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Jasmine Paolini reaches her second consecutive Grand Slam final by beating Donna Vekic at Wimbledon
LONDON (AP) — Jasmine Paolini has reached her second consecutive Grand Slam final with a 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (10-8) victory over Donna Vekic at Wimbledon. Paolini is the No. 7 seed at the All England Club and her win on Thursday at Centre Court follows her runner-up showing at the French Open last month. The 28-year-old Italian is the first woman to get to the title matches at the French Open and Wimbledon since Serena Williams did it in 2015 and 2016. Paolini will face Elena Rybakina or Barbora Krejcikova for the championship on Saturday.
They fled from their home countries. Now, they’ll compete in Paris for the Refugee Olympic Team
They compete under the same flag but speak different languages and come from different parts of the world. After fleeing war and persecution, 36 athletes from 11 countries will compete in the Paris Games as part of the Refugee Olympic Team. They take the stage at a time of record global migration, with hundreds of millions working to reinvent themselves as these athletes have. They’ll compete in a host country where the anti-immigration far-right party saw a surge of voter support in parliamentary elections, but was beaten back by a coalition of the French left and failed to win a majority. The refugee athletes will compete in 12 sports. For many, the journey to Paris is already a victory in itself.
For USA Basketball, the long road to Paris gets off to a good start
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Stephen Curry drove to the basket, laid the ball in, got fouled and ended up on the floor after drawing the contact. He noticed he was near the on-court photographers. So, he decided to go viral. Curry posed for a few seconds — one hand on his hip, the other on the side of his head, while giving those cameras a wide-eyed look — before getting to his feet. The showman put on a show in his debut with the U.S. Olympic basketball team, scoring 12 points in 19 minutes and helping the Americans beat Canada 86-72 in their exhibition opener Wednesday night.
Here’s what you need to know about the NBA’s upcoming 11-year, $76 billion media rights deal
The NBA might not be happy with the NFL making Christmas Day a regular part of its schedule. However, its new set of media rights deals nearly puts them in the same economic arena. The NBA’s 11-year, $76 billion contracts will begin with the 2025-26 season. It is the same number of years as the NFL’s most recent deal, which began with the 2023 season. The deals with ESPN/ABC, NBC and Amazon Prime Video will average $6.9 billion per season. The NFL averages $10 billion per year, but that is with five networks.
Darwin Núñez, Uruguay teammates enter stands as fans fight after Copa America loss to Colombia
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Darwin Núñez and about a dozen Uruguay teammates went into the stands as fans brawled at Bank of America Stadium following a 1-0 loss to Colombia in a Copa America semifinal. After a physical and contentious match, a melee broke out behind the Uruguay bench after Mexican referee César Ramos’ final whistle. The crowd of 70,644 was about 90% in favor in Colombia, but a small patch of Uruguay fans fought with Colombia supporters as beverages were thrown. Núñez and teammates then climbed a staircase into the crowd. A video showed Núñez hitting a fan in Colombian team colors.
Last 2 Pac-12 teams determined to fight on, promise a bright future
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Pac-12 may be down to the Pac-2, but that doesn’t mean the league or its remaining members — Oregon State and Washington State — aren’t gearing up for football. Drawing reporters who were in town for the Big 12 and Mountain West Conference media days, the abandoned Pac-12 Conference hosted “After Hours with the Beavs & Cougs” in an intimate setting at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino on Wednesday. The night included gourmet hors d’oeuvres and an open bar and current coaches, former stars and athletic officialds talking about the future.
Carlos Alcaraz faces Daniil Medvedev, and Novak Djokovic plays Lorenzo Musetti in Wimbledon’s semis
LONDON (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz will play Daniil Medvedev, and Novak Djokovic will face Lorenzo Musetti in the men’s semifinals at Wimbledon on Friday. Alcaraz is the defending champion and seeded No. 3 as he pursues his fourth Grand Slam title at age 21. He beat No. 5 seed Medvedev in straight sets in last year’s semifinals at the All England Club. Medvedev is coming off a quarterfinal win over No. 1 Jannik Sinner. Djokovic is appearing in his 49th major semifinal and 13th at Wimbledon. He already owns 24 major trophies. Musetti will be appearing in the final four at a Slam tournament for the first time.
US women’s basketball team looks to continue Olympic dominance, seeking 8th straight gold in Paris
The U.S. women’s basketball team will be trying for an eighth consecutive gold medal in Paris. The Americans have not lost an Olympic game since 1992. During their dominance, the Americans have seen the rest of the world close the gap. In their run at the 2021 Tokyo Games the team’s had the lowest margin of victory since the gold-medal streak started. The U.S. is in a pool with Japan, Belgium and Germany. The Japanese team were silver medalists in 2021. Group A features Serbia, Spain, China, and Puerto Rico. Group B is comprised of Canada, France, Australia and Nigeria.
Gregg Berhalter fired as U.S. men’s soccer coach after Copa America first-round exit
NEW YORK (AP) — Gregg Berhalter was fired as U.S. men’s soccer coach, nine days after his team’s first-round exit from the Copa America flamed doubts he was the right person to remain in charge for the 2026 World Cup. Berhalter’s second term as coach was cut short 10 months after he returned to the bench with high hopes and proclaimed the team’s goal was “to change soccer in America forever.” The U.S. had seven wins, six losses and one draw in his second stint, leaving his overall record at 44 wins, 17 losses and 13 draws.