided to stick with the tires they had. Team Penske made the same call for the cars of McLaughlin and third-place Josef Newgarden. All other cars on the lead lap headed to pit road.

Palou supported what he called a “50/50” especially given his position at the time.

“It’s really tough (to pit) when you’re leading,” he said. “If everybody else stays out, suddenly you pit from first and you go to eighth. There’s no way with lap cars in between (us and the new leader) we would end up winning. I would still do the same.

“Obviously, now if you look at the result, you would say, ‘Why you didn’t pit?’ I think it was a tough decision.”

For a few laps, the decision of the top three seemed sound. Drivers with new tires found themselves in a ferocious battle, and a crash seemed possible at several corners. Note that none of the drivers except Rasmussen passed Palou and McLaughlin, so it was probably the right decision. Newgarden had to save his No. 2 Snap-on Team Penske Chevrolet amid Turn 2 traffic and faded to seventh.

“I think (new tires) actually only worked for some,” said Palou in a reference to Rasmussen.

It just cost Palou a chance to tie Foyt’s record next Sunday at Nashville Superspeedway.

Palou is still soon to complete one of the most outstanding seasons in INDYCAR SERIES history. Through 16 races, he has eight wins, two second-place finishes (at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and Milwaukee Mile), a third-place finish (at Portland International Raceway) and six poles. He staked an early claim to his third consecutive series championship by winning four of the season’s first five races, including his first Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.

Only three drivers in the sport’s history have won more races in a season: Foyt, Al Unser (10 in 1970) and Mario Andretti (nine in 1969). If not for David Malukas knocking Palou into the tire barrier in the Detroit street race, the 28-year-old Spaniard would go to Nashville with a chance to complete every lap this season offered. Only six drivers have done that, the most recent being Will Power in 2022.

“I still had the mentality that I could win, that we could stay up front,” Palou said of Sunday’s late turn of events. “But I was wrong.”

Lulu Sun is into the second round of the US Open, following a 6-4 2-6 6-0 win over Camila Osorio from Colombia.

It is Sun’s first win at a grand slam since she defeated Britain’s Emma Raducanu on Centre Court at Wimbledon last year.

Although Sun has dropped out of the world’s top 150, she showed that this wasn’t a true representation of her ability as she over-powered her opponent, stayed aggressive and moved quickly around the court.

Osorio picked up an ankle injury towards the end of the match, but by then Sun was already well on her way towards a victory.

Sun got off to a great start in this match getting two early breaks in the opening set. 

She felt some pressure when serving for the set and made a couple of errors and was broken.

Osorio saved set points in the next game, but Sun eventually captured the set, clinching it with a serve out wide on the ad side that Osorio couldn’t get back.

Sun was broken in the second game of the next set, as Osorio built on the momentum she had recently picked up.

As the shadows crept across Court 5, Osorio stayed on a roll, breaking Sun again for a 4-0 lead.

The set turned with Sun showing her tenacity and breaking to love in the next game, but she had too much ground to make up at that point and the match became level when Sun put a smash into the net on set point.

Despite losing the second set, Sun was able to regather herself for the decider and went up a double break for a 3-0 lead. 

At 30-30 in the next game, Osorio fell over going for a ball out wide and rolled her ankle. She played one more point, which Sun won, then called for the physio.

Osorio was in tears as she waited, while Sun went over to have a chat with her coach.

After a lengthy break, the Colombian headed back to the baseline to start her next service game.

However, she wasn’t in any state to be competitive, getting broken to love and Sun completed the match with an ace.

In the second round, on Thursday NZ time, Sun will play against the winner of the match between No 19 seed Elise Mertens from Belgium and Alyssa Ahn from the United States.

LUANDA (Angola) – On Sunday, August 24, Angola lifted their 12th AfroBasket title in Luanda, with playmaker Childe Dundao playing a fundamental role.

It was a night of accomplishment for the dynamic Angolan point guard who led Angola with sublime performances during the 2025 AfroBasket tournament.

He was joined in the All-Tournament Team by Mahamane Coulibaly and Aliou Diarra of Mali and his teammate Bruno Fernando.

FIBA.Basketball highlights the players who shone in the tournament with their individual brilliance.

Childe Dundao (ANGOLA)

MVP chants were always reserved for the dynamite maestro. He carried the nation with his sublime 30-point performance against Cape Verde in a heated quarter-final clash.

He quietly delivered 11 points in Angola’s close semi-final victory against Cameroon. When Angola needed a hero in the final, he stood tall with his 16 points against Mali.

He averaged 15.6 points and six assists for Angola, and winning the MVP and being named to the All-Star five was a fitting reward for a player who has given his all to the Palancas Negras.

Aliou Diarra (MALI)

The big man has had a memorable 2025, and in his first AfroBasket, he helped lead a young Malian to the final. Diarra averaged 15.7 points and 10.5 rebounds in the tournament. He’ll be remembered for his 35-point and 15-rebound performance against neighbours Cote d’Ivoire in the quarter-final.

Apart from the number, he won the best rebounder of the competition, to go with the 2025 BAL Defensive Player of the Year Award he won mid-year.

Brancou Badio (SENEGAL)

The Senegal point guard Badio brought his best for the Lions of Teranga at this AfroBasket.

He pushed the pace and was not afraid to take on opponents. He got to the rim and scored with precision. His 19.9 points per game led Senegal all the way to the semi-finals of the tournament. He was crowned the best three-point shooter (38.5%) of the competition

He had supreme back-to-back scoring nights against South Sudan (31 points) in the playoffs and Nigeria (32 points). Badio’s 18-point game against Cameroon helped Senegal to a third-place finish.

Mahamane Coulibaly (MALI)

Coulibaly had a great knockout performance against Cote d’Ivoire (24 points) and Senegal (23 points). He took the point guard duties together with Siriman Kanoute, or he would run the offence when Kanoute was substituted.

Coulibaly averaged 16 points in the game and being part of the Mali team that made the final will wonders for his confidence and career.

The 24-year-old averaged 14 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.

Bruno Fernando (ANGOLA)

The 2016 FIBA U18 AfroBasket champions was a fan favourite in the competition among Angolan fans, and he brought star quality to the tournament, being a former NBA player and now playing in Spain for Real Madrid.

He had notable games against Guinea (14 points) in the group stages and Cameroon (15 points).

Fernando averaged 7.8 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals per game.

FIBA