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Oct 17, 2026

Eala eyes redemption in Ningbo Open

FILIPINO tennis star Alexandra “Alex” Eala arrived in Ningbo, China, on Friday, as she is set to take part in the Ningbo Open. The tournament’s Facebook page showed Eala arriving with a bouquet of flowers given to her. “Good to see you in Ningbo, Alexandra Eala,” the tournament’s Facebook page wrote early on Saturday. Eala was fresh off a forgettable campaign in the Chinese city of Wuhan, as she was eliminated in the first round of both the women’s singles and doubles events. In the singles tournament, Eala, who was World No. 18, was eliminated by qualifier Han Shi in three sets and in the doubles event, the Filipina, alongside Zeynep Sonmez, were defeated by the Ukrainian duo of Dayana Yastremska and Anhelina Kalinina in straight sets. Prior to the Wuhan Open, she was present at the Paris Fashion Show. Wuhan, however, also had several other upsets, that also included top-seeded former World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus falling to American Ann Li in the round of 32, as well as Belgium’s Elise Mertens losing to Daria Snigur of Ukraine in the round of 64. At the recent Asian Games in Japan, Eala, who skipped the Beijing Open to take part in the quadrennial meet, defeated Patcharin Cheapchandej of Thailand in the second round and Taiwan’s Joanna Garland in the quarterfinals, before falling to eventual Asiad champion Wang Xiyu in the semifinals and settling for the bronze medal. Eala was also upset in the first round of the Singapore Open to Russian Tatiana Prozorova, who eventually withdrew from the tournament following their match. The Filipina was seen in the New York Fashion Week in the lead-up to the Singapore tournament. Back home, amid talks that Eala will not take part in the WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open in January next year, Philippine Tennis Association secretary-general John Rey Tiangco said there is no confirmation over that development. “At this point, there is no official confirmation whether Alex Eala will participate in the WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open in January 2027. We understand that Alex remains focused on her remaining tournaments this year, and we respect the decisions of Alex and her team regarding her schedule,” Tiangco said in a statement. “While her participation remains uncertain, should Alex decide to compete, we would certainly welcome her and extend a wildcard entry, subject to tournament rules and approval,” he added. Tiangco said hosting a WTA tournament in Manila is a “significant milestone” in Philippine tennis. “It brings world-class competition closer to Filipino fans and gives our players valuable international exposure,” he said.

UST snaps skid, routs Adamson

Oct 17, 2026

UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas (UST) made the most of its home-court advantage, dominating Adamson University, 112-56, to boost its Final Four chances in the UAAP Season 89 High School Boys’ 16-and-Under Basketball Tournament on Saturday at the Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila. The Tiger Cubs snapped a three-game losing streak to improve to 4-5, bouncing back from their most recent defeat at the hands of National University-Nazareth School on Thursday. The win also moved UST within a game of University of the East (5-4) in the race for the No. 4 spot. Meanwhile, Adamson has lost five of its last six games, dropping to 2-7. The Tiger Cubs dictated the tempo early on their home floor, racing to a 25-7 lead capped by Miguel Austria’s layup. UST remained in control as Kian Abototo’s triple capped its dominant second-quarter performance, sending the Tiger Cubs into halftime with a commanding 55-27 advantage. Adamson struggled to find answers as UST outscored the Baby Falcons, 26-17, in the third quarter to stretch its lead to 37 points, 81-44, heading into the final period. UST continued to dominate in the fourth quarter, reaching the century mark on Nicolai Cabañero’s technical free throw to extend its lead to 50 points, 101-51, and seal the bounce-back victory. Austria led the Tiger Cubs with 25 points, seven rebounds, four assists and six steals, while Nathan Bathan added 18 points, including 14 in the second half. Eldon Eusebio chipped in 17 points, five rebounds and three assists, while Wayne Anggot contributed 14 points. UST also dominated in fastbreak points, 30-10, while its bench outscored Adamson’s reserves, 43-24. Two Baby Falcons finished in double figures, with Philrine Bulan leading the way with 11 points and seven rebounds, while Kobe Edrada added 10 points. TMT

