5:44 PM ET Associated Press BASEL, Switzerland — Top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz rallied to beat Jack Draper 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 in the first round of the Swiss Indoors on Monday. Alcaraz clinched with his third match-point chance, firing a forehand winner when following in a strong serve that left-hander Draper stretched to return. The first Basel
4:01 PM ET Associated Press Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff are the first pair of U.S. women in the top four spots of the WTA rankings since sisters Serena and Venus Williams were up there a dozen years ago. Pegula rose two places to a career-best No. 3 on Monday, a day after winning the
10:57 AM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” NEW YORK — There’s a hardness to this Houston Astros team, one honed by years hearing every insult imaginable, existing as flypaper for vitriol, living a life of perpetual villainy. It’s something
8:35 AM ET Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, Russian-born players in the NHL have dealt with uncertainty, concern for the safety and well-being of loved ones back home, and harassment by fans, while being expected by some to speak out against their home country. The league has also faced complex issues, including precarious cross-border
Oct 23, 2022 PHILADELPHIA — Welcome to the World Series, Bryce Harper. The superstar the Philadelphia Phillies brought in years ago to turn around a team stuck in mediocrity delivered one of the biggest home runs in franchise history Sunday. Harper’s two-run, rocket shot of a home run to left field in the bottom of
3:05 PM ET Undisputed middleweight champion Claressa Shields has her plan for the immediate future set, and it still includes both boxing and mixed martial arts. Shields, who became the undisputed middleweight champion for the second time on Oct. 15 in a unanimous decision win over Savannah Marshall, told ESPN on Monday that she plans
2:09 PM BST England skipper Owen Farrell has withdrawn from the squad that is travelling to Jersey for their training camp ahead of the November internationals as he continues to recover from a concussion, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) said on Monday. Farrell was knocked unconscious during Saracens’ Premiership victory over Exeter Chiefs on Saturday
7:00 AM ET Newcastle United‘s excellent run of form continued this weekend with a 2-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur that saw Eddie Howe’s side stretch their Premier League unbeaten streak to seven games and go climbing into the top four. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, more (U.S.) The decisive goal came via Miguel
11:51 AM BST World champions South Africa will take on New Zealand in a Test at Twickenham on the eve of next year’s World Cup, SA Rugby announced on Monday. The clash on Friday, Aug. 25 will come a fortnight before the tournament kicks off in France, and is only the second time the two
8:10 AM ET Amid the jubilation, exuberance and general madness after Tennessee beat Alabama for the first time in 16 years last Saturday, one man stood in Neyland Stadium waiting on what loomed for him in the aftermath. Darren Seybold grew up in Alabama. He knew what a life-changing event it was for Vols fans
7:00 AM ET Kade Krichko PAOLO BANCHERO TWISTS his 6-foot-10 frame into a kids’ chair surrounded by atilt Lego towers. “Don’t Touch” signs adorn computer desks, child-scrawled warnings amid a makeshift cityscape of plastic. It’s hardly a scene where you’d expect to see the $50.16 million-deal-wielding budding star of the Orlando Magic. Banchero isn’t rocking
File image of Kieron Pollard© AFP West Indies’ legendary all-rounder Kieron Pollard is surprised and disappointed with the team’s early exit from the T20 World Cup and said all the stakeholders must share the blame. Two-time champions West Indies failed to qualify for the Super 12 stage of the T20 showpiece in Australia after suffering
Virat Kohli talks with Pakistan players.© AFP A classic Virat Kohli chase came to the fore as the Indian cricket team took on Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2022 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday. The match turned out to be a spectacle, with India winning the contest on the very last ball,
12:08 AM ET The 2022 World Series matchup is set. Starting Friday, the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies will clash for the Commissioner’s Trophy in a meeting of one league’s favorite and the other league’s biggest underdog. Under MLB’s new playoff format, the Phillies entered as the sixth and final seed in the National League
9:19 AM ET Connor O’Halloran Tyson Fury provides a natural center in the heavyweight division, the man whom every other fighter at the top of the division orbits around. He is the Gypsy King for a reason. It has been a drama-filled year in the division already, with two world title defenses, the emergence of
9:17 AM ET After the wild ride that was UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi last weekend, there are still plenty of unanswered questions. What fight should the UFC look to make for new lightweight champ Islam Makhachev, and if the matchup is Alexander Volkanovski, how would that affect the pound-for-pound rankings? Will Sean O’Malley challenge
11:59 AM ET Charlotte has fired Will Healy as head football coach. “We are grateful to Will Healy for the incredible energy and enthusiasm he brought to our program,” athletic director Mike Hill said in a statement Sunday. “He made an impact here that will never be forgotten. Sadly, however, our on-field results have not
8:40 AM ET The 49ers’ 44-23 loss to the Chiefs on Sunday reinforced both sides of the debate surrounding Thursday’s dramatic trade for Christian McCaffrey. If you loved the deal — which saw San Francisco give up 2023 second-, third- and fourth-round picks plus a fifth-rounder in 2024 — you saw flashes suggesting the running