MANILA, Philippines — For Caitlin Viray, coming back home to Choco Mucho was one thing. Finding her rhythm again after two years away was another. After spending three seasons with Choco Mucho, Viray moved to Farm Fresh, where she played throughout 2024 and 2025. Her return to the Flying Titans in early 2026 reunited her

MANILA, Philippines–University of the Philippines will compete in the upcoming Asian University Basketball League (AUBL) under a new home-and-away format for the group stage. The Fighting Maroons will represent the Philippines against schools from Japan, South Korea, China and Mongolia. UP, which leads the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball tournament with a 7-2 record, is

Major brands in China have dropped French football star Kylian Mbappe, saying he “hurt the feelings of the Chinese people” after a video circulated online in which he apparently joked about former leader Mao Zedong. He is the latest in a string of global athletes to have faced public backlash and financial repercussions in China

PARIS–Stan Wawrinka bid farewell to tennis on Tuesday, bringing the curtain down on a decorated 24-year career after a first-round exit at the Basel Open. The 41-year-old Swiss announced earlier in the season that his last tournament as a professional would be the ATP 500-level event in his home country and a 7-5, 7-6 (7/2)

CREAMLINE looks to stay unscathed as the defending champion faces Capital 1 in the PVL All-Filipino Conference Siklab Series at the Santiago Sports Arena in Santiago, Isabela, on Thursday. Undefeated through three matches, the Cool Smashers take on the Solar Spikers at 6 p.m. The ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles and the PLDT High Speed Hitters open the double-header at 3:30 p.m. Creamline is coming off a 25-19, 16-25, 26-24, 25-17 win against Zus Coffee last Saturday to lead the league with nine points. Making her PVL return after serving as team captain of the Alas Pilipinas national team at the Asian Games, Jia De Guzman tossed 17 excellent sets to orchestrate the Cool Smashers’ offense. “It’s great. I love the level that we’re playing at, and of course, I love being back home with Creamline,” said De Guzman. The eight-time PVL Best Setter said it is always a joy to play with her teammates again. “It’s also exciting because we get to compete against other teams and see the talent within our own team and among our opponents. The challenge is also there on the coaching side,” she said. “But at the same time, as a setter, I also have the challenge of figuring out how to distribute the ball among the players our coaches want us to utilize. So far, we’ve identified our teammates’ strengths, and it’s up to us to figure out how to make the most of them. Our teammates have responded well,” she added. Alongside hitters Bernadeth Pons, Pangs Panaga and Tots Carlos, De Guzman looks to continue to steer the Creamline against a Capital 1 side eager to bounce back from a loss. The Solar Spikers fell to the High Speed Hitters last Saturday, 25-21, 21-25, 21-25, 21-25. The Bella Belen-led Capital 1 fell to 2-2 with five points for sixth place. Meanwhile, PLDT looks to get a winning streak going after a breakthrough win against Capital 1 last timeout. Led by ace spiker Savi Davison, the High Speed Hitters (1-2) aim to climb from the cellar they are currently in with the Thunderbelles. ZUS is equally determined, if not more, especially being winless through three games. The Thunderbelles put up some fight but fell short against the Cool Smashers last Saturday.

