U.S./World Sports category, Page 350
Federer dominates Djokovic in every stat except final score in Wimbledon loss
WIMBLEDON, England — Roger Federer won more points than Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final. Federer was the first of the pair to come within a point of taking the championship Sunday, too. Had two such chances in the fifth set. Indeed, Federer dominated the historic match in nearly every...
Adam Scott among players perusing Royal Portrush ahead of British Open
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Adam Scott already has spent seven days at Royal Portrush, three of them with Darren Clarke, and the advice was invaluable to the end. They stood off the 18th green Sunday as Scott listened intently to a British Open champion whose game was forged on these...
Novak Djokovic edges Roger Federer in 5 sets for 5th Wimbledon title
WIMBLEDON, England — For nearly five tight, tense and terrific hours, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer traded the lead, playing on and on and on until an unprecedented fifth-set tiebreaker was required to settle their memorable Wimbledon final. In the end, it was Djokovic who emerged victorious, coming back to...
Kurt Busch outduels little brother to win at Kentucky
SPARTA, Ky. — Kurt Busch did everything possible to get the upper hand on his little brother in a door-to-door overtime battle at Kentucky Speedway. Busch was the victor in a Saturday night showdown between the brothers that gave him his first victory with Chip Ganassi Racing and a spot...
Ratief Goosen’s woes suit Scott Parel fine at Senior Players Championship
AKRON, Ohio — Scott Parel took advantage of Retief Goosen’s problems Saturday to take the third-round lead in the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship, the fourth of the PGA Tour Champions’ five major tournaments. Seven strokes behind Goosen at the start of the day, Parel birdied two of the last three...
Cameron Tringale, Andrew Landry atop crowded leaderboard at John Deere ClassicVideo
SILVIS, Ill. — Cameron Tringale and Andrew Landry topped the John Deere Classic leaderboard Saturday, with a half-dozen guys right behind them. Winless on the PGA Tour, Tringale shot a 6-under-par 65 to match Landy at 16-under 197 at TPC Deere Run. Landry had a 67. He won the Valero...
Roger Federer takes aim at record 9th Wimbledon title
WIMBLEDON, England — If Roger Federer’s going to win a record ninth championship at Wimbledon, he will need to follow up a victory over Rafael Nadal with one over defending champion Novak Djokovic. Federer has played both at the same Grand Slam tournament only once: the 2011 French Open. He...
AD3: Anthony Davis joins Lakers with championship plansVideo
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Anthony Davis’ year of uncertainty finally felt finished when he stood in the Los Angeles Lakers’ training complex and proudly held up his new gold jersey while LeBron James looked on approvingly. After months of upheaval around his departure from New Orleans, the superstar forward is...
Simona Halep wins Wimbledon, stops Serena Williams’ bid for 24th SlamVideo
WIMBLEDON, England — Clutching her trophy 20 minutes after becoming Wimbledon’s champion, Simona Halep checked out the board inside Centre Court that lists tournament winners. Below all of the mentions of Serena Williams, her opponent in Saturday’s final, there already was inscribed: “Miss S. Halep.” Halep was not concerned with...
Robert Wickens to drive IndyCar parade lap with hand controls
TORONTO — Robert Wickens has attacked his rehabilitation from a spinal cord injury with aggressive goals. The Canadian wants to dance at his upcoming wedding, one day walk again with zero evidence his legs once did not work and, of course, Wickens hopes to return to racing cars. Nearly a...
Analysis: Rockets’ Russell Westbrook, James Harden must change games
LAS VEGAS — Everyone knows Russell Westbrook and James Harden played together before, which automatically makes their reunion in Houston seem like the right fit. It won’t be that easy. They’ve both changed since those days. But here they are, together again after the Oklahoma City Thunder decided to trade...
As Wimbledon final approaches, Serena Williams never forgets lossVideo
WIMBLEDON, England — There are many reasons why Serena Williams has been as successful as she has been, for as long as she’s been. The serve. The returns. The groundstrokes. The court coverage. And more. A little insight into one aspect of the way she approaches matches arrived via her...
