LAS VEGAS — After almost 10 years away, college coaches have returned to what’s essentially the mecca of the summer recruiting scene.
For over two decades, Las Vegas played a big role in the summer live evaluation period. This city was the biggest pulse of the offseason, the dream destination for independent and shoe-company-sponsored teams alike. Wide-eyed teenagers and eager college coaches would descend upon this glitzy domain in the desert and commingle in a variety of tournaments, providing some all-time recruiting stories along the way.
Going to Vegas became part of the fabric of the offseason in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. Some kids had their lives changed forever after playing some of the best games of their high school careers in Las Vegas. And the same coaches who handed out those scholarship offers also lost thousands of dollars thanks to regrettable late-night decisions in smoke-scented casinos, just running on fumes for the love of the grind. It was perfect.
That disappeared in the past eight years because, in 2017, an FBI investigation rocked college basketball that led to a lot of fallout (and even more wasted time and energy). Vegas proved to be one of the settings of some rule-breaking behavior (I know: shocking!) and that empowered the government to successfully convict 10 men, including four college basketball assistants. The case catalyzed the NCAA to form a commission to assess what was ailing the sport.
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The live evaluation period in Las Vegas immediately went away and the offseason recruiting calendar went through multiple experimental changes in the ensuing years that barricaded a quick return to the land of milk and honey.
Eventually, NIL rules were put into place — making the decision to strip Vegas from the recruiting calendar altogether seem silly in hindsight. While high school prospects have played in smaller summer events in Sin City in the years since the FBI case broke, there was no evaluation period with a big-tent event.
That all changed, in a huge way, this past week.
Memphis rookie Cameron Boozer takes the court in the NBA Las Vegas Summer League.
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Who’s who of basketball descends on Sin City
Nike’s EYBL circuit just completed four days worth of competition for hundreds of its boys and girls teams at the sprawling Las Vegas Convention Center. The setup was magnificent. There were 22 courts for the boys competition inside the Convention Center’s West Hall, hosting games for EYBL’s 15s, 16s, and 17s divisions. Nearly every big-name head coach could be seen here, in addition to at least half the NBA‘s high-level general managers and presidents of basketball operations.
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A few weeks ago, John Calipari was dapper as could be, sitting courtside at MSG for the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history. On Friday, he was waiting in line for the same oversized, $12 slice of pizza as me and everyone else, stealing a bite in between games. You were just as likely to bump into Tom Izzo or Dan Hurley as you were Brad Stevens or Danny Ainge.
Why were so many other high-level NBA executives courtside for some of the biggest Nike games? The NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League is also happening right now, of course. And that’s the magic of it. For the first time ever, a live evaluation period in Sin City is happening concurrently with Summer League. Because of that, it’s brought thousands of people from the high school, college and NBA communities together, in one city, for the first time.
This needs to be the standard moving forward.
You’ve got college coaches bouncing over to the NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League at UNLV‘s Thomas & Mack Arena, to see their guys who just got drafted in the lottery get their first taste of NBA life. Others are watching their former players try to break through and hopefully make an NBA roster.
It was also a common sight to see familiar NBA faces (Kevin Durant the most famous of them all), in addition to recent draft picks, popping over from to summer league games just to say hello to their old coaches, both college and AAU, at the Convention Center.
In hotels all up and down the Strip there are lunches and dinners and agency parties happening every day. All hustle and bustle. Vegas always has a buzz, but the basketball takeover here is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It’s essentially a huge hoops convention.
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“This is now going to be the most important week in basketball moving forward,” one high-level agent told CBS Sports. “The whole industry is going to be here. It will be the epicenter of basketball. Coming to Vegas will be even more important than going to the Final Four.”
Meeting with agents more valuable than evaluating players
In talking to more than two dozen college coaches, all of them raved about recruiting’s return to Vegas. And it’s not because of the access to the blackjack tables. (Though there were a few who predictably found their way to some late-night action there as well.) It’s about having so many people in one place, at one time, just taking in the games and continuing to network. The logistics of the court setups also make this a lot more practical. The game windows don’t start at 8 a.m. and go past 9 at night, either. It’s a little more than six hours in the middle of the day and early evening.
