Philippine News

March 9 ------ IT only took Alex Eala two weeks to figure out the game of Coco Gauff and it carried her to the Round of 16 of the 2026 BNP Paribas Open. The 20-year-old Filipina was dominating the world No. 4, 6-2, 2-0, when the American retired after about 55 minutes of play with an undisclosed health issue to the surprise of a big crowd in Stadium 1 at Indian Wells. It became apparent as early as the first set that Gauff was dealing with an injury when she called for a medi

March 9 ------ THE Filipinas revived their bid for quarterfinals of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 after a 3-0 victory over Iran in their final group stage match in Gold Coast, Australia. Goals by Sara Eggesvik in the 29th minute and Chandler McDaniel in the 82nd on a rainy night at the Gold Coast Stadium gave the Filipinas their first win of the tournament following losses to powerhouse teams Australia and South Korea. The win put the Filipinas in third place in Group A with

March 9 ------ Filipino pole vault star EJ Obiena clinched the gold at the ISTAF Indoor in Berlin, Germany after clearing 5.78 meters — his season-best. He did it in just one attempt, while he managed to clear the 5.60 meters in two tries. Celebrating his feat, the Filipino Olympian and World No. 12 posted on Instagram, noting a Parokya ni Edgar song as background music. "Brick by brick we build," he said. "Thanks for having me Berlin. #parasabayan" "PS: and yes, parokya ni e

CANDON City, March 9 ------ Japeth Aguilar celebrated his 10th PBA All-Star appearance by emerging as the oldest MVP ever of the annual showcase at the Candon City Arena. The 39-year-old Aguilar led the Solid North against the South, 147-142, as finished with 29 points including a perfect 7-of-7 dunk attempt worth 3 points each. The last of those emphatic slams in the final 24 seconds proved to be the marginal basket for the North side, which won for the sixth straight time a

March 8 ------ The 7-foot-3 center is reportedly seeking another chance at making it to the big league either by trying out for a spot through the NBA Summer League or taking the US NCAA route where he would play college ball in hopes of impressing scouts. It was a path that had already been taken by former G-League players as well as international standouts as the collegiate league allows players to still suit up for schools as long as they have not signed an NBA contract. I

March 8 ------ Melvin Jerusalem won’t just sit back and relax while waiting for Oscar Collazo for their unification fight. The World Boxing Council minimumweight title holder is set for a rematch against South African challenger Siyakholwa Kuse on May 16 after talks for a rematch against World Boxing Organization (WBO) and World Boxing Association (WBA) unified champion bogged down. Jerusalem was already announced to be facing Collazo on March 14 to unify their belts but was

March 7 ------ De'Anthony Melton converted a second-chance basket with 5.3 seconds remaining, and the short-handed Golden State Warriors held on for a 115-113 overtime victory over the host Houston Rockets. Melton corralled a missed tip shot by Gui Santos and scored to give the Warriors a 115-112 lead. The Rockets failed to knot the score on the previous possession when Kevin Durant missed the third of three free throws after he was fouled with 29.9 seconds remaining. Melton

MANILA, Philippines, March 7 ------ Gilas Pilipinas stayed put in the FIBA world rankings following the second window of the World Cup Asian Qualifiers. Gilas, which lost against New Zealand and Australia last week in Manila, stayed at 36th place in the rankings according to the update. The Nationals absorbed a heartbreaking three-point loss to the Tall Blacks last Thursday, 69-66, before getting blown out of the water by the Boomers, 93-66, last Sunday. The Philippines dropp

March 6 ------ PLDT had to dig deep to escape a five-set scare against Farm Fresh in a thrilling encounter, 25-17, 23-25, 27-25, 21-25, 15-10, in the 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference at the Playtime Filoil Centre. The High Speed Hitters climbed to the top of the standings with a 5-1 record, overtaking sister team Cignal, which slipped to second place at 5-2. PLDT quickly set the tone, taking control in the opening set for a comfortable 25-17 win. The Foxies fought back in the

March 6 ------ Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sank a clutch three-pointer to secure a hard-fought 103-100 win for the Oklahoma City Thunder over the New York Knicks. Victory improved the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player's remarkable personal record at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks to 7-0, and a fourth straight team win extended the Thunder's lead on top of the Western Conference. "We got the car back on the road in the fourth quarter, we were able to give ourselves a cha

