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Norwegian tennis star Casper Ruud is known as a clay court expert, and the former World No.2 has accomplished an impressive feat on the red dirt after reaching the final at the 2025 Madrid Open.
The three-time Grand Slam finalist defeated Argentine Francisco Cerundolo in the semifinals of the Madrid Open on Friday, booking his spot in Sunday's final. Ruud will take on rising British star Jack Draper, who defeated the in-form Lorenzo Musetti in the day's other semifinal.
Ruud racking up the wins on clay
By virtue of his semifinal win on Friday, Ruud has now reached 18 ATP Tour level finals on clay. This puts him at second place on the list of active players with the most finals on clay, behind 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic. The Serbian sits at the top of the list, with an impressive 34 ATP finals played on clay.
There is a three-way tie for third place. Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka shares this position with former World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz and Olympic gold medalist Alexander Zverev at 14 ATP Tour finals on clay. Alcaraz was forced to withdraw from the Madrid Open due to injury, whereas Zverev suffered a round of 16 loss to Francisco Cerundolo in Madrid. The German had just won the Munich title on clay in front of his home crowd two weeks ago.
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How & Where To Watch Liverpool Vs Athletic Club?
Liverpool are back at Anfield on Monday, August 4, for a rare double-header against Athletic Club. The pre-season games are the final test for Arne Slot’s squad before the season starts, with two games back-to-back, in 5 hours, and two different Liverpool XIs. Kick-Off Time and Venue Both games are at Anfield. The first is 12:00 pm ET (9:00 am PT) and the second is at 3:00 pm ET (12:00 pm PT). This format allows the club to split the squad, give senior players, new signings and younger players minutes across both games. The double header will help Slot decide his options before the Community Shield against Crystal Palace on August 10 and the Premier League opener against Bournemouth on August 15. For international viewers including those in the US and Canada, the games will be available in streaming on DAZN or CBS Sports Golazo Network. Expected Lineups and Team Selection Liverpool will use two different XIs for the two games. In the first one, the expected XI is Woodman in goal, Conor Bradley, Virgil van Dijk, Milos Kerkez at the back. Gravenberch and Mac Allister in midfield, Salah, Elliott and Ngumoha supporting new signing Hugo Ekitiké up front. 4–2–3–1 formation. The second one should see Giorgi Mamardashvili in goal, Frimpong, Konaté, Tsimikas and Robertson at the back. Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo in midfield, Doak, Florian Wirtz and Cody Gakpo behind Darwin Núñez. The split squad allows key players to get minutes and showcase the summer signings. Injury News and Squad Absences Luis Díaz has officially completed his €65.5m move to Bayern Munich and is no longer part of the squad. These absences give new signings a chance to impress. Wirtz, Ekitiké, Mamardashvili, Frimpong and Kerkez will all get minutes and fans will get to see the summer signings in action. Athletic Club will also rotate heavily across the two games. Defenders Aitor Paredes and Unai Egiluz are out injured and Yeray Álvarez is suspended. Despite those absences they still have attacking talent that can test Liverpool’s new look lineups. Nico Williams, Iñaki Williams and Oihan Sancet will play and can cause problems all evening. Also, in another emotional moment for our №20, fans will pay tribute to Diogo Jota before kick-off.
