U.S./World Sports category
Sabalenka into fourth straight Australian Open final and facing Rybakina again
MELBOURNE, Australia — Not even a point penalty for hindrance slowed Aryna Sabalenka’s run to a fourth consecutive Australian Open final. The top-ranked Sabalenka overpowered Elina Svitolina, 6-2, 6-3, on Thursday night to move within one victory of a third Australian Open title in four years. A rematch of the...
Coco Gauff’s racket-shattering exit at Aussie Open means Aryna Sabalenka will meet Elina Svitolina in semis
MELBOURNE, Australia — A searing hot day turned into a sweltering night at the Australian Open and eventually Coco Gauff let off steam, shattering her racket after a lopsided loss to Elina Svitolina that cost her a place in the semifinals. Day 10 of the season-opening major began with top-ranked...
Ex-FIFA president Sepp Blatter joins those calling for boycott of World Cup in United States
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter on Monday backed a proposed fan boycott of World Cup matches in the United States because of the conduct of President Donald Trump and his administration at home and abroad. Blatter was the latest international soccer figure to call into question the suitability of the...
Defending champion Madison Keys knocked out of Australian Open by fellow American Jessica Pegula
MELBOURNE, Australia — Defending champion Madison Keys was knocked out of the Australian Open by fellow American, and podcast pal, Jessica Pegula. Pegula, seeded sixth, defeated the ninth-seeded Keys 6-3, 6-4, on Sunday night (Monday morning in Australia) at Rod Laver Arena to reach the quarterfinals. Pegula, who has never...
NBA postpones Grizzlies-Nuggets, Mavs-Bucks games because of winter storm
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The NBA postponed two games on Sunday in Memphis and Milwaukee because of the massive winter storm that has made for dangerous travel conditions across much of the U.S. The Dallas Mavericks tried twice to fly to Milwaukee for their game against the Bucks on Sunday night,...
At 21, Coco Gauff has enjoyed hanging out with emerging teens at Australian Open
MELBOURNE, Australia — Coco Gauff wants those people posing questions to her about the teenagers breaking through at the Australian Open to remember one thing: She’s 21. The 18-year-old Iva Jovic will be playing No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park. That’s after Sabalenka, a two-time champion...
Demand for World Cup tickets could make resellers big winners
MANCHESTER, England — World Cup ticket prices are at exorbitant levels, yet fans are still queueing up in their millions to attend soccer’s biggest tournament. There is a such an over-demand for the event being staged in the United States, Canada and Mexico this year that FIFA president Gianni Infantino...
Novak Djokovic 1 win away from milestone; Stan Wawrinka makes history at Australian Open
MELBOURNE, Australia — Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka made it a day for the ages at the Australian Open. Djokovic improved to 399 wins in Grand Slam matches with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Francesco Maestrelli on Thursday, making the 38-year-old, 24-time major winner just one shy of becoming...
Record crowds witness Aryna Sabalenka, Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff advance at Australian Open
MELBOURNE, Australia — Another day, another record crowd. Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz advanced in straight sets Wednesday, and the No. 3 seeds — Coco Gauff and Alexander Zverev — also progressed to the third round of the Australian Open. The combined numbers for day and night sessions, 103,720...
No. 1 Indiana tops final AP Top 25 football poll of season as Big Ten’s title run reaches 3 straight
Indiana achieved one more first to end its magical season full of firsts: The national champion Hoosiers are No. 1 in the final Associated Press Top 25 college football poll. After beating Miami in the College Football Playoff title game to cap a 16-0 season that was unprecedented in the...
Novak Djokovic equals 2 all-time records, wins his 100th match at Australian OpenVideo
MELBOURNE — Novak Djokovic had the big stage and a list of milestones he needed to celebrate with his 100th win at the Australian Open. He delivered the kind of performance that showed his rivals and his fans he’s here with a single objective: a 25th Grand Slam title. The...
Hempfield graduate Jasmine Jones selected for 2026 U.S. Olympic bobsled teamVideo
Hempfield alum Jasmine Jones is an Olympian. The former track and field standout, who also ran at Eastern Michigan, was selected Monday for the 2026 U.S. Olympic bobsled and skeleton team that will compete in Cortina, Italy. The Winter Games begin Feb. 6. “It feels surreal,” Jones said. “All of...
