First-time WNBA champion awaits as Valkyries face Dream in finals

Inquirer.net - Oct 10, 2026

NEW YORK — Golden State Valkyries owner Joe Lacob proclaimed that his team would win a championship within its first five years when he bought the expansion franchise. The Valkyries are now one step away from achieving his mandate way ahead of schedule as it only took two years for Golden State to reach the

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Football fixtures and results
Oct 10, 2026

Football fixtures and results

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

PVL: Eya Laure, Rondina help Choco Mucho rally past Capital1 in opener
Oct 10, 2026

PVL: Eya Laure, Rondina help Choco Mucho rally past Capital1 in opener

CEBU CITY — Choco Mucho’s Eya Laure and Sisi Rondina-Rosales just returned from practice for their club days ago after their respective Alas Pilipinas stints in the Asian Games. But the dynamic duo hardly missed a beat, carrying Choco Mucho’s come-from-behind 22-25, 18-25, 25-17, 25-20, 15-8 over revamped Capital1 in the PVL All-Filipino Conference Siklab

No first-round bye for Eala at Wuhan
Oct 10, 2026

No first-round bye for Eala at Wuhan

DUE to a smaller draw, projected No. 13 seed Alexandra “Alex” Eala won’t receive a first-round bye at the WTA 1000 Wuhan Open in China. The Filipino tennis ace will compete in the tournament — her first Tour event after a bronze medal finish at the 20th Asian Games in Japan — slated from Oct. 12 to 18. Unlike most 1000 events where 96 players make up the field and the top 32 players receive first-round byes, Wuhan is limited to a 56-player draw. In this case, only the top eight get to skip the first round and start their campaign in the second. The same rule applies to the only two other 1000 events with a 56-player draw in Doha and Dubai. Thus, world No. 18 Eala won’t have the bye she used to have in previous 1000 events. The 56-player draw — comprising 43 direct entrants, eight qualifiers, four wildcards and one special exemption — is also the reason why Eala had to go through the qualifiers last year. Eala was No. 58 at the time and therefore could not get a direct entry. She lost to Moyuka Uchijima in the first round of the qualifiers last year, 4-6, 6-3, 2-6. This year, Eala is projected to be seeded five places higher than her actual ranking due to the withdrawals of five higher-ranked players. World No. 1 Elena Rybakina (foot), No. 4 and last year’s champ Coco Gauff (fatigue), No. 11 Amanda Anisimova (wrist), No. 15 Victoria Mboko (knee) and No. 17 Naomi Osaka (change of schedule) pulled out of the competition. World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 3 Jessica Pegula, No. 5 Mirra Andreeva, No. 6 Linda Noskova, No. 7 Elina Svitolina, No. 8 Karolina Muchova, No. 9 Iga Swiatek and No. 10 Marta Kostyuk made the top eight, in that order, and will be the ones to get first-round byes. The singles draw ceremony was scheduled for Saturday at 4 p.m. After the Asian Games, Eala went to France for Paris Fashion Week on Oct. 5. The 21-year-old also appeared in tennis great Maria Sharapova’s podcast “Pretty Tough.” Last Thursday, the Wuhan Open shared photos of Eala training already.

Kai Sotto sizzles as Chiba tops Osaka
Oct 10, 2026

Kai Sotto sizzles as Chiba tops Osaka

GILAS Pilipinas star Kai Sotto continued his strong form at Japan’s B.League 2027 season, helping lead the Altiri Chiba to a 97-90 home win over the Osaka Evessa at the Chibagi Arena on Friday. The Filipino import posted 18 points and 12 rebounds on top of five assists for Chiba, which snapped a two-game skid. Altiri improved to 2-4, sitting in 10th place at the East region. On the other hand, Evessa dropped to 1-5 for 12th place in the West. The 7-foot-3 Sotto has been averaging 12.0 points, 11.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists this season. Playing 26.5 minutes per game, Sotto has also been efficient with 67.7 field goal percentage. He wasn’t the only one who played well against Osaka, though. Local Seiya Ando and Sotto’s fellow imports DJ Newbill and Dereck Pardon showed up, too. Ando logged 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting including 4-of-7 from the three-point area. Newbill pumped 19 points, six rebounds and six assists, as Pardon dropped 16 points, 11 boards and three assists. James Palmer paced Osaka with 25 points, six assists and five rebounds. Sotto and the Altiri continue their home stand against the Toyama Grouses on Sunday.

