WIMBLEDON
The first round of Wimbledon is finally finished two days later than planned. After rain threw the schedule into chaos, the sun returned Thursday and 56 matches were completed. That meant plenty of results and plenty of drama. One contest that did not get done was Andy Murray against Stefanos Tsitsipas. That was halted at 10:40 p.m. after Murray took a two-sets-to-one lead. They'll come back today. Meanwhile, Stan Wawrinka won to reach the third round and will face Novak Djokovic next. Donna Vekic was down a set and 5-2 in the second before coming back to beat 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens. Other winners included 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva and defending champion Elena Rybakina.
Stan Wawrinka has never faced Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon. So for that reason, three-time major champion Wawrinka was pleased to see that he’ll meet 23-time major champion Djokovic in the third round at the All England Club today. But don’t think for a second Wawrinka believes he can win this matchup. Wawrinka beat Djokovic in the 2015 French Open final and again in the 2016 U.S. Open final. Wawrinka, now 38, also has defeated Djokovic, 36, at the Australian Open. But overall, Djokovic leads their head-to-head series by a 20-6 count.
MLB
Francisco Lindor homered and had two triples among his five hits, Francisco Alvarez homered for the third straight game and the New York Mets crushed the Arizona Diamondbacks 9-0. Carlos Carrasco allowed three hits in eight innings and the once-struggling Mets had 17 hits for their fifth straight win. Alvarez became the first Mets rookie to have three homers in a three-game series twice in a season and Pete Alonso hit his 26th of the season. Lindor went 5 for 5, finishing a double short of the cycle, and scored three runs a day after being sick enough to need IV fluids. The Diamondbacks lost their fourth straight and All-Star rookie Corbin Carroll went down with a right arm injury on a swing in the seventh inning.
Gunnar Henderson set career highs with two homers, four hits and five RBIs — all in the first four innings — and the Baltimore Orioles routed Luis Severino and the New York Yankees 14-1. Henderson hit his first leadoff homer before the Orioles sent 21 batters to the plate in the third and fourth. Baltimore scored its most runs since a 15-10 win over Boston last Aug. 19 and had 20 hits. Severino (1-4) allowed seven runs and 10 hits over 2 2/3 innings and has a 7.38 ERA with a .315 opponents’ batting average and .560 slugging percentage.
Kiké Hernández blooped a bases loaded, broken-bat single in the seventh to give the Red Sox the lead as Boston scored six times in the inning to beat the Texas Rangers 10-6. No. 9 hitter Connor Wong had three hits for Boston. Josh Winckowski earned the win with a scoreless inning of relief. The Red Sox won for the fifth time in six games. The Red Sox had seven hits and two walks in the six-run seventh.
Taijuan Walker overcome early struggles to win his sixth consecutive start and the Philadelphia Phillies extended their road winning streak to 11 games with an 8-4 victory over the AL-leading Tampa Bay Rays. It’s the third-longest road winning streak in Phillies’ history, trailing a 13-game run in 1976 and 12-game stretch that spanned the 1887 and '88 seasons. Tampa Bay has lost a season-high four in a row and 10 of 16 overall. Walker allowed four runs and five hits in seven innings.
Baltimore shortstop Gunnar Henderson and New York manager Aaron Boone spoke Thursday with Pete Stendel, the YES Network cameraman who sustained an orbital fracture when he was hit by Henderson’s errant throw Wednesday night. Positioned right next to the Yankees’ dugout on the first-base side, Stendel was struck by a hurried throw by Henderson, who fired high to first as he tried to complete a double play in the fifth inning. The game was delayed about 17 minutes as the Yankees’ training staff and medical personnel tended to Stendel in the camera well. Stendel was strapped onto a stretcher and carted off the field, raising and wagging two fingers to loud applause from the crowd.
WNBA
Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner each scored 16 points and the Connecticut Sun cruised past the Seattle Storm 93-73 to snap a two-game losing streak. Connecticut scored 24 of the opening 28 points behind a combined 8-of-8 shooting by Bonner and Thomas. The Sun tied a franchise record with 11 assists in the first quarter. The Sun led 57-24 at the break for the largest halftime lead by any team this season, according to ESPN Stats & Info. Four Connecticut players were in double figures, including Thomas with 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Bonner made all three of her 3-point attempts in the first half and Connecticut made 7 of 9. The Sun finished 9 of 13 from 3-point range.
