Alex Eala of the Philippines leaves the court after her loss to Karolina Muchova of Czechia on Day 7 of the Miami Open Presented by Itau at Hard Rock Stadium on March 23, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP

MANILA, Philippines–Alex Eala lost her first grass court match this season at the Birmingham Open doubles round of 16 on Monday (Manila time) in England.

Eala and Nikola Bartunkova fell to home bets and tournament second seeds Harriet Dart and Maia Lumsden, 4-6, 6-2, 9-11.

READ: Alex Eala opens grass campaign vs Priscilla Hon at Birmingham Open

The Filipino-Czech duo jumped out the gates and led 4-0 in the opening set, but failed to sustain its strong start.

Eala and Bartunkova regained their groove in the second, where they zoomed to a 5-2 lead and forced a 10-point tiebreak.

Dart and Lumsen, seeded second in the tournament, came back from an 8-9 deficit to outlast Eala and Bartunkova in the thrilling tiebreak.

READ: Alex Eala proud of progress despite early French Open exit

Eala will make her singles debut in Birmingham this season as the top seed on Tuesday against Australia’s Priscilla Hon in the round of 32.

The 21-year-old Eala, ranked 37th in the world, split her first two meetings against Hon.

India’s wrestling contingent for the Asian Games 2026 has taken shape after a series of national trials held over the weekend, with several established stars securing their places alongside a number of emerging talents.

Olympic bronze medallist Aman Sehrawat and former world U20 champion Antim Panghal headlined the selections after winning their respective categories.

The trials, conducted across all 18 Olympic weight divisions in men’s freestyle, women’s wrestling and Greco-Roman, witnessed intense competition as wrestlers battled for a place in the Indian squad for the continental showpiece in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

Several Asian Games medallists retained their spots, while a few fresh faces earned breakthrough selections.

When and where were the trials held?

The selection trials for the Asian Games 2026 were conducted across two venues over the weekend. Women’s wrestling trials took place on Saturday at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi, while the men’s freestyle trials were held on Sunday at the Regional Centre in Lucknow.

Wrestlers competed in all 18 Olympic weight categories, with six divisions each in women’s wrestling, men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman. The trials served as the final selection event for the Indian team that will compete at the Asian Games scheduled from September 19 to October 4 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

Major names in action

Some of India’s biggest wrestling stars were in action during the trials. Olympic bronze medallist Aman Sehrawat dominated the men’s 57kg category and defeated Rahul Deswal in the final to seal his berth. In women’s wrestling, Antim Panghal overcame Meenakshi Goyat in the 53kg final to secure selection.

Former world championships medallist Deepak Punia also impressed, moving up to the 97kg category and pinning Jonty Gujjar in the final. Greco-Roman stalwart Sunil Kumar, an Asian Games bronze medallist and former Asian champion, secured the 87kg spot after defeating Rohit Bura.

Big misses and notable absentees

The trials also produced a few notable disappointments. Vinesh Phogat’s comeback bid ended in frustration after she was beaten by Meenakshi Goyat in the women’s 53kg semi-finals, ending her hopes of making the Asian Games squad.

New faces rise to the occasion

A number of emerging wrestlers seized their opportunity and earned places in the national team. Dipanshi secured the women’s 50kg berth, while Priya Malik claimed selection in the 72kg category.

In men’s freestyle, Sagar Jaglan (74kg), Mukul Dahiya (86kg) and Rajat Ruhal (125kg) emerged successfully from competitive fields.

The Greco-Roman squad also features rising names such as Sumit Dalal, Nitesh Kumar and Deepanshu, who will look to make their mark on the continental stage later this year.

Big names that retained their spots

Sveral established performers successfully defended their positions in the national setup. Aman Sehrawat, Antim Panghal, Deepak Punia and Sunil Kumar all lived up to expectations by winning their categories.

Sujeet Kalkal, who won gold at the Asian Championships earlier this year, also confirmed his place in the 65kg division. Their presence provides India with a strong core of proven international performers as the country aims to improve on its haul of one silver and five bronze medals from the previous Asian Games.

Indian wrestling team for Asian Games 2026

The Indian contingent endured a miserable outing as all four players suffered defeats in Round 6, with world champion D Gukesh slipping back to losing ways after showing encouraging signs in the previous round, while R Praggnanandhaa, Divya Deshmukh and Koneru Humpy also ended on the wrong side of the results in Norway Chess here.

In stark contrast to the Indians’ collective collapse, defending champion and world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen continued his resurgence, securing a classical victory to thrust himself firmly back into title contention.

The Norwegian, who had looked surprisingly vulnerable in the opening rounds, is suddenly gathering momentum at just the right time, turning what seemed an unlikely campaign into a genuine charge for the crown on home soil.

