Category: 6. Sports

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EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Center Deandre Ayton has agreed to join the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent, two people with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal could not yet be announced between the Lakers and Ayton, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft — two spots ahead of Luka Doncic.

The Portland Trail Blazers bought out Ayton’s contract last weekend, and he has agreed to join Doncic and LeBron James on a deal for the upcoming season with a player option for 2026-27. He will be paid more than $25 million by the Blazers while playing for the Lakers next year.

Ayton’s arrival fills the Lakers’ most glaring offseason need, providing a lob target for James and Doncic. And while Ayton isn’t known as a defensive stopper, the 7-footer will provide the size in the middle that the Lakers have missed since trading Anthony Davis to Dallas for Doncic.

Ayton, who turns 27 this month, spent his first five NBA seasons with Phoenix before joining the Trail Blazers two years ago as part of the three-team trade sending Damian Lillard to Milwaukee.

Ayton struggled at times in Portland while playing for mediocre teams, but he has averaged 16.4 points and 10.5 rebounds during his seven NBA seasons while making 59% of his shots. He played only 40 games for the Blazers last season, getting sidelined for the rest of the year in February by a strained calf.

While he has never been an All-Star, Ayton is the only player to average a double-double in points and rebounds in his first seven NBA seasons since former Lakers center Dwight Howard did it over a decade ago.

Ayton also knows Southern California after moving from the Bahamas to San Diego to play high school basketball. He went on to the University of Arizona before the Suns drafted him.

The Lakers struggled without Davis in the paint last season, with Jaxson Hayes playing poorly enough to get benched by coach JJ Redick in their final two playoff games. Los Angeles was eliminated from the first round of the postseason by Minnesota in five games, with big man Rudy Gobert racking up 27 points and 24 rebounds in the clinching victory while the Lakers largely played without a center.

A family friendly Derby timeslot of 6:05pm headlines a massive 4 matches at the MCG for the Melbourne Stars in KFC BBL|15.

Fresh off the back of a roller coaster campaign last year where the Stars soared up the ladder late to make their first finals appearance in five years, the club is looking to capitalise on that momentum.

The club’s first home match will be played at the MCG on Thursday, 18^th December against the reigning champions, the Hobart Hurricanes.

The Stars then travel to Adelaide, Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane before returning to Melbourne after the conclusion of the Boxing Day Test.

Stars members and fans will then be encouraged to flock to the biggest game of the regular season at MCG on Sunday 4^th January, as they host cross town rivals, the Renegades, in a family friendly timeslot of 6:05pm.

The race to the finals will see the Stars host the Sixers and the Strikers at the MCG with an away derby wedged in the middle, before travelling to Perth for the final home-and-away fixture.

With 8 of the 10 matches will be broadcast on Channel 7 and 7 Plus, all eyes will be on the Stars as they look to make consecutive finals appearances.

“This fixture is a win for Stars fans, with the return of a family-friendly 6.05pm Derby timeslot, right in the heart of the holiday period at the MCG,” Melbourne Stars General Manager Max Abbott said.

“We’re also delighted that we get to start our season at home, allowing the playing group to come together for a solid block in Melbourne to prepare before the season gets underway. Our fans can expect a great show for Opening Night at the ‘G on December 18.

“With the MCG unavailable for the window around the Boxing Day Test, we will again take a home match against Sydney Thunder to Canberra, a fixture that was sold out last season.

“There’s also going to be some great battles to look forward to between the overseas players. There’ll be no holding back from Haris Rauf when he lines up against Babar Azam against Sydney Sixers in another blockbuster MCG clash in the holiday period.

“We cannot wait to build on the momentum from last year and we’re already planning to put on an even better and bigger show this season at the greatest sporting colosseum in the world, the MCG.”

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Melbourne Stars memberships for BBL|15 & WBBL|11 are on sale now. Click here for membership options.

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To download the full Melbourne Stars BBL|15 fixture to your calendar, click here.

