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Shane van Gisbergen wins the pole for Cup Series race in downtown Chicago

Shane van Gisbergen wins the pole for Cup Series race in downtown Chicago
Shane Van Gisbergen, driver of the #9 WeatherTech/Red Bull Chevrolet, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series The Loop 110 at Chicago Street Course on July 05, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (AFP)
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Updated 06 July 2025

Shane van Gisbergen wins the pole for Cup Series race in downtown Chicago

Shane van Gisbergen wins the pole for Cup Series race in downtown Chicago
  • Van Gisbergen has won the pole for Sunday’s Grant Park 165

CHICAGO: When it comes to NASCAR’s street course in downtown Chicago, there is Shane van Gisbergen, and then there is everyone else.
Van Gisbergen has won the pole for Sunday’s Grant Park 165. The 36-year-old New Zealander turned a lap at 88.338 mph on a tricky 2.2-mile course that was made more treacherous by temperatures in the 90s Fahrenheit on Saturday.
“Practice wasn’t that great for us, but when we went out for qualifying, the car felt really good,” van Gisbergen said. “We turned in two pretty good laps.”
The Trackhouse Racing driver will be joined on the front row by Michael McDowell, who grabbed the second slot at 87.879 mph. Carson Hocevar (87.824 mph), Tyler Reddick (87.779 mph) and Chase Briscoe (87.734 mph) rounded out the top five.
McDowell is one of three drivers who finished in the top 10 in the first two races in downtown Chicago.
“Our car’s in the game,” he said. “Tomorrow will be a mixed bag with potential weather in and out. So a lot of variables to go out there and navigate.”
Van Gisbergen, a three-time champion in Australia’s Supercars, also was on the pole for Saturday’s Xfinity Series race.
“I learned a lot in the Xfinity Series car this morning, and that just gives you a great leg up for the Cup car,” he said. “I think it’s great running both cars, it certainly helps.”
Just two years ago, van Gisbergen raced to a historic victory in a rainy first edition of NASCAR’s downtown Chicago experiment. Making the most of his extensive street racing experience, he became the first driver to win his Cup Series debut since Johnny Rutherford in the second qualifying race at Daytona in 1963.
He won Chicago’s Xfinity Series stop last year and the first stage in the Cup race before he was knocked out by a crash.
Katherine Legge became the first woman to qualify for the Cup race in downtown Chicago when she turned a lap of 85.744 mph, knocking Corey Heim out of the field.
“We would have been a lot faster, I think, had I not kept nicking the wall,” Legge said. “I’ve given my crew a lot of work to do from that, but we had to keep pushing to put it in the show. I’m really proud of this team, and I’m very much looking forward to tomorrow.”


Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka play each other at the US Open on Monday

Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka play each other at the US Open on Monday
Updated 01 September 2025

Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka play each other at the US Open on Monday

Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka play each other at the US Open on Monday
  • This will be the sixth matchup between Gauff and Osaka as pros – and the second at Flushing Meadows

NEW YORK: Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka are scheduled to face each other in the US Open’s fourth round on Monday.
Gauff, a 21-year-old from Florida, is the Grand Slam tournament’s No. 3 seed. Osaka, a 27-year-old who was born in Japan and moved to the US with her family at age 3, is the No. 23 seed.
They have won a combined three titles at Flushing Meadows.
Monday’s winner will make it to this year’s quarterfinals.
Here is what you need to know about the most-anticipated match of the US Open so far:
When and where do Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka play each other Monday?
The match will be held in Arthur Ashe Stadium. The exact time it will start is uncertain; that will depend on how long the contest before theirs takes to finish.
Gauff vs. Osaka is the second match in the tournament’s biggest arena on Monday, after Andrey Rublev of Russia plays against Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada in the fourth round of the men’s bracket, starting at 11:30 a.m. EDT.
So Gauff and Osaka could begin as early as 1:30 p.m. or perhaps closer to 2 or 3 p.m. – or maybe even later than that. There is just no way to know for sure.
How can I watch Osaka vs. Gauff on TV?
ESPN is showing the US Open in the United States. Other countries’ broadcasters are listed here.
How often have Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka met head-to-head?
This will be the sixth matchup between Gauff and Osaka as pros – and the second at Flushing Meadows.
Back in 2019, also in Ashe, Osaka defeated a 15-year-old Gauff in straight sets, then consoled the teary American afterward and invited her to speak to the spectators.
Gauff has won three of the four matches they have played against each other since then, so she leads the head-to-head series 3-2.
How many Grand Slam titles have Osaka and Gauff won?
Osaka owns four Grand Slam singles championships, including at the US Open in 2018 and 2020. The other two came at the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021.
Gauff, who has been working with a new coach on her serve to try to overcome double-faulting problems, has collected two major trophies in singles – at the US Open in 2023 and the French Open this year – and one in doubles.


