The enigma of Carlos Alcaraz - ESPN
NEW YORK — Within hours of Carlos Alcaraz arriving on site to the US Open Aug. 25, and long before he had even taken the court for his first-round match, he had become the day's biggest storyline.
Naomi Osaka Sport News
Chess Federation looking into alleged ban on Israeli flag at Spanish tournament
MADRID: The International Chess Federation (FIDE) said on Friday it was not involved in and had not been consulted over an alleged decision by a Spanish tournament to forbid Israeli players from competing under their national flag. “FIDE had no prior knowledge of this decision, did not make any ruling on this, nor was it consulted by the organizers,” the federation said in a statement. “FIDE strongly condemns any form of discrimination, including on the basis of nationality and flag. The same rules apply to Israel and its players as to all other member federations that are not under any form of sanctions.” The organizers of the Bilbao Sestao Basque Country tournament, which starts next week, were not immediately reachable for comment.
’No curse’ on England, insists Tuchel despite near misses
LONDON: England manager Thomas Tuchel is adamant there is “no curse” upon his side as he looks to end their near 60-year wait for a major international trophy.England’s only previous major title came at the 1966 World Cup on home soil, defeating West Germany in the final.England came close several times to ending the drought under Tuchel’s predecessor Gareth Southgate, losing successive European Championship finals, as well as reaching the 2018 World Cup semifinals and the last eight in 2022.England’s women have enjoyed success under Sarina Wiegman, winning back-to-back Euros titles in 2022 and 2025, while the men’s Under-21 side are also double European champions after backing up their 2023 title with victory in Slovakia in June.“Not at all,” Tuchel said when asked if he felt extra pressure due to the women’s and youth teams’ successes.“If it is something, then it is a good omen and I was so happy for Sarina and (Under-21 coach) Lee (Carsley) because they made it and they made an extraordinary effort and a huge success with back-to-back victories...“It is possible (to win a trophy with England), there is no curse on English teams and it is a good omen and we will do our very best to follow their example.”England face Andorra on Saturday in qualifying for next year’s World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, before taking on Serbia in Belgrade on Tuesday.“I get a lot of tips, that’s for sure, but always in a friendly manner,” former Chelsea boss Tuchel said of his interactions with England fans.“Most of them just say, ‘Bring it home, Thomas’.
Defending champ Sabalenka will face Anisimova in U.S. Open women's final
On Aryna Sabalenka's first chance to end her U.S. Open semifinal against Jessica Pegula and earn the chance to play for a second consecutive trophy at Flushing Meadows, the defending champion dumped what should have been an easy overhead into the net, then stared at the ground.
Taif Sprint Cup headlines Week 7 of racing at King Khalid Racecourse
TAIF: King Khalid Racecourse stages Week 7 of the Taif racing season on Saturday with 13 two-year-olds competing for $106,000 in the 1200m Taif Sprint Cup.
Penge, Reitan, Li and Hatton to tee it up at DP World Tour Championship
DUBAI: Marco Penge, Kristoffer Reitan, Haotong Li and Tyrrell Hatton — all winners in the 2025 Race to Dubai — are the latest stars confirmed for the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates from Nov. 13-16.
Labubu lament: Naomi Osaka says plush toy for the US Open final would’ve been Osaka herself
NEW YORK: Naomi Osaka’s last Labubu as the US Open was going to be Osaka herself. For Osaka, that was the real bummer about losing one match short of the final. “Oh, don’t make me cry, man,” the four-time Grand Slam champion said during her press conference early Friday morning after her 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3), 6-3 semifinal loss to Amanda Anisimova. “Oh my God, the most devastating question.” Osaka had been toting a different version of the popular plush toy attached to her racket bag to each of her matches in Flushing Meadows.
Sabalenka to face American in US Open final for third year in a row
NEW YORK :World number one Aryna Sabalenka will brace herself for a partisan crowd in the U.S. Open final for a third year in a row on Saturday, as she stands across the net from American Amanda Anisimova in the final match of her title defence.