Figure skating: Liu defends US title with flawless free skate
Alysa Liu successfully defended her women's title at the U.S. Figure Staking Championships in North Carolina on Friday after the 14-year-old delivered a brilliant free skate routine.
Reuters,
Gracie Gold Skates to 12th Place and a Standing Ovation at U.S. Championships
Gold, the Olympian whose career was sidetracked by mental illness, was moved to tears as the audience saluted her in a significant comeback performance.
The New York Times,
Halep sees off Putintseva in straight sets to advance
Simona Halep proved too strong for Kazakh Yulia Putintseva in their first career meeting as the Romanian fourth seed sailed through to the fourth round of the Australian Open with a 6-1 6-4 win on Saturday.
Reuters,
NHL All-Star Skills: Barzal nips McDavid to win Fastest Skater
New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal ended Connor McDavid's three-year run as the NHL's fastest skater, edging the Edmonton Oilers star in the first event of the NHL All-Star Skills on Friday in St. Louis.
Reuters,
Pavlyuchenkova beats Pliskova as seeds continue to tumble
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova secured her first career victory in seven attempts over world number two Karolina Pliskova on Saturday as the Australian Open lost another high seed in the third round.
Reuters,
Kerber reaches fourth round in Melbourne with win over Giorgi
Angelique Kerber moved into the fourth round of the Australian Open on Saturday with a 6-2 6-7(4) 6-3 win over Camila Giorgi, extending her unbeaten record against the Italian to 5-0.
Reuters,
Olympics: Jordan to hold boxing qualifiers after move from Wuhan - IOC
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said Jordan will host 2020 Olympics boxing qualifiers for Asia and Oceania after an event in China's Wuhan was canceled due to fears over the new flu-like coronavirus.
Reuters,
NBA notebook: Mavs reportedly getting Warriors C Cauley-Stein
A trade is in the works that will send Golden State Warriors 7-foot center Willie Cauley-Stein to the Dallas Mavericks, ESPN reported Friday.
Reuters,
Luis Rojas and the Mets Embrace Their Second Chance
Passed over last fall in the Mets’ search for a manager, Rojas will take over the team now that Carlos Beltran is gone.
The New York Times,
Wang Qiang, Fresh From Upsetting Serena, Now Believes She Belongs
The Chinese player, seeded 27th and headed for the fourth round of the Australian Open, has spent months building up her strength — and confidence.
The New York Times,
A Tribute to Eli Manning: ‘No Giant Will Ever Wear No. 10 Again’
Former Giants players and coaches gathered as Manning, 39, formally announced his retirement from the N.F.L.
The New York Times,
Highlights: Day six at the Australian Open
Highlights of the sixth day at the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, on Saturday (times AEDT; GMT+11):
Reuters,
World Golf Group says it wants to work with established tours
A group trying to organize a new circuit of lucrative global golf tournaments said on Friday it wanted to work with the game's established tours rather than be a rival.
Reuters,
Palmer surges into lead, Tiger battles back at Torrey Pines
Ryan Palmer's birdie blitz vaulted him into a two-stroke lead while Tiger Woods recovered from a terrible start in the second round of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines on Friday.
Reuters,
RSL reaches deal with Baird through 2023 season
Real Salt Lake forward Corey Baird agreed to a deal through the 2023 season, the club announced Friday.
Reuters,
Legge returns to 24-hour race at Daytona with all-female team
Taking on a 24-hour road race is a gruelling challenge for any elite driver but for British veteran Katherine Legge and her all-female racing team Saturday's start of the Rolex 24 at Daytona carries deeper meaning.
Reuters,
NBA board to discuss schedule changes in April says Silver
The creation of an NBA in-season tournament will be discussed at the league's board meeting in April as the game's stakeholders look to adjust the season's schedule, commissioner Adam Silver said on Friday.
Reuters,
Through 16 seasons, Manning says he did it 'my way'
Not one for flash or grandstanding, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning announced his retirement from the NFL on Friday quoting the time-worn wisdom of Frank Sinatra, another New York icon who sang: "I did it my way."
Reuters,
Edison reinventing PBA as bowling's new kingpin
In the 1960s and 70s when ten-pin bowling was in its heyday the sport's best players earned as much or more than top baseball and football players and Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) kingpin Colie Edison believes it can be that way again.
Reuters,
Delaware high school game ends with just three players on court after brawl
A U.S. high school boys' basketball game in Delaware ended in unusual fashion as a slew of ejections following a bench-clearing brawl and other fouls left just three players on the court to decide the outcome.
Reuters,
The Good, the Bad and the Bizarre for the Knicks and the Nets
Just past the halfway point of a season marking new eras for New York men’s basketball, both N.B.A. teams have floundered. But yes, we’ve found bright spots.
The New York Times,
ATP to use electronic review at select clay court events in 2020
An electronic review system will be in place on clay courts for the first time on the ATP Tour as part of a trial that will be in place at select events this season, the governing body for men's tennis said on Friday.
Reuters,
The Pro Bowl’s Onside Kick Alternative: Just Gain 15 Yards
The game for the N.F.L.’s all-stars doesn’t use kickoffs. That means no onside kicks, but there’s an option to keep the ball if a team can gain 15 yards on a single play.
The New York Times,
Runaway Iranian athlete wants to compete for Germany in Tokyo
Iran's only female Olympic medallist, Kimia Alizadeh, wants to compete for Germany as soon as the next Games in Tokyo, but regardless of whether she achieves that ambition, she never expects to return to her home country.
Reuters,
Pepperell leads by one at halfway in Dubai
England's Eddie Pepperell finally found some form in the new decade to grab a one-shot lead at the halfway stage of the Dubai Desert Classic on Friday.
Reuters,
Longines Global Champions Tour set for kick off
There are now only six weeks to wait until the Longines Global Champions Tour kicks off with a spectacular curtain-raiser in Doha, Qatar.
CNN,
The women bidding to make history at the 24 Hours of Daytona
She is striving to etch her name in the history books, but equally Katherine Legge hopes to changes perceptions of female race car drivers by winning the Rolex 24 at Daytona this weekend.
CNN,
Federer finds 'super breaker' to his liking after escaping defeat
Roger Federer has never struggled for ways to win matches at the Australian Open but in beating John Millman to chalk up his 100th on the Melbourne hardcourts the 38-year-old Swiss found himself in uncharted territory on Friday.
Reuters,
Judge revokes passport, orders eval of Antonio Brown
Antonio Brown was released on $110,000 bond on Friday by a Broward County, Fla., judge who ordered a mental health evaluation, revoked Brown's passport and required GPS monitoring as terms of his conditional freedom.
Reuters,
Banned Russian race walking coach still working with athletes, official says
A Russian anti-doping agency official said on Friday that Viktor Chegin, a prominent race walking coach serving a lifetime doping ban, is continuing to work with athletes at training camps.