Fernandez cruises past Kalinskaya to claim Washington Open title
After a brief rain delay in the nation's capital, Fernandez - who was just one game away from defeat in the semi-finals - overcame the extreme humidity to capture her first WTA 500 title in her first final in over a year.
The Canadian gained the upper hand early on, securing a break thanks to a Kalinskaya double fault, before breaking again with a sharp return winner.
The Russian world number 48 appeared to struggle physically as Fernandez calmly served out the opening set in just under half an hour.
Kalinskaya could not find her stride in the match, dropping serve twice in the second set, while the 22-year-old Fernandez remained in control, never looking back on her way to the title.
Fernandez will look to carry her momentum into her home tournament, the Canadian Open in Montreal, where she faces Australia's Maya Joint in the first round.
Kalinskaya, who will play against American Ann Li, remains in search of her maiden WTA title after another setback in a final.
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The Independent
22 minutes ago
- The Independent
Would Jake Paul stand a chance against Anthony Joshua?
Anthony Joshua is on the hunt for an opponent to begin his comeback after a devastating knockout defeat against Daniel Dubois last year, and among the names being circulated is Jake Paul. After his points victory over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, Paul has been calling out Joshua – believing he has what it takes to beat the Brit. Eddie Hearn, Joshua's promoter, has admitted that they are open to discussions with Jake Paul. Hearn told iFL TV: 'We are planning life without Jake Paul, but if that is for real, of course, we take that fight in a heartbeat.' Paul's manager, Nakisa Bidarian, has since told Sky Sports that they are 'actively discussing it with Matchroom.' If this fight gets made, it will be a tall order for the Ohio native to be competitive against a two-time unified heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medallist, but could he actually pull it off? Here is the breakdown of all the key factors to consider. Height and reach Should the two ever meet, the starkest difference between them would be the enormous five-inch height discrepancy paired with a six-inch reach difference. 'AJ' stands at a towering 6'6' compared to Paul at 6'1'. This presents a well-documented set of problems. To be able to have any success over a man of Joshua's skill and size, Paul must be able to get himself close enough to land. Because of his amateur pedigree, Joshua has well-schooled footwork and a long, sharp jab, which, if Paul cannot get past, will leave him at the end of a volley of heavy artillery. But this is not a challenge unique to the American; such is the breadth of the heavyweight division, with no weight limit, fighters come in all shapes and sizes. Examples of fighters who have been able to overcome similar height and reach disadvantages are David Haye and Mike Tyson. When David Haye took on Nikolai Valuev in 2009 for the WBA heavyweight title, 'The Hayemaker' gave away nine inches in height to Valuev, who stood at seven feet tall, but he still got his hand raised. Meanwhile, Tyson spent much of his career punching up, standing at only 5'10', but was one of the most destructive champions in heavyweight history. So what is the common denominator for success as the shorter man? Explosiveness. What Tyson and Haye mastered was being able to avoid incoming fire to get in close, then unloading their own heavy combinations before retreating to safety and out of range of their opponents. This is the only way Paul would be able to effectively lay a glove on Joshua - applying smart pressure to keep him on the back foot and explode into range to throw his shots. But as the adage goes…a good big man beats a good small man. Weight Joshua has been consistent in his weight throughout his career, usually tipping the scales between 240 and 250lbs, putting him toward the upper end of the division. Paul usually weighs between 190 and 200lbs as a cruiserweight. But when he fought Mike Tyson, he bulked up to an impressive 228lbs to match the former heavyweight champion. But this steep increase in weight saw Paul perform sluggishly against Tyson and struggle with his endurance, something he cannot afford to do against an athlete like Joshua, who has been conditioned at his weight for well over a decade. If we draw a comparison to Oleksandr Usyk, who holds a similar frame to Paul, the way in which he was able to find success, at his size, against Joshua was with constant upper-body and lateral movement. If Paul can condition himself at 220lbs to be able to maintain that constant motion and work