The UFC had promised the greatest card in its history, with US president Donald Trump (who will turn 80 on the day of ‘UFC: Freedom 250’) predicting “eight to nine” fights – all of them for world titles.
Left to right: Ilia Topuria, Alex Pereira, Sean O’Malley and Michael Chandler (Getty Images)
Instead, fans will get seven, six of which will feature US stars and two of which will be title bouts. Is the card good enough? Let’s grade the fights themselves, then the event on the whole.
Ilia Topuria vs Justin Gaethje
A title-unification fight in one of the UFC’s most-stacked divisions?! That sell makes it feel like a strong grade is incoming… but Gaethje is a heavy underdog here, with many fans expecting him to be knocked out by the unforgiving fists of Topuria. Of course, anything is possible in MMA, and in piecing up Paddy Pimblett for five rounds to collect the interim lightweight belt, Gaethje showed what he can do as an underdog. But Topuria is not Pimblett; he is a generational talent. Plus, Gaethje’s tendency to take huge risks and immense damage mean he’s tailor made for “El Matador” to add another highlight-reel KO to his unbeaten record.
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Furthermore, Gaethje isn’t even the second-best lightweight in the world; that’s Arman Tsarukyan, who even has a claim to being the UFC’s best 155lb-er. Then there’s Islam Makhachev, who left the division to win welterweight gold, but whom many fans wished to see paired with Topuria in a battle of the top two pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Given those options were out there, it’s hard to grade this main event too highly. Grade: C+
Ilia Topuria knocked out Charles Oliveira to win the vacant lightweight belt in June (Getty Images)
What works in this bout’s favour is that it’s interesting stylistically – Gane, a fleet-footed big man, against Pereira, a powerhouse moving up in weight – and marks Pereira’s long-awaited heavyweight debut. Furthermore, he could become the UFC’s first-ever three-weight champ (albeit with an interim belt), so there’s history on the line. Grade: B
Alex Pereira has given up the light-heavyweight title to chase heavyweight glory (Getty Images)
Sean O’Malley vs Aiemann Zahabi
As with Topuria and Pereira, US star O’Malley is one of the biggest names in the UFC and definitely should be fighting at this event. But against Zahabi? The Canadian is a more-than-competent opponent for ex-champ “Suga’ Sean” in this bantamweight clash, but O’Malley vs Cory Sandhagen was the obvious play here. That bout would’ve been an all-American contest between two sharpshooters, with real ramifications in the title picture. Or, you could have put O’Malley in a rematch with reigning champion Petr Yan, although Merab Dvalishvili claimed that Russian fighters were always unlikely to feature at the White House. Grade: C
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Fan favourite ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley meets an unexpected foe (Getty Images)
Mauricio Ruffy vs Michael Chandler
Chandler is a big American name who always delivers excitement, and after he was teased with the prospect of a Conor McGregor fight for three years, God knows he deserves a spot at the White House. But here, he should have been given that bout with McGregor, who was pining for a place at this event, and who said he’d gladly face Chandler – two years after a broken toe ruled the Irishman out of their planned match-up. Instead, Chandler will take on flashy Brazilian striker Ruffy.
The bout is sure to deliver fireworks, so we’ll give the UFC credit there, but the expectation is that “Iron Mike” will fall victim to the rising star. It just feels a bit unfair… That said, we do understand that the UFC is operating at a loss on this event, and hypothetically saving McGregor for International Fight Week in July makes more financial sense. Grade: B-
Michael Chandler was long linked to Conor McGregor (Getty Images)
Bo Nickal vs Kyle Daukaus
This is perhaps the flattest match-up on the card. Yes, it’s an all-American bout; and yes, it sees two exciting middleweight prospects square off. But fans have soured somewhat on wrestler-turned-power-puncher Nickal, while they respect but don’t care too much about Daukaus. The winner will edge towards the title picture at 185lb, but this is hardly the kind of big-stakes fight that we were promised for 14 June. Grade: C
Rising middleweight contender Bo Nickal (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Derrick Lewis vs Josh Hokit
A late addition in April, and a personal request by Trump, who watched from cageside as Hokit won an instant classic with Curtis Blaydes in Miami. Hokit has emerged as a controversial, rising star courtesy of his WWE-style promos, and he will take on one of Trump’s favourite fighters in Lewis. This could go either way: it could be a slugfest to match Hokit’s last outing, or it could be a cumbersome encounter; it is unlikely to be anything in between. In any case, it did get two extra American fighters on the card. Grade: C+
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Divisive American heavyweight Josh Hokit (Getty)
Diego Lopes vs Steve Garcia
Here are the positives: Lopes always excites, and the match-up makes divisional sense at 145lb. Lopes is aiming to bounce back from two title-fight losses in his last three fights, and the Brazilian’s opponent here is a rising contender who represents the US. Tick, tick, tick. But while our counter-point isn’t especially dynamic, it holds true: this one just doesn’t get the juices flowing enough for the White House fight card. Lopes vs Garcia? Come on, now… This was meant to be the greatest card in UFC history. Grade: C+
Diego Lopes is 0-2 in featherweight-title fights (Getty Images)
Overall event grade: C+. We can see what the UFC was trying to do. Seven fights is a smarter move than doing too many, especially given title bouts are scheduled for 25 minutes. And of the seven fights, six feature US stars, including big homegrown names in Gaethje, O’Malley and Chandler. What’s more, Topuria and Pereira are two of the UFC’s biggest stars regardless of nationality. But while we’ve praised the UFC for the good elements it’s bringing to the White House, it’s so difficult not to focus on what is lacking.
