Rybakina loses in China Open second round while Zverev wins to face Djokovic

Manila Times - Oct 4, 2026

BEIJING — No. 1-ranked Elena Rybakina was ousted from the China Open by No. 118 Alina Charaeva of Armenia in the second round on Saturday. Charaeva held her head in her hands in disbelief after winning 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. "I was just trying to stay really hard mentally and keep believing that at some point I could turn it around again to my side. And I guess I just never stopped believing,” said Charaeva, only the ninth woman outside the top 100 to beat a No. 1. Rybakina had seven double faults and dropped her serve five times, the last time to fall behind 4-2 in the third set. New US Open champion Rybakina became only the second woman to lose her first match as world No. 1. Naomi Osaka was the other, in 2019. “There was a lot going on after the US Open victory. I didn't get a lot of chances to sleep and recover," Rybakina said. “Congratulations to Alina. She played a very good match.” Coco Gauff, who lost to Rybakina in the US Open semifinals, won her first match since then against Camila Osorio 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-2. In the men's tournament, top seed and US Open champion Alexander Zverev beat wild card...

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Oct 3, 2026

Rybakina's first match as world number one ends in China Open defeat by Charaeva

Oct 3, 2026

LeBron puts on a show in 76ers' scrimmage debut

PHILADELPHIA — The 76ers' public address announcer ended a brief retirement over the summer in large part to get behind the mic and do what he did for the first time ahead of the team's annual scrimmage. Matt Cord introduced LeBron James in the Sixers' starting lineup. "At 6-9, from St. Vincent-St. Mary’s, No. 23, LeBron James! James!' Close to 10,000 fans who plunked down $10 a ticket on Saturday to essentially witness a glorified practice at the Sixers’ home arena went wild for James' debut. No, James didn't wear No. 23. He historically wore No. 6 over his career in practice gear but with that number retired in Philadelphia because of Julius Erving, James went with No. 9. No, the dunks and 3s and assists didn't count in any official capacity. And no, James wasn't even introduced last. That honor remained reserved for Joel Embiid. What the new 41-year-old on the block did do was give — along with Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown and VJ Edgecombe — a sneak preview that maybe, just maybe, the long underperforming Sixers might finally rise to the moment this season and meet their championship expectations. “It was a great first step in a direction we're trying to go,” James said. “It was great to hear some cheers from our fans.” Sixers fans that crammed aisles and stairways trying to catch a first glimpse or a snapshot of James were shooed back to their seats. Vendors hawked James merchandise outside the arena and told fans they could own the first pieces of his merchandise. Sixers fans that inched near the court screamed and outright begged James to stop and turnaround and pose for pictures. They also crammed into team stores buying No. 23 jerseys. The Sixers started the scrimmage early with what they hope is a familiar sight: Maxey in transition hit James for an alley-oop dunk. James hung and swung on the rim for a few seconds. James made a nifty behind-the-back pass to Edgecombe (who missed a corner 3) and even squared up and buried a long 3 from about Caitlin Clark range. James did it all — he even bounced Maxey's baby daughter, Marvel, on his knee for a moment on the bench. No word yet on James' hourly babysitting rate. Not a bad first week in Philadelphia for the NBA’s career scoring leader. “Everybody's been super welcoming,” James said. “I've been able to implement some things with my voice and just my command of how I play the game and my experience playing the game. I'm still getting more and more comfortable off the floor, with travel and without my family and things of that nature. That's going to be a little bit of a challenge, but everything's been good so far. Great first week." The Sixers traditionally hold the scrimmage in Delaware on the home court of their G League team. The Sixers donated 5,000 tickets to local community groups and Sixers Youth Foundation grantee partners and more than $80,000 was raised for the Sixers Youth Foundation. The $10 tickets were a deal. They are hovering around $1,000 a ticket for the 100 level on the secondary market for the Sixers' Oct. 22 home opener against Cleveland. James was expected to play Monday in the first of four preseason games and mark the start of his record 24th NBA season. “It’d be good to get out there with some of our guys to just get a rhythm," James said. “At the same time, also not overdo it. We're putting a lot into our practices right now. We're fine-tuning what we want to do once the game comes. I think there will be opportunities once we get out there in the preseason." Philadelphia opens the season Oct. 20 in New York against the NBA champion Knicks. James and the rest of the Sixers were encouraged that the oft-injured Embiid has been a full participant in camp and seems to be in leaner, lighter shape. Embiid pulled off a driving left-handed dunk in the scrimmage and later joked; it was “probably the last dunk of my career.” Jerseys flew off the racks, Sixers flew through the air, and excitement swirled around the team and for all that James brings to the city. “They've welcomed me with open arms,” James said, “and I'm getting more and more comfortable every day.”

Oct 3, 2026

Yape named PH flag bearer for Asian Games closing

TAEKWONDO gold medalist Jeus Gabriel Derick Yape has been named the flag bearer for Team Philippines during the parade of athletes at the Aichi-Nagoya 20th Asian Games closing ceremony on Sunday. Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino praised the selection ahead of the event scheduled for 5 p.m. (Manila time) at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletics Stadium. “He’s deserving of that honor,” Tolentino said on Saturday. “It will be a recognition not only for Jeus but also for taekwondo, which finally won its first Asian Games gold medal since 1994, when the sport became a medal event in the games.” Yape secured the top spot in mixed virtual taekwondo—an open-gender event combining combat sports with virtual reality and motion-tracking technology—on Friday. His victory highlighted a record 1-3-1 gold-silver-bronze haul for the Filipino jins. He also earned a bronze medal in men’s individual poomsae. Joining Yape in the closing ceremony are fellow taekwondo medalists Juliana Mykhail Candelaria, Tachiana Keizha Mangin, and Kurt Barbosa, alongside boxing silver medalist Carlo Paalam. Paris Olympics boxing bronze medalist Aira Villegas and world junior weightlifting champion Albert Ian de los Santos previously served as the country’s flag-bearers during the opening ceremony on September 19. Meanwhile, the future is bright for Alas Pilipinas women’s beach volleyball after collegiate players Khy Progella and Sofiah Pagara brought the Philippines to the Asian Games podium for the first time. Progella and Pagara turned heartbreak into history, rallying from a semifinal loss to capture a historic Asian Games bronze medal—they fought back to stun China’s Cao Shuting and Dong Jie, 13-21, 23-21, 15-13, on Friday at Hekinan Ryokuchi Beach Court. Alas Pilipinas beach volley coach, Brazilian Joao Luciano Kioday, relished the rise of Philippine beach volleyball, with the pair from University of Santo Tomas proving that the program is in good hands after giving the country its best Asian Games finish in beach volleyball since the sport was introduced at the 1994 Hiroshima Games. “I think results are always a reference, right? So I think we’ve improved a lot with the beach volleyball that we deserve a spot on the mix, right? I know Philippine is a country very passionate for the indoor volleyball,” Kioday said. “A lot of things going on about the indoor volleyball that I think they deserve it what they have it. But don’t forget beach volleyball also deserve it,” Kioday added. “This is for the PSC, POC, PNVF. So we do have a lot of possibilities. I always told them when I have a chance,” he said. “The potential we can have it, so I think this is the time we take the flow and use this medal in a good way, not just for one team, but for the whole program.”