MASON, OHIO – AUGUST 15: Thiago Agustin Tirante of Argentina celebrates his win against Novak Djokovic of Serbia during day 5 of the Cincinnati Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center on August 15, 2026 in Mason, Ohio. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Thiago Agustín Tirante has pulled off the biggest win of his career, stunning Novak Djokovic 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the second round of the Cincinnati Open.
The 25-year-old Argentine looked in trouble after Djokovic comfortably took the opening set, but Tirante stayed in the match and turned things around.
Djokovic began struggling with the heat and humidity early in the second set and needed medical attention after that. Tirante remained composed and eventually broke the Serbian at 4-4 in the deciding set before serving out the biggest victory of his career.
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For Tirante, beating Djokovic was clearly an emotional moment. The Argentine had never faced the 24-time Grand Slam champion before, and he struggled to hide his disbelief after the match.
“He is the GOAT of tennis. You say tennis and immediately Novak comes to mind.”
Tirante also spoke about what the victory meant to him and the people supporting him from Argentina.
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“I’m thinking about my family and my friends who are in Argentina right now. They are in Argentina, but they are in my heart as well.”
The victory is Tirante’s fourth win against a Top-10 player and puts him into the third round in Cincinnati, where he will face Spain’s Martín Landaluce.
Pakistan’s 1-4 defeat to England in their opening Pool D match at the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2026 was compounded by an embarrassing moment involving captain Abu Bakar Mahmood, who was shown a green card after his team failed to produce the required protective gear for a penalty corner.The bizarre incident in the 17th minute, shortly after England had taken a 1-0 lead, left former Pakistan captain Salman Akbar stunned. According to Akbar, Pakistan had forgotten the penalty-corner protective equipment in the changing room, forcing a player to sprint back to retrieve it.The delay resulted in Abu Bakar being shown a green card and spending two minutes on the sidelines. For Akbar, the incident reflected a deeper problem with preparation and organisation at the highest level of the sport.“Wow. Another unwanted record from Pakistan hockey. In the opening match of the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 against England, Pakistan reportedly forgot the penalty corner protective gear in the changing room. As a result, the captain received the green card,” Akbar wrote on X.
‘Simply cannot happen on biggest stage’
Akbar was particularly critical of the fact that such an error occurred during a World Cup match, arguing that preparation extends well beyond tactics and physical fitness.“Forgetting essential protective equipment for penalty corners simply cannot happen on the biggest stage of international hockey. Preparation is not just about tactics, fitness and skills. It is also about discipline and organisation,” the former captain wrote.He added: “The World Cup demands the highest level of professionalism. Unfortunately, moments like this raise serious questions about how prepared we really are for the big stage.”The incident came during a difficult outing for Pakistan, who eventually lost 1-4 to England. The defeat leaves them needing a strong response in their remaining Pool D matches, with India also part of the group.
The Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final takes place tonight in Rabat, with Malawi facing Cameroon in a historic showdown. Speaking to FRANCE 24, sports journalist Charlotte Richardson discussed the growing popularity of women’s sport, but also the persistent gaps in media coverage, funding and infrastructure compared with men’s competitions. She also highlighted the WAFCON’s last-minute postponement earlier this year, saying such a decision would be unthinkable in men’s football.
East Bengal vs Indian Army FT Live Streaming Durand Cup Quarterfinal: East Bengal take on Indian Army FT in the second quarter-final of the Durand Cup 2026 at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. Fresh from a 4-1 comeback win over Kuwait’s Al Arabi in the AFC Champions League qualifiers, Antonio Lopez Habas’ men are eyeing a place in the semi-finals of the oldest existing club football tournament in Asia. East Bengal finished second in Group A behind city rivals Mohun Bagan Super Giant, losing 0-1 to the Mariners in the opening Kolkata derby before responding with emphatic wins over CISF Protectors (8-0) and South United FC (5-0).
When will the East Bengal FT vs Indian Army Durand Cup Quarterfinal will be played?
The East Bengal FT vs Indian Army Durand Cup Quarterfinal will be played on Sunday, August 16.
Where will the East Bengal FT vs Indian Army Durand Cup Quarterfinal be played?
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The East Bengal FT vs Indian Army Durand Cup Quarterfinal will be played at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.
What time will the East Bengal FT vs Indian Army Durand Cup Quarterfinal start?
