Alex Eala of the Philippines celebrates with the Championship Trophy after winning the women’s singles championship match against Jessica Pegula of the United States on the final day of the Mubadala DC Open 2026 at William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center on August 3, 2026 in Washington, DC. Scott Taetsch/Getty Images/AFP

MANILA, Philippines–Alex Eala has cracked the top 20 in the latest WTA rankings on the heels of her first WTA Tour title at the Mubadala DC Open.

Eala jumped four spots to set a new career-high of World No. 20 after a 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 victory over American World No. 3 Jessica Pegula in the rain-delayed final in Washington.

“At the beginning of the week, there’s no way I would have thought that I would be holding this trophy,” said Eala.

“Winning a 500 is insane. It’s an incredible milestone for me,” added the Filipino trailblazer.

Eala captured her first WTA 500 crown in her maiden appearance in DC, where Pegula also claimed her breakthrough WTA title in 2019.

READ: Alex Eala rises to career-best No. 28 in WTA rankings

In another giant-slaying run, Eala defeated Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen and defending champion Leylah Fernandez in the first two rounds.

The 21-year-old Eala then swept World No. 10 Elina Svitolina and four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka to barge into the final.

Her victory over Pegula marked her seventh over a top 10 player this season.

On cloud nine, Eala won’t have much time to soak it all in just yet as she is scheduled to plunge right back into action at the Canadian Open in Toronto against American Alycia Parks in the round of 64 on Wednesday (Manila time).

Eala, who drew a first-round bye, is seeded 25th in the WTA 1000 hardcourt event.

Senior League Softball World Series schedule 2026: Scores, times, channels to watch every game originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Delaware plays host to the nation’s best 13-to-16-year-old softball players this week.

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The 2026 Senior League Softball World Series brings 10 teams to the Lower Sussex Little League Complex for tournament play beginning Monday, Aug. 3, and running through the championship game on Sunday, Aug. 9.

Delaware D3 hosts a Pool A that also features teams from the Philippines, Pennsylvania, Brazil and Texas, while Pool B is stacked with squads from Canada, Michigan, Czechia, South Carolina and Hawaii. The 10-team field plays round-robin within its pool before crossing over into a single-elimination bracket.

Here’s everything you need to know about watching the 2026 Senior League Softball World Series.

Where to watch Senior League Softball World Series

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The 2026 Senior League Softball World Series won’t air on broadcast TV. Every game will instead stream live on the ESPN app.

Senior League Softball World Series schedule

The 2026 Senior League Softball World Series begins on Monday, Aug. 3, and concludes on Sunday, Aug. 9. All games will take place at the Lower Sussex Little League Complex in Lower Sussex, Delaware. Times below are listed in Eastern time.

Monday, Aug. 3

Tuesday, Aug. 4

Wednesday, Aug. 5

Thursday, Aug. 6

Friday, Aug. 7

Saturday, Aug. 8 — Semifinals

Sunday, Aug. 9 — Championship

Senior League Softball World Series teams

There are 10 teams split into two pools competing in the 2026 Senior League Softball World Series.

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Pool A

Pool B

A glaring communication disconnect between the Centre of Excellence’s (CoE) sports science and medical team and the senior national men’s selection committee has come into sharp focus once again, with Jasprit Bumrah‘s absence from the Test series against Sri Lanka emerging as the latest example. It has been learnt that the national selection committee was initially made to believe that Bumrah would be available for the Sri Lanka series, starting August 15, before it was realised that his injury was more serious than expected.

There was a virtual meeting between the top officials of the CoE, including VVS Laxman, and the head of the selection committee, Ajit Agarkar, on Monday to discuss the injury management issue concerning centrally contracted players.

While injuries are part and parcel of sport, the performance of the sports science team at the state-of-the-art Centre of Excellence, with all modern amenities available, hasn’t been something to write home about.

The BCCI has been without an official head of sports science since Nitin Patel’s exit, and the department’s recent functioning suggests it has done little to justify the vacuum at the top.