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WIMBLEDON — Six days ago, Solana Sierra was in the depths of despair. The 21-year-old had lost from match point up in the final round of Wimbledon qualifying to Australia’s Talia Gibson, dropping the last four games of the match from 5-3 up in the third set. That night, she says, she kept replaying the match point in her head. She was so sad she couldn’t sleep.

Wimbledon: Scores | Order of play | Draws

On Wednesday, Sierra’s devastation turned into joy. Playing on Court No. 1, she took down home hope Katie Boulter 6-7(7), 6-2, 6-1.

For Sierra, Wimbledon marks a milestone for both her and her country. This week, she’s collected her first two tour-level wins and become the first Argentine woman to reach the third round here since Gisela Dulko in 2009. She’s also had to change accommodation three times already — with a fourth move coming Wednesday night — but at this point, she says, that’s a “good problem to have.”

On Monday. Sierra gained entry to the main draw at the last minute — almost literally. Though she knew she was first in line for a lucky loser berth, she thought that if anyone was going to withdraw, they would have done so before the start of play. Then, a back injury forced Greet Minnen to pull out. Sierra, who was eating in the player restaurant at the time, had just 15 minutes’ warning to put her match clothes on, do a five-minute warmup, then head out on court.

Déjà vu almost struck in that match, against Olivia Gadecki — another Australian. Sierra served for the match at 5-4 in the second set, but missed four match points in that game before converting her sixth for a 6-2, 7-6(8) victory.

“I was thinking, ‘Not again,’” she said. “But it was good that I stayed positive mentally and closed in the tiebreak.”

That’s one of the reasons Sierra played “really free” against Boulter. After two such emotionally draining matches, she simply felt no pressure as she notched her second career Top 50 win. She’ll next play Spain’s Cristina Bucsa, with a spot in a first Grand Slam fourth round at stake for both players.

Here’s more on Sierra:

She has been training at the Rafa Nadal Academy since March

Sierra has put together a formidable 33-12 record this year, including her first WTA 125 title in Antalya in March and two more ITF trophies. Not coincidentally, she’s also been based at the Rafa Nadal Academy on Mallorca since March.

“The academy is super good,” she said. “They’re really professional, and they’re helping me with my game and the stuff outside the court.”

Having started 2025 ranked No. 167, Sierra cracked the Top 100 for the first time two weeks ago.

“It was a goal that I had since I started to play tennis,” she said.

Former US Open champion Gabriela Sabatini is a favorite

When asked for the Argentinian players who have most inspired her, Sierra doesn’t hesitate.

“[Gabriela] Sabatini, of course!” she replied. “The best!”

Sierra is also a fan of compatriots Juan Martin del Potro and Diego Schwartzman, whom she grew up watching. But Sabatini retired in 1996 — eight years before Sierra was born. 

“I watched on YouTube some videos of her,” she said. “I really liked her personality — it was really nice to watch.”

She is a big-stage player who’s played her best tennis at Slams

All of Sierra’s tour-level main draws to date have been majors. She qualified for the US Open last year, then repeated the feat at Roland Garros this year. Wimbledon marks the first time she has won main-draw matches at this level. Going back to 2022, she was also the Roland Garros junior runner-up.

“I like to be in the biggest stadiums with the crowd,” she said. “They’re the best tournaments, I love to compete here and I loved every moment.”

She is a relative grass-court novice — but has taken to the surface

This Wimbledon marks just the fourth tournament Sierra has ever played on grass, including a pair of junior outings in 2021 where she tallied only one win. She fell in the first round of Wimbledon qualifying in 2024, but ahead of her return this year committed to a week of proper practice on the surface.

“I didn’t have to adjust much,” she said. “Just to stay lower. “Now, I think my game suits the grass.”

She has a reward in mind for her work this week

Sierra turned 21 on June 17, the day after she broke into the Top 100 for the first time. That was a decent present, but Sierra had her eyes on another.

“I wanted to buy a necklace for my birthday,” she said. “I didn’t, because it was too expensive.”

Sierra’s unexpected windfall as a lucky loser is now £152,000 — nearly quadruple the £41,500 she would have earned from making the final qualifying round. No wonder that, with a glint in her eye, she says that she’s now thinking about that necklace again.

