First-time WNBA champion awaits as Valkyries face Dream in finals

Inquirer.net - Oct 10, 2026

NEW YORK — Golden State Valkyries owner Joe Lacob proclaimed that his team would win a championship within its first five years when he bought the expansion franchise. The Valkyries are now one step away from achieving his mandate way ahead of schedule as it only took two years for Golden State to reach the

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Mirra Andreeva breezes into China Open final

Oct 10, 2026

Mirra Andreeva breezes into China Open final

Mirra Andreeva breezed into the China Open final on Saturday, brushing aside Nikola Bartunkova 6-2, 6-2, and will play either home hope Zheng Qinwen or Belgium’s Elise Mertens for the title. “I wanted to play aggressive today,” said the 19-year-old Russian, ranked five in the world. Andreeva raced into a 4-0 lead in the first

Joel Villanueva blames 'forces of darkness' behind flood control scam allegations

Oct 10, 2026

Joel Villanueva blames 'forces of darkness' behind flood control scam allegations

Senator Joel Villanueva on Sunday recalled the emotional toll of the corruption allegations linking him to the flood control scandal, claiming that political forces had joined forces to destroy his reputation and hurt his family and religious community.

NBA: Knicks pause contract talks, focus on preparing for season

Oct 10, 2026

NBA: Knicks pause contract talks, focus on preparing for season

NEW YORK– The New York Knicks are focused on their NBA title defense now and will worry about contract negotiations later. That means Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart will have to wait on extensions they hoped would get done before the season. READ: After summer of fun, NBA champion Knicks get back to work The

Alex Eala admits her serve needs improvement

Oct 10, 2026

Alex Eala admits her serve needs improvement

MANILA, Philippines–Alex Eala acknowledged that her serve remains an area for improvement as she compared her development with the challenges Rafael Nadal experienced during his career. The world No. 18 discussed her game during Maria Sharapova’s “Pretty Tough” podcast, recalling lessons she learned while training at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain. READ: Alex

NBA: Bucks entering uncertain new era without Giannis Antetokounmpo

Oct 10, 2026

NBA: Bucks entering uncertain new era without Giannis Antetokounmpo

MILWAUKEE  — Tyler Herro understands the skepticism surrounding the Milwaukee Bucks now that they’ve traded away Giannis Antetokounmpo, the two-time NBA MVP who led the franchise to its first title in half a century. “People feel like we’re not going to win games, we’re not going to be in the talks of anything that has

Indian Police Round Up Protest Leaders and Lock Down Delhi

Oct 10, 2026

Indian Police Round Up Protest Leaders and Lock Down Delhi

Thousands of young people tried to gather to protest a sweeping revision of their country’s voter roll. Security forces hauled many of them away.

Sherwin Gatchalian: Senate budget deliberations to start Oct. 14

Oct 10, 2026

Sherwin Gatchalian: Senate budget deliberations to start Oct. 14

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said Saturday that the Senate would begin deliberations on the proposed 2026 national budget on Wednesday, October 14.

PVL: Eya Laure, Rondina help Choco Mucho rally past Capital1 in opener

Oct 10, 2026

PVL: Eya Laure, Rondina help Choco Mucho rally past Capital1 in opener

CEBU CITY — Choco Mucho’s Eya Laure and Sisi Rondina-Rosales just returned from practice for their club days ago after their respective Alas Pilipinas stints in the Asian Games. But the dynamic duo hardly missed a beat, carrying Choco Mucho’s come-from-behind 22-25, 18-25, 25-17, 25-20, 15-8 over revamped Capital1 in the PVL All-Filipino Conference Siklab

No first-round bye for Eala at Wuhan

Oct 10, 2026

No first-round bye for Eala at Wuhan

DUE to a smaller draw, projected No. 13 seed Alexandra “Alex” Eala won’t receive a first-round bye at the WTA 1000 Wuhan Open in China. The Filipino tennis ace will compete in the tournament — her first Tour event after a bronze medal finish at the 20th Asian Games in Japan — slated from Oct. 12 to 18. Unlike most 1000 events where 96 players make up the field and the top 32 players receive first-round byes, Wuhan is limited to a 56-player draw. In this case, only the top eight get to skip the first round and start their campaign in the second. The same rule applies to the only two other 1000 events with a 56-player draw in Doha and Dubai. Thus, world No. 18 Eala won’t have the bye she used to have in previous 1000 events. The 56-player draw — comprising 43 direct entrants, eight qualifiers, four wildcards and one special exemption — is also the reason why Eala had to go through the qualifiers last year. Eala was No. 58 at the time and therefore could not get a direct entry. She lost to Moyuka Uchijima in the first round of the qualifiers last year, 4-6, 6-3, 2-6. This year, Eala is projected to be seeded five places higher than her actual ranking due to the withdrawals of five higher-ranked players. World No. 1 Elena Rybakina (foot), No. 4 and last year’s champ Coco Gauff (fatigue), No. 11 Amanda Anisimova (wrist), No. 15 Victoria Mboko (knee) and No. 17 Naomi Osaka (change of schedule) pulled out of the competition. World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 3 Jessica Pegula, No. 5 Mirra Andreeva, No. 6 Linda Noskova, No. 7 Elina Svitolina, No. 8 Karolina Muchova, No. 9 Iga Swiatek and No. 10 Marta Kostyuk made the top eight, in that order, and will be the ones to get first-round byes. The singles draw ceremony was scheduled for Saturday at 4 p.m. After the Asian Games, Eala went to France for Paris Fashion Week on Oct. 5. The 21-year-old also appeared in tennis great Maria Sharapova’s podcast “Pretty Tough.” Last Thursday, the Wuhan Open shared photos of Eala training already.

