U.S./World Sports category, Page 166
Former tennis prodigy Leolia Jeanjean advances at French Open; Alison Riske losesVideo
PARIS — Grand Slam losses by high-ranked, well-known and accomplished players to, well, lower-ranked, lesser-known and less-accomplished opponents offer a rare opportunity for those unheralded winners to enjoy the spotlight. And for the first time in nearly a half-century, just three of the top 10 seeds in the French Open...
Simona Halep experiences panic attack during French Open matchVideo
PARIS — Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep said she had a panic attack while leading her second-round match that she eventually lost at the French Open on Thursday. The 2018 Roland Garros winner said she “lost it” and couldn’t regain focus while playing 19-year-old Qinwen Zheng, who won 2-6,...
WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle recovering from double knee replacement
Kurt Angle won an Olympic gold medal with a broking neck, so the double knee replacement this week should be a piece of cake. At least that is what fans probably wish for the WWE Hall of Famer, Mount Lebanon native and 1996 Olympic gold medalist are hoping. But Angle...
Sugar Bowl moved to Dec. 31 to avoid conflict with NFL game
The Sugar Bowl has been moved off its usual primetime spot to noon Dec. 31 to avoid a conflict with a Monday night NFL game. The bowl schedule for the upcoming season was released Thursday. The games begin on Dec. 16 with the Bahamas Bowl and The Cure Bowl in...
College sports eye gambling money amid safeguard concerns
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The NCAA stance against gambling on sports by its athletes and those who work in college athletics is summed up simply by the slogan on the posters the association provides to its member schools: “Don’t Bet On It.” The rules have been unambiguous for decades, part of...
Roger Penske ready for 300,000 guests at full-capacity Indy 500Video
INDIANAPOLIS — Roger Penske motioned toward the Turn 4 grandstands at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. His father took him to those seats in 1951, and a 14-year-old Penske was instantly hooked by the sights and the sounds of “The 500-Mile Sweepstakes,” won that day by Lee Wallard. It was the beginning...
French Open champ Barbora Krejcikova says she has covid-19
PARIS — Barbora Krejcikova, last year’s French Open champion in singles and doubles, said she tested positive for covid-19 and will withdraw from the tournament. She already lost in the first round of singles but said Wednesday in a posting on Instagram she will need to drop out of trying...
Brittney Griner’s wife tells ABC she wants Biden to help bring WNBA star homeVideo
Brittney Griner’s wife, Cherelle, wants President Joe Biden to secure her partner’s release, doing whatever is necessary to get the WNBA star home from Russia where she has been detained for more than three months. “I just keep hearing that, you know, he has the power. She’s a political pawn,”...
Carlos Alcaraz saves match point to remain in French Open
PARIS — This was the sort of point in the sort of contest that, if 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz eventually reaches the heights so many believe he will, the lucky folks on hand at Court Simonne Mathieu on Wednesday night just might regale dinner guests for years with tales that begin,...
Scott McLaughlin, family reunite at Indy after 31 monthsVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — The first thing Wayne McLaughlin noticed when he saw his son for the first time in 31 months was how much weight he had lost. Scott McLaughlin had moved to the United States in late 2020 to become an IndyCar driver, and pandemic restrictions in Australia and New...
France salutes injured, retiring Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at French Open
PARIS — Much as he wanted to avoid tears, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga simply could not. And, he said later, he knew he would not. So they flowed freely during the final moments of his final match at the French Open, the final singles match of his professional tennis career, and he...
Caddie gives Thomas an honest talk, leaves PGA with a flagVideo
TULSA, Okla. — The morning after was like any other after a week’s work as a caddie, with one exception. Jim “Bones” Mackay finished his laundry, packed his car and began the four-hour drive from Southern Hills to Colonial, this time with a special souvenir riding shotgun. He has been...
Column: Indy 500 a showcase of IndyCar’s growing strengthVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — The speeds have been insane — 234 mph for Scott Dixon in a record-breaking run for the pole — and Jimmie Johnson and Romain Grosjean are part of the fastest field in the history of the Indianapolis 500. Some 20 drivers, maybe more, are legitimate contenders to win...
