Sports

Today's Sports News Highlights: Jasmine Paolini Reaches Wimbledon 2024 Women's Singles Final; Copa To See ARG Vs COL Final

The Euro 2024 saw Spain and England book their seats to take on each other for the prestigious trophy. In Copa America, Colombia beat Uruguay 1-0 in the second semifinal to meet Argentina in the title clash. Cricket action saw England dominate West Indies at Lord's. At Wimbledon, Jasmine Paolini made her way into the finals. Check all the news and updates from the sporting world, right here

Jasmine Paolini of Italy celebrates after defeating Donna Vekic of Croatia in their semifinal match at the Wimbledon. AP
The Euro 2024 saw Spain and England book their seats to take on each other for the prestigious trophy after the Three Lions scraped through to a 2-1 victory over the Netherlands in the second semifinal. In Copa America, Colombia beat Uruguay 1-0 in the second semifinal to meet Argentina in the title clash. Cricket action saw England dominate West Indies at Lord's. Meanwhile, Texas Super Kings defeated San Francisco Unicorns in the Major League Cricket. At Wimbledon, Jasmine Paolini made her way into the finals. Check all the news and updates from the sporting world, right here
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Euro: England Beat Netherlands In Semis!

England reached a second straight European Championship final by beating the Netherlands 2-1 with the help of substitute Ollie Watkins' stoppage-time winner and Harry Kane's goal in 19'.

Euro 2024 Final: Spain Vs England

Spain beat France 2-1 in the semifinal while England won against Netherlands with the same scoreline in the other semifinal.

Copa America: Colombia Beat Uruguay

Colombia defeat Uruguay 1-0 in a frantic, desperate show with 10 men for more than half the game after Daniel Munoz was sent off. Now they reach the final to meet the defending champions Argentina.

ATP Challenger: Sumit Nagal Ends Run In Braunschweig

India’s top-ranked tennis player Sumit Nagal was stunned by Pedro Cachin of Argentina in the pre-quarterfinals of the Braunschweig ATP challenger on Wednesday.

Cachin, a world No. 117, moved into the quarterfinals of the event with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Nagal, the world No. 73 who was seeded second in the tournament. (PTI)

Euro: Gareth Southgate On England Win 

“We all want to be loved, right? When you're doing something for your country and you're a proud Englishman, when you don't feel that back and when all you read is criticism, it's hard. So to be able to celebrate the second final (after Euro 2020) is very, very special,” Southgate said, paying tribute to England's traveling fans.

“If I hadn't been on the grass, I'd have been watching, celebrating like they were. We are kindred spirits in many ways but of course I'm the one who has to pick a team. So to be able to give them a night like tonight, it's very special.”

Euro: Ronald Koeman On Netherland Defeat

“A great goal, but then it's over, and that's difficult to accept,” Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman said.

“In my opinion this should not have been a penalty,” Koeman said through on disputed penalty decision taken in England's favor after Dutch defender Denzel Dumfries made contact with Harry Kane while trying to block a shot. "I think that we cannot play properly football and this is due to VAR. It really breaks football," he said.

Fans Fight After Uruguay Copa America Loss To Colombia

Darwin Núñez and about a dozen Uruguay teammates went into the stands as fans brawled at Bank of America Stadium following a 1-0 loss to Colombia in a Copa America semifinal on Wednesday night.

After a physical and contentious match, a melee broke out behind the Uruguay bench after Mexican referee César Ramos' final whistle. (AP)

URU vs COL: Aftermath Scenes! 

Mitchell Starc On Being Dropped In AUS vs AFG T20 WC

Australian pacer Mitchell Starc has expressed his displeasure at being dropped for the crucial T20 World Cup Super Eights match against Afghanistan in the Caribbean, saying he was not one bit amused by the team management's decision.

"No -- two World Cups in a row," Starc was quoted as saying by Sydney Morning Herald on Willow Talk podcast when quizzed about his omission and whether he was amused by the decision.

"Just the match-up, they (team management) saw previous games on that ground in St Vincent with spin playing a part and obviously Ash (Ashton) and the left-armer enticing them to make a change," he added. (PTI)

Change In US Olympic Men's Basketball Team

The USA Basketball intended to bring Kawhi Leonard to the Paris Olympics. After watching him play in a four-day training camp, they and the Los Angeles Clippers realized that the plan needed to change.

Derrick White of the NBA champion Boston Celtics is replacing Leonard on the U.S. team for the Paris, the first shakeup to a roster that was announced in the spring. The decision was made Tuesday, White accepted the invitation Tuesday night and USA Basketball announced the move Wednesday morning. (AP)

Wimbledon: Lorenzo Musetti Reach First Major Semis

Lorenzo Musetti reached his first Grand Slam semifinal of career at Wimbledon on Wednesday with 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 victory over Taylor Fritz. The 25th-seeded Musetti, a 22-year-old from Italy, had never made it past the third round at the All England Club until this time.

He will face Novak Djokovic next.

Who Is Replacing Gregg Berhalter As USA Football Coach?

Gregg Berhalter was fired 10 months into his second stint as U.S. men's soccer coach, leaving the Americans searching for a leader less than two years before they host the World Cup and after the early exit in the Copa America 2024.

