British number three Dan Evans beat Viktor Troicki 6-2 6-3 to win the Surbiton Trophy.

The 29-year-old sped into a 5-1 lead en route to taking the first set against 33-year-old Serb Troicki, and did not relinquish the upper hand on his way to victory in front of home support.

American Alison Riske beat Magdalena Rybarikova 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 6-2 to win the women's title.

The British grass-court season continues with the Nottingham Open.

Rafael Nadal maintained his stranglehold on the French Open by beating Austrian fourth seed Dominic Thiem in four sets to lift a 12th men's singles title.

The Spaniard won for the third straight year at Roland Garros with a 6-3 5-7 6-1 6-1 victory in a high-quality final.

The 33-year-old is the first player to win 12 singles titles at the same Grand Slam and has now won 18 majors overall.

"I can't explain what I've achieved and how I feel. It's a dream," said Nadal.

"To play for the first time in 2005 - I never thought in 2019 I'd still be here. It's an incredible moment and very special for me."

It leaves the left-hander two Grand Slam titles adrift of Switzerland's Roger Federer, who he beat in the semi-finals, and three clear of Serbian world number one Novak Djokovic, whose bid to hold all four majors was ended by Thiem.

The second seed slid to the red dirt in triumph when he clinched victory on the second match point, lying behind the baseline with his arms outstretched as he contemplated the magnitude of his achievement.

With clay plastered over his back, he clambered to his feet and took the acclaim of an enthralled Roland Garros crowd which has become accustomed to seeing him triumph.

Thiem, 25, suffered his second Grand Slam final defeat after losing in three sets to Nadal in last year's final.

Edging a brutal start underpins Nadal's win

Hundreds of Spanish fans milling around outside Chatrier, identified by their red and yellow flags, football shirts and facepaint, has become an almost annual event before the men's final at Roland Garros since 2005.

Nadal has won on all but three of his appearances here, with his only defeats coming in the 2009 fourth-round by Robin Soderling and 2015 quarter-finals against Djokovic. In 2016, he pulled out before the third round with injury.

That meant he went into Sunday's final with a Roland Garros record of 92 wins and two defeats.

A fiercely contested first set was closer than the scoreline suggests, Nadal rattling off the final four games to edge ahead after 55 tense minutes.

Both players understood the importance of making a quick start, Nadal attempting to take advantage of any mental and physical fatigue in his opponent, who only finished his delayed semi-final against top seed Djokovic less than 24 hours earlier.

The result was a physical battle, full of intense rallies as each man tried to gain the upper hand by brute force.

Thiem earned the first break point of the match at 2-2, putting away an overhead which left many inside Chatrier - which only included a handful of red and white-clad Austrian fans - jumping to their feet in celebration.

Nadal responded instantly, earning three break points in the next game and taking the second with a precise forehand which fizzed past Thiem.

Sticking with Nadal was one thing, turning that into taking a set off the champion proved to be a tougher task.

Nadal saw off another break point in a lengthy service game for a 4-3 lead, a pivotal moment as he moved 5-3 ahead as an aggressive backhand rocked Thiem on break point.

That left Nadal serving for the opening set, which he clinched when Thiem dragged a backhand wide on the second set point.

Mental and physical exertions take their toll on Thiem

Thiem knew he could scarcely afford to go a set behind the reigning champion - and falling two adrift would have all but extinguished his hopes.

Following the intensity of the opening set, the level dropped in the second as serve dominated.

Only six receiving points were won in the opening 11 games - five for Nadal and just one for Thiem - before Thiem, out of nowhere, found himself with two set points.

And the Austrian levelled the match when Nadal blinked again, hitting a backhand long after a 10-shot rally.

But the exertions of winning that set, playing four days in a row and having 24 hours fewer than Nadal to recover from the semi-finals, perhaps took their toll.

Nadal nipped off court at the end of the set, possibly for a mental reset as much as anything else, leaving Thiem waiting on the baseline for the start of the third set.

Whether Nadal was using delaying tactics or not, the break of momentum worked.

Thiem delivered a poor service game as Nadal broke to love, the Spaniard backing that up with a hold to love sealed with an exquisite stun volley that even prompted a thumbs up from the Austrian.

Nadal won the opening 11 points of the third and clinched the double break with a trademark forehand down the line, an exuberant quadruple fist-pump celebration along the baseline stressing its importance.

Thiem won just seven points in the third set before ending a miserable 30 minutes with another unforced error into the net.

He began to look weary in the fourth set - particularly mentally - and Nadal smelt blood.