Yet Carlsen’s resurgence has been overshadowed by an unexpected frontrunner. Wesley So of the United States emerged as the sole leader with four rounds remaining after dislodging Alireza Firouzja from the top, while both Carlsen and Vincent Keymer — the tournament’s early strugglers — have launched spirited comeback bids after disastrous starts, ensuring the title race remains wide open heading into the business end of the tournament.

So surged into sole lead on 11.5 points after defeating Praggnanandhaa in a classical game and collecting the full three points, leaving the Indian stranded at the bottom of the six-player standings on six points.

Keymer capitalised on Gukesh’s (6.5 points) severe time trouble to grind out a crucial victory, taking his tally to eight points while handing the world champion another setback in the Open section.

Carlsen, meanwhile, continued his climb up the leaderboard with an authoritative classical win over Firouzja, moving to 7.5 points and fourth place.

For the second successive game, Praggnanandhaa appeared to be on course to hold, and at times even looked capable of turning the tables, but So once again demonstrated his endgame mastery, patiently converting an extra pawn into three points — a formula that has served him remarkably well throughout the tournament.

Gukesh was under severe time pressure, a fact that Keymer acknowledged after the game, saying, “I am a pawn up, and humanly, with the time situation that we have, I actually did have very serious winning chances,” underlining how the world champion was left struggling to keep the position together in a tense finish.

However, Gukesh struck a note of defiance after the match, insisting that with four rounds still to go, he remained hopeful of staging a serious comeback.

Indian women also lose 
World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh (8.5 points) relinquished her grip on the top spot after a classical defeat to China’s five-time world champion Ju Wenjun (8 points), slipping to second place but remaining well within striking distance of leader Bibisara Assaubayeva (9.5 points).

The Kazakh player edged further ahead after outlasting Koneru Humpy (5.5 points) in the Armageddon tie-break, following a hard-fought draw in classical play.

For Humpy, it has been a frustrating campaign, as she finds herself rooted at the bottom of the standings and struggling to find rhythm, a stark contrast to her impressive showing in the previous edition of Norway Chess.

Results after Round 6: 
Open: Vincent Keymer (GER, 8) bt D Gukesh (IND, 6.5); Magnus Carlsen (NOR, 7.5) bt Alireza Firouzja (FRA, 10); Wesley So (USA, 11.5) bt R Praggnanandhaa (IND, 6).

Women: Bibisara Assaubayeva (KAZ, 9.5) bt Koneru Humpy (IND, 5.5); Divya Deshmukh (IND, 8.5) lost to Ju Wenjun (CHN, 8); Zhu Jiner (CHN, 7) bt Anna Muzychuk (UKR, 8).

The 2026 U.S. Women’s Open gets underway this week at historic Riviera Country Club in California. Here’s everything you need to know to watch the tournament, including a full U.S. Women’s Open TV schedule, streaming info and complete tee times for the first and second rounds once they are released.

How to watch U.S. Women’s Open

This week golf fans will be treated to the second women’s major of the year at an iconic golf course. While the U.S. Women’s Open is second on the major schedule, it’s widely considered the most important women’s tournament of the season. It also features the biggest purse, which reached $12 million last year.

Nelly Korda will likely draw the most attention this week, as she often does. But there’s a good reason for the increased interest this week: Korda won the first major of the year, capturing her third career major title at the 2026 Chevron Championship in April.

Korda is back at World No. 1, but she has never won a U.S. Women’s Open. Last year at Erin Hills, Korda finished T2 behind champion Maja Stark.

Stark is back in the field to defend her title, as are several other high-profile major winners, including Lydia Ko and Mao Saigo, while World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul will make yet another attempt at winning her first major.

Riviera CC has a long history in pro golf. In addition to hosting the PGA Tour’s annual Genesis Invitational, the club was the site of the 1948 U.S. Open and two PGA Championships. In 2028, the club will be the venue for the Olympic golf competition, and in 2031 it will host its second men’s U.S. Open.

Fans can watch all the action all week long on TV and streaming live online. NBC and USA will handle the TV broadcasts, while streaming coverage will be available via Peacock and USWomensOpen.com, including exclusive coverage of all four rounds.

SIGN UP FOR PEACOCK PREMIUM TO WATCH COVERAGE OF THE 2026 U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN

You can check out full information about streaming the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open online or watching the action on TV below.

Tournament basics

What: 2026 U.S. Women’s Open
Where: Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades, Calif.
When: Thursday-Sunday, June 4-7
Purse: $12 million; $2.4 million winner’s share (2025 figures)

How to watch on TV (ET)

NBC and USA will provide TV coverage of the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open. USA will handle coverage on Thursday and Friday and early Saturday, with an assist from Peacock. NBC will carry the primary TV coverage of Rounds 3 and 4 on Saturday and Sunday.

Here’s the full U.S. Women’s Open TV schedule for the week:

Thursday, June 4: 2-7 p.m. (USA); 7-10 p.m. (Peacock)
Friday, June 5: 2-7 p.m. (USA); 7-10 p.m. (Peacock)
Saturday, June 6: 5-7 p.m. (USA); 7-10 p.m. (NBC/Peacock)
Sunday, June 7: 3-5 p.m. (Peacock); 5-8 p.m. (NBC/Peacock)

How to watch online, streaming (ET)

Peacock will offer extensive streaming coverage of the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open, including exclusive late coverage for the first two days of the tournament, early coverage on Sunday and simulcasts of NBC’s coverage. Featured group coverage will be available Thursday-Sunday via USWomensOpen.com, the USGA App, Peacock, YouTube TV, DirecTV and Xfinity.

SIGN UP FOR PEACOCK PREMIUM TO WATCH COVERAGE OF THE 2026 U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN

2026 U.S. Women’s Open Round 1 tee times (ET)

(TBA)

2026 U.S. Women’s Open Round 2 tee times (ET)

(TBA)

Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe avoided a nightmare scenario

Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe avoided a nightmare scenario after Ineos-owned OGC Nice avoided relegation from Ligue 1. The French side, who are also owned by the United co-owner, will pocket £18.2m in prize money after staving off relegation to Ligue 2.

Nice, who finished the regular Ligue 1 campaign in 16th, beat Ligue 2 side St. Etienne 4-1 on aggregate to ensure survival in the French top flight. The tie was finely poised after a 0-0 draw in St. Etienne on Tuesday night and Nice took the lead through Jonathan Clauss in the 62nd minute.

However, the visitors responded after Zuriko Davitashvili scored a penalty in the 79th minute to set up a nervy finish. Kail Boudache scored just two minutes later to alleviate any nerves, before Elye Wahi scored a late brace to put the result beyond any doubt.

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It’s a huge relief for Nice who have regularly competed to get into European football and have not finished lower that 11th since 2014/15. However, the poor campaign in France will do nothing to strengthen ties between supporters and Ineos.

There have been several protests against their ownership of the French club, with pitch invasions, boycotts and scary scenes where ultras stormed the training ground in 2025.

It’s been a contrasting season at United, who have secured a return to Champions League football under Michael Carrick.

The Reds are closing in on their first signing of the summer with Brazilian midfielder Ederson set to move to Old Trafford from Serie A side Atalanta.

It’s the first statement of intent from the club after Carrick called on United to kick on next season.

Speaking after the final game of the season, the United boss said: “As a football club, you want to keep moving forward. We certainly as a football club want to keep moving forward.

“I think it’s acknowledged we’re at this stage, and the dynamics and the balance of the direction we’re at, where we’ve ended up getting to and finishing in the league.

“There’s obviously work to do. It’s quite obvious, with certain players leaving, there’s a bit of work to do.”

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Zee Entertainment Enterprises has partnered with Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to broadcast 39 global football events, including the FIFA World Cup 2026 and FIFA World Cup 2030, the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2027, and other key FIFA events up to 2034, along with docu-series content, in the Indian market for eight consecutive years.

Financial terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.

This partnership comes days before the FIFA World Cup 2026 begins on June 11.

“Offering a well-curated mix of live sporting action and engaging content, the company has also secured the rights for docu-series on all the above-mentioned tournaments that uncover the grassroots communities, cultural dimensions and competitive spirit of the participating global nations,” Zee Entertainment said in a release.

The company has also announced the launch of four dedicated sports channels — Unite8 Sports 1, Unite8 Sports 1 HD, Unite8 Sports 2, and Unite8 Sports 2 HD.

“The investment will enable a multi-fold advantage to FIFA’s flagship global properties, ensuring that the matches not only reach across the length but also the breadth of the nation,” it added.

It will also have live streaming on OTT platform Z5 and offer viewers the option to choose the language of their choice.

Romy Gai, FIFA chief business officer, stated in the release: “The FIFA World Cup is the greatest show on earth, and we are glad to partner with ‘Z’ for the first time to bring this global spectacle to India. The Indian market is of strategic importance for FIFA as it displays immense potential driven by a young and passionate audience.”

He added: “We believe the extensive broadcast and digital distribution ecosystem of ‘Z’, coupled with their deep understanding of local viewers and multi-platform capabilities, will play a pivotal role in expanding the reach of football among fans across every part of India.”

