Biggest Winners and Losers From This Past Weekend

Over the weekend, sports fanatics across the globe were treated to special moments that made them fall more in love with sports. 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz etched himself in the history books when he clinched the US Open title. Alcaraz was one of the tournament’s favourites to reign supreme and is tipped to be the next big star in the tennis world. Let’s take a look at some big winners and losers over the weekend.

Winners

Alcaraz Wins US Open

Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz claimed his maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open on Sunday and became the youngest man to ascend to the world number one ranking. He beat his Norwegian opponent Casper Ruud 6-4, 2-6, 7-6, 6-3 to capture the US Open – and a grand slam title – for the first time in his young career.

Alcaraz, the first teenager to claim the top ranking, is the youngest Grand Slam men’s champion since Rafael Nadal at the 2005 French Open after a performance which yielded 55 winners and 14 aces.

On a day of landmarks, he is also the youngest champion in New York since Pete Sampras in 1990.

Australia Women Win Sevens World Cup

They defeated the Black Ferns 24-22 in a rollicking final in Cape Town. It was Maddison Levi’s final. The former AFLW star scored a scorching hat-trick as Australia women vanquished their old foes the Black Ferns in the Sevens World Cup final. It was the first time Australia have won the title since 2009 in Dubai.

Vinicius Junior In The Form Of His Life

Vinicius Junior scored for the fifth game running as Real Madrid came from behind to beat Real Mallorca 4-1 in La Liga on Sunday and extend their perfect start to the season. The 22-year-old Brazilian forward provided another Man of the Match performance as Madrid kept their perfect start with five wins in as many games. Vinicius led the side’s attack in the absence of Karim Benzema, who sustained an injury in the Uefa Champions League fixture against the Celtics in Scotland. 

Chippa United’s Huge Victory

Chippa United who sacked Daine Klate last week claimed valuable three points on the road when defeating Amazulu 2-1 at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday. It was former Baroka FC CEO Morgan Mamilla who was in charge of the side as he is making strides as the coach these days. It was the first win for the Chilli Boys after failing to register three points in the last four games. 

Union Berlin

It might be early in the season but Union Berlin are enjoying a very rare start to the season. Berlin is on top of the league standings with 14 points in six matches. The defending champions Bayern Munich currently occupies the third position two points adrift of Berlin. Berlin won 1-0 on Saturday against FC Koln. Things might change quickly but this is a good thing that teams are challenging Bayern after winning the league trophy for the past 10 years. 

Losers

Neil Powell’s Tenure As SA Rugby Coach Ends In Defeat

It was not the farewell Powell was hoping for as his tenure as the head coach came to an end. The South Africans beat Samoa 35-5 on Sunday in front of a home crowd at Cape Town Stadium, securing 7th place at the World Cup Sevens 

Powell was appointed as head coach of the Springbok Sevens team in 2013 and has taken the team to countless amounts of circuit wins and historic performances. In 2016, the Blitzboks began two years of dominance under Powell, winning the 2016/17 World Rugby Sevens Series – seeing themselves in the finals on eight occasions, winning five – followed by a 2017/18 gold medal.

Bayern Munich’s Poor Start To The Season

Bayern Munich are struggling to grab wins like they usually do in the Bundesliga this season. On Saturday, the Bavarians recorded a 2-2 draw against Stuttgart at home. It was the side’s third consecutive draw this season in six matches. They are currently lying in third position with 12 points, two points behind the surprise packages Union Berlin. Bayern are preparing to face Barcelona tomorrow in the UEFA Champions League match at Allianz Arena. 

Bayern Munich have gotten the better of Barcelona in recent encounters – the 8-2 mauling in 2020, the back-to-back 3-0 victories in the group stages of the competition last year.