Ohtani wins MLB Pitcher of the Month award for first time

Jannik Sinner’s dominance showed no signs of slowing after he defeated Alexander Zverev to win the 2026 Madrid Open. The victory not only added another ATP Masters 1000 title to his collection, but also saw the Italian continue to push the statistical boundaries of the modern game.

𝐌 🧡 𝐃 𝐑 𝐈 𝐃 🏆@atptour | @janniksin | #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/tjgqXhBet4

— #MMOPEN (@MutuaMadridOpen) May 3, 2026

As closest rival Carlos Alcaraz is currently sidelined through injury, the world number one could yet add to his growing list of milestones, especially with Roland Garros and Wimbledon on the horizon. Here are some of the records he has already claimed so far.

Five consecutive Masters 1000 titles

Sinner’s triumph in Madrid marked his fifth straight ATP Masters 1000 title, a run that began at the 2025 Paris Masters and has carried into 2026. Victories at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Madrid in the same calendar year have given him one of the most sustained stretches of success ever seen at this level.

The first man *EVER* to win five consecutive Masters 1000 titles: 🇫🇷 Paris 🇺🇸 Indian Wells 🇺🇸 Miami 🇲🇨 Monte Carlo 🇪🇸 Madrid@janniksin #MMOpen pic.twitter.com/sX9Y07eei5

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 3, 2026

Fastest Madrid Open final

Sinner dismantled Zverev in just 57 minutes in the Madrid final, setting a new record for the fastest championship match in the tournament’s history. The previous mark unfortunately also featured Zverev, who lost to Carlos Alcaraz in 62 minutes in the 2022 final.

Sinner's crowning moment 👑@janniksin produces a magnificent performance as he defeats Zverev 6-1, 6-2 for his first Madrid title! @MutuaMadridOpen | #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/yusn2NM7M0

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 3, 2026

Youngest to reach all nine Masters 1000 finals

By reaching the Madrid final, the 24-year-old became the youngest player to contest a final at all nine ATP Masters 1000 events. He surpassed Novak Djokovic, who was 25 years old at the time.

First player born in the 2000s to 350 wins

During his Madrid campaign, Sinner became the first player born in the 2000s to reach 350 ATP Tour match wins. The milestone came in his semi-final victory over Arthur Fils.

Cool. Calm. Clinical. 🥶@janniksin is through to his 13th Masters 1000 final, after a comprehensive 6-2, 6-4 victory over Fils. @MutuaMadridOpen | #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/06Yzc1y3k7

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 1, 2026

Most consecutive sets won at Masters 1000 level

Sinner’s run of 37 consecutive sets won at Masters 1000 level stands as another remarkable indicator of his dominance. The streak began at the 2025 Paris Masters and continued deep into the 2026 season, ending only at the Monte Carlo Masters when he faced Tomas Machac in the third round. He broke Djokovic’s previous record of 24 consecutive sets during his victory over Corentin Moutet in Miami.

Jannik Sinner's streak of 37 consecutive sets is over ❌ But, the Italian still went on to beat Tomas Machac and book his spot in the Monte Carlo quarter-finals. pic.twitter.com/2djqElAERh

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) April 9, 2026

Youngest and fastest to complete hard-court sweep

Sinner’s triumph at the 2026 Indian Wells Open, where he defeated Daniil Medvedev in the final, completed his collection of nine major hard-court titles, consisting of the Australian Open, US Open, ATP Finals and six Masters 1000 events. He joined Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andre Agassi, but he stands out as the youngest (24) and fastest (33 months) to achieve it.

Three straight Masters titles without dropping a set

By winning Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo without losing a set, Sinner became the first player to claim three consecutive Masters 1000 titles in such dominant fashion.

