Soccer:
On Sunday, France outlasted Croatia by the score of 4 to 2, in one of the highest scoring finals in the 'Beautiful Game's" tournament history. I was very happy that the game did not finish with the score 2-1, because of a controversial penalty kick call in the first half that went in France's favor. In the end, France was a very deserving winner of the event.
Tennis:
Novak Djokovic and Angelique Kerber were the winners of Wimbledon this year. It's good to see Novak back and playing well and contending to win tournaments again after his elbow injury. That injury forced him to miss significant time on the tour last year. In the final, he faced an exhausted Kevin Anderson from South Africa. In the semifinal, Anderson faced John Isner from the U.S. They played an absolutely crazy match that took 50 games in the fifth set and over six hours to finish!
Once again, I will voice my opinion that they need to change the tie break rules. The English need to institute a different tiebreaker in the fifth set. Why not use the method in use at the US Open, which ends the match in the fifth set after the eventual winner wins at least seven points and wins by two points? This would protect the overall health of the players in what is already an exhausting, individual sport.
On the women's side, Angelique Kerber beat Serena Williams in straight sets to win her third major. It was unfortunate that Serena played her worst match of the tournament in the finals. I'm sure she won't be the top seed for the US Open at the end of August, but it would be great if she surprised everyone and has a strong tournament.
Golf:
The British Open golf championship is this week in Scotland at Carnoustie Golf Club. This is traditionally the hardest golf course they play in the British Open series. Because of a very unusual weather pattern this year in Great Britain, there has been very little rain for a few months. The players are experiencing what it would be like to play golf on a concrete-like surface.
They don't have traditional irrigation systems over there because of the constant rain, so this is a very unusual setting. Oddly enough, there is rain in the forecast for the weekend. It will be interesting to see if it makes any difference at all.
At the end of the first round, the leader, Kevin Kisner, is only five under par. And no, I did not start watching at 1:30 a.m. in the morning when it was available.
Baseball:
The American League won the Major League Baseball All-Star game in extra innings by a score of 8-6. The Phillies' only representative, Aaron Nola, pitched very well in the fifth inning of the game. Let's see if the Phillies are just smoke and mirrors or the real thing in the second half of the season.
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A 2002 Cape grad and 2007 UD grad, Lewes resident Sumner Spence is one of the Cape area's biggest sports fans. Although he’s used a wheelchair his entire life, he has lived vicariously through his sports-playing father, brother, and friends, who gave him his love of sports. He hopes to provide new and interesting perspectives on the sports stories and issues of the day. Email Sumner at sumspence@gmail.com.
