Sixteen-year-old Syndrela Das produced one of the biggest upsets in Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) stunning World No. 52 and Indian stalwart Manika Batra in straight games as two-time champions Dempo Goa Challengers overcame Ahmedabad APL Pipers 8-7 at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium on Sunday. The teenager’s statement victory proved pivotal as Goa survived a spirited Ahmedabad fightback to register their second successive win of Season 7.

Earlier, French Olympian and UTT debutant Prithika Pavade produced a powerhouse performance as PBG Pune Jaguars defeated UP Prometheans 9-6. Pavade capped a memorable outing by toppling two-time UTT MVP Yangzi Liu in the deciding Women’s Singles, recovering from a game down before producing a superb display in the decider to seal one of the standout wins of the season so far.

The Ahmedabad APL Pipers versus Dempo Goa Challengers match-up served bagels all around, with four of the five matches finishing 3-0 in the victors’ favour. Goa laid the perfect platform through Spain’s Alvaro Robles, who brushed aside Adrien Rassenfosse in straight games before Syndrela delivered the performance of the evening. Showing remarkable composure beyond her years, the 16-year-old edged three fiercely contested games against Manika, blanking the Indian star to hand the defending champions a commanding 6-0 advantage after two matches.

Ahmedabad refused to go away, with Payas Jain and Sofia Polcanova sweeping the mixed doubles before Payas claimed the final game against Abhinandh PB after the Goa youngster had already secured the match and, with it, the tie. The closing contest then produced a high-class meeting between international doubles partners Polcanova and reigning MVP Bernadette Szocs, with the Austrian prevailing in straight games. Goa’s early dominance ultimately proved enough to seal an 8-7 victory.

Syndrela picked up the Match IQ Player of the Tie and the Indian Player of the Tie awards for her statement win, while Robles was awarded the Bisleri Shot of the Tie. Polcanova was named the Foreign Player of the Tie.

In the day’s first tie, UP Prometheans struck first through Ricardo Walther, who overcame Omar Assar in three games, before PBG Pune Jaguars’ Diya Chitale fought back from a game down to beat Sayali Wani. Pune then seized the initiative as Snehit SFR and Prithika Pavade edged the mixed doubles on successive Golden Points, with Snehit following it up by defeating Sudhanshu Grover.

Pavade followed it with the performance of the afternoon, recovering from a game down to defeat two-time UTT MVP Yangzi Liu and seal Pune’s first win of Season 7. Pavade was named Foreign Player of the Tie, while Snehit claimed both the Indian Player of the Tie and ChatGPT Match IQ Player of the Tie awards. Omar Assar’s stunning winner in the deciding game of his singles earned him the Bisleri Shot of the Tie honour.

Earlier in the day, UTT Juniors, UTT’s grassroots competition running alongside Season 7, saw Dabang Delhi TTC defeat Ahmedabad APL Pipers 6-3, while U Mumba TT maintained their perfect start with a 5-4 victory over HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades.

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

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Cyril Small, famed as the jockey for the celebrated front-runner Vo Rogue, has been hospitalised following a substantial stroke.

The 67-year-old jockey experienced a serious health event on Saturday and was rushed to Gold Coast University Hospital, a fact confirmed by the Queensland Jockeys’ Association via a media statement yesterday.

The former jockey’s breathing is currently supported by a ventilator, and the inflammation in his brain has decreased, with positive signs of recovery now evident.

It is expected that doctors will assess the possibility of taking Small off the ventilator today.

“Cyril has a long journey ahead of him and will need all the fighting spirit he is famous for to get through this,” the QJA statement said.

“Braidon and Daniel (sons) rushed from Victoria (Saturday night) to be at his bedside along with his wife Lynlea, daughter Jessica as well as family friends Jeff Perry and his daughter Cymone.

“The Small family want to thank the expert care of the paramedics and the doctors and nurses at Gold Coast University hospital but have requested privacy at this time and thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers and will provide updates to the Queensland Jockeys’ Association through Glen Prentice in due course.”

