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Auger-Aliassime playing for hometown pride at Montreal Masters  World number four Felix Auger-Aliassime will be playing for local pride when the ATP Montreal Masters begins on Sunday in his hometown.The Canadian returns as second seed to a tournament he attended frequently as a budding young player, when he used to watch and study his sporting idols up close in training between matches.“There were several times when I didn’t have a ticket, so I would watch all the training sessions,” he said on Saturday at the event, where he is seeded behind Roland Garros winner and Wimbledon runner-up Alexander Zverev.“I learned even more things during training since they (fans) have the chance to be very, very close to the players.”Auger-Aliassime recently split with his longtime coach of 10 years, Frederic Fontang, after losing a frustrating Wimbledon five-set quarterfinal to Novak Djokovic.He will have the bulk of the crowd support at an event which is missing major stars including top-ranked Jannik Sinner, who opted not to play in the wake of his Wimbledon triumph to send tournament organisers into crisis mode.Joining the Italian on the sidelines with less than a month to go before the US Open begins are the 39-year-old Djokovic and Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, still testing and healing the right wrist injury which has kept him off court since mid-April.Auger-Aliassime’s best performance at the Canadian event was a quarterfinal four years ago. Last year he lost in the second round.Despite the hometown support, Auger-Aliassime said he will aim to stick to his usual routines and focus solely on his game.“Already, my expectations or hopes are at the same level as the public’s. So already, there is no gap at that level,” he said.“I have my work to do, I have my preparation, I have my routines, so all that doesn’t change.“I try to change as few things as possible, even if I’m playing in Montreal. Yes, I’m a bit more in-demand obviously than at other tournaments, but I try to keep my routines.“The brain is used to having its routines. And that helps to program oneself well or to prepare well for the tournament.”All 28 seeds in the 128-strong field receive first-round byes, with Auger-Aliassime set for the second round against the winner from France’s Luca van Assche and a qualifier.Top seed Zverev reached the Canadian semifinal in Toronto a year ago.Australian Alex de Minaur takes the third seeding ahead of Daniil Mdevedev while defending champion Ben Shelton is seeded fifth.Published on Aug 02, 2026  #AugerAliassime #playing #hometown #pride #Montreal #Masters

Auger-Aliassime playing for hometown pride at Montreal Masters

World number four Felix Auger-Aliassime will be playing for local pride when the ATP Montreal Masters begins on Sunday in his hometown.

The Canadian returns as second seed to a tournament he attended frequently as a budding young player, when he used to watch and study his sporting idols up close in training between matches.

“There were several times when I didn’t have a ticket, so I would watch all the training sessions,” he said on Saturday at the event, where he is seeded behind Roland Garros winner and Wimbledon runner-up Alexander Zverev.

“I learned even more things during training since they (fans) have the chance to be very, very close to the players.”

Auger-Aliassime recently split with his longtime coach of 10 years, Frederic Fontang, after losing a frustrating Wimbledon five-set quarterfinal to Novak Djokovic.

He will have the bulk of the crowd support at an event which is missing major stars including top-ranked Jannik Sinner, who opted not to play in the wake of his Wimbledon triumph to send tournament organisers into crisis mode.

Joining the Italian on the sidelines with less than a month to go before the US Open begins are the 39-year-old Djokovic and Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, still testing and healing the right wrist injury which has kept him off court since mid-April.

Auger-Aliassime’s best performance at the Canadian event was a quarterfinal four years ago. Last year he lost in the second round.

Despite the hometown support, Auger-Aliassime said he will aim to stick to his usual routines and focus solely on his game.

“Already, my expectations or hopes are at the same level as the public’s. So already, there is no gap at that level,” he said.

“I have my work to do, I have my preparation, I have my routines, so all that doesn’t change.

“I try to change as few things as possible, even if I’m playing in Montreal. Yes, I’m a bit more in-demand obviously than at other tournaments, but I try to keep my routines.

“The brain is used to having its routines. And that helps to program oneself well or to prepare well for the tournament.”

All 28 seeds in the 128-strong field receive first-round byes, with Auger-Aliassime set for the second round against the winner from France’s Luca van Assche and a qualifier.

Top seed Zverev reached the Canadian semifinal in Toronto a year ago.

Australian Alex de Minaur takes the third seeding ahead of Daniil Mdevedev while defending champion Ben Shelton is seeded fifth.

Published on Aug 02, 2026

#AugerAliassime #playing #hometown #pride #Montreal #Masters

World number four Felix Auger-Aliassime will be playing for local pride when the ATP Montreal Masters begins on Sunday in his hometown.

The Canadian returns as second seed to a tournament he attended frequently as a budding young player, when he used to watch and study his sporting idols up close in training between matches.

“There were several times when I didn’t have a ticket, so I would watch all the training sessions,” he said on Saturday at the event, where he is seeded behind Roland Garros winner and Wimbledon runner-up Alexander Zverev.

“I learned even more things during training since they (fans) have the chance to be very, very close to the players.”

Auger-Aliassime recently split with his longtime coach of 10 years, Frederic Fontang, after losing a frustrating Wimbledon five-set quarterfinal to Novak Djokovic.

He will have the bulk of the crowd support at an event which is missing major stars including top-ranked Jannik Sinner, who opted not to play in the wake of his Wimbledon triumph to send tournament organisers into crisis mode.

Joining the Italian on the sidelines with less than a month to go before the US Open begins are the 39-year-old Djokovic and Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, still testing and healing the right wrist injury which has kept him off court since mid-April.

Auger-Aliassime’s best performance at the Canadian event was a quarterfinal four years ago. Last year he lost in the second round.