Above are clear examples of better match-ups, and that’s without even disregarding some of these fights altogether to mention totally different athletes. By usual standards, this would be an A grade card for the UFC – maybe an A+ at a push. But not for an event of this magnitude.
Over the weekend, both Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua returned to action in contrasting performances, and now former WBO cruiserweight world champion Johnny Nelson has provided a fresh prediction for Britain’s blockbuster heavyweight bout.
Fury fought for the second time this year in a low-profile meeting with 46-year-old Mariusz Wach in Pattaya, Thailand. In a relatively humdrum, slow-paced encounter, Fury won every round but it took him until the seventh to bring the contest to a close, as Wach retired in the corner.
Speaking with Sky Sports, Nelson admitted that the vulnerability shown by Joshua has convinced him to favour Fury in their eventual grudge match.
“I am an AJ fan, but I would have to lean towards Tyson Fury’s fluidity, his boxing ability. That vulnerability, from Anthony Joshua, getting caught by that sneaky little uppercut inside, then getting caught again and getting put against the ropes and getting a standing count from the referee – these are natural shots for Tyson Fury.
“When it comes to heart, determination, desire and want, I would put that in the corner of Anthony Joshua. But, on last night’s performance, and Friday night’s performance, I would have to lean towards Tyson Fury from what I have seen.”
It is believed that Fury-Joshua will take place in November, but the location is unknown, with New York City understood to be the current frontrunner – much to the frustration of British fight fans.
Continuing, Nelson went on to explain why he expects the event to be staged in the USA.
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“Of course, I think it has to take place in the U.K, I don’t think it will. I think they can make as much noise as they want, [saying] we want it to be here and that it’s about contracts any everything, but I think it’s going to be stateside because that is where the money is.
“That is the audience that they are trying to capture the attention of and that is where the paymaster realistically wants it, as well.”
Further details regarding Fury-Joshua are anticipated to be announced in the coming weeks, with the fight potentially set to be the career finale’s for both of the respective two-time heavyweight world champions.
Trainer Scott Singleton is embracing Sobek’s unbeaten streak and is eager to introduce the gelding to metropolitan racing this weekend.
Sobek is set to make his city debut at Rosehill’s season-opening meeting on Saturday. The promising four-year-old is nominated for two 1200-metre races: the $160,000 Benchmark 72 for three and four-year-olds, and the $120,000 Class 3 Highway Handicap, with Singleton leaning towards the latter.
He is aiming for his fourth consecutive win to start his career, following two victories at Scone this preparation and a maiden win at Taree in January. Singleton confessed he didn’t anticipate the gelding’s rapid rise through the grades.
“It wasn’t until a couple of weeks before his first trial that he actually started to show us anything at home and he’s just kept getting better as he’s gone along,” Singleton stated. “He’s had five trials and three starts and won everything, he hasn’t been beaten yet in a trial or a race, so obviously he knows how to win, which is a big tick for any horse.
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“I just feel like he’s strong enough and probably got enough race craft now to go down for a Highway and be pretty hard to beat.”
Sobek, who reaches four years of age on Saturday, is a son of Vinery stallion Headwater. His dam, Holy Empress, traces back to Holy One, a daughter of the Woodman mare Pure Grace, who was a half-sister to the former Bart Cummings-trained champion Saintly.