The East Bengal FT vs Indian Army Durand Cup Quarterfinal will start at 7 PM IST.
Which TV channels will telecast the East Bengal FT vs Indian Army Durand Cup Quarterfinal?
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The East Bengal FT vs Indian Army Durand Cup Quarterfinal will be telecast live on Sony Sports Network.
Where to follow the live streaming of the East Bengal FT vs Indian Army Durand Cup Quarterfinal?
The East Bengal FT vs Indian Army Durand Cup Quarterfinal will be streamed live on SonyLiv website and App.
(All the details are as per the information provided by the broadcaster)
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“Winning World Cup Most Beautiful thing”: Golden Ball Winner Rodri
Patrick Dorgu, meanwhile, has looked more comfortable on the left wing, while two other options in that position, Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazzrorui, are more right-backs. Harry Amass is another possibility for Michael Carrick, but is untested at the highest level.
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Newcastle star Lewis Hall has been heavily linked with a summer switch to Old Trafford in United’s search for left-back reinforcements. The 21-year-old is seen as the perfect age and already has good Premier League experience.
But a move to M16 is unlikely for now after the Magpies sold several key players this summer, including Bruno Guimaraes, Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali. It means the Reds will have to explore other options with just over two weeks left before the transfer window slams shut.
One name being mentioned is Seys.The Sun have recently claimed that United, Arsenal. Aston Villa and Newcastle are keen on signing the Belgian international this summer. It is said that the Reds also face competition from Portuguese giants Benfica and Porto, should they move to sign the £30million rated full-back.
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And Leko has now opened up on the young star’s future in an interview ahead of Brugge’s 3-0 win over Oud-Heverlee Leuven on Saturday.
He said: “I’m proud that my guys are being linked to those clubs. We chat about it every now and then.
“How much of those rumours is true? I don’t know. But we all have eyes in our heads: their potential is incredible.
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“On the other hand, they remain consummate professionals and are happy here. The focus is entirely on OHL.”
Leko previously claimed Seys was destined to play at the top of the Premier League and believes there is a chance he will move on before deadline day. The defender has three years remaining on his current contract.
He added: “If there’s a lot of money on the table, it’s obviously not easy to say no. The board’s aim is still to build a team that’s even better than last season.
“The right time to leave will come. Tzolis has proved that. Let’s hope they’re all still here in September.”
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It has recently been claimed that Carrick’s side, Arsenal and Villa have all enquired about the Brugge star following extensive scouting missions.
And Reds scouts will have been impressed by his attacking talent. Seys has scored seven goals and provided eight assists in 98 appearances for Brugge and was called up to Belgium’s World Cup squad this summer – playing 30 minutes against eventual champions Spain.
United have until 5pm on September 3 to make any new additions to their squad this summer. The Reds have so far signed Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Karl Darlow ahead of their Premier League opener at Hull City on August 22.
After winning her first title in almost a year, Iga Świątek has opened up about the pressure and criticism she faced during a difficult 2026 season.
Świątek ended her 11-month wait for a title by beating Elena Rybakina 6-2, 6-3 in the Canadian Open final in Toronto. It was also her first title since beginning her partnership with new coach Francisco Roig.
Świątek celebrated with visible anger, screaming towards her team and pumping her fist after the win. She later explained that some of that emotion came from anger and criticism she had experienced during the difficult periods of her season, particularly from media and fans in Poland.
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“After I won, I kind of let myself feel it [anger] a little bit because there are plenty of things that athletes, not only athletes, all the people have to struggle with. Sometimes we need to fight things that we shouldn’t.”
The 25-year-old has faced intense scrutiny this season. She had been criticised for her results, and people had questioned her team and decisions. She said that judgment had affected not only her but also the people around her.
“There is unfair judgment from different parts coming to us, and we need to handle it. For sure, last month I faced it, my team faced it.”
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Rather than allowing the criticism to change her, Świątek said she wanted to stay focused on her own decisions and development.
“My goal was for it to not interrupt my process and define who I am. Being sure about my decisions, not letting this disrupt anything and focus on growing.”
She also said she hopes her experience can help other athletes dealing with similar pressure.
“It shouldn’t be like that so I took yesterday’s opportunity to just talk about it a little bit more even if it helps one person, or one young athlete knows that we all try to do something with it, maybe it will help a little bit.”
