U.S./World Sports category, Page 103
New pro women’s hockey league set to launch with 6 teams, with Pittsburgh a possibility
Organizers announced plans Friday to launch a new women’s professional hockey league in January that they hope will provide a stable, economically sustainable home for the sport’s top players for years to come. The North American league is expected to start with six teams — three in the U.S. and...
Venus Williams will begin her 24th Wimbledon appearance against Elina Svitolina
WIMBLEDON, England — Five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams will begin her 24th appearance at the tournament against 2019 semifinalist Elina Svitolina, while Friday’s draw put two-time titlist Andy Murray up against wild-card entry Ryan Peniston in an all-British first-round matchup. Williams, who is 43 and has played just five matches...
Already hectic NBA offseason now poised for free agents to make movesVideo
Chris Paul already has been traded twice this offseason, ending up with Golden State. Bradley Beal is now with Phoenix, John Collins was sent to Utah, and Kristaps Porzingis is about to start anew with Boston in a deal that sent Marcus Smart to Memphis. They have new places to...
Taylor Moore, Peter Kuest lead Rocket Mortgage Classic; Dylan Wu 1 back after albatross
DETROIT — Taylor Moore and Monday qualifier Peter Kuest shot 8-under-par 64s to share the first-round lead in the Rocket Mortgage Classic on Thursday, with a slew of players chasing in what’s expected to be a shootout. Dylan Wu had the third albatross on the PGA Tour this season and...
Former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki returning to tennis 3 years after retiringVideo
Caroline Wozniacki, a former No. 1-ranked tennis player and the 2018 Australian Open champion, announced Thursday that she is returning to competition three years after she retired to start a family. The U.S. Tennis Association said it will grant Wozniacki a wild-card invitation to participate in the U.S. Open, which...
Novak Djokovic’s bid for Wimbledon title No. 8 and Grand Slam trophy No. 24 starts next week
WIMBLEDON, England — Listen to Novak Djokovic’s opponents explain why he is as successful as he is — why he will begin his pursuit of a fifth consecutive and eighth overall Wimbledon championship Monday; why he also will be attempting to claim an Open era-record 24th Grand Slam trophy over...
Travelers says changes are coming to TPC River Highlands after complaints over low scoresVideo
CROMWELL, Conn. — Changes will be made to the TPC River Highlands after record low scoring last week during the PGA Tour’s Travelers Championship, tournament officials said Wednesday. Andy Bessette, Travelers’ executive vice president and chief administrative officer, told the Associated Press that officials at the club, which is owned...
Gymnastics star Simone Biles returning to competition in August in 1st meet since 2020 Olympics
Simone Biles is back. The gymnastics superstar plans to return to competition at the U.S. Classic outside Chicago in early August, her first event since the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. USA Gymnastics announced Wednesday that Biles, a seven-time Olympic medalist and the 2016 Olympic champion, is part of the women’s field...
NASCAR great Jimmie Johnson’s in-laws found shot to death in OklahomaVideo
MUSKOGEE, Okla. — Police in Muskogee, Okla., confirmed Tuesday they are investigating the shooting deaths of three relatives of seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson. The bodies of Jack Janway, 69; his wife Terry Janway, 68; and their grandson Dalton Janway, 11, were discovered Monday at a home in Muskogee, located...
Column: So many candidates for the U.S. team, so few Ryder Cup spots
Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson still has time on his side, just not as much. He also keeps getting more candidates for his U.S. team, which isn’t making the job any easier. And it’s no longer about Brooks Koepka or anyone else from LIV Golf. “There’s still a lot of...
Jay Johnson made all the right moves to quickly build LSU into a national champion again
OMAHA, Neb. — Jay Johnson was a West Coast guy and doing just fine coaching at Arizona when the opportunity to take over at LSU presented itself. The Tigers were long established as college baseball bluebloods, and Johnson would have been lying if he said he wasn’t at least interested...
Defending Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard, 2-time winner Tadej Pogacar meet for next chapter of rivalry
One rider, two-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar, was so strong at the start of the season that he was compared to the great Eddy Merckx before an injury stopped his seemingly unstoppable rise. The other, defending champion Jonas Vingegaard, dethroned Pogacar last year and arrives in top form...
