On one side of the net will be a player whose career was in jeopardy just last year through injuries. On the other side will be the most in-form player in tennis looking for her third French Open title.

Saturday’s women’s French Open final proves to be an intriguing one for many reasons, in particular because each player’s recent experiences offer tantalizing narratives.

First to qualify for the final was Iga Świątek, the world No. 1 and the reigning champion at Roland Garros. She has become almost unbeatable on clay courts, and is looking to cement her status at the top of women’s tennis.

And she was followed by Karolína Muchová, an unlikely finalist playing in her first grand slam final who was told by some doctors last year that her injuries were so severe her tennis career might have been over.

The pair have only met once before, Muchová beating Świątek at the 2019 Prague Open. But a lot has changed since then. Muchová has had to overcome countless battles with injuries while Świątek has skyrocketed to become a three-time grand slam winner.

Facing Świątek on clay at the moment is a daunting task for anyone – her dominance at the French Open has been likened to that of Rafael Nadal who won the grand slam 14 times.

But it was revealed to Muchová in her press conference that she was undefeated in previous encounters against the world No.1, No.2 and No.3 a statistic she says she can take confidence from.

“I don’t think I will be the favorite. It’s nice. I didn’t really even know about this statistic, if I say like that,” she said.

Whether it be a now-healthy player finally getting her opportunity to shine or her opponent looking to cement her name as one of tennis’ most dominant players, Court Philippe Chatrier is sure to see some fireworks.

Comeback with a flourish

Muchová has long been a favorite of tennis purists. Her all-round skillset, from power and precision to accuracy and athleticism, means she is close to the full package.

However, after a burgeoning beginning to her career, including a semifinal berth at the 2021 Australian Open, injuries blighted the Czech’s progress.

Having seemingly had all potential options open to her in the tennis world, the door appeared to slam shut with withdrawals and time spent in rehab. She dropped out of the top 100 in the world rankings and she said she received the news no professional athlete wants to hear. “Some doctors told me: ‘Maybe you’ll not do sport anymore,’” she recounted to reporters.

But Muchová never lost hope. She has slowly climbed back to her best and has enjoyed a remarkable run at this year’s French Open.

She beat No. 8 seed Maria Sakkari in the first round before beating 2020 semifinalist, Nadia Podoroska, in the second round. The 26-year-old then blitzed through her next three matches without dropping a set, overcoming No. 27 seed Irina-Camelia Begu, Elina Avanesyan and 2021 runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

She saved her most impressive performance for the semifinal though. Down 2-5 and facing match point against world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, Muchová was able to stave off the danger, win five games in a row to stun the Belarusian and reach her debut major final.

With a maiden grand slam in her sights, Muchová was in a sanguine mood after the victory over Sabalenka, making sure to highlight the struggles which makes her success in Paris all the more special for her.

“There has been many moments, many lows, I would say, from one injury to another,” Muchová – who is projected to return to the top 20 in the world rankings after the tournament – told reporters. “For sure when I missed Australian Open last year, and I was in a pretty bad state healthy-wise, I was working out a lot to try to get back.

“But I always kept it kind of positive in my mind and tried to work and do all the exercises to be able to come back. Obviously, as well last year, when my ranking dropped and I was thinking, you know, to play some small tournaments, and I did, I tried it, and there I didn’t really feel so great. I wanted to feel like motivated to play to get back, but I couldn’t somehow.

“So I knew for this year I had few more special rankings left. I was telling myself I will see how it’s going to be after Indian Wells, because that was my last special ranking there. You know, I played great in Dubai, I did great in Indian Wells, I was feeling pretty fine health-wise.

“It’s up-and-downs in life all the time. Now I’m enjoying that I’m on the upper part now.”

Improvement and dominance

Świątek has been here before. In the final, with just a victory between her and a French Open title, this is familiar territory for the Pole.

Although she’s familiar with the situation, Świątek said a lot had changed since her first French Open title three years ago.

“Oh, my God. Yes, for sure I feel like I’m a better player,” the 22-year-old said when asked if she considered herself a better player from the one who won her debut grand slam in 2020 at Roland Garros.

“Improvement I feel like is everywhere, so I can’t really say. Everywhere, like tennis-wise, mentally, tactically, physically, just having the experience, everything. So, yeah, my whole life basically.”

Once again, Świątek has looked almost unstoppable in Paris. She has not dropped a set on her way to the final, her stiffest test coming against No. 14 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia where she was forced to a second set tie break in which she eventually prevailed.

Her semifinal victory and Sabalenka’s defeat ensured she will remain atop the world rankings whatever the result.

Świątek revealed that she was familiar with Muchová’s game because she had watched her matches and played her in practice many times since 2019.

With the opportunity to solidify as one of the most dominant prospects in all of sports, just like Nadal did at the same venue on the men’s side of tennis, Świątek said the Spaniard’s success was never a motivating factor for her.