The Spaniard moved into a 3-0 lead, after seeing off break points in his two service games, before breaking again for a 5-1 lead.

Although Thiem saved one match point, he could not prevent the inevitable and batted a Nadal serve long to spark jubilant celebrations from the Spaniard.

Analysis

Former British number one Greg Rusedski on BBC Radio 5 Live

That was by far the best match we've seen at these championships.

Thiem was physically standing toe-to-toe with Nadal in the first set. We knew Thiem had to get off a great start to win his first major and he did that. It was electrifying.

It had a different feel to last year's final. Thiem wasn't overawed. He was not like a deer in headlights as he was last year in his first major final.

But it was about as well as I've seen Nadal play on a clay court and that's saying a lot for an 12-time champion.

Editor’s Note: Holley Hollan, 17, is a rookie in the NOS Energy Drink USAC National Midget Series. From June 5 through June 10, Hollan will be sharing her experiences with SPEED SPORT subscribers while competing during Indiana Midget Week. 

Hollan drives the No. 67k Toyota-powered midget for Keith Kunz Motorsports. Below is her fifth diary entry, recapping Saturday night’s events at Lawrenceburg Speedway in Lawrenceburg, Ind.

LAWRENCEBURG, Ind. – The fifth night of Indiana Midget Week at Lawrenceburg Speedway was crazy for us in a lot of ways, and not just because of some of the moves we saw on the track!

It was tough sledding for our No. 67k SiriusXM Bullet/Toyota. The night started out a bit rough in qualifying, and it’s proof of how tough it is as a rookie to go to new tracks and have to get up to speed quickly, especially with qualifying being such a critical part of the night.

That’s one of the lessons I feel like can’t be stated enough, is how important your qualifying laps are in the USAC format. If you don’t quite get it right there, you’re buried pretty deep, so those two laps truly set up your entire night. We just didn’t have what we needed in qualifying on top and ended up 23rd.

Because we cut a right-rear tire in our heat race, we had to start deep in the B-main, and started 10th in the B and just got to seventh to pick up the final transfer spot into the main event. That was tough, but it was a little bit fun to have a hard battle with my teammate Tanner Carrick in that one as well.

In the feature, we passed five or six cars, which was some good experience for me, but I made some mistakes later on and got tight on the cushion. We fell back to 17th, but it’s tricky for some of the best.

This track definitely teaches you that you have to learn fast when you’re racing with these USAC guys. There’s no time to waste. You can make four good laps, and one bad lap will kill you. Consistency is everything and making good, clean laps adds up.

It’s constantly the best competition and even just making it to the feature at this point in the week isn’t easy. I’m not thrilled about our Saturday, but I know that I don’t have much to hang my head about either.

This has been a tough week, but I know we’re still learning and I just have to keep pushing. Hopefully the rain holds off and we can race at Kokomo, because I’ve been there before and I’m optimistic!

UPDATE: Just after press time, the Indiana Midget Week finale at Kokomo Speedway was rained out.

Hollan’s prior entries can be accessed via the links below:

Entry No. 1: Rough Start For Hollan

Entry No. 2: Heat Win Gives Hollan A Boost

Entry No. 3: Hollan Fights Through Adversity

Entry No. 4: Hollan Keeps Learning At Bloomington

JEREZ, Spain – Michael van der Mark became the third winner of the World Superbike season on Saturday at Circuito de Jerez.

An uncharacteristic error from World Superbike championship leader Alvaro Bautista, who earlier in the day earned his 13th win of the year in the Superpole race. At the start of lap two Bautista suffered his first crash in World Superbike competition, ending his shot at sweeping the weekend.

The battle for the win then came alive as Jonathan Rea and van der Mark went head-to-head in the Spanish sun, resulting in the Dutchman taking his first win of the year, whilst Toprak Razgatlioglu romped to third and yet another podium.

Into turn one on the opening lap, Marco Melandr took the initial advantage. Alex Lowes crashed in turn two on the opening lap, ending his day. Later in the lap, Bautista took the lead in turn five as van der Mark followed him past Melandri.

Disater soon struck Bautista as he crashed in turn one on the second lap. He was able to remount and continue, but he brought his bike to the pits soon after.

At the front it was now Kawasaki’s Jonathan Rea on point with van der Mark in pursuit.

With 15 laps to go the top-five were covered by less than a second. In turn five Melandri tried to slip by Chaz Davies, but the move failed and both riders crashed out of the race.

Rea remained in the lead, but van der Mark had other ideas. He took the lead in turn six with 14 laps left and while Rea tried to stay close, he wasn’t able to stay in striking distance.