That allows plenty of time for the biggest reason coaches are out here. No, it’s not to evaluate players. It’s to meet with player agents. This has become the game. Agents now populate the sidelines and alleyways of these AAU games the same way coaches and media do, as they continue to grease their connections as well. One Big East coach told me he talked in casual conversation with at least 20 agents in Las Vegas alone.
“You almost have to come out here because of all the agents,” another coach said. “You can get so much shit done here now. This was really smart by Nike. It’s an unbelievable setup.”
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Another coach told me, “Meeting with the agents here is more productive than anything.”
Twenty years ago, it used to be that Reebok, Adidas and Nike held their events in Vegas in three different parts of the city. Coaches would rent a car and spend half the day driving from one gym to another. The savvy ones would ask the AAU coaches which hotels they were staying in, then book a room there, just so, if by some crazy coincidence, they happened to bump into a player in the lobby, well, funny how that happened!
That’s no longer the calculus. Everything is in the open and the temperature has changed on how business gets done. Some coaches have adapted more quickly than others, but everyone understands how things operate now.
And then there’s the chance to see NBA scouts and front office executives. It’s a basketball lover’s paradise.
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Nike and the NBA working in harmony to make this happen just changed the paradigm of the summer recruiting calendar. While the Peach Jam will continue to be Nike’s championship event in North Augusta, South Carolina (and will be played later this week), the setup in Vegas seems poised to immediately become the primary destination for coaches, media, scouts, agents, everyone invested in all three levels of basketball.
“Many of our alumni can’t make it to Augusta for Peach Jam during summer League, so we brought the show to them,” a Nike spokesperson told CBS Sports. “Over 100 of our NBA player alumni attended Session 4 in Vegas.”
And the fact that Adidas, Under Armour and the rising Puma circuit weren’t out here feels like a correction that needs to be made by those companies in 2027, or else they’ll be left behind.
“I don’t know why Adidas and Under Armour aren’t here as well,” one coach from the Midwest said. “Vegas is big enough and can handle it.”
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Another source speculated that Adidas, at minimum, would be course-correcting and returning to Vegas next summer. (For a couple of years in the 2010s it hosted its premier tournament at the nearby Cashman Center.)
Nike told me it hasn’t yet 100% committed to coming back in 2027, but believe me, it will be back in 2027. I was told the decision would hinge on the feedback from the teams, parents and college coaches. Other than the regrettable decision to hang some banners that reinforced some of the worst stereotypes about grassroots basketball (a baffling call that was roundly mocked by a lot of people), I haven’t heard a single bad thing about the setup this week in Vegas.
And credit to Nike for making it affordable for parents as well: It cost $10 per session for parents to watch their boys play this week. I spoke to the father of a girls player who told me it was less than $90 for a four-day ticket at the other end of the Convention Center. Nike has put an emphasis on making the game ticket affordable, and that should be commended in an age where youth sports pricing continues to get worse, a reality that’s faced increased scrutiny in the aftermath of the United States’ World Cup flameout.
On the basketball side, things seem to be improving. Being here in Vegas this week, it felt like the start of a sea change for the offseason. This can be the template for offseason basketball, staging it in a familiar place with irresistible energy. Marrying the recruiting calendar with the Las Vegas Summer League fosters a productive networking environment — and reinforces what everyone knew all along.
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The recruiting scene should have never left Vegas to begin with.
Now it’s back, it won’t be going away, and it will almost certainly get even bigger — and better — by the end of the decade.
Officials of the Lagos State Sports Commission have received a delegation from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in Lagos as part of preparations for the 2026 CAF Awards.
The CAF team visited the proposed venue for an inspection ahead of the awards ceremony, which will bring together some of the biggest names in African football.
Officials of the Lagos State Sports Commission guided the delegation around the venue and received feedback on the preparations.
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The inspection is part of efforts to ensure that the venue and facilities meet the required standards for an event of such importance.
The Lagos State authorities said preparations were ongoing, with attention being given to every detail ahead of the ceremony.
Lagos is expected to host the 2026 CAF Awards as the state continues preparations to stage what is expected to be a major event on the African football calendar.