“I wouldn’t say that kind of motivation, it’s my style. I’m more of a person who just try to do her best every day and hope for the best,” she told reporters.

“But, no, like Rafa, what he did and what he’s still doing, it’s pretty amazing. I never kind of knew that it’s going to be possible for me. So it was totally out of my reach, if I can say that. And still he played so well so many years, I don’t know if it’s going to be possible for me.

“But I just try to compete, keep it cool year by year and just do everything step by step. So I wasn’t really thinking that.”

If British food has come in for a bit of mockery over the years, it isn’t because the recipes are wrong. It’s because they’re misunderstood.

We call sausages “toads.” We cover offal in gravy, wrap it in pastry and call it a “pudding.” We eat eels! Real, no foolin’ eels!

None of it really makes sense to the casual observer. But that’s just one of the things that makes British cuisine so special, whether it be from any of the four corners of the UK: England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

Eating British food is not just eating. It is a surrealist expedition into a magical parallel universe that will challenge almost everything your eyes, your palate and your gut know to be right and proper.

These are some of the classic British dishes:

The Full English

We’re not about to claim that we’re the only nation that eats eggs and fried pork products in some form for breakfast.

But we would humbly suggest that we’ve taken the whole notion of the “cooked breakfast” to more ambitious places than anyone else would probably dare.

A proper British fry-up requires more than a plate. It requires a vast platter capable of accommodating not just predictable eggs and banal bacon but their exotic cousins: kidneys, fried bread, a sausage made entirely of blood (see black pudding, below) and a concoction of leftover potatoes and vegetables that we inexplicably call “bubble and squeak.”

See also: The Full Scottish.

Yorkshire pudding

Pudding, for you non-Brits, is what we in the UK call dessert. But the Yorkshire pudding is a liar.

It looks all puffy and mouthwatering like a pudding, right? But don’t let its friendly appearance fool you. It is not a pudding at all. Like 95% of all British cuisine, it is comprised entirely of eggs, flour, milk and fat.

Before Prozac arrived, this was often the best available alternative.

Toad in the hole

Exactly the same as the above recipe but with sausages and therefore 3.7 times tastier.

Black pudding

Despite the name, there’s no mistaking this one for a dessert. It’s a sausage made out of blood. Congealed blood. And oats.

The trick to eating this successfully is to shut your eyes and try not to think or breathe. That way it’s actually quite exquisite.

Spotted dick

They gave you this in English schools in the ’70s and ‘80s when Margaret Thatcher ruled the land with a fist of iron. In fact, it might have even been her idea.

Spotted dick is a dense and delicious combination of sugar, flour, currants and the raw, shredded fat found around the loins and kidneys of a sheep. And if that’s not sophisticated enough, it is traditionally drenched in the national beverage: custard.

Jellied eels

Imagine the biggest slug you’ve ever seen. Then imagine eating it.

Pie and mash

A glorious way – no, the only way – to consume as many carbs as possible in one meal. Pastry on the bottom, a different type of pastry on the top, unidentifiable flesh in the middle and a tsunami of mashed potatoes.

Shepherd’s pie

Another national dish built upon a tissue of lies. Not a pie but a gigantic swamp of brown meat and gravy hidden beneath a thick blanket of mashed potato. Excessive consumption of this dish risks triggering a neurological condition known as “mash psychosis.”

Fish fingers, chips and beans

By which we mean, fish sticks, oven-cooked french fries and canned beans in tomato sauce.

By the age of 16, the average British child will have eaten this dish 4,160 times.

Gone to a friend’s house for dinner? Fish fingers, chips and beans. Got a friend round for dinner? Fish fingers, chips and beans. Mom and dad had a few drinks again? Fish fingers, chips and beans.

Proust had his madeleines. The Brits have oven chips and frozen sticks of reconstituted haddock.

Scotch egg

An egg wrapped in a sausage. What could be better except maybe …

Sausage roll

A sausage wrapped in an egg (and various other ingredients that make up pastry).

Trifle

Can’t decide on dessert? Let trifle solve the conundrum. Layer one pudding on top of another pudding on top of another and cover it all with whipped cream.

For good measure, douse the whole thing in fortified wine then chuck on a bunch of brightly colored sprinkles and a cherry.

Brits will put a cherry on top of anything and call it dessert.

Eton mess

The heroin of desserts. In some upper-class areas of Britain, you can’t move for the aristocrats passed out in the gutter having overdosed on this intoxicating mixture of meringue, cream and fruit.

Steak and kidney pudding

How do you like your steak? Medium rare and served with peppercorn sauce? Gently seared with a crisp green salad on the side?

Or perhaps the way that the Queen of England (probably) preferred it during her long life: cut into chunks, combined with the vital organs of a sheep and stuffed inside a gigantic bucket of pastry?

Rice pudding

In China, it’s fried with egg. In Japan, it’s served cold with raw fish. There’s only one way we serve our rice in Britain: overcooked and drowned in milk and sugar..

