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DUBAI: Brock Lesnar will take on Undisputed Universal Champion Roman Reigns for a third time in the headline match-up of WWE SummerSlam 2022, which will on Saturday see five championships on the line.
In a Last-Man-Standing match, Lesnar will once again attempt to dethrone the Head of the Table, while the Bloodline’s reign at WWE stands at risk, as The Usos are also set for an epic rematch against The Street Profits to cement their position as Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions.
The highly anticipated match between Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair and Becky “The Man” Lynch will see the latter aiming to reverse the outcome of their match at WrestleMania 38 and regain the Raw title.
Similarly, following her defeat to SmackDown Women’s Champion Liv Morgan at Money in the Bank earlier this month, former champion Ronda Rousey will take on Morgan in a bid to reclaim the title.
A new addition to the WWE Universe, Logan Paul is determined to make an immediate impact when he takes on his former tag teammate The Miz in his path to revenge, following The Miz’s betrayal at WrestleMania 38.
Meanwhile, Austin Theory has a rematch against US Champion Bobby Lashley with a chance to win back the title. Elsewhere, The Mysterios will go up against Finn Balor and Damian Priest of The Judgment Day in a No Disqualification Match.
Also set for this weekend’s premium live event, Pat McAfee and Happy Corbin will look to settle their recent quarrels, while Riddle will go one-on-one with Seth “Freakin” Rollins in what is sure to be a volatile showdown.
LONDON/RIYADH: British driver Jake Dennis of Avalanche Andretti delivered a commanding lights-to-flag performance to win the first race in the 2022 SABIC London E-Prix doubleheader on Saturday, repeating his exploits of last season on the outdoor/indoor street circuit at ExCeL London.
The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship returned to ExCeL London following last season’s debut but was open to full capacity after last year’s COVID-19 restrictions limited access. Thousands of fans at the east London venue gave victorious Dennis a standing ovation after he repelled the early advances of Drivers’ World Championship leader Stoffel Vandoorne to win the race and delight the cheering home crowd.
Mercedes-EQ’s Vandoorne was content to play it cool to come home second for a 17th Formula E podium, with his closest championship rivals marooned down the pack.
In fact, by the end of the first lap, both drivers trailing Vandoorne in the drivers’ standings — Edoardo Mortara of ROKiT Venturi Racing in second and Mitch Evans of Jaguar TCS Racing in third — had been in the wars, with Mortara forced to retreat into the pit, which put him entirely out of the fight.
Reigning champion Nyck de Vries played rear gunner for teammate Vandoorne to occupy Nick Cassidy (Envision Racing) who was chasing hard toward the end of the race.
It was mission accomplished for Dutchman de Vries who held on to claim third place. Cassidy would settle for fourth after clambering through the pack with relative ease, heading home ahead of Oliver Askew who made it two Avalanche Andrettis in the top five.
Mitch Evans was able to pick up valuable championship points in sixth, which was the best of the other top-four title contenders heading into the weekend, with Vergne unable to free himself from the midfield mire in 13th and Mortara squarely last after Lap 1 contact.
That left the advantage firmly with Vandoorne in the Drivers’ World Championship as an 11-point margin became a 26-point lead with Evans moving to second ahead of Mortara.
In the teams race, Mercedes-EQ stretched to a 37-point lead on DS TECHEETAH.
It is back to ExCeL London on Sunday for round 14 in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship and the last stop before Season 8 concludes with rounds 15 and 16 in Seoul, the first time the all-electric series has visited South Korea.
“Honestly it was one of the hardest races I’ve ever done, just physically. As the rubber gets down on the surface, it’s an indoor surface, it’s so hard to turn the steering wheel. But we managed 45 minutes, and honestly the car was amazing,” Dennis said.
“So it was a technical race trying to manage Stoffel and Nyck, obviously two teammates working together. So I had to manage that and the team did a great job, the car was incredible, and the strategy was strong. And then it was just a case of bringing it home in the last 15 laps and being careful of Stoffel’s Fanboost,” he said.
“But yeah, insane race, and honestly when I crossed the checkered flag hearing the fans was one of the best experiences of my life — so, so cool. So big thank you to all the fans out here and the British support.”
“I’ve never experienced anything like it. And obviously being in the indoor and the lights and seeing everyone stand up — it was just a lifetime memory. We’ve got to do a job tomorrow and obviously we’ve got to try to repeat this.”
Vandoorne said: “It was a good day today finishing second. Well done to Jake — I think he had an incredible day. Already in the practice sessions he was very fast and managed to get pole position, and then he drove a very intelligent race. For us, there was really no answer to him. I tried to stay as close as possible for as long as I could, but on this circuit it wasn’t enough to get him. But great team results, second and third. So yeah, let’s keep pushing — three to go, and tomorrow is another opportunity.”
BEDMINSTER, N.J.: Henrik Stenson overcame a double bogey on his third hole Saturday with a long eagle putt and enough birdies for a 2-under 69 at windy Trump National Bedminster and a three-shot lead over Dustin Johnson in the LIV Golf Invitational.
