Author: Shekari Philemon

Alexander Zverev reached the US Open semifinals with a 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 win over Botic van de Zandschulp on Wednesday night, putting himself in the final four of all four Grand Slam tournaments this season and arriving in excellent form after a chaotic start to the event. The No. 1 seed became the first men’s top seed to play five-set matches in each of the first two rounds of a major in the Open era. After those two matches of more than four and a half hours each, he has won his last three in straight sets, has held serve…

Aaron Donald will not travel to Melbourne for the Rams’ season opener against the San Francisco 49ers, coach Sean McVay announced Tuesday, confirming what had been the central uncertainty of the Rams’ Australia preparations. McVay said he is doing a great job and will be ready to go sooner rather than later, but that the decision not to travel is what the team believes is best for the player and for the Rams. He said the turnaround would have been too quick. He declined to put a timeline on when Donald will play, saying only that he will be a…

The Los Angeles Lakers will honor Phil Jackson with a statue outside Crypto.com Arena next season, the team announced Tuesday, recognizing the coach who won five of his record 11 NBA titles in Los Angeles. The statue will be unveiled April 9, 2027, before the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. It will be designed and created by Omri Amrany of Rotblatt Amrany Studio, the same firm that created previous Lakers statues. Acting governor Jeanie Buss said in a statement that Phil Jackson defines championship basketball and that his approach to coaching brought out the best in some of the greatest…

Jessica Pegula rallied from a set down to beat Emma Navarro 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in an all-American women’s quarterfinal Tuesday night at the US Open, advancing to face world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals Thursday in a rematch that will be their third consecutive US Open meeting at the semis stage or later. The No. 3 seed said she views the rivalry as fun to look at but acknowledged that getting past her opponent at this tournament is a hurdle she still needs to clear. The top seed beat her in the 2024 final and again last year…

Frances Tiafoe rallied from two sets down and trailed 3-0 in the fifth before completing one of the great US Open comebacks, beating Alex Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (10-6) in 4 hours and 38 minutes Tuesday to reach his third US Open semifinal. After the match ended, Tiafoe jogged to the other side of the net. Michelsen cried on his shoulder. He said afterward that he genuinely likes Michelsen and wanted to go over and acknowledge him. He said he didn’t think it was going to be as emotional as it was but that he understood the moment.…

Ben Shelton ended Carlos Alcaraz’s US Open title reign in the latest-finishing match in the tournament’s history, pulling out a 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) victory at 3.33 a.m. Eastern time Wednesday, 4 hours and 28 minutes after the match began just after 11 p.m. The No. 8 seed ended Alcaraz’s 18-match Grand Slam winning streak and became the first American to defeat him at a major, the first left-handed player to do so, and the first American to beat a defending US Open champion in five sets since 18-year-old Peter Sampras defeated Mats Wilander in 1989. The…

Coco Gauff is back in the US Open quarterfinals for the first time since winning the US Open in 2023, beating No. 14 seed Iva Jovic 6-1, 6-4 on Monday night to extend her winning streak to 10 matches and her straight-sets streak to nine, the longest of her career. Gauff said the first set was at a high level for her and that Jovic raised her game in the second, creating some early-break opportunities she did not convert. Gauff said she is happy with how she closed out the final game from behind on serve and acknowledged she did…

Both Nick Bosa and George Kittle are expected to play for the San Francisco 49ers in Thursday’s season opener against the Los Angeles Rams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, with the coaching staff offering strong signals ahead of the NFL’s first game in Australia. Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris was unequivocal about Bosa. He said Bosa is going out there and that there is nothing to hide. He is recovering from a torn ACL in his right knee suffered in Week 3 last season. His return through training camp was more uncertain than his teammate’s, as he began camp with individual…

Christian Gonzalez and the New England Patriots agreed to a four-year, $135 million Patriots extension Monday night, making the 24-year-old the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history, with $102 million guaranteed. The deal surpasses the four-year, $132 million extension Devon Witherspoon received from the Seattle Seahawks last month, which had included more than $101 million guaranteed. Both Gonzalez and Witherspoon share the same agent. The agreement was reached less than 48 hours before Wednesday’s regular-season opener, a Super Bowl LX rematch between the Patriots and the Seahawks in Seattle. Gonzalez posted a brief message of gratitude on Instagram after the deal…

Bernie Ecclestone, the 95-year-old former Formula 1 chief executive, said he was stopped by police at an airport in Portugal after landing with a shotgun he intended to use in a clay pigeon shooting competition, surrendering the weapon after it emerged the proper documentation was missing. Ecclestone told the Press Association that he was not arrested and that the police were cooperative throughout, but that he had to give up the gun after customs officers determined he needed to either pay duty and apply for a temporary import license or leave it in custody. The incident took place Monday after…