8:35 AM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com Sofia Kenin, looking to defend her Australian Open singles title, was in tears after losing in straight sets to Kaia Kanepi in the second round on Thursday. “I feel like everyone was always asking me, ‘Would you want to [defend the title]?” she said about the overwhelming pressure she had
Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso has been involved in a road accident while cycling in Switzerland. The Spaniard, who is returning to Formula 1 this season after a two-year absence, is “conscious and well in himself”, according to his Alpine team. Alpine said Alonso would have further medical examinations on Friday, without confirming whether he
12:22 PM GMT Wales have made five changes for their trip to Scotland on Saturday in the Six Nations. Aaron Wainright, Gareth Davies, Liam Williams, Nick Tompkins and Owen Watkin all start as Wales battle a growing injury list. 2 Related Willis Halaholo is included on the bench and will make his Test debut if
8:06 AM ET UFC 258 kicks off a six-week stretch with three major pay-per-view events, which could leave the promotion’s hierarchy in a much different place by the end of March. Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns square off Saturday in the first of six title fights, and the backdrop is an intriguing one as the
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed Thursday that all-rounder Axar Patel has recovered completely from the knee pain that had ruled him out of the first Test and he is now available for selection for the second Test starting Saturday in Chennai. Moreover, Shahbaz Nadeem and Rahul Chahar, who were added
In-form wicketkeeper batsman Mohammad Rizwan hit a maiden hundred as Pakistan edged out South Africa by three runs in a thrilling last over finish to first Twenty20 international in Lahore on Thursday. Needing 19 to win off the last over, Bjorn Fortuin (17 not out) and Dwaine Pretorius (15 not out) managed 15 as pacer
7:48 AM ET Lukaku stands out for having the highest percentage of his goals and assists coming in ‘close and late’ situations. Marco Luzzani/Getty Images If you’ve spent more than 15 minutes on the internet in your lifetime, you’ve probably come across an age-old sporting argument about “clutch.” Who is “clutch,” and who is a “choker?”
12:27 PM ET Associated Press CHICAGO — The Columbus Blue Jackets activated goaltender Elvis Merzlikins off injured reserve Thursday. Merzlikins, 26, had been sidelined by an upper-body injury since he got hurt during practice on Feb. 3. He is 2-2-1 with a 2.76 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage in six games this season.
6:00 AM ET ASHBURN, Va. — Alex Smith‘s season was capped in the most predictable way Saturday: With him winning the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year Award. It had become a foregone conclusion the Washington Football Team quarterback would win. Which leads to one question: Now what? Last season, Smith was the guy who
11:31 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN The Raptors will continue to play home games in Tampa, Florida, for the rest of the 2020-21 NBA season, citing border restrictions and being “mindful of public safety measures” in Toronto as factors preventing them from returning home to play at any point this season. “Florida has been really welcoming
12:40 PM GMT Scotland have made three changes for Wales from the side that secured their famous win against England. Cameron Redpath, Jamie Ritchie and Sean Maitland are all absent through injury so Blade Thomson, James Lang and Darcy Graham all start for Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday. – Play ESPN’s Rugby Pick’em for FREE
Formula 1 teams have backed a plan to hold shorter ‘sprint races’ at three Grands Prix this season. Details are still to be ironed out, but all teams gave their support to the idea at a meeting of the F1 Commission. Teams and F1 bosses also agreed to the introduction of a freeze on engine
7:00 AM ET This is Part III of a four-part series on the life, death and safety legacy of Dale Earnhardt, 20 years after his fatal crash at the 2001 Daytona 500. “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.” – Proverbs 18 THE BIBLE
11:00 AM GMT England have made five changes for their Six Nations clash against Italy on Saturday at Twickenham. Following their opening round loss to Scotland, England have handed starts to George Ford, Mako Vunipola, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Kyle Sinckler and Courtney Lawes. Ollie Lawrence and Mark Wilson, who both started in their championship opener, drop
9:00 AM ET The worst thing about the sports GOAT debate is that it’s redefined one of my favorite terms in sports, which is “the goat.” It used to indicate the counterpoint to the “hero.” It was the catalyst for defeat, the one who wears horns of shame and gnaws on cud while the champions
6:55 AM ET NFL NationESPN With Super Bowl LV in the rearview, the 2021 NFL offseason is here, albeit an odd one. Amid the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic, much — if not all — of the offseason will be virtual. While the annual scouting combine is essentially scrapped this year, the NFL draft will
7:00 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN When the Brooklyn Nets added James Harden to a roster that already included Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the bookmakers in Las Vegas were quick to declare the NBA’s newest Big Three as the favorites to win the Eastern Conference, despite the fact that the Nets had started the season
7:36 AM ET Mark KriegelESPN Joe Smith. A search on Boxrec.com reveals seven and a half pages — almost 200 professional fighters — who go, or have gone, by “Joe Smith.” The name itself is a generic suggestion: just a guy, an ordinary guy, a regular guy, blue collar, everyman. The Joe Smith in question