Blazing finish lifts Ababa past Lumbo in ICTSI Iloilo thriller

Manila Times - Oct 2, 2026

MANILA, Philippines – Refusing to buckle under pressure, Jhonnel Ababa staged a dramatic late-round comeback, birdieing the final two holes to edge Jeffren Lumbo by one and capture the ICTSI Iloilo Golf Challenge title with a scintillating 63 at the Iloilo Golf and Country Club on Friday. The seasoned campaigner and former Order of Merit champion unleashed a furious closing charge, pulling level with Lumbo on the 17th before sinking another clutch birdie on the 72nd hole. The electric finish ignited roaring cheers from the large crowd gathered around the 18th green. Ababa’s closing surge capped a remarkable stretch-run battle after Lumbo, who finished with a 67, had appeared firmly in control entering the final round. The 30-year-old had opened a three-shot cushion over Ababa and Francis Morilla following a near-flawless third-round showing Thursday, putting himself in prime position to claim his second career victory. But Ababa refused to let the gap dictate the outcome. Under sweltering conditions, the multi-title campaigner steadily chipped away at Lumbo’s advantage while a host of contenders, including Morilla, Reymon Jaraula, Clyde Mondilla, Ira Alido and Rupert Zaragosa, also tried to stay within striking distance. With the field gradually running out of holes, Ababa made his move. A stirring birdie-birdie-eagle surge...

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Jeus Gabriel Yape notches gold in Asian Games

Oct 2, 2026

Jeus Gabriel Yape notches gold in Asian Games

MANILA, Philippines — Jeus Gabriel Yape delivered the fourth gold for the Philippines after defeating Ngoc Tuyet Sang Chau of Vietnam, 2-0, in the mixed individual virtual taekwondo event at the 2026 Asian Games on Friday morning at the Toyohashi Gymnasium in Aichi, Japan. Yape finished with a bronze on Thursday in the men’s individual poomsae competition.

Jeus Gabriel Yape notches gold in Asian Games, fourth for PH

Oct 2, 2026

Jeus Gabriel Yape notches gold in Asian Games, fourth for PH

(UPDATE) MANILA, Philippines — Jeus Gabriel Yape delivered the fourth gold for the Philippines after defeating Ngoc Tuyet Sang Chau of Vietnam, 2-0, in the mixed individual virtual taekwondo event at the 2026 Asian Games on Friday morning at the Toyohashi Gymnasium in Aichi, Japan. The 22-year-old Yape became the fourth Filipino to snare a gold medal in this year’s Asiad edition after two golds from Carlos Yulo and one from Ernest John “EJ” Obiena. With two days left, the Philippines has already tied its previous finish of four golds in the 2022 Hangzhou, China edition. Yape went against a 21-year-old female Vietnamese since the mixed individual event has no separate gender or weight class divisions. The mixed individual virtual taekwondo event is a digital, non-contact sport where athletes compete in a virtual arena. The athletes wear a headset and sensors, where their movements and motions are tracked in real time. Their characters will be represented on the screen as avatars and will fight in a virtual space with no physical contact with an opponent. The game is played as a best-of-three-round system, with each round lasting one minute. The athletes should execute kicks, side attacks, downward strikes, and head attacks to target the opponent's avatar, with their movements copied on the screen. Yape finished with a bronze on Thursday in the men’s individual poomsae competition.

Asian Games, day 13: Hong Kong sailors win 3 medals, squash gets silver, Wong in tennis final

Oct 2, 2026

Asian Games, day 13: Hong Kong sailors win 3 medals, squash gets silver, Wong in tennis final

Hong Kong athletes have enjoyed a successful Friday so far at the Asian Games, with two golds and one silver from sailing, the women’s squash team finishing with silver, and Ceci Lee Sze-wing still to finish her final rounds on the track at the Izu Velodrome in the omnium. The weekend is also looking promising, after Coleman Wong Chak-lam battled into the men’s singles final on Saturday while the men’s and women’s rugby teams are both into the semi-finals on the same day. The women will face...

Hangzhou launch for Project B league in January just part of busy Chinese sports year

Oct 2, 2026

Hangzhou launch for Project B league in January just part of busy Chinese sports year

The newly founded basketball league Project B earlier this week announced the first stop of its inaugural global basketball grand prix: in Hangzhou in January next year. While the debut of the global basketball tour has seen a slight delay – from its intended start this November – and the announcement of the Chinese host city came months later than anticipated, Project B is one of many major sporting events to be held in mainland China between now and the end of next year. “China has always had...

