Sports
Jessica Pegula, Elena Rybakina advance to Australian Open semis
Aug 31, 2025; Flushing, NY, USA; Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan serves against Marketa Vondrousova of Czech Republic in the fourth round of the women’s singles at the US Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images Jessica Pegula keeps getting better with age.
The 31-year-old Buffalo native made history while beating Amanda Anisimova 6-2, 7-6 (1) on Wednesday in the Australian Open quarterfinals at Melbourne.
Pegula became the first woman in Open Era (since 1968) to reach her first three major semifinals after turning 30.
Pegula, the event’s sixth seed, will oppose fifth-seeded Elena Rybakina in the semifinals on Thursday. Rybakina took advantage of an error-filled effort by second-seeded Iga Swiatek and rolled to a 7-5, 6-1 quarterfinal win.
After Pegula cruised through the first set against Anisimova, a 24-year-old New Jersey native who was seeded fourth, neither player broke serve through the first seven games of the second set.
Anisimova got the break to go up 5-3, but she couldn’t serve out the set as Pegula broke back. After another break by Pegula for a 6-5 edge, Anisimova responded in kind to force a tiebreaker.
Anisimova won the opening point of the tiebreaker before Pegula reeled off seven straight points to advance.
Pegula and Rybakina have split six career matches, with the Kazakhstani player having taken their latest clash in WTA Finals last fall.
A win by Pegula on Thursday would send her to her second career major final. She lost to Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka in the 2024 U.S. Open title match.
Swiatek, a 24-year-old Polish player who has six Grand Slam championships, committed 25 unforced errors on Wednesday while hitting just 10 winners. Rybakina, 26, had a steadier ground game with 25 winners and 19 unforced errors.
“I’m really pleased with the win,” Rybakina said in her on-court interview. “We know each other pretty well, and I was just trying to stay aggressive. In the first set, the first serve wasn’t working for both of us, so we were trying to step in on the second serve and put pressure on each other. In the second set, I just started to play more free, serve better, and I’m really happy with the win.”
Rybakina is through to a major semifinal for the first time since she reached the Wimbledon semifinals in 2024. She has made two career Grand Slam finals, prevailing at Wimbledon in 2022 and losing the Australian Open title match in 2023.
After Swiatek and Rybakina exchanged service breaks in the opening two games, Rybakina saved three break points at 1-1, then broke serve in the 12th game to take the set.
Rybakina won the first three games of the second set and cruised to the finish, never facing a break point in the set.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Jonathan Aranda, Rays coast to win over Giants
May 2, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Jonny DeLuca (21) steals second base during the third inning against San Francisco Giants at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Pablo Robles-Imagn Images Jonathan Aranda went 2-for-4 with two RBIs as the Tampa Bay Rays clinched their first series win against a National League club, prevailing 5-1 over the San Francisco Giants on Saturday night in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The Rays had lost a single three-game series against all five NL Central teams in March and April before claiming the first two games against the Giants, who lost their fifth straight.
Griffin Jax made his second start and pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings with one hit, one walk and two strikeouts.
Jesse Scholtens (3-1) followed and allowed one run on four hits in three innings. He fanned three without a walk.
San Francisco’s Luis Arraez went 3-for-4 with a double and a run, accounting for nearly half of the team’s seven hits.
San Francisco right-hander Landen Roupp (5-2) surrendered four runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out six and walked two.
In the second inning, Heliot Ramos hit a drive that Rays center fielder Cedric Mullins went to the 404-foot mark at the wall to catch. However, Mullins rushed in and caught it at the beginning of the warning track.
An umpire-initiated review of the shot – estimated at 424 feet – resulted in the out call standing instead of it being deemed to have hit a wire or ring in the dome, which would have made it a home run.
Giants pitcher Adrian Houser and director of major league pitching Frank Anderson were then ejected by home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt.
Roupp, who had allowed just one run in 18 innings in three road starts, was sharp until the fourth when the Rays scored two batters after Junior Caminero’s groundout was challenged and overturned to an infield single. He eventually scored on Jake Fraley’s single.
Hunter Feduccia’s double, Taylor Walls’ walk and Chandler Simpson’s bunt single loaded the bases with no outs in the fifth, and Mullins plated one with a walk before Aranda chased Roupp with a two-run single to center for a 4-0 lead.