NBA player Terry Rozier departs after his arraignment hearing at Brooklyn Federal Court on charges tied to illegal sports betting and poker game schemes on December 8, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP)
NBA veteran Terry Rozier has asked a federal judge to throw out two of the four charges he faces in an alleged sports gambling scheme that rocked the US basketball world last year.
In a filing on Friday in US District Court in New York, Rozier attorney David Markus argued that a text message sent by alleged co-conspirator Deniro Laster showed Rozier did not agree to manipulate his performance for the benefit of bettors.
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The text message also indicated that Rozier didn’t know anyone was betting on his statistics during a March 23, 2023 game he played for the Charlotte Hornets.
“Dont tell chum bout the bet,” a text from Laster reads, according to the filing, with Markus saying that “Chum” is Rozier’s nickname.
The recipient answered “Hell no,” according to the filing.
Prosecutors have alleged that Rozier advised co-conspirators he would leave that game early and allow them to make bets accordingly, but Markus said the texts “should end the case.”
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“One does not hide a bet from the person who supposedly sold it,” Markus wrote.
Prosecutors responded with a filing in which they said they have “developed evidence from multiple sources that this text chain does not relate to sports gambling.”
Rozier was arrested in October 2025 and accused of manipulating his performance in the March 23, 2023 game. In May, prosecutors added two more charges, accusing Rozier of agreeing to a $100,000 bribe.
Rozier, a free agent who has played for the Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat, has pleaded not guilty.
In December, his lawyers asked a judge to dismiss the initial charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, but a superseding indictment was issued in May, maintaining those charges and adding two more.
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On Friday, they sought dismissal of charges of bribery in sporting contests and honest services wire fraud conspiracy.
Markus also asked that the case, set to go to trial next February, be moved from the Eastern District of New York to the Southern District of Florida, where Rozier lives.
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Two others charged in the sweeping case, former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones and self-described “gambling guru” Marves Fairley, have pleaded guilty to multiple charges.
The Boston Red Sox have acquired catcher Adley Rutschman from the Baltimore Orioles hours before Monday’s Major League Baseball trade deadline, ESPN reports. In return, the Orioles will receive a package of four players and a player to be named later, reports the Baltimore Sun. The return, headlined by right-handed pitching prospect Anthony Eyanson, also includes catcher Carlos Narváez, right-handed prospect Kyson Witherspoon and outfield prospect Enddy Azocar.
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Rutschman, 28, is a former No. 1 overall draft pick out of Oregon State and a three-time All-Star. He had spent his entire professional career with the Orioles prior to this trade. This season, he’s enjoying a solid bounce-back campaign coming off an injury-compromised 2025 in which he posted the worst offensive numbers of his career. For that career, Rutschman has an OPS+ of 115 – the same as his 2026 figure – across parts of five big-league seasons. He’s averaged 20 home runs per 162 games played over that span, although his power has taken a dip in recent seasons. Rutschman is presently on the injured list with an inflamed wrist, but he could soon begin a minor-league rehab assignment.
Rutschman is owed the balance of a $7.25 million salary for this season, and he’ll again be arbitration-eligible for 2027, the final season before he’s slated for free agency.
The Orioles make the move despite being just 2 ½ games out of playoff position going into Monday’s slate of games. They do have rookie Samuel Basallo ready to take over as the team’s primary catcher moving forward. However, he’s on the IL with shoulder inflammation. In earlier deadline deals, the Orioles also traded starting pitcher Dean Kremer to the Twins and outfielder Taylor Ward to the Mariners.
Once healthy, the switch-hitting Rutschman is primed to fill the catcher void for the division-rival Red Sox, who have surged back into contention thanks to a franchise-record 21-4 record in July. This season, Boston catchers — mostly Connor Wong and Narváez — have combined for an OPS of just .615, which ranks 25th in MLB. Rutschman, in contrast, has a .764 OPS this season and a .756 mark for his career. That additional year of control means that Orioles fans must watch Rutschman — the face of their recent deep rebuild — in a Boston uniform not only for the rest of 2026 but also the 2027 season.
