Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna and Egypt’s Hana Goda are among the elite players set to compete at the WTT Star Contender Ljubljana 2025, taking place in Slovenia.

The WTT Star Contender Ljubljana 2025 boasts a prize pool of $300,000 and offers valuable ITTF Table Tennis World Ranking points.

The singles champions will receive $17,000 and 600 points, while the doubles champions will take home $5,500 and 600 points.

This highly anticipated event, hosted at Hala Tivoli in Ljubljana, has attracted a star-studded lineup of table tennis greats.

Aruna, currently ranked 24th in the world and the highest-ranked African player, is seeded No. 14 in the men’s singles and has received a bye into the second round (last 32). He is expected to face the winner between Japan’s Shunsuke Togami and China’s Xu Haidong on Friday, June 20.

Similarly, Goda, seeded No. 15 in the women’s singles, also received a bye into the second round. She is set to face the winner between Japan’s Sakura Yokoi and South Korea’s Joo Cheonhui.

Some of the world’s best players will battle it out over five events in what promises to be a week-long table tennis spectacle.

Leading the charge in the men’s singles is Brazilian star and 2025 World Championships runner-up, Hugo Calderano.

Known as the “Thrill from Brazil,” Calderano returns to Slovenia with bold ambition, looking to defend his title from last year’s triumph.

Joining him are global heavyweights including Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto, winner of the Men’s Singles title at WTT Star Contender Doha 2025; Felix Lebrun, champion at WTT Champions Montpellier 2024; and Slovenian home favourite Darko Jorgic.

In the women’s singles, Japan’s Miwa Harimoto headlines the field after claiming the title at WTT Star Contender Chennai 2025. Her compatriot Hina Hayata is also back to defend her title from last year’s Ljubljana tournament.

Other strong contenders include South Korea’s Shin Yubin, seeking her first WTT Star Contender title, as well as Romania’s Bernadette Szocs and China’s Qian Tianyi, both of whom are expected to make deep runs in the competition.

Sports247.ng

The Lakers, with their star player LeBron James, are said to be sold to billionaire financier Mark Walter

The majority stake of the Los Angeles Lakers basketball franchise is being sold in what will mark the most expensive sale of a US sports team in history, according to a source familiar with the deal.

The Buss family has owned the team – one of the most iconic in sports globally – since 1979 and now has made a deal with TWG Global CEO Mark Walter, the source said.

The sale is reportedly worth an estimated $10 billion (£7.45bn) – though it could increase once finalised.

Mr Walter also has a controlling stake in the Los Angeles Dodgers, the professional US baseball team that won the World Series last year.

The BBC has contacted the Lakers for comment.

A spokesperson for Mr Walter’s company confirmed the billionaire financier was in the midst of a deal with the Lakers.

“Mark Walter is entering into an agreement to acquire additional interests in the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers, of which he has been a stakeholder since 2021,” the spokesperson said.

In 2021, Mr Walter became a co-owner of the team with a 20% stake. He has investments with various sports teams globally, including the Chelsea Football Club and the Cadillac Formula 1 Team, which is set to enter racing in 2026.

The deal comes after the March sale of the Boston Celtics basketball team to Bill Chisholm for $6.1 billion – which at that time was dubbed the priciest sale of a US sports franchise. It had surpassed the 2023 sale of the Washington Commanders American football team for $6.05 billion.

US media reported Wednesday that the National Basketball Association team’s valuation is at least $10 billion. Its sale will surpass those record-breaking deals by about $4 billion.

Jerry Buss bought the team in a $67.5 million deal in 1979 that included the Los Angeles Kings hockey team and a Los Angeles arena, known as the Kia Forum.

Since that time, the Lakers have won more championship titles than any other NBA team. They’ve appeared at the NBA Finals 17 times under the Buss family ownership and won the championship 11 times.

The team – currently led by superstar LeBron James – made it to the playoffs the last three seasons but was eliminated.