Hangzhou launch for Project B league in January just part of busy Chinese sports year

Oct 2, 2026

Hangzhou launch for Project B league in January just part of busy Chinese sports year

The newly founded basketball league Project B earlier this week announced the first stop of its inaugural global basketball grand prix: in Hangzhou in January next year. While the debut of the global basketball tour has seen a slight delay – from its intended start this November – and the announcement of the Chinese host city came months later than anticipated, Project B is one of many major sporting events to be held in mainland China between now and the end of next year. “China has always had...

Djokovic grinds out opening-round win at China Open

Oct 1, 2026

Djokovic grinds out opening-round win at China Open

Beijing — Novak Djokovic held his nerve during a tense tie-break to beat Nuno Borges 6-3, 7-6 (7/2) at the China Open on Wednesday, extending his extraordinary unbeaten streak in Beijing. The 39-year-old Serbian was struggling physically but pushed through the second-set decider for his first win at any event since Wimbledon in July. "It's a great pleasure to be back in my happy place," Djokovic said after the match, adding that the conditions and atmosphere in Beijing suit his game. "Obviously I'm a completely different person and player than I was 11 years ago when I played here last but thankfully I kept the streak going and hopefully I can do it again," he said. The former world number one is set to meet wildcard Bu Yunchaokete of China in the second round. Fans packed the stands in Beijing to watch Djokovic, a firm favourite in China who has never lost in Beijing in 30 matches -- although this was his first match at the event since 2015. He delighted the crowd with an ace to end the first game and saved two break points after a pair of double-faults to win the first set. Djokovic has had health issues in recent months and struggled to pick up points at the start of the second set, using his racquet to stretch his back between games and needing a medical timeout as a trainer worked on his right shoulder. But he forced a path to victory in one hour and 50 minutes, clinching it when Borges, the world number 49 from Portugal, returned into the net. It preserved Djokovic's winning streak in Beijing, where he has won six titles. 'Tough match' Earlier, Karen Khachanov swept aside second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-3 in their first-round meeting. Khachanov, the world number 26, won three straight games, taking the first set in 31 minutes. The 30-year-old then kept his cool to break Auger-Aliassime on the first match point, wrapping things up in one hour and 11 minutes. He faces either Arthur Rinderknech of France or qualifier Alex Molcan of Slovakia in the round of 16. Khachanov brushed off suggestions he had Auger-Aliassime's card marked following his second statement win over the Canadian world number five in a matter of weeks. "It was a tough match," the Russian, who triumphed at the US Open, said. "When you approach this match you are thinking it's a completely new match, completely different. In China, in Beijing. Different court, different balls. "You just focus again from zero. You know that what you did well... and you just try to keep the momentum going. There is not much secret about it." World number two Alexander Zverev, fresh off a US Open win and the top seed in Beijing, was scheduled to start his bid against Cameron Norrie in the first round on Thursday. While the battle for world number one has been on his mind, the 29-year-old German told reporters Wednesday his focus was still to "do everything I can to prepare myself to play good tennis". "Everything else will fall into place," he said. A 1000-level WTA event is also taking place in Beijing. AFP

WTA announces equal prize money at all combined 1000-level tournaments from 2027

Oct 1, 2026

WTA announces equal prize money at all combined 1000-level tournaments from 2027

All combined WTA 1000 tournaments will award women equal prize money to the men from 2027, the WTA said, with major events joining the rest of the category in offering the same payouts.

Paalam seeks to end PH boxing’s 16-year gold medal drought

Oct 1, 2026

Paalam seeks to end PH boxing’s 16-year gold medal drought

FILIPINO Olympian Carlo Paalam will vie for the men’s 55-kilogram (kg) boxing gold medal in the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan on Friday. The last Filipino boxer standing in the ongoing games, Paalam will take on hometown bet Rui Yamaguchi as he tried to end the 16-year gold medal drought of Philippine boxing in the Asian Games. Paalam, a two-time Olympic medalist, will have experience on his side when he exchanges blows with Yamaguchi, a 22-year-old 2026 Asian Boxing Elite champion, on Friday at 12:45 p.m. (Manila time) at the Nishio Gymnasium in Aichi, Japan. The last time the Philippines won a gold medal in boxing was in 2010 when Rey Saludar topped the men’s 52-kg division in Guangzhou, China. Paalam, a crafty orthodox boxer who surprises his opponents by switching to a southpaw stance, needs to overcome Yamaguchi's tactical and technical game. An interesting similarity to point out is that both fighters are naturally right-handed but use an orthodox stance in their bouts. Amateur boxing relies more on the punches thrown and connected compared to professional boxing. Amateur boxers don’t usually focus on delivering the knockout blows but rather use tactics to land better punches. The Japanese boxer reached the gold medal round after a commanding 5-0 victory over Mongolia's Bilguunsaikhan Kharhuu. The Cagayan de Oro pride, on the other hand, booked a finals berth after prevailing over world champion Makhmud Sabyrkhan of Kazakhstan via split decision on Wednesday. “I trust myself. God knows that, and God is guiding me. All of the pressure is on us right now. I am being very patient, doing my best, and I hope God will be with me, step by step,” Paalam said. After scoring a huge victory in the semifinals, the 28-year-old Paalam posted a video of himself, sharing his manifestation.  “I am Carlo Palaam, I am the best, and I am number one, representing Cagayan de Oro,” he said in a video. Paalam’s best finish in the Asian Games was in 2018 when he captured the bronze medal in the 49kg division. He has already surpassed that milestone this year by making the final round. He was almost a year outside of the ring and even skipped the 2025 Southeast Asian Games in Thailand.

