MotoGP 2017: Grand Prix of America

Marc Marquez has handed a championship lifeline in MotoGP Grand Prix of Americas, with his fifth consecutive victory in Texas made all the more sweeter by the fact that the winner of first two races of the season in Maverick Vinales crashed out.

After victories in Qatar and Argentina, hopes were high that Yamaha rider Vinales could challenge Marquez, the only man to win around the Circuit of the Americas in MotoGP having won all four previous races since the track was added to the calendar in 2013.

Marquez himself was coming off crashing out of the lead in Termas de Rio Hondo two weeks’ ago, leaving himself with a 37-point deficit in the process to Vinales, but the reigning world champion has clawed back vital ground ahead of the start of the European season after Vinales crashed out in America on the second lap of the race.

Marquez has cut the gap to Vinales to just 12 points as a result, but finds veteran Valentino Rossi out in front on 56 points after bagging his third consecutive podium finish, despite being handed a bizarre time penalty for a clash with Johann Zarco. Marquez got off the line well but it was his Repsol Honda teammate, Dani Pedrosa, who led into turn one from Marquez and Rossi, with Vinales dropping to fifth before overtaking Ducati’s Jorge Lorenzo.

Sebastian Vettel wins Bahrain Grand Prix

Sebastian Vettel leads the drivers’ championship after winning a tense 2017 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix from Lewis Hamilton. A late charge from Hamilton wasn’t quite enough to prevent a Ferrari victory, as his Mercedes team mate Valtteri Bottas took third.

Kimi Raikkonen was fourth for Ferrari, with Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull’s only finisher in fifth, team mate Max Verstappen having retired early with brake failure. Felipe Massa secured sixth for Williams, from Force India’s Sergio Perez and Haas’s Romain Grosjean. Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg and Force India’s Esteban Ocon completed the top ten.

Polesitter Bottas led from Vettel at the start, as Hamilton dropped to third, but the complexion of the race was altered on Lap 13 when Williams’ Lance Stroll and Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz collided as the latter exited the pits. It ended both men’s evenings and brought out the safety car, prompting a flurry of pit stops. Hamilton had to queue behind Bottas and delayed Ricciardo behind him in the process, leading to a 5-second time penalty from the stewards for driving unnecessarily slowly in the pit lane.

With the safety car shuffle complete, it was Vettel who led from Bottas at the restart on Lap 17, while Hamilton immediately reclaimed P3 from Ricciardo. The final showdown began after Hamilton pitted for the last time on Lap 41 to take his penalty, rejoining in third. He quickly caught Bottas, who dutifully moved aside, leaving the Briton with 10 laps to hunt down Vettel, who was 13s up the road. He gave it his all but it ultimately proved too big an ask, and the gap was 6.6s at the flag.

MotoGP 2017: Grand Prix of Argentina

MotoGP has a tendency to keep making history of late, and the Gran Premio Motul de la Republica Argentina was no different – as Maverick Vinales became the first Yamaha rider since Wayne Rainey in 1990 to win the first two races of the year, taking a stunning win as drama hit the grid behind. Teammate Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) created another miracle in P2, with LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow completing the podium in style as top Independent Team rider.

It was reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) who leapt into the lead from pole, with Rossi another electric starter from seventh on the grid. In the rush for Turn 1, it was Marquez leading Crutchlow as the pack shuffled behind, with the reigning Champion then making a stunning break for it as the Brit backed up the chasing Movistar Yamaha MotoGP pairing of Vinales and Rossi. Vinales soon attacked Crutchlow to take P2, before the first of the high drama hit up ahead and Marquez suddenly hit the floor at Turn 2 – having been almost two seconds clear.

There was all-out war for P4 as Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) battled to get past Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Racing), with Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), Alvaro Bautista (Pull&Bear Aspar Team) and Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) getting in the mix. After a short and spectacular duel between Pedrosa and Zarco, the Spaniard broke free to set the fastest lap – before disaster struck for the ‘Baby Samurai’ as he crashed out of the race in the same place as teammate Marquez had done a handful of laps earlier.

After a great start from a difficult grid position, it was disaster for Ducati Team’s Jorge Lorenzo on the first lap as the five-time World Champion crashed out early after contact with old nemesis Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) – the ‘Spartan’ thankfully escaping unhurt, and Iannone continuing. The ‘Maniac’ was also given a ride through penalty soon after for a jump start, dropping him down the order and out of contention to cross the line as the final finisher. Austin, Texas now awaits – a chance for Marquez to strike back at a venue he has always ruled, and a chance for Vinales to change that statistic as we head into round three.

Lewis Hamilton won Chinese Grand Prix

Mercedes Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari Sebastian Vettel share the world championship points after a tense battle in Sunday 2017 Formula 1 Heineken Chinese Grand Prix. It left both smiling broadly as they finished first and second, 6.2s apart, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen third having fought his way up from 16^th on the grid.

Hamilton 54th F1 triumph came as he led from pole position from start to finish – the third grand slam of his career – but it was no walkover. The race began on a damp but rapidly drying track, with everyone bar Toro Rosso Carlos Sainz on intermediate tyres. Sainz quickly rued that gamble, spinning off on Lap 1 and then needlessly brushing the wall as he made his way back onto the circuit. It quickly became clear though that slicks were in fact the right choice and others, including Vettel, pitted for dry rubber under a virtual safety car on the second lap, triggered when Force India’s Sergio Perez had collided with Williams’ Lance Stroll on the first, leaving the Canadian rookie beached in the gravel.

Leaders Hamilton, team mate Valtteri Bottas, Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo, Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen and Verstappen - already up to fifth - stayed out until the fourth lap, when a real safety car deployment came as Antonio Giovinazzi crashed his Sauber exiting the final corner, the Italian appearing to aquaplane off into the pit wall. That enabled all five to keep their positions as they pitted, leaving Vettel to drop from an initial second to sixth, and set up the thriller.

