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Australia's rugby sevens teams both topped the podium in Valladolid, Spain, over the weekend, sweeping the men's and women's finals at the second leg of the World Championship.

The SVNS World Championship is a three-tournament series across Hong Kong, Valladolid and next weekend's finale in Bordeaux, with points pooled across all three legs to crown the champions.

The women led the way, beating the U.S. 27-14 to move to the top of the World Championship standings, two points clear of New Zealand. The men then upset top-ranked South Africa 26-19, to climb into third.

It's the first time the green and gold have claimed both the men's and women's titles at a single tournament since the 2018 Sydney Sevens.

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Stat of the day

780
The number of people French police arrested nationwide, after Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) beat England’s Arsenal on penalties in Budapest on Saturday to win the Champions League, European football's top club competition. The result makes PSG the first club to win back-to-back Champions League titles since Real Madrid won three straight between 2016 and 2018. Arsenal is still chasing a first. Celebrations turned violent for a second straight year, with 480 arrests in Paris alone and 219 people injured.

Chaos on the streets of Paris (Getty)

Quote of the day

"The day we win it, speaking for myself, it’s going to be an amazing day of the realization of a dream… It's hard to put into words. It's almost like the meaning of my life."
San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama on the possibility of winning the NBA Championship title, after helping his team secure a place in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014. The Spurs defeated the defending NBA champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, 111-103 in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, winning the series 4-3 on Sunday. Wembanyama, 22-years-old and 7’4” tall, was named the series MVP after averaging 27.3 points and 10.9 rebounds. In the Finals beginning Thursday, they will meet the red-hot New York Knicks, who have won their past 11 games and will be playing in their first NBA Finals since 1999.

Wembanyama and teammates celebrate winning the Western Conference Finals (Getty)

Random fact of the day

Victor Wembanyama has a shoe size of 20.5 (US). That’s not the NBA record, though. Shaquille O'Neal, Bob Lanier, and Tacko Fall all wear size 22 (US).

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In case you missed it…

🏉 The Super Rugby Pacific regular season has wrapped up with six teams, four from New Zealand and two from Australia, securing their spots in the finals series. The Hurricanes (55 points) finished on top of the table, with the Chiefs (51) second and defending champions the Crusaders (41) beating out the Blues (38) for third. The two Aussie sides rounded out the six with the Queensland Reds (37) finishing fifth and ACT Brumbies (34) ending up in sixth. The Brumbies' 21-19 loss to bottom-side Moana Pasifika in Canberra on Saturday cost them a home final. The qualifying finals begin on Friday with the Hurricanes taking on the Brumbies in Wellington. 

The Reds beat the Drua 45-24 to finish off their regular season (Getty)

🏉 The Fremantle Dockers have won their 11th match in a row to extend the longest winning streak in the club's history and hold onto their place at the top of the AFL ladder. The Dockers beat reigning premiers the Brisbane Lions 103-78 at the Gabba on Saturday, with forwards Jye Amiss and Patrick Voss kicking four goals each, while Josh Treacy added three. It was the Dockers' first win at the Gabba since 2016 as the Western Australian club chases its first AFL premiership. Brisbane has now lost three straight and sits ninth on the ladder.

The Dockers are hitting new heights (Getty)

Matildas forward Mary Fowler has won the Women's FA Cup, with her club Manchester City beating Brighton and Hove Albion 4-0 at Wembley Stadium overnight. It completes a domestic double after City also took out the Women's Super League title, their first since 2016. The win caps a strong comeback season for Fowler, who tore her ACL in the same competition last year. Charlize Rule, also a Matilda, was on the other team. Brighton is coached by former Socceroo Dario Vidošić, who was hoping to become the first Australian coach to win the competition.

Mary Fowler with some silverware (Getty)

🏉 The St George Illawarra Dragons have claimed their first win of the NRL season, holding off Brisbane 30-26 at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday. The Dragons jumped out to a 30-8 lead before the defending premiers threatened to come back with three late tries. Fullback Valentine Holmes scored twice and kicked five goals. It ended a 15-game losing run lasting 295 days, and handed interim coach Dean Young his first win in charge. The drought is over.

The Dragons celebrate a drought-breaking win (Getty)

🚴 Australia's Jai Hindley has finished third at the Giro d'Italia, which wrapped up in Rome on Sunday. The Western Australian, who won the race in 2022, placed six minutes and 25 seconds behind Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard. The win completed a rare set for Vingegaard, who becomes the eighth man to win all three grand tours: the Giro, the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España. The Women's Giro started on Saturday and will run through to 7 June. Australian Georgia Baker is the highest-placed Australian after two stages, sitting in sixth.

Hindley on the Giro podium for the third time (Getty)

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Jordan Bos during the Socceroos 1-0 loss to Mexico over the weekend (Getty)

Australia’s squad for this month’s FIFA World Cup has been announced

Australia coach Tony Popovic has named his 26-player squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The tournament kicks off this month across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Squad

The group includes 17 players in line for their first World Cup appearance. Among those 17 are Cristian Volpato and Tete Yengi, neither of whom has made an appearance for the Socceroos yet. 

Goalkeeper and captain Mat Ryan leads the veterans with a squad-high 103 caps. He and Melbourne City's Mathew Leckie are each set for a fourth World Cup, which would match the Australian record held by Tim Cahill and Mark Milligan. There was disappointment for forward Martin Boyle and defender Kye Rowles, who were among those left out.