Two weeks ago, Stenson had just missed the cut in the British Open and was still the Ryder Cup captain for Europe. Now the 46-year-old Swede is 18 holes away from a $4 million prize, more than double the biggest check of his career.
“It was a bit of a grind at times, and then we kind of came through with some really good shots and made some nice putts,” Stenson said.
He was at 9-under 133, as only 13 players from the 48-man field remained under par.
“Overall, I’m pleased, and we’re at the races,” Stenson said.
Johnson has hit the ball consistently well for two days at Trump National and got enough putts to fall for a 69, leaving him three back and in the final group with Stenson.
Talor Gooch had the best round by three shots, a 64 that moved him into a tie for third at 5 under along with Patrick Reed (73) and Carlos Ortiz (70).
Reed started the second of three rounds tied with Stenson and was keeping pace until he began the back nine with three straight bogeys. He rallied with an eagle late in his round to remain in the mix going into Sunday.
With fast greens, the wind made it tougher to score. Only 14 players shot par or better.
Phil Mickelson was not on that list again. Mired in a slump since a self-imposed four-month layoff, Mickelson could only manage a 73 and was tied for 40th, 15 shots out of the lead.
Since his return, Mickelson has a 74.5 scoring average, including the US Open and British Open, with his lone score under par in the first LIV Golf event outside London.
Stenson is still new to this 54-hole event with a shotgun start, though good golf means he will be starting on the first hole for the second straight time on Sunday, a degree of normalcy for him. What hasn’t been normal is being criticized for pledging his support to Europe in March in becoming Ryder Cup captain, and then signing with Saudi-backed and Greg Norman-led LIV Golf four months later.
Europe has stripped him of is captaincy for the 2023 matches in Italy.
“It’s certainly been a busy and emotional week, no question, or 10 days,” Stenson said. “But I was very happy with how I managed to channel the concentration and go out and play the best round of the season yesterday. Like I said, I didn’t have my best stuff today, but I was still focused and good attitude, and that’s what kept me in the ballgame.”
The Swede hasn’t lost his dry humor. Asked if he had a chip on his shoulder, Stenson replied, “I don’t see any.”
Johnson, who had been No. 1 in the world longer than any player since Tiger Woods, was the biggest player to sign with LIV Golf two months ago as it was about to launch.
His last victory was in early 2021 at the Saudi International. He hasn’t won a PGA Tour-sanctioned tournament since the Masters in November 2020. He has finished eighth and fourth in his two LIV events, which was worth $1.9 million.
Johnson wasn’t aware when he finished on No. 1 that Stenson had made bogey on the par-5 18th to end his round, reducing the Swede’s margin to three shots.
“He’s definitely in reach for sure, especially around this course,” Johnson said.
BERLIN: Sadio Mane opened his competitive goal-scoring account for Bayern Munich as the Bundesliga champions defeated Leipzig 5-3 to capture the German Super Cup for a 10th time on Saturday.
The African Player of the Year, who ended a six-year stint at Liverpool to move to Bavaria in the summer, also had two goals ruled out for offside in the game played at Leipzig’s Red Bull Arena.
“I’m really happy to win my first game and first trophy. You can’t complain. I’m really happy to be part of this great club,” said Mane.
Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann insisted his team deserved the victory.
“We did very well in the first half but from the 60th minute you could see that we were running out of steam,” he said.
“We’ve only been in training for 19 days, you shouldn’t forget that. We deserved to win, there’s no question about that.”
Senegalese star Mane was on target on the half-hour mark for his team’s second goal in the German season curtain-raiser.
Jamal Musiala played a perfect pass to unlock the Leipzig offside trap and release Serge Gnabry whose pass across the front of goal was tapped home by Mane.
Bayern, beginning a new era after the departure of star striker Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona, had taken the lead after 14 minutes thanks to Musiala getting the better of Leipzig’s Hungarian goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi.
The impressive Musiala was at the heart of Bayern’s third goal on the stroke of halftime when the teenager’s astute pass was drilled home by French international Benjamin Pavard.
Marcel Halstenberg headed in on the hour as Leipzig cut the deficit but it only took Bayern five minutes to restore their three-goal advantage.
Thomas Mueller had a shot only half saved by Gulacsi and Gnabry was quickest to react to the loose ball to make the score 4-1.
Another new signing Ryan Gravenberch, who arrived from Ajax, came on to replace Mueller for Bayern before Mane had a goal ruled out by VAR for offside.
In an end-to-end second half, Leipzig grabbed their second goal of the evening courtesy of a Christopher Nkunku penalty after Dani Olmo had been brought down in the area.
As the clock ticked down, Bayern brought on another new signing in Dutch centerback Matthijs de Ligt who joined from Juventus for €67 million ($68.2 million).
With six minutes left, Mane had a second goal ruled out, again for offside, before Spanish international Olmo pulled another goal back for Leipzig in the 89th minute after a quick breakaway.
Bayern then had to survive a few nervy moments as Leipzig pushed for a fourth but Leroy Sane wrapped up the game with his team’s fifth goal in the eighth minute of stoppage time.
