Sleeper hitters for Week 10 (May 25-31)
Sports
Kristian Gkolomeev bags $1m bonus for smashing 50m freestyle world record at Enhanced Games
Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev earned a $1m bonus for going under the official 50m freestyle world record held by Cameron McEvoy with a time of 20.81 seconds at the inaugural Enhanced Games in Las Vegas on Sunday.
Gkolomeev, who failed to make the podium in four Olympics, won the same bonus last February when he swam 20.89 to beat Brazilian Cesar Cielo’s previous world record of 20.91 set in 2009.
Australian McEvoy improved on Cielo’s mark with a legal time of 20.88 at the Chinese Swimming Open in Shenzhen in March.
Results by Enhanced Games competitors are considered illegal by global sporting authorities because athletes use substances banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
Gkolomeev was ecstatic, though, heaving his young son in the air and catching him as he celebrated with his family by the pool, having also banked $250,000 for winning the race.
“Great race. I had a lot of fun. This is amazing,” said the Bulgaria-born 32-year-old.
“I had a mistake on the break-out and I got a little bit nervous, but then the rest of the swimming was good, so I got it.
“I’m going to say it’s not bad at all,” he added of the prize money. This is going to change my life to the good, for sure.
“It’s a big help for me and my family. And yeah, I’m going to continue next year. Maybe I’ll break it again.”
Global swimming body World Aquatics has condemned the Enhanced Games as a “circus, built on short-cuts”.
McEvoy did not receive a financial reward for his world record, with World Aquatics only paying bonuses for records set in competitions they organise.
“It’s crazy to think that to get a world record without a suit, and without anyperformance-enhancing drugs, as a clean athlete, the bonus is zero dollars,” McEvoy said in March.
On the track at the event, American former world champion Fred Kerley won the 100m in 9.97 seconds, well short of his personal best of 9.76.
WADA and other sporting authorities staunchly oppose the Enhanced Games, warning athletes they risk not only sporting bans but also their health.
Its organisers operate under the principle that banning performance-enhancing drugs does not protect athletes but rather stifles their performance.
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Best hitter matchups for this week include the Cubs, Brewers and Rangers
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1 min read
Whether you’re in need of an injury fill-in or just a hot-hand play, Scott White has you covered with 10 sleeper hitters for the upcoming scoring period, all rostered in less than 80 percent of CBS Sports leagues. They’re not must-starts by any estimation, but they’re often the best you’ll find off the waiver wire.
All information is up to date as of late Sunday.
Best hitter matchups for Week 10
1. Cubs @PIT4, @STL3
2. Brewers STL3, @HOU3
3. Rangers HOU4, KC3
4. Twins @CHW4, @PIT3
5. Yankees @KC3, @ATH3
Worst hitter matchups for Week 10
1. Athletics SEA3, NYY3
2. Braves @BOS3, @CIN3
3. Cardinals @MIL3, CHC3
4. Diamondbacks @SF3, @SEA3
5. Red Sox ATL3, @CLE3
ARC Raiders Season 4 Week 5 Trials just went live on May 25, 2026, and will remain active until May 31, 2026. During the fifth week of Season 4 Trials, Raiders must fight a few specific types of ARCs, especially on select Points of Interest. Thowables are part of this week’s challenge list, and as such, crafting a decent amount of these gadgets may be necessary to acquire all rewards for the challenge.
This article sheds light on the best ways to obtain three stars in ARC Raiders Season 4 Week 5 Trials.
ARC Raiders Season 4 Week 5 Trials (May 25 to 31, 2026): How to get 3 stars in every challenge
This week, the ARC Trials challenge list requires players to head topside and fight Bombardiers and Shredders. Additionally, the Red Lakes is a POI where you must be physically present when fighting robots to gain an additional Trials score. Lastly, players need to loot or interact with weapon crates to gain score and climb the Trials leaderboard.
Here are all the Trials challenges for Season 4 Week 5 Trials:
- Damage Shredders
- Damage Bombardiers
- Deal damage with Blaze Grenades
- Loot weapon crates
- Damage ARC in the Red Lakes
1) Best ways to deal damage to Shredders during Season 4 Week 5 Trials
Targeting Shredders is our first challenge during this week’s Trials. To do so, one must bring a loadout capable of dealing with them quickly, as wasting too much time on a single Shredder can decrease our potential score.