Jam roly poly

A rolled up cake made of shredded fat filled with jam. Something like this could only be conjured from the imagination of a nation that also gave you The Beatles, the World Wide Web and fox hunting.

Fish and chips

Nothing – not the Union Jack flag, not the White Cliffs of Dover, not the BBC, not even the chilling sight of Cliff Richard singing at Wimbledon – is as British as fish and chips.

Everything about this greasy delight is British, from the cod, caught in cold Atlantic waters off the coast of Iceland, to the potatoes, originally cultivated by native Americans and first brought to Europe by the Spanish. All deep fried in oil, imported from, among other places, Latin America.

Traditionally, served wrapped in newspaper, you’re nowadays more likely to have it dished up in a carcinogenic, non-recyclable box. Yum.

Scones

History will probably one day reveal that the English Civil War of 1642-1651 was started by two idiots who couldn’t agree on whether the jam or cream went on the scone first.

This is still a cause of division in the country that makes our bickering over Brexit seem tame and reasonable by comparison.

Christmas pudding

Was it the 18th-century literary giant Dr. Johnson who said that when a man is tired of Christmas pudding, he is tired of life? That said, Johnson suffered terribly from gout.

Tea

We stole plants from China and India, sailed all the way back home, dried them, crushed them, drowned them in boiling water then mixed the whole thing with milk and sugar.

We now delude ourselves that there isn’t a crisis that can’t be resolved simply by brewing up a pot of tea.

This story was originally published in 2019. It was updated and republished in June 2023.

Major US cities trapped under a thick, orange blanket of smog this week will soon get a reprieve, as the Canadian wildfires spewing noxious fumes across the border are easing up.

Fire activity in the province of Quebec has improved, and the area covered by smoke is now just 7% of what it was last week. Slightly cooler temperatures and higher humidity in Canada mean less smoke billowing across the border.

But there are two big caveats: It’s still early in the Canadian fire season, meaning more wildfires could flare up this summer. And several US states are still suffering poor air quality, which could cause health problems.

“Smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to be transported south by winds into the U.S. resulting in moderate to unhealthy air quality across parts of the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, Ohio Valley, and Midwest on Friday,” the National Weather Service said. “Some improvement is expected this weekend.”

While the worst has passed for most of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic regions, potentially harmful air pollutants in New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, DC, are expected to linger Friday before slowly clearing over the next several days.

Philadelphia’s air quality index exceeded 150 early Friday, making it “unhealthy,” according to the monitoring website AirNow. New York City’s air quality index was below 150 early Friday and deemed “unhealthy for sensitive groups.”

The oppressive smoke this week has postponed professional sports games, grounded flights due to poor visibility, shuttered zoos and beaches and forced many to mask up outdoors. Climate experts have warned such events are becoming more frequent due to human-induced climate change.

About 50 million people across several Midwest and East Coast states were under air quality alerts early Friday, but the number could change as conditions improve in some areas.

Here’s what to expect:

• Entire states’ air quality is compromised: All of Pennsylvania, Delaware, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey and Indiana are under air quality alerts, as well as parts of Ohio, Michigan, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina.

• Schools go remote: Public schools in New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, DC, have remote learning Friday to help reduce exposure to air toxins.

• New York City will improve: After having the world’s worst air quality multiple times this week, according to IQAir, the Big Apple could see some “significant improvement,” Mayor Eric Adams said Thursday. “As of right now, the smoke models are not indicating another large plume over the city,” Adams said, though he urged people to mask well when outside.

• Evacuated Canadians can go home: Most of the Halifax residents evacuated because of the wildfires will be allowed to return home Friday, Mayor Mike Savage said. About 16,000 people fled their homes during the height of the wildfire evacuations, and about 4,100 remain evacuated.

• Firefighters will get help: New York state plans to send forest rangers to help fight the wildfires in Quebec Friday, Gov. Kathy Hochul said. Federal resources have also been deployed, the White House has said.

Scientists warn such routine-altering weather events are more likely to continue disrupting daily life as the planet warms, creating the ideal environment for more severe and frequent wildfires.

When flames burn, the smoke can travel thousands of miles, which puts millions more people in harm’s way.

Wildfire smoke is particularly dangerous because it contains tiny particulate matter, or PM2.5, the tiniest of pollutants. When inhaled, it can move deep into lung tissue and enter the bloodstream.

It comes from sources including the combustion of fossil fuels, dust storms and wildfires. Such smoke has been linked to several health complications including asthma, heart disease and other respiratory illnesses.

Click on the website of any given luxury resort in Maldives and you’ll likely find an entire page highlighting its commitment to sustainability and associated “green” credentials.

The lingo isn’t your usual tourism marketing jargon – terms like waste management, soil erosion and solar energy generation don’t exactly evoke visions of cream-hued beaches lapped by impossibly blue waters.

But Maldives isn’t your usual destination. As the world’s lowest-lying country, it’s 99% water, with its 1,000-plus islands spread over 90,000 square kilometers.

The majority of the country’s 160-plus resorts sit on individual islands, putting the onus on these accommodations to go above and beyond to reduce their impact on Maldives’ fragile environment.

But do tourists actually care about a resort’s sustainability cred?

Increasingly, the answer is “yes,” says marine biologist Samuel Dixon, who has been with the Fairmont Maldives, Sirru Fen Fushi since before it opened over five years ago.

As the luxury resort’s sustainability manager, he oversees all of the 120-villa property’s eco-inspired initiatives, from protecting the 9-kilometer-long house reef to implementing cutting-edge energy-saving strategies.

“I have noticed that there is a lot more inquiry into some of the work that I’m doing here, whether it’s on coral restoration, turtle conservation, recycling or our energy and our solar usage. To have a lot more guests engaging and asking these types of questions is music to my ears because it means we are heading into a future where there is a bigger call for a more sustainable hospitality industry.”

Dixon oversaw the installation of a new facility at the resort, the Sustainability Lab, which offers guests a front-row seat to one of the biggest challenges faced by Maldives – plastic waste.

Opened in early 2022, it’s the first center of its kind in the country. Set just steps away from the resort’s arrival dock inside a building made of upcycled shipping containers, it’s filled with specialized machinery that turns plastic waste into bespoke souvenirs, furniture and supplies for local schools.

The lab also recycles discarded “ghost nets” – discarded by fishing boats, they’re particularly harmful to sea turtles – by braiding them into bracelets and luggage tags.

A visit to the lab is sobering. Large bins filled with different colors of tiny pieces of plastic line the shelves, ready to be put into the industrial machines and melted down into various shapes and sizes. The predominant color is blue thanks to an abundance of plastic water bottle tops.

Dixon says the plastic is sourced from multiple places. There’s the packaging that comes with the weekly food supplies. They also collect plastic waste from neighboring hotels and local schools.

And, of course, the sea provides an endless supply of materials.

“That is the gift, unfortunately, which does keep on giving every day,” he says of the ocean.

“We are removing between three to five kilograms of waste in the morning just from this resort. And about one to two kilograms of that is plastic. And so we collect it and make trips to other uninhabited islands as well.”

The foraged plastic is first washed to remove any dirt or residue. Then, it’s shredded down into small pellets that can be used in two ways. There’s the extruder, which melts it down and reforms it into 3D molds to create souvenir turtles, carabiner hooks and school rulers.

There’s also a press, which will flatten the plastic into sheets that can be used “exactly like wood,” says Dixon. The resort’s carpentry team uses it to make furniture, which guests can commission and get shipped home.

Though the amount of plastic processed is small in the grand scheme of things, Dixon says it’s important to remind visitors of the issues faced by Maldives while also working with the local communities to address such challenges.

“I think what’s fantastic about bringing this into the hospitality industry, and particularly in a location like the Maldives, which is an paradise idyllic location, is it really brings it to the forefront of guests’ minds,” he says.

“Guests can actually not just hear the words, ‘oh, the hotel recycles plastic,’ they can come and they can see it. They can visualize it. They can actually be a part of the process. And we do try to make it as fun as we can.”

As a result of their efforts, the Sustainability Lab is one of the few places on the resort island where guests will actually see much plastic.

There are no plastic water bottles – glass only – while guests are each given a reusable water bottle they can fill at one of the water stations around the island and take home as a souvenir. Even the toothpaste in the dental kits comes in a tiny paper packet.

Underwater art installation doubles as artificial reef

Another resort space that puts a heavy emphasis on conservation is the Coralarium, located a few dozen meters offshore from the main beach area.

A large, metal sculpture, it doubles as a coral garden for local wildlife that guests can snorkel into and explore.

“The Coralarium aims to be a center for education and for conservation,” says Dixon. “It was made all with pH-neutral material, so it’s nontoxic to the marine life and contains no harmful pollutants. The structure was designed to kind of replicate a hard substrate of a coral reef. So when coral have the mass spawning events, the Coralarium essentially catches the coral polyps and facilitates coral naturally.”

He says it’s essentially an artificial reef, but with live coral growing on it, too.

“We’ve had about 120 fish species move in, so it’s become a mini habitat for marine life there, which is great to show guests.”

‘Secret Water Island’

Suitably, the Fairmont Maldives is located on what’s been nicknamed “Secret Water Island.”

On the backside of the island is the resort’s 9-kilometer house reef, which is home to more than 400 species of marine life. Directly offshore, it can easily be explored with a snorkel set. Those who visit between December and April will be able to witness the reef’s manta ray season.

But guests don’t even need to go into the water to take in the abundance of aquatic wildlife offshore.

At Kata, the resort’s Japanese restaurant, large reef sharks can be spotted cruising through the waters below its stilted platforms alongside other colorful fish. Similar scenes are also a nightly occurrence at Azure, Fairmont’s seafood restaurant.

In terms of accommodations, Fairmont Maldives, Sirru Fen Fushi has a variety of overwater villas in varying sizes, while those who prefer the beach can opt for sunrise or sunset villas. (The sunrise villas face the house reef, the sunset villas are opposite the Coralarium.) There are also tented villas for those who want to really get close to nature.

There’s a variety of treatments and therapies on offer in the large spa, plenty of water sports activities and excursions and an excellent kids’ club. Children can learn more about the resort’s conservation efforts by joining its new Generation Sea program, which includes visits to both the Sustainability Lab and the Coralarium.

For sustainability manager Dixon, seeing guests young and old take an interest in these once-neglected issues has been incredibly validating.

“When I think about how we’ve really adapted and created a more sustainable environment here, a more sustainable operation within this hotel, it makes me very proud,” he says.

It’s not often that a soccer match can be encapsulated in just a single word.

But mention “Istanbul” and every fan in the world will know exactly which game you’re talking about.

On May 25, 2005, Liverpool and AC Milan contested the Champions League final at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium, which also hosts this year’s showpiece between Manchester City and Inter Milan.

That match 18 years ago would go down as one of the most memorable and iconic in sporting history, one which is still referred to by Liverpool fans as the ‘miracle of Istanbul.’

Leading 3-0 at half time thanks to Paolo Maldini’s opening-minute goal and a brace from Hernan Crespo, AC Milan already had one hand on the trophy when the teams returned to the dressing rooms.

What happened in the second half, however, made the 2005 Champions League final the mother of all “I was there” moments.

“It was incredible that we were 3-0 down against an Italian side at half time and we managed to win it at the end in the penalty shootout.”

What makes the events of that night all the more remarkable is that Liverpool’s comeback was completed almost as soon as it had started.

There were just seven minutes between Liverpool captain and talisman Steven Gerrard scoring Liverpool’s first and Xabi Alonso leveling the scores just after the hour mark, a thrilling, chaotic period in which the Reds seemingly did the impossible.

Rafael Benítez’s men emerged for the second half looking like an entirely different team, one full of belief that played with courage and purpose. But what sparked this sudden turnaround?

“I think the most asked question is: ‘What happened at half time?’” Hyypia said. “I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve explained what happened. It was very quiet at first and we heard the crowd singing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ outside and that’s incredible.

“Your team is 3-0 down and the crowd is singing for the whole of halftime and maybe that gave us a little bit of strength, but then Rafa Benítez was quite calm and he just said: ‘Look, boys, it can’t continue like this. We have to give the fans something to cheer about in the second half, many of them have traveled a long way – even in cars to Istanbul to support us.

“I wouldn’t think that he expected for that to happen, what then happened.”

Even after Gerrard scored the first – a looping header that he celebrated by frantically waving his arms and bellowing in an attempt to gee up his teammates – Hyypia said the team still didn’t quite believe they could mount a comeback.

But when Vladimír Šmicer’s sweet strike made it 3-2 just two minutes later, Hyypia said everything changed.

“I think the second goal was the turning point when we started to have belief that we can come back,” the Finnish defender recalled.

“The third one came quite quickly after that and I think it was a bit of shock for Milan that we came back to 3-3 and then they started to play again and it went a bit more even again.

“They had a great chance that Jerzy [Dudek] saved in extra time, the double save from [Andriy] Shevchenko, which was an incredible double save from Jerzy and of course he was the hero then in the penalty shootout as well.”

Indeed, that truly incredible double save from Liverpool’s Polish goalkeeper was as important as any of the team’s three goals.

Even today, the second of Dudek’s saves to deny Shevchenko in the dying minutes of extra time still seems almost physically impossible – a touch off the glove from point-blank range that somehow diverted the ball over the crossbar.

Without that save, then Dudek’s famous “wobbly legs” that helped to win the penalty shootout and Liverpool’s comeback would forgotten; “Istanbul” would likely never have become part of soccer’s lexicon.

For Hyypia, these moments just made the occasion all the more remarkable.

“Every footballer in the world would like to win the Champions League once and that night I managed to win it and nobody has taken that from me,” Hyypia said. “It’s in the history books and I think that’s the biggest thing you can win in club competitions.

“We managed to win it then and I’m happy for that and I thank all of my teammates and the people who helped us on the way to the final and to win it.”

The night was also an unforgettable one for AC Milan and its fans, but for all the wrong reasons.

At halftime, the supporters in the stadium and back home in Milan would have been forgiven for starting their celebrations early. The 3-0 lead was a deserved one which reflected the gulf in class between the two teams.

Legendary Brazilian goalkeeper Dida played for AC Milan that night and did everything in his power to maintain his team’s lead, saving Xabi Alonso’s penalty in the second half, but he was beaten to the rebound by the Spaniard.