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On the return side for Baltimore, Witherspoon, who turns 22 on Aug. 12, is the most notable addition for the Orioles. Coming into this season, CBS Sports ranked him as the No. 77 overall prospect. Here’s part of that write-up:
“Witherspoon has an uptempo delivery that sees him pitch off a high front side and really hinge on his back leg before he looses the ball from a high-three-quarters slot. Despite the frantic aesthetics, he was able to rein in his control at Oklahoma, with his strikeout-minus-walk percentage improving from 13.4% to 25.9% year to year. Witherspoon certainly has the stuff to start at the big-league level — his arsenal includes a heater that sits in the mid-to-upper 90s, a cutter, and two breaking balls — so his future will hinge on his ability to maintain those control gains as a professional.”
This season, Witherspoon, the No. 15 overall draft pick in 2025 out of the University of Oklahoma, has a 4.78 ERA in 17 starts at the High-A level. Eyanson, age 21 and a former third-rounder out of LSU, is in his first professional season. In 68 ⅓ combined innings at the High-A and Double-A levels, Eyanson has a 1.32 ERA with 94 strikeouts and 26 walks. Azocar, 19, is enjoying what may shape up to be a breakout season in 2026. Across 85 games at the Single-A and High-A levels, he’s slugging .540 with 18 homers, 27 doubles, six triples, and 11 stolen bases while spending most of his time in center field.
Bryant suffered a hyperextended knee, bone bruise and small fracture during Monday’s training camp practice
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Bears safety Coby Bryant will miss the next 8-10 weeks due to a hyperextended knee, bone bruise and small fracture suffered in Monday’s training camp practice, ESPN reports. Bryant, 27, had to be carted off after going down during a one-on-one drill, per Adam Hoge.
Chicago signed Bryant, formerly of the Seahawks, to a three-year, $40 million deal this offseason, hoping to fortify its secondary with 2025 starting safeties Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker, both free agents. Byard signed with the Patriots, Brisker with the Steelers.
A fourth-round pick out of Cincinnati in 2022, Bryant thrived when Mike Macdonald arrived in Seattle in 2024 and moved him from cornerback to safety. Over the past two seasons, Bryant recorded seven interceptions (and returned one for a touchdown), 139 tackles, 13 passes defended, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He started all 15 games he appeared in last season, as well as all three of the Seahawks’ playoff games en route to their Super Bowl triumph.
Chicago drafted Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman 25th overall in April, and he is likely to start at one safety spot. Cam Lewis could be next up to take Bryant’s starting spot early in the season.
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The Bears open their 2026 season on Sept. 13 — less than six weeks away — against the Panthers.
Infantino’s leadership is under intense scrutiny, with a widespread loss of confidence coming after his failed attempt to sell off stakes in the World Cup to private investors.
Wales became the first member association to officially retract its support for the Swiss-Italian in an attempt to force him out, and England is expected to follow suit.
The FA is preparing to send a letter to Fifa to withdraw its backing, piling more pressure on Infantino.
FA chief executive Mark Bullingham next to Infantino in 2023 (PA)
Infantino, whose decade-long reign is under severe pressure, announced on Friday night that he was shelving the widely-denounced plan, which had been rejected by three confederations after first being revealed earlier in the week.
Concacaf, the confederation for North America and the Caribbean, along with the Asian Football Confederation, fumed over the lack of consultation while Europe’s governing body Uefa threatened to boycott all Fifa competitions, including next year’s Women’s World Cup and the 2030 World Cup, before Infantino’s eventual climb-down.
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Uefa confirmed that it had lost confidence in Infantino’s leadership after he went back on his plans, criticising the “shabby, backroom deal”, and has now written to the Fifa president confirming it is “actively considering” legal action in regard to the sell-off scheme.
The letter orders Infantino and Fifa to “take immediate steps to identify, locate, and preserve all documents and electronically stored information described in this notice that are in your or Fifa’s possession, custody, or control”.
Prime minister Andy Burnham said that Infantino is the “wrong man” to lead Fifa, while the FA called for a “full and robust review” into his leadership as the fallout of his U-turn continues.