Recommended loadout:
- Bettina / Hullcracker (III or IV preferred)
- Light / Medium Shield
- Shield Rechargers
- Herbal Bandages
- 10x Adrenaline Shots
Recommended strat
- Deploy on Stella Montis during any map condition.
- Your primary objective is to continuously run through specific Points of Interest as shown in the image above and destroy every Shredder you cross paths with.
- Here’s your route: Medical Research > Atrium > Cultural Archives > Lobby > Assembly.
- Follow the route and target the Shredder’s thrusters to eliminate them quickly. This can be done with two/three shots of a Hullcracker and one magazine of a Bettina.
- You can keep running the route even after hitting 4000 Points if you intend to set a new personal high score.
2) Best ways to damage Bombardiers during Season 4 Week 5 Trials
For this challenge, head to the Hidden Bunker event to find multiple ground-based ARCs, especially Bombardiers. The Hidden Bunker’s locked entrance is always guarded by Bastions and Bombardiers. This gives us a reliable spawn for this ARC miniboss.
Recommended loadout:
- Bettina / Hullcracker (IV preferred)
- Wolfpacks / Trailblazers / Deadlines (optional)
- Barricades (optional)
- Ziplines (optional)
- Medium Shield
- Shield Rechargers / Surge Shield Rechargers
- Herbal Bandages
Recommended strat:
- Head to the entrance of the Hidden Bunker near Fuel Lines and Departure Building.
- Reach the roof of the Fuel Processing building and set up barricades to shoot the Bombardier ARCs while taking cover, as marked with the green arrow on the map above.
- If you bought Wolfpacks or Trailblazers, you can get to the lower ground and throw them when the ARC is in proximity.
- Additionally, you can shoot a single leg and destroy the yellow joint to paralyze the ARC momentarily. In this short span of time, get up close to the ARC and attach a deadline. One or two should be enough to finish off this ARC miniboss.
- Loot all components from the Bombardier shell to allow it to respawn in a short while and repeat the process to get another kill under your belt.
It is recommended that you enter a fresh lobby with nearly 40 minutes remaining for the best chances of achieving a high score.
3) Best ways to search weapon crates for Season 4 Week 5 Trials
Weapon crates are small, rectangular, green cases that contain weapons and ammo. These weapon crates are found across all six maps in ARC Raiders. For this challenge, we must interact with as many crates as possible to acquire a 4000 Trials score.
Recommended loadout
- Anvil / Bettina
- Four stacks of ammo
- Light Shield
- Shield Rechargers
- Herbal Bandages
- 3x Ziplines (optional)
- 30x Adrenaline Shots (optional)
Recommended strat:
- After spawning on the Buried City map, head to the closest building with a weapon crate spawn location.
- Interact with the green rectangular crate and then follow the loop around these Points of Interest.
- Plaza Rosa > Red Tower > Piazza Arbusto > Corso Da Vinci > Town Hall > Research > Parking Garage > Hospital > Library > Marano Station > Piazza Roma > Grandioso Apartments.
- Use Ziplines if you brought a few in your loadout. They enable the Raiders to traverse the rooftops with each.
- Instead, you could utilize a Snap Hook to maintain your elevated position on the roofs. This keeps you safe from ground-based ARC patrolling the area.
- Move from one POI to another and loot every visible weapon crate if they appear open. Interaction with weapon crates counts towards the Trials score.
4) Deal damage with Blaze Grenades in Season 4 Week 5 Trials
This challenge requires Raiders to craft multiple Blaze Grenades and throw them towards ARCs to damage them. Blaze Grenades require one explosive compound and two oil to craft. This makes it one of the easiest to craft throwables in the game.
Recommended loadout
- Anvil / Bettina
- Four stacks of ammo
- Light Shield
- Shield Rechargers
- Herbal Bandages
- 20x Blaze Grenades
Recommended strat:
- Spawn on maps like Spaceport or Dam Battlegrounds to locate Bastions. The former is recommended.
- Reach the Vehicle Maintenance and Container Storage POIs, as Bastions are a common spawn in this area.
- Get to a high-ground vantage point on either of the two buildings.
- For this Trials challenge, you must chuck a Blaze Grenade on a Bastion and let it burn out.
- Throw another one, then wait for it to burn out, to repeat the process, while being careful not to throw two at once.
- Keep burning the ARC miniboss until you acquire 4000 points in this Trials challenge.
Do note that Blaze Grenades do not stack damage when multiple are thrown at once. This is why you must wait for a current Blaze grenade to die down before deploying another one.
