With sport now just about back at full capacity both locally and around the globe, we bring you a wrap of the latest sports news, results and fixtures.
Latest sports news
Rugby
The Sharks won an intense, if somewhat scrappy, Super Rugby Unlocked tournament opener in Durban on Friday night.
The All Blacks suffered a serious injury blow Saturday on the eve of the opening Bledisloe Cup Test against Australia, with fullback Beauden Barrett forced to withdraw with an Achilles tendon injury.
Khuliso Mudau became the latest signing unveiled by Mamelodi Sundowns, while Nyiko Mobbie rejoined the club after a season on loan.
Liverpool striker Roberto Firmino scored a brace as Brazil romped to a 5-0 victory over Bolivia in their opening 2022 World Cup qualifier on Friday. In the night’s other match, Atalanta pair Duvan Zapata and Luis Muriel fired Colombia to a 3-0 win over Venezuela.
Bongani Zungu has been registered for Rangers’ UEFA Europa League squad and could get his first taste of European football.
Cricket
The franchise cricket season will start in the first week of November while provincial cricket for both men and women will start at the beginning of January.
Basketball
China’s state broadcaster ended a year-long blackout of NBA games on Saturday, citing “goodwill” from the US basketball competition following a row over Hong Kong pro-democracy protests. CCTV aired Game 5 of the NBA Finals series, where Miami Heat narrowly beat the LA Lakers 111-108 to keep their title hopes alive.
Golf
Bryson DeChambeau defended the skill of his long-driving attack style after firing two eagles on Friday but falling from the lead of the PGA Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. DeChambeau, who won his first major title in last month’s US Open at Winged Foot, followed an opening 62 with a four-under par 67 in Friday’s second round to stand one stroke back.
South Korea’s Kim Sei-young, seeking her first major title, birdied five of her last six holes to seize a one-stroke lead after Friday’s second round of the Women’s PGA Championship. The 27-year-old from Seoul fired a five-under par 65, including an event record-tying 29 for the front nine, to stand on four-under 136 after 36 holes at Aronimink in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.
Tennis
Novak Djokovic set up a blockbuster French Open title showdown with Rafael Nadal after a dramatic five-set semi-final victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas, but insisted Sunday’s eagerly-awaited championship duel will not be the biggest match of his life. World number one Djokovic reached his fifth final at Roland Garros, defeating Greek fifth seed Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-2, 5-7, 4-6, 6-1 in a roller-coaster of a contest where he had held a match point in the third set.
Boxing
South African boxing is finally back from lockdown with Golden Gloves Promotions presenting a show at the Emperor’s Palace in Kempton on Saturday night. No live crowd will be permitted. Topping the bill will be the long-awaited 4@War junior middleweight tournament final between Boyd Allen (5-0-1) and Brandon Thysse (12-2-1) over ten rounds.
Latest sports news includes additional reporting from AFP
Latest sports results
Golf – Leading second-round scores on Friday in the US PGA Tour Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas, Nevada (USA unless noted, par-71):
128 – Martin Laird (SCO) 65-63, Patrick Cantlay 63-65, Brian Harman 65-63, Austin Cook 63-65, Peter Malnati 66-62
129 – Bryson DeChambeau 62-67
130 – James Hahn 64-66, Nate Lashley 63-67, Sergio Garcia (ESP) 66-64, Stewart Cink 67-63, Wyndham Clark 67-63, Im Sung-jae (KOR) 67-63
131 – Sepp Straka (AUT) 65-66, Brice Garnett 65-66, Dylan Fritelli (RSA) 67-64, Harold Varner 63-68
