Mbappe headlines Zidane’s France squad

Manila Times - Nov 7, 2026

PARIS — Kylian Mbappe headlined the France squad named on Friday by coach Zinedine Zidane for their Nations League matches against Italy and Turkey after picking up an injury on international duty in September, while Pablo Pagis was handed a debut call-up. Real Madrid superstar Mbappe, the France captain, scored the winner in Zidane’s first match in charge of Les Bleus away to Turkey on Sept. 25, but suffered a knee injury in the game that ruled him out of the team’s three remaining fixtures of the last international window. Without him, France won twice against Belgium, in Brussels and then at home, and drew in between against Italy. Mbappe has since returned to action for his club, scoring eight times in seven matches between La Liga and the Champions League. France are without Paris Saint-Germain duo Ousmane Dembele and Maghnes Akliouche, as well as Rennes striker Esteban Lepaul for this month’s double-header. That means Marcus Thuram of Inter Milan is recalled to an attack, which will also feature Pagis for the first time. The 23-year-old Pagis, who plays chiefly as an attacking midfielder, is rewarded for his impressive form this season since joining Paris FC — who are fourth in Ligue 1 — from Lorient. Pagis...

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Nov 7, 2026

End of the Road for LIV Golf

NEW YORK — The rebel LIV Golf tour will shut down after five years that rocked the global game, saying that an effort to relaunch after losing its original Saudi backers has been scrapped. The announcement follows reports that BC Partners Credit, the lead investor in “LIV 2.0,” had withdrawn from the project after struggling to convince star players to fully commit to the league. In a statement, LIV Golf said only that attempts to implement its “Restructuring Support Agreement” (RSA) with BC Partners had foundered. “Despite extensive discussions, the relevant parties were ultimately unable to reach a consensual resolution of certain outstanding terms of the Transaction contemplated by the RSA,” LIV Golf said. “In light of the current circumstances, we believe shifting toward an orderly wind-down is the most responsible path forward for the League at this time.” The statement confirmed LIV attorney Matthew Williams’s statements in a 13-minute hearing in bankruptcy court in New Jersey on Thursday. The once free-spending Saudi-backed league, which turned the golf world upside-down by luring superstars away from the traditional PGA Tour with guaranteed contracts and monster purses, will begin liquidating its remaining assets on Monday, the court heard. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) had poured an estimated $5 billion (4.5 billion euros) into the tour since 2022, before abruptly pulling the plug earlier this year. LIV formally filed for bankruptcy protection in September, though officials hoped to relaunch as “LIV 2.0” next season with a shorter schedule and reduced prize money and equity stakes in the league for players. BC Partners Credit pledged an initial funding commitment of a potential $300 million. But several former LIV stars, including Jon Rahm, announced their decisions to withdraw from the revamped tour, and several others were believed to be on the fence. Bryson DeChambeau — arguably the breakaway circuit’s biggest name and a continuing backer of the tour — did not publicly commit to returning. Documents from bankruptcy filings showed that LIV owes between $500 million and $1 billion to at least 1,000 creditors, including star players. “BC Partners supported a transaction that aligned the interests of players and investors, offering a credible path toward building a sustainable future for LIV Golf,” BC Partners Credit said in a statement. “While there was great support for the league, we are disappointed that mutually acceptable terms could not be reached among the various stakeholders. “We commend LIV Golf’s management for their tireless efforts.”