5) Best ways to destroy ARC enemies in the Red Lake for Season 4 Week 5 Trials
For this challenge, players must head to Dam Battlegrounds and look for ARC robots in the Red Lakes. This area is located towards the eastern section of the map. Although you may find certain minibosses like Leapers and Rocketeers here from time to time, your best chance of obtaining three stars is from the Queen during the Harvestor event.
Recommended loadout:
- Anvil / Renegade / Bettina / Jupiter
- Medium Shield
- Shield Rechargers / Surge Shield Rechargers
- Herbal Bandages / Sterilized Bandage / Vita Spray
- 2x Deadlines (optional)
Recommended strategy:
- Reach the Harvester location in the Red Lakes on Dam Battlegrounds.
- Check for the Queen, and start shooting to get her attention.
- Use the Pump House spawn tunnel entrance to evade the Queen’s attacks.
- Use your preferred primary weapon and start shooting her legs. If you have a Hullcracker, shooter for the center of the body since your shots penetrate all ARC armor.
- When Queen’s face is visible, shoot the two small panels on either side of the red light. This will strip the armor and reveal the core.
- Aim for the core and shoot it to cause serious damage to the Queen.
- Repeat the process to acquire 4000 points.
Additionally, if you bring two Deadline mines, run towards the Queen when she is distracted and attach them at the bottom of the shell when she is close to the ground. This deals a massive chunk of damage, enabling you to finish this Trial challenge quickly.
This concludes our coverage of Season 4 Week 5 Trials in ARC Raiders. During each challenge, prioritize survival over higher points since safe extraction is necessary to finalize all Trial scores in the game.
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Edited by Sankalpa Das
At age 39, Novak Djokovic can still wear opponents down. Even opponents nearly half his age – and in front of a hostile crowd.
Djokovic came back from a set down for a 5-7 7-5 6-1 6-4 victory over 22-year-old home player Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round of the French Open on Sunday in his record 82nd Grand Slam appearance.
“Obviously playing a French player, centre court at Roland Garros is never so easy. The crowd gets into it and then you feel the pressure even more,” Djokovic said after the 2 hour, 51-minute encounter.
“But all in all it was a good match to be part of: Three hours, just what the doctor ordered at age 39.”
Grunting during long rallies and digging deep on the opening night session on Court Philippe-Chatrier, it wasn’t until 1 hour, 45 minutes in that Djokovic finally found a way to break his 6-foot-7 (2.01-meter) opponent and even the match at a set all.
The crowd was pumped for a potential stunner – after all, Djokovic hasn’t lost in the first round of a Grand Slam in 20 years. But after two tense sets, Mpetshi Perricard seemed deflated of energy.
Djokovic, meanwhile, was just getting warmed up in only his second match on clay this year. In his other match on the surface this season, Djokovic lost to Croatian qualifier Dino Prizmic at the Italian Open after two months out due to a right shoulder injury.
Just by stepping on court two days after his 39th birthday, Djokovic set the men’s record for most Grand Slams contested – one more than Roger Federer and Feliciano Lopez. Djokovic has won a record 24 of those 82 Grand Slams.
Djokovic also tied French players Richard Gasquet and Antoine Gentian with a men’s record 22nd appearance at Roland Garros. He has reached at least the quarterfinals in 19 of the last 20 editions and raised the Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy in 2016, 2021 and 2023.
Djokovic taunts the pro-French crowd
The 80th-ranked Mpetshi Perricard had plenty of crowd support and the fans erupted into chants of “Gio-vanni, Gio-vanni, Gio-vanni” when he ripped a forehand winner on his fourth break point to conclude a long rally during a tense game at 5-5 in the first set. Mpetshi Perricard then finished the set off with consecutive aces – the first of which clocked in at 223 kph (139 mph).
Djokovic said afterward that Mpetshi Perricard – who he played for the first time – has “one of the most tremendous serves in terms of precision and speed that I have ever faced in my career.”
Djokovic couldn’t convert a break point until his 10th try when he concluded the second set with a drop shot that Mpetshi Perricard couldn’t get back. Then Djokovic held his hand to his ear to taunt the pro-French crowd.
Late in the fourth set after he pulled off a delicate half-volley winner, Djokovic skipped back to the baseline in apparent glee. And when it was over, Djokovic performed a celebratory wiggle on the baseline.
Djokovic can’t meet Sinner until the final
Despite his reduced schedule of late, it should be remembered that Djokovic reached this year’s Australian Open final where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz and has made the semifinals or better at five straight Grand Slams.