The proposal involved establishing Fifa Forward Enterprise and selling a 20 per cent stake to private investors, with Joshua Kushner’s Thrive Eternal reportedly earmarked as the lead investor group. He is the brother of Jared Kushner, who is the son-in-law of US president Donald Trump.
Uefa has indicated that “no option should be off the table” regarding the future of Infantino, hinting at the possibility of a no-confidence vote.
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Such a move, if triggered by just 43 national associations, would necessitate an Extraordinary Fifa Congress.
However, this action is considered improbable unless there is a strong conviction, if not certainty, that a majority of Fifa’s 211 member nations would vote to remove Infantino at such a gathering.
Several African and Asian football bodies, including those from Morocco, Egypt and Qatar, have publicly voiced their support for Infantino over the weekend.
Rohit Sharma with T Dilip during a practice session ahead of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 final match between India and Australia, at the Narendra Modi Stadium, in Ahmedabad. (PTI Photo)
Former India captain Rohit Sharma paid tribute to T Dilip after the former India fielding coach was replaced by Subhadeep Ghosh, thanking him for his work with the team over the last five years.Taking to Instagram Stories, Rohit wrote: “You are a legend, Dilip garu. You created magic within the group and [you are] a behind the scenes workhorse. Best wishes ahead.”Dilip worked as India’s men’s fielding coach under both Rahul Dravid and Gautam Gambhir. He first joined the support staff in 2021 and served until the end of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He returned for a second stint during India’s Test tour of England in 2025 on a one-year contract but was not retained after it ended.
During his time with the Indian team, India won the T20 World Cups in 2024 and 2026, along with the 2025 Champions Trophy.One of Dilip’s most recognised ideas was the ‘Best Fielder of the Match’ medal, introduced during the 2023 ODI World Cup. The post-match fielding medal ceremony became popular among fans because of the creative ways in which the winner was announced.The initiative was aimed at building a stronger fielding culture within the team and encouraging players to take more risks and improve their athleticism in the field. Players such as KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were among the medal winners during the ceremony’s run.After his departure, Dilip shared a farewell message on Instagram, thanking the team and reflecting on his journey.“Five years. It is difficult to find the right words for a journey that has meant so much. When I first walked into this setup, I came in with one simple intention, to give everything I had every single day. Fielding has always been my way of contributing to the game I love, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to have played a part in this team’s journey.”He also said the fielding medal ceremony would remain one of his favourite memories.“The fielding medal will always hold a very special place in my heart. Seeing the excitement it created in the dressing room, the smiles it brought and the value the players attached to it are memories I’ll carry with me forever.”
The 2026 Wyndham Championship goes down this week at Sedgefield Country Club in North Carolina. Here’s everything you need to know to watch the PGA Tour tournament, including a full Wyndham Championship TV schedule, streaming information and complete tee times for the first and second rounds once they are released.
How to watch Wyndham Championship
After several busy months, the PGA Tour’s regular season comes to an end at the Wyndham Championship. That means this week is the final chance for players to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs.
But plenty of players will be fighting for position at Sedgefield Country Club. Rookie Jackson Koivun is currently ranked 70th, which is the position players need to match to qualify for the first playoff event, the 2026 FedEx St. Jude Championship.
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Former U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley (72nd) is on the outside looking in, as is major champion Jason Day (75th). Jordan Spieth, on the other hand, is ranked 55th, just outside the top 50 who will qualify for the second playoff event.
CBS and Golf Channel will provide TV coverage of the 2026 Wyndham Championship, while PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ will offer streaming coverage and featured group coverage all week long. Paramount+ will air simulcasts of CBS’s coverage.
You can find complete information about streaming or watching the tournament on TV below.
Tournament basics
What: 2026 Wyndham Championship Where: Sedgefield Country Club, Greensboro, N.C. When: Thursday-Sunday, August 6-9 Purse: $8.5 million ($1.53 million winner’s share)
CBS and Golf Channel will air TV coverage of the 2026 Wyndham Championship this week. Check out the full TV schedule below.
