Sports
Ailing Carlos Alcaraz edges Alexander Zverev in Australian semis
Jan 27, 2026; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in action against Alex de Minaur of Australia in the quarterfinals of the men’s singles at the Australian Open at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne Park. Mandatory Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images Slowed by cramps and seemingly about to bow out of the Australian Open, Carlos Alcaraz recovered to pull out a dramatic five-set win against Alexander Zverev in the semifinals on Friday in Melbourne.
Alcaraz led two sets to none before he was slowed by cramps late in the third set. He rebounded to continue to play but dropped the next two sets and fell a break behind in the fifth set.
Zverev served for the match at 5-4 in the third set but couldn’t close out the win, and Alcaraz emerged with a 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-7 (4), 7-5 win. The marathon lasted 5 hours, 27 minutes — the third-longest match in Australian Open history.
“I always say that you have to believe in yourself, no matter what, no matter (how much) you’re struggling, you’ve been through, no matter anything, you still … gotta believe in yourself all the time,” Alcaraz said on court postmatch. “I was struggling in the middle of the third set. … Physically, it was one of the most demanding matches that I have ever played in my short career. …
“But I’ve been in these kind of situations. I’ve been in these kind of matches before, so I knew what I had to do. I had to put my heart into the match. I think I did it. I fought until the last ball.”
The other finalist will be the winner of the second semifinal featuring the two-time defending champion, second-seeded Jannik Sinner of Italy, and 10-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia.
Alcaraz, a 22-year-old Spaniard who is the top seed, reached a fourth consecutive Grand Slam final — though he is in the final at Melbourne for the first time. The six-time major champion improved to 60-0 in majors when winning the first two sets.
He will try to become the youngest player ever to win all four Grand Slam events.
“I’m just really, really happy to have the (opportunity) to play my first final here in Melbourne,” Alcaraz said. “This is something that I was pursuing a lot, chasing a lot, having the chance to fight for the title.”
Zverev, a 28-year-old German who was seeded third, is still in search of his first major championship. He lost in the 2020 U.S. Open final, the 2024 French Open final and the 2025 Australian Open final.
Alcaraz began cramping in the second set, and his movement became greatly restricted in the third set, though twice he was two points away from winning the match.
At one point, he vomited into his towel on a changeover. Alcaraz ultimately was granted a medical timeout, much to the frustration of Zverev, who argued vociferously about it with the chair umpire and a tournament supervisor.
The rules allow for a timeout for an injury but not for cramping. Alcaraz received treatment on both thighs, leading to the belief that the issue was cramps and not an ailment.
Alcaraz barely moved while losing the third-set tiebreaker. His running gradually improved through the fourth set, though Zverev leveled the match by taking another tiebreaker.
Zverev went up for the first time in the match when he broke serve to open the fifth set. He shook off two break points to go up 3-1, and saved another break point to lead 4-2 and again erased two break points for a 5-3 advantage.
Alcaraz finally broke back when Zverev was serving for the match at 5-4, then broke on Zverev’s next service game to end it.
–Field Level Media
Sports
David Kelly named executive director of NBPA
Jan 21, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; A basketball goes through the hoop before the game between the Boston Celtics and the Indiana Pacers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images David Kelly was elected the next executive director of the National Basketball Players Association.
Kelly, who has been the NBPA’s managing director and general counsel since February 2025, will succeed Andre Iguodala, who will step down from the position at the end of his term in July, the union announced Friday.
“David Kelly is a transformational leader and one of the most respected legal minds in the game,” Iguodala said. “I am pleased the players recognize he is the right person to unapologetically fight for them.”
Kelly, who came to the NBPA after working on the business and legal side for the Golden State Warriors, served as a close adviser to Iguodala and NBPA president Fred VanVleet while overseeing all legal matters and the strategic direction of the organization
“I am honored that the players have trusted me to lead this next chapter alongside our dedicated executive committee,” Kelly said. “The energy and momentum Andre has built has created an incredible opportunity for our players.”