Al-Hilal officially certified as Ƶ’s most decorated team

Al-Hilal officially certified as Ƶ’s most decorated team
Updated 01 September 2025

Al-Hilal officially certified as Ƶ’s most decorated team

Al-Hilal officially certified as Ƶ’s most decorated team
  • A wide-ranging report by the Ƶn Football Federation has certified every regional, national and continental title claimed by clubs across the Kingdom

RIYADH: Al-Hilal have topped the list of Ƶ clubs with the most regional, national and continental titles, with 90 championships.

This is according to the Saudi Football History Documentation project released on Sunday by the Ƶn Football Federation.

Al-Ittihad (59) came in second, followed by Al-Ahli (53), Al-Nassr (48), and Al-Shabab (43). In sixth are Al-Ettifaq (42), followed by Al-Qadsiah (14), Al-Fateh (12), and Al-Taawoun (11).

According to the report, Al-Hilal has the most league titles (21), followed by Al-Ittihad (14), Al-Nasr (10), Al-Ahli (nine), Al-Shabab (six), Al-Ettifaq (two), and one title each for Al-Wehda and Al-Fateh.

The project confirmed that four out of 68 league championships — now the Saudi Pro League or Roshn Saudi League — were not completed. The incomplete seasons are 1966-67, 1967-68, 1969-70, and 1975-76.

 

 

Of the 37 editions of the King Cup, Al-Hilal (nine) top the list of winners, followed by Al-Ahli (eight), Al-Ittihad (six), Al-Nassr (five), Al-Shabab (three), Al-Ettifaq (two), with one title each for Al-Wehda, Al-Taawoun, and Al-Faisaly.

In the Crown Prince Cup, discontinued in 2017, Al-Hilal (13) top the honor roll, five ahead of second-placed Al-Ittihad (eight). Al-Ahli (six) are third, followed by Al-Shabab and Al-Nassr with three titles each.

Six other teams have won the title: Al-Wehda, Al-Ettifaq, Al-Qadsiah, Al-Riyadh, Al-Faisaly, and Al-Fayha.

Overall, Al-Hilal (43) top the winners’ list of the Kingdom’s three major domestic competitions, followed by Al-Ittihad (28), Al-Ahli (23), Al-Nassr (18), and Al-Shabab (12).

The documentation project is an initiative of the Ƶn Football Federation in collaboration with FIFA, Ministry of Sports, General Authority for Radio and Television, King Abdulaziz Foundation and Saudi Pro League.


Miami’s Suarez at center of spitting incident after Leagues Cup loss

Miami’s Suarez at center of spitting incident after Leagues Cup loss
Updated 01 September 2025

Miami’s Suarez at center of spitting incident after Leagues Cup loss

Miami’s Suarez at center of spitting incident after Leagues Cup loss
  • The veteran Uruguay striker’s reputation as one of the game’s arch villians was cemented when he bit Giorgio Chiellini during the 2014 World Cup

LOS ANGELES, United States: Luis Suarez appeared to spit at a staff member of the opposing team during an ugly brawl following Inter Miami’s 3-0 loss to the Seattle Sounders in the Leagues Cup final on Sunday.
Immediately after the final whistle at Lumen Field, veteran Uruguay striker Suarez rushed at 20-year-old Sounders midfielder Obed Vargas and put him in a headlock, sparking a melee involving multiple players and staff from both sides.
Officials scrambled to restore order, but cameras caught Suarez appearing to spit at a Seattle coach as he walked away from Vargas.
Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said afterwards he was too far away to comment on any specific incidents.
“Nobody likes these kinds of actions at the end of a match, but if there’s a reaction, maybe there was provocation,” he said.
Certainly there were multiple scuffles before the trophy ceremony finally got under way, with both teams still in attendance.
Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer took the high road, preferring to focus on the strong collective effort from his team in a victory over a Miami side led by Argentine superstar Lionel Messi.
“Unfortunately that is going to take some of the attention away from a great performance by the Seattle Sounders,” Schmetzer said of the brawl.
“I guess we can take that as a compliment that Miami’s frustrations led to some things happening on the field that shouldn’t happen on the field.
“I’m going to shut that down because that shouldn’t be the story,” said Schmetzer, who added he had a “quiet moment” with Messi on the field after the game.
But Suarez will be under scrutiny for his role.
The 38-year-old’s reputation as one of the game’s arch villians was cemented when he bit Giorgio Chiellini during the 2014 World Cup.
He has also been sanctioned for biting incidents and racist abuse of an opposing player in club play.


