Casper Ruud defeated Jack Draper 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 to claim his first Masters 1000 title at the Madrid Open, after falling at the final hurdle in Miami in 2022 and Monte Carlo in 2024.

Ruud has more wins (125), finals (17) and titles (12) than any other player on clay since 2020. However, he arrived at this year’s Mutua Madrid Open with a question mark hanging over his form having bowed out in the last sixteen in Monte Carlo and the quarters in Barcelona, where he was the defending champion. Those results caused him to fall to 15th position in the ATP world rankings.

With his two-hour, 29-minute triumph, Ruud became the first Norwegian to claim a Masters 1000 crown. A three-time Grand Slam finalist and former No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings, the 26-year-old is now a 13-time champion on the ATP Tour. In Madrid, he recorded three Top 10 wins in the same event for only the second time in his career: He downed World No. 4 Taylor Fritz, No. 10 Daniil Medvedev and No. 6 Draper en route to the title, ATP reports.

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca provided an update on Christopher Nkunku, who missed out again on Sunday's Premier League game against Liverpool after suffering an injury in training earlier this week, revealing that the striker will still be out for 10-15 days with an injury.

Chelsea boosted their hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League with a 3-1 victory over champions Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Sunday evening.

"Christo will be out for I think one week or two weeks, we are not sure. We will see. He will be out for the next ten to 15 days," Maresca said.

Nkunku is likely to be on his way out of Chelsea at the end of the season, so there is a chance he may have played his last game for the Blues already.

Romario Shepherd produced one of the most destructive finishes of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, slamming a 14-ball half-century to lift Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to a mammoth 213/5 against Chennai Super Kings at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Saturday.

Coming in after RCB had lost momentum in the middle overs, Shepherd tore into CSK’s most trusted death bowlers – Khaleel Ahmed and Matheesha Pathirana – smashing four fours and six sixes en route to the joint second-fastest fifty in IPL history. Only Yashasvi Jaiswal's 13-ball fifty has been quicker.

The West Indian all-rounder turned the tide in the 19th over, hammering Khaleel for 33 runs that included sixes over deep midwicket, long-on, and short fine leg, as well as a no-ball swatted over extra cover. The Chinnaswamy crowd, momentarily silenced after the wickets of Kohli, Padikkal, and Jitesh, erupted into bedlam as Shepherd reignited the innings.

South Africa’s fast-bowling spearhead Kagiso Rabada has revealed he is serving a provisional suspension from all forms of competitive cricket after testing positive for a banned substance, which is a recreational drug. Rabada had played two matches for the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 before abruptly flying back home due to ‘personal reasons’.

“As has been reported, I recently returned to South Africa from participating in the IPL for personal reasons. This was due to my returning an adverse analytical finding for the use of a recreational drug.”

“I am deeply sorry to all those whom I have let down. I will never take the privilege of playing cricket for granted. This privilege is much larger than I. It goes beyond my personal aspirations. I am serving a provisional suspension and I am looking forward to returning to the game I love playing,” said Rabada in a statement issued by the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) on Saturday.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Tim David said he was really grateful that the coaching staff had made clear plans for him ahead of playing in the IPL 2025 season, where his current form has helped the team have a great tournament.

David was acquired by RCB for INR 3 crore in last year’s mega auction, and so far, the lower-order batter has scored 184 runs in 10 matches at an impressive average of 92 and a big strike rate of 197.84.

“To be honest, last season at MI, I tried too hard at times. There are experiences from there that I kind of have drawn on to help me this year. Then some performances have gone my way, which is really nice.”

“When I arrived this year, we had meetings prior to the tournament starting. I'm really grateful that the coaching staff had clear plans for me. By the time I come into bat, we generally have a good idea of how the pitch is playing,” said David in a video posted on iplt20.com on Saturday.

The picturesque Dharamshala will enter the IPL 2025 hosting party when Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants clash in a pivotal mid-table encounter crucial in deciding who surges ahead in the race to playoffs on Sunday evening.

PBKS, after winning over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, are fourth on the points table with six wins, and one no result, from 10 games, while LSG, back after a week-long break from the competition, are at sixth place with five wins from 11 matches.

Gujarat Titans spinner Rashid Khan credited captain Shubman Gill's leadership skills and team effort for the franchise's splendid run in the IPL 2025.

With the 38-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday, Gujarat moved to second spot in the points table with seven wins in 10 games, only behind Mumbai Indians, who have the same points in 11 games but have stronger net run rate.

For Gujarat, their top order featuring Sai Sudharsan, Gill and Jos Buttler is the backbone of their batting unit and they all are in contention for the Orange Cap. Currently, Sudharsan holds the cap with 504 runs while Buttler and Gill are in close proximity with 470 and 465 runs respectively.

Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are aiming to secure a playoffs spot in IPL 2025. For that to happen mathematically, they need to win their remaining four matches, starting with a home game against the already-eliminated Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Eden Gardens on Sunday afternoon.

The task for seventh-placed KKR is easier said than done, considering their home leg form has been poor - only one win coming from five matches. Their batters have been inconsistent - Rinku Singh and Venkatesh Iyer haven’t been at their run-scoring best while their opening combination never got a settled look.

Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal announced on Saturday that they have parted ways with Portuguese manager Jorge Jesus.

The decision comes just days after Al-Hilal was knocked out of the Asian Champions League Elite semifinals following a 3-1 loss to Al-Ahli.

With five matches left in the league season, Al-Hilal currently sits second in the standings, six points behind leaders Al-Ittihad. The club is also set to compete in the expanded Club World Cup in the United States this June and July.

"The Board of Directors of Al-Hilal Club Company has agreed with the Portuguese head coach of the first team Jorge Jesus to terminate the contractual relationship between them", Al-Hilal said in a statement on X.

"The Board expressed its appreciation for the efforts made by the technical staff since last season."

Santos president Marcelo Teixeira said the club is working to extend Neymar's contract until next year's FIFA World Cup, despite the forward's ongoing injury concerns.

Neymar rejoined Santos - his boyhood club - on a six-month contract in January after more than a decade in Europe and a stint in Saudi Arabia, reports.

"We have to explore a technical way so that we can transform the monitoring of Neymar's recovery and his presence on the field into a greater chance of him being able to renew his contract and stay until next year's World Cup," Teixeira said.

Neymar has struggled with a series of leg muscle problems since returning to action last October following a knee injury that sidelined him for more than a year. The 33-year-old has played just nine games in his latest spell with Santos, scoring three goals and providing three assists.