Initially it was Verstappen who proved to be Hamilton’s main challenger. He and Ricciardo had gone for the supersoft Pirellis, as all the others went for softs in the hope of going all the way. But gradually, the Dutchman fell back, and after Vettel had finally passed team mate Raikkonen on the 20th lap, then Ricciardo in a bold and forceful move in Turn 6 on the 22nd, he closed in on the remaining Red Bull and overtook it when Verstappen had a big lock-up in the Turn 14 hairpin on the 28th. From that half-distance point, Hamilton and Vettel were in a world of their own as they traded times and the gap between them ebbed and flowed. They have 43 points apiece in the drivers’ table as Mercedes eased ahead of Ferrari by one in the constructors’, and the prospects of a super-close title fight look very strong.

MotoGP 2017: Grand Prix of Qatar

Yamaha Maverick Vinales wont the season opening Qatar Grand Prix, the first round of the 2017 MotoGP Championship, after winning an intense duel for victory with Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso. Vinales started from pole position and dropped to fifth early, but stormed back into contention in the second half of the race and then kept the Ducati at bay to start life with his new team in style.

The French rookie lined up fourth, but forced his way past Vinales into second at the first corner and then into the lead with a move on Andrea Iannone later on the first lap. Zarco, who changed to a soft rear tyre on the grid, strolled away at the front of the field, and led by 1.640 seconds after six laps. However, that was the end of his charge, crashing at Turn 2 the next time around. That handed the advantage to Dovizioso, who built a lead as Marc Marquez, Iannone, Vinales and Valentino Rossi – both Yamahas emerging after a quiet start – fought behind him.

The riders remained cautious around the corners of the drying track, but there were no accidents in the opening moments. Zarco was quicker than anyone in the race in his debut, and his sheer pace left the current champion in his wake. The leader's splits were hugely impressive as Marquez chased, but the champion simply could not close the gap between himself and the former Moto2 kingpin. Cal Crutchlow crashed out as he lost control on the tricky Qatar track, ending his hopes, but the most dramatic moment of the day came as Zarco hit the floor and slid out of contention through the gravel.

However, Dovizioso continued to show heart in an exciting race, pushing for the lead with Rossi in his slipstream. The Ducati rider simply would not give up as he pursued Vinales, but the threat of Rossi was beginning to shape the race. The 38-year-old legend was producing a performance level many believed he would not in this event, and his experience saw him ride a great strategy. Honda's Marquez was out of contention in the final three laps, and he simply did not have the pace to threaten the very front.

Sebastian Vettel wins Australian Grand Prix

Ferrari proved that their pre-season testing form was no fluke on Sunday, as Sebastian Vettel soundly beat Lewis Hamilton to win the 2017 Australian Grand Prix. Hamilton new Mercedes team mate, Valtteri Bottas completed the Albert Park Podium.

After shadowing polesitter Hamilton throughout the race’s opening stages, Vettel leapfrogged the silver car at the first round of stops. From there the German never looked back, taking the chequered flag almost 10 seconds clear to clinch Ferrari’s first win since Singapore 2015, with team mate Kimi Raikkonen fourth. Hamilton won the start, leaving Vettel to chase him, but the Mercedes had consumed its ultra-soft Pirelli tyres after 17 laps, whereas Vettel managed to get his to the 22nd lap before making his sole pit stop.

Raikkonen never gave the top three a moment’s concern and finished a distant and uncompetitive fourth, challenged at one stage by Verstappen until he woke up and set the fastest lap on the penultimate tour. The ‘unretired’ Felipe Massa was a likewise lonely sixth for Williams as Sergio Perez just kept his Force India ahead of a charging Carlos Sainz’s Toro Rosso, and the Spaniard’s Russian team mate Daniil Kvyat.

Tenth place fell to Esteban Ocon after a heady dust-up with Fernando Alonso, who had kept his uncompetitive McLaren in the final points-scoring position for lap after lap until a suspension problem enabled both Ocon and the Renault of a closing Nico Hulkenberg to pass him in one corner on the 52nd lap. As Alonso retired, Pascal Wehrlein stand-in Antonio Giovinazzi made an excellent F1 debut with Sauber to take 12th place ahead of a struggling Stoffel Vandoorne, who at least finished in his McLaren MCL32.

Vettel thus leads the drivers’ points table with 25 points to Hamilton’s 18, Bottas’ 15, Raikkonen’s 12, Verstappen’s 10, Massa’s eight, Perez’s six, Sainz’s four, Kvyat’s two and Ocon’s one. Ferrari head the constructors’ stakes with 37 points to Mercedes’ 33, as Red Bull have 10, Williams eight, Force India seven and Toro Rosso six.

Vijay Hazare Trophy 2017

Senior Pro Dinesh Karthik produced an innings of character before Tamil Nadu disciplined bowling effort saw them beat Bengal by 37 runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy final at the Freoz Shah Kotla in Delhi.

This was the third time that Tamil Nadu prevailed over Bengal in the 50-over competition, having beaten them in 2008—09 and 2009—10. Tamil Nadu won the tournament in 2002-03 as well and shared the trophy with Uttar Pradesh in 2004-05. Karthik (112) was the only significant scorer for Tamil Nadu in their total of 217 in 47.2 overs as Mohammed Shami bowled with a lot of fire, taking 4 for 26. Ashok Dinda (3/36) also rattled the top order.

But the Tamil Nadu bowlers showed unbelievable discipline restricting Bengal to 180 on a pitch that didn’t have any demons. Off-spinner Washington Sundar (0/17) didn’t get wickets but kept the Bengal batsmen on tenterhooks in his eight-over spell. Rahil Shah, Aswin Crist and Mohammed Mohammed all chipped in to defend a small total. Trying to be extra cautious, Shreevats Goswami (23) consumed a lot of deliveries at the onset increasing the pressure. A poor call led to Abhimanyu Easwaran’s (1) run out.

Bengal captain Manoj Tiwary (32) was bowled by his Tamil Nadu counterpart Vijay Shankar while trying to play across the line. It was a delivery that needed to be played on the front foot but he committed on the back foot. Sudeep Chatterjee (58) and Anushtup Majumdar (24) added 65 runs for the fifth wicket for Bengal but a dodgy leg before off left-arm spinner Rahil Shah started another collapse. Chatterjee then played an atrocious sweep shot, only to get bowled round the legs off left-arm spinner Sai Kishore as Bengal’s hopes ended.