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Despite everything surrounding the victory, Świątek knows she cannot spend too long celebrating. She travelled to Cincinnati shortly after winning in Toronto, but said she still wanted to appreciate what she had achieved.
“I’ll find my time to appreciate what happened and to be grateful about it, for sure. Because without it, it doesn’t make sense to keep going. You need to get a taste of these moments and remember them.”
Great Britain’s Charlotte Fry retains her Grand Prix Freestyle title in Aachen, Germany – becoming the first rider in the history of the FEI World Championships to win both individual dressage titles back-to-back.
Abbie Donnelly hailed an ‘out-of-body experience’ after becoming the first British woman to win a European Championship marathon medal – six weeks before her PhD is due for completion.
Donnelly mastered the undulating eight-lap route around Birmingham city centre to land a breakthrough bronze in 2:27.33.
Britain have not troubled the individual marathon podium at this competition since Ian Thompson won men’s gold in 1974 while Donnelly’s performance also helped the host nation win team gold.
“I can’t believe it,” Donnelly said. “It was such an exciting race, it was just about managing the pace, being cautious in the early surges and just staying strong.
“Even in the last lap then I wasn’t sure (about a medal), it was probably only on the last 200 metres. I thought ‘it could happen’, I still wasn’t certain though.
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“It was an optimistic goal coming in. I had a bit of hamstring trouble in April so my block has been a bit different to normal, which probably wasn’t a bad thing. It’s easy to be a bit overcooked so if anything I maybe timed it just right.”
The 29-year-old, who hails from Lincoln, is a five-time medallist at the European Cross Country Championships and helped Britain’s women win half marathon team gold at this event in Rome two years ago.
Her morning build-up here was not ideal as she realised on her to the start line that she was wearing shoes of two different sizes, requiring a hurried change prior to the race getting underway.
But performing in front of a home crowd in the second city proved crucial to helping Donnelly find the required power in her legs to navigate the relentless ups and downs of the course.
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Britain had not had an athlete on the European marathon podium since 1974 and no woman had ever won a medal prior to Donnelly (Reuters)
“It was a lot better than I was expecting because there was a lot going on in terms of race tactics, so it was quite nice knowing what was coming,” she said.
“It got tough with about three laps to go because you know the hills by that point so you know exactly where the hard points are. It was a proper rollercoaster.
“They (the crowd) got me to the end. I had a bit of an out-of-body experience and was just being screamed at, which I love. They definitely got me through to the finish.”
There is no rest for the wicked and Donnelly will now throw herself straight back into her studies as another finish line looms into view.
The Loughborough University history graduate is researching a PhD entitled ‘Popular Imperialism in the Provinces, 1851-1914’ across Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire.
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“It’s due in six weeks, so this event did not come at a well-timed place in the year,” she joked.
“I might give myself tomorrow, then I have a lot of writing to do. If my supervisor is reading this, then I’m sorry – I will finish it!”
Natasha Wilson finished fifth, with Rose Harvey 14th, to secure the team gold, awarded based on each nation’s best three finishers.
Novuna is the Official Finance Partner of British Athletics and proud sponsor of the GB & NI Athletics Team. From everyday goals to world-class dreams, Novuna backs the ambition of millions across the UK — from supporting British businesses and individuals’ plans, to powering British Athletics on the global stage. Find out more at www.novuna.co.uk
Aug 11, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Dylan Cease (84) adjusts his hat the during the second inning against the Boston Red Sox at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
Cy Young Award candidate Dylan Cease will aim to help the host Toronto Blue Jays complete a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees on Sunday afternoon.
Toronto followed a 3-1 win on Friday with a 4-1 decision Saturday to clinch a series victory.
Cease (7-5, 2.40 ERA) will provide a challenge for the Yankees, who are batting .203 since the All-Star break.
The right-hander has a good chance to improve Toronto’s position in the crowded race for the third wild card in the American League — the Jays are only a half-game out — while enhancing his credentials for the AL Cy Young Award.
The Yankees can look to the past for some encouragement. Cease sports just a 1-3 record with a 5.84 ERA against them in seven career appearances (all starts), including a 1-0 record with a 9.00 ERA in one outing this season.
