Philippine News

MANILA, Philippines, January 16 ------ A blockbuster rematch against early finalist TNT offers defending champion San Miguel Beer a tantalizing prospect. But before they could entertain thoughts of Round 2 against the Tropang 5G, the Beermen must first take care of the closeout business against defiant Barangay Ginebra tonight in Game 6 of PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup semifinal series at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.   And looking back at last season’s Final Four against the sa

BERLIN, Germany, January 16 ------ German forward Franz Wagner hit his stride late to help the Orlando Magic rally for a 118-111 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday (Friday Manila time) in the first NBA regular-season game ever played in Germany.   The Grizzlies did their best to spoil the return of Orlando's Wagner brothers, Franz and Moritz, to their home country in the showcase game in Berlin. Memphis led by as many as 20 points in the first half before the Magi

January 16 ------ Nxled continued its recruitment frenzy with its most spectacular haul yet and then embraced the expectations that came with the latest additions to its vastly revamped roster.   The star-filled signings, in fact, produced a beautiful dilemma for Chameleons’ coach Ettore Guidetti—nothing that will cause him sleepless nights, though. “Honestly, I faced worse problems in the last 10 to 15 years,” the Nxled mentor said in a press conference where the Chameleons

January 16 ------ TROY Rosario would continue to battle through a pulled groin if Barangay Ginebra would utilize him in an all-important Game 6 against San Miguel in their PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup semifinals.   Coach Tim Cone can’t say for sure whether Rosario would be available for Friday’s Game 6 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, as the Gin Kings are on the verge of elimination following a 115-109 loss on Wednesday night. “He’s having an MRI to find out the extent of his t

MANILA, January 15 ------ The San Miguel Beermen are now just one win away from returning to the PBA Philippine Cup Finals. The Leo Austria–coached squad seized a crucial 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven affair after surviving Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, 115-109, in Game 5 of the Season 50 semifinals at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao. June Mar Fajardo led the Beermen with 21 points and 11 rebounds despite dealing with shoulder issues, giving San Miguel Beer a virtual twice-to-

January 15 ------ Filipina tennis star Alex Eala aced her final match before the Australian Open, scoring an emphatic win against Donna Vekić in an exhibition match. Eala swept the Croatian Vekić, 6-3, 6-4, at the 2026 Kooyong Classic in Melbourne. This is Eala's second win over Vekić this year, having beaten her in three sets in the first round of the WTA 125 ASB Classic in Auckland last January 6. The Kooyong Classic, a traditional warm-up event ahead of the Australian Open

January 15 ------ Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder snapped a three-game losing streak against the San Antonio Spurs with a 119-98 victory over their Western Conference rivals. San Antonio have been the NBA champions' bogey team this season, winning all three of their previous meetings last month with a series of wins that hinted at a tilt in the balance of power in the West. But the Thunder's potent offense and stifling defense finally got

MANILA, Philippines, January 15 ------ Tickets for the Philippine Women’s Open, the country’s first-ever hosting of a Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tournament, are now on sale. The Philippine Tennis Association (Philta) has released the ticket prices, which can be bought online or at SM ticket outlets, for the WTA 125 tournament at Rizal Memorial Tennis Center from January 26 to 31. The qualifying matches are set for Jan. 24 and 25. All tickets are priced at P200 for free

LOS ANGELES, January 14 ------ Luka Doncic scored 42 points but could not prevent the Los Angeles Lakers stumbling to a third straight defeat with a 124-112 loss against the lowly Sacramento Kings. LeBron James wore a special patch on his uniform to mark his historic 23rd season in the NBA and scored 22 points on a frustrating night for the Lakers, who made just eight three-pointers from 36 attempts. Doncic and James were among only four Lakers players to make double figures

January 14 ------ AS if Team Liquid needed any more reminder on just how hard completing the so-called ‘Golden Road’ will be, the Selangor Red Giants just handed them a bitter one only four days into the tournament. The Cavalry’s qualification to the knockout stage will have to wait as they fell to the MPL Malaysia champions, 1-2, in a classic three-game affair between two global powerhouses on Day 4 of the M7 World Championship in Jakarta, Indonesia. From the onset, it was c

