After suffering defeats in their first two matches, HonorFX Eagles bounced back with a 20-15 victory in their last match of the World Tennis League Season 3 held at the iconic Etihad Arena on Saturday.
This win took HonorFX Eagles to second place with an overall game tally of 54 points, while the Game Changers Falcons, despite the setback, held on to the top spot with 68 points. However, all eyes will be on the final league-stage match between TSL Hawks and Kites, as the finalists will be determined later in the evening after this showdown. With all four teams still in contention, the match promises to be a decisive and thrilling encounter.
The women’s singles clash between HonorFX Eagles’ Iga Swiatek and Game Changers Falcons’ Elena Rybakina began on an even note. Swiatek broke Rybakina’s third serve to seize the advantage and went on to comfortably close out the set 6-3 for HonorFX Eagles.
In the women’s doubles, Iga Swiatek and Paula Badosa made an immediate impact, breaking the opening serve of their opponents, Elena Rybakina and Caroline Garcia, to take control of the set. The duo cruised to a comfortable 6-2 victory, extending HonorFX Eagles’ lead to 12-5.
The men’s doubles saw a similar dominance from HonorFX Eagles as Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Shevchenko outclassed Game Changers Falcons’ Andrey Rublev and Denis Shapovalov. The HonorFX Eagles duo closed out the set 6-4 with ease, giving their team a massive 18-8 lead.
In the all-important set of the match, Game Changers Falcon’s Rublev came out all guns blazing against HonorFX Eagles’ Tsitsipas. Rublev stormed to a commanding 5-0 lead before Tsitsipas managed to hold serve, making it 5-1. Rublev then sealed the set 6-1, narrowing the overall score to 15-19 and pushing the game into Over Time.
Despite his earlier struggles, Tsitsipas rose to the occasion in the Over Time, holding Rublev to love in a critical game to clinch the match 20-15. The victory marked the HonorFX Eagles’ first win of the season.
Rublev, who has been in fine form and has won all the men’s singles sets he has competed in at WTL so far, reflected on his performance. He said, “I don’t think I’m leading the team; it just happens that my singles matches have been the last ones, and I’ve managed to win them all, so maybe it looks that way. But the truth is, we’re a team, and we’re all trying to do our best together.”
“Today, I think I played a good match. It was Stefanos’ first singles match here, so it’s understandable he didn’t feel his best. I struggled in my first match too, but now I’ve adjusted to the conditions, and I think I played really well today,” Rublev added while talking about his match-up against Tsitsipas.
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In a dramatic twist from the chessboard to the Wild West, the world’s top chess players swapped pawns for pistols, sieves, and lassos in this year’s edition of Norway Chess Games.
Held on a tournament rest day, the tradition of light-hearted competition continued in unforgettable fashion with the “Chess Cowboy Challenge”, a high-spirited showdown in Westernbyen, a Western-themed village in Ålgård, just outside Stavanger.
This year’s participants was -the star-studded lineup from Norway Chess and Norway Chess Women. Sarasadat Khademalsharieh was unfortunately not able to join, and stepping in was Ella Carlsen, wife of Magnus, proving to be quite the sharpshooter in more ways than one.
Adopting their new Western personas, the players embraced the theme wholeheartedly:
Magnus “The Lone GOAT” Carlsen Caruana “The Sicilian Sniper” Hikaru “The Blitz Bandit” Nakamura Arjun “No Slip” Erigaisi Wei “The Quiet Storm” Yi Gukesh “The Chennai Sharpshooter” D
Vaishali “The Rising Rider” Rameshbabu Anna “Ice Veins” Muzychuk Humpy “The Hammer” Koneru Lei “The Lockdown” Tingjie Ju “No-Loss” Wenjun Ella Carlsen (stepping in as an honorary cowgirl)
With nicknames as fierce as their over-the-board styles, the competitors were more than ready to tackle the cowboy gauntlet ahead.
The Chess Cowboy Challenge took them through a series of wild tasks. They faced the Sheriff’s memory test in a jail escape, sought enlightenment by solving the priest’s riddle in the chapel, mined for gold, and tried their hand at axe throwing beside the church. Air rifles, lasso tosses, cowboy quizzes at the pleasure house, and classic horseshoe throws added to the flavor of the day, with real horses roaming the scene for that authentic atmosphere.