GRANDMASTER Rogelio “Joey” Antonio Jr. was crowned champion in the 34th Erkel Memorial Blitz Chess Championships held in Gyula, Hungary, on Tuesday. The Filipino chess grandmaster was unbeaten in the 7-round Swiss system tournament and finished with 6.5 points to secure the championship. GM Antonio opened the FIDE-rated tournament with back-to-back wins against Yuriy Pak of Kazakhstan and Sandor Kakuk of Hungary before drawing his third game against compatriot FIDE Master Mario Mangubat. He bounced back by defeating his next four opponents — Raghuraman Gububaran of India, FIDE Master Vedant Goswani of India, Kornel Tamas of Hungary and Erik Zsigmond Balogh of Hungary — to clinch the crown. Gububaran, whose only loss was against GM Antonio, scored 6.0 points and bagged runner-up honors. Mangubat, who scored 5.5 points, placed third in the blitz event that employed a five-minute time control with a five-second increment. “I am happy with my performance,” said Antonio, who remained active in the international chess circuit at age 64. Antonio and Mangubat are now playing in the 34th Erkel Memorial Chess Championships and will join the FIDE World Senior Chess Championships starting next week in Vrnjacka Banja, Serbia. GM Antonio’s campaign in Europe is being supported by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) chairman Alejandro Tengco, Philippine Sports Commission chairman John Patrick Gregorio, PSC commissioner Ed Hayco, National Chess Federation of the Philippines chairman Prospero Pichay Jr. and Philippine Economic Zone Authority director general Tereso Panga. FM Mangubat is backed by Pagcor. TMT

MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin got back on level terms in the top of the fourth inning though with Pratt’s double off Tampa Bay starter Griffin Jax allowing Sal Frelick to score and make it 1-1. Tampa Bay regained the lead in the fourth inning though after an error by Brewers third baseman David Hamilton. Hamilton just failed to tag Caminero, and after an errant throw to first base, the Dominican slugger scrambled home to give Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead. Hamilton, however, was quick to make amends. In the top of the fifth inning, the 29-year-old smashed a 93 mph fastball from Jax into right center field for a solo run. From there it became a question of who would blink first, with both teams’ bullpens dominating the later innings to leave scoring chances at a premium. The breakthrough finally came through in the 12th inning after Pratt’s solo shot. Yet Tampa Bay’s subsequent rally ensured the series will extend into a Game 5 in Florida on Wednesday. “I’m glad we get to see another ball game tomorrow,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “The guys came through and swung the bat really well. “We just want to do everything we can to get to play the next day. I’m really impressed with the way the guys hung in there. That was a grind.” Brewers manager Pat Murphy backed his players to bounce back from the disappointment of coming within three outs of clinching victory. “I think the guys understand it’s going to be hard,” Murphy said. “You’re playing the best team in the American League. They proved it all year long, and they came up big today. It’s going to be hard. “When you’re achieving something like this, it’s going to have its adversity. We had some things go our way yesterday. They had some things go their way today. “That’s the way it is. You just live with it, and if you’re a competitor, you wake up tomorrow morning and come ready to play.”

NEW YORK — The NBA reigning champion New York Knicks finally got their first win of the season, beating the Detroit Pistons, 111-97, on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) with 27 points from Karl-Anthony Towns and 23 from Jalen Brunson. The Knicks, who broke a five-decade title drought in June but had lost their three opening games this season, overcame another slow start at Madison Square Garden to pull clear in the second half. They avoided the ignominy of being the first reigning champions since 1969 to start the following season, 0-4. “We got to remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day. This is a new year, new team,” said last season’s NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Brunson, who added seven assists. “Adversity started early, so we just got to fight back.” The Pistons — who had won their first three games of the season — started fast, going 13 points clear at the beginning of the second quarter, thanks to free-scoring Paul Reed and Cade Cunningham. Brunson struggled early, shooting just 1-for 9 in the first half. But the Knicks pulled together for a remarkable rally, edging a single-point lead at halftime and roaring 25 points clear by the end of the third quarter. They restricted the Pistons to a combined 25 points across the entire second and third quarters. “I think we were just able to get stops, run a little bit, create a good enough lead, knowing that they were going to have a run in them to fight back,” said Brunson. With a home game against Charlotte looming on Wednesday, and his team 21 points down, Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff emptied the bench with 7 1/2 minutes remaining. The Knicks’ starters remained on court, and top-scorer Towns finished the night with 20 rebounds. The Pistons, who finished with the best regular-season record in the NBA Eastern Conference last year, are now 3-1. Reed top-scored with 22, while Cunningham had 19 points, eight assists and nine rebounds. Elsewhere, Victor Wembanyama helped the San Antonio Spurs to a 130-103 win over the Sacramento Kings with 29 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks and two steals. The Spurs, who lost to the Knicks in last season’s finals, had endured their own slow start to this campaign with two opening losses, but moved to 2-2. San Antonio were rampant in a first half they led 80-54, with Wembanyama pouring in 23 points before the interval, and their lead barely dipped in a comfortable second half. Julian Champagnie scored 26 points. The Kings sank to 0-4. With Boston trailing by a single point at the very end of overtime, Jayson Tatum sank a game-winning buzzer-beater to ensure the Celtics won a thriller 125-124 against the winless Brooklyn Nets. A tense game, in which neither team ever opened a double-digit lead, had ended 117-117 after regular time. Tatum scored 40 points plus eight assists. AFP