Kalinga Lancers won Hockey India League

Moritz Fuerste led from the front as Kalinga Lancers ended Dabang Mumbai dreams of lifting the coveted trophy in their first ever final appearance. Fuerste scored twice while Glenn Turner stuck once in the 18^th minute to help Lancers win their first ever Hockey India League title.

Table toppers Dabang Mumbai who have shown great consistency through the league were kept in the hunt right from the word go with Kalinga Lancers showcasing some class act to defend their circle. Though the first quarter ended in a stalemate, the Kalinga Lancers made quick progress in the second quarter when Aussie forward Glenn Turner, after a brilliant assist by skipper Moritz Fuerste, ensured a 2-0 lead in the 18th minute.

Earlier in the day, the Uttar Pradesh Wizards beat Delhi Waveriders 5-4 in a closely-fought encounter to take home the third-place award of Rs 75.00 Lakhs. Though Delhi Waveriders took an early lead in the 15th minute with Justin Reid-Ross scoring a field goal, Shamsher Singh (18’) equalized for Uttar Pradesh Wizards. But the real turn around for Roelant Oltmans’ men came in the final quarter when Agustin Mazzilli scored an incredible field goal to give the Uttar Pradesh Wizards the winning edge.

Gonzalo Peillat’s 38th minute goal had reduced the deficit for Uttar Pradesh Wizards to 3-4 after Delhi Waveriders skipper Rupinder Pal Singh had struck twice (24’ and 36’) to convert PCs. Moritz Fuerste of Kalinga Lancers was declared the Man of the Match and was awarded a prize money of Rs 50,000 by Mr. Mahavir Mukherjee, CGM, Coal India Limited.

IPL Auction Player list 2017

England all-rounder Ben Stokes has become the most expensive overseas player ever bought at an IPL auction, going for 14.5 crore to Rising Pune Supergiants. He is also the second highest paid player among those currently active in the IPL, behind Virat Kohli, who is paid Rs 15 crore by Royal Challengers Bangalore per season.

England fast bowler Tymal Mills also set a new record price for a specialist bowler: he was the second most expensive sale at the tenth player auction and bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore for INR 12 crore. All-rounder Chris Woakes was the third England player to get a hefty payday; he was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 4.2 crore. Three other England players bought - all at base price - were: batsman Eoin Morgan for INR 2 crore to Kings XI Punjab, batsman Jason Roy for INR 1 crore to Gujarat Lions, and all-rounder Chris Jordan for INR 50 lakhs to Sunrisers Hyderabad.

While demand for England players was expected, Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi, 18-year-old leg-spinner Rashid Khan, and UAE batsman Chirag Suri became the first Associate players after Netherlands' Ryan ten Doeschate to get an IPL bid. The Afghanistan players were bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad - Rashid for INR 4 crore and Nabi for INR 30 lakh - while Suri went to Gujarat for INR 10 lakh. Delhi Daredevils were the most active team in the early bidding. Their purchases of Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews for INR 2 crore, New Zealand all-rounder Corey Anderson for INR 1 crore, South Africa fast bowler Kagiso Rabada for INR 5 crore and Australia fast bowler Pat Cummins for INR 4.5 crore.

Kolkata Knight Riders, on the other hand, did not bid for any of the first 22 players up for sale despite having a squad of only 13 available players before the auction. They were successful in the first player they bid for, buying New Zealand fast bowler Trent Boult for INR 5 crore. Of the first 108 players that went on sale in the main draw of the auction, only 33 were bought and among them only two from Australia: Mitchell Johnson to Mumbai Indians at his base price of INR 2 crore, and Cummins to Delhi. More Australians - Nathan Coulter-Nile, Billy Stanlake, Dan Christian and Ben Laughlin - were bought in the second round of bidding after lunch. Coulter-Nile was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 3.5 crore while Stanlake, Christian and Laughlin went at base prices.

The trend among Indians was for the more experienced players to get no bids - Ishant Sharma, Irfan Pathan, Pragyan Ojha, Cheteshwar Pujara, Parvez Rasool and RP Singh were unsold - while several uncapped players were picked up at high prices. Fast bowler Mohammad Siraj was bought by Sunrisers for INR 2.6 crore, left-arm seamer Aniket Choudhary by RCB for INR 2 crore, K Gowtham by Mumbai for INR 2 crore, T Natarajan by Kings XI for INR 3 crore, Basil Thampi by Gujarat for INR 85 lakh, Karn Sharma by Mumbai for INR 3.2 crore, Eklavya Dwivedi by Sunrisers for INR 75 lakh, Varun Aaron by Kings XI for INR 2.8 crore and M Ashwin by Delhi for INR 1 crore. India all-rounder Pawan Negi, who was bought for INR 8.5 crore last year and then released by Delhi, was bought by RCB for INR 1 crore.

Australian Open 2017

Roger Federer, considered the greatest player ever to a grace a tennis court, won the Australian Open with five set win over arch rival Rafael Nadal in a memorable finale to annexe his 18^th Grand Slam trophy. Federer won 6-4 3-6 6-1 3-6 6-3 to lift his fifth at Melbourne and the first Major after the 2012 Wimbledon.

In Women’s Singles, Serena Williams beat sister Venus Williams in straight sets to win her Seventh Australian Open and an Open Era record 23^rd Grand Slam Singles Titles. Serena won 6-4 6-4 to pass Steffi Graf in an all-time list of major winners since the Grand Slams accepted professional players in 1968. The American regains the number one ranking from German Angelique Kerber.

Australia’s Margaret Court, with 24, is the only single player still ahead of Serena in terms of Grand Slam Singles titles. J. Peers and H. Kontinen won the Men’s Doubles title defeating B. Bryan and M. Bryan 7-5 7-5. Mattek – Sands and L. Safarova won the Women’s Doubles title defeating A. Hlavackova and S. Peng 6-7 6-3 6-3. In Mixed Doubles, A. Spears and J. Cabal defeated Sania Mirza and I. Dodig by 6-2 6-4.