With Alcaraz, the two-time reigning French Open champion, sitting out Roland Garros and Wimbledon with an injured right wrist, Djokovic sees a chance for himself in the lower half of the draw. He would meet top-ranked Jannik Sinner, who is on a 29-match winning streak, only in the final.
Along with 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka, who is playing in his final French Open, Djokovic is the only former men’s singles champion competing in Paris.
Match-fixing whistleblower
Djokovic wasn’t the only player at an advanced age in the win column at Roland Garros on Sunday.
Marco Trungelliti, who at 36 recently became the oldest man in the professional era (since 1969) to break into the top 100 of the rankings, beat Kyrian Jacquet 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.
“I’m reaching my peak (at) 36,” Trungelliti said.
Trungelitti partly attributed his late development to being ostracized from the tennis tour years ago when he became a whistleblower against match-fixing in the sport.
“Really hurt me back then,” said Trungelitti, who still lives in exile in Andorra and feels uncomfortable going home to Argentina.
“I was very innocent in the sense that I was expecting that the system would help me out a little bit, and it was completely the opposite.
“The whole package of institutions were never there, and they are still not there,” Trungelitti added. “I have a spine in my heart, and it’s going to be there forever.”
Sorana Cirstea, another 36-year-old who this week became the oldest player to make her debut in the top 20, beat 17-year-old Ksenia Efremova 6-3 6-1.
And on Monday, 41-year-old Wawrinka will play Jesper De Jong.
Sports
GameboyLuke, RaidAway, And Taylor Controversy Explained As Cheating Allegations Shake Pokemon Community
The Pokemon YouTube community has been full of drama this week after creators Luke “GameboyLuke” and Rich “RaidAway” got pulled into a messy cheating controversy involving Rich’s ex-partner, Taylor. What started as one emotional post on X quickly turned into a huge online discussion, with fans trying to piece together timelines, relationships, and accusations between the three.
The situation first blew up on May 21, 2026, when RaidAway revealed that he had allegedly learned Taylor cheated on him with GameboyLuke during New Year’s. According to Rich, he only found out months later from someone else, despite the breakup already happening back in January. His post instantly spread across social media, especially among Pokemon and gaming fans who followed the creators for years.
At first, many people thought it was just another online breakup situation. But over the next few days, more posts, emotional reactions, and direct responses from both creators pushed the controversy into a much bigger internet topic. Fans started revisiting old content, collaborations, and social media interactions between Luke, Taylor, and Rich.
How the GameboyLuke and RaidAway situation started online
RaidAway shared the first public statement about the situation on X, saying he felt shocked after finding out about the alleged cheating months later. He explained that he needed time away to process everything because the situation felt “unreal” to him.
A couple of days later, Rich returned with another post and made even stronger claims. According to him, the issue went beyond just cheating. He alleged that Luke and Taylor had been communicating and flirting behind his back while he was still emotionally struggling after the breakup.
Rich also claimed that Taylor would post things on Instagram specifically to get Luke’s attention online. He told followers that there was “way more” to the situation than people currently knew and accused Luke of pretending to be supportive as a friend while hiding things from him.
GameboyLuke responds and confirms relationship with Taylor
On May 24, 2026, GameboyLuke finally addressed the situation publicly. In his response, he confirmed that he and Taylor had been talking after her breakup with Rich. He also admitted that there were still feelings between them from a past relationship.
Luke apologized to fans and acknowledged that many people were disappointed in him. He explained that Taylor visited him in March and said they continued speaking after that point. At the same time, he mentioned there were other discussions happening online that he was not ready to fully address yet.
The YouTuber also stated that he planned to step away from the internet for a while following the backlash. He added that he may speak more about the situation later but felt the focus should remain on Rich for now.
RaidAway reacts again after Luke’s public statement
Not long after Luke’s response, RaidAway posted again and accused both Luke and Taylor of hiding things from him during March 2026. Rich claimed Taylor had visited Luke while they were all still working together on their four-way Pokemon Cagelocke series.
According to RaidAway, Luke continued recording content with him during that time without mentioning anything. Rich described the situation as deeply upsetting and said he felt physically sick trying to process everything happening around him.
As of now, Taylor has not publicly responded to the allegations or the statements shared by either creator.
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Sports
French Open 2026 May 25 matches: Sabalenka, Sinner continue Round 1 action | Other Sports News
After a thrilling start on Sunday, the French Open 2026 will continue its Day 2 action on Monday, May 25, with men’s and women’s world number one players Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka kicking off their campaigns.