March 6 ------ The Filipinas now face a must-win situation in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026. The Philippines suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat against South Korea at the Gold Coast Stadium in Australia, falling to 0-2 in the continental tournament, where World Cup qualification is on the line. The result left the Philippines at the bottom of Group A with two losses and a -4 goal differential, with Australia and Iran yet to play. To stay alive, the Filipinas must beat Iran on Sunda

March 6 ------ Pinay tennis star Alex Eala will kick off her 2026 Indian Wells campaign against Dayana Yastremska. Eala, who currently ranks No. 32 in the world, will collide against the Ukrainian in the round of 64 in California on Friday (Saturday, Manila time). The No. 52nd ranked Yastremska arranged a second-round face off against Eala by beating Zhang Shuai, 6-3, 6-2, in the Round of 128. The Filipina headed straight to the second round after receiving a first-round bye

March 5 ------ The Cleveland Cavaliers shrugged off to the injury absence of star point guard Donovan Mitchell to score a 113-109 upset of the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons. Jaylon Tyson scored 22 points while James Harden and Evan Mobley finished with 18 points apiece to give the Cavs an impressive victory before their home fans. A hard-fought encounter saw Cleveland take the lead early in the second quarter, and dogged defense combined with consistent defense k

MANILA, Philippines, March 5 ------ Alex Eala is also set to see action in the Indian Wells doubles tournament as she reunites with former partner Iva Jovic. Eala and Jovic will face Hailey Baptiste and Jelena Ostapenko on Friday in the round of 32. The Filipino tennis ace teamed up with Jovic in the ASB Classic, where they reached the semifinal before falling to Chinese Xu Yifan and Yang Zhaoxuan, 7-5, 6-3. Eala will play her third straight WTA1000 tournament. She faces the

MANILA, March 5 ------ Spikers' Turf breezed past VNS Always Bright Laticrete, 25-16, 25-17, 25-22, to stay unbeaten in the 2026 Spikers' Turf Open Conference at the Filoil Center in San Juan. The Spin Doctors needed just an hour and 14 minutes to improve to 3-0 in the tournament. "Happy ako kasi so far nasa 85 percent na kami. Nandoon na kami – talagang nag-a-adapt na kami sa system namin," Savouge coach Sydney Calderon said. "Sabi ko nga sa kanila, compared to our last seas

MANILA, March 5 ------ Mikey Williams is making his return to the PBA after nearly three years away from the league. The Converge FiberXers confirmed on their official social media pages that the two-time PBA champion is joining the team. The announcement comes one week ahead of the PBA 50 Commissioner's Cup, which tips off on March 11. "The wait is over! Mikey Williams is now a FiberXer. Welcome to #PurpleNation!" the post on Facebook read. The 34-year-old likewise posted on

March 4 ------ NO upset this time as Creamline shut the door on a surging Galeries Tower side, 25-14, 17-25, 25-18, 25-23, in the 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference at the Playtime Filoil Centre. Wary of the upset-minded Highrisers, the Cool Smashers delivered a performance stable enough to secure their fourth win and stay firmly in the hunt for the top four places. And it was an unrelenting 12-1 start to the fourth frame that slammed the door shut as a fitting response to bein

March 4 ------ OPENING her campaign in a tournament dubbed as the “fifth Slam,” Alex Eala finds herself in a loaded draw that could set up a rematch with Coco Gauff. The 20-year-old Filipina, now ranked a career-high No. 31 in the world, earned a first-round bye as one of the BNP Paribas Open's 32 seeded players, gaining automatic entry to the Round of 64 at Indian Wells. Eala opens against the winner between China’s Shuai Zhang (No. 62) and Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska (No. 5

LOS ANGELES, March 4 ------ Jamal Murray scored 45 points as the Denver Nuggets held off the struggling Utah Jazz to snatch a 128-125 victory. Nuggets point guard Murray drained eight three-pointers and shot 13-of-19 from the field in a back-and-forth duel that saw the lead change hands no fewer than 22 times. Murray's virtuoso performance was backed by 22 points from Nikola Jokic, who also pulled down 12 rebounds, on a night when all of Denver's starters reached double figur

March 4 ------ WILL the Philippines once again serve as a neutral host for the postponed games of the FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers? As a sign of good gesture, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas offered to have the four cancelled games of Window 2 be played here following the growing armed conflict in the Middle East. SBP president Ricky Vargas disclosed making the proposal to FIBA Executive Director for Asia Hagop Khajirian during the Gilas Pilipinas-Australia game Sunday