NBA: Pacers make clutch plays down stretch to edge Grizzlies

Nov 4, 2026

Eala looks to finally solve Valentova puzzle in HK

SEEKING a quarterfinal spot at the WTA 250 Hong Kong Open, Filipino sensation Alexandra “Alex” Eala looks to finally solve the puzzle that is Czech Tereza Valentova on Thursday. The time and court assignment for the second-round clash between the 21-year-old Eala and 19-year-old Valentova at the Victoria Park Tennis Stadium were not yet available as of writing. World No. 17 and tournament No. 2 seed Eala topped lucky loser and world No. 132 Emerson Jones of Australia, 6-4, 6-3, to begin her campaign last Tuesday. On the same day, world No. 85 Valentova dispatched Japanese and world No. 129 Himenu Sakatusume in their first-round clash, 6-3, 7-5. While Eala has a higher ranking and a main Tour title (500 D.C. Open), she has failed to beat Valentova in their two encounters. Eala yielded to Valentova first at the 250 Osaka first round, 1-6, 2-6, in October last year. The Filipino fell to the Czech anew at the 1000 Doha Open first round, 6(6)-7, 1-6, last February. “I’ve had very tough matches against her in the past. She’s proven to be a really good player not just against me but [overall] she’s played really well,” said Eala of Valentova. “She should be a good challenge for me like every match as well. But all I can do is do my best to prepare, and when I’m out there, fight with everything I have.” Aside from finally getting Valentova’s number, Eala also seeks to shore up her 1-14 record against Czech Republic players. Eala ended her 13-game skid against Czech players, also known as the “Czech Curse,” when she beat Nikola Bartunkova in the 125 Birmingham final, 5-7, 6-3, 7-5, for her first title of the season last June. The lefty lost again to a Czech player in Lindo Noskova at the 500 Berlin Open semifinal, 2-6, 4-6, also last June. Noskova, who went on to win the Berlin tournament as well as Wimbledon, holds a 2-0 head-to-head record against Eala. The Czech first defeated the Filipino at the Indian Wells fourth round, 2-6, 0-6, last March.

Nov 4, 2026

Creamline looks to continue unbeaten run

DEFENDING champion Creamline looks to continue its unbeaten run as it faces PLDT in the PVL All-Filipino Conference Siklab Series at the PhilSports Arena on Thursday. Undefeated through four games, the league-leading Cool Smashers take on the High Speed Hitters at 6 p.m. in the final game of a triple-header. The ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles and the Farm Fresh Foxies clash at 1 p.m. to raise the curtains. Before the Creamline-PLDT encounter, Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference takes center stage featuring the battle between the AFP Cavaliers and the Alpha Insurance Protectors at 3:30 p.m. Creamline last saw action on Oct. 29 in Santiago, Isabela, where it defeated the Capital 1 Solar Spikers, 25-18, 31-29, 25-16. Cool Smashers head coach Sherwin Meneses stressed the importance of banking wins in the eliminations. “We prepare for every game because the elimination round is very important. If we get good results during the eliminations, we’ll have a better chance of securing an outright spot in the semifinals. But for now, we’ll take it one game at a time,” said Meneses. “We have to prepare, especially since PLDT has momentum right now. That’s where we’ll focus our attention first,” added Meneses, whose team leads the pack with 12 points, ahead of fellow 4-0 team Nxled, which has 11 points. Meanwhile, PLDT also last played on Oct. 29 in Santiago, defeating ZUS Coffee, 25-20, 25-18, 25-16. The Kianna Dy-powered High Speed Hitters improved to 2-2 in sixth place. “We didn’t start the conference well, and hopefully, we can sustain the momentum from our two wins. We also hope to continue building our chemistry and work on the areas where we still need to improve,” said Dy. “I guess I can say that the two losses were bad, but they also served as a wake-up call for us, especially in this conference, where every point matters and making it to the top four is important. For us, every game is like a do-or-die situation, so we have to give it our all.”