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Thursday, August 6: 3-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel) Friday, August 7: 3-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel) Saturday, August 8: 1-3 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); 3-6 p.m. ET (CBS) Sunday, August 9: 1-3 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); 3-6 p.m. ET (CBS)
How to watch online, streaming
You can watch the 2026 Wyndham Championship online via PGA Tour Live on ESPN+, including exclusive early coverage starting at 6:45 a.m. ET on Thursday and Friday and 7:45 a.m. ET on Saturday and Sunday. ESPN+ will also provide featured hole and featured group coverage for every round. You can stream CBS’s coverage on Paramount+. Golf Channel’s telecasts will be available on Golfchannel.com and the Golf Channel app.
FILE–Alexandra Eala of the Philippines celebrates after winning a women’s singles match against Naomi Osaka of Japan on day six of the Mubadala DC Open 2026 at William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center on August 01, 2026 in Washington, DC. Emilee Chinn/Getty Images/AFP
MANILA, Philippines–Alex Eala was trailing Jessica Pegula at the Mubadala DC Open Final when heavy downpour suspended play at William H.G. Tennis Center in Washington.
That turned out to be just the calm before the real storm that the top-seeded Pegula simply couldn’t weather.
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Back against the wall, Eala went on a ferocious fightback to overpower the American World No. 3 in the last two sets, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0, and capture the biggest win of her young career in front of a frenetic predominantly Filipino crowd at centre court on United States soil.
“It’s always a pleasure to share the court with you. I definitely learned so, so much, especially from your forehand lines and backhand crosses. So I’m really looking forward to many more finals with you,” said Eala, who chalked up her seventh win against a top 10 player this season.
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The match, which was delayed for three hours due to the bad weather, was halted and pushed to another day when rain returned with Eala behind, 4-6, 2-1.
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But it was certainly worth the wait, especially for Filipino fans, who stayed up in the wee hours of the morning to witness Eala achieve another historic feat.
The Filipino trailblazer claimed her first WTA Tour-level and WTA 500 title after going on another giant-slaying run.
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“First, I wanna congratulate Alex on an amazing week, amazing tournament. I don’t know how much more I can say, but you’re an amazing player and just to see how far you’ve come over the last couple of years when we first played, see the amazing fans that follow you every single place you go, it’s not fun to play against, but I really do appreciate the fun atmosphere,” said Pegula, known for her calm and methodical style but unraveled amid Eala’s relentless and aggressive play at the resumption.
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Eala opened her Washington campaign by rallying past Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen. She then dethroned defending champion Leylah Fernandez in another comeback win that saw her battle back from a 5-1 deficit in the second set.
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Eala, who is expected to crack the WTA top 20, looks to sustain her fine form at the WTA 1000 Canadian Open in Toronto, where she’s seeded 25th and drew a first-round bye.
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Eala evened her head-to-head matchup with Pegula, who ended her dream run in Miami in March of last year. She also denied Pegula a second crown in Washington.
The BWF Badminton World Championships 2026, to be held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi from August 17 to 23, will bring together the world’s finest shuttlers in pursuit of badminton’s most coveted individual title.
While Olympic champions, world No. 1 players and established stars will dominate the spotlight, a select group of players will arrive with an achievement that sets them apart from the rest. Long before conquering the senior circuit, they had already announced themselves as the best junior players in the world.
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Making the transition from junior champion to senior world champion is one of the toughest feats in badminton, and only a handful of players have managed to complete that journey.
Akane Yamaguchi, Kunlavut Vitidsarn, Ratchanok Intanon, Liu Shengshu and Dechapol Puavaranukroh all turned early promise into World Championship glory. As they return to New Delhi, the five former junior champions will be chasing another world title while looking to further strengthen their legacies on badminton’s biggest stage.
Five players who won both junior and senior world championships:
Akane Yamaguchi (Japan): From junior prodigy to three-time world champion
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World Junior titles: 2013, 2014 (women’s singles)
Senior World titles: 2021, 2022, 2025
Akane Yamaguchi’s rise began with back-to-back women’s singles titles at the BWF World Junior Championships, making her the first Japanese player to achieve the feat. Soon after, she became the youngest-ever winner of a BWF Super Series title at the age of 16, signalling the arrival of one of Japan’s finest shuttlers.