Naomi Osaka loses in French Open 1st round, may skip Wimbledon
PARIS — A year ago, Naomi Osaka left the French Open of her own volition, never beaten on the court but determining that she needed to pull out before the second round to stand up for herself and protect her mind. On Monday, Osaka departed Roland Garros against her will...
Justin Thomas takes PGA Championship from uninspiring to unforgettable
TULSA, Okla. — Justin Thomas wrapped his arms around the 27-pound Wanamaker Trophy after winning his second PGA Championship, and thousands of fans ringing the 18th green amid the setting sun at Southern Hills showered him in adulation. Good thing they woke up in time for his Sunday charge. For...
Ryan Blaney wins All-Star race, $1M 2 laps after thinking he won
FORT WORTH, Texas — Ryan Blaney needed two extra laps after thinking he had already won the NASCAR All-Star race and $1 million, staying in front through a green-white-checkered finish after a caution came out just yards before he got to the line the first time. Blaney’s crew was already...
Chile’s Mito Pereira misses chance at PGA history with closing 6
TULSA, Okla. — The cheers were set to echo across the Andes. They were silenced by the splash of a small white ball into a shadowy creek half a world away. Mito Pereira’s errant tee shot on the final hole of regulation in Sunday’s PGA Championship at Southern Hills sent...
Scott Dixon blazes to Indy 500 pole in record-setting runVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Not much rattles The Iceman at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, not even record speeds. Scott Dixon smashed the Indianapolis 500 pole-winning record with a breathtaking qualifying run of more than 234 mph. His hands were shaking when he climbed from his car following his first run Sunday, but the...
Justin Thomas wins 2nd PGA Championship title in playoff after 7-shot rallyVideo
TULSA, Okla. — Justin Thomas is a major champion when he least expected it. Thomas matched a PGA Championship record Sunday when he rallied from a seven-shot deficit at Southern Hills, and then saved his most exquisite shot-making for a three-hole playoff to defeat Will Zalatoris. He closed with a...
NBA fines Mavs $100,000 for 3rd bench violation in playoffsVideo
DALLAS — The NBA fined the Dallas Mavericks for a third time in the playoffs on Sunday because of violations of rules regarding their bench. The fine has doubled each time, with the latest at $100,000 after Game 2 of the Western Conference finals at Golden State on Friday. Game...
Rich Strike yes, Preakness champ Early Voting no for Belmont
BALTIMORE — Twelve hours before Early Voting won the Preakness, Kentucky Derby champion Rich Strike was back on the track at Churchill Downs to begin preparations for the Belmont Stakes. After impressing with a strong workout, Rich Strike remains on track for the third leg of the Triple Crown. Trainer...
Chilean Pereira leads PGA Championship by 3 heading into final round; Woods withdrawsVideo
TULSA, Okla. — Mito Pereira skidded out of control just like so many other contenders in the wind and cold of Southern Hills. He got back on course at just the right time Saturday in the PGA Championship. Pereira steadied himself with three birdies over the last six holes, the...
Early Voting makes the rest count, holds off favorite Epicenter to win PreaknessVideo
BALTIMORE — Maybe extra rest isn’t such a bad thing for a racehorse after all. In the Preakness Stakes that was run without the Kentucky Derby winner because the owner felt Rich Strike needed more time off after his 80-1 upset, Early Voting validated a gutsy decision to skip the...
Blistering speeds at fastest Indy 500 qualifying since 1996Video
INDIANAPOLIS — Rain held off long enough Saturday to complete the first round of qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 on a soupy day that still produced eye-popping speeds not seen in 26 years at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Rinus VeeKay and Pato O’Ward, a pair of young new stars, posted blistering...
Tiger Woods withdraws from final round of PGA Championship after struggling SaturdayVideo
TULSA, Okla. — There will be no Sunday red for Tiger Woods in the PGA Championship. The PGA of America said Woods has withdrawn. Woods had a career-high 79 in the third round Saturday at Southern Hills. He limped his way around in the cold and wind, at one point...