Big Bash League 2017

The Perth Scorchers bid the WACA ground farewell with their third Big Bash League title in four years and a vintage performance straight from their tried and tested copybook. Their nine-wicket win came with 25 balls to spare, comfortably the most emphatic winning margin in a BBL final.

Adam Voges won the toss and bowled, as they prefer to and 28 of 35 captains this BBL season have done. They took wickets in the Powerplay and strangled the Sixers, keeping them to 141. In the chase, their top order did the work in a belligerent Powerplay, then they sauntered home as if they had an early dinner reservation. Which they may well have done - the game was over in the blink of an eye.

Their triumph lifted one of the BBL's peculiar hoodoos, as they become the first table-toppers to take home the title. The Sydney Sixers, whose women's team won the WBBL earlier in the day, were the latest - and likely the last - victims of BBL cricket, the WACA way. The plan is for the Scorchers to play next season at the new 60,000-seater Perth Stadium, across the river from the WACA but hulking, seeming bigger at each glance. Just another homogeneous state-of-the-art bowl, there will be no Fremantle Doctor, history or iconic floodlights.

Sean Abbott who took 20 wickets in the tournament is the Under 25 cricketer of the tournament. Jhye Richardson was the Man of the Match in the final. Chris Lynn of Brisbane Heat was the Player of the tournament. 

Sporting Moments of 2016

Unpredictability has perhaps been 2016 most consistent element and it has not been any different in the world of sports and athletics. Underdogs Leicester City won the English Premier League Football Championship in an astounding season. Serena Williams clinched 22 career Grand Slam singles to tie up for second on the all-time list with Steffi Graf. Nico Rosberg shocked the sporting world by announcing his retirement from Formula One racing after his maiden Championship Triumph.

Serena Williams celebrates winning her women’s singles final match against Germany Angelique Kerber at Wimbledon. Her total of 22 Grand Slam singles titles marks the joint record for the most Major wins by a tennis player in the Open Era. Portugal won the Euro 2016 Championship, their first major trophy.

Leicester City Premier League title dream became reality earlier this year as they completed one of the greatest ever sporting achievements. The Foxes Premier League campaign has captivated fans in the provincial English city as well as sports fans worldwide. Serbia Novak Djokovic won his first ever French Open title in 2016 after defeating Britain Andy Murray. Usain Bolt won Gold Medals in 100m, 200m and relay in his third consecutive Olympic appearance.

British Formula One driver Nico Rosberg who represented Mercedes stunned the sporting world when he announced his retirement on 2^nd December just five days after the 31 year old became the sport’s world Champion for the first time in his entire career.

Atletico de Kolkata won Indian Super League 2016

Atletico de Kolkata claimed their second Indian Super League title in three years after bettering Kerala Blasters 4-3 (1-1) on penalty shootout in a lack-lustre final. The match was tied in 1-1 at the break and after 90 minutes of regulation time. Mohammed Rafi put the hosts ahead in the 37^th minute and Henrique Sereno Fonseca equalized seven minutes later at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium.

Jewel Raja turned out to be the jewel in ATK's crown, calmly dispatching the last penalty, after Sameehg Doutie, Borja Fernandez and Javi Lara all converted their spot kicks. Only Iain Hume's shot was blocked by Kerala custodian Graham Stack. The home team took first strike in the shootout. Antonio German, Kervens Belfort and Mohammed Rafique scored while Elhadji Ndoye blasted over from 18 yards and Cedric Hengbart's shot was acrobatically saved by ATK goalkeeper Debjit Majumder.

ATK also defeated Kerala in the final of the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2014. The match received an early dose of pace with chances created at both ends, but poor technique coupled with signs of nervousness, prevented the two team's premier forwards from capitalizing on the opportunity. Kerala forward Kervens Belfort outran India international Pritam Kotal and found the in-form CK Vineeth free on the left, who undid the good work with poor technique. The ball was quickly hurled towards ATK's star striker Iain Hume, who peeled away from his marker but was equally wayward in controlling the ball.

Eight teams, 60 matches, more than two months of football has finally come down to two teams playing one last match this year to go for the title itself. Atletico de Kolkata and Kerala Blasters have both gone wayward on multiple occasions this season. But they have pushed forward with sheer determination and now have the title within touching distance.

Real Madrid won FIFA Club World Cup

Cristiano Ronaldo smashed a hat-trick as Real Madrid survived a colossal scare to beat Japan’s Kashima Antlers 4-2 and lift the Club World Cup. A Gaku Shibasaki double briefly threatened one of football’s greatest shocks after Karim Benzema had given Real Madrid an early lead in Yokohama. But Ronaldo equalized from the penalty spot before pouncing twice in extra time to give the Spanish giants their second world title in three years and fifth in total.

The victory extended Real Madrid club record unbeaten run to 37 matches in all competitions, while French coach Zinedine Zidane surpassed Fabio Capello’s record for their best start to a season. But the European champions, yet to be defeated in 26 games this campaign, were forced to dig deep by an Antlers side who finished a distant third over the J-League season, before winning the championship final.

Benzema’s toe-poked opener was cancelled out on the stroke of halftime by Shibasaki, who took advantage of some calamitous defending from Raphael Varane to lash in a sharp volley. The Japan midfielder then sparked wild celebrations among a crowd of 68,000 seven minutes after the break when he smashed home a left-foot shot from long distance. Kashima’s lead was short-lived, however, as Ronaldo leveled from the spot after Lucas Vazquez was bundled over by Shuto Yamamoto.

Ronaldo, who scooped his fourth Ballon d’Or last week, put Real Madrid back in front with a clinical low finish eight minutes into extra time after a deft pass from Benzema. And the Portuguese superstar completed his hat-trick -- the first in a Club World Cup final -- six minutes later with another poacher’s strike to break Japanese hearts.

India won Junior Hockey World Cup

For the second time this year, Harjeet Singh junior India Men’s hockey team beat Belgium on the way to lifting a trophy. In its first such final in 15 years, India overwhelmed Belgium 2-1 to lift the 2016 Hockey Junior World Cup at Lucknow and became the second team after Gagan Ajit Singh colts in 2001, to get their hands on the most coveted title.