Nov 7, 2026

Tatum fires 34 as Celtics overpower Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — Jayson Tatum had 34 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, Derrick White added 18 points, and the Boston Celtics demolished the Charlotte Hornets, 119-80, on Friday (Saturday in Manila) for their seventh win in eight games. Boston shot 17 of 31 from three-point range in the first half to build a 31-point lead and improved to 2-0 in NBA Cup play. The Hornets fell to 0-2. Naz Reid had 14 points for Charlotte, which has lost six straight since coach Charles Lee benched Reid — the team’s biggest offseason acquisition — in the second half of a game against the Detroit Pistons because he did not meet “team standards.” This one was over early. Tatum erupted for 18 points in the first quarter on three 3s and White added 10 as the Celtics bolted to a 40-20 lead. Boston made 9 of 17 3s in the first quarter. Charlotte couldn’t do anything right. The Hornets shot 28 percent from the field in the opening half while turning the ball over eight times. Tatum remained in the game until the final minute of the third quarter with Boston up 42 as the Celtics padded their point differential numbers for the NBA Cup. He drew “MVP!” chants from the pro-Celtics crowd after drawing what appeared to be a shooting foul as he swished a 3 from 33 feet. But the basket was waived off after officials ruled the foul was on the floor. The Hornets played without starters Kon Knueppel and Moussa Diabate, and Brandon Miller left the game in the second quarter with right groin soreness and did not return. Miller was 3 of 10 from the field with eight points before departing and appeared frustrated at times in the first half as Boston pressured him relentlessly. Lee did not offer a timetable for Knueppel’s return after last year’s NBA rookie of the year runner-up reinjured his hamstring on Wednesday night at Brooklyn. It was Knueppel’s first game of the season. In Atlanta, Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 28 points, and the Atlanta Hawks held off the Washington Wizards, 139-132, in an NBA Cup game. It was the third straight win for the Hawks and second straight against the Wizards, as Atlanta swept the home-and-home series. Trae Young had 23 points, 10 assists and a season-high eight turnovers in his first game in Atlanta as a visitor after being traded last season after seven-plus years with the Hawks. Lu Dort had 25 points, including a crucial shot clock-beating corner jumper late in the fourth quarter. Onyeka Okongwu scored 22 points and Aaron Wiggins added 19 points off the bench for Atlanta. Dyson Daniels guarded Young for much of the game and finished with 13 points and 12 assists.

Nov 7, 2026

Alcaraz barges into Paris Masters semis

PARIS — Carlos Alcaraz produced another miracle in the French capital as the seven-time Grand Slam champion fended off two match points to beat Taylor Fritz and reach the Paris Masters semifinals on Friday. The 23-year-old fought back to win 6-7 (10/12), 7-5, 6-3 to advance to the last four of the event for the first time. He will next take on former world No. 2 Casper Ruud on Saturday after the Norwegian eliminated Portuguese lucky loser Nuno Borges, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4. In scenes reminiscent of his iconic French Open final comeback win over Jannik Sinner last season, when he saved three championship points, Alcaraz again wowed the crowd in Paris as he snatched another improbable victory from the jaws of defeat. “Probably this match is going to be one of the most special matches that I ever played, and I’m going to remember this match for a long time,” Alcaraz told reporters. Despite only playing one match en route to the quarterfinals, Alcaraz showed no signs of rust as he seized his first break opportunity in the fifth game of the opening set, whipping a forehand passing shot around the stranded Fritz. The Spaniard’s serve then started to wobble and Fritz pounced to break to love and level at 5-5. In a tiebreak of thrills and spills, both players had set points come and go before Alcaraz dumped a forehand wide to cede the opener to the Californian. After recovering from 0-40 to hold early in the second set, Alcaraz pointed to his ear and held his fist aloft in a bid to get the Parisian crowd going — the first but not last call-back to his five-set Roland Garros epic. But he continued to struggle to make inroads on Fritz’s serve, and it was the American who produced the first break of the set in the seventh game. Alcaraz staved off a match point and then secured a hold that kept his campaign alive with a sensational backhand slice from well wide of his own tramlines. “After that game ... I started to enjoy it because I just thought I pulled off great shots, great points, I started to smile, I started to bring the energy from the people to the match,” the former world No. 1 said.

