Sports News Roundup: Horse racing-Rich Strike pulls off huge upset at the Kentucky Derby; Tennis - 'Mature' Alcaraz says he is ready for the big league and more

The 19-year-old prevailed 6-7(5) 7-5 7-6(5) over the Serbian in an absorbing contest that lasted more than three hours, becoming the first player to beat Djokovic and Rafa Nadal at the same claycourt event. Motor Racing-Frustrated Verstappen in the hunt despite 'messy' practice Formula One world champion Max Verstappen took third place on the grid for Sunday's Miami Grand Prix but made no attempt to hide his frustration.


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 08-05-2022 10:35 IST | Created: 08-05-2022 10:30 IST
Sports News Roundup: Horse racing-Rich Strike pulls off huge upset at the Kentucky Derby; Tennis - 'Mature' Alcaraz says he is ready for the big league and more
Carlos Alcaraz Image Credit: Wikipedia

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Horse racing-Rich Strike pulls off huge upset at the Kentucky Derby

Long-shot Rich Strike stormed to victory at the 148th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville on Saturday in one of the biggest upsets in the history of the race. The chestnut colt, who went off at 80-1 odds, pulled into the lead down the stretch to edge favorite Epicenter, who was second, and Zandon, who was third.

Tennis - 'Mature' Alcaraz says he is ready for the big league

Carlos Alcaraz is no longer allowing nerves to get the better of him and said that he is ready to regularly go toe-to-toe with the top players after the Spaniard rallied past world number one Novak Djokovic to reach the Madrid Open final on Saturday. The 19-year-old prevailed 6-7(5) 7-5 7-6(5) over the Serbian in an absorbing contest that lasted more than three hours, becoming the first player to beat Djokovic and Rafa Nadal at the same claycourt event.

Motor Racing-Frustrated Verstappen in the hunt despite 'messy' practice

Formula One world champion Max Verstappen took third place on the grid for Sunday's Miami Grand Prix but made no attempt to hide his frustration. Hydraulic problems and an issue with a rear brake limited the Red Bull driver to a handful of laps in Friday's opening practice sessions, leaving him with little information on the track before Saturday's qualifying.

Tennis-Jabeur beats Pegula to win first WTA 1000 title in Madrid

Tunisian Ons Jabeur sealed her first WTA 1000 title after defeating American Jessica Pegula 7-5 0-6 6-2 in an entertaining Madrid Open final on Saturday. Jabeur had been in scintillating form at the claycourt tournament and the 27-year-old produced a determined display against Pegula to end her journey in the Spanish capital on the perfect note.

Exclusive-Baseball-Dodgers in talks to play in Paris in 2025 - source

The Los Angeles Dodgers are in talks to play a game at the Stade De France in Paris in the summer of 2025, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The move would be the latest attempt by North American sports leagues to make inroads in France.

Motor Racing-Defiant Hamilton says piercing will stay

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton said he has no intention of removing his body piercing despite being given just a two-race exemption to resolve the issue. Hamilton said on Friday that he was prepared to be banned from racing in this weekend's Miami Grand Prix after governing body the FIA issued a reminder about safety regulations barring jewelry.

Motor racing-Leclerc seizes Miami pole in Ferrari front-row sweep

Formula One championship leader Charles Leclerc took pole position for the inaugural Miami Grand Prix ahead of Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz in a front-row lockout in qualifying on Saturday. The pole was the Monegasque's third in five races this season, and the 12th of his career as well as the first time Ferrari had secured the top two grid positions since the 2019 Mexican Grand Prix.

Soccer-Liverpool stumble in title race, Watford down

What had been a joyous week for Liverpool went flat on Saturday as they stumbled in the title race, dropping two crucial points in a 1-1 draw at home to Tottenham Hotspur. Watford was relegated from the top flight as they lost to Crystal Palace, while Manchester United's season can hardly end soon enough after a 4-0 hammering by Brighton and Hove Albion.

Motor racing-FIA defends safety stance after Sainz, Ocon criticism

Formula One's governing body defended its safety stance on Saturday after Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and Alpine's Esteban Ocon said their concerns were ignored after heavy crashes in Miami Grand Prix practice. The track around the Hard Rock Stadium is making its race debut and both drivers had argued that an impact-absorbing Tecpro barrier should replace an unforgiving concrete wall at turn 14.

Soccer-Liverpool suffers title blow in a home draw with Spurs

Liverpool suffered a huge blow in their hopes of winning the Premier League title as they could only draw 1-1 at home to Tottenham Hotspur on a tense night at Anfield on Saturday. Luis Diaz canceled out Son Heung-min's opener to preserve Liverpool's 14-month unbeaten run at home in the Premier League and send them top of the table on goal difference.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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