On the biggest day for Indian junior men's hockey since the class of 2001 claimed the Junior World Cup, Harjeet's dominating Indian team was put ahead within minutes when Gurjant Singh stunningly knocked one past Belgium goalkeeper Loic van Doren to give the colts a much-needed boost and an early lead. Up 2-0 by half-time following a Simranjeet Singh field goal, India never let off the pressure.

This win maintained India's 100% record in the tournament and underlined their status as rightful winners. Belgium, having stunned six-time champions and defending champions Germany 4-3 in a shoot-out in the semi-finals, were overawed in the initial passages of their first Junior World Cup Final. The start to this summit clash was electric and one-sided as India managed two shots and seven circle penetrations inside ten minutes. India were the faster side, and that was, ultimately, the difference.

Two saves from Dahiya were received with a tumultuous din, and each time India's offensive pack sped down the line it was with the unanimous expectation of another goal. A PC to Belgium with seconds remaining had no bearing on the result, and when the full-time whistle was blown, India's fans were truly given something unforgettable to cheer about - with Harjeet's unbeatable heroes ending a 15-year jinx to claim the Junior Hockey World Cup.

2016 Bangladesh Premier League

Dhaka Dynamites clinched the Bangladesh Premier League title in style, as they dismantled Rajshahi Kings to win by 56 runs in front of a full house in Mirpur. This is the third triumph for a Dhaka franchise in four BPLs, with the Gladiators having won in the 2012 and 2013 editions.

It was also sweet revenge for Dhaka who were beaten by Rajshahi in both their league games earlier in the tournament. Rajshahi, one of two new franchises this season, were left dejected after having made a late dash into the final by beating Chittagong Vikings and Khulna Titans in the playoffs.

While they would be proud of their overall campaign, their top order left the middle and lower order too much to do in the final, as they collapsed from 62-1 to 98-8, losing seven wickets for 36 runs as they tried to chase down 160. They were eventually bowled out for 103 in 17.4 overs. Rajshahi's chase was hence dependent on Samit Patel, James Franklin and Darren Sammy, but the big-hitting trio fell in three consecutive overs when it mattered the most.

Kumar Sangakkara won the Man of the Match Award and Mahmudullah won the Man of the Series Award. 

Lewis Hamilton wins Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Mercedes Nico Rosberg is the 2016 World Champion, emulating his father Nico’s achievement after a tense 2016 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in which he finished a pig in the middle second as winning team mate Lewis Hamilton attempted to back him up as much as possible into the clutches of Ferrari Sebastian Vettel and Red Bulls Max Verstappen in an enforced but finely judged master class of race craft.

Less than two seconds covered the top four at the chequered flag as Hamilton ignored instructions from the Mercedes pit wall to up his pace in the closing laps. Daniel Ricciardo followed his Red Bull team mate home, with Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen taking sixth ahead of Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez. Williams’ Felipe Massa and McLaren’s Fernando Alonso completed the top ten.

The start saw the two Mercedes lead off the line, with Hamilton heading Rosberg, as Raikkonen passed Ricciardo for third. Things got worse for Red Bull as Verstappen, in sixth, ran out of room exiting Turn 1 and spun after making light contact with Hulkenberg. Hamilton and Rosberg moved clear until their first pit stops, respectively on the seventh and eighth laps, after which Hamilton led again but with Verstappen having risen to second ahead of Rosberg.

Hulkenberg took a fine seventh for Force India, and with team mate Sergio Perez eighth Force India easily secured their fourth position in the constructors’ stakes. But Perez only just got home ahead of the fighting Williams of Felipe Massa, who signed off on his F1 career by maintaining his record of scoring points in each Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in which he has competed, and Fernando Alonso, who took the final point for McLaren.

Lewis Hamilton wins Brazil Grand Prix

After two red flag stoppages and several safety car periods, it was Lewis Hamilton who rode out the Sao Paulo storm to win Formula 1 Grande Premio de Brazil 2016 from Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg, thus taking their championship battle down to the wire in Abu Dhabi. The other star was Red Bull Max Verstappen, whose stunning late race charge hauled him onto the Interlagos podium in the dying laps.

Hamilton’s first victory in the home of hero Ayrton Senna came after he led all the way at a sodden Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace in a race which was punctuated by big crashes for the likes of Sauber Marcus Ericsson, Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen and Williams’ Felipe Massa - and which witnessed some amazing racing in its closing stages, when conditions finally became truly drivable.

Force India’s Sergio Perez took fourth place ahead of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, with Toro Rosso Carlos Sainz equaling his career-best finish in sixth. Nico Hulkenberg was seventh in the second Force India, followed by Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo. Felipe Nasr finished ninth for Sauber first points of the year, lifting them above Manor at the bottom of the table, while Fernando Alonso completed the top ten for McLaren.

While Hamilton had to fight only the conditions for the bulk of the race, points leader Rosberg was at one stage overtaken by Verstappen, survived a near-spin in the very slippery final corner and his distant second place was enough to take him to the showdown in Abu Dhabi with a 12-point lead and the need if necessary just to follow Hamilton home again if the Silver Arrows continue their one-two domination. Besides Hamilton, Rosberg was upstaged by superb fighting performances by Verstappen, Nasr, Alonso and Manor’s Esteban Ocon.

MotoGP 2016: Grand Prix of Valencia

Jorge Lorenzo of Spain won the season-ending Valencia Moto Grand Prix ending a 12 race winless streak in his final event before switching from Yamaha to rival Ducati. Lorenzo won from pole position, finishing ahead of champion Marc Marquez, Andrea Iannone and Valentino Rossi. The three-time champion, who hadn't won since the Italian GP in May, will be joining Ducati next year after nine seasons with Yamaha.

Marquez, who was crowned world champion two races ago, finished only a second behind Lorenzo after recovering from a poor start that dropped him from second to seventh by the first turn at the Valencia track in southern Spain. Dani Pedrosa fell out of contention after losing control of his bike and falling while running seventh early in the race. Johann Zarco won the Moto2 finale, while Brad Binder rallied from 22nd to secure victory in the season-ending event in Moto3. Zarco and Binder had already secured the titles in their respective series.