The Sydney Sixers are set for an unforgettable summer as the countdown to KFC BBL|15 begins, with the league today unveiling the upcoming season’s fixture.

With a jam-packed schedule featuring four blockbuster home matches at the SCG and a highly anticipated return to Coffs Harbour, Sixers fans can expect a memorable ride this summer, as the side looks to add a fourth BBL trophy to their silverware collection.

Stacked with marquee moments, the Sixers campaign features the iconic prime-time Boxing Day Bash, a blockbuster Friday night Sydney Smash at the SCG and celebrations of First Nations Round and Community Round, in addition to the electrifying arrival of international superstar, Babar Azam.

Highlights from the KFC BBL|15 fixture include:

• Four home matches at the SCG
• Babar Azam’s first appearance at the SCG on December 17
• Boxing Day blockbuster hosting the Melbourne Stars
• Coffs Harbour clash with the Brisbane Heat on January 5
• Family-friendly Community Round celebration on January 11
• Friday night Smash at the SCG on January 16

Expect SCG blockbusters

With four home matches locked in at the SCG, the Sixers are set to host some of the summer’s most anticipated clashes, welcoming the Adelaide Strikers, Melbourne Stars, Hobart Hurricanes and Sydney Thunder to the iconic ground.

Kicking off their home campaign on Wednesday, December 17, the Sixers will welcome the Strikers for the start of the festive season, with Babar Azam set to make his highly-anticipated first appearance in front of a home crowd.

The Boxing Day Bash against the Melbourne Stars has once again been secured by the club, with the prime-time fixture on December 26 following the end of the day’s play in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.

Returning to Sydney in the new year, the Sixers will host the Hobart Hurricanes on Sunday, January 11, marking the club’s Community Round fixture. With an ideal family-friendly start time of 2.05pm, the match will celebrate the best of grassroots cricket and our local community heroes.

Rounding out the club’s home matches for the regular season; the Sixers will welcome cross-town rivals, Sydney Thunder, to the SCG for one of the must-see matches of the summer, the Sydney Smash on Friday, January 16.

Expect fireworks in Coffs Harbour

In news sure to excite fans in the regional centre, the Sixers will return to Coffs Harbour once again this summer, hosting the Brisbane Heat at C.ex Coffs International Stadium on Monday, January 5.

The return to Coffs, which has become second home for the Sixers in recent years, further cements the club’s connection with the region, with a fixture that is highly expected to sell-out.

The Coffs fixture will also mark the club’s First Nations Round match, with the side taking to the field on Gumbaynggirr Country and featuring newly designed kits by artist and Wiradjuri woman, Lua Pellegrini.

Expect must-win fixtures on the road

In addition to five bumper home matches, the Sixers will head on the road to face long-time rivals, the Perth Scorchers in a high-stakes season opener, before meeting crosstown foes Sydney Thunder at ENGIE Stadium, Melbourne Renegades at Marvel Stadium, Melbourne Stars at the MCG and Brisbane Heat at the Gabba to close out the regular season.

Expect electrifying entertainment

In addition to the action on-field, Sixers fans can expect be treated to a flurry of activity off the field, with the Moore Park precinct to once again come alive this summer, featuring live entertainment, music and family fun including the Sixers Fan Zone.

A highlight of the summer will be the return of the Boxing Day live site at the SCG, giving fans the opportunity to watch the Boxing Day Test live from Melbourne, before enjoying the night’s blockbuster clash against the Melbourne Stars.

More information about this summer’s match-day entertainment will be announced in the coming months.

Sydney Sixers memberships for 2025/26 are on sale NOW.