Small’s extensive riding career began in 1974 when he rode his first winner at Casino. He continued to ride until three years ago but will always be recognised as the jockey of the Queensland champion, Vo Rogue.

Vo Rogue, prepared by the late Vic Rail, was renowned for its audacious ‘catch-me-if-you-can’ performances during a peak weight-for-age period between 1987 and 1990, where it competed against and defeated champions like Super Impose, Better Loosen Up, and Bonecrusher.

Small partnered Vo Rogue in 22 of its 26 career victories, including its six Group 1 successes – two Australian Cups, the George Main Stakes, the William Reid Stakes, the Futurity Stakes, and the Winfield Stakes.

Vo Rogue also achieved three CF Orr Stakes and two Turnbull Stakes. These races were Group 2 events at the time but have since been upgraded to Group 1 status.

In 2019, when the champion horse was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame, Small paid tribute to Vo Rogue.

“Vo Rogue had a big heart and just had a lot of natural ability,” Small said. “His front-running tactics sparked people up … I think racing needed that at the time.”

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Italian top seed Jannik Sinner retained his Wimbledon men’s singles title on Sunday, after rallying from a set down to beat Germany’s second seed Alexander Zverev.

The victory represents a fifth Grand Slam title for 24-year-old Sinner.

What happened on court?

Zverev took the opening set in a tense tiebreak and pushed hard early, but Sinner responded with a dominant second-set tiebreak to level.

He then seized control in the third and fourth sets with superior baseline play and serving to close out the match in just under four hours.

Praise for Germany’s Zverev

“I’m very happy of course about the win, but I’m mostly very happy about the level we both played,” Sinner said, continuing to praise Zverev.

“If you play like this I’m very, very sure you are going to have this one at home as well,” he said, pointing at the trophy.

Sinner has now won 10 consecutive matches against Zverev. 

Zverev: It didn’t go my way

A dejected Zverev was left to ponder what could have been after a fourth ⁠Grand Slam final defeat.

“I don’t really like ​you anymore,” Zverev told Sinner jokingly.

“To be fair, I lost to you nine (sic) times in a row,” he added, losing count of his run of defeats against Sinner.

“Congratulations to Jannik, he showed once again why he’s the best player in the world. It was great to share Centre Court with you on the finals weekend. It’s a great honour to be here. Unfortunately, it didn’t go my way.”

Zverev is the first German to contest the Wimbledon title match since Boris Becker in 1995.

No German man has lifted the Wimbledon trophy since Michael Stich’s 1991 all-German final win over Becker

Edited by: Jenipher Camino Gonzalez

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Jannik Sinner of Italy kisses the winners trophy after defeating Alexander Zverev of Germany in the men’s singles final at Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, July 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

LONDON — A year ago, it was a matter of bouncing back after wasting three match points in a devastating loss to Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open final and showing that he could still win a Grand Slam after a three-month doping ban.

This year, it was about demonstrating that he still has the physical toughness to win a major after a debilitating second-round meltdown at Roland Garros in a Paris heat wave

Whatever gets thrown Jannik Sinner’s way in the French capital — it seems lately — only makes him stronger across the Channel in London.

READ: Wimbledon: Jannik Sinner scuppers Djokovic record bid to make final

🏆 Jannik Sinner 🏆#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/slHSSN6DCE

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 12, 2026

For the second straight year, Sinner responded to adversity in Paris with a title at Wimbledon.

The top-ranked Sinner beat Alexander Zverev 6-7 (7), 7-6 (2), 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday for his second consecutive title at the All England Club after his German opponent appeared bothered by a knee issue following a slip to the grass on a key point in the third set.

When Sinner ripped a forehand winner up the line on his first match point, the Italian dropped to the grass on his back in an unusually dramatic celebration for the normally low-key Italian.

