Front Row Seat: Sinner beats Alcaraz to win first Wimbledon title

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Wimbledon

Wimbledon final: Jannik Sinner beats Carlos Alcaraz to win first Wimbledon title - The Athletic
The No. 1 seed prevailed over the No. 2 seed in a tight match ultimately decided by two stunning set points, Alcaraz’s grass tools malfunctioning and Sinner’s steadiness behind and against second serves.

It is his first Wimbledon title, and his fourth Grand Slam title. The win also snaps Sinner’s streak of five successive defeats against Alcaraz, taking their head-to-head in ATP matches to 8-5 in the Spaniard’s favor.

Wimbledon women's final highlights: Swiatek cruises to win over Anisimova - USA Today
The current queen of clay finally conquered her worst surface.

Iga Świątek, who was seeded eighth and has spent a total of 125 weeks ranked at No. 1, won her sixth Grand Slam title and first at the grass courts of Wimbledon, dominating American Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in the women’s singles final at the All-England Club on Saturday.

The complete destruction took all of 57 minutes, and Swiatek ended her run at Wimbledon by winning the last 21 games of the tournament after her semifinal 6-2, 6-0 win over Belinda Bencic.

San Diego Padres

Phillies grab lead late, hold off Padres for road win - Field Level Media
Strahm worked around a leadoff walk to pinch-hitter Jake Cronenworth, who moved to second on Bryce Johnson’s bunt. Following a two-out intentional walk to Fernando Tatis Jr., Strahm induced a fly-out from Luis Arraez to end the game.

San Diego starter Nick Pivetta was dominant in 6 2/3 innings of work, yielding only three hits and an unearned run with two walks and eight strikeouts. Pivetta has permitted just one earned run in his last four starts, covering 25 1/3 innings.

Two errors allowed Philadelphia to take a 1-0 lead in the first. After Harper coaxed a two-out walk, Castellanos reached via a throwing error by third baseman Manny Machado. After Realmuto legged out an infield single, Arraez made a high throw to Pivetta covering first on Bryson Stott’s grounder, allowing Harper to score.

Padres enter All-Star break with all signs pointing to an aggressive trade deadline - The Athletic
According to team and league sources, the Padres remain enamored of Jarren Duran, who still might be viewed as expendable by the surging, outfielder-laden Boston Red Sox. Duran is not an ideal fit for a lineup lacking power and enough ability to combat lefties, but the Padres are not in a position to be especially picky. Their shallow depth was again emphasized Sunday, with Gavin Sheets going on the paternity list and Luis Campusano, recalled from Triple A, going 0-for-3 to extend his streak of big-league plate appearances without a hit to 27.

That’s the longest such streak to begin an individual season since Chicago White Sox catcher Korey Lee logged 28 consecutive hitless plate appearances after being recalled in August 2023. Coincidentally, a league source said, Lee has drawn trade interest from the Padres in 2025. The 26-year-old continues to be a glove-first catcher, but he has shown some utility with his bat, hitting 12 big-league home runs last season and recording a .780 on-base plus slugging percentage this season in Triple A.

Padres’ first-round pick ‘a very unique, rare package’ as a pitcher - San Diego Union-Tribune
Schoolcraft is the ninth straight high-schooler selected by the Padres with their first pick in a draft. He tops out at 97 mph on the mound. He also hits from the left side, which made him an attractive target for the University of Tennessee.

The Padres, however, drafted Schoolcraft as a pitcher. His Sunset High School program in Oregon also benefited from his contributions at the plate —10 homers and a .637 on-base percentage — en route to a state title this year, but it’s what he did on the mound that pushed Schoolcraft up the Padres’ board. He went 7-0 with five shutouts, one save and 96 strikeouts over 54 innings (0.39 ERA). He allowed just 22 hits en route to winning a second Gatorade Oregon Player of the Year award.

San Diego FC

Anders Dreyer scores 2 goals to help San Diego beat Fire 2-0 - Associated Press
Dreyer has 11 goals and 15 assists this season and became the third player in MLS history to record at least 10 goals and 15 assists in his debut season. Toronto’s Sebastian Giovinco had 22 goals and 16 assists in 2015 and and Minnesota’s Darwin Quintero finished with 11 goals and 15 assists in 2018.

Chicago Fire Punished for Mistakes Before Halftime, Lose 2-1 to San Diego FC - On Tap Sports Net
San Diego took the lead in the eighth minute when Anders Dreyer was given far too much time and space on the ball in the Fire’s penalty area, which became a theme in the first half. Luca Bombino hit a cross from the left wing that evaded every Fire defender before falling to the open Dreyer, who had no problem scoring from close range.

San Diego added another in first-half stoppage time, and it was Dreyer again. Luca Bombino played a great through ball from his own half of the pitch down the left wing for Hirving “Chucky” Lozano, who then hit a perfect cross for the open Dreyer to knock in to double the San Diego lead at the break.

Milan Iloski sits as his future with San Diego FC remains up in the air - San Diego Union-Tribune
Coach Mikey Varas said he sat Iloski because of his contract status. Denmark’s FC Nordsjaelland loaned Iloski to SDFC in April after San Diego forward Marcus Ingvartsen suffered a serious leg injury. The loan is set to expire at the end of July.