Even 15 years after that night, Dida admitted he still plays that final over in his head and wonders how his team squandered a seemingly unassailable lead.

“So that image, I believe, will remain in everyone’s heads. The cup [we thought] was practically ours, but football is this way, it’s beautiful because until the referee ends the game, anything can happen.”

AC Milan did get its revenge two years later, beating Liverpool 2-1 in the final, a game that Dida said helped to ease the pain of Istanbul.

“Obviously talking about 2007 is much nicer,” he said. “We’re a lot happier, especially because we won.

“It was proof that we could have done the same thing two years before, but time has passed and we must try and forget about the match we lost and focus more on the one we won.”

If Saturday’s contest between Man City and Inter is half as thrilling as the 2005 final, then fans are in for another special occasion.

Together, they conquered tennis. Now, Serena and Venus Williams are turning their talents to golf.

A head-spinning week of revelations in the golf world continued Thursday as the Williams sisters’ Los Angeles Golf Club (LAGC) were announced as the first franchise of the TGL – Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s tech-infused stadium golf competition set to launch in January 2024.

LAGC’s ownership group will be formed of the two sisters and Serena’s husband Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit, a statement from Ohanian and TGL CEO Mike McCarley said.

It will mark the second Los Angeles sports franchise owned by Ohanian, who is the principal owner and founding investor of National Women’s Soccer League franchise Angel City FC.

LAGC is the first of six franchises set to compete in the TGL, a competition formed in partnership with the PGA Tour.

On Twitter, Ohanian announced that his and Williams’ daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., would be a co-owner in LAGC.

With Olympia also among the ownership group for Angel City FC, Ohanian declared the five-year-old to be both “the youngest owner in professional sports” and “now the youngest 2-team owner in professional sports.”

After Williams confirmed she was pregnant with the couple’s second child in May, Ohanian added that Olympia’s future sibling would join her in LAGC ownership.

“To wit, my wife Serena and I are delighted that Olympia has taken a liking to golf, so I’m proud to announce that they’re both owners in this club as well – as is the little one on the way,” he said in a statement.

“This is another piece of the legacy I’m building with my family, and I hope LAGC can become a part of many other families’ lives too.”

The announcement arrives in the wake of the shock reconciliation between the PGA Tour and the Saudi-backed breakaway LIV Golf on Tuesday.

The two warring tours are set to unify with the DP World Tour under a new, yet to be named for-profit company, with all pending litigation mutually ended under the agreement.

What is the TGL?

First announced in August 2022, the TGL will see six teams of three PGA Tour players compete in front of a stadium crowd at a custom-built arena in Palm Beach, Florida.

The competition will follow a 15-game seasonal format, followed by semifinals and a championship match, and will be televised in a primetime slot on Monday nights.

The high-tech concept will see players hit shots on a virtual screen before moving to a “state-of-the-art short game complex” in the center of the stadium, according to a press release.

In a bid to attract a younger audience to golf and make the sport more appealing for spectators, every shot will be played within a two-hour window on the hybrid virtual course.

Twelve PGA Tour players have been confirmed to feature, including Woods, McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, and Collin Morikawa.

“We all know what it’s like to be in a football stadium or a basketball arena where you can watch every play, every minute of action unfold right in front of you,” said 15-time major champion Woods upon the announcement of the competition last year.

“It’s something that inherently isn’t possible in traditional golf – and an aspect of TGL that will set it apart and appeal to a new generation of fans.”

The Florida Panthers won the franchise’s first-ever Stanley Cup Final game, downing the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 in overtime to take Game 3 on Thursday.

In a dramatic comeback, Matthew Tkachuk leveled the score with time running out before Carter Verhaeghe scored an overtime winner to seal a historic day for the Panthers franchise.

The game got off to the best possible start for the Panthers in front of their home fans at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida.

Just over four minutes into the first period, Brandon Montour went top shelf on Knights goalie Adin Hill to get the scoring started early.

Panthers star Tkachuk then took a big hit by Vegas forward Keegan Kolesar. The 25-year-old headed to the locker room but was able to return in the second period.

Down 1-0 in the closing minutes of the first period, Knights captain Mark Stone scored on the power play to tie the game at one.

With five minutes to go in the second period, Knights forward Jonathan Marchessault ripped a one-timer past Panthers goalie and two-time Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky. The goal gave Marchessault his 13th of the playoffs, tying Edmonton Oilers star Leon Draisitl for the lead.

Florida pulled Bobrovsky with just over two minutes to play in the game and down one goal. Tkachuk then got the loose puck in front of the Vegas crease and found the back of the net to tie things up and send Game 3 to overtime.

The home crowd came alive as the Panthers found new life heading into the overtime period.

After killing off a power play to start overtime, Panthers’ Verhaeghe completed the comeback and scored the winner to cut the series deficit to 2-1 for Florida.