Bayern Munich begin the defense of their Bundesliga title away to Eintracht Frankfurt next Friday.
LE MARKSTEIN, France: Dutch veteran Annemiek van Vleuten took the yellow jersey in the women’s Tour de France with a crushing performance in the mountains which powered her to a remarkable solo victory on Saturday’s penultimate stage.
Movistar rider van Vleuten, 39, began the day almost a minute and a half behind the leader Marianne Vos but raced solo with 62km still to go in the mountainous 127.5km stage from Selestat to Le Markstein Fellering.
Demi Vollering (SD Worx) finished second, 3mins 30sec behind, with Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ-Suez) winning the sprint for third.
Van Vleuten, who was sick at the start of the week and almost pulled out of the Tour, now leads by 3min 09sec ahead of Vollering and is the clear favorite to win the race when it ends with Sunday’s stage eight on the Super Planche des Belles Filles.
“It has been such a roller coaster,” said van Vleuten.
“I have been so sick and to win with this is unbelievable and beautiful. To finish here solo, I had to try because I was behind.
“My style is always attacking not waiting for the final (sprint).”
Van Vleuten attacked as soon as the peloton arrived at the Petit Ballon, the first of the day’s tortuous climbs.
“I did a reconnaissance of the stage and noticed that the Petit Ballon was a difficult climb,” she said.
“After six days of waiting, surviving and recovering, I wanted to make the biggest time gaps and it meant going on the first climb. This stage suited me really well. I knew if I would be fit enough after being sick, it would be my day.”
Team Jumbo-Visma rider Vos, who held the yellow jersey at the start of the day after clocking two wins and five podiums in the opening six stages, was unable to stay in touch and eventually limped in almost 25mins after van Vleuten.
It was a bad day also for Lorena Wiebes, winner of two stages, who suffered a nasty fall on Friday and dropped out early in stage seven.
“It doesn’t make sense to try to come back. She was far behind and in pain. To bring her back up only to get dropped again... It was easier for her to just roll in,” said Team DSM director Albert Timmer.
Fit or not, it would likely have made no difference to van Vleuten who was on another plane to the rest of the field.
Her early break on the Petit Ballon, 85km from the finish, was matched at the start by compatriot Vollering but with 62km remaining on the Col de Platzerwasel, the second of the day’s big climbs, she shook her off.
From then on, the three-time winner of the Giro d’Italia and time-trial gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, was on her own and never looked like wilting.
Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) attempted to give chase but could never get close enough to close up the gap on the front two.
As the chasing group cranked up the pace, so the Italian began to tire and she was gobbled up on the final ascent up the Grand Ballon, 12km from the finish.
Third place came down to a dog fight between stage three winner Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ-Suez), Juliette Labous (DSM) and Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon/SRAM) who were neck and neck at the summit of Grand Ballon before the Dane snatched it in the dash for the line.
Sunday’s final stage sees the riders racing a 123km with two major climbs from Lure to La Planche des Belles Filles in the Vosges, where Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, the defending champion, won in the men’s race three weeks ago before finishing second overall in Paris.
MADRID: Belgian Remco Evenepoel made a long range solo break to blow away his rivals and win the San Sebastian Classic for the second time on Saturday.
The Quick-Step rider broke clear with 45km to go to reclaim the title he won in similar fashion in 2019 as he builds toward next month’s Vuelta a España.
Evenepoel, 22, crossed the line nearly two minutes ahead of France’s Pavel Sivakov with fellow Belgian Tiesj Benoot, two and a half minutes off the pace.
Evenepoel, winner of Liege-Bastogne-Liege in April, had not raced since winning the Belgian time-trial title on June 23.
The young Belgian opted for a three-week course at altitude in northern Italy to prepare for the Vuelta, his big goal for the second half of the season.
“It’s one of my favorite races after Liege,” said Evenepoel as he climbed on the podium and donned a traditional Basque beret.
Riders who competed in the Tour de France showed their fatigue in the Basque country after three weeks of intense racing.
Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, competing six days after finishing second in Paris where he was the defending champion, was left behind in the climb of Jaizkibel, 63km from the finish.
Evenepoel saw his chance in Erlaitz, the main difficulty of the race over 4km at more than 10 percent gradient.
Briton Simon Yates had looked in the chase on Evenepoel’s wheel before stalling with 1.8km to go to the summit, being caught by the first pursuers and finally finishing sixth.
Evenepoel praised the efforts of his Quick-Step team.
“They did a great job from the start, thanks to them I was able to arrive fresh on the penultimate climb and maintain big rhythm to the top,” said Evenepoel.
“I felt very good,” he said.
“The idea was to develop a good base in the perspective of the Vuelta. This week, I think I rode about 10 hours, so I feel very fresh.
“I am more complete than three years ago,” he added.
“I had variations in weight, up and down, but we worked on that at the dietary level. I’m stable now. I’m two kilos lighter but I’m still just as explosive, if not more.”
Evenepoel said he was heading for the opening time-trial of the Vuelta in Utrecht on Aug. 19 “with a good feeling.”
“I’ll be able to go there relaxed, and with the necessary self-confidence.”