MANILA, Philippines, January 14 ------ An elite cast led by Germany’s Tatjana Maria and, schedule permitting, Filipina pride Alex Eala, makes up the historic WTA125 Philippine Women’s Open that’s “almost ready” to welcome the tennis world at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex Tennis Center in Manila on Jan. 26 to 31. Maria, 38, a semifinalist at Wimbledon in 2022, is the highest ranked player in the 32-player main draw at WTA No. 42 with a career-best of No. 36 in July last ye

January 14 ------ GALERIES Tower capped off one of the most sweeping rebuilds of the PVL offseason by bringing in 14 new players ahead of the 2026 season. The Highrisers’ overhaul began with a near-total roster reset, as the club parted ways with 13 players and retained only four holdovers in Julia Coronel, Jean Asis, Roselle Baliton and Winnie Bedaña. Let go from the team were Carly Hernandez, Audrey Paran, Ivy Perez, Lia Pelaga, Dodee Batindaan, Juliet Catindig, Andrea Marz

January 13 ------ ALEX Eala has found no better way to start the year than by recording a career-high ranking in the WTA, rising four spots to No. 49 in the latest update released. The 20-year-old Filipina, previously ranked No. 53, surpassed her personal best of No. 50, which she set toward the end of 2025. The jump came after her semifinal exit at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand — her first tournament of the 2026 season. In the WTA 250 event, which served as her in

WASHINGTON, January 13 ------ Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sparked defending champion 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 f

January 13 ------ THE Philippines salvaged a silver medal in the 2026 Asia-Pacific Men’s Lacrosse Championship in Wellington, New Zealand. It lost to world No. 4 Australia, 13-3, in the final but nevertheless won a medal for the first time since the tournament’s inception in 2004. The Philippines made waves in the competition, winning all three games of the group stage including a 10-9 overtime win over world No. 5 Japan. By also topping the group, the Philippines advanced to

LOS ANGELES, January 13 ------ The injury-hit San Francisco 49ers sent the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles crashing out of the NFL playoffs in a stunning wild card round upset. Niners running back Christian McCaffrey scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns and San Francisco's depleted defense shut down Philadelphia's offense to complete a famous 23-19 road win at Lincoln Financial Field. The 49ers -- who have been decimated by a deepening injury crisis that has

January 12 ------ SCOTTIE Thompson came up with a triple double to lead Barangay Ginebra to a 105-91 win over San Miguel and forge a 2-2 deadlock in their PBA 50th Season Philippine Cup semifinal series at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. Thompson put together the PBA's first 30-point triple double in 33 years, rescuing the Gin Kings after a flat start that saw them trail by as many as 16 points in the first quarter to equalize the best-of-seven semifinal series at 2-2. Thompson fi

LOS ANGELES, January 12 ------ Victor Wembanyama stepped it up in the second half drilling a go-ahead jump shot with 1:33 to play and adding the final dagger in the San Antonio Spurs' 100-95 NBA victory over the Boston Celtics. The French star, who again came off the bench as the Spurs ease him back into action in the wake of a knee injury, scored 16 of his 21 points in the second half, adding six rebounds and three blocked shots. "My mindset was just, I have to close out the

January 12 ------ There will be little rest for Alex Eala as she continues her preparations for her debut in the main draw of the Australian Open. Fresh off a solid run at the WTA ASB Classic in New Zealand, where she reached the third semifinal of her young career, the 20-year-old Eala will fly to Melbourne to compete in the Kooyong Classic 2026, scheduled from January 13 to 15 at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club. The Kooyong Classic is a premier tune-up tournament ahead of the

January 12 ------ IN the shadows of Petro Gazz’s announced leave of absence on Saturday, several key signings quietly reshaped the early offseason landscape elsewhere in the PVL. Akari and Galeries Tower wasted no time kickstarting their respective retooling efforts, each welcoming an influx of newly available free agents. For the Chargers, the acquisitions came in the form of former Chery Tiggo duo Cza Carandang and Baby Jyne Soreño, alongside ex-Cignal standout Judith Abil.