U.S./World Sports category, Page 9
Tim Merlier sprints to victory in Tour de France Stage 9 after van der Poel’s breakaway is thwarted
CHATEAUROUX, France — Belgian sprinter Tim Merlier won the ninth stage of the Tour de France in a mass sprint after Mathieu van der Poel was caught by the chasing pack less than a kilometer from the finish following a long breakaway. There was no significant change in the overall...
Police on high alert in France for PSG vs. Chelsea Club World Cup final in U.S.
PARIS — Tens of thousands of police officers will be deployed in France on Sunday night as Paris Saint-Germain takes on Chelsea in the Club World Cup final thousands of miles away in the United States. French officials have warned that no fan misbehavior will be tolerated after violence in...
Jannik Sinner beats 2-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz to win his 1st Wimbledon titleVideo
LONDON — Jannik Sinner defeated two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, on Sunday to win his first Wimbledon championship and reverse the result of their epic French Open final five weeks ago. The No. 1-ranked Sinner earned his fourth Grand Slam title overall, moving him one away...
Shane van Gisbergen’s unique braking technique makes him the favorite at Sonoma
SONOMA, Calif. — Shane van Gisbergen proved in his NASCAR debut to be an elite road and street course racer by winning in his first career outing. Two years later, his rivals have gotten a good look at the New Zealander’s technique and have declared him the favorite to win...
Iga Swiatek defeats Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 to win her 1st Wimbledon title
LONDON — For years, Iga Swiatek never quite felt comfortable on Wimbledon’s grass courts, never thought she could add a trophy there to her other Grand Slam triumphs. Oh, did that turn out to be wrong. And how. Not only is Swiatek now the champion of the All England Club,...
Next chapter in OLSH grad Cam Johnson’s stellar NBA career takes him to Denver
DENVER — Mike Rodriguez needed to find 10 hoopers. And fast. It was Easter 2014. Rodriguez was the boys basketball coach at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in Moon Township, and one of his pupils had an unexpected new suitor reaching out: Pitt coach Jamie Dixon. “He just happened...
Carlos Alcaraz wins, will face Jannik Sinner in Wimbledon final
LONDON — First, Carlos Alcaraz did his part to set up The Grand Slam Rematch The Tennis World Wanted, barely averting a fifth set and getting past Taylor Fritz, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (6), in the semifinals Friday to move within a victory of a third consecutive Wimbledon championship. Then...
New college sports agency rejects donor-backed collectives
The new agency in charge of regulating name, image, likeness deals in college sports sent a letter to schools Thursday saying it had rejected deals between players and donor-backed collectives formed over the past several years to funnel money to athletes or their schools. Those arrangements hold no “valid business...
Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg all business in pro debut
LAS VEGAS — Cooper Flagg strolled into UNLV’s Thomas and Mack Center at 4:17 p.m. on Thursday, wearing Dallas Mavericks gear, bright white New Balance shoes and an emotionless look on his face as he passed through security. Roughly 45 minutes later, he wore the same stone-cold face as he...
Novak Djokovic ready to face Jannik Sinner, other young guys at Wimbledon
LONDON — Novak Djokovic began expressing a heartfelt thought about returning to the semifinals at the All England Club — “It means the world to me,” he was saying, “that I’m still able, at 38, to play (in the) final stages of Wimbledon” — when the Centre Court crowd interrupted...
Amanda Anisimova upsets No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka at Wimbledon, faces Iga Swiatek in the final
LONDON — A little more than two years ago, Amanda Anisimova took a break from tennis because of burnout. A year ago, working her way back into the game, the American lost when she had to go through qualifying for Wimbledon because her ranking of 189th was too low to...
Reports: Chet Holmgren, Thunder agree on 5-year contract extensionVideo
Chet Holmgren agreed on a five-year contract extension worth nearly $240 million to remain with the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, according to multiple reports Wednesday. ESPN, which first reported the deal, citing agent Bill Duffy, said it could eventually be worth $250 million because of various contract escalators. It...
Iga Swiatek’s first Wimbledon semifinal comes against Belinda Bencic. Djokovic to face SinnerVideo
LONDON — Iga Swiatek reached the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over 19th-seeded Liudmila Samsonova that went from a stroll to a bit of a struggle in the late stages Wednesday. “Even though I’m in the middle of the tournament, I already got goosebumps...
