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A Super Sunday for the ages

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On a day when headlines screamed of the biggest sporting events in the world, it was a great time to be a sports fan.

July 15, 2018 proved to be a Super Sunday to remember as three great sporting events from around the world kept fans glued to their seats all day long. First of the list was Manny Pacquiao’s TKO win over Argentine Lucas Matthysse in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where the Filipino ring icon was crowned lord of the ring once again, followed by the dominant Wimbledon triumph of Novak Djokovic over Kevin Anderson in London, before France matched its 1998 heroes following a 4-2 championship win over a tough Croatian team in the 2018 Fifa World Cup Finals in Russia. AFP

One of the most memorable ‘Sports Super Sundays’ in history had all the drama and surprises. 

In this rarest of occasions, not one but three great events left sports fans glued to their seats all day long. 

First, it was Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao, who rejuvenated his mythical form of yore to score his first stoppage win in nearly a decade to snatch Lucas Matthysse’s World Boxing Association welterweight belt in Kuala Lumpur. 

The fighting Senator, who came from a one-year layoff away from the squared circle, finally broke down “The Machine” after flooring him thrice in a match which ended at 2:43 in the 7th round, with Matthysse spitting out his mouthpiece in figurative surrender. 

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Pacquiao, 39, put the lid on doubts about his dipping performance inside the ring after this masterful win which we last saw back in 2009, when he made mincemeat of Miguel Cotto in a 12th-round TKO victory.

After the fight, Pacquiao said another one for 2018 is in the offing, although there are no official names yet. With this resounding win though, don’t expect him to retire anytime soon, even if President Duterte advised him to.

Then, time came for everyone to revert their attention to London. 

Later in the evening, Novak Djokovic sealed his 13th Grand Slam title and fourth Wimbledon Men’s Final trophy, following a crushing 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (3) win over Kevin Anderson, who came short yet again in a Grand Slam final.

It was an emphatic return to the grass court for the Serbian ace following a nagging elbow injury last year, which forced him to sit out the remainder of 2017 and miss the US Open for the first time since 2004. 

Anderson, whose serve was pivotal all tournament long, faltered when it mattered as Djokovic broke his serve four times. This was Anderson’s second Grand Slam final defeat in less than a year after losing to Rafa Nadal at the 2017 US Open. 

Ultimately, it was too late when the South African finally found his rhythm as Djokovic took home the title in a tiebreaker.

Shortly after, cheers erupted at the Luzhniki in Russia. 

This was when France went up 18 minutes into their World Cup Final game against Croatia thanks to an own goal from Mario Madzukic. The breakthrough was the first in a goal-fest that had more goals than last three world cup finals combined. 

Eventually, the heavy favorite France took home their second world cup trophy after 20 years as they cruised to a 4-2 victory over Croatia, which could not muster their comeback magic this time around. 

The 21st world cup final in history, whose scoreline was the most in regular time since 1958, featured a penalty, a decisive decision from the Virtual Assistant Referee, delicious strikes and volleys and a wet and soggy closing ceremony. 

Indeed, it was a great time to be a sports fan.

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