AP Sports

Raducanu approaches the umpire in tears after a security incident at a tournament in Dubai

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Women’s Tennis Association says concern over a man who’d exhibited fixated behavior caused Emma Raducanu to approach the chair umpire in tears and take an unscheduled break in her second-round match at the Dubai Championships. There was no immediate explanation Tuesday when the 2021 U.S. Open champion stood behind the umpire’s chair for a while after the second game. Raducanu, who was a teenager when a man in Britain was convicted of stalking her, resumed playing after a brief delay and eventually lost 7-6 (6), 6-4 to Karolina Muchova. The WTA issued a statement Wednesday saying Raducanu was approached by a man Monday and the “same individual was identified in the first few rows during Emma’s match on Tuesday.”

Feyenoord knocks AC Milan out of Champions League and Bayern advances on late Davies goal

MILAN (AP) — AC Milan was to left rue Theo Hernandez’s sending off for diving as Feyenoord progressed to the Champions League last 16 at the former European champion’s expense with a 1-1 draw in the second leg of their playoff. Hernandez earned his second yellow card for a dive in the 51st minute when Milan was dominating after forward Santiago Giménez’s first-minute goal. Feyenoord had won the first leg 1-0. Julián Carranza scored for Feyenoord in the 73rd. It gave the Dutch team a 2-1 win on aggregate. Bayern Munich, Club Brugge and Benfica also won their playoffs on Tuesday, eliminating Celtic, Europa League winner Atalanta, and French team Monaco respectively.

7 Chileans charged with burglarizing the homes of Mahomes, Burrow and other star athletes

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Seven men from Chile have been charged in Florida federal court with allegedly orchestrating burglaries at the homes of prominent professional athletes around the country. The FBI complaint in Tampa federal court doesn’t name the athletes, but it lists burglaries already made public involving the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals, as well as players for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks and Memphis Grizzlies. Authorities say the Chilean group stole about $2 million in expensive watches, jewelry, cash and other valuables, including a safe the group later cracked.

US GM Bill Guerin says he would welcome Trump when Americans play Canada for 4 Nations title

BOSTON (AP) — The general manager of the U.S. team in the 4 Nations Face-Off hockey tournament said he would welcome a visit from President Donald Trump to the championship game between the United States and Canada on Thursday night. NHL veteran Bill Guerin said on Fox News that Trump’s presence would give a boost to the rivalry between the North American hockey powers. He said the political tension between Canada and the U.S., which caused fans in Montreal to boo “The Star-Spangled Banner” prior to two games last week, ratcheted up the intensity in their fight-filled matchup in the preliminary round.

Tiger Woods has his ‘most embarrassing moment’ by not knowing the yardage in a TGL match

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Tiger Woods had what he called the most embarrassing moment of his golf career. The 15-time major champion was competing for his Jupiter Links team in a TGL indoor match against New York Golf Club. In singles on the 13th hole, Woods had 199 yards left to the hole. He asked for the yardage and was told 99. Caddies often drop the first number when it’s obvious. But apparently it wasn’t obvious to Woods. His teammates knew something was wrong, but it was too late. Woods hit a perfectly good wedge 100 yards as his teammates howled with laughter.

Chargers will play their 2025 season opener in São Paulo against opponent to be named later

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Chargers will play their 2025 season opener in Brazil against an opponent to be announced this spring. The Chargers will be the first NFL franchise to have played on five continents. The Chargers will be the home team for the Sept. 5 game at Neo Quimica Arena in São Paulo. The venue hosted a Week 1 game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers last season. Since 1976, the Chargers have played regular-season or preseason games in Mexico City, London, Tokyo, Berlin and Sydney.

No. 23 Kansas’ struggles reach low point in 34-point loss to unranked BYU

PROVO, Utah (AP) — Kansas has reached a low point with its uncharacteristic struggles in Big 12 play. The No. 23 Jayhawks lost 91-57 to BYU on Tuesday night, matching their largest margin of defeat in Bill Self’s tenure, after previously losing 85-51 to USC in the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament. It also marked the first time Kansas — the preseason No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll — lost by 30-plus points against an unranked team since the poll began in 1948. The Jayhawks have not led through their last 80 minutes of basketball after also falling to Utah 74-67 on Saturday. They have lost four of six games since the start of February.

Researchers confirm Hall of Famer Bobby Hull had CTE when he died 2 years ago

CHICAGO (AP) — Bobby Hull’s widow says the Hall of Famer and two-time NHL MVP who helped the Chicago Blackhawks win the 1961 Stanley Cup had chronic traumatic encephalopathy when he died two years ago. Researchers at Boston University’s CTE Center found that Hull had stage 2 CTE when he died in 2023. He was 84. Hull struggled with short-term memory loss and impaired judgment over his final decade. He chose to donate his brain after seeing former teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Stan Mikita decline late in his life. Deborah Hull says Bobby “felt strongly no other family should have to endure CTE.” CTE is a degenerative disease that that can be diagnosed only posthumously.

A home game for San Antonio, a homecoming for Kevin Durant when Suns and Spurs meet in Austin

Kevin Durant went back to the Bay Area last weekend. He’s now going back to school. A nostalgic time for Phoenix’s All-Star forward continues Thursday, when Durant and the Suns play San Antonio in Austin, Texas. It’ll be both a home game for the Spurs and a homecoming for Durant, since the game brings him back to where he played his one college season with the Longhorns. Durant says “I appreciate the NBA for setting this up. This is a unique time.”

Tennis participation grows to more than 25M players in the US even as pickleball’s popularity surges

The U.S. Tennis Association says participation in the sport around the United States rose to 25.7 million players in 2024. The USTA said Wednesday that is the fifth consecutive year of growth for tennis in the country. The group that runs tennis in the U.S. cited an analysis of numbers drawn from two studies not yet fully released. The USTA said the jump of 1.9 million tennis players from 2023’s total of 23.8 million represents an 8% increase and means 1 in 12 Americans played tennis last year. USTA CEO Lew Sherr said his group aims to get the number of participants to 35 million by 2035.