US WOMEN’S OPEN
Xiyu Janet Lin and Hyo Joo Kim are tied for the lead in the first U.S. Women's Open at Pebble Beach. Lin wanted to soak up the views at one of America's most famous courses. She also had a hot putter to help her out. The Chinese player made four par saves early and five birdies to sent her to a 68. Kim birdied the 17th hole to join her. Among those one behind were Leona Maguire and Irish amateur Aine Donegan. Rose Zhang opened with a 74. The top four players in the world were a combined 22 over.
NBA
Victor Wembanyama’s debut in the NBA Summer League is tonight. His highly anticipated showing is sold out, not too different from when a superstar music artist hits the city. All 17,500 tickets that were available for Day 1 of the 11-day series of games on the campus of UNLV were gone by sometime Wednesday, largely because of the debut of the 7-foot-3 rookie who will be playing his first game in a San Antonio Spurs uniform. Wembanyama says he can't wait. The plan is for him to play “at least one or two games.” Wembanyama’s hotly anticipated debut headlines (marking a full night of Summer League action on ESPN, with the Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets kicking things off at 7:00 p.m. and the Warriors/Lakers game scheduled to begin at 11:00 p.m. ET.
San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama says he believes Britney Spears grabbed him from behind as he was walking into a restaurant at a Las Vegas casino, and that the security detail he was with pushed the pop star away. Wembanyama said Thursday he wasn’t told that Spears was the person who grabbed him until hours later. Spears filed a police report saying she was struck by a security guard. She said in social media posts that she did not grab Wembanyama. She said she only tapped him on the shoulder so she could congratulate him on his success. Spears said she was “back handed” and nearly knocked to the ground.
Damian Lillard’s position has not and will not change: The seven-time All-Star wants to be traded to the Miami Heat. Lillard’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, confirmed that stance Thursday and said he hopes that the Portland Trail Blazers — the team that Lillard has spent the entirety of his 11-year NBA career with — can engage with the Heat on steps toward a deal in the coming days, especially with virtually everyone from the NBA gathering in Las Vegas for Summer League that starts today.
NFL
After a breakout season in which he nearly led the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl victory that earned him a record-setting contract, Jalen Hurts is working like a “madman” to be even better. Hurts tells the AP Pro Football Podcast “there’s a thrill in not being satisfied." The 24-year-old quarterback drafted in the second round in 2020 emerged as one of the league’s brightest young stars in his second full season as a starter. Hurts threw for 3,701 yards with 22 touchdowns and ran for 760 yards and 13 scores. He finished second in voting for the AP NFL MVP award and third for Offensive Player of the Year.
CENTRAL AMERICAN AND CARRIBBEAN GAMES
The 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games have offered El Salvador President Bukele an opportunity. Hosting the games with athletes from 35 countries is a chance to showcase a safer El Salvador. It's the largest international event there since Bukele's government entered an all-out war with gangs. It also comes as Bukele is accused of crimes against humanity for that same crackdown. Many worry events like the Games will allow Bukele to save face internationally and hand him the legitimacy he needs to hold onto power as he seeks reelection, despite being prohibited by the constitution. Some observers accuse him of “sportswashing.” It's the use of sports to divert attention from controversy and improve reputations amid wrongdoing.
UFC
Former featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski will face interim champ Yair Rodriguez in UFC 290 in Las Vegas. That bout Saturday headlines an International Fight week card that includes a second title match. Flyweight champion Brandon Moreno fights Alexandre Pantoja in the co-main event. Volkanovski has won the featherweight belt five times and is considered possibly the division's best of all time. He is coming off a loss after moving up temporarily to lightweight.
NCAA
Former Siena College star lacrosse player Colin Clive has died at age 31. The College Lacrosse team announced the death Thursday. Siena says Clive died Monday following a five-year fight with brain cancer. Clive played attack for the Saints from 2011 to 2014 and led the Green and Gold to three regular season championships in 2011, 2012, and 2014 in addition to two conference championships in 2011 and 2014. Clive was named the 2011 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Lacrosse Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
Clive also represented his father’s native England at the 2012 European Lacrosse Championships and the 2014 Federation of International Lacrosse World Championships. His 17 goals for England in 2012 led the team to a championship, finishing 8 and 0.
Clive lost his parents in 2021. His mother, Barbara, died after contracting pneumonia, and his father Dave died of a heart attack days later.
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