Lando Norris, Mitchell Starc and Hull City: Winners and losers from the weekend in sport

Dubai: There was no shortage of sporting action this weekend, with the Premier League returning alongside major events across tennis, F1, golf and more, providing plenty of standout performances and some big disappointments.

Check out the Gulf News’ winners and losers from a packed weekend of sport, as we look at the biggest stars, teams and talking points from the action.

Lando Norris: The reigning F1 champions driver produced a superb race to win a dramatic Dutch Grand Prix and make it back-to-back victories. Starting from pole, Norris had to fight off championship leader Kimi Antonelli during a thrilling race, eventually reclaiming the lead to take the chequered flag ahead of the Mercedes driver.

Hull City: The Tigers marked their return to the Premier League in spectacular fashion, stunning Manchester United 2-0 on the opening day. Goals from Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy, both from set pieces, secured a memorable victory for the newly promoted side, who were playing top-flight football for the first time in nine years. The result was also Hull’s first league win over United in 52 years, making it a dream start to life back in the Premier League.

Arthur Fils: The Frenchman produced the biggest win of his career in Cincinnati, beating Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 1-6, 6-0 to claim his first ATP Masters 1000 title. The 22-year-old recovered brilliantly after dropping the second set, dominating the decider to become the youngest French Masters 1000 champion and move up to a career-high No. 11 in the world. With the US Open now on the horizon, Fils heads to New York full of confidence.

Coco Gauff: In the women’s tournament Gauff was crowned the winner in Cincinnati, defeating fellow American Jessica Pegula 6-2, 6-4 to claim her second Cincinnati Open title. It was Gauff’s first trophy of 2026 and her fourth WTA 1000 crown, giving her a major confidence boost heading into the US Open. The 22-year-old also joined Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka as the only women in the Open Era to win the Cincinnati title twice.

Mitchell Starc: The fast-bowler helped Australia responded emphatically to their shock defeat in the opening Test against Bangladesh. Starc claimed 10 wickets for 51 runs as Australia bowled Bangladesh out for just 64 and 95, wrapping up an innings-and-51-run victory in less than two days. The result levelled the two-Test series 1-1 and provided a huge response from the world’s top-ranked Test side.

Wyndham Clark: The American held his nerve to claim the BMW Championship in impressive fashion, overcoming a tense final round at Bellerive Country Club to finish three shots clear of Rory McIlroy. The American carded an even-par 70 to finish on 17 under, securing his third PGA Tour victory of the year and a $3.6 million prize.

Max Verstappen: It was a hugely disappointing home race at Zandvoort for Verstappen who crashed on the opening lap of the Dutch Grand Prix. The four-time world champion lost control of his Red Bull on the damp track and hit the barriers, bringing out the red flag and ending his race almost immediately. It is particularly harsh for Verstappen given the huge support from the home crowd and the fact that this was the final Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, making his early exit all the more painful.

Manchester United: The Red Devils endured the worst possible start to their new Premier League campaign, following their shock defeat to newly promoted Hull City on the opening day. There had been plenty of optimism surrounding United after an encouraging previous campaign under Michael Carrick, but his first competitive game of the new season quickly brought those hopes crashing back down to earth. Two first-half set-piece goals left United chasing the game, and despite dominating possession, they failed to find a way back.

Rory McIlory: After putting himself in genuine contention to win BMW Championship on the final day, McIlory would have been left disappointed by his performance. The Masters champion fought back from five shots behind Wyndham Clark to briefly move level with the leader, but his challenge faded late on after a costly bogey at the 17th. McIlroy eventually finished third, four shots behind Clark, ending a frustrating weekend after coming so close to mounting a remarkable comeback.