Van der Mark cruised to a comfortable victory from that point forward, besting Rea at the checkered by more than three seconds. Razgatlioglu was third with Michael Ruben Rinaldi a career-best fourth and Leon Haslam in fifth.

KOKOMO, Ind. – Early morning rains at Kokomo Speedway and the continued threat of precipitation through the day forced USAC officials to cancel Sunday night’s scheduled finale to Indiana Midget Week.

The quarter-mile bullring was set to play host to the sixth and final night of the week-long sojourn, with a tussle between Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports and Clauson-Marshall Racing set to take center stage, but the two powerhouses will remain tied at two wins each for the week after the rainout.

USAC and Kokomo Speedway officials are looking into scheduling possibilities for the potential addition of a NOS Energy Drink USAC National Midget Series race at the track later in the season.

As a result of the finale being rained out, defending USAC national midget champion Logan Seavey earned the Indiana Midget Week points title, with a win and four top-three finishes in five nights.

Seavey was victorious during the opening night of Indiana Midget Week at Montpelier Motor Speedway on Tuesday, but slipped to 12th on Wednesday at Gas City I-69 Speedway and had ground to make up.

He did just that for the rest of the week, however, earning back-to-back second place finishes at Lincoln Park Speedway and Bloomington Speedway that propelled him into the point lead when teammate and chief rival Tanner Thorson flipped early in Friday night’s feature at Bloomington.

Thorson’s last-place finish, combined with Seavey’s podium effort, gave the Sutter, Calif., native a lead he wouldn’t relinquish.

However, Seavey punctuated his title run with a third-place finish on Saturday night at Lawrenceburg Speedway, putting the points lead virtually out of reach after Tyler Courtney cut a tire late in the feature and fell out of contention at the three-eighths-mile oval.

That left Seavey to wear the crown with his No. 67 Mobil 1 Bullet/Toyota team, as he finished 36 points clear of Thorson in the final standings.

“Our car was consistently fast this week,” said Seavey. “In all honestly, I think we should have won four races this week. We had the lead the one time (at Lawrenceburg) and the caution came out. We built a little bit of a points buffer for the week and we’re starting to close the gap for the overall points lead.

“It’s just a bummer that we couldn’t finish it off on the track at Kokomo, but it’s an honor to be the Indiana Midget Week champion,” Seavey added. “A lot of great drivers have won that title before and it’s really special to me to add my name to that list.”

Seavey becomes the 11th driver to win an Indiana Midget Week championship in its 15-year history. It’s also the fifth title for Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports in the last seven editions of IMW.

Past champions of Indiana Midget Week include Shane Cottle (2005-06), Jerry Coons Jr. (2007), Tracy Hines (2008, 2010 co-champion), Bryan Clauson (2009, 2011, 2016), Brad Kuhn (2010 co-champion), Darren Hagen (2012), Christopher Bell (2013), Rico Abreu (2014-15), Shane Golobic (2017) and Spencer Bayston (2018), who won the title last year for KKM but did not return this year to defend his crown.

The USAC National Midget Series season will resume on June 29 at The Dirt Oval at Route 66 in Joliet, Ill.

CONCORD, N.C. — What makes you want to watch one racer over another?

Is it because he or she wins a lot? Is it an exciting driving style, brash personality, classy attitude or something entirely different?

Through nearly 30 years of working in the racing industry, we’ve seen more than our share of exciting performers.

From A.J. Foyt to Tony Stewart and Billy Pauch to Jack Hewitt, we’ve seen hundreds of racers we’d pay money to watch again in their hey-day.

Today, we are graced with hundreds of exciting and interesting performers in our sport. Thus, we’ve assembled a grid of 15 racers we’d pay to see:

Donny Schatz — There is no one better at race craft in all of racing. Schatz sees things on the track, not only corners ahead, but laps ahead of when they happen. Just when you think he’s beaten, there he is battling for the lead. Love him or hate him, he’s always worth watching.

Tyler Courtney — A midget or a non-winged sprint car; a bullring or a half-mile dirt track, it doesn’t matter. Courtney is frequently the man to beat in USAC national competition. He can win from the front or just as frequently romp through the field.

Max Verstappen — Verstappen is fearless. There’s no driver on the Formula One circuit he’s afraid of and no move he’s not willing to make. As difficult as passing can be in Formula One, Verstappen is often worth the price of admission.

J.D. Beach — You’ve got to love a guy who can win on a dirt track one week and one of the world’s most challenging road courses the next. Beach is one of the country’s top motorcycle racers in both the American Flat Track and MotoAmerica Superbike series.