Zee Entertainment also said in its release that the partnership with FIFA for the key global sporting events will enable it to derive strategic long-term benefits, including building a strong foundation for its sports business and enhancing the subscriber base across linear and digital segments. It also said it will help strengthen brand partnerships by tapping newer advertiser segments and unlock a new consumer cohort to cater to every consumer’s entertainment needs.

Punit Goenka, chief executive officer, Zee Entertainment Enterprises, said in the release: “We are excited to bring one of the world’s biggest sporting spectacles to Indian audiences. Football cuts across regions and demographics, and the investments in garnering the media rights and launching dedicated sports channels reflect our clear belief in its long-term potential.

He said Zee’s approach has been to invest in properties where it sees current relevance and future growth potential.

“Our partnership with FIFA will enable us to unlock the true value of the sport in line with our sharp focus on growth and profitability, while amplifying the excitement of the game for every fan,” he added.

Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill has reported a clean bill of health among his squad as they begin their preparations for Thursday’s friendly international against Guinea in the Cadiz area of Spain (17:00 BST).

O’Neill’s side will face World Cup-bound France in another friendly encounter on the outskirts of Lille on Monday 8 June (20:10 BST).

The NI boss confirmed on Monday that all 23 members of his panel had arrived in camp ahead of the two matches.

The first game against Guinea will be staged at Estadio Ciudad de La Linea, with the meeting with the French taking place at the Decathlon Arena – Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

The squad selected for the double-header includes uncapped teenagers Braiden Graham and Ceadach O’Neill.

O’Neill must plan without a number of players however, including Dan Ballard, Paddy McNair, Terry Devlin, Eoin Toal, George Saviile and Brad Lyons.

The games will act as preparation for Northern Ireland’s Nations League campaign, which commences in September.

“We’ve had all the players arrive into camp fit and well, which is exactly what you want ahead of an important international window,” said O’Neill, who signed an extension to his contract last week keeping him at the helm until 2032.

“The mood within the squad is already very positive, and there’s a real sense of optimism as we prepare for the games against Guinea and France.

“The players are looking forward to getting back on the pitch together and testing themselves in two different but valuable fixtures. Our focus now is on making the most of the training time we have and ensuring we’re ready to perform well in both matches.”

Northern Ireland squad:

Goalkeepers – Pierce Charles (Sheffield Wednesday), Josh Clarke (Partick Thistle), Luke Southwood (Bristol Rovers).

Defenders – Ciaron Brown and Brodie Spencer (both Oxford United), Trai Hume (Sunderland), Ruairi McConville (Norwich City), Tom Atcheson (Blackburn Rovers).

Midfielders – Alistair McCann (Preston North End), Shea Charles (Southampton), Isaac Price (West Bromwich Albion), Paul Smyth (Queens Park Rangers), Ethan Galbraith (Swansea City), Justin Devenny (Crystal Palace), Jamie McDonnell (Oxford United), Patrick Kelly (Barnsley), Kieran Morrison (Liverpool).

Forwards – Josh Magennis (Exeter City), Callum Marshall (West Ham United), Jamie Reid (Stevenage), Jamie Donley (Tottenham Hotspur), Braiden Graham (Everton), Ceadach O’Neill (Arsenal).

Teofimo Lopez is eager to see how Canelo Alvarez handles Christian Mbilli, a high-volume pressure fighter, in his first outing since undergoing elbow surgery.

The Mexican decided to go under the knife towards the end of last year, shortly after losing his super-middleweight belts via a unanimous decision defeat to Terence Crawford.

Back then, many expected Canelo’s physical advantages to play more of a factor, only for Crawford to move up two weight classes and become a three-division undisputed champion.

As a result of the American’s retirement, though, the WBC title at 168lbs is now held by Mbilli, who was upgraded from ‘interim’ to full champion following his 10-round draw with Lester Martinez last September.

This featured on the undercard of Canelo-Crawford, meaning that both Alvarez and Mbilli will have incurred a year of inactivity when they collide in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on September 12.

Speaking with Ring Magazine, Lopez suggested that, while Canelo is hardly in the thick of his prime, he should ultimately enjoy a “fun fight” against the Frenchman.

“I love this fight for Canelo. It’s a good brawl and a fun fight for Canelo. Overall, it’s a good return fight after his injuries.

“It would be good to have him get this good win, [against] a strong competitor.”

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Given Mbilli’s all-action style, Alvarez may need to overcome a demanding night’s work if he is to reclaim one of his old world titles.

If he emerges victorious, the 35-year-old could then enter a unification showdown with Hamzah Sheeraz, who claimed the vacant WBO title with a second-round finish over Alem Begic last month.