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Honorfx Eagles beat game changers Falcons 20-15, gets first win of the season

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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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Star power boosts Super60 with Guptill, Parnell, Harbhajan

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It was a landmark day for cricket in the USA as the teams assembled an exciting mix of international stars and emerging talents during the draft for the inaugural Super60 USA Tournament, held on Friday with prominent names like Martin Guptill, Wayne Parnell, Varun Aaron and Lendl Simmons making the headlines.

Teams had already locked in eight players as part of their pre-signings. In the draft, they were allowed to choose between seven to 10 more players.

The LA Strikers had already secured big names like Aaron Finch, Isuru Udana, and Ben Dunk in their pre-signings. During the draft, they further strengthened their lineup by picking Gurkeerat Mann, a dynamic all-rounder known for his decent strike rate and handy off-spin. The franchise also brought in experienced wicketkeeper-batter Naman Ojha and seasoned medium-pacer Parvinder Awana, clearly aiming to build a well-rounded squad with depth in every department.

Morrisville Fighters put together a strong core by signing two of India’s finest bowlers — Harbhajan Singh and Munaf Patel. They further added fire power in the batting department with the signing of Shaun Marsh. The franchise continued to build on that solid base with the additions of powerful all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme, pacer Sheldon Cottrell, and experienced campaigner Faiz Fazal.

Rebel Warriors made a statement during the draft after they signed Martin Guptill and Lendl Simmons one after the other. The two batters are known for their aggressive and will play a massive role in providing a brisk start to the team. They also have Saurabh Tiwary whom they signed during the pre-signings to add more aggression in the batting department while the experience of Mitchell Johnson with the ball will be the key for Rebel’s success.

Chicago Players who already had legends in Suresh Raina and Jacques Kallis in their line up got Wayne Parnell, Varun Aaron and Devendra Bishoo to add more fuel to their bowling unit.

Detroit Falcons went into the draft with a clear game plan — to stack their squad with quality all-rounders. With Shakib Al Hasan already in the lineup, they added Mossaddek Hossain and Ariful Haque, two reliable performers with solid domestic records.

With Parthiv Patel, Chris Lynn, and Ravi Bopara in their batting lineup, the Washington Tigers have plenty of experience and firepower up top. On the bowling side, they’ll be counting on Abhimanyu Mithun, Dan Christian, and Shahbaz Nadeem to do the job with the ball and keep the opposition in check.

LA Strikers:

Pre-Signing- Aaron Finch (Icon), Isuru Udana (Platinum), Ben Dunk (Cat A), Chadwick Walton (Cat B), Ashley Nurse (Cat B), Anureet Singh (Cat C), Chirag Gandhi (Cat D), Jesal Karia (Cat C)

Draft- Gurkeerat Mann (Cat B), Naman Ojha ( Cat B), Jaskaran Malhotra (Cat C), Parvinder Awana (Cat C), Manan Sharma (Cat D), Nisarg Patel (Cat D), Kashyap Prajapati (Cat D)

Morrisville Fighters:

Pre-Signing- Harbhajan Singh (Icon), Shaun Marsh (Platinum), Munaf Patel (Cat A), Angelo Perera (Cat B), Bipul Sharma (Cat B), Chamara Kapugedera (Cat C), Danushka Gunathilaka (Cat C), Kristopher Ramsaran (Cat D)

Draft- Colin de Grandhomme (Cat B), Sheldon Cottrell (Cat B), Jerome Taylor (Cat C), Faiz Fazal (Cat C), Suboth Bhati (Cat D), Rahul Yadav (Cat D), Elmore Hutchinson (Cat D)

Rebel Warriors:

Pre Signing- Thisara Perera (Icon), Mitchell Johnson (Platinum), Saurabh Tiwary (Cat A), Miguel Cummins (Cat B), Kennar Lewis (Cat B) , Samit Patel (Cat C), Oshane Thomas (Cat C), Amila Aponso (Cat D)

Draft- Martin Guptill (Cat B), Lendl Simmons, (Cat B), Chaturanga de Silva (Cat B), Jonathan Carter (Cat C), Jonathan Foo (Cat D),  Andre McCarthy (Cat D), Trevon Griffith (Cat D)

The Chicago Players:

Pre-Signing- Suresh Raina (Icon), Jacques Kallis (Platinum), Shehan Jayasuriya (Cat A), Manpreet Gony (Cat B), Kesrick Williams (Cat B), Dilhara Fernando (Cat C), Jon-Russ Jaggesar (Cat C), Navin Stewart (Cat D)

Draft- Wayne Parnell (Cat B), Varun Aaron (Cat B), Devendra Bishoo (Cat C), Siddharth Trivedi (Cat C), William Perkins (Cat D), Pawan Suyal (Cat D), Vikas Tokas (Cat D)

Detroit Falcons:

Pre-Signing- Shakib Al Hasan (ICON), Cameron Delport (Platinum), Rishi Dhawan (Cat A), Nasir Hussain (Cat B), Sharad Lumba (Cat B), Nasir Hussain (Cat B), Malinda Pushpakumara (Cat C), Anthony Bramble (Cat D)

