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Deadspin | Anna Bondar upends Elina Svitolina in Madrid  Aug 25, 2025; Flushing, NY, USA; Anna Bondar (HUN) hits a backhand against Elina Svitolina (UKR)(not pictured) on day two of the 2025 US Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images   Hungary’s Anna Bondar delivered a 6-3, 6-4 upset of No. 7 seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in the second round of the Mutua Madrid Open on Thursday.  It was the first career top-10 win for Bondar, who advanced to face Czech teenager Laura Samson in the third round of the WTA 1000 clay-court tournament.  Bondar struck six aces and saved all six break points she faced in the 87-minute win over Svitolina, finishing with 27 winners and just nine unforced errors. She was the first Hungarian woman to defeat a top-10 opponent since Timea Babos at the 2018 Australian Open.  “I knew I had to bring my ‘A’ game, which I think I did today,” Bondar said in her on-court interview. “I played against her three times last year, so I knew what to expect. I think the conditions fit my game here really well — I like to use my heavy forehand, so I think that was one of the keys today.”  Svitolina received treatment on her ankle during a medical timeout while trailing 3-2 in the second set.  Bondar’s next opponent, the 18-year-old Samson, became the first player born in 2008 or later to reach the third round at the WTA 1000 level or above. Samson defeated No. 28 seed Xinyu Wang of China 2-6, 6-3, 6-0.  Three-time Madrid champion and top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus advanced with a 7-5, 6-3 victory against Peyton Stearns. Sabalenka converted four of 13 break points during 95-minute match.   “I’m just glad that I got the win,” Sabalenka said. “Maybe not that beautiful, but I felt by the end of the match, I felt much better on court.  “It wasn’t an easy one. I did my work before coming here, but altitude and these courts and her game, it wasn’t easy.”  Up next for Sabalenka, who is on a 13-match winning streak, is No. 29 seed Jacqueline Cristian of Romania. Cristian rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 win against Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva in 3 hours and 6 minutes.  No. 4 seed Iga Swiatek of Poland, the 2024 Madrid champion, made quick work of Ukraine’s Daria Snigur with a 6-1, 6-2 victory in just 61 minutes.  Swiatek’s third-round opponent will be No. 31 seed Ann Li, who outlasted her American compatriot Alycia Parks 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-3.  Also reaching the third round were No. 8 Jasmine Paolini of Italy, No. 9 Mirra Andreeva of Russia, No. 11 Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, No. 14 Naomi Osaka of Japan, No. 15 Iva Jovic, No. 18 Diana Shnaider of Russia, No. 24 Leylah Fernandez of Canada and No. 30 Hailey Baptiste.  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #Anna #Bondar #upends #Elina #Svitolina #Madrid

Deadspin | Anna Bondar upends Elina Svitolina in Madrid
Deadspin | Anna Bondar upends Elina Svitolina in Madrid  Aug 25, 2025; Flushing, NY, USA; Anna Bondar (HUN) hits a backhand against Elina Svitolina (UKR)(not pictured) on day two of the 2025 US Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images   Hungary’s Anna Bondar delivered a 6-3, 6-4 upset of No. 7 seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in the second round of the Mutua Madrid Open on Thursday.  It was the first career top-10 win for Bondar, who advanced to face Czech teenager Laura Samson in the third round of the WTA 1000 clay-court tournament.  Bondar struck six aces and saved all six break points she faced in the 87-minute win over Svitolina, finishing with 27 winners and just nine unforced errors. She was the first Hungarian woman to defeat a top-10 opponent since Timea Babos at the 2018 Australian Open.  “I knew I had to bring my ‘A’ game, which I think I did today,” Bondar said in her on-court interview. “I played against her three times last year, so I knew what to expect. I think the conditions fit my game here really well — I like to use my heavy forehand, so I think that was one of the keys today.”  Svitolina received treatment on her ankle during a medical timeout while trailing 3-2 in the second set.  Bondar’s next opponent, the 18-year-old Samson, became the first player born in 2008 or later to reach the third round at the WTA 1000 level or above. Samson defeated No. 28 seed Xinyu Wang of China 2-6, 6-3, 6-0.  Three-time Madrid champion and top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus advanced with a 7-5, 6-3 victory against Peyton Stearns. Sabalenka converted four of 13 break points during 95-minute match.   “I’m just glad that I got the win,” Sabalenka said. “Maybe not that beautiful, but I felt by the end of the match, I felt much better on court.  “It wasn’t an easy one. I did my work before coming here, but altitude and these courts and her game, it wasn’t easy.”  Up next for Sabalenka, who is on a 13-match winning streak, is No. 29 seed Jacqueline Cristian of Romania. Cristian rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 win against Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva in 3 hours and 6 minutes.  No. 4 seed Iga Swiatek of Poland, the 2024 Madrid champion, made quick work of Ukraine’s Daria Snigur with a 6-1, 6-2 victory in just 61 minutes.  Swiatek’s third-round opponent will be No. 31 seed Ann Li, who outlasted her American compatriot Alycia Parks 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-3.  Also reaching the third round were No. 8 Jasmine Paolini of Italy, No. 9 Mirra Andreeva of Russia, No. 11 Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, No. 14 Naomi Osaka of Japan, No. 15 Iva Jovic, No. 18 Diana Shnaider of Russia, No. 24 Leylah Fernandez of Canada and No. 30 Hailey Baptiste.  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #Anna #Bondar #upends #Elina #Svitolina #MadridAug 25, 2025; Flushing, NY, USA; Anna Bondar (HUN) hits a backhand against Elina Svitolina (UKR)(not pictured) on day two of the 2025 US Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Hungary’s Anna Bondar delivered a 6-3, 6-4 upset of No. 7 seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in the second round of the Mutua Madrid Open on Thursday.