Become a Sixers Member and Expect the Unforgettable.

membership.sydneysixers.com.au

Sydney Sixers KFC BBL|15 Fixture

Sunday, December 14 | Sydney Sixers v Perth Scorchers
Optus Stadium, 7:15pm (AEDT)
Seven, 7plus, Foxtel, Kayo

Wednesday, December 17 | Sydney Sixers v Adelaide Strikers
SCG, 7:15pm (AEDT)
Seven, 7plus, Foxtel, Kayo

Saturday, December 20 | Sydney Sixers v Sydney Thunder
ENGIE Stadium, 7:15pm (AEDT)
Foxtel, Kayo

Friday, December 26 | Sydney Sixers v Melbourne Stars
SCG, 6:05pm (AEDT)
Seven, 7plus, Foxtel, Kayo

Thursday, January 1 | Sydney Sixers v Melbourne Renegades
Marvel Stadium, 4:00pm (AEDT)
Foxtel, Kayo

Monday, January 5 | Sydney Sixers v Brisbane Heat
C.ex Coffs International Stadium, 7:15pm (AEDT)
Seven, 7plus, Foxtel, Kayo

Thursday, January 8 | Sydney Sixers v Melbourne Stars
MCG, 7:15pm (AEDT)
Seven, 7plus, Foxtel, Kayo

Sunday, January 11 | Sydney Sixers v Hobart Hurricanes
SCG, 2:05pm (AEDT)
Seven, 7plus, Foxtel, Kayo

Friday, January 16 | Sydney Sixers v Sydney Thunder
SCG, 7:15pm (AEDT)
Seven, 7plus, Foxtel, Kayo

Sunday, January 18 | Sydney Sixers v Brisbane Heat
Gabba, 7:15pm (AEDT)
Seven, 7plus, Foxtel, Kayo

New Delhi [India], July 3 (ANI): India’s rising sensations Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal earned plaudits from legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar, former all-rounders Irfan Pathan, Mohammad Kaif and other stars, following their swashbuckling exploits on the opening day of the second Test against England in Birmingham.

Familiar scenes unfolded for India after the coin spin in favour of England captain Ben Stokes, who put the tourists to bat just like the series opener at Headingley. India made a small tweak with Jaiswal, and KL Rahul continued to open with Karun Nair promoted to the number three spot to replace dropped Sai Sudharsan.

England threatened by making early inroads with Rahul (2) chopping the ball back into his stumps. Karun Nair (31) made a narrow escape early on after scrapping his way out of an lbw call, but failed to capitalise on it and returned to the dressing room moments before lunch at Edgbaston.

Jaiswal and Test captain Gill tantalised England’s bowling unit, bereft of experience. Jaiswal coruscated with a rollicking 87(107) while Gill continued to dazzle after walloping a swashbuckling century and stayed unbeaten on 114(216) at the end of day’s play, propelling India to 310/5 despite a minor collapse after tea.

“@ybj_19 set the tone from ball one. He was positive, fearless and smartly aggressive. @ShubmanGill was cool as ever, calm under pressure, solid in defence and in total control. Classy knocks from both. Well played, boys!” Sachin wrote on X.

For Kaif, “world-class,” Gill’s flamboyant display at number four particularly stood out, which makes him believe that the 25-year-old will continue the great tradition that comes with the spot, which Sachin and Virat previously held.

“Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and now Shubman Gill… India is always blessed to have a solid world class batsman at No. 4. Maybe this continue forever. Gill continuing a great tradition,” Kaif wrote on X.

Irfan doesn’t have any doubt that Jaiswal and Gill will be the torchbearers of the young Indian team and wrote on X, “I have no doubt in my mind two batters from this young Indian team will take test team forward. YASHASVI JAISWAL & SHUBMAN GILL.”

Former India batter Wasim Jaffer is pleased that the captaincy pressure hasn’t caught up to Gill and wrote on X, “Being India’s number 4 and Test captain comes with a different pressure altogether. Really good to see it has not affected his batting one bit, in fact it’s elevated it. Well played @ShubmanGill #ENGvIND.”

Yuvraj Singh, who has served as Gill’s mentor, saw his prodigy become one of the few to hammer consecutive centuries after becoming Test captain.

“When responsibility calls, some rise and some soar! @ShubmanGill just became one of the rare few to score consecutive hundreds as Test captain! A calm head, a bold bat and a hunger to lead by example @GraemeSmith49 would be proud of the company!” Yuvraj wrote on X.

