Philippine News

February 13 ------ Iga Swiatek came from a set down to defeat Daria Kasatkina and keep her bid for a fourth Qatar Open title alive, as Elena Rybakina also reached the quarter-finals. The world number two recovered to beat Russian-born Australian Kasatkina 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 and set up a tie with Greece’s Maria Sakkari. Swiatek, who won the WTA 1000 tournament in 2022, 2023 and 2024, had breezed through her last six meetings with Kasatkina without dropping a set but blew a 5-3 lead

February 13 ------ Miguel Tabuena lost his spot in LIV Golf’s 4Aces team after just one outing but still impressed organizers who granted him a wild card. The Filipino star responded to his new fully playing status with a blistering 3-under-par 69 in the first round of the league’s second tournament of the season in Adelaide, Australia. With the wild card, Tabuena, 31, will have full playing privileges for the rest of the LIV Golf season, finally achieving what he has been se

MANILA, February 12 ------ The Meralco Bolts’ search for a postseason berth in the East Asia Super League (EASL) has come to an end following a costly setback against the Ryukyu Golden Kings. The country’s representatives absorbed a 79-88 loss to the Japan B.LEAGUE squad at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, dashing their comeback hopes after trailing by as many as 20 points. Controversial import Ismael Romero led Meralco with 21 points and eight rebounds to go with a steal, whil

February 12 ------ Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs ran roughshod over the injury-depleted Los Angeles Lakers, the French superstar matching his NBA season high with 40 points in a 136-108 rout. Wembanyama, whose California swing will include a second All-Star Game appearance on Sunday, added 12 rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot, connecting on 13 of 20 attempts from the field in his 26 minutes of work. The Lakers were without a raft of starters, with LeBron J

February 12 ------ Coco Gauff suffered a surprise second-round exit from the WTA 1000 event in Doha losing in straight sets to Italian lucky loser Elisabetta Cocciaretto. The fourth seed, who was beaten 6-4, 6-2, was followed out of the Qatar Open by sixth seed Jasmine Paolini and eighth-seeded Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova. There were no such problems for Iga Swiatek or Elena Rybakina, though, as the top seed and newly-crowned Australian Open champion both cruised into the l

February 12 ------ Janelle Mae Frayna escaped from the jaws of defeat against Shania Mae Mendoza in the 14th and penultimate round to secure an Olympiad spot and move on the cusp of ruling the Philippine National Women’s Chess Championship in Malolos, Bulacan. The Woman Grandmaster was on the verge of defeat, but managed to overcome Mendoza after 29 moves of their Slav duel for the needed victory in this 15-round tournament. It allowed Frayna to improve to 11 points and captu

February 11 ------ Creamline bounced back from an opening-game loss, defeating a Choco Mucho side that lost Eya Laure to injury in four sets, 27-25, 17-25, 25-21, 25-15, in the 2026 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. The Cool Smashers improved their overall record to 1-1 in the all-local tilt—a strong response following their straight-set loss to PLDT last Thursday. After narrowly taking the first set, Creamline saw Choco Mucho str

LOS ANGELES, February 11 ------ Cade Cunningham scored 33 points as the Detroit Pistons ended the Charlotte Hornets' nine-game winning streak on Monday with a stormy 110-104 victory overshadowed by a mass brawl that saw four players ejected. A bruising clash between the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons and the red-hot Hornets erupted into mayhem midway through the third quarter when Charlotte's Moussa Diabate fouled Detroit's Jalen Duren. Diabate and Duren went forehead-to-

February 11 ------ Philipp Raimund of Germany claimed gold in his Winter Olympics debut with a final ski jump of 106.5 meters, shaking off pressure and the fear of heights. Germany's Philipp Raimund won the gold medal in the men's normal hill ski jumping event as he soared ahead of Poland's Kacper Tomasiak at the Milano Cortina Olympics. The Pole had to settle for silver, while Japan's Ren Nikaido and Switzerland's Gregor Deschwanden shared bronze. Favourite Domen Prevc of Sl

MANILA, Philippines, February 11 ------ Healthier, stronger, and carrying a renewed sense of purpose, Rianne Malixi heads into the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) Championship in New Zealand brimming with confidence — and with unfinished business firmly on her mind. At just 18, Malixi is set to make a record sixth appearance in the prestigious championship, a testament not only to her longevity at the elite amateur level but also to her relentless pursuit of a title that

