From the disappointment of the French women in basketball to the satisfaction of Elena Rybakina and Alexander Zverev, winners of the last Grand Slam of the season in New York, the sporting weekend was rich in emotions. Franceinfo: sport looks back at the main highlights of Saturday September 12 and Sunday September 13.
Basketball World Cup: Les Bleues beaten in the final
There was no exploit for the France team. Qualified for the World Cup final after their victory against Germany in the last four (86-64) on Saturday, the Blue suffered the law of the Americans in the last match of this 2026 edition (97-79). Despite a strong start to the match, they crumbled under the pressure and experience of their opponents, now five-time world champions in a row, and never recovered from a completely unsuccessful third quarter which left them in the ground.
Despite the disappointment, the Blues still achieved their best result in the World Cup, having never before played in a final in the competition. They added a second world medal to their list, after that of bronze in 1953, for the first edition of the World Cup.
US Open: Rybakina makes a double blow, Zverev as boss
Already assured of becoming world number one at the end of the tournament, Elena Rybakina ended her fortnight in New York in the best possible way, dominating Aryna Sabalenka (6-4, 5-7, 6-2) on Saturday in the final. Uncompromising against the Belarusian, the player from Kazakhstan offered herself a third Grand Slam coronation, after her titles at Wimbledon in 2022 and at the start of the year at the Australian Open.
Among the men, long accustomed to failing in Grand Slam finals, world number two Alexander Zverev won his first title at the US Open on Sunday September 13, his second Major of the season after Roland-Garros. Even though he lost a set on Sunday, the 29-year-old German gave an impression of great mastery in the final to win (6-3, 7-6 [7/2], 5-7, 6-2) against the American Ben Shelton (9th), who was playing his first Grand Slam final at the age of 23.
Ligue 1: Lille new leader, Monaco continues, Paris launches
After four days, the French championship has a new leader. Losc took control of the ranking after its serious victory against Troyes (2-0) on Sunday, thanks to two goals from Tiago Santos and Ethan Mbappé. The Mastiffs also benefited from the draw of Monaco, the only team with three victories at the start of the day, but held by Strasbourg on the lawn of Meinau (1-1), despite a sublime goal from Paris Brunner. A misstep from which Lyon and the PFC were unable to take advantage, who could also have claimed the leadership position in the event of a victory in Saturday evening's poster, but who were unable to decide between them (0-0).
Sunday evening, PSG finally launched its season on the national scene with a short success on the Brest pitch (1-0) thanks to its recruit Ferran Torres, in an evening marked by tributes to Eric Roy, who died of cancer this summer. In the second half of the table, Marseille, in limbo after a summer without recruitment, conceded a third defeat in a row, beaten by Rennes at the start of the day (1-0).
WXV Global Series: the Black Ferns dominate the Blues
A new competition designed to showcase the strength of women's rugby, the WXV Global Series officially began on Saturday. For their first meeting, and without several of their starters and executives (Manae Feleu, Madoussou Fall, Joanna Grisez...), the Blues were dominated by New Zealand (28-14) in Lyon.
After a complicated first 20 minutes for their restart match, Pauline Bourdon Sansus' teammates were able to react, without however managing to shake the Black Ferns. Next meeting against Australia, in Aix-en-Provence on September 19.
Spanish Grand Prix: Antonelli continues his unchallenged domination
Although there are still nine races left before the end of this 2026 Formula 1 season, the weeks pass and Kimi Antonelli's domination is becoming more and more clearly established. The young Italian driver won his 8th success of the season on Sunday on the Madring circuit. He remained stuck in the wheels of Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) for most of the race before the latter was forced to return to the pits nine laps from the finish to observe his only stop.
The Mercedes driver beat Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and Lando Norris (McLaren), the outgoing world champion having had bad luck with the virtual safety car when he could have aimed for a victory in Madrid. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) was the big loser of the weekend, forced to retire due to a braking problem on the 6th lap.