Colton Herta — Another fast charger who is showing speed on ovals and road courses as evidenced by the 18-year-old’s NTT IndyCar Series victory at Circuit of The Americas.

Ryan Blaney — This third-generation racer is fast on all types of tracks where the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races and he’s not afraid to mix it up — even with his Team Penske teammates Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski. He’s not one to coast and collect.

Kyle Busch — I can hear most of you booing already. But I’m not intimidated and neither is Busch. He’s the best NASCAR driver of this time period. No one else is even close. Talent, attitude and bravado — Busch has it all.

Tyler Erb — It’s always fun to see a younger driver start winning races. That leads to a confident driver and more exciting performances. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series racer Erb is turning heads in his first season racing with the Best Performance team.

Rico Abreu — I don’t generally go to dirt-track races to see drivers tip-toe around the bottom of the track. That’s not something to consider when watching Abreu. He’s usually in the top groove and on the gas.

Christopher Bell — If Bell is driving it, I’m watching it. From outlaw karts to midgets, sprint cars and even the NASCAR Xfinity Series, he’s not only fun to watch, but a contender.

Lance Dewease — This one isn’t all about the driver. Dewease, a Hall of Fame driver, has teamed with fellow Hall of Famers Don Kreitz Jr. and Davey Brown to create the winningest sprint car team in Central Pennsylvania.

Kevin Thomas Jr. — Thomas has the three f’s — fast, flashy and fun. If it’s an open-wheel car, Thomas can drive it and win in it — and he’s usually does so in dramatic fashion.

Bobby Pierce — Second-generation late model driver Pierce has earned the nickname “Smooth Operator,” but speed is his modus operandi. Anywhere in the Midwest and at all of the country’s biggest late model races, everyone is watching Pierce.

Brad Sweet — Last year’s Knoxville Nationals winner Sweet has established himself as a legitimate threat to end Schatz’s reign atop the World of Outlaws standings and his Kasey Kahne Racing No. 49 is a fan favorite everywhere he races.

Takuma Sato — It’s simple; Sato is often a hero or a zero, which makes for excitement every time he’s in contention.

SPEED SPORT’s Jacob Seelman chats with USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series rookie Karsyn Elledge, who talks about her learning curve in her first season with the series.

ST. LOUIS -- One of the St. Louis Blues' most effective lines of the season will be reunited with the Stanley Cup on the line, as rookie winger Robert Thomas returns from injury in Game 6 on Sunday night against the Boston Bruins.

The Blues lead the series 3-2 and are seeking their first Cup in franchise history.

Thomas has been missing from the lineup since Game 1 of the Final, with speculation that he's been battling a wrist injury in the playoffs. That was also the game when he was lit up on a hit from Boston Bruins defenseman Torey Krug, although the Blues have steadfastly pushed back on the notion that the hit aggravated the injury.

Blues coach Craig Berube said he asked Thomas about his status after forward Ivan Barbashev was suspended for Game 6 following an illegal check on Boston forward Marcus Johansson.

"He said he could play. He was ready to play, so he feels good enough to play and we need a player," Berube said. "It was always in the back of my mind and obviously his mind, too. he wants to play, he's a gamer-- tough kid -- so he was always willing to play. But I think the time off has helped him, and he's more prepared now."

Thomas was sputtering by the time he left the lineup. He has a goal and five assists in 20 playoff games, but he only managed one assist in his past seven postseason games, skating to a minus-5. But he said he's up for the challenge.

"We've been talking about it for a couple days. I kind of had a feeling. Yesterday was kind of like our testing point where I got out there, was feeling the puck, completing the full practice. That was kind of the good-to-go [moment]," he said. "It's more nerve-wracking watching from upstairs, that's for sure. You're sweating the whole game up there. It's really tough to watch, Your gut's just turning. I'm happy to be back out there."

He returns to a line with Tyler Bozak and Patrick Maroon that has been dominant for stretches this season. It's a line that generated a plus-3.78 in 34 regular-season games, second best on the Blues. Forward Sammy Blais drops down to play with Oskar Sundqvist and Alex Steen, replacing Barbashev.

"It's awesome," said Maroon of the returning Thomas. "He has a lot of skill, he has speed, he brings a different element to the game, and I think with him on our line, it makes our line a lot better. He drives the engine with his fresh legs and his young talent. It helps us go."

ST. LOUIS -- Down 3-2 in the Stanley Cup Final against the St. Louis Blues, the Boston Bruins are making lineup changes to shake things up.

