Todays Sporting News – 29 August 2025

• World Athletics President Sebastian Coe is confident that all female athletes at this year’s world championships in Tokyo will have undergone gene testing.
• Defending US Open champion Jannik Sinner effortlessly took out Australian Alexei Popyrin 6-3 6-2 6-2 to make the third round of the Grand Slam and send out an ominous warning to his title rivals in New York.
• Manchester United have agreed to sell Argentine winger Alejandro Garnacho to Chelsea for £40-million, a source close to United said on Thursday.
• Focus on Sekhukhune, Chiefs this weekend: The final Betway Premiership matchday before the September international break will see the focus fall on co-leaders Sekhukhune United and Kaizer Chiefs, while champions Mamelodi Sundowns face a potential ‘banana skin’ away to Stellenbosch FC.
• Adidas Unveils New Official Match Balls for the League Phase of Uefa Champions League Women’s Champions: Meanwhile, the Uefa Women’s Champions League ball takes inspiration from the deep space and the northern lights, with the hexagons between the white stars finished in dark purple and overlaid with neon green technical gradient and flowing neon green
• Alcaraz races into US Open third round as Djokovic, Sabalenka advance: Carlos Alcaraz stormed into the third round of the US Open with a blistering straight-sets victory on Wednesday as Novak Djokovic overcame an early scare to advance. Order of Play. Alcaraz, who could meet Djokovic in the semifinals at Flushing Meadows,
• Can Aryna Sabalenka repeat as US Open champ?: NEW YORK — While Iga Swiatek was winning her first Wimbledon title, Aryna Sabalenka was 2,500 miles away on the beach in Mykonos, Greece. Despite the idyllic scenery, it wasn’t exactly where Sabalenka wanted to be.
• What next for Man Utd and Amorim after humiliation at Grimsby?: The image of Ruben Amorim cowering in the dugout at Grimsby will take some forgetting. It came while his players were taking their penalties in a thrilling shootout, eventually slumping to a humiliating Carabao Cup second-round defeat.
• Amorim admits Man Utd were ‘completely lost’: Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim said his team “were completely lost” as they slipped to a shambolic Carabao Cup defeat at Grimsby following a marathon penalty shootout. The loss against League Two opposition marks a new low for the side.
• Breaking down Man Utd’s penalty-shootout loss to Grimsby: From Onana’s weak wrists to Sesko stepping up 10th
  The New York Times: Grimsby winger Darragh Burns was up next. The left-footer offered a brief stutter before his shot and also went bottom left, with Onana diving the opposite way.
• ‘Ireland can still improve despite opening win’: Women’s Rugby World Cup – Pool C: Ireland v Spain. Venue: Franklin’s Gardens, Northampton Date: Sunday, 31 August Kick-off: 12:00 BST. Coverage: Live on BBC Two, BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sport website and app.
• ‘The whole town is on a high’: What Grimsby’s dramatic win over Man Utd means to fans: What does Grimsby Town’s dramatic win over Manchester United in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday mean for this town in North East Lincolnshire famous for its once mighty fishing industry? Shaun Webster, like many in Grimsby today, has a spring in his step.
• Transfer news live updates: Xavi Simons, Tottenham, Arsenal latest and more: There are five days left of the summer transfer window and clubs across Europe continue to scramble to do their business. Premier League sides are very much still active in looking to strengthen their squads.
• Andrew Flintoff might coach in the Ashes because Tim Southee – England’s bowling coach – will be off to play franchise cricket.
• Dane van Niekerk will not be a part of the South Africa Women’s squad for the World Cup, but is just being given exposure to help her “understand expectations.”
• A multi-sports (including cricket) tournament in Mewat, Haryana has helped the local youth turn away from crime, while Michael Vaughan wants to get English public school teams to play at Lord’s for the first time ever.
• The Bulldogs have secured their first top-four finish since 2012 after beating an understrength Panthers side 28-4 on Thursday night. With a tough finals run looming, Panthers coach Ivan Cleary decided to rest 16 of his frontline players, granting six players their NRL debuts. The victory might have come at a cost for the Bulldogs after winger Jacob Kiraz left the field with ten minutes remaining with a suspected syndesmosis injury (a “high ankle sprain”). Kiraz is set to have scans today.
• Australian cyclist Jay Vine claimed victory in Stage  6 of the Vuelta a España with a powerful solo breakaway in the final 20 km of the mountainous 171 km route. Norway’s Torstein Traeen, who started the stage 26th in the general classification, finished 54 seconds behind Vine and claimed the overall lead from Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard. Jai Hindley is still the highest-placed Australian in the general classification. He sits ninth, almost three minutes behind Traeen.
• Jessica Hull was pipped on the line by Kenya’s Nelly Chepchirchir in the women’s 1500m at the Diamond League finals in Zurich. Hull, the race favourite in the absence of world record holder Faith Kipyegon, had opened up a lead of over ten metres leading into the final stretch, but faded and ended up losing by 0.3 seconds. Fellow Aussie Linden Hall finished in third to round out the podium. Meanwhile, American sprint star Noah Lyles won the men’s 200m, edging out 2024 Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo by 0.02 seconds in a highly anticipated rematch.
• The AFL has named its 2025 All-Australian team, recognising the best 22 players of the regular season. The honour of captain was given to Geelong forward Jeremy Cameron, while Melbourne ruckman Max Gawn reached a career milestone with his eighth selection, putting him among the most decorated players in league history. Eleven players earned their first call-up, including Hawthorn’s Josh Battle and Brisbane’s Zac Bailey. The Lions and the Bulldogs had the most selections, with three each.
• NRL: Melbourne Storm v Sydney Roosters: With finals just around the corner, both of these sides are jostling for their places in the top eight (albeit at different ends). The Storm, who sit in second spot, can still win the minor premiership, while the Roosters are in eighth and on the cusp of missing finals. It’s also a milestone match for Craig Bellamy, who celebrates his 600th game as Storm coach. Bellamy has rested several of his stars, including Xavier Coates and Nick Meaney. The Roosters are also without halfback Sam Walker (concussion), who will be replaced by Sandon Smith. Kickoff is at 8:00pm tonight (AEST). You can watch it on Channel 9 and Kayo.