While Sobek’s three wins have been over 900 and 1000 metres, Singleton is confident the gelding will perform even better over 1200 metres. A dominant 4-1/2-length victory in a 1200m trial at Muswellbrook on July 15 gave the trainer confidence he was ready for the longer trip.
“Even though he’s won over 900 and 1000, I think he will be better over 1200,” Singleton explained. “I just wanted him to show us at the trials the other day that he’d be strong through the line over the 1200 and he was, he just kept galloping, so I’ll be going there confident that he’s in the right order.”
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Singleton has not mapped out a long-term campaign for Sobek, but admitted a strong showing on Saturday could prompt bigger ambitions.
“I’m just happy for him to tell us how he fits into the scheme of things,” he said. “I wouldn’t have him in front of another horse of mine, Lord Remlap, as a The Kosciuszko-type of horse, but I’m open to the fact he might surprise me again on the weekend.
“When they’re improving you don’t know where that improvement stops, do you?”
The $2 million The Kosciuszko, a 1200-metre race restricted to horses trained in regional New South Wales, will be run at Randwick on The Everest Day on October 17.
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Betting markets for the Highway Handicap at Rosehill are now open with top online bookmakers.
Glasgow hosts a slimmed-down version of the Commonwealth Games as athletes from 74 nations and territories compete for gold in the Scottish city.
Glasgow stepped in after the Australian state of Victoria backed out three years ago due to the cost of hosting the Games.
The 10-sport programme, including six Para sports, will feature athletics, gymnastics, cycling and swimming – and will take place across four Glasgow venues.
The 11,000-spectator Scotstoun Stadium will stage the athletics as well as the biggest home star of the Games, new mile world record holder Josh Kerr.
The Games will be shown live across TNT Sports and HBO Max, rather than on the BBC or terrestrial television.
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Here is a closer look at the full day-by-day schedule for the Games, including every session for every sport
Full day-by-day Commonwealth Games schedule (all times BST)
Day 6 (Tuesday 28 July 2026) – 27 gold medal events
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3×3 Basketball and 3×3 Wheelchair Basketball
Artistic Gymnastics
1pm-5:30pm – Men’s vault final 🥇, Women’s balance beam final 🥇, Men’s parallel bars final 🥇, Women’s floor exercise final 🥇, Men’s horizontal bar final 🥇
Track and Field
10am-12:30pm
6:30pm-10pm – Women’s high jump 🥇, Women’s hammer throw final 🥇, Men’s T20 long jump final 🥇, Men’s 10,000m final 🥇, Men’s 100m final 🥇, Women’s 100m final 🥇
Bowls and Para Bowls
8:30am-1:30pm – Para Mixed pairs B2-B3 gold medal final 🥇, Women’s pairs bronze medal final 🥉, Para Mixed pairs B2-B3 bronze medal final 🥉, Men’s singles gold medal final 🥇, Women’s pairs gold medal final 🥇, Men’s singles bronze medal final 🥉
3pm-9:55pm
Boxing
Netball
Swimming and Para Swimming
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10:30am-13:15pm
7pm-10:15pm – Men’s S13 50m freestyle final 🥇, Women’s S13 50m freestyle final 🥇, Men’s 100m freestyle final 🥇, Women’s 200m individual medley final 🥇, Men’s 400m individual medley final 🥇, Women’s 50m backstroke final 🥇, Men’s 200m breaststroke final 🥇, Women’s 50m breaststroke final 🥇, Women’s 800m freestyle timed final 🥇, Mixed 4 x 100m medley relay final 🥇
Day 7 (Wednesday 29 July 2026) – 26 gold medal events
3×3 Basketball and 3×3 Wheelchair Basketball
11:30am-3:30pm
6:30pm-9:30pm –Men’s bronze medal final 🥉,Women’s bronze medal final 🥉, Men’s wheelchair bronze medal final 🥉, Women’s wheelchair bronze medal final 🥉, Men’s wheelchair gold medal final 🥇, Women’s wheelchair gold medal final 🥇, Men’s gold medal final 🥇, Women’s gold medal final 🥇