She has since built one of the most decorated careers in women’s singles, winning three World Championship titles, two BWF World Tour Finals crowns and the Asian Championships. Yamaguchi has also played a key role in Japan’s Uber Cup triumph and remained among the world’s elite for nearly a decade. She heads to New Delhi as one of the favourites for another world title.
Kunlavut Vitidsarn (Thailand): The junior king who conquered the senior stage
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World Junior titles: 2017, 2018, 2019 (men’s singles)
Senior World titles: 2023
Kunlavut Vitidsarn rewrote the record books by becoming the only men’s singles player to win three consecutive BWF World Junior Championships titles, establishing himself as one of the brightest talents in the sport.
The Thai star has carried that promise into the senior ranks. He became Thailand’s first men’s singles world champion in 2023, claimed the silver medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, won the 2025 Asian Championships title and became the first Thai men’s singles player to reach world No. 1. Still in his mid-20s, Kunlavut will be among the leading contenders in New Delhi.
Ratchanok Intanon (Thailand): The teenage sensation who fulfilled her promise
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World Junior titles: 2009, 2010, 2011 (women’s singles)
Senior World titles: 2013
Before Kunlavut made history, Ratchanok Intanon had already shown Thailand the path to badminton greatness.
The Thai star won three successive World Junior Championships titles and earned a reputation as one of the sport’s brightest teenage talents, thanks to her effortless strokeplay and creative shot-making.
She made an equally seamless transition to the senior circuit, becoming the youngest-ever women’s singles world champion in 2013 at just 18 years of age. Intanon later climbed to world No. 1, won multiple BWF World Tour titles and represented Thailand at four Olympic Games, cementing her place among the game’s most accomplished players.
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Liu Shengshu (China): Doubles specialist making a rapid rise
World Junior titles: 2022 (women’s doubles and mixed doubles)
Senior World titles: 2025 (women’s doubles)
Liu Shengshu enjoyed a memorable BWF World Junior Championships campaign in 2022, winning gold medals in both women’s doubles and mixed doubles to showcase her versatility.
Her rise at the senior level has been equally impressive. Partnering with Tan Ning, Liu won the silver medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games before capturing the women’s doubles title at the 2025 BWF World Championships. The pair have quickly established themselves among the world’s strongest combinations and will once again be among the favourites in New Delhi.
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Dechapol Puavaranukroh (Thailand): Reinventing himself as a world champion
World Junior titles: 2014 (men’s doubles)
Senior World titles: 2021 (mixed doubles)
Dechapol Puavaranukroh’s journey to the top took an unconventional route.
After winning the World Junior title in men’s doubles, the Thai shuttler switched his focus to mixed doubles, where he found his greatest success. Partnering with Sapsiree Taerattanachai, he won the 2021 BWF World Championships, reached world No. 1 and collected several BWF World Tour titles.
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At the BWF World Championships 2026, Dechapol returns with Supissara Paewsampran and will be aiming to add another world title to his impressive résumé.
From junior promise to badminton’s biggest stage
Winning a World Junior Championship is often seen as a glimpse of future greatness, but only a handful of players manage to translate that promise into senior World Championship success.
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Akane Yamaguchi, Kunlavut Vitidsarn, Ratchanok Intanon, Liu Shengshu and Dechapol Puavaranukroh have all achieved that rare feat. As the BWF World Championships 2026 gets under way in New Delhi, the five former junior champions will once again be chasing badminton’s ultimate prize.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Veteran right-handed reliever Chris Martin was designated for assignment by the Texas Rangers on Monday after being reinstated from his third injured list stint this season because of a right shoulder issue.
Martin, who turned 40 in June, is 1-1 with a 9.00 ERA in 16 games this season, allowing 25 hits and 14 earned runs in 14 innings. He missed 75 games during his three IL stints.
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The 6-foot-8 Martin is an Arlington native who initially played for his hometown team in 2018 and 2019. He returned to the Rangers last season, when he had a 2.98 ERA over 49 relief appearances.
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Martin is 19-25 with a 3.53 ERA in 434 relief appearances over 11 big league seasons with seven teams. His 149 games with the Rangers are the most with a single team, and he pitched 100 games for Boston in 2023 and 2024.
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