NEW YORK — Minnesota Timberwolves star guard Anthony Edwards will undergo arthroscopic right knee surgery and is expected to miss around two months of the NBA season, US media reported on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila). The 25-year-old playmaker, the top pick of the 2020 NBA Draft by the T-Wolves, helped the United States capture gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics. ESPN, citing unnamed sources, said Edwards began grabbing at his knee in a Sunday home victory over Toronto, but T-Wolves coach Chris Finch soon after called the knee a daily situation with no concern over a long-term injury. Edwards scored 47 points for the T-Wolves on Monday in a loss at Cleveland that dropp​ed the club to 3-1 on the season entering Wednesday’s game against Golden State. He had been listed as questionable for the contest due to the right knee injury but played a season-high 41 minutes. ESPN said Edwards now requires surgery and is set to miss up to two months, while the Athletic cited an anonymous team source saying Edwards is expected to miss at least two months. Four-time NBA All-Star Edwards averaged 24.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.3 steals a game over his first six NBA campaigns, all with Minnesota. This season, Edwards was off to the best start of his career with 33.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals per contest over four games. ​AFP

GUANGZHOU, China — Tennis great Venus Williams fell to 0-13 in singles matches this year at age 46 after losing 6-2, 6-2 to teenager Lilli Tagger in the Guangzhou Open first round on Tuesday. Their 28-year age gap was reportedly a record difference between opponents in a WTA Tour match. The 18-year-old Austrian Tagger was born in 2008, the year Williams won the last of her seven Grand Slam singles titles at Wimbledon. Now ranked No. 599, Williams was playing her first singles match for two months since the US Open, where she lost in the first round to Sofia Kenin. Williams now has lost 16 straight singles matches on tour going back to July last year. She matched the 53rd-ranked Tagger with each landing 63 percent of their first serves, though Williams won just 60 percent of those points and her opponent won all of hers. Williams created no break-point chances, and Tagger took four of the 16 she had. Kenin also lost her round of 32 match, beaten 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-4 by Kaitlin Quevedo. AP

SALT LAKE CITY — Jazz forward Jaren Jackson Jr. will be sidelined for at least six weeks after tearing the MCL in his right knee during the second quarter of Utah’s 110-105 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Lauri Markkanen, who sprained his right wrist in the first quarter of the same game on Monday night,

MANILA, Philippines–National University captured the inaugural UAAP men’s badminton team title under the new format, beating Ateneo, 3-1, in Wednesday’s Season 89 final at Gameville Central Park in Mandaluyong City. The Bulldogs head into the individual competitions with 15 points, ahead of Ateneo’s 12, and will look to sustain their momentum behind top-ranked shuttler Clarence

LOS ANGELES — Ja Morant and Deni Avdija scored 23 points apiece, Damian Lillard added 21 and hit a clutch 3-pointer with 43 seconds to play, and the Portland Trail Blazers remained unbeaten with a 136-129 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. Luka Doncic had 41 points and nine assists in the

Deonte Burton took charge in the final period as NLEX repulsed a fighting Phoenix Super LPG, 124-117, to grab a 2-0 lead in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup best-of-5 quarterfinals on Wednesday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City. Burton scattered 10 of his 24 points in the final period, which saw the Road Warriors outscore the Fuel Masters, 31-23. Robert Bolick and Schonny Winston led NLEX with 31 points each as the team managed to overcome a Phoenix side that engaged the Group A top seed to 12 lead changes and 19 deadlocks. Marcellus Earlington led Phoenix with 22 points, while Ricci Rivero and big man Kai Ballungay each scored 21.