“This one means a lot because (it) was a tough one after Paris again,” Sinner said. “I’m proud of myself and my team, which continues to push me in the right direction.”

Amid stifling heat and humidity in Paris in late May, Sinner had his 30-match winning streak ended after coming within one game of a straight-set victory over Juan Manuel Cerundolo, who was ranked No. 56.

READ: Zverev ends wildcard Fery’s run for his first Wimbledon final

Sinner went in for medical exams in Milan after the Paris defeat and didn’t play an official match again until he arrived at Wimbledon, where he twice had to come back from a set down in a five-set marathon against Miomir Kecmanovic in the first round.

Sinner then didn’t drop a set the rest of the way until the final, having dominated against Novak Djokovic in the semifinals.

“It goes to show the maturity of the player that we’re working with,” said Darren Cahill, one of Sinner’s coaches. “That he can take a kick in the guts like that.

“What makes us the most proud of him and working with him is the way he comes back from those,” Cahill added. “It doesn’t put him down for too long.”

It was Sinner’s fifth Grand Slam title.

“I don’t think this one was any more important than any of the others that he’s played,” Cahill said. “But it felt damn special, that’s for sure.”

It was Sinner’s 10th straight victory over Zverev, who was coming off his first Grand Slam title at the French Open.

Zverev’s previous best performance at Wimbledon was reaching the fourth round three times.

“I’m 29 years old and this is the first time I actually believe I can win this trophy,” Zverev said.

Prince William joined his wife Kate and two of their children for the final in a star-studded Royal Box that also included actors Dustin Hoffman, Nicole Kidman and Ben Stiller.

“There’s no better place to play tennis,” Sinner said during the trophy ceremony.

Linda Noskova beat Karolina Muchova in an all-Czech women’s final on Saturday for her first Grand Slam title.

Zverev slips

Jannik Sinner of Italy, left helps up Alexander Zverev of Germany who fell during the men’s singles final at Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, July 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

The top two seeds appeared perfectly matched until Zverev earned his only break point of the match at 3-3 in the third set — 2 hours and 42 minutes in. Sinner produced a drop shot and Zverev slipped and appeared to hyper-extend his right knee as he attempted to change directions behind the baseline.

Zverev grasped his knee in apparent discomfort and Sinner went around the net and helped his opponent up off the grass. Zverev quickly resumed playing but he appeared slightly hampered and slung his racket across the baseline in frustration when he missed a forehand and handed Sinner the first break of the match and a 5-3 lead in the third. Sinner then served it out.

Zverev had also lost 14 straight sets to Sinner and when he claimed the opening set of the final with a forehand winner up the line to conclude a tight tiebreaker, he let out a loud roar toward his box as he bent over in celebration.

Zverev continually cranked out serves at up to 139 mph (224 kph), while Sinner produced a series of well-placed aces at a slightly lower speed.

But Sinner began to read Zverev’s serve better in the second-set tiebreaker and Zverev started to miss forehands.

“He showed once again,” Zverev said, “why he’s the best player in the world.”

Sinner produced 58 winners to Zverev’s 49 and had only 25 unforced errors to Zverev’s 45.

Zverev led 17-15 in aces.

Sinner became the first player to win the men’s singles title at Wimbledon without conceding a service game in either the semifinals (against Novak Djokovic) or the final since Roger Federer did it in 2003 against Andy Roddick and Mark Philippoussis, respectively, en route to the first of his record eight titles.

Sinner conceded one break point in both the semifinals and final and saved both of them.

Despite the defeat, Zverev will leapfrog Alcaraz into the No. 2 spot in the rankings on Monday.

Alcaraz missed both the French Open and Wimbledon this year due to a right wrist injury.

NORTH BERWICK, Scotland — A funny thing happened Sunday at the Scottish Open: after a star-studded leaderboard had built throughout the week, a whole lot of the best players in the world left … disappointed. 