February 10 ------ The Seattle Seahawks relied on a relentless defense to beat New England 29-13 in Super Bowl LX denying the Patriots an NFL record seventh championship and avenging a loss to the same opponent in the title game 11 years ago. Seattle sacked Patriots quarterback Drake Maye six times -- including one that resulted in a fumble returned for a late touchdown -- and got five Jason Myers field goals, while Sam Darnold connected with AJ Barner for a touchdown. Presea

MANILA, February 10 ------ Filipino pole vault star EJ Obiena secured a bronze medal after clearing 5.70 meters at the INIT Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe in Germany. Norway's Sondre Mogens Guttormsen claimed the gold medal with a successful jump of 5.84 meters, while American Cole Walsh settled for silver after clearing 5.78 meters. The podium finish came after a demanding stretch for Obiena, who recently completed his "Asian Slam" with a gold medal triumph at the Asian Indoor in

February 10 ------ ALEX Eala still failed to crack the code on world no. 48 Tereza Valentova, resulting to her early exit at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open. The Filipina, 20, once again fell to the Czech netter, dropping a 6(6)–7, 1–6 loss to end her stint in the round of 64 of the WTA 1000 event in Doha. Eala, WTA no. 40, first met the Czech during her Asian swing at the WTA 250 Japan Open and also lost, 1–6, 2–6. This time, she put up a gallant fight that saw the opening set

MANILA, February 10 ------ The Meralco Bolts are set to fight for their playoff lives when they face the Ryukyu Golden Kings in the East Asia Super League (EASL) on Wednesday. Tip-off is at 7:40 p.m. at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, with that match’s outcome bound to determine whether Meralco advances to the playoffs. Now in their third EASL season, Meralco has yet to make the postseason. The upcoming game is the sixth meeting between the Bolts and Ryukyu — the most-played m

MANILA, February 9 ------ Filipino Olympic pole vaulter EJ Obiena claimed his second gold medal of the 2026 season, this time in Tianjin, China. Obiena ruled the men's vault final at the 12th Asian Indoor Athletics Championships held at the Tuanbo Sports Center. The Filipino pole vaulter cleared 5.70 m in just one attempt to take home the gold. Obiena attempted to leap 5.80 m but was unable to clear the height in all his attempts. China's Li Chenyang tried to clear the same

RODRIGUEZ, RIZAL, February 9 ------ Nxled turned back Capital1 in straight sets, 25-18, 28-26, 25-18, to secure its second win in the 2026 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference at the Ynares Center Montalban. The Chameleons are now 2-0 in the tournament while dealing the Solar Spikers' first loss, sliding to 1-1 record. "Actually, I'm very happy na nakuha namin 'yung straight sets. And of course, nakita natin nung first two sets nag-struggle kami konti, but

CHICAGO, February 9 ------ Gilas Pilipinas convenes this February 16 to prep for the upcoming FIBA window, they'll have to do so without their best, most important player. Kai Sotto is "unlikely" to attend the 10-day camp, the player's camp told me via text message on Sunday ahead of the summit set to take place at the in Pasig and at the Inspire Sports Academy in Laguna. Gilas is still a loaded team, but minus the vastly improved Kai, our national team is hopelessly vulnerab

LOS ANGELES, February 9 ------ Stephon Castle's 40-point triple-double propelled the San Antonio Spurs to a fourth straight NBA victory with a 138-125 win over the reeling Dallas Mavericks. In addition to a career-high in points, Castle grabbed 12 rebounds and handed out 12 assists, coming up with three steals and a blocked shot for good measure. The 2025 Rookie of the Year became at 21 the third-youngest player to record a 40-point triple-double, behind LeBron James and Luka

MANILA, February 8 ------ Filipino tennis star Alex Eala has reached a new milestone in her career, climbing to a personal-best world No. 45 in the latest Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings. The 20-year-old rose four spots from No. 49 last week, continuing her steady ascent on the professional tour following her quarterfinal finish in the inaugural Philippine Women’s Open. Eala’s rise follows a strong early-season showing, as she continues to convert consistent perform

February 8 ------ LeBron James will reunite with US Olympic team-mates Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry as in a potent NBA All-Star game line-up announced. A new-look All-Star game will be divided between three teams -- two made up of US players, and one from international players. The three teams will play a round-robin mini-tournament before the top two teams in the group face off in a final game. James, Curry and Durant, three pillars of the USA's gold medal-winning team at