Cojuangco winS PH’s first archery silver in Asian Games

Oct 1, 2026

Cojuangco winS PH’s first archery silver in Asian Games

ARCHER Amaya Amparo Cojuangco bagged the silver medal in the compound women’s final at the 2026 Asian Games on Thursday morning at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Multipurpose Square. The 40-year-old Cojuangco fell short of stealing the gold from Indonesia’s Nurisa Dian Ashrifah, who prevailed 139-137.  This is the first silver medal in archery for the Philippines in the Asian Games. The last time the country won a medal here was in 2014 when Paul Marton Dela Cruz bagged the bronze in the men’s compound. The final match was tight all throughout. In fifth game, however, Ashrifah scored an almost perfect 29 with a nine on her first arrow followed two by 10s. The Filipina scored a nine on all her three shots for a 27. Ashrifah finished with a 28-27-29-26-29 scorecard, while Cojuanco tallied 28-26-29-27-27. Cojuanco reached the championship match after a tense battle against South Korea’s Park Jungyoon, 142-141, in the semifinals. She completely dominated the match in the quarterfinals against Iran’s Bita Asheghzadeh Oskouei, 146-135, firing three perfect 30-point ends in the second, third, and fifth games. Compound archery uses cumulative scoring, not a best-of-five set system, with the match having five ends, three arrows/three shots per end. Compound uses an 80-centimeter (cm) target, compared to recurve matches which feature a 122-cm target face. The bullseye, or scored as “X,” is equivalent to 10 points.

Yankees, White Sox advance to 2nd round of playoffs

Oct 1, 2026

Yankees, White Sox advance to 2nd round of playoffs

NEW YORK — The New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox powered into the second round of the Major League Baseball playoffs on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) as the Philadelphia Phillies produced a late home-run bombardment to stay alive against the Atlanta Braves. The Yankees wrapped up a 2-0 wildcard series over the Boston Red Sox with an emphatic 9-2 win at Yankee Stadium and will face top seeds Tampa Bay in the next round. The White Sox — who received a letter of support from lifelong fan Pope Leo XIV before their series with Houston — fended off a spirited Astros to win 7-3 in Texas. Philadelphia, meanwhile, came from behind to snatch a 4-3 extra-inning victory over the Braves in Atlanta that squared their series at one apiece, with the decider on Thursday. Chicago’s defeat of the Astros was the latest stop on what has been a remarkable turnaround for the club, who suffered 100 defeats or more in three consecutive campaigns before this season. Chase Meidroth’s three-run homer sealed victory for the White Sox, who will face Cleveland in the American League division series. “That’s everything, man. Coming through for the guys, there’s no better feeling in the world,” said Meidroth. After racing into an early 4-0 lead, Chicago saw Houston close to within a run after solo homers from Jeremy Pena, Cam Smith and Jose Altuve each walloped solo home runs in the first, second and fourth innings. But Meidroth’s three-run blast snuffed out the Astros fightback. The Yankees followed up their 9-0 defeat of Boston on Tuesday with another thumping win in the Bronx to set up their division series duel with Tampa Bay. Outfielder Cody Bellinger produced the moment of the match launching a three-run homer-run in a six-run sixth inning that put the Yankees into an 8-1 lead. Great win Meanwhile, Philadelphia stayed afloat after their thrilling 4-3 defeat of Atlanta. In a dramatic comeback, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper hit back-to-back homers in the eighth to equalize before Alec Bohm’s game-winning home run in the 10th inning. “I don’t really know what happened,” Bohm said. “I was trying to pull the ball to the foul pole and I hit it to right field so I’ll take it.” The series winner plays the reigning MLB champion Los Angeles Dodgers in a best-of-five series starting Saturday. Phillies outfielder Harper, who fluffed a routine catch in the seventh inning allowing Atlanta to seize the lead, found redemption in the eighth. Harper followed Schwarber’s homer off Dylan Lee with his own solo shot to level at 3-3 and the game went to extra innings. Harper said when he came to the plate he was thinking: “I’ve got to come up big.” “That ball in right field I probably should have caught obviously, so got to come through for my team right there,” Harper said. “Great win.” In the dramatic 10th, Bohm blasted a two-out homer for the winning run. But it was not over, with the Braves yet to bat. Phillies relief pitcher Andrew Painter, in his playoff debut, allowed two singles as tension built, but struck out pinch-hitter Dominic Smith to secure victory. Later Thursday, the San Diego Padres will aim to wrap up a series victory over the Chicago Cubs in California.

