6:33 AM ET Serena Williams will be leading the drive to reboot pro tennis in North America after nearly five months without any official tournament play due to the coronavirus pandemic. It seems appropriate, even uplifting, during a time of great anxiety and uncertainty that the player many view as the greatest of all Grand
12:59 PM ET A crucial middleweight headliner is now official. Derek Brunson and Edmen Shahbazyan both weighed in successfully Friday morning in Las Vegas for the main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday at the UFC Apex. Brunson weighed 186 pounds and Shahbazyan weighed 185.5. This is the UFC’s first event back in the
4:36 AM ET Liverpool made one of the easiest title runs in the history of the Premier League, clinching the title with seven of 38 matches remaining. They finished the season with 99 points in league play, second-most ever after Manchester City, who finished 18 points behind the Reds in second place this year. Does
11:47 AM ET Associated Press As coronavirus cases spike in other parts of the country a month before the U.S. Open is supposed to start in New York, the U.S. Tennis Association said Friday it “continues its plans” to hold its marquee event and another tournament beforehand. The U.S. Open — usually the year’s last
7:00 AM ET NHL insiders The NHL restarts its season with a first-of-its-kind, 24-team postseason tournament Saturday. The field has expanded to 12 teams per conference, and the schedule includes games starting as early as noon ET most days, running through the 10:30 p.m. ET window. Yes, it’s hockey all day, and we’re just as
Ireland’s Sam Bennett avoided a mass pile-up on the final sprint to win the fourth stage of the Vuelta a Burgos. Italian Jacopo Guarnieri fell on the last corner and Deceuninck-Quickstep rider Bennett sprinted up the final slope to take victory in the 163km stage. French sprinter Arnaud Demare finished second, with Italy’s Giacomo Nizzolo
Alexander Albon suffered a heavy crash in his Red Bull as Lance Stroll’s Racing Point set the pace in second practice at the British Grand Prix. Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton were only third and fifth, struggling with the windy conditions and balance on the ‘soft’ tyres. Albon was second fastest, 0.090 seconds behind
10:10 AM ET The St. Louis Cardinals have had multiple members test positive for the coronavirus, resulting in Major League Baseball postponing Friday afternoon’s game at the Milwaukee Brewers, a source told ESPN’s Jeff Passan. MLB’s quick decision to postpone Friday’s game, which was scheduled for 2:10 p.m. ET, comes after the outbreak within the
7:01 AM ET The NHL returns on Saturday, with a five-game slate beginning at noon ET with the New York Rangers against the Carolina Hurricanes, and lasting through the Winnipeg Jets–Calgary Flames tilt that begins at 10:30 p.m. ET. As a service to fans who have a general interest in NHL hockey but have no
9:00 AM ET As it draws closer to actual football practices, the NFL is still working to answer a central question of its coronavirus mitigation policy: Is there a practical and effective way to mimic a mask for players on the field? The league’s first response, in conjunction with the NFL Players Association, was to
7:04 AM ET The Milwaukee Bucks are big favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference. According to Caesars Sportsbook, they enter the bubble at minus-230 to reach the NBA Finals in October. Still, respect from Vegas is one thing, but execution in Orlando is another. While the Bucks hold the league’s best record, the
9:42 AM ET Steve KimESPN As the calendar turns to August, boxing gets back into full swing as Matchroom Sports and Premier Boxing Champions restart their promotions. Each has plenty of action lined up, and this weekend kicks off a busy stretch of fights to end the summer. There will be cards around the world
8:00 AM ET Twenty years ago, 10 years ago, 10 months ago, Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick would have met the idea of the Fighting Irish ever playing college football in any conference with a stifled yawn, a subtle eye roll, a we’ve-been-over-that response. And yet here we are. It took a pandemic, but
2:40 PM ET ESPN Betting Insiders The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Loudon, New Hampshire, for Sunday’s Foxwoods Resort Casino 301. Denny Hamlin won the Super Start Batteries 400 last week in Kansas for his Cup Series-leading fifth victory of the season. Who will take the checkered flag Sunday afternoon (3 p.m. ET) at New
8:27 AM ET Steve KimESPN LAS VEGAS — Bob Arum sits in his hotel suite on the 12th floor of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, awaiting the results of his coronavirus test. It’s the 12th time he has gone through the process, waiting to confirm he’s safe to go about his business — running
7:45 AM ET Edmen Shahbazyan already has his own identity, with his own career and his own athletic accolades — but admittedly, the Ronda Rousey connection is, for now, hard to ignore. Shahbazyan (11-0, 4-0 in the UFC) is the middleweight phenom who will face the toughest test of his career on Saturday when he
3:33 AM ET Welcome to ESPN’s Insider Notebook, featuring contributions from our reporters across the top leagues around the world. In this edition, there’s the latest on Manchester United’s pursuit of Jadon Sancho. Plus: Chelsea and Manchester City are keen on a pricey centre-back to sort their defences out. Jump to: City, Chelsea hunt Gimenez
7:15 AM ET Britain’s Andy Murray expects some of the top male players to follow women’s world No. 1 Ash Barty in skipping next month’s U.S. Open in New York due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. Australian Barty said on Thursday she was not comfortable travelling to the United States amid the pandemic for