Sports
Year after injury at Wimbledon, Grigor Dimitrov stuns No. 15 Jakub Mensik
Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov against Czech Republic’s Jakub Mensik at Wimbledon on July 2, 2026.
Nearly one year to the day when he sustained a torn pectoral muscle against World No. 1 Jannik Sinner on Centre Court, Grigor Dimitrov pulled off a huge upset, upending No. 15 seed Jakub Mensik 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 at Wimbledon in London on Thursday.
Dimitrov, ranked No. 146 in the world, was emotional in his post-match TV interview, pausing a few times to collect himself after advancing to the third round.
“I honestly don’t have much to say other than I’m so happy to be back and play tennis in front of you guys,” the 35-year-old Bulgarian said, gesturing to the cheering crowd after the three-hour, 13-minute match. “For me, I’m very emotional, overwhelmed a little bit at the moment.”
Last July 7, Dimitrov was leading Sinner by two sets when the injury occurred, forcing Dimitrov to retire and denying him a chance at one of the biggest victories of his career. Six days later, he watched as his friend and Monte Carlo neighbor Sinner hoisted the trophy.
On Thursday, Dimitrov saved all seven break points en route to winning the first set, then bounced back after Mensik pulled even in the second set to win 21 of 25 points on his first serve to take a 2-1 lead. In the fourth set, the former World No. 3 induced 10 unforced errors from his Czech Republic foe, breaking him twice to clinch the hard-fought victory.
“A great match today, all I wanted to do was come out and fight,” Dimitrov said after saving 13 of 15 break points and surviving 31 aces from Mensik. “That was my goal. I didn’t think about winning or losing. … You guys (the fans) helped me a lot. The atmosphere was spectacular as usual.”
Up next for Dimitrov is unseeded Italian Matteo Berrettini, who took down No. 20 seed Arthur Fils of France 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3.
“If nothing else, it’ll be a pretty match,” Dimitrov said with a laugh. “I’m looking forward to it.”
The remainder of the ranked field advanced to the third round, including No. 2 Alexander Zverev, who cruised through two sets before putting away unseeded Frenchman Valentin Royer 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 (3).
“For two and a half sets I played an almost perfect match,” Zverev said in his on-court interview. “Then I lost a bit of focus and he used it very well. He made it very interesting in the end, but definitely happy to be through in straight sets and not have to play another set, even though I love to play here at Wimbledon! It’s nice to win easier at the beginning of the week.”
No. 5 Alex de Minaur of Australia, No. 6 Taylor Fritz, No. 10 Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan, No. 13 Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic and No. 19 Karen Khachanov of Russia all won in straight sets, while No. 9 Flavio Cobolli of Italy and No. 17 Frances Tiafoe prevailed in four sets.
No. 23 Rafael Jodar of Spain prevailed in five sets while No. 28 Brandon Nakashima was eliminated in five sets.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Three Fever players named All-Star Game starters
Indiana Fever’s Aliyah Boston (7), Caitlin Clark (22) and Kelsey Mitchell (0) take a phot before the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game on Saturday, July 19, 2025, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Three Indiana Fever players were among the 10 starters announced Thursday for the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game.
Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell will represent Indiana at the July 25 showcase in Chicago.
Guards Clark and Mitchell will be joined in the backcourt by the Dallas Wings’ Paige Bueckers and Minnesota Lynx rookie Olivia Miles.
Joining Boston in the frontcourt are four-time league MVP A’Ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces, Natasha Howard of the Lynx, Jessica Shepard of the Wings, Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty and Gabby Williams of the Golden State Valkyries.
Starters were selected by a mixture of fan, player and media votes. The fan vote ran from June 11-27 and counted for 50% and the media and player votes were 25% each.
Wilson and Stewart earned their eighth All-Star selections. It is the fourth for Mitchell and Boston and the third for Howard and Clark, who missed last year’s contest due to injury. Williams and Bueckers were honored for the second time while Miles and Shepard will make their All-Star debuts.
