TENNIS
Serena Williams has reached her 10th final at Wimbledon, 30th at all Grand Slam tournaments — and first since having a baby a little more than 10 months ago.
Williams dominated much of her semifinal Thursday, beating 13th-seeded Julia Goerges (GUR'-guhs) of Germany 6-2, 6-4 at Centre Court to close in on what would be an eighth championship at the All England Club and 24th major trophy overall.
Williams will face another German, 11th-seeded Angelique Kerber, on Saturday in a rematch of the 2016 final at Wimbledon. Williams won that one for a second consecutive title at the All England Club, before missing the grass-court tournament last year while pregnant.
Kerber used a seven-game run to seize control of her semifinal and collect a 6-3, 6-3 victory over the 12th-seeded Ostapenko.
MLB
Mark Canha's two-RBI single in Oakland's three-run eighth inning lifted the Athletics to a 6-4 win over the Houston Astros on Thursday.
The Athletics fell behind early but cut the lead to one with a three-run fifth. An RBI double by Matt Chapman tied it with no outs in eighth before Canha's single off Chris Devenksi, now 2-2, with one out made it 6-4.
It was another big eighth inning for the A's, who lead the majors with 69 runs in the inning this season. This one helped them take three out of four against the Astros.
Nick Martini had three hits and drove in two runs for the Athletics, who are 19-5 in their last 24 games.
In other action:
Kyle Gibson struck out nine batters over eight easy innings for the Minnesota Twins, who gave Tampa Bay ace Blake Snell his shortest start of the season and beat the Rays 5-1 after a two-hour rain delay. The Twins won for the seventh time in the last eight games. The Rays had their five-game winning streak stopped.
Albert Pujols hit two home runs to tie Ken Griffey Jr. for sixth place on the career list with 630, and the Los Angeles Angels rolled to an 11-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners. Tyler Skaggs pitched six strong innings for the Angels in his return from the disabled list.
Andrew Toles broke a scoreless tie with an RBI single off Tyson Ross in the seventh inning to help All-Star Ross Stripling and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat San Diego 3-2 and take three of four from the last-place Padres. Ross took a one-hit shutout into the seventh before it fell apart.
Aaron Hicks hit an RBI double off Cleveland ace Corey Kluber in the eighth inning, leading the New York Yankees to a 7-4 win over the Indians. Didi Gregorius scored from first on Hicks' hit and also homered as the Yankees won the opener of the four-game series. Brett Gardner homered twice and New York won its first game in Cleveland since winning last year's AL Division Series. The series continues Friday at 7:10 p.m.
Mookie Betts fouled off seven pitches before hitting a grand slam that helped the Boston Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-4, extending their winning streak to 10 games. Betts added an RBI single in the seventh inning and went 2 for 4, increasing the top batting average in the majors to .352. Boston has the longest current winning streak in the big leagues and hasn't lost since July 1. At 66-29, the Red Sox are 37 games over .500 for the first time since 1949. Game 2 is Friday at 7:10 p.m.
Max Scherzer made a final pitch to start the All-Star Game on his own mound, Anthony Rendon hit two homers and Bryce Harper also connected, leading the Washington Nationals over the New York Mets 5-4. Washington won for just the sixth time in 17 games and nudged back over .500 at 47-46. The series continues tonight at 7:10 p.m.
Gerardo Parra and Raimel Tapia had pinch-hit RBI singles in Colorado's three-run sixth inning, helping the Rockies beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-1. Trevor Story homered for the Rockies, and Kyle Freeland pitched six-hit ball into the sixth inning. DJ LeMahieu had two hits and drove in a run.
Jorge Alfaro homered and drove in three runs, Nick Pivetta took a three-hitter into the seventh inning and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-4. The Phillies got 12 hits off Kevin Gausman while building a 5-0 lead against the team with the worst record in the majors. Trey Mancini and Jace Peterson homered for the Orioles
Jameson Taillon had a career-high 10 strikeouts, Jordy Mercer tied his career high with four RBIs and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-3. Taillon surrendered one run on four hits with two walks..
In other baseball news:
The Miami Marlins have suspended their business relationship with Papa John's after the company's chairman of the board apologized for using a racial slur and resigned. In a statement Thursday, the Marlins said "derogatory and insensitive comments" by John Schnatter weren't reflective of the values of the baseball franchise. Papa John's announced late Wednesday that Schnatter had resigned. Forbes said Schnatter used the N-word during a media training exercise in May. A Marlins promotion with Papa John's had offered discounted pizza.
The Boston Red Sox have placed third baseman Rafael Devers on the 10-day disabled list with left shoulder inflammation. The move was retroactive to Wednesday night. Infielder Tzu-Wei Lin was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket to replace him on the roster. Devers was batting.241 with 14 homers and 48 RBIs this season, his first full year in the majors.
Los Angeles Angels pitcher Garrett Richards said Thursday he has elected to undergo Tommy John surgery for his damaged ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow and will miss the remainder of the season. Reduced to 28 starts over the last three seasons because of multiple injuries, including two UCL issues, Richards' time with the Angels could effectively be finished after eight seasons and a 45-38 record with a 3.54 ERA.
NBA
The Oklahoma City Thunder have re-signed guard Raymond Felton. The Thunder made the announcement Thursday without details on the deal.
Felton appeared in all 82 games last season and averaged 6.9 points, 2.5 assists and 1.9 rebounds as Russell Westbrook's backup.
Felton has appeared in 938 career games, with averages of 11.4 points, 5.4 assists and 3.0 rebounds. The 13-year NBA veteran ranks eighth among all active players with 5,044 assists. In college, Felton helped North Carolina win the 2005 national championship and was selected to the all-tournament team.