Rory McIlroy was caught on camera berating himself saying, “I’m so bad at golf.” Chris Gotterup’s title defense ended in a disappointing one-over final round. Scotland’s own Bob MacIntyre held the solo lead on the final day, only to mutter under his breath across four bogeys in seven holes, surrendering all hope. There was more frustration than happiness at Renaissance Club, it seemed. And then there were those three pregnant seconds when we saw total despair. 

Johnny Keefer, 25, had just played the best golf of his season, finishing T3 and earning one of three spots remaining in next week’s Open Championship. He took pictures with the yellow flags that will dot the course at Royal Birkdale next week. He did interviews with the widest grin imaginable. And then he listened as an R&A staffer leaned in close with 10 words.

“Oh, one other thing, Johnny. Have ye entered The Open?” 

Keefer’s face went from elation to anguish. Had he missed some deadline … for an event he was only hoping to play? His panic was palpable.

“Yeah, my heart rate probably spiked a little bit,” Keefer said moments later. “Probably could have played a little rookie card. There’s not many things that I know — he could have played a nice little prank on me.” 

Luckily, Keefer was assured, it’s all good, there’s a spot waiting for you. But now you do, indeed, need to formally sign up for next week’s Open, about 200 miles away on the west coast of England. The R&A were not out to play pranks. Rather, they were there to help make sure everyone had accommodations and transportation sorted. Keefer’s mind was still racing and non-committal when they offered him a late-night shuttle ride down to Southport. 

He’d be forgiven for being a step slow. Open Qualifying comes at you fast. And this was a week of newness for Keefer, who had never played links golf before July, 2026. He arrived Monday morning fresh off a redeye from the John Deere Classic, and instead of heading to Renaissance Club, he elected to make his links debut on the nearby North Berwick in 30 mph wind.

“You kind of get off the plane and try to tire yourself out in Edinburgh,” he said. “Then try to tire yourself out more at North Berwick, which is kinda hard because you’re like eyes wide open, this is sick. Conked out and then played two practice nines out here.” 

Oh, and then 72 holes in 13 under par and a top-3 finish. 

What Keefer now reaps is the result of betting on himself, something plenty of other pros balked at this week. For one reason or another, a dozen Tour pros with some status had the right to enter the Scottish Open, but ultimately withdrew from the field, many of them to stay back and play their more native style of American golf at the ISCO Championship. Taylor Pendrith, Chad Ramey, Chandler Phillips, Adrien Dumont de Chassart. Whether they were in pursuit of all-important FedEx Cup points, less travel or just familiar golf, they took a familiar route this week. Keefer considered it, too, but opted for something newer, riskier, more invigorating.

“If you have a good week, it’s better off over here than it is over there,” he said Sunday night. By which he means, a good week with a bigger purse and more points on offer — that’s better. 

“And yeah, it kind of paid off,” he continued. “It’s a little 2-for-1. Got more points and got a spot in The Open.” 

Where there’s even more money and points on offer. With that sorted, all that was left for him to figure out was where he’d be sleeping next week.

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It was a day of joy, drama and celebration as El-Kanemi Warriors and Nasarawa Amazons were crowned champions of the 2026 President Federation Cup after exciting finals at the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba.

For El-Kanemi Warriors, one goal was enough to bring back the famous trophy to Maiduguri.

The men’s final against Ikorodu City was closely contested, with both teams fighting for every ball from the opening whistle. The breakthrough came in the first half when El-Kanemi Warriors were awarded a penalty. Muktar Ismail stepped forward and calmly sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to score what turned out to be the winning goal.

Ikorodu City pushed hard after the break in search of an equaliser, creating pressure on the El-Kanemi defence. But the Maiduguri club stayed organised and defended strongly until the final whistle to secure a 1-0 victory.

The win completed an impressive Federation Cup campaign for El-Kanemi Warriors and earned them a place in next season’s CAF Confederation Cup. Although they finished as runners-up, Ikorodu City also qualified to represent Nigeria in the same continental competition.