Track and Field
10am-1pm
6:30pm-10pm – Women’s discus throw F42-44/61-64 final 🥇, Women’s 1500m T54 final 🥇, Men’s long jump final 🥇, Women’s shot put final 🥇, Men’s 100m T47 final 🥇, Men’s discus throw F42-44/61-64 final 🥇, Women’s heptathlon 800m – final 🥇, Women’s 3000m steeplechase final 🥇
Bowls and Para Bowls
Boxing
Netball
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Swimming and Para Swimming
10:30am-123:15pm
7pm-10pm – Men’s 100m backstroke 🥇, Women’s 200m breaststroke final 🥇, Men’s 200m freestyle final 🥇, Women’s 50m freestyle final 🥇, Men’s 50m butterfly final 🥇, Women’s S9 100m freestyle final 🥇, Men’s S7 50m freestyle final 🥇, Women’s 200m butterfly final 🥇, Men’s 1500m freestyle timed final 🥇, Women’s 4 x 100m medley relay final 🥇, Men’s 4 x 100m medley relay final 🥇
Day 8 (Thursday 30 July 2026) – 16 gold medal events
Track and Field
10am-1:30pm
6:30pm-10pm – Men’s shot put final 🥇, Women’s triple jump final 🥇, Women’s 100m T47 final 🥇, Men’s 100m T12 final 🥇, Women’s discus throw final 🥇, Women’s 5000m final 🥇, Women’s 100m hurdles final 🥇
Bowls and Para Bowls
Netball
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9am-12:30pm
2pm-5:30pm
7pm-10:30pm
Track Cycling and Para Track Cycling
10am-1pm
4pm-7pm – Women’s tandem B sprint final 🥇, Women’s 4000m team pursuit final 🥇, Women’s C4-5 4000m individual pursuit final 🥇, Men’s 4000m team pursuit final 🥇, Women’s team sprint final 🥇, Men’s team sprint final 🥇
Day 9 (Friday 31 July 2026) – 21 gold medal events
Track and Field
10am-1:45pm
6:30pm-10:15pm – Men’s 10,000m race walk final 🥇, Women’s pole vault final 🥇, Women’s long jump T38 final 🥇, Men’s javelin throw final 🥇, Women’s 800m final 🥇, Men’s decathlon 1500m – final 🥇, Women’s 400m hurdles final 🥇, Men’s 400m hurdles final 🥇, Men’s 200m final 🥇, Women’s 200m final 🥇
Bowls and Para Bowls
Boxing
10:30am-12:30pm
2:30pm-5pm
7pm-9:30pm
Judo
11am-2pm
4pm-6:45pm – Women’s -48kg final 🥇, Men’s -60kg final 🥇, Women’s -52kg final 🥇, Men’s -66kg final 🥇, Women’s -57kg final 🥇
Netball
Track Cycling and Para Track Cycling
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10am-3pm
4pm-8:15pm – Women’s 4000m individual pursuit final 🥇, Men’s C1-3 1000m time trial final 🥇, Women’s 10km scratch race final 🥇, Men’s 4000m individual pursuit final 🥇, Women’s sprint final 🥇, Men’s keirin final 🥇, Men’s elimination race final 🥇
Day 10 (Saturday 1 August 2026) – 44 gold medal events
Track and Field
10am-1:45pm – Men’s shot put F57 final 🥇, Men’s triple jump final 🥇, Men’s 1500m T54 final 🥇, Women’s 10,000m race walk final 🥇, Men’s discus throw final 🥇, Men’s 400m final 🥇, Women’s 400m final 🥇, Women’s 200m T38 final 🥇
6:30pm-10:30pm – Men’s pole vault final 🥇, Women’s long jump final 🥇, Women’s 400m T54 final 🥇, Women’s javelin throw final 🥇, Men’s 5000m final 🥇, Men’s 4 x 100m relay final 🥇, Women’s 4 x 100m relay final 🥇, Men’s 800m final 🥇, Men’s one mile final 🥇, Mixed 4 x 400m relay final 🥇, Women’s one mile final 🥇
Bowls and Para Bowls
Boxing
11am-2:30pm – Women’s bantamweight 54kg final 🥇, Men’s bantamweight 55kg final 🥇, Women’s featherweight 57kg final 🥇, Women’s welterweight 65kg final 🥇, Men’s welterweight 65kg final 🥇, Men’s light-middleweight 70kg final 🥇, Men’s heavyweight 90kg final 🥇
4:30pm-8pm – Women’s flyweight 51kg final 🥇, Women’s lightweight 60kg final 🥇, Men’s lightweight 60kg final 🥇, Women’s light-middleweight 70kg final 🥇, Women’s middleweight 75kg final 🥇, Men’s light-heavyweight 80kg final 🥇, Men’s super-heavyweight +90kg final 🥇
Judo
11am-2pm
4pm-6:45pm – Men’s -73kg final 🥇, Women’s -63kg final 🥇, Men’s -81kg final 🥇, Women’s -70kg final 🥇, Men’s -90kg final 🥇
Netball
Track Cycling and Para Track Cycling
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10am-1:30pm
3pm-7pm – Men’s tandem B sprint final 🥇, Women’s tandem B 1000m time trial final 🥇, Women’s 25km point race final 🥇, Women’s 1000m time trial final 🥇, Men’s sprint final 🥇, Men’s 10km scratch race final 🥇
