Joel Huiqui, the unexpected hero who returned glory to Cruz Azul

Serena’s return

Serena Williams is now at the All England Club. The 44-year-old former champion accelerated her return to singles tennis and will compete at Wimbledon, which starts on Monday. He has not played an official singles match for almost four years.

Williams accepted a wild card for both singles and doubles, alongside her sister Venus. She recently played two doubles matches: winning with Victoria Mboko at the Queen’s Club and losing to Karolina Muchova at the Berlin Open. His serve and returns are still powerful, but the question is his mobility and resistance on the court.

“It’s a sign of confidence that she’s ready for the most prestigious tournament without having played singles in so long. But if anyone can do it, it’s Serena,” said ESPN commentator Mary Joe Fernández.

Patrick McEnroe added:

“This is Serena being Serena. It’s just like her to do something bold like that. I didn’t think for a minute that she would come back just to play doubles.”

With 23 Grand Slam singles titles – seven at Wimbledon – and 14 in doubles (all with Venus), no one doubts her experience. He also won Olympic gold in London 2012 in singles and doubles, right on the grass of the All England Club. She was runner-up four times in singles in this same tournament.

The singles draw will be on Friday. Williams will debut on Monday or Tuesday. “No one is going to want to face her,” said Fernandez, who captained Williams on the Fed Cup and the U.S. Olympic team.

The Williams sisters’ first doubles match will come later in the opening week. The expectation is maximum.

Victory that leaves Colombia on top

With a goal from defender Daniel Muñoz in the 76th minute, the Colombian National Team defeated the Democratic Republic of the Congo 1-0 at the Guadalajara Stadium. The victory places the South American team as provisional leader of Group K of the 2026 World Cup.

The African team planted an orderly defensive block. Their goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi was a figure when stopping several shots and canceling plays due to offside. Colombia generated dangerous arrivals, but it was difficult for them to break the lock.

The definition came when Muñoz took advantage of a mistake in marking inside the area to send the ball into the back of the net. The fans present celebrated the goal that unleashed euphoria in the stands.

With these three points, Colombia has six points and is at the top of the group. However, the final leadership will be defined on the last day. The next rival will be Portugal, a team led by Cristiano Ronaldo, which is also fighting for qualification and first place in the area.

The match against the Portuguese will be crucial to define the pass to the next phase. Colombia will seek to secure its ticket with a good result.

Despite the fact that Guillermo Ochoa has won six World Cups with Mexico, Javier Aguirre made it clear that he will not field the goalkeeper for mere recognition. After the victory against South Korea, versions emerged about a possible “tribute” against the Czech Republic. The technician firmly deactivated them.

“I always said, since I came back, that I wasn’t going to give anything away, that those who are here are due to their own merit. Due to injury we lost Marcel Ruiz, Luis Ángel Malagón and Rodrigo Huescas. Those who are in the best moment come to the National Team,” declared the ‘Basque’ in a conference.

Aguirre recognized the historical weight of Ochoa – present in every World Cup since Germany 2006, although he only played in Brazil 2014, Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 – and mentioned that the goalkeeper announced his retirement after this tournament. But that doesn’t guarantee you minutes.

“I don’t know how many Mexican players have been in six World Cups. Memo is with us distilling wisdom and experience, but even he gets tired of being talked to if he is going to play. I see him well, like Carlos Acevedo and ‘Tala’ Rangel,” he added.

In the last training session, Ochoa felt discomfort in his hip due to the poor state of the field at the CAR, but a serious injury was ruled out. His participation against the Czechs remains unknown, but Aguirre was blunt: there will be no gifts.