Draft- Mossaddek Hossain (Cat B), Enamul Haque Jr (Cat B), Ariful Haque (Cat C), Kamrul Islam Rabbi (Cat C), Rony Talukdar (Cat D), Al-Amin Hossain (Cat D), Mohammad Nihaduzzaman (Cat D)

Washington Tigers:

Pre-Signing- Parthiv Patel (Platinum), Chris Lynn (Cat A), Ravi Bopara (Cat B), Andrew Tye (Cat B), Rohan Mustafa (Cat C), Abhimanyu Mithun (Cat C), Zahoor Khan (Cat D)

Draft- Dan Christian (Cat B), Shahbaz Nadeem (Cat B), Phil Mustard (Cat B), Jeevan Mendis (Cat C), Sheldon Jackson (Cat D), George Worker (Cat D), Aakarshit Gomel (Cat D)

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No Fluke: India’s teen grandmaster Gukesh crushes Carlsen again in under a month

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There was no table slam, no dramatic sigh, just a quiet handshake and a grimace. On Thursday in Zagreb, Magnus Carlsen resigned once again to Gukesh Dommaraju, this time in a rapid game at the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia 2025.

It’s the second time in less than a month that the Indian teenager has defeated the five-time world champion. After his classical-format win over Carlsen at Norway Chess, Gukesh has now proved he can beat the Norwegian even in faster time controls, and with Carlsen playing white, no less.

With that win, Gukesh surged into sole lead at the end of Day 2 of the three-day rapid section, sitting at 10 points, two clear of Poland’s Jan-Krzysztof Duda. Carlsen, meanwhile, is stuck on 6 points and well behind the leaders.

Not a fluke. Not a meltdown. Just better chess.

What makes this win even more significant is the context. Gukesh has never been seen as a strong rapid/blitz player, even Carlsen himself said so before the tournament began, calling Gukesh one of the “presumably weaker players” in the field.

But Gukesh’s performance in Zagreb is rewriting that narrative. After losing his opening game to Duda, the 18-year-old reeled off five straight wins, including victories over some of the best in the world: Alireza Firouzja, Praggnanandhaa, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Fabiano Caruana, and then Carlsen.

Former world champion Garry Kasparov, on commentary, put it plainly:

“This is not just his second loss to Gukesh, it’s a convincing loss. It’s not a miracle or luck. Magnus was in a big fight, and he lost.”

Carlsen’s pre-tournament jab aged poorly

Carlsen had publicly questioned Gukesh’s readiness for rapid formats, saying:

“Gukesh hasn’t done anything to indicate that he’s going to do well. Players like Gukesh have a lot to prove.”

Safe to say, Gukesh is proving it. While Carlsen walked off without making eye contact after the 49-move defeat, Gukesh looked composed and focused as he moved closer to adding another major title to his fast-growing resume.

Time on his side

Interestingly, Gukesh, known for excelling in slower, classical formats, has been ahead on time even in the endgames during this tournament, including in matches against Carlsen and Caruana. That’s a stark contrast to his earlier blitz outings and signals his evolution into a more complete player.

Now heading into the final day of rapid play, Gukesh leads the standings and is firmly in control.

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Liverpool and Portugal star Diogo Jota dies in car crash in Spain alongside brother Andre Silva

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Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota, 28, and his brother André Silva, 25, were tragically killed in a car crash near Zamora in northwestern Spain, authorities confirmed on Thursday.

According to the Spanish Civil Guard, the accident occurred shortly after midnight on an isolated stretch of the A-52 highway, about an hour west of Zamora. The brothers were travelling in a Lamborghini when the vehicle veered off the road and caught fire. Investigators suspect a blown tire may have caused the driver to lose control. No other vehicles were involved.

Emergency services arrived at the scene to contain the blaze, which had also spread to nearby vegetation. The bodies were recovered and are undergoing forensic examination. It remains unclear who was driving.

The news has sent shockwaves across the football world. Jota, whose full name is Diogo Jose Teixeira da Silva, has made 182 appearances for Liverpool since joining from Wolves in 2020. He helped the club lift the Premier League title in May and had also won the FA Cup and two Carabao Cups during his time at Anfield.

Jota was a key player for the Portuguese national team, with 49 international caps and 14 goals, and was part of the squads that won the UEFA Nations League in 2019 and 2025.

His younger brother, Andre Silva, played for Penafiel, a club in Portugal’s lower leagues.

The accident comes just weeks after Jota married his longtime partner Rute Cardoso on June 22. The couple had three young children. In a recent post, Jota had written: “Yes to forever.”

In a statement, Liverpool FC said:

“Liverpool Football Club are devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota. We request the privacy of Diogo and André’s family, friends, teammates and club staff is respected as they come to terms with an unimaginable loss.”

The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) expressed its sorrow:

“We have lost two champions. Their deaths represent irreparable losses for Portuguese football.”

UEFA announced that a minute of silence will be observed at all Euro 2025 matches on Thursday and Friday in honour of the players.

Cristiano Ronaldo, a teammate and close friend, shared a heartfelt message:

“It doesn’t make sense. We were just together with the national team, you had just gotten married. I send my condolences to your family and wish them strength. Rest in peace, Diogo and André. We will all miss you.”

Tributes continue to pour in from clubs, teammates, and fans around the world as the football community mourns the loss of two young lives and careers cut tragically short.

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