rate, then he might be able to overwhelm Joshua in the early going, but he must be proactive. Experience Experience cannot be substituted – thousands of hours of drilling, sparring, studying and most importantly, fighting all carve an elite level fighter out of the stone of a plucky amateur with dreams of one day holding a world title. This is an insurmountable disadvantage for Paul that would, without a doubt, show if the two were to fight. AJ had a glittering career as an amateur fighter, winning multiple national championships, a silver medal at the world championships and a famous gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Across over 50 fights, Joshua will have had access to the best coaches and sparring partners at the Performance Institute in Sheffield, honing his skills to eventually turn over as a professional. Paul has no amateur background to speak of, having only one white collar fight before becoming a pro and has since accumulated 13 fights, boxing a total of 70 rounds. Joshua is more than double Paul's total in both total fights and rounds. This gives him not just the benefit of more time in the gym, but also more experience with different styles and the ability to stay composed in times of trouble. Recent form Momentum and activity are essential components for a fighter to be able to build confidence and trust their ability to perform. Paul certainly has the benefit of both, coming off a career-best win against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and being undefeated in his last six fights, putting himself in with increasingly staunch opposition. Both of the American's last fights have gone the distance, with Paul walking away as the clear winner, showing a man full of confidence in his ability to see out a contest. A knockout defeat against Daniel Dubois has punctuated a downturn in Joshua's career, started by back-to-back losses to Usyk. Joshua has not beaten a fighter resembling elite level since Andy Ruiz in 2019. It is important to mention that 'confidence' is an intangible asset and cannot be measured, but if Paul enters the ring with the belief to go at the former champion and ignore the obvious physical disadvantages, then he might just stand a chance at being competitive. A DAZN subscription provides access to over 185 fights a year across a range of combat sports from the world's best promoters.
Reuters
22 minutes ago
- Reuters
White Sox hit four home runs in win over Angels
August 2 - Andrew Benintendi homered and doubled, and the Chicago White Sox hit four home runs en route to a 6-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels in the opener of a three-game series on Friday night in Anaheim, Calif. Lenyn Sosa went 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk and two RBIs and Colson Montgomery and Josh Rojas also homered for Chicago, which won its second straight game while improving to 9-4 since the All-Star break. Miguel Vargas added two hits and scored a run. Jordan Leasure (4-6), who struck out four of the five batters he faced in relief of starter Shane Smith, picked up the win with 1 2/3 hitless innings of relief. Steven Wilson struck out the side in the ninth and tossed two hitless innings to pick up his second save. Gustavo Campero hit a two-run homer and Nolan Schanuel had two hits for Los Angeles. Tyler Anderson (2-7) suffered the loss, allowing four runs on five hits over six innings. It was his team-record 18th consecutive start without a win, a drought which dates back to April 18. Los Angeles loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the first but failed to score against Smith, who was activated from the injury list before the game after missing two weeks with a left ankle sprain. Catcher Edgar Quero picked Zach Neto off third for the first out, Jo Adell struck out and Logan O'Hoppe grounded out to end the threat. Chicago took a 2-0 lead in the second on a pair of solo home runs. Benintendi led off the inning with his 14th home run down the right-field line, and one out later, Sosa hit his 11th homer, a 413-foot drive over the bullpens in left. The White Sox extended the lead to 3-0 in the fourth when Miguel Vargas led off with a single, advanced to third on double by Benintendi and scored on a sacrifice fly by Luis Robert Jr. Los Angeles cut the lead to 3-2 in the fifth on Campero's second home run of the season, a 438-foot drive to center which drove in Luis Rengifo, who had walked. Chicago extended the lead to 4-2 in the sixth on Montgomery's sixth home run in the last nine games, a 433-foot drive to center. The Angels cut the lead to 4-3 in the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Zeto, driving in O'Hoppe, who had singled, and had a chance to tie it when Schanuel lined a single to right. But Campero was thrown out trying to go to third from first by Mike Tauchman, with the out being recorded just before Travis d'Arnaud, who started the play at second base, crossed the plate. The White Sox made it 5-3 in the eighth when Robert Jr. led off with a single, stole second and scored on a single by Sosa. Rojas added another insurance run when he led off the ninth with a 399-foot homer to right-center, his second of the season. -Field Level Media