It’s happened AGAIN 🇮🇹 @janniksin & Kimi Antonelli have won on the same day: Madrid Open & Miami GP ✅ Miami Open & Japanese GP ✅ Indian Wells & Chinese GP ✅ pic.twitter.com/K5Hzo97LPL

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 3, 2026

The 2026 Thomas & Uber Cup Finals concluded on Sunday in Horsens, Denmark, with China and South Korea crowned men’s and women’s champions respectively. One of the key talking points from this year’s edition was France’s men’s team using an unconventional order of play (OOP), which some argued gave them a competitive advantage during their run to the final, including wins over Indonesia, Japan and India.

Dream run for France! 🇫🇷

Follow live action: https://t.co/TjoFnU4PnB #ThomasUberCupFinals #Horsens2026 pic.twitter.com/Q4GZE8BasA — BWF (@bwfmedia) May 2, 2026

Under the Badminton World Federation (BWF) regulations, teams are allowed to nominate their line-ups that then determine the OOP. There are eight permissible OOPs, with 10.1.1 (first singles, first doubles, second singles, second doubles, third singles) being the most commonly used format. However, due to their squad composition, France frequently utilised the 10.1.6 sequence (first singles, second singles, third singles, second doubles, first doubles). With three elite singles players in Christo Popov (world No. 5), Alex Lanier (world No. 9) and Toma Junior Popov (world No. 16), France maximised their strengths by deploying the Popov brothers as their first-choice doubles pair, allowing all three singles matches to be played first. Crucially, this was fully compliant with BWF regulations and France operated within the flexibility of the rules based on their available personnel.

Another milestone moment for France! 🇫🇷

Second European team to reach the #ThomasCup final. 👏🔥#ThomasUberCupFinals #Horsens2026 pic.twitter.com/qFSj8majiD — BWF (@bwfmedia) May 2, 2026

Ultimately, while their use of 10.1.6 drew attention due to its contrast with the conventional structure, their results remained legitimate. They still had to secure three match wins in each tie, and they did so against high-quality opposition. On top of that, it did not guarantee them success, as they lost to Thailand in the group stage and China in the final. Moreover, France were not alone in playing ties with alternative sequences. Of the 62 ties played across this year’s Thomas & Uber Cup, 27 featured variations from the standard 10.1.1 format, reflecting the diverse squad profiles and tactical approaches across teams. Here’s the full breakdown, with teams in bold indicating those naming line-ups that affected the OOP:

Order of Play	Thomas Cup	Uber Cup
10.1.3 (S1 S2 D1 S3 D2)	A: India 5-0 Australia	A: Denmark 3-2 India C: Chinese Taipei 5-0 Australia C: Canada 4-1 Australia D: South Korea 5-0 Bulgaria D: Bulgaria 3-2 Spain QF: Indonesia 3-1 Denmark
10.1.5 (S1 S2 S3 D1 D2)	B: Japan 5-0 Finland B: Malaysia 4-1 Finland D: Indonesia 5-0 Algeria D: Thailand 5-0 Algeria	A: India 4-1 Ukraine B: Malaysia 3-2 Turkiye B: Japan 5-0 South Africa B: Malaysia 5-0 South Africa B: Turkiye 5-0 South Africa C: Indonesia 5-0 Australia D: Thailand 3-2 Bulgaria
10.1.6 (S1 S2 S3 D2 D1)	B: England 4-1 Finland D: Thailand 4-1 France D: France 5-0 Algeria D: France 4-1 Indonesia QF: France 3-0 Japan SF: France 3-0 India Final: China 3-1 France	A: China 5-0 Ukraine A: Denmark 4-1 Ukraine

The 2026 MotoGP season continues its European run this week as the paddock heads to Le Mans for the French Grand Prix, one of the most unpredictable stops on the calendar. Here are five key facts to know ahead of the action, live on SPOTV NOW.

 

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Seven different winners in seven years

If there is one circuit that consistently delivers unpredictability, it is the Bugatti Circuit. Each of the last seven editions has produced a different premier-class winner: Johann Zarco, Jorge Martín, Marco Bezzecchi, Enea Bastianini, Jack Miller, Danilo Petrucci and Marc Márquez. The trend is not limited to MotoGP either, with Moto2 and Moto3 also seeing no repeat winners during the same period. Only the British Grand Prix rivals this level of variety, having produced 11 different MotoGP winners across the last 13 seasons.