132 – Kevin Na 66-66, Chez Reavie 68-64, Bronson Burgoon 64-68, Cameron Tringale 66-66, Michael Gligic (CAN) 65-67, Andrew Landry 64-68, Abraham Ancer (MEX) 66-66, Henrik Norlander (SWE) 67-65, Will Zalatoris 68-64
Golf – Leading second-round scores on Friday from the Women’s PGA Championship at Aronimink in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania (USA unless noted, par-70):
136 – Kim Sei-young (KOR) 71-65
137 – Jennifer Kupcho 72-65, Anna Nordqvist (SWE) 69-68, Carlota Ciganda (ESP) 68-69, Danielle Kang 68-69
138 – Ashleigh Buhai (RSA) 70-68, Lydia Ko (NZL) 68-70, Kelly Tan (MAS) 67-71, Lauren Stephenson 70-68, Linnea Strom (SWE) 68-70
139 – Jodi Ewart Shadoff (ENG) 72-67, Chun In-gee (KOR) 72-67, Brittany Lincicome 67-72
140 – Moriya Jutanugarn (THA) 72-68, Jennifer Song 72-68, Brooke Henderson (CAN) 71-69, Park In-bee (KOR) 70-70, Gaby Lopez (MEX) 68-72
141 – Nasa Hataoka (JPN) 72-69, Nanna Koerstz Madsen (DEN) 72-69, Amy Olson 71-70, Charley Hull (ENG) 70-71, Amy Yang (KOR) 69-72
142 – Bianca Pagdanganan (PHI) 77-65, Jennifer Chang 75-67, Yealimi Noh 74-68, Mina Harigae 74-68, Leona Maguire (IRL) 73-69, Yui Kawamoto (JPN), Ally McDonald 71-71, Robynn Ree 71-71, Park Sung-hyun (KOR) 71-71, Lee Jeong-eun (KOR) 70-72, Cydney Clanton 68-74, Lexi Thompson 70-72
WD – Lee Mi-rim (KOR) 77, Nelly Korda 71
Rugby – French Top 14 result on Friday:
Bayonne 19 La Rochelle 36
Rugby – Super Rugby Unlocked Friday:
Sharks 19 Lions 16
Tennis – French Open men’s singles:
Novak Djokovic (SRB x1) bt Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE x5) 6-3, 6-2, 5-7, 4-6, 6-1
Rafael Nadal (ESP x2) bt Diego Schwartzman (ARG x12) 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (7/0)
Latest sports fixtures
Rugby- French Top 14:
Agen vs Stade Francais, Toulon vs Montpellier (both 18:15), Racing 92 vs Toulouse (21:00)
Rugby- English Premiership playoffs: Wasps vs Bristol (1430), Exeter vs Bath (17:30)
Rugby- Pro14: Benetton vs Leinster, Ospreys vs Ulster (both 18:15), Cardiff vs Connacht, Munster vs Edinburgh (20:15)
Rugby – Super Rugby Unlocked
Cheetahs vs Pumas (16:30)
Frans Steyn, one of only two South Africans to have lifted the Webb Ellis Cup twice in their careers, will make his debut for the Cheetahs on Saturday when they host the Pumas in the opening round in Bloemfontein. Kick-off in the Toyota Stadium is at 16:30.
©Frikkie Kapp/BackpagePix
Pumas coach Jimmy Stonehouse named a squad featuring a few experienced campaigners and a number of new faces for the match in the Free State capital.
Bulls vs Griquas (19:00)
Experienced loose forward Arno Botha will lead a Bulls team jam-packed with Springboks, Blitzboks and Junior Springbok talent against Griquas at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, where the match kicks off at 19:00.
Meanwhile, the experienced George Whitehead will lead Griquas’ charge they travel to Pretoria to face the Bulls. The team from the Northern Cape have named three co-captains for the season in Whitehead, who will take the lead when he plays, as well as Zandre Jordaan and Monde Hadebe.
Motorsport – MotoGP: French Grand Prix qualifying (14:10)
Motorsport – Formula 1: Eifel Grand Prix (Nurburgring) qualifying (15:00)
Football – UEFA Nations League
Luxembourg vs Cyprus, Montenegro vs Azerbaijan (15:00)
Faroe Islands vs Latvia, Liechtenstein vs Gibraltar
Ukraine vs Germany, Spain vs Switzerland, Andorra vs Malta (20:45)
Tennis – French Open women’s finals:
Fourth seeded American Sofia Kenin faces unseeded Pole Iga Swiatek with both chasing a first Roland Garros title. (15:00)
Cycling – Giro d’Italia: Stage eight is a flat 200km run along the Adriatic coast from Giovinazzo to Vieste.
Cricket – Indian Premier League: Kings XI Punjab vs Kolkata Knight Riders (in Abu Dhabi) 12:00, Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (in Dubai) 16:00.
—-IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE—– (Photo by MANJUNATH KIRAN / AFP)