Day 11 (Sunday 2 August 2026) – 15 gold medal events
Bowls and Para Bowls
9am-3:15pm –Men’s pairs bronze final 🥉, Para Men’s pairs B6-B8 bronze final 🥉, Women’s singles bronze final 🥉, Para Women’s pairs B6-B8 bronze final 🥉, Para Men’s pairs B6-B8 gold final 🥇, Para Women’s pairs B6-B8 gold final 🥇, Men’s pairs gold final 🥇, women’s singles gold final 🥇
Judo
10am-1pm
3pm-5:45pm – Women’s -78kg final 🥇, Men’s -100kg final 🥇, Women’s +78kg final 🥇, Men’s +100kg final 🥇
Netball
9am-11am – Bronze medal final 🥉
1pm-3pm – Gold medal final 🥇
Track Cycling and Para Track Cycling
9am-1pm – Men’s 1000m Time Trial Final 🥇
3pm-5:45pm – Women’s Elimination Race Final 🥇, Men’s C1-3 3000m individual pursuit final 🥇, Women’s keirin final 🥇, Women’s C4-5 1000m time trial final 🥇, Men’s 40km point race final 🥇
Former spinner Maninder Singh made a stunning claim, stating that he had predicted a decade ago that Shreyas Iyer would one day captain India across all formats. His remarks came after the recently concluded three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, where the Men in Blue completed a 3-0 clean sweep on Sunday, July 26. The triumph also marked India’s first series victory under Iyer’s leadership.
Speaking on the YouTube channel (@Vimalwa) for FANCODE, the 61-year-old said that Iyer always looked like a special player. He added that the Mumbai batter’s class convinced him that he was destined to captain India across all formats. Although that prediction did not fully materialise, Maninder noted that Iyer has now become India’s T20I captain and said he has high expectations from the 31-year-old. He said:
“He (Shreyas Iyer) is one cricketer about whom I made a prediction 10 years ago that he would one day captain India in every format. That was my assessment. Whenever I watched him play, I felt he had a different class altogether. He looked like a special kind of player.
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“That’s why I believed he would go on to captain India across all formats. It didn’t happen, but that’s alright. He has still become India’s T20I captain. I have very high expectations from him, and I have always been one of his biggest well-wishers,” he added.
So far, Iyer has captained India in 10 T20Is, registering three wins and six losses, while one match ended in no result.
How has Shreyas Iyer fared for India across formats?
Shreyas Iyer made his India debut in a T20I against New Zealand in Delhi in 2017. Since then, he has featured in 61 T20Is, scoring 1,415 runs at an average of 32.15 and a strike rate of 138.04, including 10 half-centuries.
In the ODI format, Iyer has amassed 3,136 runs from 82 matches at an average of 45.44 and a strike rate of 97.84. His tally includes 24 fifties and five centuries. He has also represented India in 14 Tests, accumulating 811 runs at an average of 36.86, with five half-centuries and one hundred to his name.
Man Utd wanted to make a few sales in the summer window, but they have only secured a decent fee for one departure.
Manchester United were hopeful of raising a decent sum through sales in the summer transfer window.
The potential sales of Rasmus Hojlund, Marcus Rashford, Andre Onana and Manuel Ugarte could have totted up to around £104million, but the window has been open for 42 days, and only Hojlund has been sold, bringing in £38m.
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Napoli’s obligation to sign the Dane was triggered when they secured qualification for the Champions League, whereas Barcelona had an option to sign Rashford, which they declined in favour of signing Anthony Gordon.
United wanted Barcelona to sign Rashford for the agreed £26m option fee. The sale would have been pure profit, as Rashford is an academy graduate, and would have removed his £325,000-per-week salary from the wage bill.
