Sports News

March 17 ------ THERE is a certain irony in the timing for Alex Eala. The Filipina climbed to a career-high No. 29 in Monday’s updated rankings from the Women's Tennis Association, bringing her total to 1,525 points just days before the start of the Miami Open. Eala beats her former record of No. 31, as she comes off from No. 32. She surpassed Cristina Bucsa and Maya Joint at Nos. 30 and 31. But the milestone arrives with immediate pressure. Under the WTA’s 52-week ranking sy

March 17 ------ HISTORY was written in Shanghai as Kimi Antonelli claimed the first victory of his Formula 1 career in the Chinese Grand Prix. At just 19 years old and in only his sophomore season, Antonelli became the second-youngest race winner in F1 history, trailing only Max Verstappen, who won at 18. The Mercedes driver also ended a two-decade wait for Italy, becoming the first Italian to win a Grand Prix since Giancarlo Fisichella triumphed in the 2006 Malaysian Grand P

INDIAN WELLS, March 17 ------ Aryna Sabalenka saved a match point on the way to a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8/6) victory over Elena Rybakina to claim a long-awaited first Indian Wells title. Sabalenka ended a frustrating run of finals futility against Rybakina, who had won their last four title clashes starting with a triumph at Indian Wells in 2023 and including a nail-biter at the Australian Open in January. Sabalenka rallied from a break down in the second set and fought off a match

March 17 ------ NONITO Donaire Jr. just could not turn back the hands of time and suffered an eighth ninth round stoppage against Japanese Riku Masuda in their title eliminator bout in Yokohama, Japan. The 43-year-old Filipino was dropped by a Masuda left straight in the seventh round in what signaled the beginning of the end for the four-time world division champion. Donaire’s corner felt he had had enough and decided to throw in the towel at the 1:12 mark of the eighth. 'Th

MONTALBAN, March 16 ------ NLEX dealt LA Tenorio and Magnolia a second straight loss, 112-105, as the Road Warriors remained undefeated in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup at the Ynares Center. Import Cady Lalanne had a double-double of 24 points and 10 rebounds and new acquisition Schonny Winston finished with 14, including a corner three that beat the shot clock and gave NLEX a 111-103 lead in the final 47 seconds. The Road Warriors improved to 2-0 with their second str

INDIAN WELLS, United States, March 16 ------ World No. 2 Jannik Sinner surged home to beat Daniil Medvedev, 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/4) to capture his first Indian Wells ATP Masters 1000 crown. Four-time Grand Slam champion Sinner won his first title of 2026, rallying from 0-4 down in the second-set tiebreaker to seal the win against a resurgent Medvedev, winner of the title in Dubai last month who was riding a nine-match ATP winning streak. That included an upset semifinal triumph

March 16 ------ THE Filipinas lost in their first of three chances to make it to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 after their 7-0 loss to Japan in the quarterfinals of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup at the Stadium Australia in Sydney. Philippines second-string goalkeeper Nina Meollo held her own for most of the first half until she conceded a 45th-minute goal from Mina Tanaka. Toko Koga then scored two of her two goals during extra time for a 2-0 Japan lead, and they never looked b

MANILA, March 16 ------ Gilas Pilipinas Women dropped to a 0-4 slate in the FIBA Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament after succumbing to South Korea, 105-74, at the Astroballe in Lyon, France. Gilas Women managed to keep in step with the World No. 15 squad with an 11-0 run, but a Jihyun Park layup tied the ball game at 17-all late in the opening frame. From there, the South Korean squad went on a 19-0 run to eventually build a lead of 22 points at halftime. Gilas Women tr