Category: 6. Sports

Grasping her second chance with both hands, lucky loser Solana Sierra of Argentina has made it all the way into the second week of Wimbledon.

Wimbledon: Scores | Order of play | Draws

On Friday, World No. 101 Sierra posted a 7-5, 1-6, 6-1 third-round win over the player placed just below her in the PIF WTA Rankings, World No. 102 Cristina Bucsa of Spain.

This is the first time in the Open Era (since 1968) that a lucky loser has made the Wimbledon Round of 16 in women’s singles.

Read more: From lucky loser to Wimbledon standout, get to know Solana Sierra

Rising 21-year-old Sierra becomes the seventh lucky loser to make a women’s singles Grand Slam Round of 16 in the Open Era — and the third in the last three years, as this number creeps higher and higher of late.

Between 1980 and 1993, four lucky losers made the Round of 16 at Grand Slam events in women’s singles. The first was Hana Strachonova at 1980 Roland Garros (in a 64-player draw).

After that, Dana Gilbert (1982 Roland Garros — in a 96-player draw), Nicole Muns-Jagerman (1988 Roland Garros) and María José Gaidano (1993 US Open) joined the list. (Gaidano, like Sierra, hails from Argentina.)

After 1993, it was a massive three-decade gap before it happened again. At last, lucky loser Elina Avanesyan reached the Round of 16 at 2023 Roland Garros.

Suddenly, 2025 has become the first year where this has happened twice. Lucky loser Eva Lys made the Australian Open Round of 16 in January, and Sierra has done it again at Wimbledon.

Sierra will try to become the first lucky loser to make a Grand Slam quarterfinal in women’s singles. The previous players listed are a combined 0-6 in their Round-of-16 matches.

Meanwhile, Sierra is also flying the flag for Argentina. She is the first woman from her country to reach the Wimbledon Round of 16 in over 20 years — since former Top 10 player Paola Suarez in 2004.

Sierra is also the first Argentine woman to reach the Round of 16 at any Grand Slam event since Nadia Podoroska made the 2020 Roland Garros semifinals as a qualifier.

BBC

TfL

‘Do not meet national guidelines’

Two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra believes the NC Classic 2025 javelin throw, set to take place in Bengaluru on Saturday, will be a watershed moment for Indian athletics.

Named in his honour, the inaugural NC Classic marks a historic milestone as India’s first-ever World Athletics Continental Tour Gold Level or World Athletics Category A event.

For the Tokyo 2020 gold medallist, the moment is as surreal as it is significant.

“I feel like I’m in a dream. Medals are a different thing. But I’ve given something like this to India and to Indian athletes,” Neeraj said at the pre-event press conference on Friday. “I’m very happy about that. This is the beginning of a new chapter in our athletics.”

While the event does bear his name, Neeraj was quick to emphasise that the NC Classic isn’t about personal recognition, but more to do with providing world-class platforms for future Indian athletes to compete alongside the global elite.

“This is the beginning of international competitions in India. As we see, there are so many international competitions in Germany and such nations – A category, B, C etc and every week, there’s a competition,” he said.

“So, this is what I want in India, as there should be at least 4, 5, 6 competitions which are world class. The athletes should get a chance and people should see them play. That will be very good for our sport,” the Indian javelin throw ace added.

Even though the significance of the inaugural NC Classic isn’t lost on Neeraj, his main focus still firmly remains on defending his title at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September.

“Of course, tomorrow’s competition is very important and after that we will start preparing for the World Championships. I’m very happy to be here with the coach (Jan Zelezny). Yesterday, I was training in the gym with the coach. This is the kind of competition that will be the target ahead of the World Championship,” Neeraj stressed.

The NC Classic will be Neeraj’s sixth competitive outing of the 2025 athletics season.

The reigning world champion and two-time Olympic medallist began his season with a win at the Potch Invitational in South Africa before finishing second at the Doha Diamond League, where he breached the 90m barrier with a massive 90.23m throw – a new national record.

He had to settle for a second-place finish again at the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial in Poland before logging wins at the Paris leg of the Diamond League and the prestigious Ostrava Golden Spike athletics meet in Czechia.