“I mean, they all counted us out before the Final even started,” a defiant Tkachuk said postgame, per ESPN. “We’re that type of team where we know what the end goal [is]. We don’t know how we’re going to get there, but we’re going to do everything we can to get there.”

The Panthers are now an incredible 7-0 in overtime in the playoffs this year.

Game 4 is scheduled for Saturday in Florida with the Panthers looking to tie the series at home.

This year’s Belmont Stakes is under threat as wildfire smoke originating from Canada continues to spread across the US.

The iconic race is due to be held on Saturday in Elmont, New York but the event has already been impacted by the poor air quality.

The New York Racing Association (NYRA) postponed Thursday’s schedule at Belmont Park and said racing would only be authorised if conditions improved.

“Safety is paramount as we navigate this unprecedented situation,” said NYRA President and CEO David O’Rourke in a statement.

“NYRA will actively monitor all available data and weather information as we work toward the resumption of training and racing.

“Based on current forecast models and consultation with our external weather services, we remain optimistic that we will see an improvement in air quality on Friday.”

Millions across the US and Canada remain at risk of inhaling potentially harmful air as wildfire smoke continues to wreak havoc. Parts of the East Coast are expected to continue to suffer poor air quality until at least the weekend.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) – one of the largest animal rights organizations in the world – called for the race to be postponed earlier this week “due to smoke and the dangerous particulate level.”

“If the air in New York is unsafe for humans, it will be worse for horses running at top speed,” PETA said in a statement.

“The safety of the horses must come before profit and tradition, even if it means postponing the Belmont Stakes.”

Horse safety

New York’s governor Kathy Hochul told reporters that the race could be cancelled if the air quality index exceeds 200.

It was explained that if the air quality index was between 150-200, only horses that have passed a medical examination would be permitted to race.

“People come from all over the country. It’s huge for the local economy. And so we can hopefully can get this going,” Hochul said.

“But there’s no assurance of what the weather’s going to be. So it’s going to be a last-minute decision, I’m sure.”

Should the event go ahead as planned, all eyes will be on Belmont Park for the final leg of the coveted Triple Crown – a series which includes the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes.

This year’s races have already been marred by multiple horse deaths and questions about animal welfare in the sport but there are still nine horses set to compete for the prestigious prize.

How to watch

The Belmont Stakes will take place on Saturday at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.

For the first time, Fox will broadcast all of Saturday’s races instead of its usual home on NBC.

The big race will start at 7.02 p.m. ET.

The lineup and odds

The odds are from the Belmont Stakes official website and are correct as of June 9 at 7 a.m ET

Tapit Shoes: 20-1

Tapit Trice: 3-1

Arcangelo: 8-1

National Treasure: 5-1

Il Miracolo: 30-1

Forte: 5-2

Hit Show: 10-1

Angel of Empire: 7-2

Red Route One: 15-1

Ones to watch

The Belmont will offer an opportunity of redemption for Forte, who was scratched from this year’s Kentucky Derby at the last minute.

The horse was forced to miss the first leg of the Triple Crown by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission state veterinarian due to a bruised right front foot but he heads into the Belmont as the heavy favourite.

His biggest competition will likely come from the likes of Tapit Trice, Angel of Empire and Bob Baffert’s National Treasure – which won the Preakness Stakes last month.

The win made Baffert the winningest trainer in Preakness Stakes history, having now had eight horses win the race.

Air quality conditions over much of the eastern US are forecast to slowly improve this weekend after plumes of harmful air from hundreds of wildfires in Canada traveled south, but schools in some metro areas will undergo remote learning Friday as officials remain on guard about pollution exposure.

While the most severe conditions have passed for most in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, potentially harmful air pollutants over cities including New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC, are forecast to linger Friday before the areas slowly clear over the next several days.

“Smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to be transported south by winds into the U.S. resulting in moderate to unhealthy air quality across parts of the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Ohio Valley, and Midwest on Friday. Some improvement is expected this weekend,” the National Weather Service said.

The dense clouds of smoke have postponed professional sports games, grounded flights due to poor visibility, shuttered zoos and beaches as well as forced many to mask up when outdoors. Climate experts have warned such events are becoming more frequent due to human-induced climate change.

About 50 million people across several Midwest and East Coast states were under air quality alerts, but that number can change Friday as conditions improve for some.

Here’s what to expect Friday:

The wildfire smoke from more than 400 blazes in Quebec has stopped wafting south after several days of movement, eventually reaching and wrapping parts of the Atlantic seaboard in an orange cloudy haze. In Quebec, smoke from wildfires across the region has been significantly reduced.

Early Friday, New York City’s air quality index was below 150, a designation considered “unhealthy for sensitive groups”, or a level 3 of 6, according to the monitoring website AirNow.

Philadelphia’s air quality index exceeded 150 early Friday, making it “unhealthy.” The city’s air is expected to improve slightly to “unhealthy for sensitive groups” later Friday.

Notably, though, improvements are occurring slowly with only light winds and little change to the current weather pattern, which will keep the smoke trapped closer to the ground until it slowly dissipates.