Kai Sotto sizzles as Chiba tops Osaka

Oct 10, 2026

Kai Sotto sizzles as Chiba tops Osaka

GILAS Pilipinas star Kai Sotto continued his strong form at Japan’s B.League 2027 season, helping lead the Altiri Chiba to a 97-90 home win over the Osaka Evessa at the Chibagi Arena on Friday. The Filipino import posted 18 points and 12 rebounds on top of five assists for Chiba, which snapped a two-game skid. Altiri improved to 2-4, sitting in 10th place at the East region. On the other hand, Evessa dropped to 1-5 for 12th place in the West. The 7-foot-3 Sotto has been averaging 12.0 points, 11.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists this season. Playing 26.5 minutes per game, Sotto has also been efficient with 67.7 field goal percentage. He wasn’t the only one who played well against Osaka, though. Local Seiya Ando and Sotto’s fellow imports DJ Newbill and Dereck Pardon showed up, too. Ando logged 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting including 4-of-7 from the three-point area. Newbill pumped 19 points, six rebounds and six assists, as Pardon dropped 16 points, 11 boards and three assists. James Palmer paced Osaka with 25 points, six assists and five rebounds. Sotto and the Altiri continue their home stand against the Toyama Grouses on Sunday.

EJ Obiena calls for better sports facilities

Oct 10, 2026

EJ Obiena calls for better sports facilities

OLYMPIAN Ernest John “EJ” Obiena believes Philippine sports is in its golden era, but access to quality facilities remains a major limiting factor for athletes. The two-time Asian Games gold medalist emphasized the critical need for better support during a recent Committee on Sports hearing. “I think sports in general, accessibility is the key. I think Philippine sports are in their golden age right now. We have so many world-class athletes, and I am just very proud that I am part of this era. I hope it gets better and better,” Obiena said. “I think what’s limiting us is the access to facilities. It is one of the reasons why I train outside, not just because of the knowledge there, but also the current situation of the facilities that we have.” Obiena understood that everyone is trying to upscale the sports program, but compared to the other countries, the scale of support is way too different. “I think everybody is doing their best. I have traveled from quite different countries, and I understand that the support in our country is not as big as what I said. In terms of the general budget.” Obiena trained at the University of Santo Tomas athletics team before he moved to Formia, Italy, in 2014 to train under renowned Ukrainian coach Vitaly Petrov. He stayed in Italy for more than a decade, where it shaped him into the first-ever Filipino pole vaulter to compete in the Olympics in 2020. In 2026, Obiena moved to Athens, Greece, where he began training under coach Marcin Szczepanski alongside Emmanouil Karalis. He further shared that he holds a pole vault clinic with the brands he partnered with. A total of 21 young pole vaulters in Ilocos and around 18 in Tagum. “This is just my small way ... Hopefully, this will be an ongoing thing we can sustain ... Continuous flow of athletes for our pole-vaulting event, because I really want to make the Philippines a powerhouse in this event, and hopefully in track and field as well.”

NBA’s SGA invests in Atletico Madrid

Oct 10, 2026

NBA’s SGA invests in Atletico Madrid

MADRID — NBA champion Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has joined the ownership group at Atletico Madrid, the Spanish top-flight club said on Friday. The Oklahoma City Thunder guard has become the latest North American sports star to take an interest in soccer, following the likes of LeBron James and Tom Brady. “This is a club with a long-standing presence at the top of European football, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of its future,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. Atletico said the partnership was “grounded in shared values: ambition, excellence and the belief that every result must be earned.” James became a part-owner of the Fenway Sports Group in 2021, the conglomerate that owns the Boston Red Sox and iconic Premier League club Liverpool. National Football League great Brady is a minority owner of English second-tier team Birmingham. Atletico did not reveal how big a stake 2025 NBA champion and back-to-back NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander had taken. “His investment reflects an interest in the club’s long-term vision and international growth,” it said. Atletico, second in the standings, visits La Liga rival Alaves on Saturday.

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