TENNIS
Strycova advances in Bastad
Third-seeded Barbora Strycova beat Grace Min of the US 6-4, 6-2 on Tuesday to reach the second round of the Swedish Open. It was Strycova’s fifth appearance at Bastad and the Czech player next faces Russia’s Evgeniya Rodina. Two other seeded players, Carina Witthoeft and Tatjana Maria, both made early exits. Fifth-seeded Witthoeft started well, but lost 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 to Jana Cepelova, while Maria, seeded eighth, was beaten 6-4, 6-1 by Yulia Putintseva.
TRADITIONAL SPORTS
Indigenous Games readied
Move over the Olympics. First, Brazil’s hosting games for the world’s indigenous tribes, featuring traditional arrow shooting and a little-known cousin of soccer. As Rio de Janeiro gears up for next year’s Summer Olympics, the city of Palmas in the Amazon jungle state of Tocantins is staging the World Indigenous Games from Oct. 23 to Nov. 1, the state tourism agency said on Tuesday. Twenty-four Brazilian ethnic groups and another 22 from around the world will take part, the agency said in a statement. One of the most intriguing events will be Xikunahity, otherwise known as head soccer, a South American tribal game where competitors play the ball with their heads. Athletics and swimming are also featured, but archery — long a hunting skill practiced in Latin America’s jungles — is likely to be hotly contested.
BOXING
Women to fight at Pacific
Women’s boxing made its debut at the Pacific Games, in a development yesterday hailed as a milestone by the International Boxing Association (AIBA). The Games, featuring athletes from around Oceania, are being staged in Papua New Guinea this year and the women’s boxing competition began in Port Moresby on Tuesday. “This is another step forward for the development of women’s boxing in this part of the world and a historic moment for AIBA,” AIBA president Wu Ching-kuo of Taiwan said in a statement. “Women’s boxing is now taking place in every continent.” Wu said women’s boxing had made great progress since it made its Olympic debut at the 2012 London Games.
BASKETBALL
Jazz sign Tibor Pleiss
The Utah Jazz have signed center Tibor Pleiss to a multi-year deal. The Jazz announced the signing on Tuesday afternoon. Terms were not disclosed, per team policy. The 25-year-old Pleiss was drafted by the New Jersey Nets in 2010 with the No. 31 pick. The 2.21m, 119kg German was traded to the Atlanta Hawks and Oklahoma City Thunder, but played for FC Barcelona of the Liga ACB in Spain last season.
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS
Jenna Jameson sues Ortiz
Former porn star Jenna Jameson is suing her ex-boyfriend, mixed-martial arts fighter Tito Ortiz, over ownership of the Southern California home they shared before they split two years ago. The Orange County Register reports that Jameson filed a lawsuit last week claiming Ortiz failed to honor an agreement to add her name to the title of the waterfront home in Huntington Beach. The newspaper says Ortiz is sole owner of the home and lives there with their twin boys. The suit says Jameson contributed to most of the down payment and allowed Ortiz’s name to be on the title with the understanding that she would have 50 percent of the financial interests. A message seeking comment from Ortiz’s representatives was not immediately returned on Tuesday.
Manchester United on Tuesday confirmed Michael Carrick as interim manager until the end of the season, tasking him with leading the Red Devils back into the UEFA Champions League. “Having the responsibility to lead Manchester United is an honor,” said Carrick, 44, who won 12 major trophies in his 12-year playing career at United. The former midfielder previously had an unbeaten three-game stint as caretaker boss at Old Trafford in 2021. Carrick then took on his first permanent managerial role at second-tier Middlesbrough in October 2022 and was sacked in June last year after the club finished 10th in the
Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg on Wednesday was ruled out for the second half of their 118-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets after the No. 1 pick sprained his left ankle in the first half. Flagg was called for a foul while defending against Peyton Watson and turned the ankle as he fell to the floor with 6 minutes, 1 second left in the second quarter. Flagg limped to the bench and continued to the locker room, but returned for the final 2 minutes, 35 seconds before the break. The 19-year-old did not come out for the second half before the announcement that
Yassine Bounou on Wednesday saved two penalties, while Youssef en-Nesyri netted the decisive spot-kick as hosts Morocco secured a 4-2 shoot-out victory over Nigeria following a 0-0 draw in a tense Africa Cup of Nations semi-final in Rabat. Morocco, seeking their first continental title in 50 years, are to face 2021 winners Senegal in Sunday’s decider in Rabat, while Nigeria take on Egypt in the third-place playoff tomorrow. The 120 minutes before the shoot-out had few clear-cut chances for either side, but it was Morocco who created more opportunities, although they were denied by some fine saves from Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali. Nigeria
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Sunday sparked defending champions Oklahoma City to victory, while Anthony Edwards led Minnesota’s last-minute fightback to beat San Antonio. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points while adding eight assists and five rebounds in the Thunder’s 124-112 home victory over Miami, improving the NBA’s best record to 33-7 after outscoring the Heat 70-53 in the second half. “We locked in defensively. We were finally able to get some stops,” Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins said. “We were able to get out in transition a little bit, get going offensively and find the flow.” Jalen Williams scored 18 points, while
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