FILIPINO tennis ace Alex Eala is already eliminated from WTA Finals contention after skipping the WTA 1000 China Open for the 20th Asian Games in Japan. Currently at No. 17, an “X” is already placed next to Eala’s name in the WTA live race Monday, signifying that she’s no longer in contention for the season-ending event. The WTA Finals is slated from Nov. 8 to 15 in Indian Wells. World No. 18 Eala missed out on precious China Open ranking points to play for the Philippines in the Asiad, where she made a semifinal finish for a bronze medal. The decision to skip China Open ensured that Eala won’t reach the top eight in the cutoff deadline on Nov. 1. Sporting 2,181 points this season, Eala is 2,173 behind current No. 8 Linda Noskova who holds 4,354 as of posting time. Even if Eala joined the China Open, it would have been improbable for her to overtake Noskova. Overtaking the Czech netter meant that the Filipino player would need to go deep in the tournament while the former would need to make a quick exit. Then, that scenario would have needed to repeat at the Wuhan Open — the last 1000 event of the year — for Eala to truly close the gap and give herself a fighting chance to take the No. 8 spot. A quick exit in China would have quickly eliminated Eala from the WTA Finals contention anyway. Even world No. 14 Diana Shnaider got booted out after reaching the third round in Beijing, giving her a total of 2,408 only which is even 227 higher than Eala’s total points. Taking this to account, Eala’s decision to skip China for the Asiad proved sound albeit she will suffer fines and likely be disqualified for season-ending bonuses. World No. 1 Elena Rybakina (7,492) and No. 2 Aryna Sabalenaka (6,485) are so far the only players who have qualified for the WTA Finals, which has a 5,915-point qualification cut. World No. 3 Jessica Pegula (5,825), No. 4 Mirra Andreeva (5,722), and No. 5 Coco Gauff (5,654) are closing in on the threshold. World No. 6 Elina Svitonlina (4,809), No. 7 Karolina Muchova (4,400), No. 8 Noskova (4,234), No. 9 Marta Kostyuk (3,910), and No. 10 Iga Swiatek (3,584) are within striking distance.

THE Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) continues to demonstrate its unwavering commitment to the national cause, adjusting its calendar to support Gilas Pilipinas in their quest to secure a berth in the 2027 FIBA World Cup in Doha, Qatar. Currently in the final leg of a two-month conference break, the pro league suspended action to allow national team players to compete in two major international tournaments: the fourth window of the FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers and the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. The Season 50 Governors’ Cup is set to resume on Wednesday, Oct. 7, to complete the elimination round and quarterfinal phase. However, the PBA will take another scheduled hiatus shortly after to give Gilas ample time to prepare for the fifth window of the Asian Qualifiers in late November, where the Philippines will face Syria and Iran in Seremban, Malaysia. These calendar sacrifices come on the heels of momentum-building home victories against Jordan and Iran during the August window at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. Playing without injured naturalized star Justin Brownlee, Gilas leaned heavily on the return of 7-foot-3 center Kai Sotto, who anchored the team with solid averages of 15.5 points, 15.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists. The Philippines currently holds a 4-4 record in Group E, trailing leaders Australia (8-0), New Zealand (6-2), as well as Iran and Jordan (both 5-3). With only the top three teams per group and the best fourth-placed team qualifying for the World Cup, every remaining window is critical. To accommodate these international commitments while keeping its three-conference format intact, the league is looking at tighter timelines for next season. PBA Commissioner Willy Marcial revealed that Season 51 is targeted to open in February 2026, following the Rookie Draft on Jan. 17, but side events like out-of-town games and the annual All-Star Weekend may be sidelined to fit the calendar before December 2027. All proposed schedule adjustments remain subject to final approval by the PBA Board of Governors.