As of 2 a.m. ET Friday, several metro areas still had “unhealthy” levels of air quality, including Dover, Delaware; Richmond, Virginia; Atlantic City, New Jersey; and Raleigh, North Carolina.

But officials warn that such routine-altering weather events are more likely to continue disrupting daily life as the planet warms, creating the ideal environment for more severe and frequent wildfires. When those flames burn, the smoke can travel thousands of miles, which puts millions more people in harm’s way.

Wildfire smoke is particularly dangerous because it contains tiny particulate matter, or PM2.5 – the tiniest of pollutants. When inhaled, it can move deep into lung tissue and enter the bloodstream. It comes from sources including the combustion of fossil fuels, dust storms and wildfires, and such smoke has been linked to several health complications including asthma, heart disease and other respiratory illnesses.

Due to those possible dangers, US President Joe Biden on Thursday said it’s “very important” that communities experiencing air pollution heed local guidance and check on their neighbors.

Dr. Peter DeCarlo, an associate professor in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, urged people to closely monitor the air quality in their vicinities and limit time outdoors.

“For this week, this is just a situation where we’ve got a few days of pretty poor air quality. … It’s the beginning of summer for many of us who are parents, and maybe we can use it as an opportunity not to run around as much until this poor air quality passes,” DeCarlo said.

For many people, getting the chance to witness some of the world’s most iconic wildlife up close and in their natural environment is high on the bucket list. If you’re lucky, and your hands are steady in the moment, you might even capture the perfect photo and a vacation memory to last a lifetime.

Chris Fallows, world-renowned South African wildlife photographer, knows just how exhilarating this kind of experience can be. He’s lived it over and over.

Fans of “Shark Week” have likely seen Fallows’ work; he was the first to capture a great white shark breaching the waters near Seal Island, off the coast of Cape Town, in 1996. His extensive body of work has since appeared in more than 60 international documentaries and over 500 publications. For Fallows, though, taking a photograph is about more than capturing a great image. It’s about telling a unique story and sharing a passion with the world.

As a dedicated shark conservationist, he and his wife are educating people about this often-misunderstood predator. But his efforts don’t stop there – Fallows fights for all wildlife and hopes that through his lens, he can create awareness and effect change for many animals that Fallows says he’s seen disappearing in what amounts to an “evolutionary blink of an eye.”

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Chris Fallows: I was exposed to wildlife as a very young boy. Through that exposure, I became incredibly passionate about these animals. I was very fortunate to be able to discover some pretty unique behavior at Seal Island and False Bay, and that was of the flying great white shark. I certainly saw a great niche and opportunity for me as a photographer, and I started trying to capture this incredibly athletic great white shark’s behavior, which opened unprecedented doors for me throughout the world.

Fallows: Wildlife photography is an incredibly glamorous, gratifying occupation. However, it also involves a tremendous amount of hard work. The more depth you study your subjects, the more connected you become with them, the more emotionally attached you become.

Each year for the past five years, I have spent wild camping with my wife Monique and members of one of Kenya’s Maasai tribes, where we live with the Maasai embracing their culture and then going out with them to find and photograph the last of the 30 great “tuskers” [African elephants whose tusks grow so long they can touch the ground] left in Africa today. This is just one example of the incredible stories that give an extra dimension to the photographs I capture, using innovative techniques and a lifetime of getting to know the subjects that allow me to get respectfully and intimately close to lions, elephants and great white sharks, to name a few.

And I guess one of the biggest challenges is balancing trying to get photographs and at the same time remaining unemotionally attached. So, while still always in the back of your mind knowing the very importance of what you are doing, you are ultimately exposing these animals for people all around the world to see, appreciate, and hopefully become ambassadors for the future of conservation.

Fallows: My advice to any young person starting out on a photographic career is it’s really most important to follow your passion – whether it’s photographing flowers, insects, snakes or sharks – really focus on that which you’re most passionate about because passion ultimately fuels you every morning and makes you get up, makes you want to be out there.

And then really, follow your heart, follow the course that you’ve chosen, and success will generally come with that. I really believe that as photographers, we, those of us who photograph wildlife, we’ve got a very important duty, and that’s to showcase these animals not only for their beauty but also for the threat they face. It really is our privilege to be out there in the field.

Fallows: Well, it’s been a long journey for me as a wildlife photographer spanning nearly 30 years, from that initial discovery of those flying sharks. The journey has led me to a point where I really want to give back. So, with the proceeds of our fine artwork, my wife and I want to buy large tracts of land in Southern Africa to be rehabilitated and rewilded as our legacy to hopefully leaving this planet in a better way than that which we came into it.

For us, it’s been a journey to a point where hopefully, at the end of the day, our artwork that sits on people’s walls and offices and exhibitions around the world will be, most importantly, a way to give back to the very animals that gave us the privilege to see them in the first place.