Oct 17, 2026

Benilde, Mapua clash in SSL virtual do-or-die

COLLEGE of Saint Benilde (CSB) and Mapua University lock horns in a high-stakes, virtual knockout match in the 2026 Shakey’s Super League Unity Cup on Sunday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum. The game is set at 1 p.m. Benilde is fresh off a four-set win against Jose Rizal University (JRU), 28-26, 25-16, 18-25, 25-22, for its first win to stay in the thick of the race for the last playoff berth in Pool B. Camila Bartolome led the way with 18 points on 14 kills, three kill blocks and an ace as the Lady Blazers bounced back from an opening game loss to second-round-bound University of Santo Tomas. Mhonniecka Soliven added 13 points on eight attacks, three kill blocks and two aces while Mary Grace Borromeo and Krystal Oba-ob added 11 and eight markers, respectively, for CSB. “Our winning factor was that we kept pushing even though it felt like everyone’s game was off today; we still pushed through. And it was also great because our rookie middle blocker Oba-ob and Soliven stepped up,” Bartolome said. The Lady Blazers will face Mapua University (1-1) on Sunday in a virtual do-or-die match to advance into the next round. “Perhaps we need to learn not to let the opponent score first. Because when we find ourselves playing catch-up, it’s really difficult,” Bartolome said. The Lady Bombers absorbed a second straight defeat in as many games and kissed their playoff hopes goodbye. Nicole Daela finished with a game-high 21 points built on 19 spikes and two aces while Czarina Ramos scored 14 in a lost cause for JRU. Also seeing action on Sunday are Arellano University and San Beda University at 11 a.m., followed by Colegio de San Juan de Letran against University of Perpetual Help System Dalta at 3 p.m., and Jose Rizal University versus University of Santo Tomas at 5 p.m.

Oct 17, 2026

LeBron makes electric home preseason debut for 76ers

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania — LeBron James performed his famed chalk toss and was introduced to a roaring ovation on Friday (Saturday in Manila) in his first preseason game for the 76ers in Philadelphia. The 41-year-old James, who joined the 76ers this summer for his NBA-record 24th season, brought the crowd to its feet early when he finished a dunk against the Boston Celtics off a half-court lob pass from All-Star Tyrese Maxey. Just wait until it counts. Public address announcer Matt Cord offered a full-throated “At 6-9, from St. Vincent-St. Mary’s, No. 23, LeBron James! James!” for the intros. Joel Embiid still got the final introduction. While nothing from this game will go down on James’ stat sheet, Sixers fans had been waiting to catch a glimpse of him in his No. 23 jersey since he signed with the team in July. Scores of kids in Sixers jerseys crowded over the home team entrance canopy and screamed for James to stop for a picture or an autograph. The arena ushers behind the Sixers’ bench kept saying “Keep walking!” to the gaggle of fans and slow walkers who stopped to watch James in warmups. One constantly barked, “You can’t stand here unless you’ve got a ticket!” None of the stragglers had one. James did welcome one boy and one girl to the bench with him after he finished shooting and posed for a quick photo. The Sixers played all of their starters except for VJ Edgecombe. Jaylen Brown played against the Celtics for the first time since the 2024 NBA Finals MVP was traded to the Sixers in the offseason. James sat out the Sixers’ home preseason opener but played in a scrimmage that was open to the public and drew 10,000 fans. He then made his preseason debut last week at Brooklyn. He had 10 points, five assists and four rebounds in the first half. The Sixers play their season opener on Tuesday against New York at Madison Square Garden, where the Knicks will raise the banner to celebrate their NBA championship. Philadelphia’s home opener is Thursday against Cleveland, followed by back-to-back games over the weekend. James spent the last eight seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers before signing a two-year deal with the Sixers for the league minimum.

Djokovic gets wild card in Basel

Oct 17, 2026

PARIS — Novak Djokovic has accepted a wild card for the ATP 500 tournament in Basel later this month as the 39-year-old battles to qualify for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin, organizers announced on Friday. It will be the first time Djokovic has played in Basel since the last of his three appearances in 2011. The 24-time Grand Slam winner claimed the 102nd title of his career in Beijing earlier this month but then lost his opening match at the Shanghai Masters. Djokovic is a seven-time ATP Finals champion but has slipped to 11th in the Race to Turin standings. Only the top eight players qualify for the Nov. 15–22 showpiece. Following his defeat in Shanghai, Djokovic had suggested that the Paris Masters in early November would be his only tournament before the ATP Finals. He had also been due to play in the lucrative Six Kings Slam exhibition in Saudi Arabia next week, but the event was postponed until late December following several deadly attacks carried out by Yemen’s Houthis. Only Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz have so far secured qualification for Turin. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who had also qualified, has called an early end to his season due to a knee injury, leaving six places still available.

