LONDON (AP) — Jannik Sinner can look forward to his next matchup against Carlos Alcaraz now because he has finally ended a losing streak against his rival. Sinner wanted to win Wimbledon and it would have meant a lot to him no matter who the opponent was in the final. But that his fourth Grand Slam title came via a victory against Alcaraz in the final at the All England Club on Sunday means a lot to Sinner. The 23-year-old Italian had lost his past five matches in a row against Alcaraz. That included a setback in the French Open final five weeks ago.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N,J. (AP) — Cole Palmer scored twice and fed João Pedro for a goal as Chelsea overwhelmed Paris Saint-Germain in the first half and beat the European champions 3-0 in the final of the first expanded Club World Cup. Palmer had almost identical left-footed goals from just inside the penalty area in the 22nd and 30th minutes, then sent a through pass that enabled João Pedro to chip goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 43d for his third goal in two starts with the Blues. A 23-year-old who joined Chelsea from Manchester City two years ago, Palmer scored 18 goals this season.
LONDON (AP) — Jannik Sinner has defeated two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to win his first Wimbledon championship and reverse the result of their epic French Open final five weeks ago. The victory Sunday by the No. 1-ranked Sinner gave him his fourth Grand Slam title overall. It also allowed the 23-year-old Italian to put an end to several streaks for No. 2 Alcaraz. The 22-year-old Spaniard had won the past five head-to-head matches. And Alcaraz entered the day on a career-best 24-match unbeaten run. He also had won 20 matches in a row at the All England Club. The last man to beat Alcaraz at Wimbledon was Sinner in 2022.
LONDON (AP) — Iga Swiatek’s Wimbledon championship has moved her up to No. 3 in the WTA rankings, and Amanda Anisimova’s runner-up finish allowed the American to break into the top 10 for the first time at No. 7. Jannik Sinner's title at the All England Club kept him at No. 1 in the ATP, followed by runner-up Carlos Alcaraz. A year ago, Anisimova was ranked 189th and wasn’t able to get into the field at the All England Club automatically. So she tried to qualify but lost. This year, Anisimova was seeded at Wimbledon and made it all the way to her first Grand Slam final, beating No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals before losing to Swiatek 6-0, 6-0.
ATLANTA (AP) — Curveballs are disappearing from Major League Baseball as pitchers prioritize velocity, emphasizing sliders and sweepers. Curveball usage dropped from 10.7% in 2019 to 8.4% this season, with 22,962 fewer thrown in 2024 than five years earlier. Pitchers and coaches say the focus has shifted to harder, faster pitches that generate more swings and misses. Batters are hitting .225 against curveballs this season, lower than fastballs. The game continues evolving toward power and speed.
Aaron Judge became the fastest player in MLB history to reach 350 home runs on Saturday. It feels inevitable that the Bronx slugger will eventually join the hallowed 500-homer club in the coming years. He might have some company. Roughly a dozen players could reach 500 over the next decade, including Mike Trout, Manny Machado and Bryce Harper. The group is reminiscent of a stretch from 2001 to 2009 when Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr. were among nine sluggers to reach 500.
BOSTON (AP) — Many of the Boston Red Sox players started wearing T-shirts during batting practice and in the clubhouse the past week with a quote from teammate Romy Gonzalez written across the front. It says: “Tremendously locked in.” They certainly look that way heading into the All-Star break.
NORTH BERWICK, Scotland (AP) — Chris Gotterup gets to spend an extra week on links golf after winning the biggest title of his career. Gotterup held his nerve against Rory McIlroy to win the Scottish Open. The victory gives him one of three spots in the British Open next week. Gotterup shot 66 and finished two clear of McIlroy and Marco Penge. It's his second career title. He came over to play the Scottish Open and had a flight booked to California for the next stop. Now it's a short hop over the Irish Sea to play his first British Open after a big win.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Former Michigan football staff member Connor Stalions says he knew almost every signal opponents used in seven games over two seasons. Stalions shared those details Saturday on social media, responding to TCU coach Sonny Dykes telling On3 that his team changed some signs in advance of its win over the Wolverines in the 2022 College Football semifinals. Stalions' actions triggered an NCAA investigation. Michigan had a hearing with the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions last month, and the governing body takes three months on average for contested cases to make a final decision.
CINCINNATI (AP) — Terry Francona has added another milestone to his impressive career. Francona became the 13th manager in major league history to reach 2,000 wins when the Cincinnati Reds beat the Colorado Rockies 4-2. The 66-year-old Francona joins Texas’ Bruce Bochy as the only active managers with at least 2,000 wins. Ten of the 12 other managers who have accumulated at least 2,000 wins are in the Hall of Fame. Bochy and Dusty Baker, who isn’t yet eligible, are the only exceptions.
Finals
INTERLEAGUE
Final Chicago Cubs 4N.Y. Yankees 1
Final Miami 11 Baltimore 1
Final Pittsburgh 2 Minnesota 1
Final Kansas City 3 N.Y. Mets 2
Final Arizona 5 L.A. Angels 1
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Boston 4 Tampa Bay 1
Final Texas 5 Houston 1
Final Seattle 8 Detroit 4
Final Cleveland 6 Chicago White Sox 5
Final Athletics 6 Toronto 3
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Cincinnati 4 Colorado 2
Final Milwaukee 8 Washington 1
Final St. Louis 5 Atlanta 4
Final Philadelphia 2 San Diego 1
Final L.A. Dodgers 5 San Francisco 2