Scottie Scheffler shoots scorching 61 to lead Byron Nelson
MCKINNEY, Texas: Scottie Scheffler shot his best round of the season, a 10-under-par 61, to set the pace on the first day of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson on Thursday in McKinney, Texas.
Europa League Sport News
Coco Gauff routs Iga Swiatek to reach Madrid final against No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka
MADRID: Coco Gauff overpowered defending champion Iga Swiatek 6-1, 6-1 to reach the Madrid Open singles final for the first time Thursday.
James Harden, Clippers force Game 7 versus Nuggets
James Harden recorded 28 points, eight assists and six rebounds and the Los Angeles Clippers remained alive in their first-round series with the Denver Nuggets, winning 111-105 on Thursday night in Inglewood, California. Kawhi Leonard added 27 points, 10 rebounds and five assists and Norman Powell scored 24 points as the Clippers evened the Western Conference matchup at three games apiece. Ivica Zubac had 10 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots for fifth-seeded Los Angeles. Nikola Jokic registered 25 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals for fourth-seeded Denver.
Canelo aims to land knockout blow against Scull in Saudi debut
RIYADH: Mexican boxing legend Saul “Canelo” Alvarez will be looking to unify the super middleweight titles this weekend, when he squares off with IBF champion William Scull in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh. Alvarez, 34, brings a record of 62-2-2 with 39 knockouts into what promises to be a high-stakes clash, as he continues his tradition of fighting during the Cinco de Mayo weekend. Canelo is coming off a punishing unanimous decision over Edgar Berlanga in Las Vegas in September. Ahead of that bout, Alvarez was stripped of his International Boxing Federation belt when he opted to box Berlanga rather than Scull — the IBF’s mandatory challenger. This weekend’s contest will mark the first time the Mexican champion will fight outside of North America during his nearly 20-year professional career. The boxers are set to enter the ring in the early hours of Sunday morning in Riyadh to coincide with Saturday evening festivities over the Cinco de Mayo weekend back in North America. “Believe me. This is nothing new for me.
Man Utd seize control of Europa League semi against 10-man Bilbao
BILBAO: Bruno Fernandes struck twice as Manchester United put one foot in the Europa League final with a clinical away performance to beat 10-man Athletic Bilbao 3-0 on Thursday. The fervent home fans were enraged when Athletic defender Daniel Vivian was sent off for pulling back Rasmus Hojlund and Fernandes slotted home the resulting penalty, after Casemiro had opened the scoring against the run of play in the semifinal first leg. Fernandes rolled in a third before half-time as Ruben Amorim’s side moved a step closer to the final, to be held at Athletic’s San Mames stadium. The hosts have been dreaming of winning a first European trophy on their own soil but their hopes were demolished by United’s professional display in the north of Spain — and Athletic’s supporters argued, the refereeing. Languishing in 14th in the Premier League, Champions League qualification for United is only possible with a Europa League triumph, as is access to the £100 million ($133 million) honeypot it entails. Despite regularly crumbling under pressure this season, the Red Devils — who produced a stunning comeback against Lyon in the quarter-finals — first survived and then thrived in a hostile environment. With May 1 a bank holiday in Spain the streets of Bilbao were filled with red-and-white striped shirts from the morning onwards, with thousands of fans turning up at their team’s hotel to see the Athletic bus set off for the stadium. The San Mames was rocking, with fans raising red and white cards around the stadium ahead of the game to welcome the players, all of them born or raised in the Basque country, as per the club’s century-long policy. “This is not the theater of dreams, this is The Cathedral of football,” it read on the back, a
How Matthias Jaissle weathered a storm to take Al-Ahli to the AFC Champions League Elite final
AUSTRALIA: Fabrizio Romano is rarely wrong.
Timberwolves beat Lakers to end James’s latest NBA playoffs run
LOS ANGELES, United States: NBA superstar LeBron James’s bid for a fifth title in his 22nd season ended Wednesday as his Los Angeles Lakers fell 103-96 to the Minnesota Timberwolves in game five of their Western Conference playoff series. The sixth-seeded Timberwolves, led by 27 points from Rudy Gobert, completed a 4-1 victory in the best-of-seven first-round series over a Lakers team that had surged to the third seed in the West after the stunning acquisition of Luka Doncic in February.
Sabalenka eases past Kostyuk into Madrid Open semis
MADRID: Last year’s runner-up Aryna Sabalenka survived a gritty Marta Kostyuk and an untimely rain interruption to complete a 7-6(7/4), 7-6(9/7) win over the Ukrainian and reach the Madrid Open semifinals for a fourth time on Wednesday. The top-seeded Sabalenka needed 84 minutes to take the opening set before securing the win in cold, breezy conditions. Kostyuk saved a match point and broke to take the second set into a tiebreak. At 5-4 in the breaker, it started to rain and play was halted briefly to close the roof of the Manolo Santana stadium. Upon resumption of play, Sabalenka saved three set points and eked out the win, her third over her rival in as many meetings. “Honestly, that was a battle and conditions were incredibly tough.