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
How the Ali Act overhaul is clearing the path for a Saudi-backed takeover of boxing
When Ari Emanuel – the notorious Hollywood powerbroker and CEO of TKO Holdings Group, which owns both the UFC and WWE – made a rare media appearance on the Pat McAfee Show in February 2025, he offered cryptic remarks about the state of boxing. Though typically cagey, Emanuel hinted, 'Who knows what's going to happen with the Ali Act' – a reference to the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, a federal law designed to protect the rights and welfare of boxers. Since then, rumors have swirled that TKO is quietly working to amend the law to make way for its newly minted boxing venture with Saudi Arabia. Last week, those rumors were confirmed when US representatives Brian Jack, a Republican from Georgia, and Sharice Davids, a Democrat from Kansas, introduced the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act in Congress. The proposed bill is being touted by the congressional representatives as a much-needed modernization of federal regulations in professional boxing, adding new provisions to the 1996 Professional Boxing Safety Act and introducing 'alternatives' to the sanctioning bodies overseeing the sport. 'I am incredibly proud to introduce the bipartisan Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act, which provides boxers with more opportunities, better pay, and greater safety standards,' Jack said in the press release. 'Professional boxing is the only sport regulated by Congress, and ambiguity in current law – adopted over a quarter-century ago – has stifled investment. Congressional action is needed to revive this once-great American sport, and this bipartisan legislation establishes a framework for innovation to flourish.' The 'stifled investment' that Jack is referencing in his statement is TKO's new boxing venture with Sela, an entertainment subsidiary of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), and Turki al-Sheikh, the figure behind Saudi's General Entertainment Authority and a close confidant of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The new venture, dubbed Zuffa Boxing, will debut on 13 September 2025, with an anticipated super middleweight showdown between Saul 'Canelo' Álvarez and Terence Crawford. An expanded boxing promotion will likely follow in 2026. Backed by the Saudi government's enormous resources, Emanuel's company advocated for the bill in Congress, including provisions to created alternatives to long-established sanctioning bodies like the World Boxing Organization (WBO) and World Boxing Council (WBC). The proposed alternatives in the legislation are known as Unified Boxing Organizations (UBOs), which is what Zuffa Boxing will likely operate as. While framed as a 'framework for innovation', Zuffa Boxing empowers Saudi Arabia to establish a parallel boxing ecosystem where it has sole determination over fighter ranking and championship belts. This paves the way for Saudi to bypass established sanctioning bodies, undermine existing promoters, and ultimately, gut professional boxing. 'This is a concerning bill for professional boxers,' said Erik Magraken, a combat sports regulatory lawyer and founder of 'It guts the key protections from the Ali Act for promoters that choose to use the 'unified boxing organization' model. It allows a promoter to control rank and title … and achieve a stranglehold on the sport.' The bill also sets out a series of compliance requirements for UBOs, including minimum per‑round payments and safety provisions such as mandatory medical examinations and expanded health insurance. While these measures could, in theory, benefit up‑and‑coming boxers, they also create significant barriers to entry for smaller boxing organizations attempting to establish UBOs. Zuffa Boxing, backed by Saudi funding, would be well‑positioned to dominate this space, attract new fighters, and establish a new hierarchy in the sport – one in which TKO effectively determines who holds the world titles. This new model for boxing is based almost entirely on the structure of the UFC, an organization that has long been criticized for its exploitation of fighters in its pursuit of profit. Fitting since UFC CEO Dana White, a longtime friend of US president Donald Trump, is expected to lead the new Zuffa Boxing venture. 