Hence, the focus is on CoE’s interim head of sports science, Dhananjay Kaushik, who is currently running the show at the Bengaluru High Performance Centre.

While his credentials are beyond doubt, questions have emerged over the rehabilitation timelines being set for players and whether the prescribed ‘Return to Play’ protocols are being adhered to consistently in every case.

In the case of Harshit Rana, the question remains: how did the sports science team declare him fit when he was distinctly overweight, which once again led to the recurrence of his hamstring injury? There was a popular T20 specialist batter from one of the southern states who was reportedly “overweight” when he arrived in England. However, every India player reports to the CoE for mandatory tests before a tour. Why didn’t the CoE flag that particular batter? Washington Sundar‘s fitness has also been pretty dodgy, and this is not the first time that he has had hamstring issues, which is a worrying trend for a young spinner. Did the sports science team take cognisance of Washington’s repeated breakdowns? The question also arises as to whether Nitish Kumar Reddy got a green light from the CoE and BCCI to train independently under freelance fast-bowling coach Stefan Jones to increase his bowling speed from the late 120 kmph range to the mid-130s. Did the sudden increase in speed affect Reddy’s hamstring?

“The safest thing is to rule a player out, but is the current sports science staff at the CoE doing enough to get top players back on the park on time? Selectors were assured that Bumrah would be available for at least one Test.

“Now they have been informed that Sai Sudharsan is batting in the nets for 75 minutes and is showing signs of a good recovery after suffering a foot injury. But what if selectors are later told that Sai won’t be fit in time for the first Test against Sri Lanka?” a BCCI official tracking developments at the CoE told PTI on condition of anonymity.

Will Kamlesh Jain’s performance be part of the BCCI review?

Another person whose role is being re-evaluated is Indian team physio Kamlesh Jain. The former Bengal Ranji Trophy team physio, who later worked at the NCA and with the India A team, has been with the national side for close to five years and is known to be very popular with the players.

But with a spate of injuries rocking the Indian team, it is understood that his role in the Team India set-up is also being reviewed.

A review meeting is on the cards following the England debacle, and it won’t be surprising if Kamlesh Jain’s role is also discussed and deliberated upon by the men who matter.

It is understood that head coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of selectors Agarkar are waiting for the BCCI review meeting, which will also involve CoE Head of Cricket VVS Laxman and secretary Devajit Saikia (as convenor).

Now that Gambhir will be in Sri Lanka for the next three weeks, it is not known whether the proposed review meeting will take place physically or virtually.

There is also a question as to why the meeting wasn’t held in July when both Gambhir and Agarkar were in India and available for a face-to-face discussion with the BCCI secretary

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a press release)

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Spain’s Royal Family Welcomes World Cup Champions To Zarzuela Palace

Rookie running back Demond Claiborne is in town to put a fright into the opposition due to his blistering speed. Unfortunately, he’s sorting through some early bumps and bruises, leading to time away from the main action so he can return to full health.

Kevin Seifert of ESPN was among those to make note of the Vikings’ runner working off to the side: “Running back Demond Claiborne is in full pads but running on the rehab field during the early part of practice.”

Similarly, Warren Ludford of Daily Norseman noted that Claiborne was mostly off to the side, explaining, “Claiborne present but not participating – baseball cap on.”

On the most basic level, seeing the kid lose reps isn’t a great sign. What’s encouraging, though, is that he’s out there. Clearly, he can’t be hurting too much. Some work is better than no work. Consider, as well, that Minnesota just moved on from a depth runner before adding a corner. In all likelihood, the Vikings would have snagged some fresh legs if there was major concern inside TCO Performance Center for when the rookie could come back.

The Vikings Keep Young Fella Off to Side in 1st Padded Practice

Best guess as of early August is that Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason are going to get the meatiest portion of the workload. Mason, in particular, looks like somebody who could explode.