After Mr Buss died in 2013, ownership was passed to his six children in a trust. The family owns a 66% stake in the franchise.

Jeanie Buss has served as the Lakers’ governor since that time – a position she’s reportedly going to keep under the terms of the sale to Mr Walter.

The Los Angeles Times reports the trust required the majority of the six children to agree on any sale of the team.

Lakers legend Magic Johnson, who previously owned a stake in the team, said fans should be ecstatic about the sale and that Mr Walter will carry on the team’s legacy – noting his ownership of the Dodgers led to a World Series win.

“I just talked to my sister Jeanie Buss to tell her congratulations, and that I’m so happy for her and family,” Mr Johnson said on X.

“She’s witnessed him build a winning team with the Dodgers and knows that Mark will do right by the Lakers team, organization, and fans!” he said in another post. “Both are extremely intelligent, visionaries, great leaders, and have positively impacted the greater Los Angeles community!”

Bbc.com

Former British number one Dan Evans has been given a wildcard into the men’s singles draw at Wimbledon later this month.

Evans, 35, recently regained his place in the world’s top 200 and the news comes two days after the former world number 21 earned his biggest win in two years.

Two-time women’s singles champion Petra Kvitova has also received a wildcard, which are given to players who are not ranked high enough for direct entry.

Czech former world number two Kvitova is the only non-British player named in the initial batch of wildcards announced on Wednesday.

Teenagers Mika Stojsavljevic – the US Open girls’ champion last year – and Hannah Klugman – the French Open girls’ finalist earlier this month – have also been given entry into the main draw.

Jodie Burrage, Harriet Dart, Francesca Jones and Heather Watson will join them, but French Open semi-finalist Lois Boisson is a notable omission.

The grass-court Grand Slam tournament begins at the All England Club on 30 June.

Evans rewarded after refusing to ‘ask’ for wildcard
A stalwart of the British game, Evans said last year he did not want to be “coming back to ask” for a Wimbledon wildcard.

But the world number 199 has been rewarded by the All England Club after continuing to persevere on the lower-tier ATP Challenger Tour.

Evans has insisted he believes he still has the level to break back into the world’s top 100 – which is good enough for direct entry into the sport’s four Grand Slam tournaments.

On Monday, he demonstrated his faith was well placed in an impressive win over 13th-ranked Frances Tiafoe in the Queen’s first round.

“I’m the first to harp on about the wildcards. It’s not just about one week or one match. It’s about what you do 52 weeks of the year,” Evans said after beating former US Open semi-finalist Tiafoe.

“Tennis is not just about the grass court season in Britain. It’s great that we’ve got an amazing set of events, but there is other tournaments.

“I haven’t been good enough at those other tournaments, but I’ve still been professional, still train day in, day out.”

Who else has received a wildcard?
Seven British players – Jack Draper, Emma Raducanu, Katie Boulter, Sonay Kartal, Jacob Fearnley, Cameron Norrie and Billy Harris – are all ranked high enough to receive direct entry into the 128-player singles draws.

On Wednesday, wildcards were given to seven British men’s players with one spot to be confirmed over the next fortnight.

Men’s singles wildcards: Jay Clarke, Oliver Crawford, Dan Evans, George Loffhagen, Johannus Monday, Jack Pinnington Jones, Henry Searle.

All eight wildcards in the women’s draw were announced, with a third promising teenager – 17-year-old Welsh player Mimi Xiu – joining Stojsavljevic and Klugman.

Women’s singles wildcards: Jodie Burrage, Harriet Dart, Francesca Jones, Hannah Klugman, Petra Kvitova, Mika Stojsavljevic, Heather Watson, Mimi Xu.

The wildcards are chosen at the discretion of the Wimbledon committee.

“Wildcards are usually offered on the basis of past performance at Wimbledon or to increase British interest,” the tournament said.

Bbc.com