Sports
NHL stars arrive in Milan for first Olympics since 2014
Flagbearer Nino Niederreiter of Switzerland leads their contingent in the athletes parade during the opening ceremony on Friday in Milan. MILAN, Italy — The NHL’s biggest stars began their long-awaited return to the Olympic stage on Friday, as players battled exhaustion to join their national teams at the Milan Cortina Games five days before their competition begins.
The National Hockey League began its Olympic break on Friday, freeing up dozens of players to fly into Milan as it allows its athletes to compete at the Games for the first time in 12 years.
“Of course, I’m jet lagged,” said Czech goalie Lukas Dostal, who was the first NHL player to practice at Santagiulia Arena after arriving in Milan on Thursday night.
“I didn’t have much time to see around because I got here last night so I just went to my room, got some dinner, slept, and just got here,” said the Anaheim Ducks goaltender, who got a head-start after his team played its final game on Tuesday night.
A representative for the Swiss team said six of its players were arriving on Friday, including three from the New Jersey Devils who played on Thursday night.
Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak (Czech Republic), Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl (Germany) and Winnipeg Jets winger Nino Niederreiter (Switzerland) each served as flag-bearers for their respective countries during Friday’s opening ceremony.
Dostal said he had planned to skip the opening ceremony in favor of rest but had a change of heart.
“I woke up and I’m like, ‘Hey, it’s one-of-a-kind experience’,” he told reporters.
‘DIFFERENT LEVEL’
Other players will have more of a buffer between the bruising NHL schedule and their Olympic campaign. The United States team, which is comprised entirely of NHL players, will wait to host its first practice in Milan on Sunday.
Canada, meanwhile, have already felt the wear-and-tear of the NHL season, having replaced two injured players in their roster this week.
The roughly 150 NHL players expected to compete in Milan will bring a megawatt spotlight to their sport and promise a true “best-on-best” tournament, after two Olympic cycles with players from outside the top-flight North American league.
“It’s good that I know how it is to play against them,” said Czech winger Dominik Kubalik, an NHL alum who competed in 2018 and plays in the Swiss National League. “It’s going to be a different level.”
One glaring omission from the world’s best is the NHL’s top Russian stars, such as all-time goal-scoring leader Alex Ovechkin, who are banned from competing at Milano Cortina as part of sanctions imposed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
–Reuters, special to Field Level Media
Sports
ATP roundup: Two Frenchmen reach semifinals in Montpellier
Aug 31, 2025; Flushing, NY, USA; Adrian Mannarino (FRA) reaches for a forehand against Jiri Lehecka (CZE) (not pictured) on day eight of the 2025 US Open tennis championships at Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Adrian Mannarino overcame 12 aces to defeat fellow Frenchman Arthur Gea in the quarterfinals of the Open Occitanie on Friday in Montpellier, France.
The wild card Gea won the first set thanks to a lost serve from Mannarino, but Mannarino was able to win the match in just more than 2 1/2 hours, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4. Mannarino was one of two Frenchmen to come away victorious on Friday, as qualifier Titouan Droguet’s 21 aces lifted him to a convincing victory over fourth-seeded Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (1).
Top-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada smashed 12 aces to come away with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over his French opponent Arthur Fils.
American qualifier Martin Damm defeated Italy’s Luca Nardi in a 6-3, 7-6 (8) battle, and will face Mannarino in the semifinals on Saturday. Auger-Aliassime will face Droguet immediately after.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Hornets bring extended win streak into clash with new-look Hawks
Dec 18, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) drives past Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) during the second half at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images The Charlotte Hornets will put their eight-game winning streak on the line Saturday when they visit the new-look Atlanta Hawks.
The Hornets defeated Houston 109-99 on Thursday to extend their streak to the club’s longest since 1999, when they won nine in a row. It was also tied for the league’s longest active win streak with the New York Knicks entering Friday’s action.
The streak has propelled the Hornets into the playoff picture; they’re currently tied with Chicago for 10th place in the Eastern Conference and are trying to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season.
“We all understand there’s still a lot more work to be done, but it’s something the fans should be happy about,” Charlotte coach Charles Lee said. “They should see the progress that this team is making and that this group comes out every night and they want to compete for themselves and for the city.”