Entering British Open, Tiger Woods manages health more than game
That was Tiger Woods in his red shirt Sunday at the Masters. That was Tiger Woods slipping on the green jacket. But it’s not the same Tiger Woods. The evidence has less to do with how he plays — still plenty good to beat the best in the world on...
Roger Federer tops Rafael Nadal in Wimbledon semifinalsVideo
WIMBLEDON, England — After waiting 11 years to get another shot against Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon, Roger Federer was so, so close to the finish line. One match point slipped away when Federer missed a forehand return. A second came and went on a backhand return. Later, serving for a...
AP source: Russell Westbrook going to Rockets for Chris Paul
LAS VEGAS — Russell Westbrook and James Harden are together again, and Chris Paul is leaving Houston to make that reunion happen. A person with knowledge of the situation says the Oklahoma City Thunder have traded Westbrook to the Houston Rockets for Paul in a swapping of top point guards....
Dialed-in Serena Williams rolls into Wimbledon finals, gets Halep next
WIMBLEDON, England — Hours before her Wimbledon semifinal, Serena Williams spent some time deep in thought and arrived at a couple of conclusions. For one thing, she shouldn’t focus too much on trying to raise her Grand Slam title total to 24, a number achieved by just one other player...
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal renew rivalry in Wimbledon semifinals
WIMBLEDON, England — After going more than 1½ years without playing each other, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will be meeting at a second consecutive Grand Slam tournament when they face off in Wimbledon’s semifinals. Last month, Nadal got his shot at Federer on red clay, winning their wind-whipped French...
Jim Bouton, author of the groundbreaking baseball book ‘Ball Four,’ dies at 80
Jim Bouton, a major league pitcher who rose to great heights as part of a New York Yankees dynasty but made a name for himself by writing the first tell-all sports book, “Ball Four,” died Wednesday at age 80. Bouton died at his home in the Berkshires in Massachusetts after...
Kawhi Leonard, Paul George officially join LA Clippers
LAS VEGAS — Paul George and Kawhi Leonard officially are with the Los Angeles Clippers, moves that bring both of them back to their native Southern California. It might not be forever. Both can become free agents in only two years. The Clippers completed their blockbuster trade with the Oklahoma...
Novak Djokovic faces tricky Roberto Bautista Agut at Wimbledon
WIMBLEDON, England — Novak Djokovic has to look back only a few months to remind himself he shouldn’t underestimate his next opponent at Wimbledon. The top-ranked Serb will face Roberto Bautista Agut, a player who beat him in both of their meetings in 2019 — on hard courts in Doha...
Wimbledon gets Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal semifinal
WIMBLEDON, England — All these years later, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will meet again at Wimbledon for the 40th installment of their terrific rivalry — and first at the All England Club since their memorable 2008 final. “Such a long time,” Nadal said. They moved on to the semifinal...
Ticker-tape parade celebrates U.S. women’s soccer team’s World Cup title
NEW YORK — Adoring fans packed New York City’s Canyon of Heroes on Wednesday amid a blizzard of confetti to praise the World Cup-winning U.S. women’s national soccer team as athletic leaders on the field and as advocates for pay equity off it. Crowds chanted “USA! USA!”, and workers sounded...
Perot roiled football-crazed Texas with ‘No Pass, No Play’
AUSTIN, Texas — Part of late billionaire H. Ross Perot’s legacy is a clear-cut rule about Texas high school sports: If a student can’t pass class, they can’t play. The law, with its catchy “No Pass, No Play” nickname, has been in place since 1984. When first signed by Gov....
Newest tennis sensation Gauff looking toward future
WIMBLEDON, England — A day after her memorable Wimbledon ended, Coco Gauff already was thinking about coming back. “Obviously, there’s always room for improvement,” Gauff said in an interview with the Associated Press on Tuesday at All England Club. “I’m going to go and practice and improve some things,” the...
John Daly, days after being treated for spider bite at Uniontown Hospital, withdraws from British Open
John Daly has withdrawn from the British Open three days after being told he can’t ride in a cart. The R&A announced Tuesday that Daly, who won the Open at St. Andrews in 1995, has withdrawn because of a medical condition. He was replaced at Royal Portrush by Kevin Streelman....