Oct 17, 2026

In-form Iga Swiatek on fire in Wuhan Open

WUHAN, China — Iga Swiatek kept up her bid for a WTA Finals place with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Ann Li on Friday night that set up an all-Polish semifinal at the Wuhan Open. The six-time Grand Slam champion will face Maja Chwalinska for a place in the final. Swiatek is chasing one of the last two remaining spots in the eight-player lineup at next month’s WTA Finals in Indian Wells and took another step forward by reaching the Wuhan semis for the first time in her career. “For sure it’s great that we have two Polish players in the semifinals,” said Swiatek of her upcoming clash with childhood friend Chwalinska. “I think it means a lot to Polish tennis, so hopefully it’s going to be a nice match. I’m really happy for Maja, she for sure improved her game this year.” It had been a banner week for 26-year-old Li, who stunned world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in the second round and recorded the 100th tour-level victory of her career in the third round to reach a maiden WTA 1000 quarterfinal. The American world No. 31 gave Swiatek a hard time in the opening set. But despite committing 21 unforced errors and facing three break points, Swiatek hung onto the one-break gap she created early on and took a one-set lead in 56 minutes. Swiatek made a strong start to the second set and never let go, as she moved into her fourth WTA 1000 semifinal of the year. French Open finalist Chwalinska reached her first WTA 1000 semifinal with a 6-0, 3-6, 7-5 triumph over Greece’s Maria Sakkari. “I think it would be great for us and great for Polish tennis as well,” Chwalinska said of her Saturday meeting with Swiatek. “It would be a great honor for me also because she’s such a great champion, she’s done almost everything in our sport.” Earlier, Sonay Kartal claimed the second top-10 win of her career and guaranteed herself a return to the top 100 with a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 victory over Ukrainian world No. 6 Elina Svitolina.

Oct 17, 2026

Guardians, Rays brace for AL Series Game 4

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Shawn Armstrong will be the opener for Cleveland and Tampa Bay will start Nick Martinez in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) on Saturday (Sunday in Manila). The Guardians have a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series after Petey Halpin’s two-run homer propelled them to a 3-2 victory in Game 3 on Thursday afternoon. Both teams waited to announce their pitching plans because of the weather. It is supposed to rain in Cleveland most of Friday, but there is a window between 8 and 11 p.m. ET that could allow them to get the game played. The start time was also moved back two hours to 8 p.m. ET after the Milwaukee Brewers swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series Thursday night. An ALCS game has not been postponed since 2019, when the New York Yankees hosted the Houston Astros. This will be Armstrong’s fifth appearance this postseason in what will be a bullpen game for Cleveland. The right-hander has allowed only one hit in 5 1/3 innings with five strikeouts. Armstrong thought his season was done in late July when he suffered a calf strain, but he returned during the final week of the regular season. Armstrong was drafted by Cleveland in the 18th round in 2011 and made his big-league debut four years later. He was traded to Seattle in 2017 and spent time with four other organizations, including Tampa Bay, before signing with Cleveland this season. “I think I said it to [Erik] Sabrowski, whenever we were standing in the outfield in Game 2 in Tampa — obviously I played here, I got drafted here, coming back here and being able to be in this situation is — words can’t describe it,” Armstrong said before Thursday’s game. Martinez started Game 3 of the AL Division Series against the New York Yankees. He went 3 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on five hits with a walk and three strikeouts. The right-hander went 15-6 during the regular season and was sixth in the AL with a 3.10 ERA. He was third in the AL with 26 starts where he allowed three runs or fewer. “It’s just like my starts throughout the year; it’s going to be a dogfight going in, just to see how many outs I can get for this team, it’s important,” he said on Thursday. AP