Despite the hometown support, Auger-Aliassime said he will aim to stick to his usual routines and focus solely on his game.

“Already, my expectations or hopes are at the same level as the public’s. So already, there is no gap at that level,” he said.

“I have my work to do, I have my preparation, I have my routines, so all that doesn’t change.

“I try to change as few things as possible, even if I’m playing in Montreal. Yes, I’m a bit more in-demand obviously than at other tournaments, but I try to keep my routines.

“The brain is used to having its routines. And that helps to program oneself well or to prepare well for the tournament.”

All 28 seeds in the 128-strong field receive first-round byes, with Auger-Aliassime set for the second round against the winner from France’s Luca van Assche and a qualifier.

Top seed Zverev reached the Canadian semifinal in Toronto a year ago.

Australian Alex de Minaur takes the third seeding ahead of Daniil Mdevedev while defending champion Ben Shelton is seeded fifth.

Published on Aug 02, 2026

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#AugerAliassime #playing #hometown #pride #Montreal #Masters

#Caitlin #Clark #playing #basketball #career">Caitlin Clark is playing the best basketball of her career  In Tuesday night’s Indiana Fever win over the Seattle Storm, Caitlin Clark was on one. Clark tallied 32 points on 9-14 shooting to go along with 7 assists and 4 rebounds, and the Fever improved to 18-10 on the season.Amid the usual litany of off-court storylines, it’s been a superb on-court season for the Fever star.Clark is averaging 21.5 points per game, the third-most in the league, and 7.9 assists per game, the second-most in the league. (In other words, no single player creates more on offense than she does).She’s also quietly upped her efficiency — in her rookie season (in which she was named to the All-WNBA First Team), she shot 41.7% from the field and 34.4% from three. In her sophomore season (in which she appeared in just 13 games due to a myriad of injuries), she shot worse, hitting 36.7% of her shot attempts and 27.9% of her threes.And, this year, she’s shooting 44.3% from the field and 35.4% from three, both career-highs. While turnovers continue to be an Achilles heel, she’s averaging fewer per game this year (4.7) than in her rookie campaign (5.6).Clark now has the 31st-best true shooting percentage in the WNBA (60.3%), which means she’s been more efficient than a long list of top guards that includes Marina Mabrey, Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray, Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, Sabrina Ionescu, Veronica Burton, Courtney Williams, and dozens of others. (Kelsey Plum, Sonia Citron, Kelsey Mitchell, Kayla McBride, Paige Bueckers, and Olivia Miles have all been more efficient, however).It still feels like there’s another gear Clark can reach from beyond the arc — she shot 37.7% from three in college — but even if that doesn’t happen, she’s established herself as one of the league’s best guards just a season removed from a campaign in which she missed time due to groin and ankle injuries.Most importantly, the Fever are winning. They currently have the 5th-best record in the WNBA, but they’re only a game and a half removed from second place, where the Las Vegas Aces currently sit. They have the second-highest point differential in the league (+6), which trails only the Minnesota Lynx. They’re averaging 95.8 points per game, which is 4 more points than the team with the next-highest points per game average (Minnesota).Clark is still just 24 years old — and will likely get a lot better before she peaks. But, as strange as it is to say about the most polarizing player in basketball, she’s quietly already having a career year.  #Caitlin #Clark #playing #basketball #career

There was no medal for India in the men’s pole vault final at the Commonwealth Games 2026 as Dev Kumar Meena and Kuldeep Kumar finished outside the top three on Saturday.

Dev finished fourth with a best clearance of 5.30m which was lower than his National Record of 5.46m set earlier this year at the Inter-State Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar.

Meanwhile his compatriot Kuldeep finished sixth with a best effort of 5.10m.

With the starting mark kept at 4.90m, Dev chose to begin his final with a height of 5.10m, which he cleared on the first attempt. The pole vaulter from Madhya Pradesh then cleared 5.30m on the first jump as well, but couldn’t clear 5.40m in three attempts.

Dev’s Statemate Kuldeep cleared 4.90m on his first attempt before following it up with another first-time clearance of 5.10m. However, he failed to jump over 5.30m in his first two attempts. Interestingly, he skipped his third and attempted 5.40m, but that too ended in failure.

Published on Aug 02, 2026

#CWG #Indias #Dev #Meena #finishes #fourth #Kuldeep #Kumar #sixth #mens #pole #vault #final">CWG 2026: India’s Dev Meena finishes fourth, Kuldeep Kumar sixth in men’s pole vault final  There was no medal for India in the men’s pole vault final at the Commonwealth Games 2026 as Dev Kumar Meena and Kuldeep Kumar finished outside the top three on Saturday.Dev finished fourth with a best clearance of 5.30m which was lower than his National Record of 5.46m set earlier this year at the Inter-State Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar.Meanwhile his compatriot Kuldeep finished sixth with a best effort of 5.10m.With the starting mark kept at 4.90m, Dev chose to begin his final with a height of 5.10m, which he cleared on the first attempt. The pole vaulter from Madhya Pradesh then cleared 5.30m on the first jump as well, but couldn’t clear 5.40m in three attempts.Dev’s Statemate Kuldeep cleared 4.90m on his first attempt before following it up with another first-time clearance of 5.10m. However, he failed to jump over 5.30m in his first two attempts. Interestingly, he skipped his third and attempted 5.40m, but that too ended in failure.Published on Aug 02, 2026  #CWG #Indias #Dev #Meena #finishes #fourth #Kuldeep #Kumar #sixth #mens #pole #vault #final

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