PVL: Creamline sweeps Akari before record Cebu crowd

Inquirer.net - Oct 10, 2026

CEBU CITY — Creamline kicked off its title defense with a 25-18, 25-21, 25-18 sweep of Akari in front of 19,106 fans in the PVL All-Filipino Conference Siklab Series opener on Saturday at SM Seaside Cebu Arena here. Buoyed by the new record crowd in Cebu’s newest arena, the Cool Smashers asserted their dominance and

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Alex Eala plays a qualifier in Wuhan Open first round

Oct 10, 2026

Alex Eala plays a qualifier in Wuhan Open first round

MANILA, Philippines–Alex Eala will play a qualifier in the first round of the Wuhan Open. Eala is seeded 13th in the WTA 1000 hardcourt event. Only the top eight seeds earned a first-round bye. The Filipino sensation resumes her WTA Tour campaign after settling for bronze at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Eala’s last appearance on

PVL: Sisi Rondina delights fellow Cebuanos in triumphant homecoming

Oct 10, 2026

PVL: Sisi Rondina delights fellow Cebuanos in triumphant homecoming

CEBU CITY — Sisi Rondina-Rosales treated her fellow Cebuanos with a thrilling five-set comeback in her PVL return after a six-month stint for Alas Pilipinas beach volleyball. Rondina-Rosales joined hands with Eya Laure to lift Choco Much from two sets down and eke out a come-from-behind 22-25, 18-25, 25-17, 25-20, 15-8 win over the revamped

Mirra Andreeva breezes into China Open final

Oct 10, 2026

Mirra Andreeva breezes into China Open final

Mirra Andreeva breezed into the China Open final on Saturday, brushing aside Nikola Bartunkova 6-2, 6-2, and will play either home hope Zheng Qinwen or Belgium’s Elise Mertens for the title. “I wanted to play aggressive today,” said the 19-year-old Russian, ranked five in the world. Andreeva raced into a 4-0 lead in the first

NBA: Knicks pause contract talks, focus on preparing for season

Oct 10, 2026

NBA: Knicks pause contract talks, focus on preparing for season

NEW YORK– The New York Knicks are focused on their NBA title defense now and will worry about contract negotiations later. That means Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart will have to wait on extensions they hoped would get done before the season. READ: After summer of fun, NBA champion Knicks get back to work The

Alex Eala admits her serve needs improvement

Oct 10, 2026

Alex Eala admits her serve needs improvement

MANILA, Philippines–Alex Eala acknowledged that her serve remains an area for improvement as she compared her development with the challenges Rafael Nadal experienced during his career. The world No. 18 discussed her game during Maria Sharapova’s “Pretty Tough” podcast, recalling lessons she learned while training at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain. READ: Alex

NBA: Bucks entering uncertain new era without Giannis Antetokounmpo

Oct 10, 2026

NBA: Bucks entering uncertain new era without Giannis Antetokounmpo

MILWAUKEE  — Tyler Herro understands the skepticism surrounding the Milwaukee Bucks now that they’ve traded away Giannis Antetokounmpo, the two-time NBA MVP who led the franchise to its first title in half a century. “People feel like we’re not going to win games, we’re not going to be in the talks of anything that has

PVL: Eya Laure, Rondina help Choco Mucho rally past Capital1 in opener

Oct 10, 2026

PVL: Eya Laure, Rondina help Choco Mucho rally past Capital1 in opener

CEBU CITY — Choco Mucho’s Eya Laure and Sisi Rondina-Rosales just returned from practice for their club days ago after their respective Alas Pilipinas stints in the Asian Games. But the dynamic duo hardly missed a beat, carrying Choco Mucho’s come-from-behind 22-25, 18-25, 25-17, 25-20, 15-8 over revamped Capital1 in the PVL All-Filipino Conference Siklab