Nov 7, 2026

Eala rises to new career-high in WTA rankings

Nov 7, 2026

Adamson locks No. 3 seed in SSL quarterfinals

ADAMSON University bucked a slow start to defeat College of Saint Benilde (CSB), 26-24, 25-15, 25-21 and secure the No. 3 seed in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Shakey’s Super League (SSL) Unity Cup on Saturday at the Playtime FilOil Center in San Juan. Main gunner Shaina Nitura returned from a three-game absence, providing leadership and stability as the Lady Falcons closed the Round of 8 on a winning note after dropping their first two assignments in Pool E. Adamson rallied from an eight-point deficit in the opening set with a telling 11-2 run to gain control and steal the extended frame. The previous edition’s fourth-placed team then dictated the pace for the rest of the match to complete the 79-minute sweep. The Lady Falcons will take on the twice-to-beat No. 2 seed from Pool F in the quarterfinals of the league’s centerpiece competition, backed by Shakey’s Pizza Parlor, Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken, Potato Corner and R&B Milk Tea, starting Nov. 14. Frances Mordi led Adamson with 11 points on nine kills, one kill block and one ace while Third Tuddao scored eight. “Although it was a slow start, I remembered what coach was telling us before the game, that we should learn to adjust,” Mordi said. “During the game, at the start, it was very slow, but at the end we were able to adjust based on what coach told us,” she added. Nitura, who only played her second game in the tournament, came off the bench and scored six of her seven points on attacks for the Lady Falcons, who hosted a block party with 11 kill blocks. Lana Barrera had seven points, Joy Aseo and Kim Rocha finished with six points each while Frisha Divinagracia got four of her five markers on kill blocks for Adamson. The Lady Falcons fell into a 6-14 hole in the first set after Lady Blazer winger Ash Lleses scored on an off-speed attack. Adamson mounted a blistering counterattack and took a 17-16 lead after an Eloi Dote kill. Aseo put Adamson at set point, 24-22, but CSB forced an extended set with back-to-back points. Dote’s runner gave the Lady Falcons a set point advantage before Rocha ended the frame with a kill block. The Lady Falcons sustained the momentum of their first set comeback to send the Lady Blazers into a three-game losing skid in the competition supported by the Philippine Sports Commission, the Commission on Higher Education, Mikasa, Asics, Rigour Technology, Jersey Haven, Solar Sports and 12 Beyond Production as technical partners. CSB will take on twice-to-beat University of Santo Tomas in the next round. Grace Borromeo led the Lady Blazers with 10 points on eight kills and two aces, Arianna Pua scored eight while Camila Bartolome finished with seven markers. All games in the competition are available live and on demand via PusoP.com and Solar Sports.

Nov 7, 2026

James fires 64 to take 1-shot lead

LOS CABOS, Mexico — Ben James ran off five straight birdies around the turn and finished with an aggressive tee shot for one last birdie and an 8-under 64 on Friday to build a one-shot lead going into the weekend at the World Wide Technology Championship. James, already assured his PGA Tour card for next year as the No. 1 player in the PGA Tour University ranking, had his 14th round of 65 or lower in 13 tournaments since turning pro out of Virginia this summer. He already has four finishes in the top 5 and is picking up plenty of experience along the way. A victory would put him on the Championship Series under the new model in 2028 and move him into the top 50 in the world. “It's weird; in college I was kind of someone that would shoot 2, 3 under every timeout and would have trouble going low,” James said. “But you adapt to your surroundings as humans, so I guess out here that’s what you have to do. I’ve been rolling it well and playing well, so nice to be shooting some low numbers.” James was at 15-under 129 at the Tiger Woods-designed El Cardonal at Diamante. He was one shot ahead of Peter Malnati, who was tied for the lead until coming up short of the green on the par-3 ninth and missing a 12-foot par putt to end his round of 64. “I work really hard on my game, and I haven’t had tons to show for that lately,” Malnati said. “So to not be in that position coming down the stretch on a Friday where ... I don’t even have to think about the cut line; I can think about playing golf. That was fun.” Zac Blair had a 68 and was three shots behind. This is the second time James has had the lead going into the weekend. The other was the RBC Canadian Open, and he shot a 78 to quickly spiral out of contention. He also had a good chance to win the Biltmore Championship Asheville until Jacob Bridgeman put on a putting clinic down the stretch in the final round. “I'm doing everything right,” James said. “But for me, I'm just trying to win each shot, just do the best I can for each golf shot and not thinking ahead and just do the best I can. And as I say, winning the shot at hand.” He won the par-5 18th when he least expected it. James has been relying on his short wedges and hit a pedestrian pitch to about 18 feet. But he holed the putt, and then started the front nine with three straight birdies to set the target. This is among the last three tournaments of the FedEx Cup Fall, after which the top 100 players keep full status for next year.