Neeraj’s last outing on Indian soil was at the Federation Cup in Bhubaneswar last year, where he claimed top spot with a relatively modest 82.27m effort.

WIMBLEDON — Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova returned to the second week of Wimbledon for the first time in nine years, overcoming Naomi Osaka 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a thrilling 2-hour, 3-minute third-round clash on No. 2 Court.

Wimbledon: Scores | Order of play | Draws

Pavlyuchenkova is making her 16th main-draw appearance at SW19 (compared to Osaka’s fifth), and reached the quarterfinals for the only time so far back in 2016. However, the World No. 50 is still hitting career milestones at the age of 34. Last week, she made her first career grass-court semifinal in Eastbourne.

Having made her ninth Grand Slam quarterfinal at the Australian Open in January, Pavlyuchenkova has now reached the second week of multiple majors in a single season for just the third time in her career. In 2011, she was a quarterfinalist at Roland Garros at the US Open, and in 2021 she was the Roland Garros runner-up and made the US Open fourth round.

Pavlyuchenkova had to withstand 15 aces from Osaka, who also mounted charges from 3-0 down to 4-4 in both the second and third sets.

More to come…

Owen Farrell’s call-up to the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia could be a “masterstroke”, says former England scrum-half and Danny Care.

Care, a long-time half-back partner of Farrell for England, backed the decision for Lions head coach Andy Farrell to call up his son, despite his injury struggles and lack of international game time.

The former England captain has replaced utility back Elliot Daly, who was ruled out of the tour after fracturing his arm in Wednesday’s win over Queensland Reds.

“Why would you not pick Owen Farrell?” Care told BBC’s Rugby Union Weekly podcast.

“Whatever position he is going to play, whatever role he’s going to play in that squad, they are only a better squad for having him there.

Care has seen first hand how Farrell sets standards both on and off the pitch.

“If Owen turns up and delivers standards and delivers a better performance from the Lions, and overall and you see a more connected team, then you have to go ‘what a masterclass and a masterstroke from the coaches’,” he added.

Farrell, 33, has not played international rugby in nearly two years and recently returned to Saracens after a difficult season in Paris with Racing 92.

The fly-half, who can also play inside centre, has not played in nearly nine weeks after a concussion ended his season early.

Once he arrives in Australia, Farrell will be the only player in the squad to have gone on four Lions tours, where he will look to add to his six Tests.

“Whatever team Owen is in he makes them better. I have no doubt in whatever shape he is, he will slot in absolutely fine,” added Care.

“I hope he hits the ground running, and everyone just gets on with it.”

LAUSANNE (Switzerland) – Thiago Sucatzky etched his name in the record books of the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2025 as the Argentina point guard dished out 14 assists, tying the all-time high in competition history.

“Thanks to my teammates for trusting me in the whole process,” said Sukatzky after the game. “Without them I couldn’t do anything.”

Sucatzky also chipped in 14 points and 3 rebounds in Argentina’s 85-67 win over Cameroon in Classification 9-16 action.

The resemblance to another Argentinian star floor general is uncanny – and no coincidence.

“Facundo Campazzo is my idol. When I was a kid I always watched him and wanted to be like him.”

Sucatzky had dished out a total of 16 assists in Argentina’s first four games, highlighted by 8 in their win over Serbia.

The record is shared by France’s Alexandre Bouzidi set in 2023 against Madagascar.

Top 10 assists in a single game at the U19 World Cup*

*Dating back to the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 1995

FIBA

Eighteen-year-old Giusti will make his debut in Formula E machinery when he jumps into the GEN3 Evo at the test.The 18-year-old has had an impressive junior career to-date, making his debut in the French F4 Championship in 2021 before winning the series in 2022 and then joining the Williams Racing Driver Academy in 2024. Giusti is currently competing in the FIA Formula 3 Championship.

“It’s my first time driving in Formula E, and I’m really excited to maximise this session with the Lola Yamaha ABT team,” said the Frenchman. “The upcoming test session presents an incredible opportunity to develop as a driver and take a step forward in my career, while providing valuable feedback to the team.”

