FORMULA 1
Verstappen takes pole
Formula 1 championship leader Max Verstappen yesterday took pole position for today’s Japanese Grand Prix as he looks to take a giant stride toward a third straight title. The Red Bull driver topped the timesheets in dry conditions at Suzuka with a fastest lap of 1 minute, 28.877 seconds — 0.581 seconds ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. Lando Norris, Piastri’s teammate, was third. Verstappen, who leads teammate and nearest rival Sergio Perez by 151 points in the championship standings, cannot clinch the title today, but a favorable result can set him up to seal it at the Qatar Grand Prix next month. “I already felt from the preparation that we had that this was going to be a good track,” Verstappen said. “You never really know how good it’s going to be, but from lap one it’s been really nice.”
MOTOGP
Bezzecchi fastest in India
Italy’s Marco Bezzecchi yesterday claimed pole position at India’s MotoGP on a hot and humid afternoon at the Buddh International Circuit. The Ducati-VR46 rider clocked a top time of 1 minute, 43.947 seconds in the second qualifying, with Jorge Martin and world champion Francesco Bagnaia completing the front row at positions two and three respectively. However, Alex Marquez was all but ruled out of today’s race when the Spaniard — ninth in the standings — crashed on his Ducati-Gresini and fractured his ribs in the first qualifying session. Bezzecchi scorched the track in extreme heat, which has forced organizers to chop today’s race by three laps to 21. “Was tough, but this morning I felt better on the bike,” Bezzecchi said. “Very happy for this pole position. Important to start the sprint and tomorrow’s [today’s] race at pole.”
CRICKET
India top in all formats
India have become only the second men’s team in the history of the sport to occupy the No. 1 spot across all three formats after defeating Australia in the first ODI of their series in India on Friday. India moved past Pakistan to take the top position in the one-day rankings as a result of their latest victory, just before they host the World Cup. They were already No. 1 in Tests and T20 internationals. Only South Africa in 2012 have previously achieved the feat. India’s five-wicket victory over Australia in Mohali took them to 116 rating points, one ahead of Pakistan, but they could slip down the table if Australia — on 111 points — win the remaining two matches in the series.
SOCCER
Guirassy scores brace
Serhou Guirassy on Friday continued his red-hot scoring form with two goals and an assist as VfB Stuttgart beat SV Darmstadt 98 3-1 to provisionally move into first place in the Bundesliga. Guirassy took his tally to 10 league goals in five games as Stuttgart staged a comeback after falling behind to an own-goal by defender Dan Zagadou in the 17th minute. The striker first set up Enzo Millot for the equalizer in the 22nd minute and then gave his team the lead when he swiveled in the area and smashed a hard shot into the net 10 minutes later. Guirassy added a cheeky lob over goalkeeper Marcel Schuhen to seal the win. He is the first player in Europe’s top five leagues to reach double figures in scoring this season. The win gave Stuttgart 12 points from five games.
Manchester City have reached do-or-die territory in the UEFA Champions League earlier than expected ahead of what Pep Guardiola has described as a “final” against Club Brugge today. City have disproved the suggestion a new format to Europe’s top club competition would remove any jeopardy for the top clubs as Guardiola stares down the barrel of failing to make the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in his career. The English champions have endured a torrid season both in their English Premier League title defense and on the continent. A run of one win in 13 games, which included Champions League
BACK-TO-BACK: The League One club, which is owned by stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, is sparing no expense to clinch promotion to the Championship Hollywood endings are pricey, even in England’s third division. In pursuit of their third straight promotion, Wrexham AFC splashed some cash at League One rival Reading to secure the services of striker Sam Smith. The Welsh club owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney confirmed the signing of the 26-year-old Smith on Friday. He is one of the top scorers in the third division. The transfer fee was not disclosed, but British media widely reported it to be about ￡2 million (US$2.48 million) — not extravagant, but a hefty price at this level and it would be about the same figure that
Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Sunday poured in 35 points as the Thunder grabbed a bounce-back 118-108 victory in Portland to push their NBA-best record to 37-8. The Thunder, surprised by the short-handed Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, fended off a late surge from the Trail Blazers to snap their four-game winning streak. Jalen Williams scored 24 points and Isaiah Joe added 16 off the bench. Center Isaiah Hartenstein, back after a five-game absence with a calf injury, added 14 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and a big block. The Western Conference leaders were under pressure late as Portland, trailing by 15 heading
The Golden State Warriors on Wednesday withstood Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 52-point outburst to beat the Western Conference leading Thunder 116-109. Andrew Wiggins scored 27 points and Warriors superstar Stephen Curry scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half as Golden State erased a double-digit deficit and pulled away late for the victory. “We just stayed solid,” said Curry, who entered the contest mired in a shooting slump and had just four points on one basket in the first half. “Just all-around effort.” The Thunder, fueled by 31 first-half points from Gilgeous-Alexander, led by as many as 14 in the
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