Robert Bolick and Schonny Winston formed a lethal one-two punch to steer NLEX to a 124-117 win against Phoenix in Game 2 of their PBA Season 50 Governors' Cup quarterfinals.

BEIJING — Football star Kylian Mbappe apologized for comments in which he apparently referred to Mao Zedong, the founding leader of Communist China, as a dictator, after facing backlash and losing brand deals with at least three different Chinese companies. “My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida — Milwaukee was three outs from its first World Series title when Junior Caminero started the bottom of the 12th inning with a grounder to third. Thousands of Brewers fans who trekked to Tropicana Field to witness the long-awaited moment started to cheer. Not so fast. Third baseman Joey Ortiz bounced the throw, and the ball glanced off first baseman Jake Bauers’ mitt for an error. One of the most stunning rallies in World Series history started to unfold. Liam Hicks, Jonny DeLuca, Chandler Simpson and pinch-hitter Ben Williamson followed with consecutive singles in a 15-pitch span against rookie Shane Drohan, and the Tampa Bay Rays staved off elimination Tuesday night with a 4-3 win that forced Game 5. “Sometimes the game tests you. Sometimes the game makes you want to dig deep,” Brewers captain Christian Yelich said. “It’s all part of the journey, all part of the experience, and that’s part of our story.” Milwaukee rookie Cooper Pratt hit a tiebreaking home run off Ian Seymour in the top of the 12th for a 3-2 lead, sending the Brewers sprinting out of the dugout in excitement as they sensed completing the first Series sweep since 2012. Milwaukee's bullpen, led by seven outs from Aaron Ashby, had combined for seven straight scoreless innings, before Caminero reached against Antonio Senzatela. Ortiz grimaced. “I've got to make that play," he said. “Just no excuse about it.” Caminero appeared to hurt his left foot but stayed in the game. Brewers manager Pat Murphy brought in Drohan, a 27-year-old left-hander who had not pitched since a one-inning start in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series on Oct. 15. With Pratt shifted toward second for the left-handed batter, Hicks hit an opposite-field grounder through the vacated shortstop hole and into left field as Caminero slid headfirst into third. “For just regular D, that's right at Coop,” Drohan said of the defensive alignment. Pinch-runner Cedric Mullins replaced Caminero before DeLuca, who had made sparkling catches to deny Yelich in the third and William Contreras in the fourth, hit a grounder past the mound as Drohan tried in vain to make a behind-the-back snag. The ball bounced into center as Mullins tied the score at 3. Nick Fortes ran at second for the slower Hicks. After missing a bunt attempt and pulling back another while taking a called strike, Simpson lined a single into center, loading the bases. Sal Frelick moved in from left to form a five-man infield, with three defenders on the left side and everyone playing in. Williamson, who had been 1 for 15 in the postseason, batted for Victor Mesa Jr. "It’s what you dream of as a player to be in that spot,” Williamson said. On the game's 367th pitch, he hit a chopper that kicked up chalk from the foul line 7 feet from home plate. The ball bounded high over Bauers and onto the grass in short right field. Fortes sprinted across the plate with the winning run, then headed toward first to join his jumping teammates in foul territory. “That was totally what I told him to do,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said, drawing laughs. Drohan walked off, his head bowed. “Definitely hard. I’m human," he said softly. “I knew