Australian-Japanese driver Hugh Barter will complete the line-up and return to Formula E, having previously competed in the Berlin Rookie Test in 2023.

Since his early career in karting, Hugh has finished runner-up in the French F4 Championship in 2021 and 2022 respectively, in addition to the F4 Spanish Championship in 2022. As Lola Yamaha ABT’s Simulator Test Driver, Barter has worked closely with the team, helping to optimise car setup and strategy, and will now be able to build upon his on-track experience.

“I’m incredibly proud to be taking part in the Berlin Rookie Test with Lola Yamaha ABT, building on the relationship we’ve developed this year during my time working behind the scenes this year as the Simulator Test Driver,” said Barter.

“Simulator drivers play a crucial role in the development and success of Formula E teams, and I’m honoured to be contributing to such a prestigious outfit as Lola Yamaha ABT. I’m really looking forward to translating everything that we’ve achieved in the sim to the track.”

Mark Preston, Motorsport Director at Lola Cars, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Alessandro and Hugh to the team. Both drivers have achieved impressive results in their careers, and their collective experience is an ideal combination which will give helpful feedback as we enter the final rounds of Season 11 and look forward to next season.”

Thomas Biermaier, CEO, ABT adds: “These sessions have welcomed young talent that have gone on to become some of the biggest names in motorsport. We’re excited to see how the test will develop their knowledge and support their growth.”

Find out more

CALENDAR: Sync the dates and don’t miss a lap of Season 11

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World Triathlon, in partnership with RaceRanger, is proud to unveil the trial phase of the new RaceRanger App — a powerful digital platform set to transform race management and officiating across the global triathlon ecosystem. 

For years, officiating at triathlon events has depended on radios, chat groups, and manual paperwork — a fragmented system for a sport that thrives on precision. With the introduction of the RaceRanger App, World Triathlon is moving decisively to modernise how events are run, bringing cutting-edge tools to the fingertips of technical officials, emergency services, commentators, and team managers worldwide.

 The app, currently in trial at selected World Triathlon events (Alghero WTCS, Tiszaújváros World Cup, and Hamburg WTCS), centralises live communications, incident reporting, and penalty management into one mobile-based interface. It features real-time AI voice input recognition across dozens of languages and is built for adaptability across different event formats and sizes. Although the information is collected and distributed onsite, external partners like commentators can access the content in real time even if they are not present at the race. 

‘At World Triathlon, innovation isn’t a slogan — it’s a commitment,’ said Antonio Arimany, President of World Triathlon. ‘This app is another milestone in our ongoing effort to empower event organisers, raise the standard of officiating, and reinforce our role as both regulator and enabler of triathlon globally.’

Already known for its revolutionary on-bike drafting detection system, RaceRanger’s latest development takes officiating a step further. As Co-Founder and CEO James Elvery explains, this is only the beginning:

“We’re now working on enabling real-time transmission of athlete positioning and drafting data from the bike to the app. This will sharpen officiating accuracy and deter drafting violations more effectively than ever — especially in non-drafting formats where monitoring has always been a challenge. It also opens the possibility of centrally alerting the race organisation when athletes have stopped or departed the course, which will be a huge safety improvement for the management of races.” he explained.

The app will be usable with or without the RaceRanger on-bike hardware, ensuring accessibility for a wide spectrum of events. A formal launch for private organisers and National Federations is planned for October 2025, with tiered access options including premium functionality for larger or more complex races. 

What this means for the sport

●      For event organisers: An officiating model that is scalable, digital, and commercially viable — reducing overheads while improving control and transparency.

●      For athletes: More consistent rule enforcement, safer courses, and greater trust in officiating integrity.

●      For fans and media: Enhanced storytelling potential through real-time data integration and improved race context.

●      For National Federations and private race series: A tangible tool to professionalise operations and elevate the triathlon experience for all.

This launch is a direct expression of World Triathlon’s vision: building a modern, open, and commercially sustainable sport — where technology, governance, and growth go hand in hand.