By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer MADRID (AP) — Rafael Nadal has gotten is off to a good start in his return from injury, defeating Miomir Kecmanovic in two sets to reach the third round at the Madrid Open. Nadal showed few signs of being rusty in his 6-1, 7-6 (4) opening win at home.
Continue Reading CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Nick Kelly has stepped down chief executive office of Tepper Sports & Entertainment after just three months on the job. Kelly helped with the successful launch of Charlotte FC Major League Soccer club as team president before taking on the role of CEO overseeing soccer and the NFL’s Carolina Panthers in
Continue Reading LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Indian discus thrower Kamalpreet Kaur has tested positive for an anabolic steroid. The case was announced Wednesday nine months after she placed sixth at the Tokyo Olympics. Kaur tested positive for stanozolol in a case the Athletics Integrity Unit dated to March 29. The steroid was most famously used by sprinter
Continue Reading SUTTON COLDFIELD, England (AP) — Lee Westwood has requested a release to play the first event of the Saudi-funded LIV Golf Invitational series in Britain next month. Westwood says he has asked both the European tour and the PGA Tour for the release required to contest the $25 million event at Centurion Club from June
Continue Reading NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — The New Jersey Devils shook up their assistant coaching ranks by firing Mark Recchi while not renewing the contract of Alain Nasreddine. General manager Tom Fitzgerald announced the moves less than a week after New Jersey missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season and the ninth time in 10 years.
Continue Reading CLEVELAND (AP) — Reliever Yusmeiro Petit and the San Diego Padres have agreed to a minor league contract. The 37-year-old right-hander from Venezuela would get a $1.5 million salary while in the major leagues if added to the 40-man roster and would have the chance to earn $500,000 in performance bonuses for games pitched. Petit
Continue Reading By Matias Grez, CNN The shirt Diego Maradona wore against England at the 1986 World Cup — synonymous with his brilliance at that tournament in Mexico — has sold for almost $9.3 million in an online auction, smashing the record for an item of sports memorabilia. The blue jersey was sold to an anonymous buyer
Continue Reading By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The shirt worn by Diego Maradona when he scored the controversial “Hand of God” goal against England in the 1986 World Cup has sold for 7.1 million pounds ($9.3 million), the highest price ever paid at auction for a piece of sports memorabilia. Auctioneer Sotheby’s sold the
Continue Reading JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Veteran defensive end Adam Gotsis has signed a one-year contract to rejoin the Jacksonville Jaguars. He gives the team some experienced depth to play behind rookie and projected starter Travon Walker. Gotsis is entering his seventh NFL season and third with Jacksonville. He played in 32 of 33 games with the
Continue Reading By VIN A. CHERWOO AP Sports Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The Pittsburgh Penguins went into the playoffs knowing they’d be without starting goalie Tristan Jarry for at least the first couple of games. They lost backup Casey DeSmith to an injury late in the second overtime of the opening game against the Rangers. Now,
Continue Reading By CNN Sports staff Paris Saint-Germain star Lionel Messi has failed to make the shortlist for the Ligue 1 player of the year after a disappointing first season in France. The omission comes as little surprise with Messi scoring four goals in 23 league games following his move from Barcelona last year. Nominated for the
Continue Reading PARIS (AP) — The French Tennis Federation says French Open prize money will increase by nearly seven percent to 43.6 million euros compared to the pre-coronavirus edition of 2019. The FFT says the rise is 6.8 percent overall compared to three years ago when the tournament was last held in normal circumstances before the pandemic
Continue Reading LONDON (AP) — The first regular-season NFL game in Germany will be between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Seattle Seahawks at the home of soccer club Bayern Munich. The NFL says the game will take place at the Allianz Arena on Nov. 13. Frankfurt will also be staging a regular-season game in Germany during
Continue Reading By Ben Morse, CNN The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face the Seattle Seahawks in Munich, Germany, in what will be the first-ever NFL regular-season game in the country. The match-up was announced on Wednesday, with the game taking place on November 13 at the Allianz Arena, home of German football giant Bayern Munich. The game
Continue Reading By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer MADRID (AP) — Villarreal fans stayed on their feet cheering at the La Cerámica Stadium long after the match ended. The result was not what they had hoped but the feeling was of a job well done. There was more pride than sadness for the modest Spanish club after
Continue Reading By Ben Morse, CNN Dusty Baker became the first Black manager in MLB history to win 2,000 career games on Tuesday night after the Houston Astros defeated the Seattle Mariners 4-0 at Minute Maid Park in Texas. Baker is the 12th manager to reach 2,000 career wins. Of the previous 11 to accomplish the feat,
Continue Reading By Ben Morse, CNN Novak Djokovic guaranteed his record-breaking time at the top of tennis’ world rankings would continue after his second-round win at the Madrid Open. The Serbian star beat Gaël Monfils 6-3 6-2 on Tuesday, guaranteeing he would remain as world No. 1 for a record-extending 369th week. The win also extended his
Continue Reading By Amy Woodyatt and Ben Morse, CNN The Memphis Grizzlies evened their second-round Western Conference series with the Golden State Warriors with a 106-101 victory in Game 2 on Tuesday, with Ja Morant pouring in an incredible 47 points to go with eight rebounds and eight assists — finishing the game with “one good eye.”
Continue Reading By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer Luis Diaz is having a stunning impact on Liverpool’s bid for an unprecedented quadruple of major trophies after joining the English club in January. Nowhere was this exemplified more than in the Champions League semifinals on Tuesday when Diaz came off the bench against Villarreal with Liverpool 2-0 down
Continue Reading EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) — The 39-year-old goalkeeper Craig Gordon has been voted player of the year in Scotland for a record third time. The Scotland and Hearts player was picked by journalists 16 years after first winning the award in his previous spell with the Edinburgh club. Gordon kept five clean sheets in six World
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