NBA announces All-Star Game starters, with 1st version of U.S. vs. World format on way
The first World team for the NBA All-Star Game is already looking loaded. And the fate of LeBron James’ record streak of All-Star selections will now be decided by coaches, or perhaps even commissioner Adam Silver. Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver’s Nikola Jokic, the Los Angeles Lakers’...
Coco Gauff advances to 2nd round at Australian Open despite serving struggles
MELBOURNE, Australia — Third-seeded Coco Gauff had some familiar struggles on serve but had still enough class and power to defeat Kamilla Rakhimova 6-2, 6-3 on Monday in a first-round match at the Australian Open. Gauff has won two Grand Slam titles but has never gone past the semifinals at...
Trump plans executive order for Army-Navy game broadcast
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he intends to sign an executive order that would give an exclusive four-hour broadcast television window to the Army-Navy Game. “Under my Administration, the second Saturday in December belongs to Army-Navy, and ONLY Army-Navy!” he wrote on Truth Social Saturday. “I will soon sign...
At 45, Venus Williams sets record at Australian Open but falls in the 1st round
MELBOURNE, Australia — It took 45 years to be in a position to set a record that has drawn so much attention. So another 14 1/2 minutes serving to keep her Australian Open hopes alive felt like no time at all for Venus Williams. Ranked No. 576 and playing on...
Madison Keys pictures herself as champion again at Australian Open
MELBOURNE, Australia — Madison Keys planned to walk into the player tunnel at Rod Laver Arena in a quiet moment when nobody was watching and take a photo of her name listed with the other champions at the Australian Open. After beating top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s final at...
Former Robert Morris forward among NCAA players and fixers charged over rigged basketball games, prosecutors say
Former Robert Morris men’s basketball player Markeese Hastings is among 26 people involved in a sprawling scheme to rig NCAA and Chinese Basketball Association games, federal prosecutors said Thursday. The scheme, which includes more than a dozen college players who tried to fix games as recently as last season, revolved...
NASCAR’s ‘Chase’ returns: What fans need to know about the 2026 format
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR’s nearly two-year study into an overhaul of its championship-deciding format concluded Monday with the reveal that, in 2026, the stock car series will return to a 10-race version closely resembling the first iteration introduced 22 years ago. The system will return to a 10-race format consisting...
Transgender teen athlete in a Supreme Court fight knows the upcoming sports season could be her last
WASHINGTON — Becky Pepper-Jackson finished third in the discus throw in West Virginia last year though she was in just her first year of high school. Now a 15-year-old sophomore, Pepper-Jackson is aware that her upcoming season could be her last. West Virginia has banned transgender girls like Pepper-Jackson from...
Defending champion Crystal Palace loses to 6th-tier Macclesfield 2-1 in massive FA Cup upset
MACCLESFIELD, England — Macclesfield beat title holder Crystal Palace 2-1 in one of the biggest upsets in FA Cup history on Saturday to reach the fourth round. Macclesfield is a team playing in the sixth tier of English soccer, five levels below its Premier League opponent, and took the lead...
NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps resigns after inflammatory texts revealed in trial
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps on Tuesday announced his resignation after more than 20 years with the top racing series in the United States and a nasty federal trial in which inflammatory texts he sent during contentious revenue-sharing negotiations were revealed. Phelps will leave the company at the...
Czechia beats Canada 6-4 in world junior hockey; Sweden outlasts Finland
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Tomas Poletin scored on a deflection with 1:14 left, and Czechia beat Canada, 6-4, on Sunday night to advance to face Sweden in the first all-European final in the world junior hockey tournament since 2016. Earlier, Anton Frondell scored in the eighth round of a shootout...
Tyson Fury says he is coming out of retirement in 2026
MANCHESTER, England — Tyson Fury is returning to the ring after announcing on Sunday that he will step out of retirement. The former heavyweight world champion confirmed his comeback in a post on social media, which sets up the prospect of a long-awaited showdown with Anthony Joshua. “2026 is that...
Anthony Joshua posts his first public update since the car crash that killed two of his friends
LONDON — Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua issued his first public update on Sunday following the car crash that killed two of his friends in Nigeria. Joshua posted a picture on his Instagram account of him sitting on a couch with his mother and three other women, one of...