Fury, Joshua kick off ‘Battle of Britain’

Oct 1, 2026

Fury, Joshua kick off ‘Battle of Britain’

LONDON — Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua were all smiles as they kicked off the countdown to their much-anticipated heavyweight showdown at a pre-fight press conference in London. The British two-time world champions will finally lock horns in Cardiff on Dec. 11 after years of false starts and barbs at each other. Those expecting fireworks as the two shared a stage in front of a crowd of 1,000 fans were left disappointed as both showed respect for their adversary’s career. Fury invited Joshua to join him for a “pint of Guinness” once they had finished in the ring, while the 2012 Olympic gold medalist ended a face-to-face exchange by tickling Fury in the midriff. The vacant WBA super heavyweight title is expected to be on the line and Fury hit back at criticism that the pair are only coming together well past their peak. “People say this fight is too late,” said the self-styled “Gypsy King.” “It’s the icing on the cake for two great careers when we throw down in front of 80,000 people. May the best man win.” The fight appeared destined for Saudi Arabia or the United States during the early stages of negotiations but Joshua believes the chance to face off on British soil will “inspire a generation.” “I’m really grateful for this opportunity and bringing it to Great Britain because I know people in pubs have had proper fights about who will win and family members have fallen out,” he said. “We’ll inspire this generation and the next generation. It was people from this country supporting us. I’m fulfilling my destiny before I depart this world.” Fury has won 36 of his 39 fights and held the WBC, WBO and IBF heavyweight belts during his colorful career, with his only defeats coming against Oleksandr Usyk in world title bouts in 2024. Joshua has 30 wins from 34 fights, holding the WBO and IBF titles at various stages before a pair of losses to Usyk in 2021 and 2022.

Ronaldo leaves Portugal training camp

Oct 1, 2026

Ronaldo leaves Portugal training camp

COPENHAGEN — Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo announced on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) that he had left the team’s training camp in Denmark after coach Jorge Jesus told reporters that the striker would be dropped for their next match. Ronaldo had been due to train with his teammates at the Parken stadium in Copenhagen on Wednesday but left abruptly after Jesus’ press conference. The veteran coach had said that Ronaldo, who spent the entire match on the bench against Norway on Sunday, would not start Thursday’s Nations League clash away to Denmark either. “Following the national team coach’s press conference, and after having a conversation with the Portuguese Football Federation president, I decided to leave the national team’s training camp,” Ronaldo wrote on Instagram. “In due course, I will tell the truth to all the Portuguese people about my reasons for leaving the national team, to which I have always been dedicated. “Now is time to wish good luck to Portugal and to all my teammates, without exception.” Jesus had insisted earlier that there was no rift between him and Ronaldo, although the 72-year-old did acknowledge that his captain had been disappointed to remain on the bench in the side’s Nations League win over Norway. The news sparked a wave of memes on social media and furious backlash from Ronaldo’s sister, Elma Aveiro. “They don’t deserve to have the best of anything,” she said about the Portuguese people on Instagram. “We are envious, scornful, and ignorant, and we deserve to return to the mediocrity that defined us in the pre-CR7 era of football.” No incident Following the 2-1 victory in Oslo, Ronaldo went straight to the changing rooms without joining his teammates in acknowledging the Portuguese supporters in the stands. “There was no incident whatsoever,” Jesus told reporters. “Any player — and I was a player myself ... when you spend 20 or 30 minutes warming up and then don’t get on ... no one is happy about that,” Jesus said on Wednesday. The Portuguese coach added that he had told Ronaldo before the match that he would not be in the starting lineup, but that he might bring him on towards the end of the game. “Afterwards, as coach, I decided not to bring him on. It’s nothing to make a fuss about,” Jesus insisted. The former Benfica boss also explained that Ronaldo had not refused to train on Tuesday, as some Portuguese media outlets had suggested, but that he had had to do individual exercises for physical “mobility” and “strengthening.” Jesus had said that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner would train as normal on Wednesday, however, despite arriving at the stadium in the team bus, Ronaldo did not join his teammates on the pitch in Copenhagen. Portuguese media shared a video of him leaving the Parken stadium alongside two members of the backroom staff just after Jesus’ press conference. They also said that Ronaldo’s private jet was heading to Copenhagen.

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