Both players ended up as runners-up last time and will be looking to better their position this time around. Sinner will fancy his chances even more, especially with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz being ruled out of the competition due to a hand injury.
But what are the other big games taking place in the men’s and women’s singles events today? Take a look.
World number one Sinner in action
French Open men’s singles Round 1 action sees several top seeds, former finalists, and rising stars competing for a place in the next round at Roland Garros. Matteo Berrettini takes on Marton Fucsovics, while Jiri Lehecka faces Pablo Carreno Busta and Alex de Minaur begins against Britain’s T Samuel.
Casper Ruud will battle Roman Safiullin, Andrey Rublev faces Ignacio Buse, and Ben Shelton takes on Daniel Merida Aguilar. Frances Tiafoe, Hubert Hurkacz, and Tommy Paul also headline key first-round contests.
Elsewhere, Stan Wawrinka meets Jesper De Jong, Ugo Humbert faces Adrian Mannarino, Gael Monfils takes on Hugo Gaston, and Brandon Nakashima battles Roberto Bautista Agut.
French Open 2026 Day 2: Men’s singles matches full schedule
|
Time (IST) |
Court |
Player 1 |
Country 1 |
Player 2 |
Country 2 |
|
2:30 pm |
Court 13 |
M. Fucsovics |
Hungary |
M. Berrettini |
Italy |
|
2:30 pm |
Court 6 |
P. Carreño |
Spain |
J. Lehecka (12) |
Czechia |
|
2:30 pm |
Suzanne Lenglen |
A. Rinderknech (22) |
France |
J. Rodionov |
Austria |
|
2:30 pm |
Court 14 |
A. de Minaur (8) |
Australia |
T. Samuel |
United Kingdom |
|
2:30 pm |
Court 12 |
A. Shevchenko |
Kazakhstan |
A. Michelsen |
United States |
|
2:30 pm |
Court 8 |
L. Van Assche |
France |
P. Kypson |
United States |
|
3:40 pm* |
Simonne-Mathieu |
S. Wawrinka |
Switzerland |
J. De Jong |
Netherlands |
|
3:40 pm* |
Court 9 |
R. Bautista |
Spain |
B. Nakashima (31) |
United States |
|
3:40 pm* |
Court 7 |
E. Spizzirri |
United States |
F. Tiafoe (19) |
United States |
|
4:10 pm* |
Court 8 |
J. Munar |
Spain |
H. Hurkacz |
Poland |
|
4:10 pm* |
Court 6 |
T. Kokkinakis |
Australia |
T. Atmane |
France |
|
4:10 pm* |
Court 12 |
A. Kovacevic |
United States |
R. Jodar (27) |
Spain |
|
4:50 pm* |
Court 4 |
M. Navone |
Argentina |
J. Brooksby |
United States |
|
4:50 pm* |
Court 5 |
E. Nava |
United States |
C. Ugo |
Argentina |
|
5:20 pm* |
Court 7 |
I. Buse |
Peru |
A. Rublev (11) |
Russia |
|
5:20 pm* |
Court 13 |
R. Hijikata |
Australia |
T. Paul (24) |
United States |
|
5:20 pm* |
Simonne-Mathieu |
C. Ruud (15) |
Norway |
R. Safiullin |
Russia |
|
5:50 pm* |
Philippe-Chatrier |
U. Humbert (32) |
France |
A. Mannarino |
France |
|
6:30 pm* |
Court 4 |
F. Cerúndolo (25) |
Argentina |
B. van de Zandschulp |
Netherlands |
|
6:30 pm* |
Court 9 |
R. Collignon |
Belgium |
A. Vukic |
Australia |
|
6:30 pm* |
Suzanne Lenglen |
D. Merida Aguilar |
Spain |
B. Shelton (5) |
United States |
|
6:30 pm* |
Court 14 |
F. Cobolli (10) |
Italy |
A. Pellegrino |
Italy |
|
6:30 pm* |
Court 5 |
Y.B. Wu |
China |
M. Giron |
United States |
|
11:45 pm* |
Philippe-Chatrier |
H. Gaston |
France |
G. Monfils |
France |
Sabalenka heads women’s singles event
The French Open women’s singles draw features several high-profile first-round clashes as top seeds begin their campaigns. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka headlines the event, with Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, Jasmine Paolini, Elina Svitolina, and Amanda Anisimova among the major names in action.
