Good Morning! Here’s what happened in the world of sports on Monday, July 7.

TENNIS

Get ready for a full breakdown of the quarterfinals in a minute, but first a quick headline from yesterday… beloved but oft-injured (19) Grigor Dimitrov was playing some of the most inspired tennis of his career against (1) Jannik Sinner. The Bulgarian won the first two sets, Sinner had fallen and tweaked his right elbow, and a monumental upset was brewing. But at 2-2 in the third, it all came crashing down. Dimitrov hit a serve and immediately clutched his right shoulder, falling to the ground in pain. After a brief visit to the locker room with a trainer, he was forced to retire from the match with a pectoral injury. "I don't take this as a win, at all. This is just a very unfortunate moment to witness for all of us,” said Sinner afterwards. The top seed got incredibly lucky, advancing to the next round on a day where he was being thoroughly outplayed. As for Dimitrov, it’s another terribly unfortunate injury at the worst time. Wishing him the best in a speedy recovery.

MLB

Manny Machado may be one of the more underrated superstars in the sport of baseball. Last night, Machado recorded his 2,000th hit. Although he turned 33 on Sunday, he’s just the 12th player in the sport’s history to reach 2k hits and 350 home runs in their age-32 season. It’s not just a small group that Manny joined, it’s an elite one: Eight of the 11 are inner-circle Hall of Famers Hank Aaron, Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig, Ken Griffey Jr., Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Mel Ott, and Frank Robinson. The other three are Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera (not yet eligible for the Hall) and Alex Rodriguez (it’s complicated). Besides that, Machado was just elected to his seventh all-star game. He’s started every game this season and more games than anyone in the big leagues since 2015. I’m as surprised as anyone to be saying this, but when it’s all said and done, we might be looking at one of the best third baseman in baseball history.

Oh, and for his 2,001st hit? Machado hit a home run.

NOTEWORTHY NEWS

Three-way trade alert! The Clippers are sending Normal Powell to the Heat, who are sending Kevin Love and Kyle Anderson to the Jazz, who are sending John Collins to the Clippers. Utah also received a second-round pick from LA. So to recap, Miami got a legit scoring punch, the Clippers picked up an athletic stretch forward, and the Jazz helped out their efforts to select first in next year’s draft.

Orlando Magic all-star Paolo Banchero has agreed to a five-year contract extension that could reach $287 million. Orlando is officially all-in.

Olympic fencer Ysaora Thibus was cleared of a doping accusation with what will be forever known as “the kissing defense.” I’m not making this up, go read about it.

WIMBLEDON QUARTERFINAL PREVIEW

An equal mix of top seeds and complete surprises make up the final eight competitors in both the men’s and women’s quarterfinals. Let’s look at the draw and rank each player’s chances of taking home the title:

1. (2) Carlos Alcaraz: The two-time defending champ continues to thrill audiences and defeat every opponent in his path. Could this be a coronation?

2. (6) Novak Djokovic: It’s a toss-up between the seven-time champ and the number one seed Sinner, but the last few matches Novak suddenly looked a lot like his old self. Very few have been able to stop a determined Djokovic when a Grand Slam is on the line.

3. (1) Jannik Sinner: First we have to see how his elbow holds up after yesterday’s injury scare. But this guy has only one loss in his last three Grand Slams, and that was in one of the greatest finals ever a few weeks ago. I feel silly ranking anyone on earth ahead of Sinner, the most consistent and arguably the dominant player on tour over the past year.

4. (5) Taylor Fritz: Outside of the top three, the American may have the best shot. He survived a few early tests, has multiple grass court titles, and is the only other remaining player to have made a Grand Slam final. There’s a huge gap between the favorites and the other five, but Fritz earned this position.

5. (17) Karen Khachanov: The big-serving Russian has the talent to breakthrough– could Wimbledon of all places be where he puts it all together? Khachanov’s got the firepower to pull off an upset.

6. (10) Ben Shelton: Few players can match the electric serve-forehand combination of the young American, who’s enjoying every moment on the grass. Shelton hasn’t shown an ability to build long points against the top competition, however, and he’ll likely have to defeat all three of the favorites to become champion.

7. (22) Flavio Cobolli: What an incredible tournament for the young Italian! I’m a big fan of this guy’s game. While the odds are against him the rest of the week, keep an eye on Cobolli moving forward.

8. Cam Norrie: The Brit turned back the clock and roared into the quarterfinals with the support of the home crowd. I guess anything is possible, but he’s a heavy, heavy underdog today against Alcaraz.

1. (1) Aryna Sabalenka: She’s the best player in the world, of course she’s the favorite! Sabalenka has yet to lose a set this tournament and looks determined to win her first Wimbledon. This is the only ranking I feel confident about, and I still don’t feel great picking Sabalenka to win… over the last eight years, chaos has been the only constant in the women’s singles draw.

2. (13) Amanda Anisimova: I guarantee you no one else has the American ranked this high, but few others control a tennis court the way Anisimova can. She’s playing her best tennis right now– it’s been fun watching Anisimova absolutely blasting the ball through the court. No one wants to play against that.

3. (7) Mirra Andreeva: The top seed remaining on the other side of the bracket, the 18-year-old Andreeva plays with more confidence than most of her competitors. It’s no longer a question of “if” but simply “when” Andreeva will win her first Grand Slam. Plus she’s yet to drop a set this tournament.

4. (8) Iga Swiatek: She’s been at this late stage at Grand Slams before, but never at this tournament. Famously not a grass court player, Iga has unlocked something this past week and is playing closer to her best tennis.

5. Belinda Bencic: The former world number four is officially back after having her first child a little over a year ago. A gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, Bencic is playing as well as anyone right now. She would be the second unseeded woman to win at Wimbledon in the last three years.

6. (19) Luidmila Samsonova: Why can’t she win? Samsonova hasn’t dropped a set this tournament and sort of fits the bill of the last few random Wimbledon champions. She’s talented enough to beat the top players and we’d never have predicted the result.

7. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova: Again, why not? She made the finals of the French Open in 2021, so there’s no lack of experience. Pavlyuchenkova beatNaomi Osaka, the 31-seed, and a hometown favorite from Britain on the way to the quarters.

8. Laura Siegemund: At 37 years old, Siegemund is the oldest player to make their first career Wimbledon quarterfinal. A US Open doubles champion, her tricky and unusual style can pose lots of problems for opponents, especially on grass.

TODAY’S BIG GAMES (all times Eastern)

MLB:

• Mets @ Orioles, 6:35 PM

• Dodgers @ Brewers, 7:40 PM on TBS

  • Clayton Kershaw vs Jacob Misiorowski

• Phillies @ Giants, 9:45 PM

WIMBLEDON:

• (5) Taylor Fritz vs (17) Karen Khachanov, 8 AM

• (1) Aryna Sabalenka vs Laura Siegemund, 8:30 AM

• (13) Amanda Anisimova vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 9:40 AM

• (2) Carlos Alcaraz vs Cam Norrie, 9:40 AM

TRIVIA TUESDAY: Write in with your best guesses– answers revealed tomorrow!

Easy: Newly-extended Paolo Banchero was the first overall pick out of Duke in 2022. A few weeks ago, Cooper Flagg became the fourth Blue Devil to go number one since 2000. Can you name the other two?

Medium: Manny Machado became the fifth active player with 2,000 hits. Can you name the other four?

Hard: 12 players have won Rookie of the Year and MVP, and went on to become baseball Hall of Famers. How many can you name?

See you tomorrow!