Oct 17, 2026

McIlroy, Chacarra surge in rain-hit Delhi tourney

NEW DELHI, India — Rory McIlroy and Spaniard Eugenio Chacarra kept up their charge with a strong start in their incomplete second round at the rain-hit European Tour’s India Championship on Friday. Spain’s Angel Hidalgo, Pole Adrian Meronk, Dutchman Joost Luiten and Belgian Thomas Detry held the clubhouse lead with eight-under at the Delhi Golf Club course. Six-time major winner McIlroy began his curtailed second round by hitting an eagle on his first hole and then put up par scores in the next three before bad light stopped play on day two. McIlroy currently sits four-under after he finished the opening day on a two-under-par 70. Chacarra only managed five holes of his second round but ended one shot behind the leading four. Players will complete their second round on day three, when the cut will be decided. It was a long day for many golfers, with Hidalgo and Meronk both facing 32 holes after nearly five hours of play were lost due to rain and thunderstorms on Thursday. “I’m just glad it’s over, to be honest; I’m knackered,” said Meronk, who recently won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. “But, yeah, it was a lot of solid golf. I’m happy with my position. Obviously a little bit disappointed with the bogey on the last, but it’s still a good round.” Luiten also got to nine-under with a hat trick of gains from the 13th and further birdies on the 18th and second, but sullied his card somewhat with a double bogey on the penultimate hole of his round. “It was good for 17 holes, and then my 17th, the eighth hole, I double bogey, which normally you would say it’s a birdie hole,” said Luiten. “I think the long day and the tiredness just got to me a bit at the end, and luckily I could get a birdie on the ninth. It’s been a good day.” Opening day leader Niklas Norgaard of Denmark ended at five-under after he started with a bogey in the two holes he played on day two. Defending champion Tommy Fleetwood posted two-under in the four holes he played late Friday to move four below par overall.

Rory backs European tour move over LIV

Oct 17, 2026

NEW DELHI, India — Rory McIlroy backed a European tour move, making players choose between it and the rebel LIV Golf, saying “it’s now being clarified totally.” The European tour, now the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons, said on Monday that players who opt to compete on the LIV circuit in 2027 will not be allowed to be members. That has implications for LIV golfers who want to play the Ryder Cup. Some of the world’s leading players have been given conditional releases in recent seasons that meant they could compete on the European tour and LIV. LIV abruptly lost its deep-pocketed Saudi investors this year and now intends to restructure and return in a new form. “LIV is in such a state of flux that you know I think the DP World Tour has been more than accommodating to LIV players,” six-time major champion McIlroy said in Delhi ahead of the DP World India Championship starting on Thursday. “And as I said, the DP World Tour are well within their rights to change the rules and regulations. “And you know, this is a way to protect their business and to make the tour as strong as possible.” McIlroy, who is a global ambassador for DP World, added: “So in a very short way, I would say it’s now being clarified totally. “If you are with the tour, you’re with the tour.”

Oct 17, 2026

Rahm reaches separation deal with LIV Golf

NEW YORK — Jon Rahm has reached a separation agreement with LIV Golf, according to court documents, waiving all financial claims against the series in exchange for his name and image rights. The deal, detailed in bankruptcy court documents filed Wednesday, followed Rahm’s lawyer telling US Bankruptcy Court of New Jersey Judge Michael Kaplan last week that Rahm would not return to LIV under proposed new financial plans. Kaplan must approve Rahm’s split agreement with LIV next month, by which time LIV’s fate for 2027 will likely be determined. LIV’s prior Saudi funding was dropped earlier this year, and the series completed a reduced 2026 campaign in August, with Rahm winning his third consecutive LIV season crown. The two-time major champion from Spain was LIV’s largest unsecured creditor with $7.5 million owed when LIV filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last month. S p a n i a r d Rahm, 31, was thought to have been owed much more after signing a deal worth a reported $300 million to leave the PGA Tour for LIV in December 2023. Rahm, the 2021 US Open and 2023 Masters winner, won four LIV events — UK and Chicago in 2024 and Hong Kong and Mexico City this year. LIV will keep Rahm’s rights for historical context from his playing in past events, while Rahm will have his image and likeness as well as “Rahmbo” and “Legion XIII” brands, provided the name of Rahm’s LIV team is not used in another league. Rahm and LIV rivals Cameron Smith and Bryson DeChambeau rejected a PGA Tour returning member program that ended earlier this year under which Brooks Koepka returned to the PGA after jumping to LIV. Meanwhile, the Saudi International, the final event of the Asian Tour golf season, was postponed on Thursday following several deadly attacks on the kingdom by Yemen’s Houthis. The tournament was originally scheduled to take place from November 18 to 21 in Riyadh, and no alternative date has been announced. “The Asian Tour remains in direct contact with its players and members regarding the schedule and next steps,” read a joint statement from Saudi Golf and the Asian Tour, saying the competition was postponed due to “logistical challenges.” The tournament, which was part of the European Tour from 2019 to 2021, is backed by Saudi Arabia’s Private Investment Fund (PIF). The PIF poured an estimated $5 billion into breakaway golf circuit LIV before abruptly pulling the plug earlier this year