After Jaiswal’s return to the dugout, vice-captain Rishabh Pant (25) tried to forge a comeback but lofted it into the English skipper’s hands. Nitish Kumar Reddy, on his debut in England, returned cheaply 1(6) after Chris Woakes breached his stance and rattled the timber.

Gill joined hands with Ravindra Jadeja and raised an unbeaten 99-run partnership to push England back against the wall. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

LAUSANNE (Switzerland) – There are fairytales and then there is Switzerland’s run at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2025. The alpine nation pulled off a magical upset of France and now find themselves in the Quarter-Finals – among the top eight teams in the world.

In case you forgot, the Swiss have never played in a FIBA U19 World Cup – heck, the men’s program has never played a FIBA Youth EuroBasket game in Division A.

Still, hosts Switzerland shocked France and the world with an 86-79 overtime comeback win – the No. 60 team in the FIBA World Rankings Boys taking down the No. 3 nation in global basketball. Switzerland won the game with an 18-0 run spanning the fourth quarter and overtime. Dayan Nessah scored 22 points with 15 rebounds and Oliver Sassella had 25 points for the Swiss.

France – a nation that finished third, second and second in the last three FIBA U19 World Cups – were leading 66-54 with 5:34 minutes to go. But Switzerland scored the final 12 points of regulation – eight of them by Sassella – to force overtime. And France failed to score for almost 3 minutes in the extra session and the deficit was 72-66.

Switzerland will next face New Zealand in Friday’s Quarter-Finals.

FIBA

The Olympic silver medallist looked far more assured and assertive from his five-set encounter two days earlier, in a result which extends his career-best run to 20 victories on the bounce.

Alcaraz headed to Court 18 after his match to get a look at his next opponent, either fellow Paris 2024 medallist Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada or World number 125 Jan-Lennard Struff, who the Spaniard has defeated in three straight encounters.

Wimbledon 2025 – Oliver Tarvet, the qualifier who went toe-to-toe with defending champion Alcaraz

In the space of nine days, 21-year-old Tarvet has made it through the qualifying rounds at Roehampton, won on his major main drew debut and faced up against five-time Grand Slam winner Alcaraz.

“Obviously there were a lot of nerves,” he said post-match. “I’ve said before that I try and treat every match as the same, try and play the ball, not the player or the situation. As much I tried to do that today, I woke up a couple times in the night from the adrenaline. In the car, my heart rate was going quicker than it usually does.

Defending finalist Jasmine Paolini wasn’t able to avoid the upset bug that’s come for many of tennis’ top players in the first two rounds at Wimbledon.

Wimbledon: Scores | Order of play | Draws

The fourth-seeded Italian was a set up against Kamilla Rakhimova in the second round on Wednesday, but couldn’t close the door in what was eventually a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 defeat. 

Runner-up to Barbora Krejcikova last year, Paolini is the fourth Top 5 seed to lose in the first two rounds at the All England Club this week. No. 2 Coco Gauff, No. 3 Jessica Pegula and No. 5 Zheng Qinwen all lost in the first round on Tuesday — and No. 9 seed Paula Badosa was bundled out by Katie Boulter on Monday.

Fifteen of the 32 seeds lost over the first three days in all.

World No. 62 Rakhimova entered the match 0-7 against Top 10 players in her career, and had won just one set in those matches. But she turned the tide in the match by saving four break points in her first service game of the second set when trailing 6-4, 1-0.

She never lost serve in sets two and three, and made a break of Paolini’s serve to start the decider stand up until the end of the 2 hour, 19-minute affair.

The 23-year-old moves on to the third round of a Grand Slam event for the third time, having previously done so at the US Open in 2021, and Roland Garros in 2023.

Looking to reach the fourth round of a major for the first time, Rakhimova will next face No. 30 seed Linda Noskova, who also won a three-setter in her own second-round match against German Eva Lys 6-2, 2-6, 6-3. While Noskova reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open last year, this is her first time past the second round at Wimbledon.