It was the first career top-10 win for Bondar, who advanced to face Czech teenager Laura Samson in the third round of the WTA 1000 clay-court tournament.

Bondar struck six aces and saved all six break points she faced in the 87-minute win over Svitolina, finishing with 27 winners and just nine unforced errors. She was the first Hungarian woman to defeat a top-10 opponent since Timea Babos at the 2018 Australian Open.

“I knew I had to bring my ‘A’ game, which I think I did today,” Bondar said in her on-court interview. “I played against her three times last year, so I knew what to expect. I think the conditions fit my game here really well — I like to use my heavy forehand, so I think that was one of the keys today.”

Svitolina received treatment on her ankle during a medical timeout while trailing 3-2 in the second set.

Bondar’s next opponent, the 18-year-old Samson, became the first player born in 2008 or later to reach the third round at the WTA 1000 level or above. Samson defeated No. 28 seed Xinyu Wang of China 2-6, 6-3, 6-0.


Three-time Madrid champion and top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus advanced with a 7-5, 6-3 victory against Peyton Stearns. Sabalenka converted four of 13 break points during 95-minute match.

“I’m just glad that I got the win,” Sabalenka said. “Maybe not that beautiful, but I felt by the end of the match, I felt much better on court.

“It wasn’t an easy one. I did my work before coming here, but altitude and these courts and her game, it wasn’t easy.”

Up next for Sabalenka, who is on a 13-match winning streak, is No. 29 seed Jacqueline Cristian of Romania. Cristian rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 win against Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva in 3 hours and 6 minutes.

No. 4 seed Iga Swiatek of Poland, the 2024 Madrid champion, made quick work of Ukraine’s Daria Snigur with a 6-1, 6-2 victory in just 61 minutes.

Swiatek’s third-round opponent will be No. 31 seed Ann Li, who outlasted her American compatriot Alycia Parks 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-3.

Also reaching the third round were No. 8 Jasmine Paolini of Italy, No. 9 Mirra Andreeva of Russia, No. 11 Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, No. 14 Naomi Osaka of Japan, No. 15 Iva Jovic, No. 18 Diana Shnaider of Russia, No. 24 Leylah Fernandez of Canada and No. 30 Hailey Baptiste.


–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Anna #Bondar #upends #Elina #Svitolina #Madrid

Aug 25, 2025; Flushing, NY, USA; Anna Bondar (HUN) hits a backhand against Elina Svitolina (UKR)(not pictured) on day two of the 2025 US Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Hungary’s Anna Bondar delivered a 6-3, 6-4 upset of No. 7 seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in the second round of the Mutua Madrid Open on Thursday.

It was the first career top-10 win for Bondar, who advanced to face Czech teenager Laura Samson in the third round of the WTA 1000 clay-court tournament.