Each team, made up of one male and one female player, competed across all stations as they worked their way through the village.
Final Standings:
1st place: Magnus & Ella Carlsen — crowned Chess Sheriffs
2nd place: Hikaru Nakamura & Anna Muzychuk
3rd place: Fabiano Caruana & Vaishali Rameshbabu
4th place: Gukesh D & Ju Wenjun
5th place: Wei Yi & Lei Tingjie
6th place: Arjun Erigaisi & Humpy Koneru
About Norway Chess Games
Norway Chess Games is an annual tradition held during the tournament’s rest day. It gives the world’s best players a break from intense competition and a chance to connect in creative, unexpected ways. Previous editions have included:
Chess Chefs– a culinary battle where players cooked for top chefs
Cake Decorating Challenge– full of icing, sprinkles, and strategy
Farmer for a Day– featuring hand-milking cows and driving tractors
Design Your Own Knit Sweater– where players designed patterns later hand-knitted into real sweaters as unique keepsakes
India’s cricket superstar Virat Kohli has become an investor in the World Bowling League (WBL), a Dubai-founded initiative set to reinvent bowling as a fast-paced, global spectator sport.
Kohli joins Major League Baseball (MLB) icon Mookie Betts as a high-profile partner in the WBL, which was launched by Dubai-based entrepreneur Adi K. Mishra. The league is reimagining the traditional game with a dynamic format featuring mixed-gender teams, international tournaments, and a modern media-first approach aimed at younger audiences.
With franchises expected in Dubai and other global cities, the WBL plans to host 12 to 15 tournaments annually across the United States, Europe, and Asia, as part of its ambitious five-year growth plan.
“When I discovered Virat is also a bowler, it was exciting to align with this new-age vision for the sport,” said Mishra, founder and CEO of League Sports Co.
Kohli, one of the most followed athletes in the world on social media, revealed a long-standing personal connection to the sport.
“I started bowling when I was 11 years old,” Kohli said. “It’s clear how popular the sport is, yet it remains underappreciated as a business.”
The 36-year-old’s global influence and passion for sport are expected to significantly boost the league’s visibility and credibility as it enters its debut season. The WBL aims to position bowling not just as a recreational activity but as an engaging, competitive, and commercially viable sport with global appeal.
After a difficult season that saw Manchester City fall short of their lofty standards, Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has assured fans the team will bounce back in 2025 with renewed hunger and ambition.
Speaking in his annual end-of-season interview, published on the club’s website, Al Mubarak acknowledged that the recently concluded campaign was below par by City’s expectations. The team, which previously captured a historic Treble in 2022/23 and a record fourth consecutive Premier League title in 2023/24, ended this season with only the Community Shield to show.
“This season is now behind us,” Al Mubarak said. “Today is a new day. We’ve already started preparing for next season – in fact, we’ve been doing that since January.”
Transfer plans in motion
With the FIFA Club World Cup in June fast approaching, Al Mubarak confirmed that City are targeting new signings this summer to strengthen Pep Guardiola’s squad.
“We will take all the good things and the not-so-good things from this season, learn from them, and come back stronger,” he said.
“The club will do everything possible to return to the standards we know we can achieve.”
He also revealed that top-level discussions were already underway, with Director of Football Txiki Begiristain, CEO Ferran Soriano, manager Pep Guardiola, and Football Partnerships Director Hugo Viana all working closely on transfer strategy.
“I just got off the phone with Ferran. He spent the day with Txiki, Pep, and Hugo today. We finished our last game yesterday, and today we’re working. Nobody’s going on vacation yet,” he added.
Hunger in the squad
Despite the underwhelming season, the mood in the dressing room remains determined and focused. Al Mubarak attended City’s final game of the campaign, a 2-0 win at Fulham, and noted a strong sense of motivation among the players.
“Everyone I saw after the Fulham game was excited about coming back,” he said.
“They’re hungry. Rodri is already looking for games. Erling [Haaland] didn’t want to go on vacation, he wanted to stay with the physios and prepare for next season. That’s the attitude you want.”
Al Mubarak’s confidence in the club’s future stems from this player-driven determination and the leadership’s proactive approach to the upcoming transfer window.
“We’re going to come back strong, with a lot of positivity,” he said. “And I can assure you – we will be back competing for the biggest prizes next season.”