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Sinner Has China In His Hands, But Must Plot Best Route To Beat Alcaraz

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After contesting their third Grand Slam final in a row, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have returned to what they do best -beating the rest of the field. Alcaraz has sailed past the first two rounds in the Japan Open despite a nasty ankle injury, while Sinner is through to the last eight of the China Open. There are 1300 air miles between them in these two separate ATP 500 events, but how much currently separates the two best players in the world on the court?

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On the face of it, Sinner has all the thinking to do while a safe distance away from his current nemesis. Alcaraz’s Golden Globe performance at the U.S. Open was his seventh win in the last eight outings against his nearest rival. The Spaniard is now top of the rankings, and the ease with which he dismantled Sinner at Flushing Meadows was sensational, albeit troubling for the immediate parity of the rivalry.

Alcaraz rejected any thoughts that he might be happy to avoid another confrontation in Tokyo. “It’s not really to be honest. I love playing against him. I think that every time we play against each other it helps me to be better and to increase my level. I love that.

Great rivalries have some wild vacillations in terms of results. Novak Djokovic enjoyed a 31-29 overall record over Rafael Nadal, but the Serb enjoyed two seven-match winning runs against the Raging Bull. It happens.

Great rivalries have some wild vacillations in terms of results. Novak Djokovic enjoyed a 31-29 overall record over Rafael Nadal, but the Serb enjoyed two seven-match winning runs against the Raging Bull. It happens.

Roger Federer suffered three five-match losing streaks in his 16-24 record against Nadal. However, when the Swiss came back with a vengeance in the 2017 Australian Open final by applying more pressure, it changed the picture.

Nadal admitted to El País: “He changes the racket for a bigger one, which hits harder, and makes a mental change. Since he knows that he can’t run like before, he becomes a much more aggressive player, and it hurts me a lot.” Federer didn’t drop a set against his rival in their next four meetings.

No one is suggesting that the 23-year-old Italian needs to change too much to stop the negative 4-8 balance. However, the world No. 2 admitted that he was becoming too predictable. There was also another more revealing statement when Sinner suggested that losing matches was a distinct possibility when pushing out of the comfort zone.

The initial result of early experiments was the uneven effort against Terence Atmane on Saturday. The Australian Open and Wimbledon champion showed off some surprise tactics, including the serve and volley. Sinner suffered from the mental dips that have afflicted Alcaraz before, losing his way in the second set, before reverting to a more familiar game plan to take the decider as Atmane cramped badly.

This is how it’s going to be for a while. Sinner’s diet will still be a main course of automated efficiency, but there are some change-ups cooking. “It’s difficult to add new things to your tennis, but I’ve tried. I served and volleyed a few times, which worked really well sometimes and other times not so much. I feel I need to hit the perfect shot to control that play. Many times, I don’t wait for the right moment. Now I’m trying to add new things, which I hope will lead me to positive aspects in a couple of months,” he said in the press conference after overcoming the Frenchman.

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Paige Spiranac’s surprising NFL fandom confession triggers heated debate over loyalty, authenticity, and fan culture

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The 2026 NFL Draft starts Thursday night in Pittsburgh, and the spotlight isn’t only on prospects and front offices. Golf influencer Paige Spiranac has again found herself pulled into NFL conversation, this time for her open support of multiple teams.

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With the Steelers hosting the first round, her long-standing connection to Pittsburgh has resurfaced. But it’s not just about hometown ties. Her broader fandom, which stretches beyond one franchise, continues to draw mixed reactions at a time when fan loyalty is often treated as non-negotiable.

Paige Spiranac roots for 2 NFL teams: Who are they?

Paige Spiranac has never hidden where her loyalties lie, even if they don’t fit the usual mold. She has consistently pointed to her roots while leaving space for other allegiances.

“Both my parents are from Pittsburgh so I’ve been a Steelers ..fan since the day I was born. I also love the Bills. It’s a complicated relationship…Who’s your team?” she previously asked her followers. It’s a candid admission, one that reflects personal history more than calculated fandom.

Still, the reaction has been sharp. NFL culture tends to rew ..

 

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Quiet moments on the course can say a lot about what’s coming next.

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Sometimes the most important work happens when nobody is really watching.
Lexi Thompson was out on the 18th green, working through her putting during a practice round ahead of the Chevron Championship in Houston.

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It’s a simple scene, but it shows the kind of quiet preparation that goes into these big tournaments—getting the feel of the greens, adjusting to conditions, and building trust in every stroke.

These are the small details that can shape how a player starts when the pressure kicks in.

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Predicting what will happen to Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson if LIV Golf collapses

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It looks like LIV Golf is over.

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The Saudi Public Investment Fund has reportedly decided that this league simply isn’t worth the hole it’s burning in their pocket, and they’re pulling funds at the end of 2026.

That gives them less than a year to seek new investment. While CEO Scott O’Neil seems confident, it’s going to be extremely difficult to secure funding for a league that is operating at such eye-watering losses.

So this probably pulls the curtain closed on one of the most turbulent, frustrating, confusing, and ridiculous eras in golfing history. Hopefully, we can all return to some reality after the year is over.

But there is still so much uncertainty surrounding golf’s future thanks to this. Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed saw the signs early and jumped ship, but they did that with some leverage. So what on earth is going to happen to the rest of these players who didn’t take the olive branch when it was offered to them?

Feelings will be hurt, and careers will be ended. Let’s take a look.

Jon Rahm rejoins the PGA Tour

Koepka returned to the PGA Tour under the returning member program, which saw him pay $5 million to charity, accept that he’ll receive no FedEx Cup bonus money, and agree he cannot be a sponsor exemption for the 2026 signature events.

 

That same deal was offered to Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau. They didn’t accept it, but a similar offer will likely be handed out to them again.

 

If LIV Golf folds, Rahm will not hold the same leverage as Koepka did, but he is a bigger star at this stage of his career. Make no mistake, the PGA Tour will want him back immediately.

But Rahm does risk leaving himself without any options at all. Reed didn’t come straight back to the PGA Tour, so he’s spending a year on the DP World Tour first. You’d imagine Rahm would consider doing the same, but it might not be so easy for him.

Rahm is in a feud with the DP World Tour, as the only one of eight players to reject a deal which would have seen him retain his full-time membership. If Rahm agreed to play in six DP World Tour events this year, then he could have played on both LIV Golf and the tour. He did not agree.

For now, his membership is at risk. So, will it be possible for him to spend a season on the DP World Tour like Reed? Maybe not. That makes it all the more likely that Rahm will be back on the PGA Tour the moment LIV folds.

Bryson DeChambeau does YouTube full-time

With DeChambeau, I don’t think it’s as much of a done deal that he returns to the PGA Tour. Not immediately anyway.

He’s been negotiating his contract with LIV, which expires at the end of this season. During these negotiations, he’s made it very clear that he is completely willing to step away from full-time competition and be a full-time YouTuber.

DeChambeau’s channel has over two million subscribers, so he could feasibly do that with all of the money he’s making there.

He was annoyed to see LIV move to a four-day format, so he could commit himself fully to being the content king. It would be a wild thing to do, but it’s also exactly the kind of move you could see the two-time major winner making.

He could qualify for The Open Championship and the US Open, and earn enough points there to play The Masters and the PGA Championship. It’s possible.

He does seem to live for competition, so maybe YouTube won’t quite scratch the itch, but it is on the table for DeChambeau. At least for a year until his suspension expires. Out of Rahm and DeChambeau, the American is absolutely the least likely to take a deal.

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