Reports: 3-time MVP Nikola Jokic will delay signing extension with NuggetsVideo
DENVER — Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic has decided to delay a contract extension with the Denver Nuggets this summer, according to multiple reports Tuesday night. It doesn’t affect Jokic’s status in Denver in the short term: He has at least two years remaining on his deal — $55.2 million...
NBA hires James Jones as executive vice president and head of basketball operationsVideo
NEW YORK — James Jones is joining the NBA front office as executive vice president and head of basketball operations, replacing Joe Dumars in that role. Jones spent 14 years as a player in the NBA, winning two championships with the Miami Heat and another with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He...
Livvy Dunne, girlfriend of Pirates’ Paul Skenes, denied purchase of Babe Ruth’s apartmentVideo
Gymnast and social media influencer Livvy Dunne was all set to buy her first home. And it wasn’t just any home. Dunne, the girlfriend of Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes, had a contract in place to buy a $1.6-million apartment that was once owned by baseball great Babe Ruth on...
Cooper Flagg, Bronny James headline opening night of NBA Summer League in Las Vegas
Opening night at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas has turned into an annual spectacle, and this year will be no different. Cooper Flagg’s debut is coming — against Bronny James, no less. Flagg, the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, and the Dallas Mavericks will open summer play...
UCF’s Scott Frost ‘ready for another chance’ after failed Nebraska tenureVideo
FRISCO, Texas — Scott Frost’s celebrated return as coach at UCF comes with the backdrop of a failed tenure at Nebraska, the alma mater he said he didn’t want to talk about at Big 12 football media days Tuesday. Even though he did. Frost said, “I really want to keep...
Sabalenka gets past Siegemund and faces Anisimova in the Wimbledon semifinals. Fritz vs. Alcaraz
LONDON — Aryna Sabalenka was having a hard time dealing with her Wimbledon quarterfinal opponent’s unusual game style. The mistakes were mounting Tuesday. The stress was rising. The deficit was troubling. As things went awry, Sabalenka would look at her box with a quizzical expression and raise her hands. After...
Lonzo Ball excited for fresh start with Cavaliers after trade from BullsVideo
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Lonzo Ball doesn’t have to worry about rehabbing from a knee injury for the first time in a couple seasons. Instead, the veteran guard will use the offseason getting acclimated to a new team. Ball was at the Cleveland Cavaliers’ practice complex meeting with the medical staff...
Magic, Paolo Banchero agree on a 5-year extension. Total value could reach $287 million
Paolo Banchero has checked a lot of boxes since joining the Orlando Magic. Won rookie of the year, been an All-Star, helped the team to the playoffs twice. And now, the Magic are betting on there being more — much more. Banchero has agreed to the richest contract in Magic...
Knicks hire Mike Brown after Eastern finals appearance
NEW YORK — The New York Knicks hired Mike Brown on Monday, turning to the two-time NBA Coach of the Year after firing Tom Thibodeau. The Knicks offered the job to Brown last week and announced Monday that he would be taking over the team that reached the Eastern Conference...
Less than year from World Cup, U.S. player pool becomes a game of ‘Survivor’Video
Now comes the U.S. national team’s version of “Survivor.” Having expanded his player pool during a CONCACAF Gold Cup that ended with a 2-1 loss to Mexico in Sunday’s final, coach Mauricio Pochettino has eight friendlies left from September through March to evaluate players to pick for the World Cup....
Merlier wins Tour de France 3rd stage; Philipsen abandons
DUNKERQUE, France — Belgian rider Tim Merlier won the crash-marred third stage of the Tour de France in a photo finish, and Mathieu Van der Poel kept the yellow jersey Monday. Defending champion Tadej Pogacar and two-time winner Jonas Vingegaard — the main contenders — finished safely as they rolled...
NASCAR’s 1st in-season tourney adds drama to Cup Series finish in Chicago
CHICAGO — NASCAR’s first in-season tournament hasn’t made much of an impression on its drivers so far. Ty Gibbs said Sunday he didn’t know who his second-round opponent was until after the Cup Series race. That might be about to change. Gibbs is one of eight drivers still in the...