• U.S. Open (Tennis): Priscilla Hon v Ann Li: Australian Priscilla Hon is on a dream run in New York. The world number 126 has strung together five wins through qualifying and the first and second rounds. In the second round, Hon upset 17th seed Liudmila Samsonova. She now faces 25-year-old American Ann Li, currently ranked 58th, who earned her spot in the third round with a victory over 16th seed Belinda Bencic. Can Hon be the first Aussie through to the fourth round at this year’s U.S. Open? 15th seed Daria Kasatkina is the other Australian through to the third round in the women’s singles draw and will play Japan’s Naomi Osaka on Sunday. The match is scheduled for Saturday at 3:50am (AEST). You can watch it on Stan Sport and Channel 9.
• Formula One: Dutch Grand Prix: Lando Norris enters the weekend with momentum, having won three of the last four races. He is also the reigning champion at the Dutch GP after he denied Max Verstappen a fourth consecutive victory at his home race in 2024. Meanwhile, Norris’ McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri leads the championship by nine points and will be keen to extend his lead. Verstappen returns at home with huge support and will rely on strategy and the tricky layout of the Dutch track to strike back. How to watch: The race begins at 11:00pm AEST on Sunday. You can watch it on Foxtel and Kayo.
• In 1925 legendary baseball player Babe Ruth showed up late for batting practice after a night on the town. He was suspended for “repeated violations of training rules” – a euphemism at the time for heavy late-night drinking and partying; and fined $5,000 before being reinstated a week later.
• SA’s Hamish Lovemore is adding his name to canoeing history one race at a time.
• Football – Crystal Palace sealed a place in the Uefa Conference League as a goalless draw at Fredrikstad was enough for a 1-0 win on aggregate.
• Cycling – Chris Froome was airlifted to hospital and due to have surgery after suffering a collapsed lung and breaking his back and five ribs during a serious crash while training in France.
• Football – A man has been arrested in Lancashire after racist and abusive messages were sent online to the England defender Jess Carter during the women’s Euros in July.
• Two 13-year-olds have been leading an audacious project to save harvest mice – Britain’s smallest rodent: Best friends Eva Wishart and Emily Smith embarked on a project to restore the animals in Devon after finding out that the species is threatened due to farming practices and habitat loss. In the two years since, they have bred dozens of the tiny rodents in their garages. On Wednesday they released 250 of them into a local nature reserve.
• Thousands of South African children die from hunger a year, a ‘preventable crime’: Every day in South Africa, an average of 30 children die from starvation and extreme malnutrition – nearly 11,000 deaths a year, deaths that could have been prevented if the children had had reliable and sustainable access to food.
• SA Reserve Bank gets green light to buy half of South African finance giant: The Reserve Bank’s acquisition of a stake in BankservAfrica has been given the green light, marking a key step in the bank’s plan to modernise the national payments system and promote digital transactions.
• One mistake costing South Africa billions every year: The government’s fiscal mismanagement has forced the Reserve Bank to keep interest rates higher than needed to manage inflation, adding billions to debt-servicing costs.
• The man doing what Andre de Ruyter could not: Eskom chairman Mteto Nyati has defended CEO Dan Marokane’s overlooked role in stabilising the utility and reducing load-shedding, crediting him and Eskom’s management team for the turnaround.
• Best news for the rand in twenty years: South Africa’s currency is on track for its biggest August gain in two decades, with stocks not far behind, as a weakening dollar spurs demand for high-yielding assets outside the US.
• The domestic worker-tuned-business owner taking on one of South Africa’s most iconic brands: Nelia Ngulube, known by many as Yaya, has gone from working as a domestic worker to building her own rusk empire.
• 153 new smart ID card and passport bank branches launching soon: The smart ID card and passport services branch boom is about to begin.
• Fidel Castro’s alleged warnings on the downfall of the ANC: The late Cuban leader allegedly warned Nelson Mandela that certain leaders would destroy the ANC.
• Cape Town is taking Joburg’s crown: Johannesburg remains Africa’s wealthiest city with 11,700 millionaires, but Cape Town is on track to overtake it as the continent’s richest city by 2030.
• One Trump policy that could hurt South Africa more than tariffs: South Africa faces the risk of a financial crisis if US President Donald Trump bans American investors from holding South African government bonds.
• South Africa the worst country for crime and unemployment: The 2025 Chandler Good Government Index revealed that South Africa ranked last among 120 countries in terms of personal safety and employment.
• Ford cutting jobs in South Africa: Ford South Africa has sent an official notice of its intention to retrench more than 470 employees in the country.
• ICC partners with Google to elevate fan experiences in women’s cricket: The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced a landmark partnership with Google as its second major women’s-only global partner. The collaboration aims to leverage Google’s advanced technology and commitment to supporting women’s sports to enhance fan engagement and increase accessibility for the sport.
• The 2025 college football season kicks into full swing this weekend, featuring three games between top 10 teams—the most such matchups this early in a season in the sport’s history. The marquee game takes place tomorrow in Columbus, Ohio (12 pm ET, FOX), where the defending national champion No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes will face the No. 1 Texas Longhorns. At night, No. 4 Clemson hosts No. 9 LSU (7:30 pm ET, ABC), while Sunday features No. 6 Notre Dame traveling to No. 10 Miami (7:30 pm ET). The first game showcases one of the season’s top storylines—the full-time debut of Arch Manning, scion of the dynasty that includes NFL greats Peyton and Eli. Also to watch are eight-time Super Bowl-winning coach Bill Belichick’s first season at North Carolina, whether Alabama can return to the playoffs, and more.
• The 2025 US Open tennis championships continue.
• UEFA Champions League draw announced with the league phase for the 36-team tournament set to begin 16 September.
• Inter Miami to take on Seattle Sounders on Sunday (8 pm ET, Apple TV+, Univision) for the Leagues Cup championship.
• Man Utd request left Grimsby owner taken aback before Carabao Cup humbling.
• Wrexham can now sign £7m striker who embarrassed Virgil van Dijk for FREE.
• Oxlade-Chamberlain transfer development emerges amid EFL links
• Knighthead and Tom Brady backed over ‘awesome’ Birmingham City and Aston Villa scenario.
• Cardiff City star on brink of exit as Barry-Murphy set for busy 72 hours.

TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

1885 — John L. Sullivan wins the first world heavyweight title under the Marquess of Queensbury rules when he beats Dominic McCaffrey in six rounds. The fight features 3-ounce gloves and 3-minute rounds.

1952 — Dr. Reginald Weir becomes the first Black man to compete in the U.S. Tennis Championships. Weir appears two years after Althea Gibson breaks the color barrier in the tournament and loses in four sets to William Stucki.

1962 — A.C.’s Viking, driven by Sanders Russell, wins the Hambletonian Stakes in straight heats.

1968 — Open tennis begins at the U.S. Tennis Championships. Billie Jean King wins the first stadium match at the U.S. Open and amateurs Ray Moore and Jim Osborne have upset wins over professionals. Moore beats No. 10 Andres Gimeno and Osborne defeats Barry MacKay, each in four sets.

1974 — Nineteen-year-old high school basketball star Moses Malone, signs a contract with the Utah Stars of the ABA to become the first player to go directly from high school into major pro basketball.

1978 — The USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. opens. Bjorn Borg beats Bob Hewitt in the first match 6-0, 6-2 in the best-of-three sets.

1987 — Charlie Whittingham becomes the first trainer to surpass 500 stakes wins when he sent Ferdinand to victory in the Cabrillo Handicap at Del Mar Racetrack.

1993 — Laffit Pincay Jr. wins the 8,000th race of his career aboard El Toreo in the seventh race at Del Mar racetrack to become the second thoroughbred jockey to ride 8,000 winners.

1993 — Brandie Burton’s 20-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff edges Betsy King for the du Maurier Classic title, the LPGA tour’s final major of the season.

2005 — Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova becomes the first U.S. Open defending women’s champion to fall in the first round, losing 6-3, 6-2 to fellow Russian Ekaterina Bychkova on the first day of the U.S. Open.