Jürgen Klopp, Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Marcelo Bielsa are among those being speculated about as candidates to replace Berhalter, along with Jesse Marsch, Hugo Pérez, Pellegrino Matarazzo, David Wagner, Steve Cherundolo, Jim Curtain, Massimiliano Allegri and Mauricio Pochettino. (AP)

Copa America: Alphonso Davies Injury Update

The Canada national football team captain Alphonso Davies sustained leg injury during the semi-final match against Argentina. Now, the coach Jesse Marsch has suggested an open possibilty for the captain to play the third-place game on Saturday as the X-ray report resulted negative and it does not appear to be severe.

Masood To Continue As Pakistan Test Captain

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and coach Jason Gillespie have reposed faith on Shan Masood to continue as national team’s Test captain ahead of a packed international season, but a decision on the leadership role of Babar Azam in white ball formats has been put on hold. (PTI)

Is Ash Barty Coming Back In Tennis? 

A three-time Grand Slam singles champion, Ash Barty played an invitiation doubles match on Centre Courta. However, she had announced her retirement just over two years ago at the age of 25.

“You guys are killing me,” Barty told journalists. “Anyone have a thesaurus for a word that I can use for no?"

“I've got a beautiful commentary box on both Centre and Court 1," she said. "You get a good view and are able to absorb what's happening out on the court. Hopefully people at home are enjoying what I'm having to say. I don't know whether I'm right, wrong or indifferent, but I'm enjoying it as well.”

Indian Racing Festival: Ganguly Buys Kolkata Royal Tigers Team

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly was on Thursday unveiled as the owner of the Kolkata Royal Tigers ahead of the Indian Racing Festival 2024, scheduled between August and September this year.

Apart from the debutant Kolkata racing team, the event will see participation from seven other outfits based at Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Kochi, and Ahmedabad.

The racing festival encompasses two main championships -- Indian Racing League (IRL) and the Formula 4 Indian Championship (F4IC). (PTI)

Could Have Done Better In Tennis Than Badminton: Saina Nehwal

"Sometimes I feel that it would have been good if my parents had put me in tennis," Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal said during her "Her Story–My Story" talk at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

"There is more money and I had more strength I think. I could have done better in tennis than badminton," she added.

UEFA Euro 2024 Final Referee

French referee François Letexier was picked by UEFA to handle the European Championship final between Spain and England.

At 35, he's one of the youngest referees to take charge of a major final. The game is on Sunday at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.

Masood To Continue As Pakistan Test Captain

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and coach Jason Gillespie have reposed faith in Shan Masood to continue as national team’s Test captain ahead of a packed international season, but a decision on the leadership role of Babar Azam in white ball formats has been put on hold.

Pakistan is scheduled to host England in a three-match Test series in October this year, while rubbers against Bangladesh, South Africa and the West Indies are also on the calendar. (PTI)

F1 Sprint Races For 2025

Miami and Austin, Texas, will keep their Formula 1 sprint races next year as Belgium gets a sprint instead of Austria. The number of sprint races on the 24-event F1 calendar stays at six for the third year running.

The Circuit of the Americas at Austin and the Miami street circuit are joined by Belgium's Spa-Francorchamps track, which is the only 2025 sprint venue not hosting a sprint this year, although it did in 2023. (AP)

Wanindu Hasaranga Resigns As T20I Skipper

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IND's Tour Of SL: Venues Announced

India will play three T20 Internationals and as many ODIs during their tour to Sri Lanka across July and August, and the matches will be played at Pallekele and Colombo, the BCCI announced on Thursday.

The white-ball tour will kick off with the T20Is (July 26, 27, 29) at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium and the series will then move to Colombo where the one-dayers (August 1, 4, 7) will be played at the R Premadasa International Stadium. (PTI)

Sachin Tendulkar ‘Best Batter’ To Bowl To, Says James Anderson

England fast bowling great James Anderson, who is into his final few days as an international cricketer, enjoyed his battles against Sachin Tendulkar the most over the course of his remarkably long career. Anderson, who is playing his 188th Test for England against the West Indies at Lord’s, will retire after the game.

“The best batter I would have to say is Sachin Tendulkar,” Anderson told Sky Sports when asked about the toughest batter he bowled to.

“I don’t remember having a specific game plan against Sachin Tendulkar. Once he came on, I would just think that I cannot bowl a bad ball here, he was that kind of player.” (PTI)

Wimbledon 2024: Women's Singles Final

Jasmine Paolini reached her second consecutive Grand Slam final with a 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (10-8) victory over unseeded Donna Vekic at Wimbledon on Thursday in a rollicking match that lasted 2 hours, 51 minutes.

Paolini kept coming back, coming back, coming back — after dropping the opening set, after being two games from defeat at 4-all in the second, after twice trailing by a break in the third at 3-1 and 4-3 at Centre Court. (AP)

Austin, Miami Keep F1 Sprint Races for 2025

Miami and Austin, Texas, will keep their Formula 1 sprint races next year as Belgium gets a sprint instead of Austria.

The number of sprint races on the 24-event F1 calendar stays at six for the third year running.

ENG Vs WI, 1st Test, Day 2: West Indies Trail By 171

England, batting in the first innings made 371 after getting West Indies out for just 121. However, the visitors in their second innings are in a lot of trouble losing six wickets for just 79 at the end of Day 2.

That's The Night, Folks!

Thank you so much for joining, and until next time, take care and goodbye!