“It’s simple. His loan is expiring and we haven’t come to an agreement, although we’ve been working on that,” Varas said postgame. “So I decided to prioritize the players that are 100% going to be here for the rest of the season.”

Anders Dreyer scored twice, leapfrogging Iloski for the team scoring lead, as San Diego FC won its fourth consecutive road match and remained at the top of Major League Soccer’s Western Conference standings. SDFC (13-6-3) returns to Snapdragon Stadium on Wednesday night for a match against Toronto FC (4-11-6).

It has been a happy homecoming for Iloski, who grew up in Escondido and starred at UCLA and for Orange County SC of USL Championship before heading overseas.

Club World Cup

Chelsea hit Club World Cup prize money jackpot but was the expanded tournament a success? - Sky Sports
Chelsea are estimated to have earned an eye-watering £111m by winning the competition, according to Sky Sports News, with runners-up Paris Saint-Germain banking £82m.

In total, FIFA's prize pot shared between 32 competing clubs was £774m ($1bn). Every club received a participation fee of up to £28m depending on their confederation, ensuring that even those knocked out at the group stage left better off. Manchester City made £38m despite being eliminated in the round of 16.

Ultimately, money talks. In an age of financial fair play and PSR, the financial rewards on offer won out over player welfare and fatigue concerns. Four years from now, you can be sure that club owners and executives from across the footballing world will be eager for a slice of the pie when the competition returns.

Chelsea star Cole Palmer on Trump joining team for trophy: ‘I was a bit confused’ - The Hill
Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer said he was “a bit confused” when President Trump joined the team to receive the trophy for its FIFA Club World Cup win on Sunday.

As Chelsea’s Reece James received the trophy, Palmer was jumping directly behind the team’s captain and Trump stood between Palmer and goalkeeper Robert Sánchez.

“I knew he was going to be here, but I didn’t know he was going to be on the stand when we lifted the trophy, so I was a bit confused,” Palmer, who had a pair of goals in the first half, said.

Donald Trump says Chelsea won't get to keep FIFA Club World Cup trophy after talks with FIFA chief - Daily Star
Once the celebrations had died down, Trump revealed to DAZN that during a chat with Infantino, it was decided that the original Club World Cup trophy would stay put in the Oval Office.

"[FIFA] is doing fantastically well for [football in America], it's a growing sport, it is a great sport," Trump began. "They said, 'Could you hold this trophy for a little while?'

Odds & Ends

CEO of Snapdragon Stadium’s management company indicted for alleged bid-rigging - San Diego Union-Tribune
The CEO of the company that manages Snapdragon Stadium and proposed building an adjacent arena on the Mission Valley property has been indicted by a federal grand jury on antitrust charges for allegedly rigging the bid process for a similar project at the University of Texas.

Tim Leiweke, who co-founded the Oak View Group in 2015, stepped down as CEO after the Department of Justice announced the indictment Wednesday, although he’ll serve as a vice chairman of the board and remain a shareholder. If convicted, he faces a maximum of 10 years in prison plus fines that can climb well into seven figures.

MLB Draft 2025: Nationals and Angels deliver Day 1's biggest surprises as Orioles bring in a haul of talent - Yahoo Sports
The first three rounds of the 2025 MLB Draft took place Sunday in Atlanta. Although there were no draftees in attendance — a disappointing, if intriguing, circumstance to monitor for the event moving forward — this year’s draft still provided plenty of excitement and surprising moments that will help shape the league for years to come.

EA Sports College Football 26 is officially available: Here’s how San Diego State’s roster is looking this year - The Daily Aztec
San Diego State football has a 77 overall rating, with a 71 offensive rating and a 78 defensive rating. The special teams unit is the highest for SDSU at 85.

The Aztecs also have a few players with relatively high ratings who stand out, such as senior cornerback Chris Johnson at 86 overall and senior right guard Kalan Ellis at 83 overall. Most notable is junior star edge rusher Trey White, who’s listed at 91 overall, also cracking the Top 100 rated players in the game.

At the Euros, San Diego Wave’s Delphine Cascarino is playing with ruthlessness for France - The Athletic
The 28-year-old embodies the leagues and cultures that made her: her principled French flair is now edged with American grit, both forces swirling within the breezy confidence of a player who has spent a lot of time on the beaches of her mother’s homeland of Guadeloupe.

Cascarino has scored two goals and provided two assists in three Euros games. She also leads the NWSL in assists with five as the Wave sit third in the table at the midseason break.

Al-Nassr interest in Pulisic 'part of broader context' - the stance of all parties - sempremilan
According to Calciomercato.com, the talk of Saudi interest in Pulisic is ‘part of a broader context’: that of his contract renewal. Pulisic’s current deal with Milan expires in 2027 (with an option for an extra year), with a net salary of €4m per season.

His current contractual situation is therefore a factor to take into account for the Rossoneri to plan their next moves. Last season, there was talk of a renewal offer from Milan that included a pay rise to €5m per year and the deadline being shifted to 2029.

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