No first-round bye for Eala at Wuhan

Oct 10, 2026

No first-round bye for Eala at Wuhan

DUE to a smaller draw, projected No. 13 seed Alexandra “Alex” Eala won’t receive a first-round bye at the WTA 1000 Wuhan Open in China. The Filipino tennis ace will compete in the tournament — her first Tour event after a bronze medal finish at the 20th Asian Games in Japan — slated from Oct. 12 to 18. Unlike most 1000 events where 96 players make up the field and the top 32 players receive first-round byes, Wuhan is limited to a 56-player draw. In this case, only the top eight get to skip the first round and start their campaign in the second. The same rule applies to the only two other 1000 events with a 56-player draw in Doha and Dubai. Thus, world No. 18 Eala won’t have the bye she used to have in previous 1000 events. The 56-player draw — comprising 43 direct entrants, eight qualifiers, four wildcards and one special exemption — is also the reason why Eala had to go through the qualifiers last year. Eala was No. 58 at the time and therefore could not get a direct entry. She lost to Moyuka Uchijima in the first round of the qualifiers last year, 4-6, 6-3, 2-6. This year, Eala is projected to be seeded five places higher than her actual ranking due to the withdrawals of five higher-ranked players. World No. 1 Elena Rybakina (foot), No. 4 and last year’s champ Coco Gauff (fatigue), No. 11 Amanda Anisimova (wrist), No. 15 Victoria Mboko (knee) and No. 17 Naomi Osaka (change of schedule) pulled out of the competition. World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 3 Jessica Pegula, No. 5 Mirra Andreeva, No. 6 Linda Noskova, No. 7 Elina Svitolina, No. 8 Karolina Muchova, No. 9 Iga Swiatek and No. 10 Marta Kostyuk made the top eight, in that order, and will be the ones to get first-round byes. The singles draw ceremony was scheduled for Saturday at 4 p.m. After the Asian Games, Eala went to France for Paris Fashion Week on Oct. 5. The 21-year-old also appeared in tennis great Maria Sharapova’s podcast “Pretty Tough.” Last Thursday, the Wuhan Open shared photos of Eala training already.

Kai Sotto sizzles as Chiba tops Osaka

Oct 10, 2026

Kai Sotto sizzles as Chiba tops Osaka

GILAS Pilipinas star Kai Sotto continued his strong form at Japan’s B.League 2027 season, helping lead the Altiri Chiba to a 97-90 home win over the Osaka Evessa at the Chibagi Arena on Friday. The Filipino import posted 18 points and 12 rebounds on top of five assists for Chiba, which snapped a two-game skid. Altiri improved to 2-4, sitting in 10th place at the East region. On the other hand, Evessa dropped to 1-5 for 12th place in the West. The 7-foot-3 Sotto has been averaging 12.0 points, 11.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists this season. Playing 26.5 minutes per game, Sotto has also been efficient with 67.7 field goal percentage. He wasn’t the only one who played well against Osaka, though. Local Seiya Ando and Sotto’s fellow imports DJ Newbill and Dereck Pardon showed up, too. Ando logged 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting including 4-of-7 from the three-point area. Newbill pumped 19 points, six rebounds and six assists, as Pardon dropped 16 points, 11 boards and three assists. James Palmer paced Osaka with 25 points, six assists and five rebounds. Sotto and the Altiri continue their home stand against the Toyama Grouses on Sunday.

EJ Obiena calls for better sports facilities

Oct 10, 2026

EJ Obiena calls for better sports facilities

OLYMPIAN Ernest John “EJ” Obiena believes Philippine sports is in its golden era, but access to quality facilities remains a major limiting factor for athletes. The two-time Asian Games gold medalist emphasized the critical need for better support during a recent Committee on Sports hearing. “I think sports in general, accessibility is the key. I think Philippine sports are in their golden age right now. We have so many world-class athletes, and I am just very proud that I am part of this era. I hope it gets better and better,” Obiena said. “I think what’s limiting us is the access to facilities. It is one of the reasons why I train outside, not just because of the knowledge there, but also the current situation of the facilities that we have.” Obiena understood that everyone is trying to upscale the sports program, but compared to the other countries, the scale of support is way too different. “I think everybody is doing their best. I have traveled from quite different countries, and I understand that the support in our country is not as big as what I said. In terms of the general budget.” Obiena trained at the University of Santo Tomas athletics team before he moved to Formia, Italy, in 2014 to train under renowned Ukrainian coach Vitaly Petrov. He stayed in Italy for more than a decade, where it shaped him into the first-ever Filipino pole vaulter to compete in the Olympics in 2020. In 2026, Obiena moved to Athens, Greece, where he began training under coach Marcin Szczepanski alongside Emmanouil Karalis. He further shared that he holds a pole vault clinic with the brands he partnered with. A total of 21 young pole vaulters in Ilocos and around 18 in Tagum. “This is just my small way ... Hopefully, this will be an ongoing thing we can sustain ... Continuous flow of athletes for our pole-vaulting event, because I really want to make the Philippines a powerhouse in this event, and hopefully in track and field as well.”