Players returning from LIV Golf is part of Saudis’ agreement with PGA Tour
The PGA Tour and European tour have agreed to work with Saudi backers of LIV Golf to decide how defectors to the rival league can return and what kind of punishment they should face, according to a framework agreement obtained by The Associated Press. The agreement also said the for-profit...
Andrea Gaudenzi re-elected as chairman of ATP men’s tennis tour
LONDON — Andrea Gaudenzi has been re-elected as the chairman of the ATP men’s tennis tour, with the second term running through 2026. The ATP announced the news on Tuesday. Gaudenzi, a former professional player, started the job in January 2020. Under Gaudenzi, men’s tennis introduced a 50-50 profit-sharing formula...
Nashville, Bristol working to give NASCAR a historic racing option in Music City
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Whenever Music City comes up on the NASCAR schedule, texts fly to see who’s spending an extra day or two in town to enjoy all the options. After another successful race this weekend at Nashville Superspeedway in nearby Lebanon, work continues in the hope of bringing NASCAR...
Brazil aims high at Women’s World Cup despite Marta’s injuries
SAO PAULO — Marta has won the world player of the year award six times but has never won the Women’s World Cup in five previous attempts with Brazil. That’s something she and the team want to change. Marta has been recovering from a knee injury but the 37-year-old striker...
Italy coach explains why she left longtime captain Sara Gama off Women’s World Cup team
ROME — Longtime captain Sara Gama was left off Italy’s squad for the Women’s World Cup purely “for technical-tactical and physical” reasons, coach Milena Bertolini said Monday. Gama was a surprising omission when Bertolini announced a preliminary 32-woman team for the July 20-Aug. 20 tournament in Australia and New Zealand....
Alcaraz replaces Djokovic at No. 1 ahead of Wimbledon. Swiatek stays atop the WTA
Carlos Alcaraz replaced Novak Djokovic at No. 1 in the ATP rankings on Monday, meaning the 20-year-old Spaniard is expected to have the top seeding at Wimbledon. Alcaraz, the reigning U.S. Open champion, is coming off the first grass-court title of his career, which he won Sunday by beating Alex...
Timberwolves, Naz Reid beat free agency by agreeing to 3-year, $42 million deal
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Timberwolves have kept center Naz Reid off the market by agreeing to terms on a three-year, $42 million contract that comes with a player option after two seasons. The deal was struck Sunday night and confirmed Monday by Reid’s agents, Sean Kennedy and Jeff Schwartz of...
Wimbledon champ Rybakina withdraws from Eastbourne citing viral illness
EASTBOURNE, England — Elena Rybakina withdrew from the Eastbourne International citing a virus illness on Monday, a week before she’s due to defend her Wimbledon title. Eastbourne, where Rybakina was seeded No. 1, made the announcement before her scheduled first-round match. Rybakina withdrew last month from the French Open, also...
Women’s World Cup Guide: How to watch, schedule and betting favorites
The United States will be playing for an unprecedented three-peat at this year’s Women’s World Cup. It won’t be easy for the No. 1 team in the world. Co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, the quadrennial tournament for international soccer’s most coveted trophy kicks off July 20 and features an...
England coach Sarina Wiegman aiming to add Women’s World Cup to European triumph
MANCHESTER, England — A year after winning Euro 2022, England is out for more at the Women’s World Cup. The Lionesses, playing under coach Sarina Wiegman, won their first major title last year by beating Germany in the final at Wembley Stadium. And they will be among the favorites to...
Former champion Japan is in search of new history at the Women’s World Cup
TOKYO — Futoshi Ikeda guided Japan to the Women’s Under-20 World Cup title in 2018, and last year his team was the runner-up to Spain — reversing the outcome from the final four years earlier. Ikeda has moved up to coach Japan in this year’s Women’s World Cup in Australia...
Ross Chastain holds off Martin Truex Jr. to win at Nashville, 3rd NASCAR Cup Series victory
LEBANON, Tenn. — Ross Chastain has been criticized as reckless and too aggressive, a driver seen as giving no respect and not deserving any from competitors. His hard-driving style paid off Sunday night as Chastain held off Martin Truex Jr. to win the Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway, his first...
Former champion Egan Bernal returns to Tour de France after life-threatening crash
MANCHESTER, England — Former Tour de France champion Egan Bernal is returning to cycling’s biggest race for the first time since his life-threatening crash at the start of last year. The 26-year-old Colombian climber was selected Monday in the eight-man Ineos Grenadiers squad that will compete at the three-week Tour,...