LOS ANGELES —Jackson Chourio smacked a walk-off two-run single to give the Milwaukee Brewers a 4-3 victory over the San Diego Padres on Sunday (Monday in Manila) and a commanding 2-0 lead in their Major League Baseball playoff series. For the second straight day the Brewers rallied from 2-0 down to beat the Padres, who are now in survival mode as the best-of-five National League division series shifts to San Diego for Game 3 on Tuesday. “I don’t have words for this,” Venezuela’s Chourio — who hit a two-run homer to spark the Brewers’ Game 1 rally — told Fox Sports after belting a two-out, bases-loaded fastball from dominant Padres closer Mason Miller up the middle for the winning runs. “I was just looking for a good pitch to hit there and, you know, thankfully he threw me one that I could do something with,” Chourio said. With three errors the Brewers looked far from the team that won an MLB best 103 regular-season games. San Diego seized a 1-0 lead in the first inning and capitalized on Brewers errors to push the advantage to 2-0 in the fifth. Milwaukee had stayed in range with a run in the bottom of the fifth, finally breaking through against Padres starting pitcher Michael King with a double from Christian Yelich, who scored on a base hit by Sal Frelick. The Padres pushed their lead back to two in the seventh, but the Brewers pulled within 3-2 in the bottom of the inning when an error from Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth allowed a run to score. “We’re a team that never backs down,” Chourio said. “We’re never going to back down from a challenge, and we like these moments. We’re going to keep going, and we’re going to battle for every opportunity that we get.” The winners of the series will take on either the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers or the Atlanta Braves for a place in the World Series. The Dodgers, trying to become the first team since the New York Yankees in 1998, 1999 and 2000 to win three straight World Series titles, took a 1-0 series lead into game two of their NL division series against the Braves later Sunday in Los Angeles.

LOS ANGELES — Journeyman golfer Austin Smotherman claimed the first PGA Tour victory of his career on Sunday (Monday in Manila), sealing a two-stroke triumph at the Bank of Utah Championship. Smotherman, 32, carded a closing three-under-par 68 at the Black Desert Resort in Ivins to finish on 25 under. That was good enough for the world number 121 to hold off Doug Ghim in second place, who shot a final-round 69 for a 24 under total. David Ford’s seven-under-par 64 left him tied for third with Trace Crowe, three shots off the lead, with Kevin Streelman and Ben James a shot further back. The round of the day came from Luke Clanton, who reeled off seven birdies and an eagle in a nine-under-par 62 that left him tied for seventh with Steven Fisk on 21 under. The Bank of Utah Championship is part of the PGA Tour’s FedExCup Fall series, with elite players usually opting to skip the event after playing in the season-ending playoffs.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Lionel Messi will bring the curtain down on his glittering Argentina career on Tuesday with a farewell friendly against Benin that marks the dawn of a new era for the South American champions. After more than two decades of service to his country, the 39-year-old superstar will hand over the captain’s armband for good as he makes his final appearance in the Albiceleste jersey at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires. Messi will be joined for his international swansong by 85,000 spectators and several of the teammates with whom he reached the pinnacle of football at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, alongside members of Argentina’s emerging generation. The friendly marks a symbolic passing of the torch for a player whose international legacy includes a World Cup title, two Copa America crowns and the Finalissima. Messi also bows out as Argentina’s record appearance-maker and leading scorer, with 125 goals in 207 games, as well as a record 68 assists. His farewell comes two and a half months after Argentina’s ill-tempered World Cup final defeat to Spain in New Jersey, where Messi exited in tears after making little impression. “I gave it my all; I have nothing left to give, and besides, there are great young players coming up who deserve their chance,” Messi wrote when announcing his international retirement in August. Messi remains under contract with Inter Miami until 2028, although following the death of his father, Jorge, two months ago, he revealed he may hang up his boots for good sooner than anticipated. Members of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad — the players who delivered the country’s third star — and their families will join Messi for Tuesday’s farewell against Benin, ranked 93rd in the world. Veterans of that Doha triumph such as Angel Di María, who retired from international football in 2024, will be there to witness the passing of the torch to a new generation charged with extending the Albiceleste’s golden era. Several of the newcomers, including Franco Mastantuono and Leonel Flores, were not even born when “La Pulga” (“The Flea”) made his Argentina debut in 2005 for a team whose history had for so long been dominated by Diego Maradona.

