Sports

Wimbledon: 2-time defending champ Carlos Alcaraz needs 5 sets to beat Fabio Fognini in the 1st round

LONDON (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz has needed to go through five sets against Fabio Fognini at Wimbledon before winning their first-round match to start his bid for a third consecutive title at the All England Club. Alcaraz eventually asserted himself in the last set to pick up the 7-5, 6-7 (5), 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 victory at Centre Court on Monday. The No. 2-seeded Alcaraz had a much tougher time than anyone likely expected before he managed to extend his current winning streak to a career-best 19 matches. Fognini is 38, has said he’ll retire after this season and entered the day with an 0-6 record on tour in 2025.

Dolphins are trading CB Jalen Ramsey and TE Jonnu Smith to the Steelers for S Minkah Fitzpatrick

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins are sending All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey, Pro Bowl tight end Jonnu Smith and a 2027 seventh-round draft pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and a 2027 fifth-round pick. Ramsey announced the trade Monday in a social media post. A person familiar with the trade confirmed that the Dolphins will get Fitzpatrick, who returns to the team that drafted him 11th overall in 2018. The terms have been agreed upon and are pending physicals. Smith will get a one-year contract extension for $12 million, according to agent Drew Rosenhaus.

WNBA expanding to Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia over next five years

NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA is expanding to 18 teams over the next five years with Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia all set to join the league by 2030. Cleveland will begin play in 2028, Detroit in 2029 and Philadelphia the season after assuming they get approval from the NBA and WNBA Board of Governors. Toronto and Portland will enter the league next year. All three of the new teams that were announced Monday have NBA ownership groups. Each paid a $250 million expansion fee. All three teams also will be building new practice facilities for the WNBA teams.

NBA free agency opens Monday, after waves of player movement in recent days

Technically, the NBA free agency period was scheduled to open at 6 p.m. Eastern time on Monday. In actuality, it has been rolling along. LeBron James has already opted in to a $52.6 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers for this coming season, the Houston Rockets have traded for Kevin Durant and the Los Angeles Clippers saw James Harden decline his option in return for a new deal and a raise. There was even a surprise addition to free agency, with Portland announcing it has bought out the contract of former No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton and making him able to sign with any team he chooses.

Wild trade for Tarasenko and Isles sign Romanov to an 8-year deal on eve of NHL free agency

The Minnesota Wild got a two-time Stanley Cup champion for nothing on the eve of NHL free agency, and the New York Islanders locked up one of their top young players to a long-term contract. The Wild acquired Vladimir Tarasenko from Detroit for future considerations. The Islanders signed defenseman Alexander Romanov to an eight-year contract worth $50 million. The Utah Mammoth also traded young forward Matias Maccelli to Toronto for a conditional 2027 third-round pick. The moves came with the league awaiting what happens with Maple Leafs pending free agent Mitch Marner and who the back-to-back defending champion Florida Panthers are able to bring back between Brad Marchand and Aaron Ekblad.

Women’s soccer at Euro 2025 aims for global impact with world champion Spain eyeing 1st title

GENEVA (AP) — The European Championship in women’s soccer that opens Wednesday in Switzerland has global ambitions. The July 2-27 tournament featuring 16 teams playing 31 games in total will be broadcast in the United States by Fox and across Latin America by Disney+. It will draw a tournament record attendance of more than 600,000 fans in the eight Swiss stadiums. European soccer body UEFA says ticket buyers were from more than 120 countries. Overall tournament revenue close to 130 million euros ($152 million) is more than double the Euro 2022 edition in England. World champion Spain is the expected favorite and starts Thursday against Portugal.

Wimbledon is hit by record-breaking Day 1 temperatures as the tournament gets started

LONDON (AP) — Wimbledon players and spectators have been hit by record-breaking Day 1 heat as the temperature rose to 91 degrees Fahrenheit — 33 Celsius — at the oldest Grand Slam tournament. The 2001 fortnight had the previous hottest opening day at the All England Club, reaching 85 degrees Fahrenheit, or 29.3 degrees Celsius. The average daytime temperature in London in June is 71 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 21.5 degrees Celsius. Sweat-soaked competitors sought refuge from towels filled with ice on Monday, and fans used umbrellas to offer shade instead of their usual protection from the rain that frequently arrive during Wimbledon.

Mitch Marner headlines the NHL’s free agents to watch, if he makes it to market

Mitch Marner is expected to become one of the highest-paid players in the NHL either as a free agent or if his rights are traded and he signs before hitting the open market. Longtime Vancouver winger Brock Boeser, veteran defenseman Brent Burns, Florida Stanley Cup champions and experienced goaltenders Jake Allen and Ilya Samsonov are some of the other interesting players to watch after the clock strikes noon EDT on Tuesday. The salary cap going up a record $7.5 million to $95 million means the money will be flowing even if this isn’t the deepest free agent class in recent history.

Jalen Williams is set for wrist surgery after managing injury through Thunder’s title run

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti says Jalen Williams plans to have surgery on his right wrist after tearing a ligament before the Thunder started their run to a championship. Williams played in all 23 postseason games. He scored a playoff career-high 40 points in a Game 5 win over Indiana in the NBA Finals. Oklahoma City won the series in seven. Presti says Williams is expected to be ready for next season. Williams missed the final two games of the regular season.

Future of NASCAR’s downtown Chicago weekend is unclear going into the third year of contract

CHICAGO (AP) — When it comes to NASCAR’s return to downtown Chicago, Julie Giese has a long list of responsibilities. The track president is monitoring an ambitious construction schedule for the street course, to go along with everything else that goes into the busy weekend. What happens next is going to have to wait. The future of NASCAR in Chicago is murky going into its third edition. The three-year contract that was announced in 2022 has two mutual options. Giese says there have been “good conversations” between NASCAR and the city, and there is time to work on the possibilities beyond the event.