 

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Michelin Man takes centre stage

While most Grands Prix feature a celebrity or sporting figure to wave the MotoGP chequered flag, Le Mans offers something more distinctive. With Michelin as the Grand Prix’s title sponsor, the honour has gone to the brand’s iconic Michelin Man in recent years, adding a uniquely local touch to the race weekend. Expect to see the familiar white figure to reprise the role once again this year.

 

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Ducati still searching for answers

Álex Márquez may have ended Ducati’s overall podium drought with his win at Jerez, but the factory team’s struggles continue. Ducati Lenovo Team have now gone nine races without a Sunday podium dating back to last season, which is their longest barren run since a 24-race drought between Aragón 2012 and Qatar 2014. Given their engine’s record of winning five of the last six MotoGP races at the circuit, they will be hoping they could snap that run this week.

 

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The slowest speed trap on the calendar

Despite its rich history, Le Mans is one of the slowest circuits on the calendar in terms of outright speed. The all-time top speed at the Bugatti Circuit stands at 300.8 km/h set by Johann Zarco five years ago, which is the lowest among all 22 tracks on the 2026 calendar. For comparison, the next lowest is 305.9 km/h at Misano.

Rookies Cup continues at Le Mans

The Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup heads to Le Mans for the second round of its 2026 season, continuing its role as a key pathway for emerging talent. Following an eye-catching opening round at Jerez, Beñat Fernández and Kiandra Ramadhipa arrive as early standouts, both looking to build momentum as they continue their development.

 

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The 2026 King’s Cup final is fast approaching, with Al Hilal and Al Kholood set to clash on May 8, live on SPOTV NOW. Al Hilal are chasing history as they target a record-extending 10th title, while Al Kholood are on the brink of a fairytale, hoping to lift the trophy for the first time. Here’s how both sides booked their place in the final.

Al Hilal	Stage	Al Kholood
1-0 Al Adalah	Round of 32	2-1 Al Bukiryah
1-0 Al Okhdood	Round of 16	1-0 Al Najma
4-1 Al Fateh	Quarter-finals	4-3 Al Khalaaj
1-1 Al Ahli (4-2 p.s.)	Semi-finals	2-2 Al Ittihad (5-4 p.s.)

Al Hilal

Al Hilal’s campaign began in unconvincing fashion, edging past second-tier side Al Adalah 1-0 in September during a demanding stretch that saw them play five matches in just 12 days across the Saudi Pro League, AFC Champions League and King’s Cup. Their Round of 16 win over Al Okhdood came under similarly congested conditions, but performances improved as the schedule eased. In the quarter-finals, Simone Inzaghi’s side delivered a statement result, defeating Al Fateh 4-1 to underline their credentials. Their toughest test then came in the semi-finals against Al Ahli. Despite being second best for long periods across 120 minutes, Al Hilal showed resilience and progressed via a penalty shootout to secure their place in the final.

Al Kholood

While Al Kholood have struggled in the lower half of the Saudi Pro League, their King’s Cup run has been nothing short of remarkable. They navigated the early rounds successfully, including a thrilling seven-goal encounter against Al Khalaaj, but saved their biggest moment for the semi-finals. There, they stunned defending champions Al Ittihad to book a historic first appearance in the final.

Head-to-Head Record

Recent meetings heavily favour Al Hilal, who recorded emphatic 3-1 and 6-0 victories in the Saudi Pro League this season. However, the final may not be as straightforward. Injuries could yet influence the outcome, with several Al Hilal players including Kalidou Koulibaly, Karim Benzema, Malcom and Hamad Al Yami having missed recent matches and facing fitness concerns ahead of the showdown. In contrast, Al Kholood arrive with a relatively clean bill of health and will look to Abdulaziz Al-Aliwa for inspiration. The winger has enjoyed a breakout season and recently claimed his fourth Best Promising Player of the Month award.

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