Around the Betting Planet: Thiem and Zverev in US Open final

US

All set for US Open tennis finals

With the four big names out of the US Open men’s singles championship, we’ll see a new name added to the list of Grand Slam winners for the first time since 2014 as Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev face off in Sunday’s final.

It’ll be the fourth time that Thiem makes an attempt at a Grand Slam title and Alexander Zverev’s maiden appearance as a finalist. Thiem is the favorite to win, but both players have had excellent performances throughout the tournament.

In the women’s division, Serena Williams was knocked out of the semis by Victoria Azarenka. Azarenka and Naomi Osaka will face off in the final today, with both chasing their third major title.

UK

Will West Brom sign Ivanovic?

Rumor has it that West Bromwich Albion are set to sign former Chelsea star Branislav Ivanovic. The deal is said to close within a couple of hours, with the English Premier League season kicking off today. 

West Brom boss Slaven Bilic is eager to have Ivanovic return to the EPL because he can bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the squad. During his time with Chelsea, he made close to 400 appearances and won three EPL titles.

Africa

Kaizer Chiefs star goes under the knife

Samir Nurkovic, Kaizer Chiefs’ top scorer, has gone for surgery that’ll keep him off the field for two months. The star battled a groin injury throughout the recently completed Premier Soccer League season and used painkillers to subside the pain.

Depending on recovery, it seems that Nurkovic will be late to join the squad for the next PSL season.

Europe

Messi’s father under fire for botched transfer

Lionel Messi’s father, Jorge, has come under fire for his son having to stay with Barcelona. Critics say he should have had professional agents negotiate a deal as they know how to handle themselves and address contract issues at a higher level.

Messi dropped the bombshell a couple of weeks ago that he wanted to leave Barca and explore career options elsewhere. However, the club resisted the proposed move and claimed that the exit clause he believed to exist had expired. Had it not passed, Messi could’ve walked away for free.

South America

Trinbago Knight Riders remain undefeated

The Caribbean Premier League 2020 tournament ended with the Trinbago Knight Riders remaining undefeated. The team beat St Lucia Zouks by eight wickets in the final.

It was the Zouks maiden appearance in a CPL decider, while the Knight Riders have now claimed the title four times in six years. Trinbago had a rough start in the final, but Lendl Simmons and Darren Bravo turned it around with 84 not out from 49 balls and 58 not out from 47.

Australia

Australia win first ODI in England series

In a marvelous twist, Australia beat England by 19 runs in the first of three games in their ODI series. Sam Billings’ maiden international century wasn’t enough for the hosts as Aussie quick Josh Hazlewood claimed Man of the Match honours with 3/26 for 10 overs.

The win is Australia’s third in their last 14 ODI games. The Aussie squad will be looking to redeem themselves after losing the T20I series 2-1 in the last week. 

New Zealand

NZ explains why Australia will host Rugby Championship

Brent Impey, chairman of New Zealand Rugby, has revealed why NZ lost the right to host the Rugby Championship. The Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, suggested that politics had a role to play, but Impey said they had nothing to do with the decision.

Instead, it came down to the unwillingness of the NZ government to lessen the country’s quarantine restrictions. In Australia, players will be able to keep to isolation protocols while living and training in bio-bubbles.