Lorenzo nailed the holeshot on the factory Yamaha to lead the 21-rider field into the first turn to begin the season-ending 30-lap Grand Prix of Valencia, in front of a massive crowd under soft autumn sunshine. Andrea Iannone and Maverick Vinales followed. Marc Marquez got swamped in the first turn and fell back a number of positions coming out of the first couple of turns. A couple of laps in and Lorenzo held a half-second lead on Iannone. Vinales was still holding third, but was coming under pressure from Valentino Rossi and Marquez. Yonny Hernandez was the first to crash out.

On lap nine Rossi once again got by only to be repassed by Iannone again. The two swapped second place a couple of times over the next few laps with Marquez and Vinales closing up, enjoying the best view of the great battle. Ten laps in and Marquez and Iannone began going back and forth giving Rossi just a bit of breathing room. With all this battling going on Dovizioso quietly moved his way up to join the fray just behind Vinales. With 13 laps to go Cal Crutchlow crashed out on the final turn.

Lewis Hamilton Wins Mexico Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton took another seven points out of Nico Rosberg’s championship lead with a superb win over his Mercedes team mate in the Formula 1 Gran Premio de Mexico 2016. Hamilton, who now trails by 19 points with two rounds remaining, was 8.3s clear at the chequered flag, with Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel completing the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez podium, despite finishing fourth on the road.

Vettel was eventually given third place after Verstappen was penalized post-race for an incident on the 68th lap when the Dutchman ran wide in Turn 1 and then over the grass in Turn 2 to stay ahead of the Ferrari - a move Hamilton had already performed there on his own while leading on the opening lap, thanks to a glazed brake. Verstappen was told by Red Bull to give up the place but chose not to, and his intransigence enabled Ricciardo to close on to Vettel’s tail.

Verstappen had always been in podium contention, but it was Vettel who took over the lead after Rosberg pitted to switch from softs to mediums on the 14th lap and Hamilton did likewise on the 17th. The Ferrari then ran another remarkable 15 laps before the former champion finally pitted for mediums on the 32nd. Verstappen himself had had an opportunistic go at Rosberg on the 49th lap when the German had lost time going over a kerb, and as the Red Bull got out of shape at the apex Rosberg got the place back, and the incident enabled a lapped Jenson Button in the McLaren to make his own opportunistic pass on Carlos Sainz’s Toro Rosso.

Renault’s Kevin Magnussen, Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat, Gutierrez, Haas’s Romain Grosjean and Manor’s Esteban Ocon completed the finishers. Both Toro Rosso drivers were given five-second penalties, Sainz for easing Alonso off track on lap one, Kvyat for going off-track to gain advantage over Grosjean. Hamilton’s 51st career victory thus saw him tie Alain Prost for second in the all-time stakes, but with two races left Rosberg’s 19-point standings lead means he is still on target for the crown even if he finishes second to his team mate in both of them.

MotoGP 2016: Grand Prix of Malaysia

Ducati Rider Andrea Dovizioso took victory in the Malaysian Grand Prix to become the ninth different race winner in MotoGP this season. Dovizioso, 30, started from pole after the race in Sepang had been delayed by rain, but dropped to third early on. He overhauled fellow Italian Valentino Rossi for the lead with five laps left after Rossi ran wide and pushed home his advantage. It was only his second MotoGP victory in 159 races.

Rossi finished second ahead of Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo to secure runners-up spot in the championship, while Spanish world champion Marc Marquez, who had been hampered by illness over the past few days, crashed out of fourth place during the race and eventually finished 11th. Dovizioso made his charge with six laps remaining, surging into the lead as Rossi faded with a worn front tyre. He left the nine-time world champion in his wake, Dovizioso extending his advantage with each and every lap.

Easing off on the final tour, Dovizioso crossed the line 3.1 seconds ahead to secure both his second career MotoGP race win — his first since 2009 and first for Ducati — and Ducati’s first multi-win season since 2010. Jorge Lorenzo came home third after a steady race, leading the early corners before slipping into a steady rhythm that kept him upright to the finish — a story many of those ahead of him were unable to tell at race’s end.

Jack Miller led the second group in the early laps before sliding back to eighth at the finish — the first Honda home — with Pol Espargaro and Danilo Petrucci rounding out the top 10. Marquez was next from Eugene Laverty; Aleix Espargaro 13th after an off-track excursion took him out of the lead group in the early laps, with Bradley Smith and Scott Redding rounding out the point scorers in 14th and 15th. Hiroshi Aoyama, Stefan Bradl and Tito Rabat were the only other finishers.

Lewis Hamilton wins United States Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton stylishly won his fifth United States Grand Prix, as he comfortably headed Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg all the way through and led him home by 4.5s. It was also the 50^th victory of Hamilton F1 career, putting him one behind Alain Prost for second place in all-time list, and wiped seven points off Rosberg 33-point title lead with three races to go.

Daniel Ricciardo took the final podium place for Red Bull, with team mate Max Verstappen having retired mid-race with suspected transmission issues. Sebastian Vettel finished fourth for Ferrari, whose second car also failed to make the flag as Kimi Raikkonen was the victim of a botched pit stop. Fernando Alonso was a fighting fifth for McLaren, ahead of Toro Rosso Carlos Sainz and Williams’ Felipe Massa. Force India’s Sergio Perez, McLaren’s Jenson Button and Haas’s Romain Grosjean completed the top ten.

Ricciardo kept Hamilton honest in the early laps on his softer tyres, but stopped as early as the eighth lap for softs. Curiously Mercedes brought their drivers in on their softs on the 10th (Rosberg) and 11th (Hamilton) laps. That momentarily put Vettel supersoft-shod Ferrari into the lead as he ran the longest of all of the top runners on the red-banded rubber, but when he pitted for softs on the 14th lap he fell to sixth behind Hamilton, Ricciardo, Rosberg, Verstappen and Raikkonen.