The Reds had to sell Andre Onana for around £20m to avoid making a PSR loss. Trabzonspor’s president confirmed his club wanted to sign Onana again after his loan, but they did not have the funds to finance a deal.
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The lack of interest in Onana forced United to settle for another loan deal to Trabzonspor, who have paid a small £1.3m loan fee. The Turkish club will also cover his wages for a second season.
There was a chance of selling Ugarte on a permanent transfer as well. It might have been tricky to offload him for £20m, but there was hope that a good showing at the World Cup from the midfielder would attract suitors.
Ugarte’s dream of playing at the World Cup turned into a nightmare when he was carried off the pitch on a stretcher during Uruguay’s clash with Spain. He looked distraught, pulling his shirt over his head as he left the pitch.
United did not confirm whether Ugarte injured his anterior cruciate or medial collateral ligament, but he described his injury as “the most serious injury a footballer can face” on social media, suggesting it was his ACL.
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Ugarte underwent surgery earlier this month, meaning he will be out for most of the campaign. He needed a fresh start, a clean slate abroad after a difficult spell in England, but the injury has denied him the chance of a transfer.
There is now a black hole in the accounts, which obviously isn’t good news for further incomings. While United still have a lot of scope to spend in the remainder of the window, sales would have put the club in an even better position.
The Reds may have been willing to overpay for a dream target, like Aurelien Tchouameni, if they’d managed to bank another £66m with those three sales.
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Tchouameni could still be a United player by the end of the transfer window, but speaking to a United source across the weekend in Trondheim, they were adamant that a deal for the Frenchman isn’t currently realistic due to the cost involved.
The 26-year-old is a dream signing for United, and they would make an offer if they received the right signals from Real Madrid on price, but how much they would want remains to be seen, as does whether they are willing to sell at all.
United need to improve their selling record to help buy the best players on the market. It’s an area in which the club has struggled over the last 10 years, rarely making a profit on players they sell.
Last summer’s transfers suggested the penny may have finally dropped when it comes to making signings. United conducted smart business, but the next challenge is to improve the club’s selling record.
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United’s board has already taken the first steps toward doing so by refusing to be soft touches in the market, and no longer panic-buying. Although it will take time to change the perception of United, the process is under way.
It will take time to see the benefits from the change of tactic. But it’s better late than never.
Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus and Serbiaís Novak Djokovic play mixed-doubles together during a charity event on Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on January 11, 2024 ahead of the Australian Open tennis championship starting on January 14. (Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP)
NEW YORK — Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic headline the initial list of 16 teams entered into the US Open mixed doubles championship.
The tournament was overhauled last year, with a $1 million prize going to the winners, in an effort to get top singles players to compete. Many of those types of stars were listed among the teams announced Monday by the U.S. Tennis Association.
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Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud, the runners-up in 2025, are entered again, along with Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz, the Japanese duo of Naomi Osaka and Kei Nishikori, and Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper.
The main draw will be played over two days on Aug. 25-26, with all the matches set to be held in Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium, the two biggest venues at the U.S. Open, and televised on ESPN’s properties.
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Teams can enter up until Aug. 17, when the six duos with the best combined singles rankings at the time will be automatically entered into the main draw. That means Sabalenka, the two-time defending U.S. Open women’s champion, and Djokovic, still ranked No. 5 on the men’s tour at age 39, will be safely into the field.
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Eight teams will be given wild cards by the USTA, and two other teams will play their way into the field through a qualifying tournament to be held Aug. 24.
The remainder of the teams that were entered as of Monday:
Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev, Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli, Diana Shnaider and Daniil Medvedev, Amanda Anisimova and Learner Tien, Alex Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime, Leylah Fernandez and Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Townsend and Alexander Zverev, Elena-Gabriela Ruse and Nuno Borges, Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten, and siblings Peyton Stearns and Preston Stearns.
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Errani and Vavassori are the two-time defending US Open champions. The Italians needed a wild card to get into last year’s event because their singles ranking was too low, and that will be the case again this year.
The US Open was initially criticized last year because the format of the event shut out doubles specialists such as Errani and Vavassori, but the tournament certainly seemed a success, helping draw 78,000 fans to the grounds and selling out Ashe both days.
“Any time you can bring women and men together on the same team, you showcase tennis at its best. This is exactly what the mixed doubles championship does,” USTA CEO Craig Tiley said in a statement.
“The mixed doubles championship is an innovation that will engage new audiences and give our fans another opportunity to see the biggest stars compete together.”
