U.S./World Sports category, Page 47
Stefanos Tsitsipas eases into French Open 4th round
PARIS — Stefanos Tsitsipas was in a reflective mood after beating Zhang Zhizhen, 6-3, 6-3, 6-1, to reach the fourth round of the French Open on Friday. The 2021 runner-up says tennis plays a fundamental part in shaping his thinking. “I get the feeling that without tennis my life would...
The NBA Finals are set, with Boston set to face Dallas for the Larry O’Brien Trophy
Kyrie Irving returning to Boston. Luka Doncic’s first trip to the title round. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, getting another chance at a ring. Kristaps Porzingis facing his former team, too. Pick a storyline. There are many in these NBA Finals. The matchup is now set: It’ll be Boston against...
Luka Doncic’s 36 points spur Mavericks to NBA Finals
MINNEAPOLIS — Luka Doncic had a 20-point first quarter on his way to 36 points for his high this postseason, and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 124-103, on Thursday night to breeze through the Western Conference finals in five games. Kyrie Irving also scored 36 points for the...
NBA media negotiations enter 4th quarter with outcome in doubt
The conference finals and Bronny James’ decision to remain in the draft are far from the only things dominating NBA conversations lately. In fact, both have been trumped by the drama surrounding where fans will be able to watch games for at least the next decade. The NBA media rights...
Front Row buys NASCAR charter to expand to 3 Cup Series cars in ’25, does not disclose seller, price
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Front Row Motorsports said Wednesday it has purchased a charter that will expand the NASCAR team to three cars in the Cup Series in 2025. Front Row did not reveal the seller, but the announcement comes one day after Stewart-Haas Racing said it was shuttering its four-car...
Minnesota beats Boston for inaugural Walter Cup as Professional Women’s Hockey League champs
LOWELL, Mass. — Minnesota won the inaugural championship of the Professional Women’s Hockey League on Wednesday night, getting 17 saves from Nicole Hensley to beat Boston, 3-0, in a winner-take-all Game 5 and claim the Walter Cup. Three nights after prematurely celebrating a would-be winner in double overtime that was...
Iga Swiatek saves a match point and comes back to beat Naomi Osaka at the French Open
PARIS — Iga Swiatek played like the current No. 1 and the two-time defending champion at the French Open. No surprise there. That Naomi Osaka looked like the former No. 1 that she is — and on clay, no less — amounted to an announcement that she is still quite...
Bronny James is staying in the NBA draft, agent Rich Paul announces
Bronny James is keeping his name in the NBA draft, with the hopes of joining his father in the league next season. “He’s a really good prospect who has a lot of room for growth,” Rich Paul, the CEO of Klutch Sports Group, told ESPN, which first reported the decision....
Djokovic begins his bid for a 25th Grand Slam title with a first-round French Open winVideo
PARIS — Ignore the straight-set score: Novak Djokovic was not quite at his impervious best in the first round of the French Open on Tuesday night, and his 6-4, 7-6 (3), 6-4 win over Pierre-Hugues Herbert might not have been enough to alter the defending champion’s “low expectations” at this...
Reaction to the death of Bill Walton, the Hall of Famer who died MondayVideo
Reaction from the basketball world to the death Monday of Bill Walton: ——— “My very close friend, fellow Bruin and NBA rival Bill Walton died today. And the world feels so much heavier now. On the court, Bill was a fierce player, but off the court he wasn’t happy unless...
14-time champion Rafael Nadal loses in the French Open’s 1st round to Alexander Zverev
PARIS — The noise was loud and relentless, a chorus of thousands of belting out “Ra-fa! Ra-fa! ” whenever their guy found the occasional moment of brilliance of the sort he has conjured up so often at the French Open and elsewhere through the years. The 15,000 or so on...
Bill Walton, Hall of Fame player who became a star broadcaster, dies at 71
Bill Walton, who starred for John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins before becoming a Hall of Famer for his NBA career and one of the biggest stars in basketball broadcasting, died Monday, the league announced on behalf of his family. Walton, who had a prolonged fight with cancer, was 71. He was...
Christopher Bell wins Coca-Cola 600 after race called with 151 laps left due to wet weather
CONCORD, N.C. — Christopher Bell finally has a big win to put on his resume — even if it was a little anticlimactic. Bell won the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway after the race was called around midnight Eastern time due to wet weather with 151 laps...
