Sports Highlights, August 9: Liberty Pip Wings For 3rd WNBA Win In Row; Pakistan Beat West Indies In 1st ODI

Hello and welcome to everyone joining us this Saturday, which happens to be the day celebrating Raksha Bandhan in India. We will get you all the sporting action from across the globe, so stay with us for live coverage.

In overnight pre-season football action, Chelsea blanked Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, with goals from debutant Estevao and Joao Pedro. Over in Monaco's Stade Louis II, Inter Milan came from a goal down to beat Monaco 2-1 despite having Hakan Calhanoglu sent off nine minutes before half-time.

Paula Badosa, a former top-10 women's singles tennis player, has pulled out of the US Open as she is still recuperating from a back injury that has sidelined her since a first-round loss at Wimbledon on June 30. The US Tennis Association announced Badosa’s withdrawal and said Jil Teichmann would replace her in the field. Alize Cornet, who retired from tennis last year but returned to action in 2025, is the next woman in line to get a berth in the draw at Flushing Meadows if someone else pulls out, Associated Press reported.

Pakistan have drawn first blood in the three-match ODI series against West Indies, winning the opener by five wickets in Tarouba. The Mohammad Rizwan-led side has chased down a 281-run target with seven balls to spare. Hasan Nawaz top-scores with an unbeaten 63 and Hussain Talat (41 not out) stays there till the end with him.

Pakistan batter Haider Ali has reportedly been arrested by the Greater Manchester Police on suspicion of rape and been granted bail pending further enquiries. The 24-year-old cricketer, who was with the Shaheens (Pakistan 'A') squad on a tour of England, remains in the UK.

"After receiving a report on Monday 4 August 2025 of a rape, we have arrested a 24-year-old man," an ESPNcricinfo report quoted Greater Manchester Police as stating. "It's alleged that the incident occurred on Wednesday 23 July 2025 at a premises in Manchester. The victim is being supported by officers."

China's Li Haoyu has been handed a six-month ban by global governing body FIDE for alleged 'sandbagging', that is intentionally losing games. The 36-year-old, who was a prodigy at one point, lost 13 straight games over two tournaments and dropped 400 Elo rating points in a year to arouse suspicion.

Double Olympic medallist and ace Indian shooter Manu Bhaker has posted a photo with her brother, applying the traditional 'tilak' (vermillion mark) on his forehead as is tradition on Raksha Bandhan. Check out the picture below:

India cricketer Shreyas Iyer, who last represented the country during the victorious Champions Trophy campaign in March, has posted an adorable photo with his sister Shresta with the caption 'Happy Rakshabandhan'. Iyer is expected to be selected for the Asia Cup squad, with the T20 event starting from September 9.

Sabrina Ionescu scores 16 points, Emma Meesseman tallies 14 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals, and the New York Liberty beat the Dallas Wings 88-77 for their third straight victory in the WNBA. Elsewhere, A'ja Wilson nets 29 points and 12 rebounds on her 29th birthday and Jackie Young adds 26 points, including a key 3-pointer with 51 seconds left, as the Las Vegas Aces defeat the Seattle Storm 90-86 for their fifth win in six games.

After heroically walking out to bat on the final day of the Oval Test, injured England seamer Chris Woakes is racing against time to be fit for the Ashes, saying rehabilitation "may be a risk worth taking" over surgery on his dislocated shoulder to keep his hopes alive. The 36-year-old has undergone scans and is awaiting results but believes an eight-week rehab programme could have him ready for the first Test in Perth on November 21.

"I'm waiting to see what the extent of the damage is but I think the options will be to have surgery or to go down a rehab route and try and get it as strong as possible," Woakes told BBC Sport. Woakes had injured his shoulder while trying to save a boundary on the opening day of the fifth Test against India. He didn't bowl for the rest of the Test and neither did he bat in the first innings.

ChatGPT's OpenAI has defeated Elon Musk's Grok in the final of a tournament held among the world's various artificial intelligence (AI) chess players. OpenAI's o3 model did not lose any game in the tournament and beat Grok 4 in the final, while Google's model Gemini finished third.

Victoria Mboko, the 18-year-old Canadian, soared from world no. 85 to 25 in just 10 days after defeating former women's singles world number one Naomi Osaka in Montreal yesterday. Mboko rallied from a set down to win the Canadian Open title in front of a partisan home crowd and capture her first WTA Tour title. Know all about her background and achievements in our report.

India 'A' Women have won the toss and opted to bowl first against Australia 'A' Women in the 2nd T20 of their three-game series at Mackay’s Great Barrier Reef Arena. The India A team had lost the opener, falling 13 runs short in their chase of 138, and are looking to level the series before the final match. Track the live updates in our dedicated blog.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant take on Diamond Harbour FC in a crucial Durand Cup Group B match at Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata at 7pm IST. Only a win can guarantee Mohun Bagan the top spot, while a draw would suffice for Diamond Harbour to remain first and qualify directly for the quarter-finals. Check out our preview to know all about the encounter.

Sandbagging in chess, the act of intentionally losing to lower one’s rating for tournament advantage, has drawn global attention after FIDE sanctioned Li Haoyu of China. Underperforming to lower one’s Elo rating can enable a player to qualify for lower-rated tournament sections and target substantial prize money. Read our explainer to learn more.

With that, we conclude our coverage here of today's sports news and events. Live updates continue at our dedicated blogs for the India A women's T20 and Durand Cup. We will be back tomorrow with this one-stop sports shop. Until then, goodbye.