Kelly’s tenure as executive director could include overseeing the addition of expansion franchises and leading the union through the collective bargaining agreement with team owners, which is set to expire in 2030 but could come up earlier as either side can opt out in 2029. During part of his time with the Warriors, Kelly managed the team’s salary cap and oversaw all matters related to the CBA.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cal's sweet shooting earns ACC win at Boston College
Jan 28, 2026; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; California Golden Bears forward Chris Bell (22) during the second half against the Florida State Seminoles at Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images Chris Bell scored a game-high 22 points to help visiting Cal end a two-game losing streak by beating Boston College 86-75 Saturday.
Bell made 6 of 10 3-point attempts. Cal (18-8, 6-7 ACC) shot 30 of 54 from the field in the win, which included 14 of 29 (48.3%) from 3-point range.
Dai Dai Ames and John Camden each finished with 15 points for the Bears, who never trailed in the game. Camden also had a game-high nine rebounds.
Fred Payne led Boston College (9-16, 2-10 ACC) with 16 points and five rebounds, but the Eagles’ losing streak reached six games. Boston College hasn’t won since it beat Pittsburgh 65-62 on Jan. 21.
Chase Forte scored 14 points while Jayden Hastings added 12 points and eight rebounds and Luka Toews notched 12 points and five assists for Boston College.
The Eagles played without No. 2 scorer Donald Hand Jr., who sustained a knee injury during the first half of Wednesday night’s 70-64 loss to Stanford. Hand, in his fourth season with Boston College, started each of his team’s first 24 games and averaged 13.8 points and 5.0 rebounds.
Cal used a 9-0 run to take a 15-4 lead 6:11 into the contest. Boston College has trailed by double digits during the first half in 12 of its 25 games.
Cal had a 43-23 advantage with 1:49 left in the first half, but Boston College scored the final five points in the half to trail 43-28 at the break. Cal made 7 of its 16 3-point attempts in the first 20 minutes while turning eight Boston College turnovers into 10 points.
The Eagles trimmed their deficit to 11 points when a Forte free throw made it 66-55 with 8:09 to play, but they failed to get closer than nine the rest of the way. After a Toews jumper cut Cal’s lead to 80-71, Camden answered with a 3-pointer that put the Bears up 83-71 with 1:55 left.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Karolina Muchova collects first WTA title since 2019 in Doha
Karolina Muchova serves to Iga Swiatek on Stadium 1 during their round of 16 match at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. For the first time since 2019, Karolina Muchova is a champion on the WTA Tour.
The 29-year-old Czech Republic native earned a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Canada’s Victoria Mboko in the Qatar Open final on Saturday in Doha.
Muchova, the tournament’s No. 14 seed, converted three of eight break points to claim her first win in a WTA 1000 event and her second overall — joining the 2019 Korea Open title on her resume.
“It’s been a while since I won a tournament,” Muchova said while receiving her trophy after the match. “So it’s nice to get that feeling again, to be reminded of that victory feeling again.”
Muchova needed 94 minutes to complete the victory as she won 79% of her first serves compared to Mboko’s 57%. Muchova was particularly on point in the first set, when she earned points on 18 of her 21 first serves while allowing Mboko no chances to break her.
Muchova improved her WTA ranking from 19th to 11th with the win.
The 19-year-old Mboko entered the tournament as the No. 10 seed and 13th in the world rankings. She was playing in her first tourney since reaching the Australian Open’s round of 16, where she lost to top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka.
Mboko secured enough points to climb to 10th in the WTA rankings. She knocked off No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan and No. 5 seed Mirra Andreeva of Russia on her way to the finals.
“It’s not the outcome I wanted,” said Mboko, who was competing in her fourth WTA final and second at the 1000 level. “But I think there’s many positives to take away.”
Muchova, who has battled through injuries in recent years, including a February 2024 wrist surgery that caused her to miss ten months, praised her opponent.
“I’d like to congratulate Victoria,” Muchova said on the court after the match. “You’re still a teenager but you play with so much maturity. I’m sure you have many titles ahead of you.”
Mboko was the only seeded player Muchova faced during the tournament as top-seeded Iga Swiatek of Poland fell in Thursday’s quarterfinals to Greece’s unseeded Maria Sakkari. No. 3 seed Amanda Anisimova retired in the third set of Round 2 on Monday while No. 4 seed Coco Gauff lost in straight sets to Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto in Round 2 on Tuesday.
–Field Level Media
David Kelly named executive director of NBPA
Cal's sweet shooting earns ACC win at Boston College