what I was walking into. I just didn’t do the job there.” Tampa Bay became the fourth team in World Series history to avoid elimination with an extra-inning comeback, according to OptaSTATS, joining the 1912 Boston Red Sox, 1986 New York Mets and 2011 St. Louis Cardinals — who all went on to win titles. “We've got a lot of fight in us. We’re never going to shy away," Simpson said. “We were going to keep fighting until the end — the last inning, the last out, the last play, the last pitch." Game 5 in the best-of-seven matchup is Wednesday night at Tropicana Field, with NL Cy Young Award favorite Jacob Misiorowski scheduled to start for the Brewers. Cash said he hadn't decided on a starter yet. Tampa Bay became just the fifth of 26 teams that fell behind 3-0 in the World Series to win Game 4. The previous four lost Game 5. Of 43 teams to trail 3-0 in any best-of-seven postseason matchup, the only one that rebounded to win was the Boston Red Sox against the New York Yankees in the 2004 AL Championship Series. “It just shows the resiliency of this group,” Williamson said. “We continue to fight, and that’s been the motto this series and this full season, is just fight.” Caminero was replaced by Mullins at third base and hobbled off the field with an ailing left foot. But the All-Star slugger said he’ll definitely play Wednesday night. “He’ll play tomorrow on one leg. I’ll make sure of it,” Cash said. Tampa Bay ended an eight-game winning streak by the Brewers, who were bidding to become only the second team to sweep a League Championship Series and the World Series. “I feel like today we’ve just been playing so free,” DeLuca said. “It’s a pretty cool position we’re in and it’s a special opportunity that we have." David Hamilton also homered for the Brewers. Jackson Chourio had a single and double, improving to 10 for 20 in the Series. “When you’re achieving something like this, it’s going to have its adversity,” Murphy said. “We had some things go our way yesterday. They had some things go their way today. That’s the way it is.” Pratt, a 22-year-old who debuted in June, drove a slider into the left-field seats against Seymour to become the first rookie to hit a World Series extra-inning homer. His go-ahead hit sparked the Brewers to a 5-4 win in Game 2 after Seymour allowed Frelick’s tying home run. “Nobody said this was going to be easy,” Pratt said. Milwaukee fans in the crowd of 40,514, many waving yellow towels and some wearing cheeseheads, brought a Badger State feel to Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay returned to its white home jerseys, a day after playing in Devil Rays throwbacks. Simpson hit an RBI double off starter Dustin May in the second, but Milwaukee tied the score in the fourth against Griffin Jax when Frelick hit a two-out single and came around on Pratt's double. Caminero singled leading off the bottom half to chase May and advanced on a groundout. DeLuca hit a hard grounder to Hamilton and Caminero twisted toward the grass to avoid the third baseman’s tag, then came home when Hamilton bounced his throw past Bauers for an error. Hamilton, Milwaukee’s No. 9 hitter, drove an 0-2 fastball at the letters from Jax into the right-field seats for his second home run of the postseason — half his regular-season total and just his second since June 6. Six scoreless innings followed before the late drama in a 4-hour, 20-minute game that ended at 12:28 a.m. with the first Series walk-off pinch hit in extra innings since Gene Larkin's single won Game 7 for Minnesota in 1991. “You play Wiffle ball in the backyard with your friends and you’re dreaming of hitting a walk-off ball in the World Series,” Williamson said.

TORONTO — Kawhi Leonard is not expected to play when Toronto visits the Los Angeles Clippers next week, after the Raptors announced Tuesday that the veteran forward will be sidelined for at least a week because of swelling in his left knee. Leonard, who has a long history of knee problems, will be reevaluated in

Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards needs an arthroscopic procedure to alleviate issues with his right knee and will miss several weeks, a person with knowledge of the matter said Tuesday. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Timberwolves had yet to make any public announcements of Edwards’ plan to have

SAN ANTONIO — Victor Wembanyama had 29 points and 10 rebounds and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Sacramento Kings 130-103 on Tuesday night for their first home victory of the season. Julian Champagnie added 26 points on 8-for-13 3-point shooting as San Antonio evened its record at 2-2 after opening with disappointing home losses

Alex Eala faces Australia’s Talia Gibson for a quarterfinal spot in the WTA 500 Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Japan. SCHEDULE: Alex Eala at Pan Pacific Open October 28, Wednesday – Center Court 5:40 p.m. (tentative) – Alex Eala vs Talia Gibson LIVE UPDATES: Alex Eala vs Talia Gibson – Pan Pacific Open Round

Rondae Holllis-Jefferson starred to help TNT eke out its second straight blowout win against Magnolia, pulling off a 91-73 win in Game 2 of their PBA Season 50 Governors' Cup on Wednesday.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson provided the spark from the get-go as TNT smothered Magnolia, 91-73, to zoom to a commanding 2-0 lead in their PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup best-of-five quarterfinal series on Wednesday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City. The left-handed TNT reinforcement scored 39 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks, while knocking down four of five from three-point distance. RHJ’s Game 2 explosion marked his best outing since returning from an Achilles injury, which sidelined him for 10 months. The Tropang 5G can finish off the Hotshots with another win on Saturday in Game 3 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. TNT led by as many as 24 points, 84-60, with the team’s suffocating defense forcing Magnolia to 15 turnovers, which yielded 18 points for the Tropang 5G. Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser scored 11 points while Roger Pogoy added 10 for TNT, which intends to defend its crown for the season-ending conference. KJ Buffen led the Hotshots with 24 points and 13 reboundsx Zavier Lucero 16 and nine, while Jerom Lastimosa 13..

Far Eastern University returned to its winning ways with a 73-66 victory over Adamson University in the UAAP Season 89 men"s basketball tournament on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

NEW YORK — Karl-Anthony Towns had 27 points and 20 rebounds, and the New York Knicks avoided what would have been the second 0-4 start by a defending champion in NBA history by beating the previously undefeated Detroit Pistons 111-97 on Tuesday night. Jalen Brunson shook free of his shooting struggles in a dominant third

BOSTON — Jayson Tatum buried a 17-foot jumper at the overtime buzzer to cap a 40-point night, and the Boston Celtics beat the Brooklyn Nets 125-124 on Tuesday night for their third straight victory. Tatum finished 10 of 20 from the field and 18 of 22 from the free-throw line. Paul George added 20 points

Alex Eala finally broke her Asian swing "second round wall" after dispatching Talia Gibson, 4-6, 6-2, 6-0, at the WTA 500 Tokyo Open round of 16 in Japan Wednesday evening. Recovering from a close first set loss, the Filipino tennis ace and world No. 19 Eala dominated the Australian and No. 38 Gibson to reach her first quarterfinals appearance in the Asian swing of the 2026 WTA Tour. Eala also extended her mastery against Gibson to three matches, defeating the latter twice before in the ITF circuit. With the win, tournament No. 8 seed Eala forged a rematch witn No. 3 Diana Shnaider who defeated her at the Ningbo Open last week. Shnaider ousted Aliaksandra Sasnovich, 6-3, 5-6, 6-3, in their second round clash on Wednesday.

Far Eastern University topped Adamson University, 73-66, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Wednesday to halt its 3-game losing skid in the UAAP Season 89 men's basketball tournament. Kirby Mongcopa collected 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists for the Tamaraws, who raised their win-loss record to 5-4 for a 3-way tie for third place with the De La Salle Green Archers and the Ateneo Blue Eagles. Cabs Cabonilas added 11 points and six rebounds for FEU, which led by as many as 19 points, 55-36, before hitting timely baskets to keep Adamson at bay. Kenji Canete logged 14 points to pace the Soaring Falcons, who suffered their second straight loss and fell to 4-5 for a share of sixth  place with the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers.

Alexandra Eala shrugged off a Set 1 hiccup to eke out a 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 win against Australian Talia Gibson in the Pan Pacific Open Round of 16 on Wednesday in Tokyo, Japan.

UAAP Season 89 Men’s Basketball Tournament FEU def. Adamson, 73-66 Cabs Cabonilas Player of the Game #UAAPSeason89