Cricket might not be a global sport, but Virat Kohli is certainly a global athlete. The impact Virat has managed to create over the course of his esteemed career has drawn attention from not just cricket lovers but top athletes from other sports as well. As Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz took on Italy’s Jannik Sinner in the French Open 2025 men’s singles final, an old video of the Spaniard went viral. In the video, the commentators couldn’t help but compare the former’s exploits with those of the Indian cricket icon. The video was from a match between Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas from 2023.

Much like Virat did in cricket, Alcaraz has taken the tennis world by storm, thanks to his ability to excel in all conditions, against every opponent. The craft, skill, and grit that Alcaraz showed against Sinner in the Roland Garros summit clash on Sunday reminded the commentators of Virat.

European commentators about Carlos Alcaraz: “It’s like watching Virat Kohli in cricket or Michael Jordan in Basketball”

King Kohli is the face of World Cricket #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/apqLQZGKIB

— Shekhar (@Shekhar499) July 17, 2023

After losing the first two sets in the Roland Garros final, Alcaraz bounced back in style to beat Sinner 3-2 in a 5-set thriller that went down in history as the longest final ever in French Open history. In fact, Carlos Alcaraz saved three championship points as he produced an astonishing fightback.

Reigning champion Alcaraz rallied from the brink of defeat to overcome world number one Sinner 4-6, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (10/2) to clinch his fifth Grand Slam title after five hours and 29 minutes.

The 22-year-old Spaniard is now unbeaten in five Grand Slam finals after snapping Sinner’s 20-match winning run at the majors.

Alcaraz pulled off his first-ever comeback from two sets down to stun Sinner in the longest Roland Garros final in history. It easily eclipsed the 1982 final in Paris when Mats Wilander triumphed in four sets over Guillermo Vilas in 4 hours and 42 minutes.

Alcaraz becomes the third youngest man to win five Grand Slams — after Bjorn Borg and compatriot Rafael Nadal — following an incredible duel between the two stars of a new generation.

Sinner fell agonisingly short of a third successive Grand Slam crown after last year’s US Open title and back-to-back Australian Open triumphs.

With AFP inputs

The Indiana Pacers pulled off a stunning 111-110 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals.

After committing 19 turnovers in the first half, Indiana clawed back from a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter where Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton drilled the game-winning field goal with .3 seconds left in regulation.

“This group is a resilient group,” Haliburton told reporters after the game. “And we don’t give up until it’s 0.0 on the clock.” Haliburton and the Pacers look to get a second win on the road before the series returns to Indianapolis.

Jade Jones, Haliburton’s girlfriend, who flew to Oklahoma City for the Pacers-Thunder showdown, returned to the Paycom Center for Game 2 on June 6.

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Jones showed off her pregame fit on Sunday, rocking a navy crop top with a matching tennis skirt and a white sweatshirt around her shoulders.

Therefore, it was easy to identify to Jones when the TV cameras panned to the crowd and captured the former Iowa State cheerleader appearing to go off on a fan.

While it’s not clear what caused the animated response, the moment immediately went viral on social media. The Athletic’s James Boyd posted on X, “LOL!! The broadcast just cut to a shot of Ty’s girlfriend, Jade, in the crowd talking CRAZY to somebody. I respect the passion. “

One fan posted, “Someone remind Haliburton’s girlfriend that they are still down by 14.” Another fan commented, “Now that’s love.”

Haliburton did not have a great game against the Thunder in Game 2. Down 17 points and four minutes left in regulation, the 25-year-old guard was pulled.

Haliburton finished the night with 17 points, 6.0 assists, and 3.0 rebounds.

— Enjoy free dish of rich and fabulous players with The Athlete Lifestyle on SI —

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The Oregon Ducks and coach Dan Lanning hosted an elite group of recruits over the weekend, and photos from the photoshoot portion of the official visits are going viral on social media.

A number of top prospects were in Eugene, including five-star wide receiver Calvin Russell, five-star athlete Brandon Arrington, five-star EDGE Richard Wesley, five-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson, five-star safety Jett Washington, and four-star safety Joey O’Brien. Oregon also had a few commits from the class of 2026 on campus: four-star linebacker Tristan Phillips and four-star safety Xavier Lherisse.

Recruits taking photos in a team’s uniform has become commonplace around the country, but the Ducks’ latest photoshoots from the weekend are grabbing attention online. One of Oregon’s new backdrops included a science lab, and another featured aa black Mercedez-Benz G-Wagon.

In some of the photos, it appears as though members of the Ducks’ recruiting staff wore an Nike-branded, bright orange HAZMAT suit. Behind some of the photos is a large warning sign with sub-heading that reads, “Player Development In Progress.”

Additionally, every recruit posted photos of them wearing different Oregon uniforms from their official visit. With the Ducks’ new “Generation O” uniforms, there is seemingly an endless supply of combinations for recruits to choose from.

Prospects will also wear special edition jerseys like Oregon’s “Heroes” uniform or some throwback combinations. Five-star receiver Calvin Russell got the attention of Ducks fans by wearing Oregon’s diamond-plate jerseys that were first introduced in 2006.

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The Ducks have worn throwback uniforms from 1994, but some fans have been clamoring for a return of the early 2000s uniforms. Most recently, Oregon re-introduced the diamond plating as a small detail on the collar of the new “Fly Era” jerseys that were revealed before the 2024 season.

Lanning and his staff signed one of the best recruiting classes in the country in the 2025 cycle, and the Ducks are continuing to host some of the best high school prospects in the nation. After signing an elite group of defensive backs, Oregon is looking to continue adding depth with five-star athlete Brandon Arrington, five-star safety Jett Washington, and four-star safety Joey O’Brien.

The three defensive back recruits posed for a photo together, but can the Ducks actually land all three?

A few of the high school prospects that ere in Eugene over the weekend already have commitment dates set, with O’Brien scheduled to commit on June 20. Arrington and Russell are planning to reveal their decisions on July 5.

The Ducks will have to beat out Notre Dame, Clemson, and Penn State for O’Brien while Arrington is reportedly interested in Alabama, USC, and Texas A&M. As for Russell, the elite receiver out of Miami, Florida, could be hard to pull out of the South for Oregon. Russell is being recruited by Florida, Florida State, Miami, and LSU, in addition to the Ducks.

A TV forecaster said he was not confident he could predict the paths of storms this year, touching a nerve amid concerns about how federal cuts could affect hurricane season.

Ironman has confirmed the death of an athlete who took part in last weekend’s event in Durban.

Responding to questions from IOL, organisers said the athlete went into distress while taking part in the swimming section of the three-part event. 

“We are deeply saddened to learn about the passing of a race participant following Sunday’s Ironman 70.3 Durban triathlon.

“During the swim portion of the race, swim safety personnel noticed and responded to an athlete in distress approximately 1.6km into the 1.9km swim,” organisers said.

They added that the athlete received immediate medical care while being taken via jet-ski to a designated extraction point on the beach, where further treatment was administered.

“The athlete was then transported to the hospital, where they had been receiving care. Despite the best medical treatment over the past few days, the athlete sadly passed on Wednesday,” a spokesperson told IOL.

“We mourn the loss of one of our fellow athletes and share our condolences with their family and friends whom we will continue to offer our support as they go through this very difficult time.

“Our gratitude goes out to the safety personnel and first responders who worked quickly onsite to provide the athlete with medical support as well as those who provided care at the hospital,” organisers added.

seanne.rall@iol.co.za

IOL