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Errani and Vavassori were the only traditional doubles team in last year’s tournament. There is a chance for more this year — Siniakova and Patten are doubles specialists — with the addition of the eight-team qualifying tournament, which will include six direct entries and two wild cards.
The format will be best-of-three-set matches with sets to four games, tiebreakers at 4-all and a 10-point match tiebreak instead of a third set, through the semifinals. The final will be standard scoring with sets to six games and a tiebreaker at 6-all, and a 10-point match tiebreaker if necessary.
Jul 27, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels second baseman Vaughn Grissom (5) hits a home run during the third inning against the Houston Astros at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images
LaMonte Wade Jr. drove in the go-ahead run with a bases-loaded walk during a four-run ninth inning as the Houston Astros rallied for a 6-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday in Anaheim, Calif.
The decisive rally featured just one hit, a single that did not knock in a run.
Taylor Trammell homered, walked twice, was hit by a pitch and scored twice as Houston took the opener of a three-game series, its sixth win in seven games. The Astros trailed 4-0 after three innings.
Astros reliever Cristian Javier (1-1) allowed three hits and no walks over five shutout innings, striking out seven. Josh Hader pitched around two walks in the bottom of the ninth to pick up his 13th save.
Vaughn Grissom went 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs for Los Angeles, which lost for the ninth time this season when leading after eight innings. Jose Fermin (3-2) was charged with three runs, one earned, while recording only one out.
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Houston trailed 4-2 entering the ninth. Trammell was hit by a pitch to open the inning, advanced to second on a passed ball and went to third on a single by Christian Walker. Lucas Spence then hit a potential double-play grounder that bounced past Grissom at second, allowing Trammell to score.
It looked as if the Angels might get out of the jam when Christian Vazquez popped out on a bunt and pinch runner Nick Allen was thrown out at the plate on Jeremy Pena’s grounder to third. However, after Yordan Alvarez was intentionally walked to load the bases, reliever Sam Bachman hit Isaac Paredes with a pitch to force in the tying run, then walked Wade to make it 5-4.
Bachman subsequently mishandled Jose Altuve’s comebacker, allowing Alvarez to score.
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Los Angeles took a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Astros starter Tatsuya Imai walked Zach Neto and Mike Trout to begin the frame, and both runners advanced on a balk. Nolan Schanuel drove in Neto with a sacrifice fly as Trout tagged and advanced to third. After Jorge Soler walked, Grissom singled to drive in Trout.
The Angels extended the lead to 4-0 in the third inning on Grissom’s seventh homer, a 395-foot drive to left-center, and Jo Adell’s RBI bloop double down the right field line.
Houston cut the gap to 4-1 in the fourth inning on Trammell’s fifth home run, a 412-foot shot into the bleachers in right-center.
The Astros closed within 4-2 in the eighth inning when Pena led off with a double into the left field corner and scored on a single by Alvarez, his American League-leading 78th RBI.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 11: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts during the fourth quarter against the against the Oklahoma City Thunder Game Four of the Second Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena on May 11, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)
The Philadelphia 76ers have officially announced the signing of NBA legend LeBron James, confirming that he will wear the famous No. 23 jersey.
The club shared a photo on social media showing James’ blue No. 23 shirt hanging in his locker, alongside a crown in honour of his “King James” nickname.
76ers managing partner Josh Harris welcomed the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player and said he was excited to see James play alongside Jaylen Brown, VJ Edgecombe, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey as the team aims to win the NBA title.
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James, 41, revealed last Friday that he had chosen to join the 76ers. He said he believes he can help the team become champions.
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer is now hoping to make history by becoming the first player to win NBA championships with four different teams. He has already won two titles with the Miami Heat and one each with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Lakers.
James spent the last eight seasons with the Lakers, leading them to the 2020 NBA championship. Before that, he had two spells with the Cavaliers and also played four seasons with the Heat.
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Philadelphia have not won an NBA championship in 43 years, and the arrival of James is expected to boost their hopes of ending that long wait.
Sixers President of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey described James as one of the greatest players in basketball history and said his impact on the club would be enormous.
Owner Behdad Eghbali said Chelsea would “tweak” their model and add experience to what he still believes is a strong core of young players, including Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo and Levi Colwill.
Welbeck joining Chelsea would be another sign of a shift in strategy.
Their move for him follows attempts to sign 33-year-old midfielder Granit Xhaka from Sunderland, with the Black Cats refusing to sell the Switzerland captain.
