TENNIS
Marketa Vondrousova has become the first defending women’s champion at Wimbledon to lose in the first round the next year since it happened to Steffi Graf in 1994. Vondrousova was eliminated by Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-4, 6-2 at Centre Court on Tuesday. Vondrousova was a surprise title winner at the All England Club 12 months ago, the first unseeded woman to claim the trophy at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament. The only other time in the sport’s Open era, which dates to 1968, that a woman went from a championship at Wimbledon to an immediate exit a year later was when Graf was defeated by Lori McNeil 30 years ago.
Novak Djokovic wore a gray sleeve on his surgically repaired right knee while winning his first-round match at Wimbledon. Djokovic never faced a break point along the way to a 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 victory over qualifier Vit Kopriva in under two hours on Tuesday. It was Djokovic's first match since tearing the meniscus in his knee at the French Open on June 3. The 37-year-old Djokovic has won seven of his men’s-record 24 Grand Slam titles at the All England Club and was the runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz last year. Djokovic hurt his knee during a five-set win at Roland Garros, then had surgery in Paris on June 5.
NBA
Four-time NBA all-star and University of Connecticut national champion Kemba Walker has retired from basketball. Walker calls his career a “dream” and says the sport will forever be a part of his life. The point guard led the Huskies to the NCAA Tournament championship in 2011 before being drafted by Charlotte. He also played for the Celtics, Knicks, Mavericks and overseas. He announced his retirement on social media Tuesday.
Bronny James says the opportunity to play professionally alongside his famous father played no role in his decision to enter the NBA draft. Now that the 19-year-old son of LeBron James has been selected by the Los Angeles Lakers, Bronny says he can still handle all the extra attention and pressure while the James family makes basketball history. Bronny reiterated that he didn’t jump to the NBA just because his 39-year-old father is still an active player, acknowledging he didn’t necessarily share his father’s oft-stated dream of playing in the league together.
A person familiar with the decision says All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell has agreed to a three-year, $150.3 million contract extension with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 27-year-old said on numerous occasions this past season that he’s happy playing with Cleveland, which acquired him in a 2022 trade from Utah. The Cavs have made the playoffs in both seasons with Mitchell. He agreed to the deal in Los Angeles over the weekend, according to the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the NBA prohibits deals from being announced until its moratorium ends on Saturday. ESPN was first to report Mitchell’s agreement.
MLB
Elly De La Cruz tripled and homered in his first game at Yankee Stadium, helping the Cincinnati Reds overcome Aaron Judge’s major league-leading 32nd home run in a 5-4 victory over New York. Will Benson and De La Cruz hit two-run homers in a four-run fifth as the Reds built a 5-0 lead over the Yankees, who have lost 11 of their last 15 games. Judge homered in the seventh off Sam Moll for his third hit. He leads the major leagues in batting average, homers and RBIs. Del La Cruz has tripled and homered together five times.
Brandon Nimmo had two RBIs in his return from a harrowing hotel room accident, and the New York Mets beat the Washington Nationals 7-2 in 10 innings. Nimmo cut his forehead when he fainted and fell Sunday night. He entered in the fourth inning after Harrison Bader was pulled following a collision with the wall in right-center field. In the eighth, he drove in Francisco Lindor for a tying RBI single, and then was part of a barrage of hits against Robert Garcia once the game went to extras.
Kutter Crawford gave up three hits and one run over six solid innings, Ceddanne Rafaela and Jarren Duran homered and the Boston Red Sox beat the Miami Marlins 8-3. Masataka Yoshida had three hits and Rafael Devers singled twice and drove in two runs for the Red Sox. Each player in Boston’s lineup had at least one hit. Crawford (4-7) struck out seven. It was the right-hander’s sixth consecutive start of at least six innings and his 12th this season. Miami's Jake Burger hit a solo homer in the fifth and Valente Bellozo went five innings and took the loss.
Trea Turner hit two long home runs, and the major league-leading Philadelphia Phillies hung on to beat the struggling Chicago Cubs 6-4. The Phillies were rolling along with a 6-1 lead before the Cubs made things interesting in the ninth. José Ruiz came in and gave up singles to Michael Busch and Cody Bellinger before Seiya Suzuki smacked a three-run homer. Jeff Hoffman then struck out Ian Happ and Christopher Morel before retiring Dansby Swanson on a line drive to right for his seventh save. Michael Mercado earned his first career win in his first major league start. The Cubs have dropped seven of nine.
Nathaniel Lowe hit a pair of two-run homers, Nathan Eovaldi allowed only one hit over seven innings and the Texas Rangers beat the San Diego Padres 7-0 to end their 11-game losing streak in the series. Eovaldi struck out six while retiring 21 of the 22 Padres batters he faced Tuesday night. Jonathan Hernández pitched the final two innings to wrap up the Rangers’ eighth shutout this season. San Diego, which had won nine of its previous 11 games, was held scoreless for the sixth time. Padres starter Dylan Cease allowed six runs in 3 2/3 innings.
