July 9 (UPI) – The 2021 Wimbledon title matches, the NBA Finals, a celebrity golf tournament and top international football matches are at the top of the Sports Weekend schedule. Three NASCAR races and several UFC fights are also broadcast this weekend.
World No.1 Ash Barty of Australia takes on No 13 Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic in the 2021 Wimbledon women’s singles final at 9 a.m. EDT on Saturday in London. The game is broadcast on ESPN.
Barty is 5-2 against Pliskova in seven career games. She is 3-0 in their last games. The 2019 Roland Garros champion lost in the fourth round of Wimbledon 2019. She needed three sets to win her first round match this year at the All England club, but beat her next five opponents in straight sets to reach the final .
Pliskova has already played two semi-finals and one Grand Slam final. She won her first five matches in straight sets at Wimbledon 2021. She beat No.4 Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets on Thursday to advance to the final.
The men’s final will feature the Serbian Novak Djokovic or the Canadian Denis Shapovalov (12th) against the Italian Matteo Berrettini (9th) or the Polish Hubert Hurkacz (18th).
Berrettini will face Hurkacz in the semi-finals at 8:30 a.m. EDT on Friday at the All England Club. Djokovic then faces Shapovalov in the other men’s semi-final. Both matches are broadcast on ESPN.
“He’s got a full set,” Djokovic told reporters, when asked about Shapovalov on Wednesday. “He has tremendous serve, which is always tricky.
“He’s consistent coming into the net and his movement has improved. He’s probably making fewer mistakes. We played two tight sets earlier this year.… It’s impressive the way he’s playing.”
The men’s singles final is Sunday at 9 a.m. EDT on ESPN.
Celebrity golf
The 2021 American Century Championship Celebrity Golf Tournament takes place Friday through Sunday in Stateline, Nevada. Fans can watch 15 former Cy Young Award winners, several members of the Football Hall of Fame, current NFL stars and other celebrities at the annual event on NBC.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Golden State Warriors goalie Stephen Curry, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, NBA legend Charles Barkley, singer / actor Justin Timberlake and comedian Larry the Cable Guy are among the competitors in the 90 player field.
Former tennis star Mardy Fish will try to defend his title during the three-round event at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course on the shore of Lake Tahoe. Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is the frontrunner of the event, which includes a $ 600,000 purse with $ 125,000 for the winner.
“These are just probabilities. They are just guessing,” Romo told reporters Wednesday during a Zoom video conference. “But I feel like last year Mardy played amazing golf.
“I know he set the course record and shot 63. It will be tough to beat in any year.”
Coverage of the tournament’s first round begins at 5 p.m. EDT Friday on NBCSN. Coverage of the second and third rounds begins at 2:30 p.m. EDT Saturday and Sunday on NBC.
Football: Messi against Neymar
Neymar Jr. and Lionel Messi, two of the best soccer players in the world, will take part in the 2021 Copa America final at 8 p.m. EDT on Saturday at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
Neymar and Brazil are the favorites to beat Messi’s Argentina side. The match is broadcast on FS1.
Brazil won the South American soccer tournament in 2019. Argentina haven’t won a major title since 1993. Messi and Neymar won the Champions League together when they were teammates at Barcelona in 2015.
No fans will be present in Maracana on Saturday due to security measures in the event of the coronavirus pandemic.
Two more major international football matches will be broadcast on Sunday. Italy face England in the postponed UEFA Euro 2020 title match. The match takes place Sunday at 3 p.m. EDT at Wembley Stadium in London and airs on ESPN.
The United States Men’s National Team takes the field for a CONCACAF Gold Cup game against Haiti at 8:30 p.m. EDT Sunday at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas. The Group B match will be broadcast on FS1.
NBA Finals
The Milwaukee Bucks host the Phoenix Suns in Game 3 of the 2021 NBA Finals at 8 p.m. EDT Sunday at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. The best-of-seven streak remains in Milwaukee for Game 4 at 9 p.m. EDT Wednesday. The NBA Finals air on ABC.
Friday
Wimbledon tennis
Men’s semi-final: Matteo Berrettini vs. Hubert Hurkacz at 8:30 a.m. EDT on ESPN
Men’s semi-final: Novak Djokovic vs. Denis Shapovalov at 10:30 a.m. EDT on ESPN
MLB
Cardinals at Cubs at 2:20 p.m. EDT on MLB Network (non-market only)
Tigers at Twins at 8:10 p.m. EDT on MLB Network (non-market only)
Reds at Brewers at 8:10 p.m. EDT on YouTube
Yankees at Astros at 8:10 p.m. EDT on MLB Network (non-market only)
Golf
American Century Championship: First round at 5 p.m. EDT on NBCSN
Football
MLS: Columbus in Cincinnati at 7:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN +
NASCAR
Camping World Truck Series Corn Belt 150 at 9 p.m. EDT on FS1
Saturday
Wimbledon tennis
Women’s Final: Ash Barty vs. Karolina Pliskova at 9 a.m. EDT on ESPN
MLB
Blue Jays at Rays at 1:10 p.m. EDT on MLB Network (non-market only)
Athletics at Rangers at 4:05 p.m. EDT on FS1
Reds at Brewers at 7:15 p.m. EDT on Fox
Yankees at Astros at 7:15 p.m. EDT on Fox
Cardinals vs. Cubs at 7:15 p.m. EDT on Fox
Rockies at Padres at 10:10 p.m. EDT on MLB Network (non-market only)
Diamondbacks at Dodgers at 10:10 p.m. EDT on MLB Network (non-market only)
Golf
American Century Championship: Second Round 2:30 p.m. EDT on NBC
NASCAR
Xfinity Series Credit Karma Money 250 at 3:30 p.m. EDT on NBCSN
Football
Copa America final: Argentina vs Brazil at 8 p.m. EDT on FS1
UFC 264 on ESPN +
Sean O’Malley vs. Kris Moutinho at 10 p.m. EDT
Irene Aldana vs Yana Kunitskaya after the first fight
Tai Tuivasa vs. Greg Hardy after the second fight
Gilbert Burns vs. Stephen Thompson after the third fight
Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor after fourth fight
Sunday
Wimbledon tennis
Men’s final: Novak Djokovic or Denis Shapovalov vs. Matteo Berrettini or Hubert Hurkacz at 9 a.m. EDT on ESPN
MLB
Yankees at Astros at 2:10 p.m. EDT on TBS
Golf
American Century Championship: Final at 2:30 p.m. EDT on NBC
Football
Euro 2020: Italy vs England at 3 p.m. EDT on ESPN
Gold Cup: United States vs Haiti at 8:30 p.m. EDT on FS1
NASCAR
Quaker State 400 Cup Series at 3:30 p.m. EDT on NBCSN
NBA Finals
Game 3: Suns at Bucks at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC