Alexandra 'Alex" Eala is the highest-ranked Women"s Tennis Association player in the initial entry list for women"s singles tennis, as published on the 2026 Asian Games website.

It was far from the start Alas Pilipinas wanted for its women’s team in the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games—but neither was it unexpected. So the nation’s brightest volleyball stars are milking the result for whatever they can get from it. “[W]e came into this tournament very excited, very ready to learn, and very ready to be

Elizabeth Means is set for her national team debut on Thursday when Gilas Pilipinas opens its women’s basketball 5-on-5 campaign in the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games minus some notable names. Means, whose naturalization was completed a few months earlier, will be a prominent figure for Gilas in the 3 p.m. matchup (Manila time) with Kazakhstan at

All eyes were on Ateneo as the team made its debut in the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball tournament. For the Blue Eagles, however, some eyes mattered more than the rest. The Katipunan-based squad smashed University of the East, 101-74, on Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena, but the result’s place in the team standings

The Philippine women’s football team will be eyeing the maximum three points on Thursday when it goes up against Hong Kong in the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Gifu. Coach Mark Torcaso is hoping to see a better version of the Filipinas in the 6 p.m. match (Manila time) at Nagaragawa Stadium after snatching a point

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is among the victims of a Ponzi scheme that took in more than $35 million from unsuspecting investors, a Missouri prosecutor said.

The Gilas Pilipinas Women will open their campaign at the 2026 Asian Games on Thursday, September 17, as they face Kazakhstan in their first group stage game.

MIAMI, United States —Lionel Messi headed a goal and provided an assist as Inter Miami won the Campeones Cup on Wednesday, beating Cruz Azul 2-0 in the annual clash between Major League Soccer and Mexican Liga MX champions. It was Inter Miami's first Campeones Cup triumph and came thanks to the Argentine superstar's 100th goal for the reigning MLS Cup winners. A late Messi corner was headed home by Casemiro to seal the win. Victory gave 39-year-old Messi his first trophy of the year, two months after the heartbreak of losing the 2026 World Cup final to Spain with Argentina. After the game, Casemiro paid tribute to his illustrious teammate Messi. "We have to enjoy this because we don't know how long we'll have it," the former Real Madrid midfielder said. "What he has done and continues to do for football is incredible... he remains the best. He proved it at the World Cup and continues to prove it in MLS." Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham said Messi deserved to win a record-extending ninth Ballon d'Or. "When you see him do things like this tonight, when you see him have the World Cup that he's had... there is no one at 39 that's doing that, and doing it at that level," said Beckham. "So he deserves to be considered for the Ballon d'Or. In my opinion, he should win it." Cruz Azul had the game's first big chance, Jose Paradela's shot saved at the near post by Miami goalkeeper Dayne St Clair. Miami's opener came in the 24th minute. Though the goalscorer was no surprise, it was a rare Messi header that broke the deadlock. Luis Suarez crossed from the byline, and the 5-foot-7 Messi outjumped Willer Ditta with a diving header to give Miami the lead. Suarez nearly turned provider again in the 32nd minute. He received a sumptuous cross-field ball from Messi and scooped it up for German Berterame, whose dinked effort was cleared off the line. Early in the second half Messi appeared to have scored his 101st Miami goal, racing through one-on-one from a Suarez through ball and placing his shot in off the post, but was ruled offside. Cruz Azul should have equalized in the 67th minute, but substitute Gabriel Fernandez's glancing header hit the post, and Casemiro blocked the follow-up shot. A Messi corner gave Miami the two-goal cushion, finding Casemiro, who nodded the ball low to the far post in the 81st minute. St Clair denied Cruz Azul a late consolation, saving well from a Paradela free kick. New coach  The trophy came in new Inter Miami head coach Cristian "Kily" Gonzalez's first game in charge. Argentine manager Gonzalez was appointed last month, but due to visa delays only took his first training sessions this week. The annual Campeones Cup pits the previous year's MLS Cup winner against the winner of Mexico's Campeon de Campeones. It was the eighth edition of the cup, which is always hosted by the MLS participant. Mexican teams had won the three most recent editions before Miami's victory on Wednesday. Mexican giants Cruz Azul have still never won the Campeones Cup. They lost the 2021 final.