'Everybody knows the format – the best fight the best,' White said in interview with The Ring, the boxing magazine owned by Al-Sheikh and, by extension, the Saudi government. 'You work your way up the rankings, and once somebody breaks into the top five [and] there is no question [about] who the best five guys are in each weight class, they fight it out. And once somebody holds that belt, you don't need three letters in front of the belt. Whoever has that belt is the best in the world in that weight class. It's a very simple model.' Despite generating billions in revenue, the UFC pays its athletes a significantly smaller share compared to other major sports leagues. While NFL and NBA players receive close to 50% of league revenues, UFC fighters earn roughly 15% to 18%, with many on the roster making as little as $10,000 to $20,000 per fight – amounts that barely cover training costs, coaching and medical expenses. Efforts to unionize or challenge these inequities have been quashed by the UFC, which has used long-term, exclusive contracts and its market dominance to keep fighters in line. Last year, the UFC agreed to a $375m settlement with several hundred fighters to resolve an antitrust lawsuit. The plaintiffs accused the promotion of stifling economic competition and using its monopoly power to suppress fighter pay. While the UFC denied any wrongdoing, the underlying claims remain central to a separate, ongoing case. When Congress passed the Ali Act in 2000, it was in response to the unfair and anti-competitive practices rampant in pro boxing at the time. The sport was dominated by influential promoters, corrupt sanctioning bodies and coercive contracts. The Ali Act provided federally-backed oversight and enforcement meant to reduce the exploitation of fighters through transparency mandates and financial disclosure requirements. The legislation passed with unanimous bipartisan support and stands as the only example of Congress attempting to directly regulate a professional sport in the United States. While the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act does not repeal the Ali Act, it does pave the way for new organizations to emerge outside of the purview of current sanctioning bodies, effectively bringing the UFC model to boxing. It is unclear when the bill will reach the House floor, as Congress will be in recess through the entirety of August. Nevertheless, the bill has received support from Ali's widow, Lonnie Ali, who was quoted in the press release as saying that 'Muhammad would be proud to have his name associated with this bill.' Davids, who co-sponsored the bill, was also a former MMA fighter who once tried out as a contestant for The Ultimate Fighter – a reality show that places fighters in a mansion for several weeks as they work their way through a tournament for a 'six-figure UFC contract'. Their involvement in the bill is a masterstroke of lobbying tactics by TKO and Emanuel. 'The Ali Act was created to stop coercive and exploitative practices by promoters. It was designed to make a monopolization of the sport not possible. Independent rank and title are the key reasons why pro boxers can command such great purses compared to MMA athletes,' Magraken said. 'Boxers compete for titles. Promoters compete for boxers. If promoters own and control titles then boxers can be exploited by promoters.' This will be remarkably beneficial to Saudi Arabia and Al-Sheikh, who have invested billions to wrest control of boxing from its traditional masters. Al-Sheikh has bankrolled some of the most high-profile heavyweight fights and broken through negotiation stalemates by offering record-breaking sums of money. His success as a promoter has made him one of the sport's most powerful figures, while fans and media affectionately refer to him as 'His Excellency' – a title that underscores his growing cult of personality. Al-Sheikh's expanding influence has stifled criticism within boxing. Fans are willing to overlook troubling behavior as long as he continues to deliver exciting matchups, while journalists, eager to maintain their critical access, often frame the narrative in his favor. The kingdom also owns its own boxing magazine and deploys a vast network of PR firms and executives to advance its political agenda through sports. It is yet another reminder of Saudi Arabia's broader strategy in sports – a blueprint built on acquiring influence, shaping narratives and establishing self-sustaining ecosystems under its control. Boxing may be the ideal asset to complete that vision. Karim Zidan writes a regular newsletter on the intersection of sports and authoritarian politics.