There’s then the presence of rookie fullback Max Bredeson, somebody who is inspiring a lot of optimism in the Twin Cities. The Vikings believe that the Michigan blocker can do good things early in his career. Quite possibly, the move will be to ask the rookie to line up in the backfield, inline as a tight end, and in the slot. He, too, is going to be a crucial piece of the puzzle for the ground attack, albeit as somebody who doesn’t carry the ball very often (if at all).

The Vikings are leaning on Claiborne to be a bolt of lightning, a quick flash to ignite the field as he chews up yards fast. He’ll need to get healthy to do so.

Last year, Claiborne offered the Wake Forest Demon Deacons some excellent football. His final stats show 179 carries for 907 yards and 10 touchdowns. The 5.1 yards-per-carry average is very healthy. Proving capable of replicating that level of production as a pro will mean that Claiborne has a long NFL career.

Claiborne’s job as a rookie is to function as the RB3. Can he turn a screen into an explosive gain? Maybe turn the corner on an outside toss?

But then there’s another path toward touching the football: as a kickoff returner. In college, Claiborne brought 22 kickoffs back for a total of 579 yards and 2 scores. Pretty tidy.

“He’s become my little brother, him and (Kejon Owens). I love having them in the facility, love being around them. We’re going to spend some time this offseason in Miami working out together.” – @showtyme_33 on Demond Claiborne pic.twitter.com/GdhH88Emog

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) June 10, 2026

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Kevin O’Connell keeps vowing that the Vikings are going to offer up a reinvigorated ground attack in 2026. In the past, the skipper has said something similar, so some skepticism is warranted. What’s clear is that the Vikings like the rookie runner, as evidenced by their willingness to trade up into the 6th to pick him. He has a path toward early touches, even if the workload is likely to be modest initially.

The Vikings tend to be careful with injury, preferring to play things pretty cautiously rather than rush somebody back. Look for Minnesota to try to thread the needle. Claiborne’s injury doesn’t appear too serious, so the hope is that he’ll get back in action sooner rather than later.

Claiborne, 22, can hopefully get going in practice before too long.

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Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

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USA cricketer Bodugum Akhilesh Reddy has been banned from all forms of cricket for eight years after being found guilty of breaching the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Anti-Corruption Code.According to a press release from the ICC, the 26-year-old’s punishment is linked to corruption during the 2025 Abu Dhabi T10 tournament in the UAE. The ban has been backdated to November 21, 2025, when he was provisionally suspended. The ICC, which was overseeing anti-corruption matters for the tournament on behalf of the Emirates Cricket Board, found him guilty on three counts.According to the ICC, Reddy violated: “Article 2.1.1: Attempting to fix, contrive or otherwise influence improperly, or being party to an agreement or effort to fix or contrive in any way or otherwise influence improperly, the result, progress, conduct or other aspect of matches in the ADT10 2025.“Article 2.1.4: Soliciting, inducing, enticing, instructing, persuading, encouraging or intentionally facilitating (or attempting to do the former) another Participant to breach Article 2.1.1 of the Code in one or more Matches in the ADT10 2025.“Article 2.4.7: Obstructing the DACO’s investigation through deletion of data and messages from a mobile device which may have been relevant to the DACO’s investigation.”

How the case unfolded

The case relates to an incident on November 19, 2025, before the opening match of the Aspin Stallions. The tribunal found that Reddy approached a teammate, identified as ‘Player A’, and asked him to “give runs” while bowling, allegedly on the instructions of team management.After the teammate refused and reported the approach to the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit, he was dropped from the playing XI. Investigators also found that Reddy deleted WhatsApp chats and call logs with the player before the probe. Although he claimed it was routine “data hygiene,” the tribunal ruled that he had deliberately destroyed evidence.Reddy has played four T20Is for the USA, claiming one wicket. The verdict was delivered by a three-member ICC Anti-Corruption Tribunal.

A simple question from Pat McAfee led Pittsburgh Steelers four-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers to unload on Dr. Anthony Fauci, mocking the former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for recently invoking the Fifth Amendment during a Senate hearing this past week.