The triumph marks another proud moment in the club’s history as they reclaimed one of Nigeria’s biggest domestic football trophies.

Earlier in the day, the women’s final produced even more drama as Nasarawa Amazons defeated Heartland Queens 8-7 on penalties after both sides played out a 1-1 draw in regulation time.

The first half was a tense affair, with both teams showing respect for each other and creating only a few clear chances. The goalkeepers were kept busy as neither side could find the breakthrough before the interval.

The match came alive in the second half. Heartland Queens opened the scoring with a well-worked goal, but Nasarawa Amazons refused to give up. They fought back and found the equaliser to force the final into a penalty shootout.

The shootout was full of tension as both teams converted important spot-kicks. After the first five penalties, the score remained level at 5-5, sending the contest into sudden death.

With the pressure at its highest, Nasarawa Amazons kept their composure. They scored their next penalty before Heartland Queens missed theirs, sealing an 8-7 shootout victory.

The final whistle sparked wild celebrations from the Nasarawa Amazons players, coaches and supporters as they lifted the 2026 President Federation Cup trophy after a thrilling contest.

After a break, VikingsTerritory has reopened the mailbag, answering questions from the masses and posting them weekly in a single article. The time feels appropriate, with training camp getting underway in about 2.5 weeks.

We picked the main questions from folks’ submissions, and below are our answers.

Vikings’ Summer Picture Remains Far from Settled

Question: Do you think the Vikings will reach the playoffs this year?

Answer: Yes.

The only scenario preventing the Vikings from a somewhat obvious playoff push — the roster is good enough for it — is the level of competition in the NFC North. Throughout the division’s history, there’s always at least one “pushover” team — usually the Detroit Lions or Chicago Bears. Sometimes even the Vikings.

Those don’t exist anymore.

If Minnesota can conquer the strength-of-schedule concern, they can finish at least 10-7 this season. How do we know that? Simple — the club finished 9-8 last year while showcasing bottom-of-the-barrel quarterback play. If the Vikings could be 9-8 with a rollercoaster version of J.J. McCarthy, they can secure a Wildcard playoff berth with a steady version of Kyler Murray.

Never forget: Minnesota already has a championship-caliber defense, thanks to Brian Flores. Now, Kevin O’Connell must do his part on offense, empowering Murray to cook.

We say an 11-6 record for the Vikings, with a Wildcard playoff game, probably against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or New Orleans Saints.

Question: If Minnesota signs any free agents, who will it be?

Answer: Leonard Floyd.

O’Connell and Floyd won a Super Bowl together in 2021, and five years later, O’Connell arguably needs a third pass rusher. You can pretty much “take your pick” at outside linebacker in free agency — Floyd, Von Miller, or Jadeveon Clowney would do the trick for OLB3.

So, we expect Minnesota to sign an extra EDGE, either in the next few weeks or at the end of August when a barrage of unemployed pass rushers hit the open market amid roster trimdowns.

A guard, too, would make sense because the primary backup guard right now is Joe Huber. The Vikings are one injury away from an offensive line that looks like this Week 1:

• Christian Darrisaw (LT)
• Donovan Jackson (LG)
• Blake Brandel (C)
• Joe Huber (RG)
• Brian O’Neill (RT)

In years past, Brandel would be nominated for backup guard duty, but that won’t work anymore. He can’t start at guard and center.

Thankfully, as with the OLB spot, a handful of reputable depth guards are available, such as Will Hernandez and James Daniels.

Question: Any word on Harrison Smith? Is he coming back?

Answer: We think so.

About a month ago, one of our sources told us, “Hitman is coming back,” but that was prefaced with the caveat that “the announcement is coming soon.”

Here we are, less than three weeks before training camp arrives, and Smith has not announced his decision. Smith turned up the gas in December last year, leading the masses to believe he could still perform decently, even if the Vikings nominated him for a situational role in 2026.

The telling part here is that Minnesota’s roster is quite impressive. Would Smith really want to miss out on a playoff or Super Bowl push the moment Kyler Murray came to town? We think not.

