After ending his homer drought with a massive blast in his final game of the year, Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani announced his intention to become a two-way player again next season.

The Philippine Tennis Association on Friday clarified that Alexandra “Alex” Eala"s participation in the WTA 125 Philippine Women"s Open in January “remains uncertain.”

MANILA, Philippines — Letran breathed life into its playoffs hopes after eliminating San Beda University from contention, 25-22, 25-14, 25-21, in Pool A of the 2026 Shakey’s Super League (SSL) Unity Cup on Friday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.     Judiel Nitura sparked the Lady Knights’ comeback from three points down in the middle of the third frame, powering a decisive 7-0 blitz to regain control on their way to their second win in three games. Letran moved up to solo second behind defending champion National University (3-0), which is already through to the next stage of the league’s centerpiece competition, backed by Shakey’s Pizza Parlor, Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken, Potato Corner and R&B Milk Tea.   Nitura scored seven of her 11 points in the third set while Kaizah Huyno and Gia Maquilang contributed eight markers each for the reigning NCAA champions, who can book the last playoffs seat in the group with a win over University of Perpetual Help System DALTA on Sunday. “Sobrang laki ng panalo na ito for us kasi working kami as a team. Marami kaming bago and maraming nawalang seniors sa amin. So, kailangan din naming i-work talaga ang sarili namin and 'yung kabuuan ng team,” Nitura said. Letran trailed the Lady Red Spikers, 16-19, in the third frame after a Katrina Dela Cruz hit. Maquilang answered with a kill followed by back-to-back points by Nitura and consecutive kill blocks by Huyno. Nitura punctuated the Lady Knights’ barrage with two straight spikes for a 23-19 advantage. A 1-2 play by setter Jasmine Monte quelled Letran’s rampage before Nitura pushed her team at match point with an offspeed hit. San Beda saved a matchpoint on an overcooked serve by Nitura but Maquilang sealed it for the Lady Knights with a thunderous spike. The Lady Red Spikers absorbed a third defeat in as many outings, knocking them out of the race for a spot in the next phase of the tournament, supported by Smart, PusoP.com DICT, Executive Optical, Milo and Summit Natural Drinking Water. Janelle Bachar led San Beda with 12 points, all from attacks. Daisy Cagas had nine markers while Dela Cruz and Khim Culanay added six each for the Lady Red Spikers, who gave Letran 28 free points off errors.   San Beda will close its campaign against Arellano University on Sunday.    All games in the competition, which has the Philippine Sports Commission, the Commission on Higher Education, Mikasa, Asics, Rigour Technology, Jersey Haven, Solar Sports and 12 Beyond Production as technical partners, are available live and on demand via PusoP.com and Solar Sports. TMT

MANILA, Philippines — Brothers Carlos and Eldrew Yulo, along with Migz Besana, are set to take part in the qualification rounds of the Men’s Artistic Gymnastics events at the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The Yulo brothers will compete in the men’s all-around, while Besana takes the horizontal bar. The men have already started their podium training on Thursday. Besana is expected to compete on Saturday, while the Yulo brothers take the podium on Sunday. For the women, Haylee Garcia is also taking part as an All-Arounder.

Seventh-seeded Iga Swiatek of Poland reached a milestone and moved into the quarterfinals with a 6-1, 6-4 victory against Ashlyn Krueger at the Wuhan Open on Thursday in China.

ANTIPOLO—Bella Belen welcomed the appointment of Angiolino Frigoni as the new Alas Pilipinas women’s volleyball coach after delivering a career-high 35 points to power Capital1 past Akari, 28-26, 22-25, 25-15, 23-25, 21-19, in the PVL All-Filipino Conference Siklab Series on Thursday at Ynares Center Antipolo. The coaching change came as no surprise to the Alas

Pickleball world No. 1 Anna Leigh Waters has finished her three-day Philippine tour, and plans have already been finalized to bring her back in December. The 19-year-old star of the fast-rising global sport announced during a press conference she is returning to Manila on Dec. 9 to grace the IAM Worldwide Pickleball Showdown at Smart

MANILA, Philippines — Stakeholders will now have a direct and stronger voice in the formation of the national volleyball teams heading into major international tournaments. Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) Executive Director Atty. Miguel Carlos Pacifico F. Suarez announced on Friday that the federation is taking a highly-collaborative approach by creating a dedicated National Team Commission. The five-man panel is designed to enable major stakeholders to air their concerns and align schedules before formally assembling the rosters for the Alas Pilipinas Men and Women squads. Suarez emphasized that the creation of the commission ensures the federation leadership moves away from the old practice of making unilateral decisions regarding national team selection, calendar management, and player availability. No less than PNVF president Frank Lao will chair the powerful body with key stakeholders like Sherwin Malonzo of the Premier Volleyball League, Dr. Ian Laurel of the Shakey’s Super League, Fr. Victor Calvo of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and Bo Perasol of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines as members. Malonzo and Laurel bring deep administrative experience from previous PNVF setups, while Calvo and Perasol oversee the nation’s top collegiate sports programs, ensuring full representation across all levels of Philippine volleyball. “The establishment of the National Team Commission is a major step in the right direction. By giving stakeholders a direct and stronger voice, we are ensuring a more inclusive, transparent, and collaborative approach to forming and supporting our national team,” Suarez said in an official statement. “With this special panel, we are removing the old practice of leadership making unilateral decisions without consulting key stakeholders on player schedules and availability. We are now giving everyone a unified voice to guarantee a far more collaborative and sustainable national team program.” Since taking the helm of the PNVF last August, Lao has prioritized integrity, transparency, and accountability. To stabilize the organization, the businessman-sportsman used his personal funds to settle outstanding financial liabilities and obligations inherited from previous administrations. Among his first major technical reforms was revamping the coaching staff of both national squads—bringing back head coach Dante Alinsunurin to lead Alas Pilipinas Men, and tapping veteran Italian strategist Angiolino Frigoni to steer Alas Pilipinas Women. Alinsunurin previously led the male spikers to a historic silver-medal finish at the 30th Southeast Asian Games in 2019, while Frigoni brings world-class pedigree, having guided the Italian women's team to the 2000 Sydney Olympics and coached the Dutch women's national squad. “Our president, Mr. Frank Lao, is delivering on his commitment to drive genuine reforms within the federation,” Suarez added.  “Giving the volleyball community a seat at the table is essential because we are expecting more changes to come as we move forward towards rebuilding the federation and leading it to greater heights.” TMT

Converge coach Delta Pineda was talking about adjustments the team still needs despite coming off a decisive rout of Titan Ultra in the PBA Governors’ Cup recently. “We need to find a way to maintain our intensity, especially on defense,” Pineda said in Filipino after the 152-119 victory over the Giant Risers. “There are still

Robert Bolick understood where Jimmy Alapag was coming from when the NLEX coach made sure he would get his message across after a sluggish first half against Titan Ultra on Wednesday. The Road Warriors would eventually wake up from their slumber to secure a 147-115 victory at Ninoy Aquino Stadium and close in on the