Olympian Al-Sharbatly and horse Quisandro win CSI 2 Gijon championship

Olympian Al-Sharbatly and horse Quisandro win CSI 2 Gijon championship
Updated 01 September 2025

Olympian Al-Sharbatly and horse Quisandro win CSI 2 Gijon championship

Olympian Al-Sharbatly and horse Quisandro win CSI 2 Gijon championship
  • Al-Sharbatly also takes second in the CSI 4 category with horse Alamo in Spain

GIJON: Ƶ Olympic rider Abdullah Al-Sharbatly and his horse Quisandro won the €28,300 ($33,178) Caser Group Helvetia Grand Prix CSI 2 championship in 36.74 seconds on Sunday in Spain.

On the final day of the championship, Al-Sharbatly also came second in the CSI 4 category over 1.45-meter hurdles with horse Alamo, a fraction of a second behind the first-place winner, Belgium’s Constant Van Paaschen.

Al-Sharbatly is a member of the Saudi national showjumping team that is currently competing in European competitions.

The team includes Ramzi Al-Dahami, Abdulrahman Al-Rajhi, Khaled Al-Mubti, and Mishari Al-Harbi.


Liverpool agree Isak deal with Newcastle for British record fee: reports

Liverpool agree Isak deal with Newcastle for British record fee: reports
Updated 01 September 2025

Liverpool agree Isak deal with Newcastle for British record fee: reports

Liverpool agree Isak deal with Newcastle for British record fee: reports
  • The Swedish forward is reportedly set to join the Reds in a deal worth about £130 million ($176 million)
  • The fee will set a new Premier League transfer record, exceeding the £106 million that Chelsea paid Benfica for Enzo Fernandez in 2023

LONDON: Premier League champions Liverpool have agreed a deal to sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle United for a British record transfer fee, media reports said Monday.
The Swedish forward is set to join the Reds in a deal worth about £130 million ($176 million), according to reports by The Athletic and The Telegraph, among other outlets.
The Athletic reported that Isak will undergo a medical on Monday before completing a six-year deal with the Merseyside club.
The fee will set a new Premier League transfer record, exceeding the £106 million that Chelsea paid Benfica for Enzo Fernandez in 2023, the reports said.
Isak, 25, scored 23 goals in the Premier League last season — behind only Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah — as Newcastle qualified for the Champions League.
He has been the subject of a protracted and acrimonious transfer saga this summer, training away from the rest of the Newcastle squad after making clear his desire to move to Liverpool.
Newcastle reportedly rejected an initial £110 million bid for Isak earlier this summer.
But the deal edged closer after the Magpies signed German international striker Nick Woltemade on Saturday for a club-record fee reported to be worth up to £69 million.
Isak will become the latest blockbuster acquisition in a lavish summer spending spree by Liverpool, who also brought in German midfielder Florian Wirtz in another massive deal.
The Reds have also signed French attacker Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt, Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen and Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe had hinted for the first time on Friday he might be open to allowing Isak to leave because of the impact a sale would have on Newcastle’s profit and sustainability calculations.
The northeast club were forced to sell Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh last year in order to avoid a points deduction, and a sizeable return on their investment in Isak would ease any Profit and Sustainability Regulations concerns.
Despite the influx of new talent Liverpool have not so far looked like the relentless team that strolled to the Premier League title last season with four games to spare.
But they still top the table with three wins from three after dispatching last year’s runners-up, Arsenal, 1-0 at Anfield on Sunday.
Newcastle sit 17th in the early running after a 0-0 stalemate against Leeds United.