Iga Swiatek has simply been on a different level to any other female player at this year’s French Open and is taken to brush aside Sofia Kenin in the women’s singles final. Australian Open champion Kenin will try to turn this contest into a battle of wills, but we fear she will be totally outgunned.
Racing Point have made good progress this year and we’re backing the Silverstone-based team to fare well in our German Grand Prix predictions. Lance Stroll and Sergio Perez are eighth and ninth in the Formula 1 drivers’ championship, with just one point separating them after eight races.
With the fifth-seeded Miami Heat having reached the 2020 NBA Finals, we’ve looked back at the best ‘Cinderella runs’ in the competition’s history to see how their postseason might rank against the other great underdog stories.
As the world of sport continues to recover from the disruption of the first wave of COVID-19 that brought it to a virtual halt in the Spring, we’ve picked out five major sports and looked at how they responded, with regards to making changes to this year’s sporting calendar.
With the 2020 Six Nations set to finally conclude in October after a coronavirus-enforced hiatus that saw the final four matches postponed, we have taken a look at the most interesting numbers in Six Nations history since the current format was introduced in 2000.
We’re continuing our Irish Champions Weekend tips with eight expert selections for Sunday’s star-studded card at the Curragh. The Irish St Leger is the showpiece event and there are also three other Group 1 prizes up for grabs, one for sprinters and two for top-class juveniles.
Dominic Thiem heads into the US Open final in much better form than Alexander Zverev and is fancied to dominate their clash at Flushing Meadows. Both men are trying to secure a first grand slam title, but the Austrian seems far more assured of holding his nerve in the New York decider.
The women’s final at the US Open is a battle between former world number ones and a high-class contest is anticipated between Naomi Osaka and Victoria Azarenka. Both players came through tough semi-finals in three sets here and another close encounter seems on the cards.
This mouthwatering clash would have made an ideal final instead of the last four as it pits tournament favourite Daniil Medvedev against Dominic Thiem, the highest-ranked player left in the draw. A close encounter seems on the cards, with plenty of twists and turns.
Victoria Azarenka lost out to Serena Williams in the 2012 and 2013 US Open finals but is fancied to gain some revenge in this year’s semis. The 31-year-old from Belarus has looked in imperious form at Flushing Meadows, whereas Williams has had to battle through a series of gruelling encounters.
Alexander Zverev is fast becoming a man for the big occasion and is tipped to reach the US Open final by seeing off Pablo Carreno Busta. The German has put a poor run of form on the ATP Tour behind him at Flushing Meadows and can have too many weapons for his game, but outgunned opponent.
With Ferrari gearing up for their 1,000th race, we’re offering some sentimental support for Sebastian Vettel in our Tuscan Grand Prix predictions. The four-time world champ is going through a tough break-up from the Italian team but has still scored points in four of this year’s eight contests.
Kansas City and Houston were involved in a couple of high-scoring thrillers last term but replicating those classic contests will be tough. It is always easier for defences to prepare for a new NFL season and that should be even more apparent after a summer of disruptions this year.
Houston and Oklahoma City clash in a best-of-seven series finale in the NBA play-offs and we’re going for the Rockets to advance in Orlando. The Thunder have rallied from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits in what has been a thrilling contest but may find James Harden too hot to handle in the decider.