Pinch-hitter Bo Naylor delivered a sacrifice fly with one out in the ninth inning, sending the Cleveland Guardians to a 7-6 win over the Chicago White Sox. Andrés Giménez singled off Michael Kopech, went to second on a groundout and took third on a wild pitch. Naylor then lifted a 3-2 pitch deep enough to score Giménez without a throw from center fielder Luis Robert Jr. Rookie Daniel Schneemann and Tyler Freeman hit two-run homers for the Guardians, who improved MLB’s best home record to 27-9. Robert hit a two-run homer and drove in four runs for the White Sox, who have the majors’ worst record (24-63).
George Springer hit a three-run home run against his former team, Spencer Horwitz added a solo homer and the Toronto Blue Jays held on to beat the Houston Astros 7-6. Yordan Alvarez homered and scored twice as Houston almost overturned a 7-0 deficit. The Astros lost for the second time in 12 games. José Berríos (8-6) pitched five innings to win back-to-back starts for the first time since a three-start winning streak between April 8 and 20. The right-hander allowed five runs and five hits. Houston’s Jose Altuve had three hits but flied out to center to end it.
Manny Margot and Carlos Correa went deep to keep Minnesota’s club-record home run streak going at 20 straight games, and the Twins beat the Detroit Tigers 5-3 on Tuesday night.Byron Buxton scored the go-ahead run in the seventh with a head-first dive into home plate after leading off the inning with a double, and Royce Lewis hit a two-run double off Tigers ace Tarik Skubal before departing with tightness in his left groin muscle.
Zack Littell pitched five innings of four-hit ball before the rain arrived, four Tampa Bay relievers allowed one run the rest of the way, and the Rays beat beat the Royals 5-1. Brandon Lowe homered, Isaac Paredes drove in a pair of runs and Richie Palacios had three hits, drove in a run and scored from third on a wild pitch. That was the only run for either team before the 2 1/2-hour delay. The Rays tacked on three runs off the Royals bullpen once play resumed. Bobby Witt Jr. had KC's only run with a homer in the sixth inning.
Grayson Rodriguez allowed just two hits over 6 1/3 shutout innings, and Anthony Santander drove in the go-ahead run with a fourth-inning RBI single as the Baltimore Orioles beat the Seattle Mariners 2-0. Rodriguez was dominant against Seattle’s struggling offense, retiring the first eight batters of the game and allowing just one hit through five innings. The Mariners threatened twice, but Rodriguez escaped both jams unscathed. Josh Rojas had both hits for Seattle, with singles in the third and sixth innings.
Lawrence Butler and Brent Rooker hit home runs, Mitch Spence gave up one hit over 5 1/3 innings, and the Oakland Athletics beat the Los Angeles Angels 7-5. Brett Harris added a two-run double for Oakland, which had lost seven of its previous eight games and 17 of 21. Nolan Schanuel had two hits and four RBIs for Los Angeles, which had won six of its previous seven games. Spence (5-4) gave up one run on six hits to snap a streak of five straight winless starts. Angels starter José Soriano (4-6) gave up four runs on three hits in four innings.
Nolan Gorman hit his second career grand slam, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-4. Matt Carpenter dropped a soft single into left to load the bases with no outs in the fourth inning. Gorman followed with his 17th homer of the season, a 415-foot drive to left-center on a 1-2 sweeper from Mitch Keller. Cardinals starter Kyle Gibson gave up four runs, all in the fifth, and five hits in five innings. He struck out eight and walked one. Ryan Helsley struck out one in a perfect ninth inning, earning his major league-leading 31st save in 32 opportunities.
Jorge Soler and LaMonte Wade Jr. hit back-to-back homers to help the San Francisco Giants beat the Atlanta Braves 5-3. Heliot Ramos also went deep as San Francisco won for the sixth time in eight games. Mike Yastrzemski went 2 for 2 in his return from a strained left oblique. Hayden Birdsong pitched five innings of two-run ball in his first big league win. Camilo Doval earned his 15th save with a perfect ninth inning. Austin Riley and Sean Murphy hit back-to-back homers off Birdsong in the second. Ozzie Albies added an RBI single for the Braves in the eighth.
Willy Adames hit a tying sacrifice fly in the ninth inning and Rhys Hoskins was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded as the Milwaukee Brewers rallied past the Colorado Rockies 4-3. Brenton Doyle homered for the third time in two games and hit an RBI double for the Rockies. Colorado left fielder Nolan Jones recorded another sizzling outfield assist with a 100.8 mph throw to the plate to deny the Brewers a run in the seventh inning and keep the game tied at 2. Hoskins was clipped on the upper body by a 3-2 pitch from Justin Lawrence.
Shohei Ohtani won’t participate in the Home Run Derby on July 15 despite the Japanese superstar ranking second in the majors with 27 homers for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ohtani has taken part in the Derby just once, exiting in the first round in 2021 at Coors Field in Denver. This year’s event is at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. He says he's in the middle of his rehab from an injured elbow ligament and subsequent surgery last fall that is keeping him from pitching this season. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts says it's not Ohtani's responsibility alone to the carry the sport.