Other seeded players, including Liudmila Samsonova, Diana Shnaider, Leylah Fernandez, Karolina Muchova, Elise Mertens, and Ekaterina Alexandrova, also begin their quests for a deep run. Interesting battles include Alycia Parks against Fernandez, Kamilla Rakhimova facing Jaqueline Cristian, Camila Osorio meeting Alexandrova, and Petra Marcinko taking on Eva Lys.
With experienced stars, rising talents, and several evenly matched contests, the opening-round schedule promises an exciting start to the women’s singles competition in Paris.
French Open 2026 Day 2: Women’s singles matches full schedule
|
Court |
Player 1 |
Country 1 |
Player 2 |
Country 2 |
|
Court 4 |
Liudmila Samsonova |
Russia |
Jil Teichmann |
Switzerland |
|
Court 7 |
Maja Chwalinska |
Poland |
Qinwen Zheng |
China |
|
Court 9 |
Daria Kasatkina |
Australia |
Zeynep Sönmez |
Türkiye |
|
Court 5 |
Susan Bandecchi |
Switzerland |
Cristina Bucșa |
Spain |
|
Simonne-Mathieu |
Jasmine Paolini |
Italy |
Dayana Yastremska |
Ukraine |
|
Philippe-Chatrier |
Emerson Jones |
Australia |
Iga Świątek |
Poland |
|
Court 5 |
Petra Marčinko |
Croatia |
Eva Lys |
Germany |
|
Court 4 |
Julia Grabher |
Austria |
Rebecca Šramková |
Slovakia |
|
Suzanne Lenglen |
Elina Svitolina |
Ukraine |
Anna Bondár |
Hungary |
|
Court 13 |
Maya Joint |
Australia |
Anastasia Potapova |
Austria |
|
Court 14 |
Tatjana Maria |
Germany |
Elise Mertens |
Belgium |
|
Philippe-Chatrier |
Veronika Erjavec |
Slovenia |
Elena Rybakina |
Kazakhstan |
|
Court 14 |
K. Quevedo |
Spain |
Leolia Jeanjean |
France |
|
Court 9 |
Panna Udvardy |
Hungary |
Viktorija Golubic |
Switzerland |
|
Suzanne Lenglen |
T. Rakotomanga Rajaonah |
France |
Amanda Anisimova |
USA |
|
Court 12 |
Talia Gibson |
Australia |
Yulia Putintseva |
Kazakhstan |
|
Court 8 |
A. Urhobo |
USA |
Katie Boulter |
United Kingdom |
|
Court 6 |
Jeļena Ostapenko |
Latvia |
Ella Seidel |
Germany |
|
Court 7 |
Alycia Parks |
USA |
Leylah Fernandez |
Canada |
|
Court 12 |
Kamilla Rakhimova |
Uzbekistan |
Jaqueline Cristian |
Romania |
|
Court 6 |
Diana Shnaider |
Russia |
Renata Zarazúa |
Mexico |
|
Court 8 |
Camila Osorio |
Colombia |
Ekaterina Alexandrova |
Russia |
|
Court 13 |
H.Y. Guo |
China |
McCartney Kessler |
USA |
|
Simonne-Mathieu |
A. Zakharova |
Russia |
Karolína Muchová |
Czechia |
After a decade on the Manchester City bench, Pep Guardiola will take charge of his final game for the Citizens this Sunday against Aston Villa. With City guaranteed a second-place finish and the title already out of reach, the pressure is off, but emotions will be running high as an extraordinary era comes to an end.
Elsewhere in the football world, Liverpool are also preparing for an emotional goodbye as Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson, both at the club since 2017, get set to bid farewell to Anfield. Meanwhile, newly crowned Premier League champions Arsenal, who ended a 20-year wait for the title, face Crystal Palace with next weekend’s Champions League final against PSG looming large.
La Liga wrapped up in dramatic fashion. Champions Barcelona ended their season with a 3-1 defeat to Valencia on Saturday, with Robert Lewandowski scoring in what could be his final appearance for the club. Real Madrid, frustrated runners-up, beat Athletic Bilbao 4-2 thanks in part to another goal from Kylian Mbappé. Despite being booed once again by sections of the Santiago Bernabéu crowd, the French superstar finishes as La Liga’s top scorer for the second straight season with 25 goals.
Scenes of celebration in Lens. Tens of thousands of fans flooded the streets on Sunday to honor RC Lens after their historic Coupe de France triumph. Lens defeated Nice 3-1 on Friday to lift the trophy for the first time in club history.