EJ Obiena calls for better sports facilities
Oct 10, 2026

EJ Obiena calls for better sports facilities

OLYMPIAN Ernest John “EJ” Obiena believes Philippine sports is in its golden era, but access to quality facilities remains a major limiting factor for athletes. The two-time Asian Games gold medalist emphasized the critical need for better support during a recent Committee on Sports hearing. “I think sports in general, accessibility is the key. I think Philippine sports are in their golden age right now. We have so many world-class athletes, and I am just very proud that I am part of this era. I hope it gets better and better,” Obiena said. “I think what’s limiting us is the access to facilities. It is one of the reasons why I train outside, not just because of the knowledge there, but also the current situation of the facilities that we have.” Obiena understood that everyone is trying to upscale the sports program, but compared to the other countries, the scale of support is way too different. “I think everybody is doing their best. I have traveled from quite different countries, and I understand that the support in our country is not as big as what I said. In terms of the general budget.” Obiena trained at the University of Santo Tomas athletics team before he moved to Formia, Italy, in 2014 to train under renowned Ukrainian coach Vitaly Petrov. He stayed in Italy for more than a decade, where it shaped him into the first-ever Filipino pole vaulter to compete in the Olympics in 2020. In 2026, Obiena moved to Athens, Greece, where he began training under coach Marcin Szczepanski alongside Emmanouil Karalis. He further shared that he holds a pole vault clinic with the brands he partnered with. A total of 21 young pole vaulters in Ilocos and around 18 in Tagum. “This is just my small way ... Hopefully, this will be an ongoing thing we can sustain ... Continuous flow of athletes for our pole-vaulting event, because I really want to make the Philippines a powerhouse in this event, and hopefully in track and field as well.”

NBA’s SGA invests in Atletico Madrid
Oct 10, 2026

NBA’s SGA invests in Atletico Madrid

MADRID — NBA champion Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has joined the ownership group at Atletico Madrid, the Spanish top-flight club said on Friday. The Oklahoma City Thunder guard has become the latest North American sports star to take an interest in soccer, following the likes of LeBron James and Tom Brady. “This is a club with a long-standing presence at the top of European football, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of its future,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. Atletico said the partnership was “grounded in shared values: ambition, excellence and the belief that every result must be earned.” James became a part-owner of the Fenway Sports Group in 2021, the conglomerate that owns the Boston Red Sox and iconic Premier League club Liverpool. National Football League great Brady is a minority owner of English second-tier team Birmingham. Atletico did not reveal how big a stake 2025 NBA champion and back-to-back NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander had taken. “His investment reflects an interest in the club’s long-term vision and international growth,” it said. Atletico, second in the standings, visits La Liga rival Alaves on Saturday.

Knicks brace for NBA title defense
Oct 10, 2026

Knicks brace for NBA title defense

NEW YORK — The New York Knicks are focused on their NBA title defense now and will worry about contract negotiations later. That means Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart will have to wait on extensions they hoped would get done before the season. The Knicks said on Friday (Saturday in Manila) that won’t happen, perhaps setting up an uncomfortable situation with some of their most important players. “As an organization, our entire focus is on preparing for the upcoming season and delivering another year for our fans to be proud of. As a result, we will not be negotiating contract extensions until later in the season and will remain solely focused on preparing for the start of the season,” according to a statement from a team spokesman. The Knicks won their first NBA championship since 1973 in June but owner James Dolan said shortly afterward the team would avoid spending enough to trigger the penalties that come when a team reaches the second apron of the salary cap. They re-signed most of their important free agents, but negotiations on extensions with Towns and Hart, plus key reserve Deuce McBride, haven’t gone far. Towns, an All-Star in both seasons since coming to New York, seems particularly disappointed with comments he made recently. He is eligible for a four-year, $276-million deal. He is due to make $57 million this season and has a $61.1-million player option for 2027–2028. Hart will make $21 million this season, and the Knicks have an option for 2027–2028 at $22.4 million. He acknowledged that the contract situations could make it tough for players to focus — and also noted what it could mean around the trade deadline. “You have situations like that, and you never know what’s going to happen,” the forward said last month when the Knicks reported for training camp. “But for me, as long as I wear this jersey, I’m going to play as hard as I can for my guys and the city, so hopefully we can figure that out. But we know it’s a business, and we know if some of these things aren’t figured out by February, it might be a different conversation.” The Knicks open their season on Oct. 20 against LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers. Meanwhile, Tyler Herro understands the skepticism surrounding the Milwaukee Bucks now that they’ve traded away Giannis Antetokounmpo, the two-time Most Valuable Player (MVP) who led the franchise to its first title in half a century. “People feel like we’re not going to win games, we’re not going to be in the talks of anything that has to do with winning,” said Herro, one of the players who came to Milwaukee in the trade that sent Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat. “I feel like that’s the opposite of what we’re thinking. We’re trying to win.” The Bucks undoubtedly will have a tougher time winning without Antetokounmpo, who finished in the top five in the MVP balloting for seven straight years before injuries limited him to a career-low 36 games last season. Most preseason projections have the Bucks finishing at or near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.