“Can you tell us about your mindset coming into your last season?” McAfee asked.

The ESPN personality couldn’t have guessed where the four-time NFL MVP was about to take this.

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Aaron Rodgers of the Pittsburgh Steelers stands for the national anthem before the AFC Wild Card playoff game against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Jan. 12, 2026. (Getty Images)

“I’m gonna plead the Fifth,” Rodgers said, as McAfee and the Steelers fans watching at training camp laughed in unison, “like that absolute coward Tony Fauci. Absolute coward. Are you kidding me? You get a pardon and you’re and you pleaded over 100 times at the White House? What are you scared of, Tony? I thought you were the science. ‘I am science,’ and you get up there and can’t answer a question? What are we doing?”

Rodgers is referencing an infamous remark by Fauci during a 2021 interview, where he defended his public health policies during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying “I am the science.”

PAT MCAFEE POKES FUN AT ANTHONY FAUCI PLEADING THE FIFTH AMENDMENT LIVE ON ESPN

Fauci pled the Fifth 111 times during a Senate hearing, on the advice of his attorneys, to answer questions from the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, chaired by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. He was questioned over his response to the pandemic and his policy decisions, where the former White House COVID advisor was accused of funding gain-of-function research in Wuhan, China.

Paul argued Fauci using the Fifth Amendment was unsupported because former President Joe Biden, whom Fauci advised during the pandemic, pardoned him. Paul said the committee will vote this week on a resolution to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress.

“Spending the entire time writing in his diary about how fun it is to be famous. You gotta be kidding me,” Rodgers’ diatribe continued. “What are you going to say about me now? Seriously, what are they going to say about me now? Now, you can’t talk about the COVID stuff because obviously it was made in a lab in China. That’s like not even questionable anymore. Tony Fauci is an absolute criminal.

“It’s been a great life and a great career, and it’s nice to be sitting on this side now especially after that coward pled the Fifth over 100 times. I thought you had a pardon there, Tony. Why couldn’t you answer one question the entire time?”

Former NIH Director Anthony Fauci listens during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on July 29, 2026, in Washington, D.C. Fauci declined to answer questions, asserting his Fifth Amendment right. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

But Rodgers wasn’t just airing out his grievances with Fauci, which he’s had many since the days of the pandemic. He pointed the finger directly at the network he was being interviewed on.

No matter how McAfee and his supporting cast tried to get the conversation back on track, Rodgers took aim at ESPN, the sports network giant which airs “The Pat McAfee Show” daily.

Rodgers was vilified for his own 2021 COVID saga, where his “immunized” remark in August, months prior to testing positive for COVID-19 in November of that season, led to immediate backlash in the media.

SEN RAND PAUL QUESTIONS WHETHER FAUCI’S INVOKING THE FIFTH AMENDMENT WAS VALID AFTER BIDEN PARDON

“How much time did the network spend on that? How much time did they spend on my responses every week? On my vaccination status? On Taylor’s [Swift] and Travis’ [Kelce] wedding? Did they do even a minute on Tony Fauci? No, I bet they didn’t,” Rodgers said on Monday.

Rodgers even mentioned his recent reconciliation with his family, as he shared pictures with his parents, as well as his brother Luke and his children, after a decade-long estrangement. 

“I’m on good terms with my family – what are you going to say now?” Rodgers said right into the ESPN camera lense. 

Rodgers even brought up the Dianna Russini scandal and the lack of coverage from ESPN with it. Russini, who worked for ESPN before joining The Athletic, was entrenched in a scandal as an inappropriate relationship with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was exposed this offseason, ultimately leading to her exit from The Athletic and Vrabel leaving the Patriots during the NFL Draft to enter counseling.

In 2021, Rodgers was asked by reporters if he was vaccinated, to which the then-Green Bay Packers signal caller said he was “immunized”. He later sought an appeal from the NFL and the NFLPA to treat his alternative antibody treatment as equivalent to being vaccinated for COVID-19. The league denied it.