WNBA
Jonquel Jones had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and New York used stellar defense in the fourth quarter to beat the Minnesota Lynx 76-67. Breanna Stewart added 17 points and 17 rebounds for the Liberty in a rematch of the Commissioner’s Cup championship game that was won by the Lynx a week ago. New York trailed 65-61 before clamping down defensively. Minnesota missed 10 shots and had four turnovers over the next 7 1/2 minutes and the Liberty scored 15 consecutive points to go up 74-65 with 1:07 left on two free throws by Sabrina Ionescu. Dorka Juhasz finally ended the drought with a layup with 30 seconds left, but it wasn’t enough.
Chennedy Carter scored six of her season-high 26 points in the final 92 seconds, rookie Angel Reese recorded her 11th consecutive double-double just before being named to the All-Star roster, and the Chicago Sky beat the Atlanta Dream 85-77. Reese scored 12 points and set a franchise record with 19 rebounds to move within one double-double of Candace Parker’s WNBA record of 12 straight. Reese is the first WNBA rookie to have 10-plus rebounds and 19-plus rebounds in a game since Teaira McCowan in 2019. Chicago trailed 75-72 before Atlanta went the final three minutes without a field goal. Diamond DeShields rattled in a 3-pointer from the corner with 2:21 left to tie it at 75-all and she added one free throw on the Sky’s next possession.
Kelsey Plum scored 34 points and the Las Vegas Aces beat the Indiana Fever 88-69 in front of the fifth-largest crowd in WNBA history. Playing in front of 20,366 fans in the largest regular-season crowd at a WNBA game since 1999, the two-time defending champion Aces won their fifth straight. A’ja Wilson added 28 points and nine rebounds, while Jackie Young had 15 points and 10 assists. Indiana’s All-Star contingent of Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark combined for 54 points.
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough scored 10 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter, and the Washington Mystics rallied past the Los Angeles Sparks 82-80. Myisha Hines-Allen had 16 points for Washington, which trailed 64-52 entering the fourth. Walker-Kimbrough made a 3-pointer with 2:55 left, lifting the Mystics to their first lead since it was 6-5 in the opening quarter. Stephanie Talbot scored 17 points for Los Angeles. Dearica Hamby had 16 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in her 12th double-double of the season.
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese will team up on the WNBA All-Star team to play against the U.S. Olympic team led by A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart. The pair of remarkable rookies were selected Tuesday by a combination of votes from the media, fans, players and the league’s 12 coaches to play in Phoenix on July 20. Clark was the leading vote-getter from the fans with her Indiana teammate Aliyah Boston finishing second. Reese was fifth. Joining the rookies on the WNBA team were DeWanna Bonner and Brionna Jones of Connecticut, Allisha Gray of Atlanta, Dearica Hamby of Los Angeles, Jonquel Jones of New York, Kayla McBride of Minnesota, Kelsey Mitchell of Indiana, Nneka Ogwumike of Seattle and Arike Ogunbowale of Dallas.
SOCCER
The Netherlands reached its first European Championship quarterfinal in 16 years with a 3-0 win over Romania on Tuesday. Cody Gakpo broke the deadlock in the 20th minute and Donyell Malen scored two late goals to send the Dutch to their first quarterfinal in the tournament since 2008. The Dutch had missed a plethora of earlier opportunities to add to the early lead and captain Virgil van Dijk also hit the woodwork. The Netherlands will play either Austria or Turkey in Berlin on Saturday.
Jürgen Klopp, Thierry Henry and Marcelo Bielsa are among those being speculated about as candidates to take over from Gregg Berhalter as U.S. coach ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Jesse Marsch, Hugo Pérezm, Pellegrino Matarazzo and David Wagner also could be considered if Berhalter is fired or quits. Among high-level European club coaches, Massimiliano Allegri and Mauricio Pochettino are available. Berhalter remained after the U.S. was eliminated from the Copa America in the first round with a 1-0 defeat to Uruguay. He has a contract through the 2026 tournament but has lost the support of a significant portion of the fan base.
Daniel Muñoz scored the tying goal during first-half stoppage time, and Colombia won its first-round group at the Copa America with a 1-1 draw against Brazil that extended its unbeaten streak to 26 games. Colombia goalkeeper Camilo Vargas saved Brazil’s final chance on a shot by Andreas Pereira in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time. Colombia plays Panama in a quarterfinal on Saturday at Glendale, Arizona, while Brazil fell into what appears to be a more difficult game against Uruguay later that night at Las Vegas. Los Cafeteros finished with seven points to Brazil’s five.
NCAA
SUNY New Paltz says it will join the New Jersey Athletic Conference in 2026 as it prepares to leave the SUNY Athletic Conference. The departure was announced in April. The college says its Division III teams were facing disruptive travel times to most conference opponents and the move will bolster the competitiveness of campus sports teams, enable recruitment in a larger area, and improve athletes’ experience. The New Jersey Athletic Conference was founded in 1957 and currently has 10 full members — all in New Jersey.
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