Although the arrival of Rogers, 23, fits the club’s preferred policy of signing younger players, he brings significant Premier League experience.
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The Blues are also expected to complete a £52m move for Lacroix, 26 – further Premier League-ready experience.
It is clear that Welbeck’s arrival would leave Chelsea with an abundance of attacking options for a season when they are not involved in European competition so do not necessarily need such resources.
At his age, Welbeck may be content to provide cover for Joao Pedro, but the move would represent bad news for several other forwards.
Nicolas Jackson is open to leaving, while Delap and Emmanuel Emegha had hoped to establish themselves under Alonso.
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Nevertheless, the Chelsea manager is getting what he wants: experience and strong personalities to address shortcomings that contributed to the team’s 10th-place finish in the Premier League last season.
On Sunday at the 2026 ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open, longtime pro Jenny Shin did something she hadn’t done in over 10 years: she won.
However, just like her decade-long drought, Sunday’s win didn’t come easy. She fought off a three-bogey stretch and a charging A Lim Kim to shoot 75 and win by two shots.
“I feel like I’ve done everything wrong, just wasn’t hitting it like I was the last three days and was hitting it into bunkers, bushes, and it wasn’t fun. With the three bogeys in a row, I thought, ‘Oh, boy, I don’t know where this is going to go?’” Shin said immediately after her round. “But yeah, I hung in there and so I’m quite proud of myself. Very happy.”
Shin’s only other victory came back in May of 2016 at the Volunteers of America Texas Shootout. In the years following her first win, Shin experienced a loss of motivation and considered quitting pro golf.
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But her entire perspective was shaken during a long layoff amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a shift that eventually led to her victory on Sunday.
Jenny Shin after Women’s Scottish Open win: ‘COVID really turned around my entire life’
Shin’s public golf career began at a very young age. In 2006, at just 13 years old, Shin became the youngest winner of the U.S. Girls’ Junior, and by 2010 she had turned pro, quickly earning her LPGA Tour card by 2011.
When she captured her first LPGA victory at the 2016 Volunteers of America Texas Shootout, the future looked bright for Shin, who was only 23 at the time.
Instead, years of struggles followed, during which Shin searched for motivation and questioned her identity as a pro golfer.
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“I had a pretty rough patch in my career. This is my 16th and from Year 8 to probably 12, I really struggled out here. I didn’t know what my goal was or motivation,” Shin explained Sunday night. “So I spent a lot of my prime years searching for who I am. And I don’t regret spending that time at all but I learned a lot about who I am and what I want.”
Once the pandemic struck, though, everything changed. The experience helped her rediscover a “spark” and a newfound “love” for the game of golf.
“And COVID really turned around my entire life. I feel like the last four years, I’ve kind of found a spark again to really love — because I’ve always loved golf. It’s just this job is so hard. This is such a difficult job. And to find love and to continue to love this job is incredibly difficult,” Shin said. “So I found that spark after COVID, and I’m really glad I did because my No. 1 goal was to win again. I’m going to do everything I can to win again.”
Mission accomplished.
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“I can’t believe — I can’t believe it happened this week,” Shin added.
Jenny Shin on love for competition: ‘We’re all lunatics out here, and I’m one of them’
When reporters pressed Shin for specifics on her COVID-era revelation about her golf career, she said she spent a lot of time early in the pandemic wasting time on Instagram and doing “lots of weird stuff” as she experienced joblessness for the first time.
“Everything and nothing. I was doing drunken lives on Instagram. I was doing really weird stuff. But I think being jobless for six months really kind of gave me an idea what it’s like to not golf professionally,” Shin explained.
That period of being unable to play pro golf became “a turning point” in her career.
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“Because I still golfed every day, but, yeah, it sucked not being able to do what I’m really good at. That was a very important — like a turning point in my life,” she said.
As for what she missed most about pro golf during COVID, Shin said it was the “competition,” calling herself an adrenaline “junky.”
“I kept looking at the leaderboard and I hate being chased but at the same time, I think I love adrenaline. I’m definitely a junky. So I just love competing,” Shin said. “Just the whole, you know, the mental width that I had with [Pajaree Anannarukarn], as well. She was making a bunch of birdies and I was making bogeys and I could feel her breath right next to me. It was fun. That was exhilarating.”
She concluded: “So yeah, we’re all lunatics out here, and I’m one of them.”
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