Rafael Devers broke up the shutout with a double in the sixth to plate Arraez, who also doubled.
Jonny DeLuca, who was 2-for-4 with a double, swiped third and scored on a throwing error by catcher Patrick Bailey in the eighth for the final margin.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Final-hole eagle gives Nelly Korda 3-stroke lead at Riviera
Apr 26, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Nelly Korda hits a tee shot on the 10th hole during the final round of The Chevron Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images World No. 1 Nelly Korda took sole possession of first place through three rounds of the Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba with her second straight 5-under-par 67 on Saturday in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
Korda, who moved back atop the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings with her victory last week at the Chevron Championship, has just one bogey through three rounds at El Camaleon Golf Course, taking a three-stroke lead into the final round at 14-under 202.
Korda had just one birdie through 12 holes of action Saturday before birdies at Nos. 13 and 15 before finishing the day with a bang by carding an eagle at the par-5 18th after hitting her approach shot within a few feet of the hole to cap off the low round of the day.
“Just really happy with my game. Played some solid golf today,” Korda said. “Made a good par save on nine, and that’s the only kind of time in the round that I really put myself into trouble. I’m just trying to play safe with the ones that I wasn’t wanting to be too aggressive with. Overall, really happy with my round.”
Arpichaya Yubol of Thailand is in second place at 11 under after shooting a bogey-free 6 under with three birdies on both the front and back nine. That included birdies on each of the final two holes to claim sole possession of second place. The 23-year-old has five career top-10 finishes on the LPGA Tour but is seeking her first championship.
She’ll be in the final group Sunday, celebrating her 24th birthday while playing alongside one of her idols, Korda, for the first time.
“It’s like my dream come true,” Yubol said. “My life is complete right now.”
Japan’s Minami Katsu (69) is in third at 10 under following after a 2-over front nine with a 5-under back nine highlighted by an eagle at the par-4 17th.
Brianna Do, who was a co-leader after each of the first two rounds, is now tied for fourth at 9 under after an even-par finish to the third round. Joining her in that fourth-place group is China’s Yu Liu (69).
Carlota Ciganda (71) of Spain and Round 1 co-leader Melanie Green (73) are tied for sixth at 7 under.
Colombian amateur Maria Jose Marin (69) and Russia’s Nataliya Guseva (70) are tied for eighth at 5 under.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby hires attorney to protect NCAA eligibility
Brendan Sorsby runs with the ball during the Texas Tech football team’s spring game, Friday, April 17, 2026, at Jones AT&T Stadium. Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby, under investigation for sports gambling, has hired attorney Jeffrey Kessler to protect his college eligibility, ESPN reported on Saturday.
Sorsby, who transferred to Texas Tech from Cincinnati this offseason, is entering a treatment program for a gambling addiction and taking an indefinite leave of absence from the team, the quarterback and his current school announced on Monday.
Kessler was lead attorney in the House vs. NCAA case, which was approved in June 2025 and led to revenue sharing in college athletics. Schools were able to share $20.5 million with athletes beginning last July 1, with the amount increasing annually.
A prominent antitrust attorney, Kessler has represented the NFL Players Association on behalf of players such as Tom Brady, Ezekiel Elliott, Adrian Peterson and Ray Rice.
NCAA rules forbid collegiate athletes from betting on any sport (collegiate or professional) for which the NCAA sponsors a championship. Sorsby reportedly bet on college football and MLB games.
This could lead to him being deemed ineligible for the 2026 season, pending the NCAA’s active investigation.
Sorsby has placed more than 10,000 sports betting wagers since 2022, according to a report from On3. He was averaging as many as 20 bets per day on a variety of different sportsbook apps across multiple states, per On3.
This reportedly included betting on Indiana games in 2022 when he was redshirting during his first year of college. ESPN reported Monday that all of the bets were on Indiana to win and none were on the game he played in — a 45-14 loss to 16th-ranked Penn State.
Sorsby, ESPN’s top-ranked transfer in this year’s class, threw for 5,613 yards, 45 touchdowns and 12 interceptions over the last two seasons for the Bearcats. He also ran for 1,027 yards and 18 touchdowns in 24 games.
–Field Level Media
