Zverev, Djokovic crash out of Paris Masters

Manila Times - Nov 5, 2026

PARIS, France — Alexander Zverev said he was “annoyed” at having to justify being world number one as he lost his opening match at the Paris Masters, while 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic also fell on a Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) full of upsets. Carlos Alcaraz avoided a similar fate, however, as the seven-time major winner beat Alex Michelsen, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3, to get his campaign off to a safe start. Long seen as tennis’ nearly-man, 29-year-old Zverev broke his major duck this year by winning the French and US Opens, which propelled him to the top of the ATP rankings for the first time in his career this month. But his reign as world number one got off to a disappointing start as 24th-ranked Lorenzo Musetti eased to a 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 win over the German to reach the third round. “Stress, I don’t know if stress. I was a bit annoyed, to be honest,” Zverev told reporters. “I feel like I’m the only world number one in tennis history that has to explain why it’s okay for me to be world number one, which I find quite difficult, because I think I deserve to be where I am, even though I lost...

Read full article

More News

Basilan gears up for first triathlon event

Nov 5, 2026

Basilan gears up for first triathlon event

ISABELA CITY — The TRI-Basilan 2026 on Sunday, Nov. 8, marks a historic milestone as the island province hosts a triathlon event for the first time at the Pahali White Beach Resort in Malamawi Island. The bike-swim-run competition was designed to promote peace, athleticism, and economic recovery, highlighting the dramatic stabilization of law and order that has opened Basilan to large-scale sports tourism and commercial investments. Organizers are anticipating that the triathlon event will draw regional athletes and visitors while highlighting Basilan’s improved security climate and eco-tourism potential. In preparation for the sports spectacle, military personnel, local officials, and civic groups assembled at Malamawi Island on Oct. 28 for an extensive environmental clean-up drive across primary race routes. The readiness initiative was spearheaded by the 1101st Infantry (Gagandilan) Brigade under BGen. Frederick Sales to ensure the island’s coastline is pristine and safe for participants, delegates and spectators. Sales said that maintaining environmental cleanliness directly supports public safety while showcasing Malamawi Island as a premier, secure destination for eco-tourism. The coastal clean-up also served as an operational trial for inter-agency coordination between security forces, local government units, and civil society groups ahead of the major sports gathering. The joint environmental effort underscored the province’s ongoing transformation from historical security challenges toward sports tourism, peace-building, and sustainable community development. Strategic security coverage and maritime patrols are scheduled to be deployed across race routes on Malamawi and Isabela City throughout the weekend.

Brown, Embiid shine as Sixers beat Pistons

Nov 5, 2026

Brown, Embiid shine as Sixers beat Pistons

LOS ANGELES — Jaylen Brown and Joel Embiid combined for 56 points as the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Detroit Pistons, 112-106, in their heavyweight top-of-the-table NBA Eastern Conference clash on Wednesday. Brown finished with 30 points and Embiid added 26 to give the Sixers another impressive road win that moved them to 8-1 at the top of the standings, with Detroit (6-2) in second. Brown and Embiid led another balanced offensive performance from Philadelphia, who saw all five starters reach double figures. LeBron James added a double-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists while Tyrese Maxey drained three three-pointers on his way to a 19-point haul. Brown, who arrived from the Boston Celtics in the offseason, said he was “still adjusting” to his new teammates. “I’m still figuring it out,” Brown said, before paying tribute to the performance of 41-year-old teammate James. “LeBron has been great,” Brown said. “To see what he’s doing at his age makes sense for LeBron James, but for nobody else would it make sense.” The Sixers moved into the lead towards the end of the first quarter and kept their noses in front for the remainder of the game, stretching the lead to 18 points before a late rally from Detroit. Duncan Robinson led the Pistons with 27 points while Cade Cunningham added 26. The reigning champion New York Knicks scored their biggest win of the season with a 135-105 blowout over the Chicago Bulls at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks, who have made a slow start to the new campaign, improved to 4-4 after a dazzling 33-point performance from Jalen Brunson, who drained five three-pointers while making 10-of-17 from the field. O.G. Anunoby scored 18 points while Karl-Anthony Towns added 17 for a Knicks team who led by as many as 44 points midway through the third quarter. In Boston, the Milwaukee Bucks threatened to pull off a huge comeback before finally succumbing 109-102 to the Celtics. Paul George (25 points) and Derrick White (24) led the scoring for Boston, who appeared to be cruising after leading by 20 early in the third quarter. But a 38-point third quarter from Milwaukee flipped the script and the Bucks edged into a 96-95 lead with five minutes remaining. Boston regained control down the stretch with George and White closing out the win.