Three-stopping Kevin Magnussen had a strong battle with two-stopping Renault team mate Jolyon Palmer and eventually finished 11th on the road for Renault, ahead of Kvyat. However, that became 12th - behind Kvyat - once stewards had decided post-race that the Dane had gained an advantage in running off track when passing the Toro Rosso and handed him a 5-second time penalty. Behind 13th placed Palmer, Marcus Ericsson raised Sauber hopes of a point as he ran 11th at one stage before his final pit stop but had to settle for 14th ahead of team mate Felipe Nasr who had a pass and repass fight with Bottas at the end. Behind them, Pascal Wehrlein led home Manor team mate Esteban Ocon.

MotoGP 2016: Grand Prix of Australia

Cal Crutchlow secured a second MotoGP win for LCR Honda, after early leader Marc Marquez crashed out of a comfortable lead, 10 laps in. Crutchlow was untouchable once Marquez crashed out. The Brit cruised to a second career Grand Prix win by more than four seconds ahead of Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales.

On Lap 10, Marquez handed a gift-wrapped lead to the LCR Honda rider. The Spaniard dropped the front of his Honda at Turn 4, the bike digging into the gravel and flying through the air. Just like that, Marquez was resigned to his first DNF of the season, and Crutchlow was suddenly leading the race by just under two seconds.

Rossi, meanwhile, had carved his way through the field, leaving the likes of teammate Jorge Lorenzo, Pol Espargaro, and Andrea Dovizioso behind as he charged into the podium spots. He timed his run past Aleix Espargaro just as Marquez went down, which meant the Italian had come from his worst qualifying spot in half a decade to second place in just 10 laps.

Dovizioso came home fourth, while Pol Espargaro finished fifth, and Jorge Lorenzo a lonely sixth after never looking in the game and certainly never having the pace of his flying teammate with whom he remains locked in battle for second in the championship. Scott Redding and Bradley Smith finished seventh and eighth respectively, after Hector Barbera crashed out of the same battle pack with three laps to go. That moved Danilo Petrucci into ninth, with local hero Jack Miller rounding out the Top 10 after predictably dropping back through the field in the dry conditions.

India won Kabaddi World Cup 2016

A brilliant second half performance saw India stage a memorable comeback as they beat Iran 38-29 in the title clash to lift the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup. In a match contested between two titans of the sport, India beat a resolute Iran side to become the world champions. Riding on a terrific performance by Ajay Thakur's 12 points, India produced a strong comeback in the second half at the TransStadia Arena to send the packed crowd into raptures.

The final was like a boxing bout as both teams traded punches and gave it as good as they got. India struck the early blows as Sandeep Narwal and Thakur scored raid points to lead 2-0 in the third minute. Meraj Sheykh scored Iran's first point as they leveled the game at 2-2 in the fourth minute. Iran's defence was up for it as they contained Pardeep Narwal effectively and then sent Thakur to the bench to lead 5-4 in the eighth minute.

The match lived up to its expectations as both teams fought hard and refused to give an inch. Skipper Anup Kumar scored his trademark bonus point to level the scores at 6-6 in the 10th minute. Meraj Sheykh scored with an excellent raid and reduced India to just three men as Iran led 9-7 in the 13th minute. India's defence had a below par first 15 minutes as they scored just one tackle point.

Iran made India commit errors as Meraj Sheykh forced Manjeet Chhillar off the court during a raid to lead 19-13 in the 23rd minute. Thakur scored two points in the 25th minute as India cut the lead to three points and sent Fazel Atrachali and Meraj Sheykh to the bench. The tide turned for India when Ajay Thakur scored his ninth point in the 29th minute to level the game at 20-20. India inflicted their first all out the match in the 30th minute to lead 24-21 as they took their biggest lead of the match.

Kenya were named the emerging team of the tournament as they won a lot of hearts and almost made it to the semifinals. Jang Kun Lee who had a superb tournament was named the Most Valuable Player of the World Cup. The best referee of the tournament award was given to SMA Mannan from Bangladesh.

MotoGP 2016: Grand Prix of Japan

Honda rider Marc Marquez secured his third MotoGP championship in four years by winning the Japanese Grand Prix after his nearest rivals Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo both crashed out. The 23 year old Spaniard had only an outside chance to seal the title but his win at Motegi gave him an unassailable 77 point lead over Italian Rossi, who started on pole but slid into the gravel early.

Already the youngest rider to win a MotoGP race and the title in his maiden season in 2013, Marquez triumph in Japan made him the youngest to seal three championships. He finished nearly three seconds ahead of Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso, with Suzuki’s Maverick Vinales third.

With Rossi, the seven-time premier class champion, quickly out of contention, Lorenzo needed to finish fourth or better keeping his title defence alive. The Spaniard, who suffered a terrifying crash in practice on Saturday but returned to the track to qualify third on the grid, battled to keep within touch of Marquez.

But Lorenzo came under pressure from a hard-charging Dovizioso and his race ended in the gravel with five laps to go after a front end skid. Marc Marquez from Honda team is the champion now with 273 points followed by Valentino Rossi from Yamaha team with 196 points. Third place is hold by Jorge Lorenzo from Yamaha team with 182 points. The championship, now a victory procession for Marquez, heads to Phillip Island, Australia next week. 

Nico Rosberg wins Japanese Grand Prix

Nico Rosberg extended his championship lead to 33 points with victory in 2016 Formula 1 Emirates Japanese Grand Prix, as Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton recovered from a nightmare start to finish third, just behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

The result gives Mercedes an unassailable lead in the constructor’s championship effectively securing them a third straight crown. Sebastian Vettel was Ferrari lead runner on a frustrating afternoon for the Scuderia, the German taking fourth place ahead of team mate Kimi Raikkonen. Also disappointed was Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo in sixth, the Australian having started the race in front of both the Scarlet cars.

The Force India of Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg were seventh and eighth, beating rivals Williams, who saw Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas, complete the top ten, as all 22 drivers finished the race. Polesitter Nico Rosberg effectively had things won the moment Hamilton made a mistake and lagged so badly at the start that he plunged from second to eighth place.

Rosberg now has 313 points to his team mate’s 280, meaning he needs only three seconds and a third to clinch his first title over the remaining four races, even if Hamilton wins all of them. The final points went to the battling Williams drivers Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas who were separated by 0.5s at the flag and were only 0.9s ahead of Romain Grosjean Haas.

