Moto4 Asia Cup champions reunite at Motegi

Alexandra Eala was named to the 2026 TIME100 Next list, becoming the only tennis player included in the magazine’s annual selection of emerging figures shaping the future. The Filipina was recognised in the Innovators category, with 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal praising her progress and character in an accompanying tribute.

 

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“One of her greatest strengths is precisely her ability to listen, learn, and keep improving,” he wrote. Nadal also described Eala as “warm, approachable, and humble”, crediting her for staying grounded despite the attention surrounding her rise. The Spaniard, who oversaw her development at his academy, said she still has considerable room to improve after winning her first WTA Tour title in Washington and reaching the world’s top 20 this year. He also revealed that Eala was the first player he shared a court with after retiring, having accepted her invitation to practise after several months away from tennis. Besides Eala, other athletes named to the list were basketball players Tyrese Maxey and Olivia Miles, footballers Naomi Girma and Folarin Balogun, American football quarterback Arch Manning and Indian cricketer Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

The Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) will race in China for the first time next year after organisers included the country in the 2027 calendar. The Shanghai International Circuit will host the season finale, marking WorldSBK’s first visit to Asia since 2023, when Mandalika staged the Indonesian round for the third consecutive season.

 

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China’s inclusion comes as its motorcycle manufacturers expand their presence in the championship’s supporting classes. QJMOTOR, ZXMOTO and Kove are competing across WorldSSP and WorldSPB this season, with Chinese brands already enjoying success in the paddock. Kove became the first Chinese manufacturer to win the WorldSSP300 riders’ championship when Spain’s Benat Fernandez secured the title in his rookie season in 2025. ZXMOTO followed with a successful debut in WorldSSP this year, as France’s Valentin Debise claimed multiple victories after giving the Chinese manufacturer their first wins with a double at Portimao in March. The Chinese round will give local fans the chance to watch WorldSBK, which features racing versions of commercially available motorcycles, on home soil. The championship has previously held rounds in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan and Qatar, but has never raced in China since its inaugural season in 1988. The addition will broaden WorldSBK’s reach beyond a calendar currently dominated by European venues. Phillip Island in Australia is the only round outside Europe on the 2026 schedule. Fans can watch WorldSBK live on SPOTV NOW.

The New York Yankees ended the Boston Red Sox’s season for the second straight year with a 9-2 victory on Wednesday, completing a two-game sweep in the American League Wild Card Series. The Yankees also knocked Boston out at the same stage last year, although they had to fight back after losing the opening game before winning the next two. This time, New York made a faster start, following Tuesday’s 9-0 victory with another commanding performance at Yankee Stadium to reach the next round of the MLB playoffs. Cody Bellinger hit a three-run home run during a six-run sixth inning, while pitcher Max Fried allowed just one run over six innings.

 

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Boston briefly threatened a comeback when Willson Contreras hit a home run to cut New York’s lead to 2-1, but the Yankees quickly pulled away. New York will next face American League East champions Tampa Bay Rays in the best-of-five Division Series. The Chicago White Sox also advanced after beating the Houston Astros 7-3 to complete a two-game sweep, setting up a meeting with the Cleveland Guardians.

 

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In the National League, the San Diego Padres swept the Chicago Cubs to book a Division Series clash with the Milwaukee Brewers. The Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves will need a deciding Game 3 on Thursday after Philadelphia won 4-3 in 10 innings to level their series. Alec Bohm hit the winning home run to keep the Phillies’ season alive, with the winner of Thursday’s game advancing to face the Los Angeles Dodgers. Fans can watch the MLB playoffs live on SPOTV NOW.

 

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Nicolo Bulega will become the 10th WorldSBK champion to race full-time in MotoGP’s premier class when he joins in 2027. The Italian secured his first WorldSBK title at Cremona on Sunday, just weeks after his move to the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team was confirmed. Bulega will partner Fermin Aldeguer at VR46 next season as MotoGP enters a new era with 850cc engines and Pirelli tyres. The move marks a return to familiar territory for the 26-year-old, who spent several seasons in Moto3 and Moto2 before leaving the Grand Prix paddock at the end of 2021. He rebuilt his career with Ducati, winning the WorldSSP title in 2023 before stepping up to WorldSBK. Bulega has also gained experience on MotoGP machinery, making two appearances for Ducati while deputising for the injured Marc Marquez in 2025 and helping develop the manufacturer’s 2027 bike. He will not be the only WorldSBK champion on the 2027 MotoGP grid as three-time winner Toprak Razgatlioglu will enter his second season with Pramac Yamaha. It will be the first time since 2012 that at least two WorldSBK champions have raced together in MotoGP, when Colin Edwards and Ben Spies competed for NGM Mobile Forward Racing and Yamaha Factory Racing respectively.

 

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Scott Russell was the first WorldSBK champion to later race full-time in the premier class, moving to the 500cc World Championship in 1995, two years after winning the Superbike title. Troy Corser and John Kocinski followed shortly, while Troy Bayliss, Neil Hodgson and James Toseland were among those to make the move during the 2000s. There were also riders such as Alvaro Bautista and Sylvain Guintoli making wildcard or replacement appearances in MotoGP after their WorldSBK triumphs, but they did not return to the premier class full-time. Meanwhile, Bulega still has unfinished business in WorldSBK, with two rounds remaining in Portugal and Spain before he turns his attention to MotoGP. Having won 26 races this season, he has the chance to surpass Bautista’s record of 27 victories in a single WorldSBK campaign. Motorsport fans can watch MotoGP and WorldSBK live on SPOTV NOW.

 

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Rider	WorldSBK Championship(s)	Full-Time MotoGP Premier-Class Career
Scott Russell	1993	1995-96 (500cc)
Troy Corser	1996, 2005	1997 (500cc)
John Kocinski	1997	1991-94, 1998-99 (500cc)
Troy Bayliss	2001, 2006, 2008	2003-05
Colin Edwards	2000, 2002	2003-14
Neil Hodgson	2003	2004
James Toseland	2004, 2007	2008-09
Ben Spies	2009	2010-12
Toprak Razgatlioglu	2021, 2024, 2025	2026-27
Nicolo Bulega	2026	2027