NBA’s SGA invests in Atletico Madrid

Oct 10, 2026

NBA’s SGA invests in Atletico Madrid

MADRID — NBA champion Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has joined the ownership group at Atletico Madrid, the Spanish top-flight club said on Friday. The Oklahoma City Thunder guard has become the latest North American sports star to take an interest in soccer, following the likes of LeBron James and Tom Brady. “This is a club with a long-standing presence at the top of European football, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of its future,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. Atletico said the partnership was “grounded in shared values: ambition, excellence and the belief that every result must be earned.” James became a part-owner of the Fenway Sports Group in 2021, the conglomerate that owns the Boston Red Sox and iconic Premier League club Liverpool. National Football League great Brady is a minority owner of English second-tier team Birmingham. Atletico did not reveal how big a stake 2025 NBA champion and back-to-back NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander had taken. “His investment reflects an interest in the club’s long-term vision and international growth,” it said. Atletico, second in the standings, visits La Liga rival Alaves on Saturday.

Knicks brace for NBA title defense

Oct 10, 2026

Knicks brace for NBA title defense

NEW YORK — The New York Knicks are focused on their NBA title defense now and will worry about contract negotiations later. That means Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart will have to wait on extensions they hoped would get done before the season. The Knicks said on Friday (Saturday in Manila) that won’t happen, perhaps setting up an uncomfortable situation with some of their most important players. “As an organization, our entire focus is on preparing for the upcoming season and delivering another year for our fans to be proud of. As a result, we will not be negotiating contract extensions until later in the season and will remain solely focused on preparing for the start of the season,” according to a statement from a team spokesman. The Knicks won their first NBA championship since 1973 in June but owner James Dolan said shortly afterward the team would avoid spending enough to trigger the penalties that come when a team reaches the second apron of the salary cap. They re-signed most of their important free agents, but negotiations on extensions with Towns and Hart, plus key reserve Deuce McBride, haven’t gone far. Towns, an All-Star in both seasons since coming to New York, seems particularly disappointed with comments he made recently. He is eligible for a four-year, $276-million deal. He is due to make $57 million this season and has a $61.1-million player option for 2027–2028. Hart will make $21 million this season, and the Knicks have an option for 2027–2028 at $22.4 million. He acknowledged that the contract situations could make it tough for players to focus — and also noted what it could mean around the trade deadline. “You have situations like that, and you never know what’s going to happen,” the forward said last month when the Knicks reported for training camp. “But for me, as long as I wear this jersey, I’m going to play as hard as I can for my guys and the city, so hopefully we can figure that out. But we know it’s a business, and we know if some of these things aren’t figured out by February, it might be a different conversation.” The Knicks open their season on Oct. 20 against LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers. Meanwhile, Tyler Herro understands the skepticism surrounding the Milwaukee Bucks now that they’ve traded away Giannis Antetokounmpo, the two-time Most Valuable Player (MVP) who led the franchise to its first title in half a century. “People feel like we’re not going to win games, we’re not going to be in the talks of anything that has to do with winning,” said Herro, one of the players who came to Milwaukee in the trade that sent Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat. “I feel like that’s the opposite of what we’re thinking. We’re trying to win.” The Bucks undoubtedly will have a tougher time winning without Antetokounmpo, who finished in the top five in the MVP balloting for seven straight years before injuries limited him to a career-low 36 games last season. Most preseason projections have the Bucks finishing at or near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.

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