Josef Newgarden goes back-to-back at Indy 500 to give Roger Penske record-extending 20th win
INDIANAPOLIS — Josef Newgarden put his cheating scandal behind him to become the first back-to-back winner of the Indianapolis 500 since Helio Castroneves 22 years ago and give Roger Penske a record-extending 20th win in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” The Tennessean passed Pato O’Ward on the final lap of...
Naomi Osaka has more going on than tennis at the French Open: Her daughter is learning to walk
PARIS — The big news in Naomi Osaka’s life has nothing to do with the French Open or clay-court tennis: Her 10-month-old daughter, Shai, is taking her first steps. “Yesterday, she walked for the first time, so I was really happy about that,” Osaka said at Roland Garros on Saturday,...
Josef Newgarden was on top of the world after winning the Indy 500. This year feels much different
INDIANAPOLIS — A social media post designed to introduce drivers in the Indianapolis 500 to the general public put Josef Newgarden in an awkward light when the reigning race winner was asked a simple question. “Which IndyCar driver would you take on a road trip?” asked the questionnaire. “Solo” Newgarden...
Doncic’s last-second 3 lifts Mavericks over Wolves for 2-0 series leadVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — Luka Doncic hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with Rudy Gobert guarding him at the top of the key with 3 seconds left — posting his fifth triple-double of the playoffs — to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 109-108 victory and a 2-0 lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves in...
Pro Women’s Hockey League season deemed a success, though challenges remain entering Year 2Video
Stan Kasten never promised the inaugural season of the Professional Women’s Hockey League would go off without a few hitches. While challenges remain, the PWHL advisory board member also could boast Friday how attendance figures, merchandise sales, and, most important, the on-ice product, exceeded many expectations. “I will tell you...
Scott Dixon and Helio Castroneves lead final Carb Day practice for the Indianapolis 500Video
INDIANAPOLIS — Scott Dixon and Helio Castroneves turned the fastest laps on Carb Day during final practice for the Indianapolis 500 on Friday, and pole sitter Scott McLaughlin and Team Penske teammates Josef Newgarden and Will Power had stress-free days. Dixon and Castroneves, who have five Indy 500 wins between...
Chase Elliott blasts NASCAR for fight fine, promotion
CONCORD, N.C. — Chase Elliott criticized NASCAR for fining driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. $75,000 for punching Kyle Busch following Sunday night’s All-Star Race after it had used video of the fight on social media. It was the largest fine handed down for fighting in NASCAR history. Elliott, speaking ahead of...
Cavs embark on coaching search with Donovan Mitchell’s future bigger priority
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Before starting his summer break, Donovan Mitchell let the Cavaliers know he’s happy in Cleveland and excited about the future. With a new coach. While Mitchell didn’t speak publicly about J.B. Bickerstaff or their relationship, the All-Star guard’s input likely informed and shaped the team’s decision to...
Joey Logano hopes All-Star Race victory will help his team climb out of hole in Cup Series standingsVideo
CONCORD, N.C. — Less than two years removed from his second NASCAR Cup Series championship, Joey Logano finds himself in a fight simply to make the playoffs. He is hoping his All-Star Race victory will provide the kick-start his No. 22 Ford team needs, beginning with Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600, the...
With college athletes on cusp of revenue-sharing, there are Title IX questions that must be answered
The looming athlete pay system that will upend the traditional college sports model and still-to-be-determined details about how millions of dollars will be distributed are certain to bring questions about gender equity. Of special interest will be whether schools must comply with Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex...
Jaylen Brown matches career playoff high, Celtics take 2-0 lead in Eastern finals
BOSTON — Jaylen Brown matched his career playoff high with 40 points, 10 of them to help Boston run off 20 points in a row in the first half to take the lead for good, and the Boston Celtics beat the Indiana Pacers, 126-110, on Thursday night to open a...
Dwyane Wade launches Translatable, online community supporting transgender youth
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — NBA great Dwyane Wade was back in South Florida on Thursday to do battle again. The Hall of Famer spent more than 14 seasons as a guard for the Miami Heat, winning three championships, having Miami-Dade County nicknamed “Wade County,” and he still leads the franchise...