Chinese runner Zhao Jiaju became the first athlete to complete the 330km Tor des Géants in under 66 hours on Wednesday, breaking the course record to claim victory in Italy using a “fragmented sleep” strategy. Wearing bib No 1, he crossed the finish line in Courmayeur at 9.55am with a winning time of 65 hours, 55 minutes and 22 seconds, making history as the first Asian competitor to win the event. Widely regarded as one of the world’s most gruelling ultra-trail races, the flagship event offers...

Gillingham’s youngsters are making such an impression that some of the club’s senior players could find it difficult to win their shirts back.

Follow live updates as Alas Pilipinas, Gilas Pilipinas, and the Filipinas compete for the Philippines at the 2026 Asian Games on Thursday.

The Philippine Women"s National Football Team Filipinas opened their campaign at the 2026 Asian Games with a 1-1 draw against Uzbekistan.

The Alas Pilipinas Women are competing in the 2026 Asian Games and opened their campaign with a loss to China.

MANILA, Philippines — Jovelyn Gonzaga and Rachel Daquis have been around long enough to remember when Philippine volleyball was built around the Shakey’s V-League — the predecessor of the Premier Volleyball League (PVL)— when they were still playing together for Army. A decade later, the two veterans are still playing, now with ZUS Coffee entering

MANILA, Philippines—Kieffer Alas had one of the best UAAP debuts in recent memory, leading Ateneo to a 101-74 win over University of the East on Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena. Alas, however, downplayed his dazzling performance that came close to setting a new UAAP record for most points scored in a debut. READ: UAAP

MANILA, Philippines—Coach Pido Jarencio was all smiles and banter following University of Santo Tomas’ victory over defending champion La Salle in the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday. Jarencio, who is in his second tour of duty as UST’s coach after leading the school to a championship in 2006, poked fun at his

MANILA, Philippines—Jacob Cortez shouldered the blame for La Salle’s loss to the University of Santo Tomas in the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball tournament at Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday. The Green Archers lost 80-75 after the Growling Tigers outsteadied them down the stretch despite having one of the league’s best clutch performers in

BARCELONA — Raphinha scored a hat-trick as La Liga leaders Barcelona ripped Racing Santander to shreds in a spectacular 7-2 triumph on Wednesday. Atletico Madrid thrashed Osasuna 4-0 to build form and confidence ahead of Sunday's derby clash against Real Madrid. Levante's match against Athletic Bilbao was postponed shortly before it was due to kick off because of heavy rain and a waterlogged pitch in Valencia. On Tuesday Real Madrid had pulled level with Barcelona after a 3-2 win at Elche, but the Catalans reestablished their three-point advantage with an avalanche of goals against Racing, 10th. As well as Raphinha's treble, Joao Cancelo, Gabriel Jesus and Lamine Yamal also scored for the unstoppable Catalan giants, who have netted 33 goals in seven games across all competitions. "For me the most important thing is that we are always focused, with every pass. It's like conversation, a good conversation," Barca coach Hansi Flick told DAZN. Despite their superb start, Raphinha said he still wanted more from himself and his team-mates. "It's always important to think you need to improve in some way," Raphinha told DAZN. "So I'll never tell you I'm at my best level, because... I always try to improve as much as I can, and give more to the team than I am given." With lightning flashing above Camp Nou Barca took the lead with a thunderbolt from Cancelo, before Raphinha won and converted a penalty for Barca's second. Racing Santander pulled one back when Maguette Gueye barged his way through and produced a neat finish to beat Barca goalkeeper Joan Garcia. However it proved only brief respite for the visitors, with Cancelo provoking the third with another long-range effort which deflected in off Asier Villalibre. Raphinha, thriving playing as Barca's center-forward, bagged Barca's fourth after he was played in on goal by Dani Olmo. Teenage star Yamal should have added a fifth after the electric Karim Adeyemi was brought down in the box, but Julen Agirrezabala saved his penalty. Barca reserve goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny replaced Garcia at half-time after the Spain international appeared to hurt himself while slipping on the wet pitch as he went to get the ball. Flick said the goalkeeper had "some problems" with his knee but hoped he would be ready to play at the weekend. Yamal hit the post and later had a goal ruled out for offside as the rain lashed down in the second half. Yassir Zabiri pulled another back for Racing after a dreadful error from Szczesny, who tried and failed to dribble the ball, losing it right in front of his goal. Barcelona's fifth arrived almost immediately with another penalty after Adeyemi was brought down. Raphinha completed his hat-trick from the spot for his ninth league goal, extending his lead as the league's top goalscorer. He was replaced by his compatriot Gabriel Jesus, who added the sixth with a sharp finish into the top corner after being played in by Yamal, who netted the seventh after Adeyemi set him up.

