Royalty, Rookies, and Rallies 🎾🏀⚾
Another day, another triple-play of sports action. And today’s lineup? Tennis royalty, basketball rookies, and baseball rallies.
Happy Friday, Smallballers! Here are three things you need to know. ⬇️
1️⃣ From Strawberries to Semifinals 🎾
Back when Wimbledon started, we told you to keep an eye on the grass courts, white outfits, and strawberry snacks. Oh, and Rufus the Hawk.
Now? We’ve made it all the way to the semifinals.
Yesterday, the final four women played. The results?
Amanda Anisimova (she was ranked #13) beat the #1 player, Aryna Sabalenka, in three super close sets!
🎥 Watch Amanda finish off the upset and reach her first Grand Slam final!
Sabalenka’s having a rough summer. She lost last month’s French Open final to Coco Gauff, and now falls short again. (And remember… Coco lost in the first round at Wimbledon.) Tennis turns fast.
No upset in the other semifinal. Not even close. #8 Iga Świątek (say it like shvee-ON-tek!) crushed #35 Belinda Bencic in straight sets, 6–2, 6–0, and made it look easy.
🧠 You can think of straight sets like this: the women’s matches are best of 3 sets, so if the winner takes it 2–0, they won in straight sets.
So it’s Amanda vs. Iga in Saturday’s final.
No matter who wins, it’ll be the eighth year in a row with a brand-new women’s Wimbledon champ!
📆 Today: Men’s Semifinals!
Today, four of the best men’s players in the world take the court in two must-see matchups.
#2 Carlos Alcaraz vs. #5 Taylor Fritz
Alcaraz won the French Open last month… and he’s the defending champ here, too. Fritz is the top American left and trying to reach his first Wimbledon final.
#1 Jannik Sinner vs. #6 Novak Djokovic
Sinner is the best player in the world right now. Djokovic has won Wimbledon seven times! Some people think he’s the best tennis player ever.
🎾 All set on the grass? Then let’s hit the hardwood! 🏀
2️⃣ Summer League Showdown 🏀
On Sunday, we asked who was playing in NBA Summer League…and you nailed it. LeBron James’ son, Bronny James, is in his second year with the Lakers.
Last night? He faced off against Cooper Flagg, the #1 pick in this year’s draft… playing in a Mavericks uniform for the very first time.
🎥 We’ve got the highlights lined up… wanna watch?
The final score? Mavericks 87, Lakers 85. It was close all the way through… and both Bronny (8 points) and Flagg (10 points) had their moments.
It was a tough shooting night for Flagg, just 5-for-21 from the field, including 0-for-5 from three.
But he found other ways to help: 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and a block. Not the best first game, but a reminder that stars can shine in more than one way.
📆 Up Next?
The Summer League runs through July 20, so we’ll keep an eye on the action.
Oh, and Smallball Gamers: it’s called the 2K26 Summer League. Named after the popular basketball video game NBA 2K.
🎥 Want a peek at the brand-new video that introduces this year’s game?
3️⃣ Walk-Off Wows ⚾
It’s been a wild week in baseball.
A few nights ago, the San Francisco Giants pulled off the ultra-rare, walk-off, inside-the-park home run.
Last night, the New York Yankees delivered walk-off magic of their own… but in a totally different way.
Here’s the setup:
Bottom of the 8th inning
Yankees down 5–0
And they hadn’t gotten a hit all night
🎥 Then everything changed.
That game-winner by Aaron Judge?
If you hit a fly ball and your teammate scores… but you get out… it’s called a sacrifice fly. It’s not fancy, but it works!
Let’s hope next week’s MLB All-Star Game brings just as much excitement!
That’s it for today!
Will the men’s Wimbledon semis deliver fireworks? 💥
We’ll be back tomorrow with the story… and anything else that leaves fans jumping out of their seats!
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It’s very hard to vote with not much information.
It’s very hard to vote with not much information!Jake!