U.S./World Sports category, Page 352
Young Canadian Auger-Aliassime turning heads at Wimbledon, could face Djokovic
WIMBLEDON, England — Dealing with jitters early in a match is nothing new to Felix Auger-Aliassime. Being among the favorites to win Wimbledon? Considering the Canadian is just 18 and never had won so much as one Grand Slam match until this week, well, yes, that’s not the sort of...
XFL’s plans for upcoming season starting to take shape
LONG BEACH, Calif. — Oliver Luck’s first year as the XFL’s commissioner mostly has been confined to the office and getting the league’s framework set up. The next couple months are what Luck refers to as the fun part of preparing for next year’s return. “We’re still a long way...
Tim Benz: Alex Morgan sipping tea is fine; pandering double standards aren’t
The U.S. women’s national soccer team has gotten its fair share of attention for celebrating too much and showing up its opponents during the Women’s World Cup. Even their own social media account was getting cocky after the 2-1 semifinal win against England on Tuesday afternoon. PARTY LIKE IT’S 1776...
Report: Pitt’s Brad Wanamaker returns to Celtics on 1-year deal
Pitt product and free agent Brad Wanamaker agreed to a one-year contract to return to the Boston Celtics, ESPN reported. Wanamaker was the oldest rookie in the NBA last season at age 29 after playing six seasons in Europe. He averaged 3.9 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 36...
First-round opponent relishes loss to Serena Williams at Wimbledon
WIMBLEDON, England — Used to be players would dread the prospect of facing Serena Williams, especially at Wimbledon. Nowadays, they seem to be eager to go up against her — not because they think they can beat Williams, mind you, but because, well, she’s Serena Williams, and what better way...
Peters Township native Alison Riske makes Wimbledon history
WIMBLEDON, England — In her ninth appearance at the All England Club, Alison Riske finally has a piece of Wimbledon history. The unseeded American became the first player to win a match under the new roof on No. 1 Court after rallying to beat Donna Vekic 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 in...
Alex Morgan scores and Alyssa Naeher saves to send U.S. to World Cup title matchVideo
LYON, France — Alex Morgan celebrated her go-ahead goal with a cheeky tea-sipping motion and Alyssa Naeher stopped a late penalty kick to send the United States into the final at the Women’s World Cup with a 2-1 victory over England on Tuesday night. The top-ranked United States will face...
First Call: Pro Football Hall of Fame expanding next class; T.J. McConnell could stay with 76ers
In “First Call” Tuesday, T.J. McConnell may be staying with the Philadelphia 76ers. The NFL could expand its next Hall of Fame class. And we keep an eye on Long Island. Staying put in Philly? T.J. McConnell may stay in Philadelphia after all. At the end of the NBA season,...
Egan Bernal set to impress at unpredictable Tour de France
PARIS — Egan Bernal is just 22 years old. Two years younger than Eddy Merckx was when the Belgian great won his first Tour de France half a century ago. Gifted with superb bike handling and climbing skills, Bernal has matured by leaps and bounds to become cycling’s most exciting...
Maple Leafs acquire defenseman Tyson Barrie in trade with Avalanche
TORONTO — The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired defenseman Tyson Barrie, forward Alex Kerfoot and a sixth-round pick in the 2020 draft from the Colorado Avalanche on Monday. Toronto is sending Colorado forward Nazem Kadri, defenseman Calle Rosen and its third-round selection in the 2020 draft. Colorado will retain 50 percent...
Klay Thompson staying with Warriors; Jimmy Butler-to-Miami gets done
Klay Thompson is staying home with Golden State. Jimmy Butler finally has a new home in Miami. And the wait continues for Kawhi Leonard. Thompson announced his decision to stay with the Golden State Warriors for $190 million over the next five years, meaning the five-time reigning Western Conference champions...
Neville’s leadership has England in Women’s World Cup semis vs. U.S.
LYON, France — Phil Neville’s path to the Women’s World Cup semifinals began with a phone call persuading him to consider the England manager’s job. Late in 2017, Sue Campbell, the baroness in charge of English women’s soccer, was bemoaning the lack of female coaches to fill the vacancy after...
