It’s Wimbledon finals weekend while Springboks stalwart Willie le Roux reaches an amazing milestone.
Willie becomes a centurion for the Springboks
Willie le Roux will become the eighth Springbok centurion on Saturday when South Africa meet Italy in the second Castle Lager Incoming Series Test at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha. Salmaan Moerat skippers a side including three uncapped players on the bench. Kickoff on Saturday is at 17:10.
Rassie Erasmus effusive in his praise of Willie Le Roux
Bok coach Rassie Erasmus is a big fan of Willie’s work.
“Willie has been a stalwart for us in the last few years after making his debut against Italy in Durban in 2013, and he’s a fantastic playmaker, so we are thrilled to see him achieve this incredible feat.
“Only seven players in Springbok history have played 100 Tests before him, and to reach this milestone is testament to the player and team man that Willie is.”
Le Roux joins an elite club of Springbok centurions, following in the footsteps of Eben Etzebeth, Victor Matfield, Bryan Habana, Tendai Mtwawarira, John Smit, Jean de Villiers, and Percy Montgomery.
Alcaraz is the favourite against Taylor Fritz
Spanish superstar Carlos Alcaraz is still just 22 but he’s the man to beat right now and gunning for a stunning third consecutive Wimbledon crown. He dispatched Briton Cameron Norrie in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 in the quarter-finals to sound an ominous warning to the rest of the draw. In earlier rounds, Alcaraz dropped at least a set in each of his matches; his first round match against retiring veteran Fabio Fognini went to five. Alcaraz is already appearing in his eighth grand slam semi, he’s also won five slams from five final appearances. How do you beat a man with a 100% strike-rate in the biggest encounters? Fritz will have to stop Carlitos’ current 23-match winning streak too, three more wins and Alcaraz will equal Jannik Sinner’s mark of 26 consecutive wins posted between 2024 and 2025. Alcaraz has also won 19 matches on the bounce at Wimbledon, dispelling myths that grass is his weakest surface. He’s truly an all-court and all-surface player already. On grass, Alcaraz 34 wins, four titles and only three defeats.
The winner of this match meets the winner of Novak Djokovic vs Jannik Sinner.
Wimbledon semifinal preview: Alcaraz vs Fritz
Swiatek and Anisimova break new ground
The last seven years have produced seen different ladies champions at Wimbledon, and we’ll have an eighth new name on the bounce in 2025. Serena Williams was the last woman to defend the Venus Rosewater dish back in 2016. Polish No. 8 seed Iga Swiatek faces American No. 13 seed Amanda Anisimova in the showpiece match.
Club World Cup final
MetLife Stadium, New Jersey is the venue for this year’s Club World Cup final. European champions PSG meet 2021 Champions League winners Chelsea in the showpiece match. PSG dispatched Real Madrid in the semis and Bayern Munich in the quarters, while Chelsea eliminated Brazilian sides Fluminense in the semis and Palmeiras in the quarters.
The match kicks off on Sunday, 13 July at 21:00 (CAT).