Djokovic crashes out of Shanghai Masters
Oct 10, 2026

Djokovic crashes out of Shanghai Masters

SHANGHAI, China — Novak Djokovic went down in straight sets to Hubert Hurkacz on Friday, exiting the Shanghai Masters in his first match after memorably winning the China Open this week. Big-serving Hurkacz, the 2023 champion in Shanghai, won 6-4, 6-3 as the 39-year-old former world No. 1 faltered against an opponent a decade his junior. “I didn’t feel myself on the court,” the Serbian veteran said afterward. “It’s a super-quick surface, completely different from Beijing. If you lose your serve, it’s enough to lose a match.” Djokovic was playing three days after winning the title in Beijing, where he has still never lost a match on the professional Tour. He hunched over and squatted down between points on a cool evening in Shanghai while a lively Hurkacz refused to give much away. Djokovic was broken in the fourth game of the second set as he double-faulted to give Hurkacz a 3-1 lead. The Pole held his serve to see out the win and will face either Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti or Chinese wildcard Zhou Yi in the third round. “It’s very difficult to return his serve, almost impossible,” Djokovic said of his opponent, who sent down 13 aces across the one-hour-and-28-minute match. Hurkacz had advanced to the Beijing semifinals but ended his match early due to a strained muscle. It was his first-ever victory against Djokovic in nine meetings on the Tour. Earlier, top seed Alexander Zverev churned out a win over Chinese wildcard Wu Yibing, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), and will next play Quentin Halys of France. A dive left the German world No. 2 grimacing and grabbing his left ankle during the 11th game of the second set, with Wu, ranked 113th, going 6-5 up. But the 29-year-old held serve and forced a tiebreak, capitalizing on a series of errors to win on his second-match point when the home hope fired long. Zverev is on track to end the year at No. 1 after Jannik Sinner announced he was ending his season due to injury. A gritty Ben Shelton beat Germany’s Daniel Altmaier, 6-3, 7-6 (8/6), and will play France’s Arthur Gea in the third round. It was a fitting present for the American third seed, who turned 24 on Friday, though he hinted he may go easy on the celebrations, telling an on-court interviewer: “I hate cake.”

Ronaldo returns, scores in Al-Nassr victory   
Oct 10, 2026

Ronaldo returns, scores in Al-Nassr victory   

RIYADH — Cristiano Ronaldo returned to club soccer action on Friday after a controversial international break with Portugal and scored the opening goal as Al-Nassr beat Diriyah, 3-0, in the Saudi Pro League. The victory put the defending champions level on points behind leader Al-Qadsiah on goal difference in the eighth round. During the international window, the 41-year-old Ronaldo walked out of the Portugal squad, for which he has scored 146 goals in 234 appearances. In a long statement posted on Tuesday, Ronaldo said recently hired coach Jorge Jesus hadn’t been true to his word about when he would play the striker in the Nations League. Ronaldo won the Saudi Arabia title in May with Jesus as Al-Nassr coach and opened the scoring on Friday midway through the first half. Kingsley Coman’s shot from outside the area was blocked by goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah and Ronaldo was there to shoot home the rebound from close range for goal No. 980 in his career. Samu Costa added a second for Al-Nassr, coached by former Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou, just before the break and Coman sealed the win with 13 minutes remaining. Al-Qadsiah earlier thrashed Al-Kholood, 5-0, with Dutch international Tijjani Reijnders opening the scoring and Italy’s Mateo Retegui and Mexico’s Julian Quinones also finding the target.

Brewers aim to dethrone Dodgers in NLCS rematch
Oct 10, 2026

Brewers aim to dethrone Dodgers in NLCS rematch

LOS ANGELES, California — The Milwaukee Brewers believe they have what it takes to squash the Los Angeles Dodgers’ World Series three-peat bid when they take on the West Coast powerhouse in the National League Championship Series (NLCS) for a second straight year. By some measures, it’s a David versus Goliath matchup of the Brewers, with their $154-million payroll, against the Dodgers’ cast of superstars, who earn $432 million. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts rejects that characterization. “Absolutely not,” Roberts said on Friday (Saturday in Manila). “They have the best record in baseball if I remember rightly,” Roberts said of the 103-win Brewers. “They have that for a reason. They’ve got home field advantage. We’ve got to be ready to play our best baseball. “They are certainly not afraid of us.” The Dodgers unceremoniously swept the Brewers in four games in the NLCS last year. But after posting the most wins in Major League Baseball (MLB) for a second straight year, the Brewers are confident they can go the distance this time around. “We’re going to be more ready than we were last time, I believe,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said after Milwaukee beat the San Diego Padres, 3-1, in their best-of-five National League Division Series (NLDS). The Brewers snapped a 12-game postseason road losing streak with their clinching victory in San Diego on Wednesday — further evidence, Murphy said, that the team has evolved from being a regular-season juggernaut that can’t contend in the playoffs. “A lot of people have said we’re not built for the postseason because we’ve done so well in the regular season [without] many stars,” Murphy said. “I think we’re proving that, no, we still can win in the postseason because good baseball is good baseball.” Roberts concurred, saying the fact that the Brewers don’t rely on a lineup of power hitters doesn’t make them less dangerous. “They pitch, they defend, they run the bases well,” Roberts said. “They don’t strike out much. They put the ball in play ... they play baseball ... that’s a tough brand of baseball to prepare for.” The Brewers will host the 100-win Dodgers in Game 1 on Sunday, with Milwaukee’s flame-throwing Jacob Misiorowski set to take the mound against two-time reigning Cy Young Award-winner Tarik Skubal.