15-year-old Coco Gauff stuns Venus Williams at Wimbledon
WIMBLEDON, England — Coco Gauff grew up admiring the Williams sisters. Picked up a tennis racket as a little girl because of them. And Monday at Wimbledon, the 15-year-old Gauff beat one of them. Gauff, already the youngest competitor to qualify at the All England Club in the professional era,...
ESPN takes a gulp of competitive eater Kobayashi in new film
NEW YORK — Twinkies, pizza, hot dogs, even cow brains. If it can be eaten, chances are Takeru Kobayashi holds the world record for eating it. The 41-year-old competitive eater has no problem consuming 62 slices of pizza in 12 minutes, or 337 chicken wings in a half hour. But...
NBA free agency begins with flurry of big-money deal
Damian Lillard wasn’t a top-five pick. Tobias Harris wasn’t a lottery pick. Khris Middleton wasn’t even a first-rounder. Their bank balances won’t know the difference. Free agency opened Sunday with nearly $2 billion in deals getting struck in the opening hours — and that’s even without Kyrie Irving officially joining...
Alex Bowman notches 1st NASCAR Cup Series win at storm-delayed Chicagoland Speedway
Alex Bowman raced to his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory on Sunday, leading a terrific performance for Hendrick Motorsports at Chicagoland Speedway. Bowman had one of the fastest cars during practice, and the strength of his No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet showed after the race was delayed by a summer...
Kevin Durant to leave Golden State and sign with Brooklyn Nets
NEW YORK — Kevin Durant is headed to the Brooklyn Nets, leaving the Golden State Warriors after three seasons. His decision was announced Sunday at the start of the NBA free agency period on the Instagram page for The Boardroom, an online series looking at sports business produced by Durant...
Alex Morgan grabs attention, adjusts game at Women’s World Cup
LYON, France — After collecting five goals in her first game, Alex Morgan is getting a lot of attention at the Women’s World Cup — from defenders. The U.S. forward has been shut down scoring-wise since her splash in the opener, as opponents have honed in on her, often with...
Win at Wimbledon last year brought Djokovic back to top form
WIMBLEDON, England — A year ago, Novak Djokovic arrived at Wimbledon in a rut. Still working his way back from elbow surgery, still fine-tuning a new service motion, he was more than 24 months removed from his most recent Grand Slam title. His ranking had tumbled out of the top...
Much-anticipated NBA free agency finally arrives
Kawhi Leonard is planning meetings in Los Angeles. Kevin Durant will do the same in New York. Those are the cities where they’ll begin free agency. Where they will end it will finally start to get clearer soon. NBA teams will start opening their checkbooks at 6 p.m. Sunday, when...
Serena Williams says she’s healthy, ready for Wimbledon
WIMBLEDON, England — It’s hard to know exactly what Serena Williams will be able to do over the next two weeks at the All England Club. On the one hand, partly because of an injured left knee, Williams is short on matches and training time this season, factors she cited...
Women’s World Cup roundup: Sweden, Netherlands advance to semifinals
With Germany out of the way, Sweden believes it could win it all. Stina Blackstenius scored the go-ahead goal just minutes into the second half, and Sweden surprised Germany with a 2-1 quarterfinal victory Saturday night at the Women’s World Cup. It was Sweden’s first victory over Germany in a...
Megan Rapinoe makes statement with play for U.S. women
PARIS — With a colorful vocabulary and manner to match her pinkish-purple hair, Megan Rapinoe stands out simply by being Megan Rapinoe. She celebrated her two goals in the quarterfinal match against France at the Women’s World Cup by raising both arms in victory, reminiscent of Russell Crowe in “Gladiator.”...
NASCAR returns to Chicago after wild finish last year
JOLIET, Ill. — When Kyle Busch looks back on last year’s dramatic finish at Chicagoland Speedway, nothing in particular stands out to him. He remembers every little detail. Moving into the lead. Getting slowed by lapped cars at the back of the field. Winning a last-lap duel with Kyle Larson....
Despite win, U.S. learns challengers to throne are gaining strength
PARIS — The world is coming for the U.S. women’s soccer team. If the early stages of the knockout round at the World Cup have offered a lesson, it’s that France, England and other nations that are investing in women’s soccer are catching up to the skill, fitness and mental...
