In a massive weekend in the world of sport, tennis has a new world number one, the AFLW celebrated Indigenous round, and the Australian Cricket team sent Aaron Finch off in style.
Teenage tennis sensation becomes world number one
Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz has become the youngest male tennis player ever to sit atop the men’s rankings after defeating Casper Ruud in the US Open final this morning.
The young Spaniard was made to earn his first grand slam title after a long and arduous tournament, with his previous three matches all lasting the full five sets.
The 19-year-old looked weary at times on the court but was still able to overcome Ruud to win the US Open 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-3, becoming the youngest men’s grand slam champion since Rafael Nadal in 2005.
AFLW celebrates Indigenous Round
The AFLW celebrated its Indigenous Round over the weekend with Brisbane, Essendon and Richmond all enjoying big wins, while expansion side Port Adelaide just missed out on their first AFLW win, drawing level with Carlton.
The round didn’t come without controversy after the AFL decided to backtrack on their decision to hold a minute’s silence in honour of Queen Elizabeth’s passing, due to cultural insensitivities.
Backlash came after Friday night’s match between the Western Bulldogs and Fremantle, where the AFL decided to scrap the Welcome to Country to make way for the minute’s silence.
The AFL quickly made the decision to cancel the planned minute silence, and keep the Welcome to Country for the remainder of the round.
The AFL’s dramatic finals series continues
The second week of the AFL finals played out over the weekend with Brisbane and Collingwood advancing to the penultimate round.
After being winless at the MCG since 2o14, Brisbane came back from 28 points down to knock Melbourne out in straight sets. Despite missing key forward Joe Daniher, Eric Hipwood and Charlie Cameron stepped up in his absence.
The Lions will have to repeat their efforts on Friday night against Geelong, to make the Grand Final.
Meanwhile Collingwood were able to keep their finals campaign alive after their convincing 20-point win over Fremantle at the MCG on Saturday night.
The Magpies now face Sydney at the SCG on Saturday afternoon as they look to keep their dream run going.
Controversy mars Verstappen victory
Formula One fans have voiced their dismay after the race in Italy ended in controversy last night.
The race ended behind the safety car after Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo’s car broke down on the side of the track with six laps remaining.
The disruption meant that Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was able to cruise to an unimpeded victory ahead of the home team Ferrari, and their driver Charles Leclerc.
During the trophy presentation the Italian crowd proceeded to boo and jeer over the result of the race.
This is Verstappen’s fifth Grand Prix victory in a row and has put him within touching distance of a second consecutive championship title.
Aussies claim series against Blackcaps in Cairns
Australia has sent One Day International captain Aaron Finch off in style with a win over New Zealand in Cairns on Sunday.
While Finch himself didn’t have a fairytale finish with bat in hand (he was bowled for five runs) it was Steve Smith (105) and Marnus Labuschagne (52) who anchored the Australian innings.
After a slow start the Australian’s were able to set a competitive score of 268.
New Zealand looked in a good position to win the match sitting at 5/172, before Australia’s bowlers were able to clean the up the tail and clean sweep the series.
PHOTO: Melbourne V Geelong 2018 Elimination Final by Oscar is available HERE and is used under a Creative Commons licence. This photo has not been modified.