2011 — Petra Kvitova becomes the first defending Wimbledon champion to lose in the first round at the U.S. Open, 7-6, 6-3 to Alexandra Dulgheru.

2013 — The NFL agrees to pay $765 million to settle lawsuits from thousands of former players who developed dementia or other concussion-related health problems they say were caused by the on-field violence. The settlement, unprecedented in sports, applies to all past NFL players and spouses of those who are deceased.

2015 — Usain Bolt anchors Jamaica to a fourth successive men’s 4×100-meter title and adds to his record-breaking personal haul of IAAF World Championships gold medals to 11.

2018 — Star quarterback Aaron Rodgers signs NFL record contract extension with the Green Bay Packers; 4 years worth $134m rising to a possible $180m with a record $103m in guarantees.

2018 — Wanheng Menayothin surpasses Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s 50-0 record, beating Pedro Taduran in a unanimous decision to improve to 51-0. The 32-year-old Menayothin (51-0, 18 KOs) won his 10th successful title defense of his WBC minimumweight belt that he won in November 2014.

TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

1918 — The Chicago Cubs, behind the pitching of Lefty Tyler, clinched the National League pennant with a 1-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

1934 — The Philadelphia A’s ended Schoolboy Rowe’s 16-game winning streak with a 13-5 victory over the Detroit Tigers.

1948 — Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers hit for the cycle in a 12-7 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Robinson drove in two runs, scored three runs and stole a base.

1965 — San Francisco’s Willie Mays broke Ralph Kiner’s National League record with his 17th home run of the month in an 8-3 triumph over the New York Mets. Kiner had 16 homers in September of 1949. Mays hit a tape measure shot off Jack Fisher.

1967 — Bert Campaneris of the Kansas City A’s hit three triples in a 9-8, 10-inning loss to the Cleveland Indians. Campaneris was the first to have three triples in a game since Ben Chapman in 1939.

1971 — Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves knocked in his 100th run of the season, giving him the National League record of 11 seasons with 100 or more RBIs.

1977 — Lou Brock of St. Louis stole base No. 893, breaking Ty Cobb’s modern record for career stolen bases. The Cardinals lost to the San Diego Padres 4-3.

1977— Cleveland’s Duane Kuiper hit a one-out solo home run in the first inning off Chicago’s Steve Stone at Municipal Stadium. It was Kuiper’s only homer in 3,379 career at-bats — the fewest homers in most at-bats for any player in MLB history.

1985 — Don Baylor of the New York Yankees set an American League record when he was hit by a pitch for the 190th time in his career. Baylor was struck by Angels pitcher Kirk McCaskill in the first inning, breaking the old mark of 189 set by Minnie Minoso.

1991 — Carlton Fisk of the Chicago White Sox hit two homers to become the oldest player in the 20th century to accomplish the mark. He’ll top this by hitting two homers on October 3. Jack McDowell went the distance to beat Cleveland 7-2.

1993 — George Brett recorded his 200th stolen base in Kansas City’s 5-4, 12-inning victory over Boston to join Willie Mays and Hank Aaron as the only players with 3,000 hits, 300 homers and 200 steals.

1998 — Toms River, N.J., wins its first Little League World Series with a 12-9 victory over Kashima, Japan. Chris Cardone hits home runs in consecutive at-bats — including the game-deciding two-run shot.

2000 — Darin Erstad went 3-for-5 to reach 200 hits faster than any player (132 games) in 65 years as the Angels defeated Toronto 9-4. Ducky Medwick of the St. Louis Cardinals did it in 131 games in 1935.

2002 — Mark Bellhorn became the first player in NL history to hit a home run in the same inning from both sides of the plate, in the fourth of the Chicago Cubs’ 13-10 win over Milwaukee.

2004 — Albert Pujols hit his 40th home run and reached 100 RBIs for the fourth straight season to help St. Louis beat Pittsburgh 4-0. He’s the fourth player to start his major league career with four straight seasons with at least 100 RBIs, joining Hall of Famers Al Simmons, Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams.

2010 — Brian McCann hit a game-winning homer with help from video replay, giving the Atlanta Braves a stunning 7-6 victory over the Florida Marlins. It was the first time a game ended using a video review.

2018 — Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich went 6 for 6 and hit for the cycle and Jesus Aguilar homered in the 10th inning, powering the Brewers to a 13-12 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. The Brewers had a season-high 22 hits and rallied to take the lead four different times.

2021 — Taylor, Michigan wins the Little League World Series with a win over Hamilton, Ohio.

2022 — Aaron Judge of the Yankees hit home run #50 of the season, to stay just ahead of the pace set by Roger Maris when he hit 61 homers to set the team and American League record in 1961.