Yam Concepcion has been at the forefront of Mapúa University"s rekindled fire in NCAA Season 102.

Far Eastern University"s Kirby Mongcopa and National University"s Cielo Pagdulagan were named UAAP Season 89 Players of the Week after leading their respective teams to unbeaten records from September 26 to October 4, 2026.

With the NBA training camp just weeks away, ESPN's NBA insider Brian Windhorst spoke about Filipino basketball fans, the NBA's year-round news cycle, LeBron James and the Lakers, the Knicks, and Victor Wembanyama.

The defeat marked coach Kim Sang-sik's fourth during his tenure and Việt Nam's first recognised loss to Malaysia since 2014.

Aldous Torculas caught fire from deep late to bail San Beda University out against rival Letran in overtime, 74-65, in the NCAA Season 102 on Monday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre.

Daniil ⁠Medvedev ⁠was disqualified ⁠from his China Open semi-final clash with Novak Djokovic after ‌hitting a rebounding ball into the crowd, hitting a spectator in the eye. Earlier on Monday, home hope Zheng Qinwen survived another three-set test to advance to the last 16, while former world No 1 Iga Swiatek staged a comeback in Beijing. World No 5 Medvedev was trailing ‌his semi-final 7-5, 5-3 and had lost ‌a point when he ⁠hit ⁠the ball coming off ‌the wall. The spectator, who was ‌sitting in...

NCAA Season 102 Men’s Basketball Tournament   San Beda def. Letran (74-65) Aldous Torculas Player of the Game #NCAASeason102

We are only 78 races and eight meetings into the 2026-27 season, but there are already signs that Nichola Yuen Hang-yiu could threaten a record that most thought would never be broken. Back in 2020-21, Jerry Chau Chun-lok posted the most wins by an apprentice in a single season, slamming home 58 winners at a strike rate of 12 per cent. Before that remarkable season, the record was held by Matthew Chadwick, who recorded 43 wins back in 2008-09, which shows just how imperious Chau was that...

Two mothers of athletes got to meet each other as Angelica Yulo and Rovelyn Baterbonia took some time over the weekend to share a meal.

Formula 1’s governing body has promised a full investigation into a ⁠software bug that caused chaos ⁠and forced the start of Sunday’s Bahrain ⁠Grand Prix in Malaysia to be aborted with drivers feeling like they were in battery-powered cars made of Lego. Ferrari’s seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s four-time champion and eventual race winner Max Verstappen were among several affected by the glitch on a formation lap after ‌torrential rain and a long delay at Malaysia’s steamy...

De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde came up big down the stretch as they completed an escape of upset-hungry San Sebastian College-Recoletos, 73-66, in the NCAA Season 102 on Monday at thr FilOil EcoOil Centre.

Alex Eala, the only tennis player on this year's list, was included in the “Innovators” category, and her profile was written by Alex"s mentor, tennis great Rafael Nadal.

MANILA, Philippines — College of Saint Benilde did not allow San Sebastián College-Recoletos to crack into the win column after a 73-66 win in the crossover round of the NCAA Season 102 men’s basketball tournament on Monday afternoon at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City. San Sebastián controlled the game early for the first three frames, 54-51,  but Benilde pulled a fourth-quarter fiery surge, scoring 22 points in the final canto and limiting the Stags to just 16 points, 77-63. Alaine Cajucom led the scoring for the Blazers with 20 points along with five rebounds, two assists, and two steals.  “We know that San Sebastián will really fight in this game, so we remained aggressive. We pushed through, and we made sure to take the victory,” Cajucom said in Filipino.  Aside from Cajucom’s high-scoring output, Jhomel Anchet and Justine Sanchez added 14 and 12 markers, each, while Ian Torres and John Morales added 10 and seven points, apiece. Benilde improved to a 5-1 win-loss record, while the Golden Stags are still looking for their first victory, 0-6. Christian Ricio tried to put up a fight for San Sebastián with 15 points, and Kent Bacani added 16 markers, but it was not enough to overcome the Blazers.