Como scores 9 goals in stunning win at Lens

Nov 5, 2026

Como scores 9 goals in stunning win at Lens

LENS, France — Italian outfit Como equaled the record for the biggest winning margin in the modern Champions League with a stunning 9-1 victory away to Lens in France on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila). Greek international striker Anastasios Douvikas led the way with a hat-trick as the Serie A side, coached by Cesc Fabregas, claimed a third win in four games in this season’s league phase. Only two teams had previously won a game by a margin of eight goals since the launch of the modern UEFA Champions League in 1992. Liverpool thumped Besiktas 8-0 in the group stage in 2007 and Real Madrid won by the same scoreline against Malmo in 2015. Como are just the second team to score nine times in a game in the competition, after Bayern Munich beat Dinamo Zagreb, 9-2, in the league phase in 2024. According to statisticians Opta, the last club to score nine away from home was Feyenoord against Olympiacos in the old European Cup 1971. Douvikas opened the scoring from close range in the seventh minute and finished again at the end of a superb team move just after the half-hour mark. Argentine star Nico Paz rifled in to make it 3-0 at half-time, but Como really ran away with the game after the interval at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis in northern France. Paz set up French international midfielder Lucas Da Cunha for 4-0, and Marc-Oliver Kempf headed in his team’s fifth before Douvikas completed his hat-trick. Mattia Liberali came off the bench and shortly after ran away to score the seventh, before Ruben Aguilar pulled one back for Lens with a fine volley. However, Martin Baturina got Como’s eighth in the 69th minute and Lens were lucky to concede only one more after that, as Matteo Papaccioli capped an incredible night for the visitors. “There’s nothing but positives for us to take this evening. Everything went right for us,” said an understated Fabregas, as reported by UEFA.com. Como, who finished fourth in Serie A last season to qualify for the Champions League for the first time, had already beaten both RB Leipzig and Manchester United 4-1 at home in this campaign. They are fourth in the overall Champions League standings after four games with nine points, three points behind Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, and one point behind Arsenal. It is a third straight Champions League defeat for Lens and a record Champions League loss for a French club. “It is hard to explain in the heat of the moment but the overriding feeling is one of humiliation,” said their coach, Yannick Cahuzac.

‘Annoyed’ Alexander Zverev loses first match as world No. 1 in Paris

Nov 5, 2026

‘Annoyed’ Alexander Zverev loses first match as world No. 1 in Paris

PARIS–Alexander Zverev made a losing start to his reign as world number one on Wednesday as the two-time Grand Slam champion went down 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 to an inspired Lorenzo Musetti at the Paris Masters. Playing his opening match in the round of 32 in the French capital, the German accumulated errors to tamely exit

NBA: Luka Doncic’s 40 points lead Lakers past Kings

Nov 5, 2026

NBA: Luka Doncic’s 40 points lead Lakers past Kings

SACRAMENTO, California — Luka Doncic scored 40 points for his sixth straight game with at least 35, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings 116-103 in the NBA on Wednesday night. Doncic put together another impressive scoring performance, making six 3-pointers and 12 of 13 free throws to lead the Lakers to their

NBA: Wembanyama’s career night lifts Spurs past Mavericks

Nov 5, 2026

NBA: Wembanyama’s career night lifts Spurs past Mavericks

SAN ANTONIO— Victor Wembanyama had a career highs of 52 points and 24 rebounds along with eight blocks to power the San Antonio Spurs past the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA 112-111 on Wednesday night. Wembanyama had 29 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks in the first half to become the first player since the

NBA: Trail Blazers extend road streak to 5 with win over Suns

Nov 5, 2026

NBA: Trail Blazers extend road streak to 5 with win over Suns

PHOENIX— Damian Lillard scored 25 points and Donovan Clingan added 24 to help the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Phoenix Suns 132-119 in the NBA on Wednesday night. Deni Avdija added 21 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds for the Trail Blazers (6-1), who have won five straight on the road. READ: NBA: Trail Blazers

NBA: Nikola Jokic’s triple-double fuels Nuggets win over Raptors

Nov 5, 2026

NBA: Nikola Jokic’s triple-double fuels Nuggets win over Raptors

DENVER — Nikola Jokic had 32 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for his third triple-double this season to lead the Denver Nuggets over the Toronto Raptors 128-109 in the NBA on Wednesday night. Six other Nuggets players finished in double figures, led by rookie forward Bryce Hopkins, who came off the bench to score

NBA: Jonathan Kuminga sparks Timberwolves’ late surge over Rockets

Nov 5, 2026

NBA: Jonathan Kuminga sparks Timberwolves’ late surge over Rockets

HOUSTON– Ayo Dosunmu had 21 points and Jonathan Kuminga powered a fourth-quarter run that allowed the Minnesota Timberwolves to pull away for a 117-107 win over the Houston Rockets in the NBA on Wednesday night. Minnesota led by two before a 3-pointer from Kuminga, a steal by Dosunmu and a tip-in by Kuminga made it

NBA: Saddiq Bey’s clutch scoring lift Pelicans past Jazz in OT

Nov 5, 2026

NBA: Saddiq Bey’s clutch scoring lift Pelicans past Jazz in OT

NEW ORLEANS–Saddiq Bey closed out a 22-point performance with six straight points in the final minutes of overtime, and the New Orleans Pelicans rallied to defeat the Utah Jazz 120-113 in the NBA on Wednesday night. Zion Williamson scored 23 points — all after halftime — as the Pelicans overcame a 13-point deficit late in

NBA: Aaron Nesmith hits late 3-pointer to lead Pacers past Grizzlies

Nov 5, 2026

NBA: Aaron Nesmith hits late 3-pointer to lead Pacers past Grizzlies

MEMPHIS, Tennessee— Andrew Nembhard scored 22 points, Aaron Nesmith had 16, including a 3-pointer in the closing seconds, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Memphis Grizzlies 107-103 in the NBA on Wednesday night. The Grizzlies had pulled within 104-103 on Ty Jerome’s floater with 28.2 seconds left, but Nesmith connected on the long-range jumper from

Recommended