BRASILIA — Brazil's first civilian president after military rule, Jose Sarney, 96, was discharged from hospital Wednesday after a short stay with pneumonia. Sarney, who was admitted to hospital on Sunday with the respiratory infection, will continue receiving home-care, the UDI Hospital in the northern city of Sao Luis said in a statement. A lawyer, politician, and writer, Sarney became president in tragic circumstances and served from 1985 to 1990. He was supposed to be vice president under Tancredo Neves, who won indirect elections called in January 1985 by the military regime. But Neves was hospitalized on the eve of his scheduled inauguration with intestinal inflammation. He died 38 days later after multiple surgeries and a bacterial blood infection. During his tenure, Sarney oversaw the drafting and approval of a new constitution in 1988, which paved the way for direct presidential elections the following year -- the first in almost 30 years. Brazil also experienced soaring inflation, which his government failed to curb, leading to hyperinflation at the end of his presidency. After leaving office, Sarney served several terms as a senator, including as president of the Senate. He retired from politics in 2015.

MANILA, Philippines—University of Santo Tomas recovered from its opening loss by nipping defending champion La Salle, 80-75, in the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday night at Mall of Asia Arena. The Growling Tigers, who absorbed a 92-85 loss at the hands of last year’s losing finalist University of the Philippines on Sunday,

Catch up with all the week’s football fixtures and results here.

MANILA, Philippines—The parents of Divine Adili and Rene Baterbonia were in attendance at Mall of Asia Arena when Ateneo made its debut in the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday. Elias and Ifeoma, Divine’s parents, were behind the bench of the Blue Eagles, who dominated the Red Warriors, 101-74, to open their campaign.

MANILA, Philippines—Playing the first game of the tournament dedicated to its fallen teammates Divine Adili and Rene Baterbonia, Ateneo opened UAAP Season 89 with a rousing 101-74 win over University of the East on Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena. With Adili’s parents in attendance, the Blue Eagles pulled away in the second quarter and

MANILA, Philippines — Aby Maraño, former Philippine women’s volleyball team captain, known for her grit and resilience, has called it a career after 22 years. Maraño announced her retirement on Wednesday. She last played for the Nxled Chameleons in the 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference. “Actually, retiring wasn’t an overnight decision for me. I had been

Kent are closing in on victory in their Rothesay County Championship clash with Lancashire at Canterbury.

MANILA, Philippines — Angel Canino sticks to the positives after her impressive Asian Games debut ended with Alas Pilipinas Women getting swept by defending champion China. Canino shone in her first Asiad with 14 points in the 18-25, 22-25, 8-25 loss the defending champions on Wednesday at Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Gymnasium in Japan. “Actually,

MANILA, Philippines — National University eyes a fifth consecutive title in the Shakey’s Super League when the Unity Cup opens on September 25 at Rizal Memorial Coliseum. The Lady Bulldogs, now led by Vange Alinsug, Arah Panique, and Sam Cantada, brace for another tough competition against the six other UAAP teams, sans La Salle, and