NCAA Season 102 Men’s Basketball Tournament  Benilde def. San Sebastián 73-66  Alaine Cajucom  Player of the Game #NCAASeason102

SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio Spurs forward Tobias Harris will miss the preseason and is questionable for the start of the regular season after suffering a strained left calf during training camp. Harris, who signed as a free agent on July 6, did not participate in the team’s annual intrasquad Silver & Black scrimmage on Sunday. The 6-foot-8 power forward will be reevaluated following the team’s five-game preseason schedule. Team officials said Harris is questionable for the regular-season opener against Oklahoma City on Oct. 20 in a rematch of last season’s Western Conference Finals. Harris signed a two-year contract with San Antonio after spending the past two seasons with Detroit. He averaged 13.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 27.7 minutes last season to help the Pistons finish atop the Eastern Conference standings.

The results reflected the efforts of the athletes and coaching staff at one of Asia’s major sporting events. The team made a notable contribution, with athletes playing a part in two of Việt Nam’s three gold medals and winning five bronze medals.

Far Eastern University"s game against the University of the Philippines last Sunday was filled with firsts for Sean Chambers-led team.

The Philippines finished the 2026 Asian Games with its biggest medal haul in 60 years, taking home 29 medals -- its best tally since winning 42 medals at the 1966 Bangkok edition.

At least in his first encounter with his former team, Veejay Pre found himself on the losing end as the University of the Philippines fell to Far Eastern University, 90-79, on Sunday.

It's back to business for Alex Eala following her run in the 2026 Asian Games.

Midway through the Asian Games, China’s sports minister felt the need to issue a rallying cry despite the country again overwhelmingly dominating proceedings. A week into competition, the delegation had already racked up 125 gold medals, won more swimming titles than ever before and were so far clear of the rest that one American press outlet half-jokingly suggested changing the name to the China Games. In the final reckoning on Sunday, China’s tally was as follows: 169 gold, 89 silver and 83...

Midway through the Asian Games, China’s sports minister felt the need to issue a rallying cry despite the country again overwhelmingly dominating proceedings. A week into competition, the delegation had already racked up 125 gold medals, won more swimming titles than ever before and were so far clear of the rest that one American press outlet half-jokingly suggested changing the name to the China Games. In the final reckoning on Sunday, China’s tally was as follows: 169 gold, 89 silver and 83...

Pierre Ng Pang-chi is keen to maintain his spot at the top of the trainers’ championship when he unleashes an eight-strong team at Happy Valley on Wednesday night, headlined by hat-trick seeker Prestige Always. A noted fast beginner in his campaigns, including in 2023-24 when he finished runner-up in the championship, Ng has struck early with nine wins from the first eight meetings to sit one ahead of Cody Mo Wai-kit and Manfred Man Ka-leung. The 43-year-old has high hopes for his Valley squad...

MANILA, Philippines — Rovelyn Baterbonia, mother of the late Ateneo basketball player Rene Baterbonia, has gained a new friend in Angelica Yulo, mother of two-time Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo. The two were recently seen sharing a meal together. Rovelyn, who now runs a business selling her late son’s merchandise and memorabilia, has faced heavy scrutiny on social media—much like Angelica, whose public rift with her son Carlos surfaced online after his double-gold triumph at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Rovelyn posted a photo of the two of them on Facebook with the caption “Basher attack.” Angelica reshared it and expressed her excitement: “FINALLY!!!” Angelica currently resides in Manila, while Rovelyn is based in Agusan del Sur.

The fifth edition featured more than 14,500 runners from 57 countries and territories competing in four categories: 42km, 21km, 10km and 5km. The traditional routes ran through historic landmarks such as Hoàn Kiếm Lake, the Hà Nội Flag Tower, the Hồ Chí Minh Mausoleum and Long Biên Bridge.