July 15, 2023 4:12 am
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Ons Jabeur or Marketa Vondrousova will become a first-time Grand Slam champion when they play each other in the Wimbledon women’s final. They go into Saturday’s title match with a combined record of 0-3 in major finals. The No. 6-seeded Jabeur, a 28-year-old from Tunisia, was the runner-up at the All England Club and at the U.S. Open last season. She is the only Arab woman or North African woman to participate in a Grand Slam singles final. The unseeded Vondrousova, a 24-year-old from the Czech Republic, lost in the 2019 French Open final as a teenager. She is the first unseeded finalist at Wimbledon since Billie Jean King made it that far in 1963.
July 14, 2023 4:26 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry is welcoming the pressure that comes with his new five-year contract. The two-time All-Star says his plan was to always remain in Pittsburgh, one of the reasons he signed the deal just a few hours into free agency. Jarry struggled with injuries at times last season. His inconsistent play was one of the reasons the Penguins missed the playoffs for the first time since 2007. Jarry says he’s 100% healthy now and believes Pittsburgh will be more competitive going forward.
July 14, 2023 4:29 am
ATLANTA (AP) — A woman seriously injured in the Jan. 15 car crash that killed Georgia offensive lineman Devin Willock and an athletics staffer has sued the school’s athletics association and former Bulldogs defensive tackle Jalen Carter for damages. Victoria S. Bowles was riding in the backseat of the rented Ford Expedition driven by fellow UGA recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy, who died in the crash while racing Carter at more than 104 mph following the Bulldogs’ College Football Playoff championship celebration. Bowles’ lawsuit filed Wednesday in Gwinnett County State Court accuses the UGA Athletics Association of negligent entrustment of LeCroy despite having two “super speeder” violations among four speeding tickets.
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.”