ALEXANDRA “Alex” Eala is poised to secure the No. 3 seed and a first-round bye at the WTA 500 Singapore Tennis Open slated from Sept. 21 to 27 at the OCBC Arena, The Kallang. Initially seeded No. 6, world No. 18 Eala moved three places up after No. 3 Jessica Pegula, No. 13 Diana Shnaider and No. 15 Sorana Cirstea pulled out of the tournament. Pegula, Shnaider and Cirstea were supposed to claim the No. 1, No. 4 and No. 5 seeds, respectively. The top four seeds in the 28-player field earn a first-round bye, starting their campaign in the second round. French Open champion No. 5 Mirra Andreeva and No. 10 Amanda Anisimova are the No. 1 and No. 3 seeded players, respectively. The other direct entrants listed on the tournament website are world No. 19 Elise Mertens, No. 21 Ekaterina Alexandrova, No. 26 Maja Chwalinska, No. 28 Sara Bejlek and No. 33 Maria Sakkari. Completing the list are No. 37 Donna Vekic, No. 38 Barbora Krejcikova, No. 40 Wang Xinyu, No. 41 Oleksandra Oliynykova and No. 51 Janice Tjen. The Singapore Open serves as Eala’s perfect buildup for the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan. The Asian Games tennis play will run from Sept. 27 to Oct. 3, running smack into WTA 1000 China Open’s Sept. 30 to Oct. 11 schedule. Eala will skip the China Open in a bid to win the Asiad gold medal, which also merits a direct qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The 21-year-old will suffer a zero-point penalty, a $10,000 (P626,000) fine and potentially lose year-end bonuses if she skips China Open without WTA exemption. The Philippine Tennis Association (Philta) requested the WTA to give Eala an exemption so she could avoid the penalties for skipping a 1000-tier tournament like the China Open. Top players like Eala are contractually obliged to compete in Grand Slams and 1000-tier tournaments. As of writing, there’s no word yet whether the WTA approved or denied Philta’s request albeit it already denied the same request from Indonesia’s Tjen. Tjen thus will play at the China Open and skip the Asian Games, instead. As for Eala, she will skip China and play at the Asian Games with or without the WTA exemption.

LEAGUE commissioner Willy Marcial came to the defense of the PBA-backed Gilas Pilipinas, which on Monday, bowed to China by 44 points, leading to the country’s worst-ever ninth place finish in the 20th Asian Games men’s basketball in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. The amiable PBA Commissioner noted how big of a sacrifice the team has made in the national team’s quest to defend the Philippines’ Asian Games basketball championship. “The players made a big sacrifice. I salute them for all that they have done for the country,” Marcial told The Manila Times in Filipino. “People don’t see what the players have done behind the scenes.” Filipino basketball-crazy fans expressed their frustration on social media following the Philippines’ 105-61 shellacking at the hands of a vengeful China side at the close of the group stage on Monday at the Aichi International Arena. The 44-point beating sent the Philippines out of quarterfinal contention in the process as Gilas ended the group stage with a 1-2 record. The Filipinos opened the tournament with an 85-89 loss to Bahrain, recovered by scoring a 109-78 rout of Kazakhstan before the 44-point defeat at the hands of the Chinese. Despite the embarrassing ending and the national team’s failure to retain the Asian Games basketball gold, Marcial said the PBA remains steadfast in its support to the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP). “We’ve made all the adjustments already, but we, in the PBA, will continue to send all the support, all the help to SBP. If they need ball boys, we will send them. If they need players, or coaches, we will send them to support SBP also. Whatever help they need, we will help,” shared Marcial. Marcial was on hand to support Gilas, along with some members of the PBA board of governors in Nagoya.

ALAS Pilipinas fell to China, 18-25, 22-25, 8-25, in the Asian Games women’s volleyball opener at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Gymnasium in Japan on Wednesday. The Filipino volleybelles managed to be competitive against the defending champs, especially in the second frame, but collapsed in the third as the Chinese dominated to secure the Pool B win. Alas fell into a 4-19 hole and trailed by as many as 17 points, 7-24, in the third set. China finished the match in one hour and eight minutes. Angel Canino fired 14 points to lead Alas as Eya Laure aided her with 10. Alyssa Solomon chipped in nine points for the Taka Minowa-coached team. Thea Gagate and Dell Palomata added three and two points, respectively. The Filipinos put up the most fight in the second set, where they came back from a 16-20 deficit and tie the count at 20 following a Gagate block on Tang Xin. Staying composed, the Chinese responded with a 4-0 run to eventually take the set. China carried the momentum in the third frame as it shut down the Philippines, which is now in a must-win situation against Kazakhstan on Thursday. A loss will end the Filipinos’ quarterfinal bid and relegate them to classification matches. Tang banged 18 points to lead the Chinese as Yushan Zhuang punched 17. Aoqian Wang chipped in 13 markers.