In other NBA news:
The Chicago Bulls have waived guard Sean Kilpatrick. Signed in late March, Kilpatrick averaged 15.4 points in nine games for Chicago after spending time last season with the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers. He has averaged 10.3 points in four seasons after going undrafted out of Cincinnati.
Free agent forward Jonas Jerebko has signed with the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors. The Warriors plan to formally introduce Jerebko on Monday. Jerebko has played nine NBA seasons with Utah, Boston and Detroit.
Casino regulators in Nevada are accusing former New York Knicks star Charles Oakley of gambling fraud. Oakley was arrested Sunday at the Cosmopolitan casino-resort on the Las Vegas Strip on suspicion of "adding to or reducing his wager" on a game after the outcome was known. The charge is a felony.
Wayne Ellington is back with the Miami Heat on a one-year, $6.3 million deal. Ellington agreed to the terms of Miami's offer on Thursday night. He said repeatedly last season and throughout free agency that he wanted to be back in Miami.
NHL
The Chicago Blackhawks have traded Marian Hossa and Vinnie Hinostroza in a blockbuster deal with the Arizona Coyotes, parting with a promising young forward in order to clear out a troublesome contract.
The Blackhawks also sent defenseman Jordan Oesterle and a third-round pick in the 2019 draft to the Coyotes for forwards Marcus Kruger, MacKenzie Entwistle and Jordan Maletta, defenseman Andrew Campbell and a fifth-round pick in next year's draft. Kruger was drafted by Chicago and spent his first seven seasons with the Blackhawks before he was traded to Vegas last July.
In other NHL news:
The New York Rangers have re-signed enforcer Cody McLeod. General manager Jeff Gorton announced the one-year deal. The 34-year-old McLeod was claimed by the Rangers off waivers in late January and played in 25 games. The forward started the season with Nashville and appeared in 48 games overall with one goal, three assists and 111 penalty minutes.
Arizona Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson is set as a long-term franchise cornerstone after signing an eight-year contract extension. The Swedish defenseman consulted with former Coyotes captain Shane Doan before signing the deal. Like Doan, Ekman-Larsson has played every game of his career with the Coyotes.
The Carolina Hurricanes have agreed to deals with forwards Lucas Wallmark and Greg McKegg. The deal with Wallmark is a two-year contract. McKegg's deal is for one year.
SPORTS BETTING
Two casinos and a racetrack in New Jersey took in $16.4 million in sports bets during the first two weeks such wagers were legal in the state.
Figures released Thursday by the state Division of Gaming Enforcement show the Borgata, Ocean Resort and Monmouth Park racetrack saw gross sports betting revenue of nearly $3.5 million on those bets.
Regulators caution that bets involving future outcomes, such as the winner of baseball's World Series or football's Super Bowl, won't be paid out for months.
The casinos and the track are the only places legally taking sports bets right now. Of completed events that were the subject of betting, they retained 7.8 percent of the amount wagered, or about $1.2 million.
NFL
The NFL has three new winners of a research competition aimed at improving equipment and player safety.
The league announced the results Thursday along with Football Research Inc. and Duke University's Clinical and Translational Science Institute, which operates the TECH Challenges.
FieldTurf, Corsair Innovations and Yobel Technologies captured HeadHealthTECH Challenge IV. The goal is to stimulate research and innovation in protective equipment, including helmets, turf systems and shoulder pads.
The TECH Challenge has awarded more than $1.3 million in grants to help advance the development of 11 new technologies.
In other NFL news:
Former NFL tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. has been charged with raping an unconscious teenager 15 years ago. Authorities say the 17-year-old girl was assaulted in 2003 in San Diego County. The charge was added Thursday as Winslow was ordered to stand trial on charges of kidnapping and raping two women earlier this year in Encinitas, California. The women are in their 50s.
Police reports show officers responded to several nonviolent disputes at the home where Buffalo Bills star LeSean McCoy was attempting to evict his former girlfriend before an unidentified man bloodied the 34-year-old woman in a home invasion. Police responded early Tuesday to a report of a violent attack at a home in Milton, Georgia, just outside Atlanta. A lawyer for Delicia Cordon says Cordon was hurt when a man tried to take bracelets from her wrist and hit her in the face with a gun.
The NFL has partnered with the American Cancer Society and awarded $3.2 million in grant funding to address disparities in breast cancer mortality that exist among women of color. The grants were made to 32 health systems, with each clinic receiving $100,000 over two years.
PGA
Steve Wheatcroft shot a career-best 9-under 62 on Thursday to take a one-shot lead in the John Deere Classic.
Wheatcroft birdied seven of the last nine holes to finish a shot ahead of Michael Kim. Johnson Wagner, Nick Taylor, Andres Romero and Joel Dahmen who shot opening-round 64s. Francesco Molinari, who won the Quicken Loans National two weeks ago, was among a group of players three strokes back.
Zach Johnson shot 69 and three-time John Deere winner Steve Stricker finished at 1-under 70.
Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau, the highest-ranked player in the field, withdrew because of a right shoulder injury.
Scottish Open:
American golfer Luke List equaled the Gullane course record with a 7-under-par 63 to start the Scottish Open on Thursday.
List moved into the lead with his ninth birdie on the 15th hole and held it to finish the round ahead by one stroke. He was followed by five players in a tie for second; Rickie Fowler, Lee Westwood, Robert Rock, Scott Fernandez of Spain, and Jens Dantorp of Sweden.
Masters champion Patrick Reed was part of an eight-strong group a shot further back following a 65, with Danny Willett continuing his resurgence with a 66, and Olympic champion Justin Rose returning a 67.
Fowler raised the prospect of recording the first 59 in European Tour history after five birdies and an eagle took him to 7 under after 12 holes. But a bogey on the 13th was followed by five straight pars as the inward nine played much harder back into the wind.
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