It’s unclear when the announcement will hit, but VikingsTerritory operates under the assumption that Smith will return last time in 2026.

Question: Who will win the quarterback battle at training camp?

Answer: Kyler Murray.

This is probably the easiest question this week; we don’t consider the quarterback competition a big or mysterious thing. Since entering the NFL, Murray has a better EPA+CPOE than Trevor Lawrence, Baker Mayfield, C.J. Stroud, and Daniel Jones, among others. We do not believe that Murray needs a significant push to put himself over the top as a worthwhile starter. He’s already there.

We also maintain that J.J. McCarthy still has time to develop and become an honest-to-goodness starter in the big leagues. Sometimes quarterback maturation takes longer than 10 starts, which McCarthy has under his belt.

Both men also have a recent history of injury. Whoever wins the battle will probably get hurt, at least for a game or two, enabling the other guy to get under center and shine.

In the end, Murray has the experience, arm strength, passing accuracy, and speed to win this competition. We don’t spend much time thinking, “I wonder who will be the QB1?” To us, it’s Murray, and McCarthy will need a massive upset to change that.

Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker

Champion Jannik Sinner of Italy and runner-up Alexander Zverev of Germany pose with their trophies after the men’s singles final at Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, July 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

LONDON — Alexander Zverev is used to being “the third guy” in tennis.

After following up his French Open title with a run to his first Wimbledon final, he’s hoping to be more than that in the future.

Despite losing to Jannik Sinner on Centre Court on Sunday, the 29-year-old Zverev thinks he is closer than ever to challenging the top-ranked Italian and his main rival Carlos Alcaraz and giving tennis a Big Three again.

READ: Jannik Sinner bounces back with another Wimbledon title

The 2026 Gentlemen’s Singles runner up, Alexander Zverev 👏#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/C0ngxzBRsJ

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 12, 2026

Sinner and Alcaraz had won the last nine Grand Slam tournaments between them before Zverev won his first major at Roland Garros this year.

“There was always this conversation, ‘who will be the third guy?’” Zverev said. “I’ve always been the third guy, but I was just far away from those two. But I’ve always been No. 3 in a way. So if I get closer to them … it would be great.”

Alcaraz missed this year’s French Open — and Wimbledon — with a wrist injury, and Sinner was eliminated in the second round in Paris after wilting in the heat. Zverev lost in five sets to Alcaraz in the semifinals at the Australian Open this year and lost 6-7 (7), 7-6 (2), 6-3, 6-4 to Sinner on Sunday after overextending his knee in the third set.

“I think I’ve been pushing those guys,” Zverev said. “I haven’t beaten them this year, but I’ve pushed them to the limits, I would say.”

He may have been able to push Sinner even more had it not been for a slip during the third set, on Zverev’s only break point of the match. The German fell to the ground and clutched his right knee in pain, with Sinner coming over to check on his opponent before helping Zverev up off the grass.

Zverev said he overextended his knee and that it hampered his serve — his biggest weapon — after that.

READ: Zverev ends wildcard Fery’s run for his first Wimbledon final

“I was struggling to push off on the serve a little bit. So my serve speed went down,” he said. “But everything else went fine. I was moving fine from the baseline and playing from the baseline fine.”

Despite the loss, Zverev will shed the “third guy” moniker in at least one way — he will overtake Alcaraz as No. 2 in the rankings on Monday.

Zverev had never been past the fourth round at Wimbledon before this year, but seems to have finally figured out how to play on grass.

“I’m 29 years old and this is the first time I actually believe I can win this trophy,” Zverev told the Centre Court crowd after his defeat.

Sinner seems to share that belief.

“Today you were so, so close. If you play like this, I’m very, very sure you’re going to have this (trophy) at home as well,” Sinner told his opponent. “I know the goal is for you to become the No. 1 in the world. You’re very, very close. So we have to be very careful now.”