Bayern Munich completed the domestic double after crushing Stuttgart 3-0 in the German Cup final on Saturday, powered by a Harry Kane hat trick.
Barcelona’s women ruled Europe again. The Catalan giants dismantled Lyon in the Women’s Champions League final in Oslo, securing their fourth European crown after previous triumphs in 2021, 2023 and 2024. Lyon, meanwhile, are still chasing a ninth continental title.
Union Bordeaux-Bègles remain kings of Europe. The French side retained the Champions Cup with a dominant 41-19 victory over Ireland’s Leinster on Saturday.
Heartbreak for Arthur Fils. France’s top-ranked player has been forced to withdraw from Roland Garros through injury just as the tournament gets underway this Sunday.
Jonas Vingegaard delivered a masterclass at the Giro d’Italia. The Dane won Stage 14 solo and seized the overall lead, pulling on the pink jersey for the first time in his career.
And finally, George Russell continued his superb weekend in Canada. Already victorious in the sprint race, the Mercedes driver claimed pole position for Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix ahead of Kimi Antonelli, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
Sports
Spurs defense dominates Thunder, and Game 4 might have flipped the chess board of this series
The San Antonio Spurs have evened the Western Conference finals at two games apiece after a 103-82 Game 4 win over the Thunder on the strength of a near perfect defensive performance.
Hell, it might’ve been actually perfect. I’m just assuming they did at least one thing wrong at some point. But you would have to be some kind of cynical sleuth to find it, because this was a masterpiece. And the thing is, it might actually be sustainable as the series shifts to what will be a monstrous Game 5 on Tuesday in Oklahoma City.
What did the Spurs do differently?
San Antonio’s young coach Mitch Johnson made a massive adjustment in Game 4 by backing off all the super high traps and double teams on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and committing to covering him for most of the game with a single defender and helpers squeezing down to the nail.
That last part is an important note, because it’s not as if San Antonio just allowed SGA to play one on one in open space. He will kill that kind of coverage. They still helped down off shooters, but by doing so at the nail instead of deploying a double team as soon as SGA crosses half court (as they did so often through the first three games) they remained in close enough proximity to their shooters to still have time to fly back out and meaningfully contest the 3s when SGA kicked out.
The result: Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace, Jaylin Williams and Jared McCain, who combined for 68 points and 12 3-pointers Game 3, scored just 12 points on two 3-pointers in Game 4. Consequently, the Thunder bench that outscored San Antonio’s reserves 76-23 in Game 3 only won the bench battle 32-30 on Sunday.
If OKC isn’t winning the bench battle significantly, then that means their starters have to beat the Spurs with Victor Wembanyama on the court. And so far, that hasn’t happened. For the series, the Spurs have thrashed Oklahoma City by 50 points with Wemby on the floor. They are minus-46 with him off. Do the math and that’s nearly a 100-point swing over four games based on one guy being on or off the court.
Which is to say, the Thunder were winning this series with their bench in the non-Wemby minutes. Caruso was the story. A 29% regular-season 3-point shooter had basically morphed into Steph Curry through the first three games by making 14 3-pointers at a 61% clip. He didn’t score a single point in Game 4, and OKC shot just 18% from 3 as a team.
Some of that is shooting variance, but a lot of it was how much more contested their shots were as the Spurs stopped ignoring them to send multiple bodies at SGA. Turns out, shooting 3s is a lot harder when you aren’t being left wide open. Who woulda thunk it.
Did SGA at least score big?
No. And that’s the real revelation here. SGA only scored 19 points on 6-of-15 shooting. Had SGA gone for 40 in Game 3, then the Spurs would be out of luck. They tried double covering and the shooters killed them; they tried single covering him and he killed them. But that didn’t happen for three reasons.
- 1. San Antonio has great individual perimeter defenders. Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, Devin Vassell, all these guys have proven throughout this series that they can stay in front of SGA (within reason) and apply physical pressure that genuinely impacts his rhythm and, ultimately, production.
- 2. San Antonio was still helping a lot on SGA. So these defenders weren’t on a total island. The Spurs continued to crowd SGA’s driving lanes and swoop down on him like vultures whenever he gained any kind of advantage. But again, it’s about the spots at which they were helping. When it’s 35 feet from the basket, you can’t get back to the shooters. When it’s at the elbow, or really anywhere inside the 3-point line, you can as long as you’re collectively committed to the cause. The Spurs were totally committed. You can come up with as many defensive schemes as you want, but in the end they all come down to effort. Top to bottom, the Spurs were full throttle all night long.