Milwaukee Brewers: Nestor Cortes Gone, Standout Rookie 3B Has Emerged as Gem from Would-Be Lose-Lose Trade
Starting pitcher Nestor Cortes was the centerpiece of the Milwaukee Brewers‘ return haul from trading co-closer Devin Williams to the Yankees last December. Eight months later, Cortes is a member of the Padres, logging all of two starts in Milwaukee before injuries sapped his season. Over in New York, Williams lost his closer’s job, got it back, and has had one good month en route to a 5.04 ERA. Without the other part of Milwaukee’s incoming package, then minor-league third baseman Caleb Durbin, the trade would look at this juncture like a lose-lose scenario. Thanks to Durbin, it’s been anything but for the Brewers. Caleb Durbin is Milwaukee Brewers’ diamond in the rough Durbin didn’t make the spring training cut. Instead, the Brewers went with fellow rookie Oliver Dunn as the team’s starting third baseman. Durbin went down to Triple-A Nashville. Dunn didn’t last. After he struggled through the first three weeks of the season, he and Durbin switched places and the latter hasn’t squandered his shot. Following a slow start, he’s turned up the heat at the dish while playing outstanding defense. He’s had an OPS around .800 for over two months now and has his season slashline up to .263/.344/.372. His 2.2 WAR in 86 games played is tied for 10th among all third basemen, making him one of the position’s more valuable players. The Brewers saw plenty of promise in Durbin when they traded for him, coming off a strong season with New York’s Triple-A affiliate. Even though he didn’t, he was a decent candidate to make the team out of spring. The team likely didn’t see a legitimate Rookie of the Year candidate, which he is. By WAR, he and Braves catcher Drake Baldwin have contributed the same value to their teams, more than any other NL rookies. Cortes, on the other hand, was supposed to be a consistent cog in the rotation. Last year for the Yankees, he made 30 starts and recorded a 3.77 ERA. Instead, he’s still making his way back from injury ahead of start number three this season. In San Diego. Of course, Milwaukee did turn him into outfielder Brandon Lockridge, who will provide depth while Jackson Chourio is hurt. To dump Cortes’ salary, however, they had to attach a prospect, infielder Jorge Quintana. Neither Cortes nor Williams has been what the receiving team hoped. Both will be free agents this offseason. Only the Yankees, however, are at risk of walking away empty-handed. With years of team control remaining, the Brewers have in Durbin what looks to be their third baseman of both the present and future. The trade didn’t deliver according to expectations, but it’s hard to be too upset with the results.
Report: Vikings brace for 3-game ban for Jordan Addison
The Minnesota Vikings are bracing for a three-game suspension for wide receiver Jordan Addison over last year's DUI arrest, ESPN reported Monday. Addison, 23, resolved his legal case last month by pleading no contest to a lesser charge. He was placed on 12 months of probation and ordered to pay a fine and complete two online courses. He was arrested in July 2024 near Los Angeles International Airport after police found him asleep at the wheel of his Rolls-Royce, which was blocking a lane of traffic on Interstate 105. The Vikings' first three games of the regular season are at Chicago in Week 1 and home games against Atlanta in Week 2 and Cincinnati in Week 3. Addison caught 63 passes for 875 yards and nine touchdowns in 15 games (all starts) in his second season in 2024. The 2023 first-round draft pick (23rd overall) has 133 receptions for 1,786 yards and 19 TDs in 32 games (29 starts).
Aaron Boone addresses Alex Rodriguez’s criticism of Yankees
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone responded Sunday, one day after Alex Rodriguez suggested his team lacks discipline and accountability. On FOX’s MLB pregame show Saturday, Rodriguez questioned the “accountability” of the Yankees after Boone did not pull Jazz Chisholm from Saturday’s loss to Miami after the infielder made a brutal baserunning blunder. Rodriguez suggested that the Yankees do not face consequences for such mistakes, and that it has contributed to further errors. “If any one of us made a mistake, we would be sitting our butt right on the bench,” Rodriguez said. “I see mistake after mistake, and there’s no consequences.” Boone took issue with those remarks when asked about them on Sunday. He said he accepts that the Yankees will always face added scrutiny, but that he disagreed with the substance of Rodriguez’s remarks. “I would disagree a little bit with the accountability factor, but the reality is, we’re focused every day on being the best we can be,” Boone said, via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. “That’s how we have to do it. But I understand when it doesn’t happen, or we don’t have the record that I think we should have, or certainly people think we should have — that comes with the territory.” Boone is known for keeping things positive publicly, even when things are going poorly for the Yankees. That has led to some criticism from fans, who feel that he goes too easy on his players when they are underperforming. The team’s recent stretch of mediocre play combined with a lack of consequences for errors like Chisholm’s have reinforced those critiques. The Yankees lost again on Sunday and were swept by the Marlins, dropping them to 60-51 on the season. Until the team starts consistently winning again, Boone is going to hear more comments like Rodriguez’s.
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