GOALKEEPERS: Patrick Beach, Paul Izzo, Mat Ryan

DEFENDERS: Aziz Behich, Jordan Bos, Cameron Burgess, Alessandro Circati, Milos Degenek, Jason Geria, Lucas Herrington, Jacob Italiano, Harry Souttar, Kai Trewin

MIDFIELDERS: Cameron Devlin, Ajdin Hrustic, Jackson Irvine, Connor Metcalfe, Paul Okon-Engstler, Aiden O'Neill

FORWARDS: Nestory Irankunda, Mathew Leckie, Awer Mabil, Mohamed Toure, Nishan Velupillay, Cristian Volpato, Tete Yengi

What’s next

The squad announcement comes a day after 15th-ranked Mexico defeated Australia 1-0 in a friendly. The Socceroos have one remaining warm-up match before the World Cup, facing Switzerland on 7 June.

Australia has been drawn in Group D alongside Türkiye, Paraguay and host nation the U.S. The Socceroos’ best-ever World Cup result is making the Round of 16 twice, – in 2006 and 2022.

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Joao Fonseca celebrates defeating Norway’s Casper Ruud (Getty)

French Open set to crown two first-time champions after tumultuous first week

The second week of the French Open is underway at Roland Garros in Paris. It has been the most unpredictable major in years. When four-time champion Iga Świątek lost on Sunday, it meant no former champion remained in either singles draw. 

A first-time French Open winner is now guaranteed on both sides, and on the men's side, a first-time Grand Slam winner, full stop.

Aussies

Australia's wait for a grand slam champion continues (the last was Ash Barty at the Australian Open in 2022). All 13 Australians in the singles draws have been knocked out. The last to fall was Daria Kasatkina, the world No. 53 who switched her allegiance from Russia to Australia last year. She lost in the third round to top seed Aryna Sabalenka, going down 6-0, 7-5. It was the second year running that Kasatkina was the final Australian standing in Paris.

Alex de Minaur, the eighth seed in the men’s draw and Australia's top-ranked player, also lost in the third round. He won the opening set against Czechia’s 26th seed Jakub Menšík 6-0, then lost the next three sets to bow out. With the draw falling apart around him, it was a chance missed.

Men’s draw

In the men’s draw, the next week of tennis will see a first-time Grand Slam champion crowned. The opening week saw several tournament favourites bow out early, including world number one Jannik Sinner and 24-time major winner Novak Djokovic, who lost to 19-year-old Brazilian Joao Fonseca. Of the top 10 seeds, only Germany’s Alexander Zverev, Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Italy’s Flavio Cobolli are still standing.

Zverev, who has dropped just one set in his opening four matches, is now the clear favourite. He has reached three Grand Slam finals and lost all three; this looks to be the 29-year-old’s best chance yet to finally win one. Zverev will play Spanish rising star Rafael Jodar, 19, in the quarter finals tomorrow. 

Women’s draw

The women's side is just as open, though more Grand Slam pedigree remains with Sabalenka, the world No. 1, as the standout remaining contender. The Belarusian is chasing a first French Open title.

Meanwhile, defending champion Coco Gauff was beaten in the third round, and Świątek, a four-time champion at Roland Garros, lost her fourth-round match to Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk on her 25th birthday. Other players seeded in the top five, Elena Rybakina and Jessica Pegula, are also gone.

Kostyuk, the 15th seed, has won all 16 of her clay-court matches this season and next faces compatriot Elina Svitolina, with a place in the semi-finals on the line. That match guarantees a first Ukrainian woman in a Roland Garros semi-final in the professional era, and both players look like threats to win the title. 

Looking back…

AFL (Round 12)

Who: Melbourne v GWS Giants
Result: GWS Giants won 119-70

Who: West Coast Eagles v Essendon
Result: West Coast Eagles won 85-55

NRL (Round 13)

Who: Broncos v Dragons
Result: Dragons won 30-26

Who: Raiders v Cowboys
Result: Raiders won 26-12

Who: Panthers v Warriors
Result: Panthers won 20-18

Super Netball (Round 12)

Who: Lightning v Giants
Result: Lightning won 74-54

Who: Fever v Mavericks
Result: Mavericks won 60-57

Who: NSW Swifts v Firebirds
Result: NSW Swifts won 68-62

Who: Thunderbirds v Vixens
Result: Thunderbirds won 61-42

Super Rugby Pacific
(Round 16)

Who: Crusaders v Hurricanes
Result: Crusaders won 47-14

Who: Reds v Fijian Drua
Result: Reds won 45-24

Who: Brumbies v Moana Pasifika
Result: Moana Pasifika won 21-19

Who: Chiefs v Blues
Result: Chiefs won 59-34

Who: Western Force v Waratahs
Result: Western Force won 31-25

Looking forward… (All times are AEST)

French Open
(women’s singles)

Who: Anastasia Potapova (28) v
Anna Kalinskaya (22)
Time: 7pm tonight

Who: Madison Keys (19) v
Diana Shnaider (25)
Time: 8:10pm tonight

Who: Maja Chwalińska v Diane Parry
Time: 8:40pm tonight

Where to watch: Channel 9, Stan Sport

French Open (men’s singles)

Who: Flavio Cobolli (10) v
Zachary Svajda
Time: 7pm tonight

Who: Juan Manuel Cerundolo v
Matteo Berrettini
Time: 9:20pm tonight

Who: Felix Auger Aliassime (4) v Alejandro Tabilo
Time: 11:30pm tonight

Where to watch: Channel 9, Stan Sport

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