- 3. SGA had an off game. Some of that was San Antonio’s defense, but we know SGA can beat any defense on any night. This just wasn’t the one for him. It easily could be in Game 5.
This will get very interesting if SGA hangs a 40-piece in Game 5 and the Spurs go down 3-2. With their backs against the wall, will they still have the nerve to single cover SGA? Or will they go back to playing percentages and hope Alex Caruso and company can’t reignite. Maybe it won’t get to that point, and the Spurs can simply continue with this defensive game plan because of this last factor.
Will Ajay Mitchell play in Game 5?
Being down Jalen Williams hurts, but with Mitchell the Thunder still have a legit No. 2 scorer who can create his own offense. It was no accident that OKC entered Game 4 having outscored opponents by 25.1 points per 100 possessions in the playoffs with Mitchell on the floor, per Cleaning the Glass.
First, he can flat out carry an offense for stretches if SGA doesn’t have it going and the shooters aren’t making shots; Mitchell is making 53% of his shots as a pick-and-roll creator in the playoffs, per NBA.com, and he’s a top-10 scorer on drives. But he also too much as a tandem scorer with SGA when the MVP is also cooking, because now Mitchell, a top-10 scorer on drives in this postseason, is getting to attack against scrambling defenses.
Williams can fill that role, too, but right now there’s no indication that he’ll be ready to go any time soon. Mitchell being out for Game 5 would allow San Antonio to double-down on its single coverage of Shai knowing that even if he goes for 40, who else is going help him if the shooters are accounted for and there isn’t a second scorer?
For my money, Mitchell’s status will be the biggest story leading up to Game 5. But in all honesty, even if he does play, and even if he’s not compromised, the Spurs might’ve already flipped this series. I’d still call it a 50/50 deal, but they made a move that changed the whole chess board on Sunday.
The thought was that single covering the MVP straight up was suicide, but instead it wound up holding the Thunder, who didn’t crack the 50-point mark until the 3:28 point of the third quarter, to their lowest playoff scoring output since 2020.
The champs can definitely still win this series. They have the home court for Game 5, and in a 2-2 best-of-seven series, the winner of Game 5 has historically gone on to win the series 82% of the time. They will definitely take their chances, but they also know they have a serious problem on their hands with this new wrinkle San Antonio has put into play.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 is just 18 days away from its official start, as the tournament is set to commence on June 12 with the clash between Mexico and South Africa.
After a gap of 40 years, Argentina will take the field in the 2026 edition of the tournament as the defending champions after beating France in the 2022 World Cup final on penalties.
However, the defending champions have suffered a huge injury scare as their captain and previous edition’s Most Valuable Player, Lionel Messi, left the field limping during his Major League Soccer (MLS) appearance for Inter Miami against Philadelphia Union on Monday.
The incident took place during the 73rd minute of the game when Messi complained about some discomfort in his thigh. He left the field while grabbing his leg and went straight into the locker room.
Messi’s absence did not hurt Inter Miami much as they beat Philadelphia Union 6-4 to walk away with three points.
Miami coach gives update on Messi
Inter Miami head coach Guillermo provided a crucial update regarding Messi’s injury, saying it does not look anything serious at the moment and mentioning that the Argentine was feeling fatigued and was substituted as they did not want to take any injury risk so close to the FIFA World Cup 2026.
However, Guillermo also stated that the final update regarding Messi’s fitness can only be provided after a thorough medical examination of the Argentine.
Why Messi’s injury could prove disastrous for Argentina?
If Messi is deemed unfit to play in the FIFA World Cup, or even if he is not at his hundred per cent fitness, it will deal a huge dent to Argentina’s title defence as the last two times when Argentina played the final of the FIFA World Cup, Messi was their leading goal-scorer.
In 2014, when Argentina finished as runners-up, Messi scored four goals in seven appearances, while in their title-winning campaign in 2022, Messi was once again their leading scorer with seven goals. He won the MVP award in both tournaments.
Messi’s recent form has also been exceptional as he is currently the second highet goal scorer in MLS 2026-27 season with 12 goals to his name.
Argentina’s schedule in the FIFA World Cup 2026
The defending champions Argentina will start their title defence in 2026 on June 17 against Algeria. They will take on Austria on June 22 before ending their group-stage matches on June 28 against Jordan.
Andy Miah, Professor and Bioethicist at University of Salford, is our guest.
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