The league’s head coaches will vote for the All-Star reserves. The two head coaches for the All-Star Game will be determined by which two teams have the best records at the end of play on July 10.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Crew sign La Liga vet Brais Mendez as designated player
Sep 13, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; General view of a practice balls prior to the game between Philadelphia Union and Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BC Place. Mandatory Credit: Simon Fearn-Imagn Images The Columbus Crew acquired Spanish midfielder Brais Mendez from La Liga side Real Sociedad on Thursday.
Mendez, 29, arrives as a designated player and will occupy an international roster slot. He is signed through 2028-29 with a club option for the 2029-30 season.
“We are excited to add Brais to our team and welcome him to Columbus. His high-level technical skill set and understanding of the game, displayed in one of the best leagues in the world, will have a positive impact on our roster,” said Crew general manager Issa Tall. “The addition of Brais gives our team another talented player for the short- and long-term, and we look forward to his arrival as we look to push during the second part of our season.”
Technical brilliance and game-breaking ability. Bienvenido al club, Brais Méndez ??
The Columbus Crew have acquired Brais Méndez as a Designated Player from La Liga’s Real Sociedad.
??: https://t.co/LMKoXqK2xu pic.twitter.com/iOXJTZPM65
— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) July 2, 2026
Mendez joins MLS after a decade in the Spanish top flight with Celta Vigo (2017-22) and Real Sociedad (2022-26).
He tallied 33 goals and 24 assists in 166 matches with Real Sociedad, helping the club qualify for the UEFA Champions League after the 2022-23 season and win the Copa Del Rey title earlier this year.
Mendez contributed 22 goals and 18 assists in 166 matches with boyhood club Celta Vigo.
Columbus entered the FIFA World Cup break in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, two points below the playoff line. The Crew return to action at home against New York City FC on July 22.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Iga Swiatek coasts past Karolina Pliskova at Wimbledon
Jul 2, 2026; London, United Kingdom; Iga Swiatek (POL) reacts after winning a point against Karolina Pliskova (CZE) (not pictured) on day four of The Championships Wimbledon 2026 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Defending champion Iga Swiatek made short work of fellow former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova during their second-round match at Wimbledon on Thursday.
The third-seeded Swiatek converted six of eight break points en route to a 6-1, 6-3 victory, dispatching the Czech native in 70 minutes. Swiatek, of Poland, improved to 4-0 against Pliskova.
Swiatek enjoyed a much easier time of it versus Pliskova after outlasting Taylor Townsend in three sets during the opening round.
“It was quite a lot,” Swiatek said of her 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 win over Townsend. “It seemed like the opening match, like everybody wanted to see it, as well. It was already a show, even though it was a first round only. It’s quite unusual.
“Today I felt like it was a normal day at the office. For sure it helped with the preparation and focus and everything.”
Swiatek advanced to face 29th-seeded Alexandra Eala of the Philippines, who rallied to a 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 win over Australian Maya Joint on Thursday.
“I think it’s going to be tough for me,” Eala said of facing Swiatek on Saturday for the third time in her career. “I’m going to try to make it tough for her, as well. It’s a different surface than we’ve played at before, so I think definitely there should be some different aspects to the last time.
“She’s won a Slam on grass. She’s won a Slam on clay. She’s won a slam on hard so I’m expecting a great challenge.”
Also on Thursday, sixth-seeded Amanda Anisimova and 12th-seeded Marta Kostyuk of the Ukraine needed three sets to thwart the respective upset bids of Sofia Kenin and Russia’s Anna Blinkova. Anisimova recorded a 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (3) win over Kenin, while Kostyuk rallied to a 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-3 victory over Blinkova.
Fifteenth-seeded Diana Shnaider wasn’t as fortunate in her match against fellow Russian Liudmila Samsonova. The latter posted a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 win over Shnaider.
Other seeded winners included No. 21 Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic, No. 23 Emma Navarro and No. 26 Madison Keys.
–Field Level Media
Three Fever players named All-Star Game starters
Crew sign La Liga vet Brais Mendez as designated player