LIV Golf relaunch hit as Rahm quits
Oct 10, 2026

LIV Golf relaunch hit as Rahm quits

NEW YORK — Jon Rahm is quitting LIV Golf due to “unacceptable” terms, the star’s lawyer said, dealing a significant blow to the divisive breakaway tour as it attempts to relaunch itself after declaring bankruptcy. Along with Bryson DeChambeau, double major winner and former world number one Rahm was arguably the most prominent golfer to defect from the PGA Tour and join the free-spending Saudi-backed league. But LIV filed for bankruptcy protection last month after its deep-pocketed Middle Eastern backers pulled the plug. The tour is trying to relaunch next year with new investors as “LIV 2.0”. Retaining popular stars like Rahm was widely seen as critical to its prospects. “Mr. Rahm has independently reviewed the proposed terms of LIV 2.0, as the parties have been referring to it, and has determined that those terms are unacceptable as to him, and he will not be participating going forward in LIV 2.0,” his lawyer John Beck told a US Bankruptcy Court of New Jersey hearing on Wednesday. Beck said that “advanced discussions for a consensual separation agreement of Mr. Rahm and LIV” are ongoing, according to a courtroom audio recording verified by AFP. That agreement is expected to be presented before the court next month, he added. “If the parties, for whatever reason, are unable to reach a consensual separation agreement, Mr. Rahm intends to press his objection” through legal channels, said Beck. LIV Golf did not respond to an AFP request for a comment. Launched in 2022, LIV Golf’s emergence led to bitter divisions throughout the sport as several of golf’s top names left the PGA Tour after signing big-money deals. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) poured an estimated $5 billion into the tour, before abruptly pulling the plug earlier this year. Documents from bankruptcy filings show that LIV owes between $500 million and $1 billion in estimated liabilities to at least 1,000 creditors, including star players. Rahm, DeChambeau and fellow golfer Dustin Johnson hold the largest unsecured claims against the tour, totaling more than $5 million each in immediate past-due payments, per the bankruptcy filing. Still, new lead investor BC Partners Credit has pledged an initial funding commitment of a potential $300 million to help LIV relaunch in 2027. Tour officials have outlined a shorter schedule and reduced prize money with tournaments across five continents, in locations including Australia, South Africa, Mexico, England, Hong Kong and the US. Representatives for Rahm did not respond to an AFP request for a comment on the 31-year-old’s future plans. Widespread reports have recently linked several LIV stars with potential returns to the US-based PGA Tour. The PGA Tour has said that it currently has no plans to offer LIV players a pathway back. Rahm continues to play on the DP World (European) Tour, though he announced on Tuesday that he would skip the upcoming Spanish Open to attend the birth of his fourth child.

Reed closes in on PGA Tour return
Oct 10, 2026

Reed closes in on PGA Tour return

MADRID — There were many unknowns when Patrick Reed decided not to renew his contract with LIV Golf and start the long road back to the PGA Tour. One thing he was sure of, though, was that he wanted to let his “clubs do the talking” and earn his way back instead of having a spot given to him. And in a “huge year” on the European tour, Reed is closer to completing his comeback and achieving his goal. “The biggest thing for me at the start of the year when I decided not to re-sign with LIV was to try to make my way back to the PGA Tour,” he said Tuesday ahead of this week’s Spanish Open in Madrid. “The way to do that I felt was to try to play our way on. “To be able to have the start of the season I did and to basically earn my way back to the PGA Tour meant a lot to me.” The 36-year-old American split victories in Dubai and Qatar with a runner-up finish in Bahrain in February. He enters the final stretch of the year leading Rory McIlroy in the season-long Race to Dubai. The leading 10 players from the European tour are not already exempt from earning PGA Tour cards for 2027. “This was a huge year to me,” Reed said. “Not just for my career but also for my family, because I had to go earn my spot back, and to be able to go out there and earn it back and play the way I’ve been playing means a lot. And to hopefully play well these last couple of events, and hopefully hold everyone off and win the Race to Dubai, would mean a lot.”

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