Daniel Ricciardo wins Malaysia Grand Prix

Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo held off hard charging team mate Max Verstappen to win an incident filled 2016 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix, after long time leader Lewis Hamilton retired following a fiery Mercedes engine failure. In the second Mercedes Nico Rosberg came through the pack after early drama to finish third and extend his championship lead over Hamilton to 23 points.

That was despite Rosberg picking up a 10-second time penalty for a mid-race clash with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, who finished fourth. Williams’ Valtteri Bottas took fifth ahead of the Force India’s of Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg, split by McLaren’s Fernando Alonso, who came from the back row to take seventh. Team mate Jenson Button was ninth in his 300th Grand Prix, as fellow Briton Jolyon Palmer took his first F1 point with 10th for Renault.

Ricciardo finally got his payback for his Monaco loss earlier in the year, as he came through a brutal battle with Verstappen which became one for victory after Hamilton’s Mercedes had blown up when well ahead on the 41st lap. It was the fourth win of his F1 career. Bottas executed a fine one-stop strategy for Williams in a race in which his team mate Felipe Massa started from the pit lane and finished 13th after his car stalled at the start of the formation lap.

Carlos Sainz was 11th for Toro Rosso ahead of Marcus Ericsson’s Sauber, Massa, brake-troubled Daniil Kvyat in the second Toro Rosso, and the battling Manors of Pascal Wehrlein and Esteban Ocon, the latter having picked up not one, but two five-second time penalties for speeding in the pit lane. Romain Grosjean spun into the gravel and retirement on Lap 9 after a suspected brake failure on his Haas coming into the final turn, and team mate Esteban Gutierrez looked to have similar issues when the left-front wheel flew from the Mexican’s car at speed on lap 42. Renault’s Kevin Magnussen and Sauber’s Felipe Nasr were the other non-finishers.

MotoGP 2016: Grand Prix of Aragon

Marc Marquez has ended MotoGP streak of eight different winners and moved a big step closer to taking his third world title with victory at Spain’s MotorLand Aragon circuit. The Spaniard started on pole but almost crashed on the third lap before coming back through the field from fifth.

Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha reigning World Champion, finished second Valentino Rossi had to settle for third place after leading until Marc Marquez passed him 12 laps from the end. The victory moves Marquez career tally to 54 across 125cc, Moto 2 and MotoGP classes, equal to the number Mick Doohan scored on his way to five consecutive premier classes world titles. Marquez now has a 52 point advantage over Rossi with four races remaining.

With 25 points for a victory, the 23 year old is on course to wrap up the championship with two races to spare at Australian Philip Island track on October 23. The past eight MotoGP races had been won by different riders, a first in the top category of Grand Prix motorcycling, and Marquez victory, his fourth of the campaign, was his first since Germany in July.

Fourth place at Aragon went to Ecstar Suzuki’s Maverick Vinales, while LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow finished fifth. Marquez’s team-mate, Dani Pedrosa claimed sixth place. The second Ecstar Suzuki of Aleix Espargaro finished seventh, while brother Pol Espargaro finished eighth astride the Tech3 Yamaha. Gresini Aprilia’s Alvaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl rounded off the top 10. Nicky Hayden scored one point, finishing 15th, as he completed his MotoGP comeback as a replacement rider for Jack Miller.

Nico Rosberg wins Singapore Grand Prix

A superb drive saw Nico Rosberg win 2016 Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix after holding off a late charge from Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo by just 0.4s. With Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton finishing third. Rosberg now heads his team mate in the standings by eight points.

Kimi Raikkonen narrowly missed out on a podium for Ferrari, while team mate Sebastian Vettel – voted Driver of the Day by Fans followed him home a strong fifth after starting from the back of the grid. Max Verstappen was sixth for Red Bull, ahead of McLaren’s Fernando Alonso, with Force India’s Sergio Perez, Toro Rosso Daniil Kvyat and Renault’s Kevin Magnussen completing the top ten. It was a race book-ended by drama.

As Rosberg headed Ricciardo, Hamilton and Raikkonen into the first corner, Max Verstappen made a slow start. And as Carlos Sainz took his Toro Rosso to the right of the Red Bull, he came into contract with Nico Hulkenberg Force India which was spun across the Dutchman bows and hard into the pit wall. Rosberg easily maintained an advantage over Ricciardo, to whom Hamilton could offer no challenge as he struggled throughout with brake temperatures.

Rosberg eighth victory of the season makes him the first non-champion to win in Singapore and puts him on 273 points, to Hamilton 265. The reigning champion was 7.5s second behind Ricciardo, but crucially 2.1s ahead of Raikkonen, whose ultrasofts were fading. Fernando Alonso brought his McLaren home seventh, having at one stage run as high as fifth, as Perez just held off Kvyat by four tenths for eighth. 

US Open 2016

Stan Wawrinka’s US Open triumph over world number one Novak Djokovic gave him a third Grand Slam title in as many finals. Wawrinka did shaking off the loss of the first set to post a 6-7 (1/7), 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 victory over 12 times Grand Slam Champion Djokovic. He denied Djokovic a second straight US Open Title, and for the third time beat a reigning number one in a major final.

Wawrinka had already been pushed to the limit in reaching the final. Wawrinka has now won all three Grand Slam finals he has played and his last 11 finals in a row, and has become the oldest male winner of the US Open since 35 years old Ken Rosewall in 1970. Djokovic, 29, was the defending champion and trying to win his third Grand Slam title of 2016 and 13^th of his career.

Angelique Kerber won the Women’s singles title of US Open 2016. This was Kerber second Grand Slam title win of this year after Australian Open 2016. She also reached this year’s Wimbledon Final, where she lost to Williams, and she also secured a silver medal in Singles at the Summer Olympics in Rio.

Men’s Double section is won by James Murray and B. Soares. Women’s double section is won by B. Mattek and L. Safarova. Mixed double title is won by L. Siegemund and M. Pavic. It was the 136^th edition of the US Open, the fourth and final Grand Slam event of the year.