Atlanta won its second straight game Thursday by beating Utah 121-119 behind a career-high-tying 26 points from newcomer Jock Landale. Acquired from the Jazz – one day after he was moved from Memphis – Landale drove to Atlanta in time for the morning shootaround and was in the starting lineup that night.
“He can really play,” Atlanta’s Corey Kispert said. “He’s super smart. He can really shoot it. He’s changed his body and changed his game throughout the course of his career and I’m happy he’s on our team now. He’s real tough to deal with.”
Kispert and CJ McCollum joined the team last month. The roster was further revamped with the trade acquisitions of Jonathan Kuminga, Buddy Hield and Gabe Vincent, who were unavailable Thursday.
They join a team anchored by all-star Jalen Johnson (23.2 points, 10.6 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game), who carded his 10th triple-double of the season against Utah, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who is having a breakout season and averaging a career-high 20.4 points.
“It’s go time,” Kispert said. “The distractions are over. The outside circumstances are done. We have our roster moving forward for the rest of the year and it’s time to go. We’re really going to push for this thing and we’ve got a bunch of winners on our team, a bunch of guys who want to play hard and play for each other. That’s the end of the story.”
Charlotte has been driven by the heightened play of Brandon Miller, who leads the team at 20.4 points per game. Miller got in early foul trouble Thursday and was limited to 11 points.
The Hornets are balanced with LaMelo Ball (19.1), rookie Kon Knueppel (18.8) and veteran Miles Bridges (18.3) all hovering near the 20-ppg mark.
Knueppel has helped Charlotte become one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the league. The Hornets rank third in the league in made 3-pointers per game (15.2) and sixth in 3-point percentage (37%), with Knueppel ranking third in the NBA with 168 made perimeter shots, behind only Donovan Mitchell and Steph Curry.
The Hornets added Coby White (18.6 ppg) from Chicago at the trade deadline. But he isn’t expected to play until after the All-Star break because of an ailing right calf.
The teams have split their first two meetings; Atlanta won 113-110 at home on Nov. 23 and Charlotte won 133-126 at home on Dec. 18. They complete the four-game series Feb. 11 in Charlotte. The Hawks have won three straight over the Hornets in Atlanta.
–Field Level Media
Sports
WTA roundup: Ekaterina Alexandrova rallies to advance to Abu Dhabi finals
Sep 1, 2025; Flushing, NY, USA; Ekaterina Alexandrova serves against Iga Swiatek (POL) (not pictured) on day nine of the 2025 US Open tennis championships at Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Second-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova dropped the first set but battled back to defeat Hailey Baptiste of the United States on Friday, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3, to secure herself a spot in the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open final in the United Arab Emirates
The Russian competitor saved a match point in the second set down 5-4, controlled her serve and won the tiebreak before ultimately winning in the third set. Alexandrova saved the final three break-point opportunities Baptiste had in the game en route to her 13th career WTA Tour final.
Sara Bejlek of the Czech Republic pulled off the upset over Denmark’s third-seeded Clara Tauson 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 to claim the other spot in the final. Bejlek, who had to come through qualifying to even make the tournament, has dropped just one set in the main draw and will be competing in her first WTA final.
Ostrava Open
Great Britain’s Katie Boulter cruised into the finals after taking down Katie Volynets in straight sets 6-1, 6-3 in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
Boulter converted five of her 11 break-point chances while being broken just once in seven opportunities on her serve. She won 69.7% of her first-service points, including going 11-for-12 in the first set.
Boulter will meet Tamara Korpatsch in the final after the German also won in straight sets, downing France’s Diane Parry 6-4, 6-4. Despite yielding six double faults, Korpatsch saved 6 of 9 break points.
Transylvania Open
Great Britain’s Emma Raducanu defended her No. 1 seed with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 win over Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova to book a spot in the finals in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
It was a back-and-forth affair that lasted 2 hours and 48 minutes and saw both Raducanu (73.7%) and Oliynykova (72.3%) post nearly identical first-serve percentages. Raducanu pressed for the win in the final set with six break opportunities and converted two of them to snap a six-match losing streak in deciding sets.
No. 3 seed Sorana Cirstea won in a speedy 56 minutes to meet Raducanu in the final as she took down Ukraine’s Daria Snigur 6-0, 6-3. The Romanian never lost her serve and broke Snigur four times.
–Field Level Media
ATP roundup: Two Frenchmen reach semifinals in Montpellier
Hornets bring extended win streak into clash with new-look Hawks