Bondar struck six aces and saved all six break points she faced in the 87-minute win over Svitolina, finishing with 27 winners and just nine unforced errors. She was the first Hungarian woman to defeat a top-10 opponent since Timea Babos at the 2018 Australian Open.

“I knew I had to bring my ‘A’ game, which I think I did today,” Bondar said in her on-court interview. “I played against her three times last year, so I knew what to expect. I think the conditions fit my game here really well — I like to use my heavy forehand, so I think that was one of the keys today.”

Svitolina received treatment on her ankle during a medical timeout while trailing 3-2 in the second set.

Bondar’s next opponent, the 18-year-old Samson, became the first player born in 2008 or later to reach the third round at the WTA 1000 level or above. Samson defeated No. 28 seed Xinyu Wang of China 2-6, 6-3, 6-0.

Three-time Madrid champion and top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus advanced with a 7-5, 6-3 victory against Peyton Stearns. Sabalenka converted four of 13 break points during 95-minute match.

“I’m just glad that I got the win,” Sabalenka said. “Maybe not that beautiful, but I felt by the end of the match, I felt much better on court.

“It wasn’t an easy one. I did my work before coming here, but altitude and these courts and her game, it wasn’t easy.”

Up next for Sabalenka, who is on a 13-match winning streak, is No. 29 seed Jacqueline Cristian of Romania. Cristian rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 win against Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva in 3 hours and 6 minutes.

No. 4 seed Iga Swiatek of Poland, the 2024 Madrid champion, made quick work of Ukraine’s Daria Snigur with a 6-1, 6-2 victory in just 61 minutes.

Swiatek’s third-round opponent will be No. 31 seed Ann Li, who outlasted her American compatriot Alycia Parks 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-3.

Also reaching the third round were No. 8 Jasmine Paolini of Italy, No. 9 Mirra Andreeva of Russia, No. 11 Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, No. 14 Naomi Osaka of Japan, No. 15 Iva Jovic, No. 18 Diana Shnaider of Russia, No. 24 Leylah Fernandez of Canada and No. 30 Hailey Baptiste.

–Field Level Media

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IPL 2026: Indian talent come in ready to hit sixes, says RCB’s Tim David <div id="content-body-70898429" itemprop="articleBody"><p>Not many batters are synonymous with the way the art of willow-wielding has exploded this Indian Premier League (IPL) quite like Tim David.</p><p>The broad-chested Aussie of gigantic frame (6’5”) has been one of the best exponents of power-hitting, scoring his 173 runs this campaign at a whopping strike-rate of 203.52. He also has more sixes than fours (14 to 12), in line with his overall IPL career (74 to 66).</p><p>But the 30-year-old, who recently became the second fastest to score 1000 IPL runs (560 balls), also felt that the Indian domestic talent has stepped up dramatically to become bold and belligerent.</p><p><b>READ</b> | <b><a href="https://sportstar.thehindu.com/cricket/ipl/ipl-2026-match-today-rcb-vs-gt-preview-royal-challengers-bengaluru-vs-gujarat-titans-news/article70898031.ece" target="_blank">IPL 2026: GT’s top-heavy method to face full-throttle RCB test</a></b></p><p>“The first part is that you have the Impact subs… you get an extra player,” said David in the lead-up to Friday’s match against Gujarat Titans here. “It is also that the depth of the domestic talent in India has improved so much and these guys come into the IPL ready to hit sixes.</p><p>“Earlier, you would need specific overseas players to be power-hitters, like Chris Gayle. But you now look at all the Indian domestic players and the international Indian players, and they all hit sixes. That’s stepped up throughout the competition.”</p><p>However, despite totals routinely going north of 200, David opined – without saying in as many words – that it was still a cat-and-mouse contest between batters and bowlers.</p><p>“Bowlers have lots of weapons in their arsenal now and are definitely a lot smarter. You’ll see the summary on the TV, they talk about where the bowlers can target and they’ve obviously graphed out where batters score quickly and what they’re weak against.</p><p>“If the bowler lands a perfect yorker, it’s going to be difficult to score off. But they know that if I’m standing down and they’re going to miss, I’m going to try and hit them for a six.”</p><p class="publish-time" id="end-of-article">Published on Apr 23, 2026</p></div> #IPL #Indian #talent #ready #hit #sixes #RCBs #Tim #David

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Son, It’s Time Your Mother and I Pivoted from Being Your Parents to Being an AI Company

#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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