Rodgers was officially classified an unvaccinated player, and then he tested positive for COVID-19 on Nov. 3, 2021, leading to a mandatory 10-day quarantine period that forced him to miss a game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Two days later, he used McAfee’s show to explain his stance, stating he had an allergy to an ingredient in mRNA vaccines, and explained his alternative treatment. Rodgers later admitted on another episode of the show that he “misled people” by calling himself immunized, though he doubled down that he did not lie.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers looks on after being sacked during the first half of the NFL Wild Card game against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Jan. 12, 2026. (Michael Longo/For USA Today Network-PA / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

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Now, Fauci’s refusal to answer has Rodgers going full tilt years after dealing with constant scrutiny, whether it’s the man himself or the network he has issues with. Rodgers has never shied away from sharing his feelings about certain individuals, media networks, or anything in between.

This season marks 22 years Rodgers has starred in the NFL, and he doubled down recently saying this will be his final year.

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The Arizona Diamondbacks are set to acquire outfielder Lars Nootbaar from the St. Louis Cardinals minutes before Monday’s Major League Baseball trade deadline, ESPN reports. The Cardinals are receiving two pitching prospects, right-hander Daniel Eagen and left-hander Sandro Santana, the Athletic reports, as well as a player to be named later. 

Nootbaar, 28, underwent offseason surgery to correct a congenital deformity on both heels and didn’t make his 2026 debut until early June. Since being activated, he’s put up a 96 OPS+, albeit with much better quality-of-contact metrics and with time spent at all three outfield positions. For his career, the lefty-swinging Nootbaar has an OPS of .764 against right-handed pitching with 212 walks in 1,601 plate appearances in such situations. He’s not eligible for free agency until after the 2027 season, and he’s owed the balance of a $5.35 million salary for this year. 

Nootbaar in Arizona will join former Cardinals teammates Nolan Arenado, who was traded to the Diamondbacks this past offseason. 

On the Cardinals’ side of the trade, Eagen is the most notable addition. The 23-year-old former third-rounder out of Presbyterian College in South Carolina has made 20 starts for Amarillo in the hitter-friendly Texas League this season. He has a 4.95 ERA for them, but he’s also struck out 109 batters in 87 ⅓ innings. Eagen has a four-pitch repertoire fronted by a mid-90s fastball with good carry at the top of the zone. Santana, 21, has a 3.46 ERA and a 2.30 K/BB ratio over 71 relief appearances and four starts spread over parts of four minor-league seasons. In 2026, he’s taken a step forward at the Double-A level, with an 0.57 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 15 ⅔ innings since his promotion. 

Now for some grades. 

Arizona Diamondbacks: B+

Injury history makes Nootbaar a risk, but he’s a boon regardless

Nootbaar isn’t a star by any means, and his offensive numbers have been down across the last two seasons. He does have a long history of very strong batted-ball metrics, and perhaps on Arizona’s watch, his outputs will rise to match those. Even if they don’t, the Diamondbacks badly needed help against right-handed pitching as they strive to remain in wild-card position in the NL. This season, the Arizona offense has an OPS of .784 against lefties, but that figure falls to .677 against right-handers. Nootbaar should help that figure increase, and his OBP-first, patient approach at the plate can have some cascading positive effects that don’t show up in his numbers. As noted, the D-backs are also getting Nootbaar for the 2027 season. 

St. Louis Cardinals: B+

Chaim Bloom has a vision

It’s not a massive return, but it wasn’t expected to be given Nootbaar’s substantial injury history and merely okay offensive numbers this season. As has been the case since Chaim Bloom assumed the big chair in St. Louis, they’ve continued to add arms and swing-and-miss to a system that needed it. Eagen has real potential to be a bat-misser at the highest level, and the Cardinals under Bloom have built out the player-development system to help pitchers like him reach their full potential. The trade of Nootbaar also clears the decks for the call-up of power prospect Joshua Báez at some point down the stretch.