Nov 4, 2026

Spikers’ Turf: Criss Cross delivers statement win over NU

Nov 4, 2026

Guerra leads balanced Griffins attack past Event Masters

HOWARD Guerra orchestrated a dazzling display of playmaking, steering VNS-Laticrete to its second consecutive victory with a 26-24, 25-13, 25-27, 25-17 triumph over 3B in the 2026 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference on Wednesday at the Filoil EcoOil Center. The 16-year-old Guerra took his playmaking to another level, dishing out a conference-best 37 excellent sets alongside six points. He previously recorded 18 excellent sets in the Griffins’ first victory against the Armed Forces of the Philippines last Oct. 27. “We really prepared for this because, as you know, we just came from a win, and we are chasing victories. We want to take all our remaining games so we can secure the win in this conference,” said Guerra. Guerra kept the VNS offense humming with his precise distribution, spearheading a balanced attack that kept 3B guessing throughout the one-hour, 44-minute contest as five Griffins finished in double figures. Team captain Noy Pedrosa led the charge with a game-high 18 points on 16-of-26 attacks, while Jau Umandal recorded a triple-double with 16 points, 11 excellent receptions and 10 excellent digs to help the Griffins climb to fifth place with a 2-3 record in the tournament organized by Sports Vision. CJ Segui added 13 points, while Djomari Gamotea and Andrie Bakil chipped in 12 and 10 points, respectively, completing VNS’ balanced offensive effort. Meanwhile, Mohammad Patadon anchored the Griffins’ defense with 26 excellent receptions and 14 excellent digs. Despite surrendering the extended third set, VNS maintained its offensive grip on the match, outclassing the Event Masters in the major scoring departments with a commanding 62-49 advantage in attacks, a 14-5 edge in blocks, and an 8-5 cushion in service aces. With the Griffins beginning to find their rhythm, they will look to sustain their momentum against contender Savouge in a Sunday showdown at 5 p.m. at the same venue. Meanwhile, 3B absorbed its second consecutive defeat to slide to a 1-3 record. TMT

Nov 4, 2026

Djokovic battles through Paris opener

PARIS — Novak Djokovic battled from behind to beat Valentin Vacherot, 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-1, in the first round of the Paris Masters on Tuesday, while Ben Shelton opened his campaign with a comfortable win. For the Serbian 24-time Grand Slam champion, it marked a return to winning ways at ATP 1000-level tournaments for the first time since his run to the fourth round at Indian Wells back in March. Djokovic also exacted his own bit of revenge on Vacherot in just the second meeting between the pair — the Monegasque downed the 39-year-old on his way to a sensational Shanghai Masters title last season. “I knew that coming into the court it was going to be a very tight match as it was,” Djokovic told reporters. “He’s very confident, and he’s one of the best servers we have in the game,” he added of Vacherot, who lifted the second title of his career last week in Basel. Victory also kept alive Djokovic’s chances of landing a spot in the season-ending ATP Finals later in November. Djokovic is currently 11th in the race to the eight-man tournament in Turin. However, he insisted his main focus was not the ATP Finals but “to win every match” on his return to the Paris Masters. In his last appearance at the tournament in 2023, he lifted the trophy for the seventh time. In an even opening frame, Vacherot got his nose in front at the end of an error-strewn first-set tiebreak as he put together a run of four points to take the lead. After going down a break early in the second set, Djokovic called for a medical timeout for a massage on his right shoulder. The short stoppage seemed to break Vacherot’s concentration as he dropped his serve straight away. On Djokovic’s second break point, the 27-year-old completely misjudged a routine return from his opponent and could only watch in disbelief as the ball bounced on the line right in front of him. Vacherot then received treatment for a foot issue and soon found himself level at one set each as Djokovic displayed his trademark killer instinct to seize his first break opportunity in the 12th game of the set and send the match to a decider. The 10th seed ground down Vacherot in his first service game to get his nose in front before then running away with the match. He will next meet Rinky Hijikata in the second round on Wednesday. US Open finalist Shelton, who as third seed enjoyed a bye through the first round, put on a commanding display in the night session with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Cameron Norrie. The world No. 4 needed just 71 minutes to see off the former eighth-ranked Briton, with the only hiccup being a break of his own serve near the end of the second set, which the 24-year-old instantly righted to close in on victory.