July 14, 2023 4:27 am
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Ons Jabeur has defeated Aryna Sabalenka 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3 to reach the Wimbledon final for the second consecutive year. This will be the third title match for Jabeur in the past five Grand Slam tournaments. She is 0-2 so far after losing to Elena Rybakina at the All England Club last July and to Iga Swiatek at the U.S. Open last September. Sabalenka came into the match with a 17-1 record at majors in 2023. Jabeur’s opponent for the championship will be Marketa Vondrousova. Vondrousova became the first unseeded women’s finalist at Wimbledon since Billie Jean King in 1963 by eliminating Elina Svitolina 6-3, 6-3.
July 13, 2023 4:27 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James plans to play next season for the Los Angeles Lakers. The 38-year-old superstar announced his intentions at The ESPYS. James accepted the record-breaking performance award for becoming the NBA’s career scoring leader. James had said at the end of last season that he wasn’t sure if he would be back. He says the day he can’t give everything to the game he will retire, but he told the crowd, “Lucky for you guys that day is not today.” The audience in Los Angeles greeted his words with a huge cheer.
July 13, 2023 4:25 am
Longtime ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale says he has been diagnosed with cancer for a third time. Vitale tweeted Wednesday that he had surgery in Boston this week, and tests revealed that he has vocal cord cancer. He said he will undergo six weeks of radiation treatments. He says he will fight to be ready to call games when the college basketball season begins this fall. The 84-year-old Vitale has previously been treated for melanoma and lymphoma. Vitale has been with ESPN since 1979, the year the network launched. He’s also a longtime fundraiser for cancer research.
July 13, 2023 4:24 am
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Daniil Medvedev has ended American Chris Eubanks’ surprising run at Wimbledon in the quarterfinals. Medvedev came back to beat Eubanks in five sets on Wednesday. The 2021 U.S. Open champion reached his first semifinal at the All England Club. Next up for Medvedev is a matchup against No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, who eliminated Holger Rune. Ons Jabeur eliminated defending champion Elena Rybakina in a rematch of last year’s final to get back to the semifinals. Jabeur now meets Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, a winner against American Madison Keys.
July 13, 2023 4:23 am
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Adalberto Carrasquilla converted the decisive penalty kick after Cristian Roldan failed to convert his attempt, and Panama beat the defending champion United States 5-4 in a shootout after a 1-1 tie to reach the CONCACAF Gold Cup final against Mexico. Iván Anderson scored in the ninth minute of extra time. Jesús Ferreira tied the score for the U.S. six minutes later. Panama reached the final for the third time after losing to the U.S. in 2005 and 2013. The U.S. failed to reach the final for the first time since a 2015 semifinal loss.
July 12, 2023 4:27 am
SEATTLE (AP) — Elias Díaz hit a two-run homer off Félix Bautista in the eighth inning, and the National League snapped a nine-game losing streak in the All-Star Game with a 3-2 win over the American League. The NL won for the first time since an 8-0 victory in 2012 in Kansas City thanks to Díaz, a catcher who became the first Rockies player to win the All-Star MVP award. Díaz, who was non-tendered by the Pirates at the end of 2019, drove a 2-2 pitch from Baltimore’s hard-throwing closer deep to left to put the NL in front. Díaz was the lone representative for Colorado in his first All-Star Game appearance.
July 12, 2023 4:29 am
SEATTLE (AP) — Elias Díaz may be the most unlikely All-Star MVP. Just 3 1/2 years after Pittsburgh failed to offer a contract and allowed him to become a free agent, his go-ahead, two-run homer off Félix Bautista in the eighth inning lifted the National League over the American 3-2. A first-time All-Star at age 32, the Colorado catcher put his name on an award won by Willie Mays, Joe Morgan, Frank and Brooks Robinson, both Ken Griffeys and Mike Trout. Díaz says: “I honestly can’t believe that my name is going to be next to some of those names.”
July 12, 2023 4:31 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A PGA Tour executive has told Congress that Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund agreed to invest more than $1 billion in a new commercial entity controlled by the tour. Ron Price, the tour’s chief operating officer, also said at a hearing Tuesday that Greg Norman will be ousted as the CEO of LIV Golf if the business deal between the Saudis and the tour is finalized. The Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations is looking into the negotiations between the tour and the Saudis and the geopolitical implications of Saudi investment in American sports. However, there was no indication that Congress would block the tour from going into business with the Saudi Public Investment Fund.
July 11, 2023 4:37 am
SEATTLE (AP) — Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr, joined Vladimir Sr. to become the first father-son duo to win the All-Star Home Run Derby, beating Tampa Bay’s Randy Arozarena 25-23 in the final round. Guerrero defeated Julio Rodríguez 21-20 in the semifinals after the Mariners star hit a record 41 in the first round in front of his hometown fans. Batting against Blue Jays manager John Schneider, Guerrero was the last of the four semifinalists to swing and the first of the finalists, setting a final round record for homers to top Pete Alonso’s 23 two years ago. Vladimir Sr. won the 2007 derby.
July 11, 2023 4:39 am
Bob Huggins says he has checked into a rehabilitation facility following a drunken driving arrest and disputes that he resigned at West Virginia. Huggins issued a statement Monday saying he wanted to “set the record straight” on the events of the past two weeks since his arrest in Pittsburgh on June 16. Huggins says he never gave formal notice to resign under the terms of his contract. He also says a resignation statement issued by the university on June 17 indicating it was from Huggins was not drafted or reviewed by him. The university says it has no plans to reinstate Huggins.
