aka Page 6 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
WTA roundup: Unheralded Aoi Ito upsets Italian at Japan Open
Aoi Ito, ranked No. 188 in the world, thrilled her home-country fans Wednesday at the Japan Open by upsetting eighth-seeded Elisabetta Cocciaretto of Italy 6-4, 6-3 in Osaka.,For the 20-year-old Ito, it was her first Top 50 win to advance to her first WTA Tour quarterfinal. She notched the victory b...
WTA roundup: Anna Kalinskaya rallies at Ningbo Open
Seventh-seeded Anna Kalinskaya of Russia rallied for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win against Australia's Priscilla Hon on Tuesday in the opening round of the Ningbo Open in China.,Kalinskaya overcame seven double faults and converted seven of 13 break chances to advance in 2 hours and 18 minutes in the only thr...
WTA roundup: Paula Badosa survives opener at Ningbo Open
No. 8 seed Paula Badosa of Spain held off Russia's Diana Shnaider 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 on Monday in the opening round of the Ningbo Open in Ningbo, China.,Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva crushed Caroline Dolehide 6-2, 6-0, Germany's Tamara Korpatsch rallied for a 6-7 (4), 7-6 (6), 6-4 win over Hungary's Anna...
Expansion Valkyries name Natalie Nakase as inaugural coach
The Golden State Valkyries hired Natalie Nakase as their first head coach, the expansion team announced Thursday.,The Valkyries will begin play in the WNBA with the 2025 season.,Nakase, 44, has more than 16 years of coaching experience, including 10 seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers of the NBA a...
Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula triumph in Beijing
Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula posted wins Friday at the China Open to move on to the third round in Beijing.,Bpth defeated opponents from France. Gauff, the fourth seed, topped Clara Burel 7-5, 6-3, while the second-seeded Pegula rallied from a break down in the second set to defeat Diane Parry 6-1,...
Under championship-pedigree coach, Naomi Osaka wins opener in Beijing
Naomi Osaka won her first-round match 6-3, 6-2 over Italy's Lucia Bronzetti at the China Open in Beijing, making for a good debut under new coach Patrick Mouratoglou on Wednesday.,Mourataglou spent a decade as the coach of the legendary Serena Williams, and Osaka is eager to learn from him.,"I think...
Maple Leafs sign D Jani Hakanpaa to 1-year deal
The Toronto Maple Leafs signed defenseman Jani Hakanpaa to a one-year deal worth $1.47 million on Wednesday. ,Hakanpaa, 32, recorded 12 points (two goals, 10 assists) in 64 games with the Dallas Stars during the 2023-24 season. ,In 288 career NHL regular season games, he has tallied 45 points (15 go...
Karolina Muchova KOs Naomi Osaka in second round at U.S. Open
Naomi Osaka, trailing by a set, squandered three sets points that would have leveled her match and crashed out of the U.S. Open in the second round on Thursday in New York.,The Czech Republic's Karolina Muchova beat Osaka, a two-time U.S. Open champion, 6-3, 7-6 (5).,In terms of rankings, the match ...
Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula roll into third round of U.S. Open
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland nearly delivered her second-round opponent a double bagel, instead settling for a 6-0, 6-1 triumph over Japanese qualifier Ena Shibahara at the U.S. Open on Thursday in New York.,The match lasted just 65 minutes, though much of that was eaten up by the second game o...
Naomi Osaka upsets 10th seed Jelena Ostapenko in U.S. Open return
Naomi Osaka put on a vintage display in her return to the U.S. Open as she took down No. 10 seed Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 6-2 in one of the highlights of the first round Tuesday in New York.,The four-time major winner and two-time U.S. Open champion (2018, 2020) from Japan notched her first win over a ...
Naomi Osaka rolls past Ons Jabeur in Toronto
Naomi Osaka didn't face a break point in cruising to a 6-3, 6-1 victory over ninth-seeded Ons Jabeur on Wednesday in the first round of the National Bank Open in Toronto.,A former World No. 1, Japan's Osaka needed only one hour and 12 minutes to notch her fifth win over a Top-20 opponent this year i...
Joris Daudet leads French sweep of BMX podium
PARIS -- Joris Daudet led a French clean sweep of the podium in men's BMX racing on Friday, finally bringing French riders the Olympic medals that had so long eluded them.,His compatriots Sylvain Andre and Romain Mahieu took silver and bronze in front of an ecstatic home crowd in the Saint-Quentin-e...
Ayaka Furue records eagle on No. 18, wins Evian Championship
Ayaka Furue captured her first major title in grand style, benefitting from a sizzling finish to win the Evian Championship on Sunday at Evian-les-Bains, France.,Furue overcame a three-stroke deficit with five holes to play by shooting 5-under during that stretch, capped by an eagle on No. 18 at Evi...
Sepp Straka still boasting underdog mindset heading into John Deere
Embracing his role of defending champion is the last thing Austrian Sepp Straka is doing heading into this week's John Deere Classic in Silvis, Ill. ,Straka posted a 21-under 263 at last year's tournament to beat Brendon Todd and Alex Smalley by two strokes. He put together a stunning final round, c...
Naomi Osaka wins at Wimbledon for first time since 2018
Naomi Osaka's first Wimbledon match in five years was a victory, and she was just relieved to get into the second round.,Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, notched a 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 victory over Diane Parry of France on Monday in her first-round match at the All England Club in London.,Osaka had ...
Naomi Osaka, 3 other Grand Slam champs net Wimbledon wild cards
Former World No. 1 players Naomi Osaka, Angelique Kerber and Caroline Wozniacki joined fellow former Grand Slam winner Emma Raducanu on Wednesday in being awarded wild cards for the main draw at Wimbledon.,The quartet will draw into the grass-court tournament that starts July 1.,Four-time Grand Slam...
Report: Pacers, Pascal Siakam agree to 4-year, $189.5 deal
The Indiana Pacers and forward Pascal Siakam are in agreement on a four-year, $189.5 million maximum contract extension, ESPN reported Wednesday.,The deal came together Tuesday, the first day teams were allowed to start contacting their own players to negotiate extensions, per the report. Contracts ...
Naomi Osaka finishes strong, wins first-round match at French Open
Former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka recorded a 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 win over unseeded Italian Lucia Bronzetti on Sunday in the first round of the French Open in Paris.,Returning from a 15-month maternity break earlier this year, Osaka split the first two sets before winning the initial four games of the third. ...
Top seed Iga Swiatek, Naomi Osaka could face early dual at French Open
Iga Swiatek of Poland is the top seed at the French Open, which begins Sunday, and will open against a qualifier or a lucky loser as she attempts to win her fourth title in Paris.,It's the potential second-round matchup that got attention when the draw was announced Thursday.,Swiatek and Naomi Osaka...
OKC's Sam Presti is an overrated draft savant
Sam Presti is the only NBA executive ever to draft three future MVPs and he did it in three consecutive drafts. It’s a maniacal stroke of luck and an exercise of risk/reward, chance and foresight. By doing so, Presti at the time guaranteed short-term success for the soon-to-be relocated Seattle Soni...