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The Yankees will start Ryan Weathers (5-7, 3.69 ERA), who has had problems with the Blue Jays. The left-hander is 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA in three career starts against them, including two this season in which he is 0-1 with a 10.24 ERA.
The Yankees were held to four hits by seven Toronto pitchers on Saturday. Their run came in the second inning against Ricky Tiedemann, who made his major league debut.
“Maybe shake up the order a little bit here and there,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
New York’s Cy Young candidate, Cam Schlittler, was the victim of a lack of run support. He allowed one run in 5 1/3 innings in a no-decision.
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The Yankees’ base running was questionable at best. George Lombard Jr. failed to slide into second base to avoid the tag on the second half of a double play after the out was recorded at first. Also, Heliot Ramos did not run hard to first base on a bobbled sixth-inning groundout.
Most troubling was the team’s two singles after the second inning.
“Broken record,” Boone said. “Obviously, we know we’ve got to be better. This is who we’ve got. These are our guys, and I continue to believe wholeheartedly, looking at these names, all capable of doing really big things for us. But we’ve got to go do it. We can talk all about that, but we’ve got to go make it happen.”
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Toronto opened a seven-game homestand by winning three of four games from the Boston Red Sox this week.
“I like the fact that we’ve won the last two series at home against division opponents,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “There’s still a whole lot of baseball to go, and there’s so much action going on with five or six teams. Just keep the foot on the gas and keep trying to stack wins.”
Toronto is without struggling first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who went on the seven-day concussion injured list Saturday after a collision at third base on Friday.
Charles McAdoo played at first base for the Blue Jays on Saturday. He doubled in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning, then added an RBI single in the eighth.
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“We like his profile,” Schneider said. “He can play anywhere on the corners, in the outfield, and he’s got a lot of energy.”
Pinch hitter Ernie Clement singled to start the seventh and scored on McAdoo’s hit.
“It’s going to take everybody,” Schneider said. “You’re trying to create some traffic and get the big hit. (It is) how this roster is built, guys knowing when they’re going to be in there, knowing what they’re going to be asked to do and then not trying to do anything other than that.”
The Canadian senior men’s national flag football team punched its ticket to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics on Sunday, securing a historic berth with a 34-26 victory over Mexico in the bronze-medal game at the IFAF Flag Football World Championships in Düsseldorf, Germany.
The result gives Canada one of the six spots in the men’s Olympic flag football tournament, which will make its debut in Los Angeles.
Canada entered the tournament knowing there was little room for error. With the United States already qualified as the host nation, the top two remaining men’s teams at the world championship would earn Olympic berths.
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The Canadians came up just short of the championship game, falling to Italy in the semifinal on Saturday. That left Canada’s Olympic hopes resting on Sunday’s bronze-medal matchup against No. 3-ranked Mexico.
Longtime CFL coach Paul LaPolice was named head coach of the men’s national team in 2025, bringing more than two decades of professional coaching experience to the program.
The 2026 team was assembled through a national identification and selection process before the final 12-player roster was announced in July. The athletes represented the culmination of months of evaluation, training camps and preparation for the World Championship.
The Canadian women have already secured their own Olympic berth on Saturday, meaning both Canadian senior national teams will compete in the sport’s Olympic debut.
Yes, we’re serious. James’ first YouTube video is live as of 10 a.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 14, kicking off a golf-centric channel chronicling the journey of new obsessive.
In some ways, James’ debut video echoes any other buddies’ trip: it’s an epic reunion of old friends in an epic new place, in this case Castle Stuart in Scotland. The difference between his buddies’ trip and yours, though, is that this is a reunion of the 2016 NBA Champion Cleveland Cavaliers. Their collective presence is a reminder of James’ basketball greatness — you’ll recall that 2016 team came back from 3-1 down in the finals to upset the Golden State Warriors — but their chosen reunion activity is a reminder of their shifting priorities: It’s golf season all the time now.
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The video, which features James alongside former teammates Kevin Love, J.R. Smith, Richard Jefferson, Tristan Thompson and Channing Frye, was released on James’ inactive-until-now personal YouTube channel, @LeBron. The plan for the channel, per James’ team, is a golf-themed video to be released every month, showcasing James’ journey with the sport, a mix of golf talk, competition, off-course adventure, local culture, food, wine and more.