Boston will revert back to a traditional lineup of six defensemen and 12 forwards in Game 6 on Sunday night in St. Louis, with rookie forward Karson Kuhlman drawing in for the first time since April 30. Defenseman Steven Kampfer will be bumped from the lineup in Game 6.

"It's just a decision we made to be a little different," coach Bruce Cassidy said.

Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, who has been out since Game 2 with a concussion, is still not cleared, according to Cassidy.

Kuhlman, a 23-year-old rookie out of Minnesota-Duluth, has played in six playoff games this spring, registering two assists. However, he has been a healthy scratch since Game 4 of the second-round series against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Cassidy said he likes Kuhlman's motor.

Kuhlman will play on a line with David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk, a spot where David Backes has typically played. Backes, a longtime former Blues player, is not expected to play in the pivotal game.

Kuhlman said he's "just excited about" the chance to play in a Stanley Cup Final.

"I think [Cassidy] and I are on the same page," Kuhlman said. "We know what I can do to help this team."

Cassidy said the challenge for Kuhlman -- as it has been with all Bruins forwards -- "is getting inside" St. Louis' big defensive corps.

With captain Zdeno Chara playing in Game 5 with a reported broken jaw, the Bruins opted to dress seven defensemen in a precautionary move. Cassidy said his staff was not sure how much Chara would be able to play, and how playing would affect his breathing.

Chara, however, played 16:42 minutes in the game, although he appeared uncomfortable at times. Nonetheless, the seven-defenseman rotation is not ideal as it doesn't allow for blueliners to find a true rhythm in a game and can overwork forwards that need to double-shift.

The move to insert Kuhman is likely to help get Krejci going as the two have played together at other times this season. Krejci has been held without a point in five games this series.

The Bruins also need more from their talented top line. David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron have yet to score a five-on-five goal in this series. Though the top line has been red-hot for stretches during these playoffs, the Bruins have relied heavily on their depth to get them this far. Twenty different Boston players have scored this postseason.

"Your best players need to be your best players, but if they defend well and we have a good defensive game, you know, we're in it, I feel someone will step up," Cassidy said Saturday. "Probably them, because they usually do. But same token, we don't want to put so much pressure on them they get outside their overall game, their defensive game, because they're a good line all around and we don't want them to lose that."

The Bruins are hoping to force a Game 7 on home ice. It would mark the first time the Stanley Cup Final went to seven games since 2011 -- when the Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks for their most recent championship.

"We're obviously going to come out with the will and desire to compete, and they are, too," defenseman Torey Krug said. "There's pressure on both sides. If [they] don't win tonight then they have to come into a Game 7 in our building and that's pressure for them, I'm sure. For us, our season could end but we're coming into it with the right mentality that we're going to force a Game 7 and ultimately, it comes down to will and who wants it more."

England's Nikita Parris and Ellen White scored first-half goals as the Lionesses defeated neighbours Scotland 2-1 on Sunday to make a strong start to their women's World Cup campaign.

Phil Neville's team emerged as early leaders of a difficult Group D after a fine attacking display against the debutants at Stade de Nice, with 2015 World Cup runners-up Japan playing their first game, against Argentina, on Monday.

England went 1-0 ahead in the 14th minute when striker Parris fired her penalty past goalkeeper Lee Alexander after a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review had confirmed that forward Fran Kirby's cross inside the box had hit defender Nicola Docherty's arm.

They continued to trouble the Scottish defence and doubled their lead through Birmingham City forward White, who collected the ball at the edge of the penalty area and beat Alexander with a curled effort from her left foot in the 40th minute.

Scotland pulled back a goal in the second half as former Manchester City forward Claire Emslie took advantage of a rare defensive error by England skipper Steph Houghton to slot the ball past goalkeeper Karen Bardsley with 11 minutes to go.

"I think at 2-0 in this heat we thought it was going to be easy in the second half. It's a lesson that every game in this World Cup is going to be difficult," Neville said.

"I was pleased with the result. The first game is always the most difficult but we set certain standards and the players know we need to keep meeting them... If we don't, we get second-half performances like we just got. We've got to be relentless now."

The only worry for England on the day was a shoulder injury suffered by experienced defender Millie Bright who had to be substituted shortly after she landed awkwardly following a challenge on Erin Cuthbert.

England meet Argentina in their next match at Le Havre on Friday while Shelley Kerr's Scotland take on world number seven Japan on the same day in Rennes.

"We know we need to win one game, it does not have to be the first game, even if it would have been nice," Kerr said.

"At a competition like the World Cup you need to scrutinise (yourselves) to the max; there were a lot of positives for us in the second half though."