Every weekend during October is a great one for sports. October 10 and 11 are no different. On Saturday, we crown a 2020 French Open Champion and Clemson Football faces their biggest test of the year. Then on Sunday, we crown another French Open tennis champ, the Major League Baseball postseason continues, and it’s NFL Week 5. Check out what’s happening this weekend in sports!
Top Sports Events for This Weekend – Oct. 10 – Oct. 11
- When: Saturday, Oct. 10 – Sunday, Oct. 11
Saturday, Oct. 10
Soccer
International soccer leagues like English Premier and La Liga take a back seat to UEFA Nations League and CONCACAF FIFA World Cup Qualifying. Among Saturday’s top Nations League games are Spain versus Switzerland and the Ukraine against Germany. Spain has looked awesome in 2020. They could be the World Cup favorite after the Nations League. So, make sure to check them out against the Swiss.
French Open: Kenin against Swiatek in Women’s Singles Final
Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin takes on Iga Swiatek at the 2020 French Open Women’s Singles Final on Saturday. Kenin is just 20-years-old while Swiatek is just 19-years-old. Who takes the final tennis major of the year? Make sure to get up early and check out the match!
UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs Sandhagen
Ultimate Fighting Championships return to Fight Island in the United Arab Emirates for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night card. 23-6-1 Marlon Moraes takes on 12-2 Corey Sandhagen in the main event. Edson Barboza battles Makwan Amirkhani and Ben Rothwell fights Marcin Tybura in two of the undercard bouts.
NCAAF Week 6
College football has an awesome Saturday schedule. #4 Florida takes on #21 Texas A&M, #19 Virginia Tech heads to Greensboro to battle #8 North Carolina, #14 Tennessee goes against #3 Georgia, and the Red River Rivalry happens on Saturday when #22 Texas takes on unranked Oklahoma.
But although all those games should be competitive, the most important matchup on Saturday is between #7 Miami and #1 Clemson. Miami quarterback D’Eriq King is a serious Heisman Trophy candidate. If King can lead the Canes past Trevor Lawrence and Clemson, we can all say that the Miami Hurricane football program has returned to prominence.
Sunday, Oct. 11
F1: Mercedes-Benz German GP
Lewis Hamilton is the favorite to win the German Grand Prix on Sunday. He’s not a lock. Since the Italian GP on Sep. 6, Hamilton has just a single win in 3 races. Pierre Grasly won the Italian Grand Prix, Hamilton took the Tuscan GP, and Valtteri Bottas won the Russian Grand Prix. This Sunday’s Formula 1 race might be one to watch.
Soccer
Plenty of Nations League action headlines the soccer calendar for October 11. Croatia takes on Sweden and Poland throws down against Italy. The Italians missed out on the last World Cup. That was a major embarrassment. Are the Italians good enough to make amends for 2018?
Italy versus Poland should be a great match. It’s not the most intriguing match on Sunday. England battles Belgium early while Portugal takes on France in the afternoon. Both of those matches should be competitive and emotional games.
Major League Baseball
Even though many fans are upset, the Houston Astros proved they mustn’t cheat to play great baseball. The Stros beat the rival Oakland A’s 3-1 in the divisional playoffs to make it to the American League Championship Series. On Sunday, Houston awaits the winner of Friday’s Game 5 between the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays for Game 1.
Over in the National League Championship Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves throw down in Game 1. LAD has looked unbeatable. But Atlanta swept the Reds and the Marlins. So, yes, the Braves are also undefeated in the playoffs.
French Open: Dojokovic and Rafa on collision course for Men’s Finals
On Friday, Novak Djokovic must get past Stefanos Tsitsipas, but if he does, he’ll face Rafael Nadal on Sunday for the French Open title. Nadal has dominated the French Open. He’s the greatest clay player in history.
Djoker won’t hand the trophy to Rafa, though. Even though Novak hasn’t beaten Nadal on clay since the 2016 Rome Masters, he is the top-ranked tennis player in the world. We must give Djokovic a fighting chance.
NASCAR: Bank of America Roval 400
The final race in the NASCAR Playoffs Top 12 happens on Sunday. Drivers have one more shot to get a ticket to the Top 8. Before the race, the ninth to twelfth place drivers are Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, Clint Bowyer, and Aric Almirola.
NBA Finals Game 6 if necessary
If the Miami Heat beat the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 on Friday night, Game 6 happens on Sunday. Los Angeles has taken games off during the 2020 NBA Playoffs. So don’t write off the Heat’s chances for a Friday night surprise just yet.
NFL Week 5
No Tennessee Titans players or New England Patriots players tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday. That means, the Patriots Monday game versus the Denver Broncos and the Titans Tuesday matchup against the Buffalo Bills are both on!
Keep that in mind as you handicap Sunday’s top games. The Las Vegas Raiders travel to Kansas City to take on Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals battle Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens, and the Minnesota Vikings go against Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks on NFL Sunday Night Football. Those are three of the top games in NFL Week 5.
Have a great weekend!