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So — why do this now? James just signed with the Philadelphia 76ers and is gearing up for his 24th NBA season. He’s an all-time great putting the finishing touches on an unparalleled career. Why put himself through the wringer, publicly, in a secondary sport where he’s a beginner?
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I briefly exchanged messages with James, who was gearing up for a trip but wrote there was “so much” that he’s grown to love about golf.
“It’s unbelievably challenging, but it’s also an escape. It brings me a sense of calm while also fulfilling my drive for competition. I’m just mad it took me 40 years to find it,” he said.
It wasn’t until I checked his Instagram on Friday that I learned his trip’s destination: Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. (He posted a photo from No. 3 at Bandon Trails.)
As for what he hopes people will take away from his channel?
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“I hope people will come along for the ride and just feel the sense of joy and all the fun we’re having out there,” he said. “This is about my journey of falling in love with golf and you’ll see the good, the bad and the ugly. It’s a steep learning curve, but I’m loving every bit of it.”
THERE WERE PLENTY OF SIGNS that this was coming.
There was James live-tweeting Tommy Fleetwood’s run at the Tour Championship, his first victory, last August.
What a start so far by Fleetwood! Feels like to day is the day
There was the way he reeled off YouTube’s main characters — the Bryan Bros, Grant Horvat, Bryson DeChambeau, etc. — like they were his teammates. There was ample evidence that he watched last year’s Internet Invitational. And when he made his YouTube Golf debut alongside Robby Berger and the Bob Does Sports crew, he greeted each member of the crew by name. He knows this world already.
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James isn’t pretending he’s a pro; he just started playing last year, and at last check he estimated his handicap in the 20s. But it’s clear from this first video — like his yelling “pace of play!” at his teammates as he hustles them off the tee — that he’s already picked up on plenty of golf culture.
Berger, who says he regularly corresponded with James about his videos, couldn’t believe how down-to-earth he was when they played that first time.
“He really is probably the most criticized, speculated athlete I think of our time,” Berger said. “A lot of people are either on one side or the other with him. But he’s a family guy and he’s a big kid. He just loves to have fun. He loves to mess around. He’s a huge jokester.”
That’s likely the side of him James would love the public to see, too.
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JAMES’ MOVE TO YOUTUBE IS FUN. BUT IT’S ALSO the collision of several broader trends.
There’s the ongoing golf boom. James is hardly the only person new to the game; golf participation keeps setting new all-time records, breaking those records and then breaking them again continuing an upward trend that began in 2020.
There’s a wave of top athletes all obsessed with golf. Think Mike Trout or Carlos Alcaraz or Josh Allen or Lando Norris or Caitlin Clark or Harry Kane or dozens and dozens of others, not to mention the retired greats — Roger Federer, Tom Brady, any ex-NHL player anywhere — who have caught the bug.
There’s been a trend towards golf on YouTube; over the last several years James’ new peer group has been racking up millions and millions of views and stacking up subscribers. This is big business.
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There’s also a trend of athletes continuing to own and expand their media presences, even while still active; this is the era of the player podcast — James has been there, done that — and this feels like an extension of the same idea.
We have seen active pro golfers build out their YouTube pages, like DeChambeau, Tommy Fleetwood, Jason Day, Padraig Harrington and more.
We’ve also seen pro athletes dip their toes in the YouTube Golf world, like the NFL quarterback scramble or Tom Brady taking on Morgan Wallen.
But we haven’t seen an athlete in LeBron’s tier of celebrity (are there any?) take this deep a plunge until now.
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The good news is he won’t have any trouble finding help.
“He’s the most unbelievably gifted athlete … but it doesn’t look like it when he’s on the golf course,” said Rory McIlroy with a laugh. “I’d love to give him a lesson.”
Perhaps a sign of things to come.
THERE IS, IT SHOULD BE SAID, a timeless quality to James’ obsession, too.
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There’s nothing new about athletes playing golf. Just ask Babe Ruth or Ty Cobb. (As Ruth told a New York reporter in the late 1930s, “I played 365 rounds last year. Thank God for whoever invented golf.”)
More to the point, ask Michael Jordan. James passed Jordan on the all-time points list back in 2019. It’s unlikely he’ll ever catch Jordan, an all-time golf obsessive, in total holes played.
On the other hand, as of Saturday, James has passed Jordan — and Ruth, for that matter — in YouTube subscribers.
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