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Swiatek ends Gauff’s 16-match winning streak to advance to China Open final against Samsonova

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:53 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Second-ranked Iga Swiatek ended Coco Gauff’s 16-match winning streak as she advanced to the China Open final with a dominant 6-2, 6-3 victory over the U.S. Open champion on Saturday.It was the 19-year-old Gauff’s first loss since the quarterfinals in Montreal, a span that included titles in Cincinnati and at Flushing Meadows.Swiatek will meet No.22-ranked Liudmila Samsonova in Sunday’s final, after the Russian ousted fifth-seeded Elena Rybakina 7-6 (7), 6-3. The Polish player made just four unforced errors in the first set, keeping consistent pressure on Gauff’s serve, and made a decisive break at 3-1 to ease through the set in 40 minutes.Swiatek maintained her vice-like grip on the match, breaking Gauff at the start of the second set to lead 2-0. A medical timeout to have Gauff’s right shoulder assessed didn’t break Swiatek’s momentum as she closed it out to extend her head-to-head record against her rival to 8-1. “I’m really happy with ...

Rugby World Cup pool stage reaches climax with win-or-bust match between Japan and Argentina

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:53 GMT

The lineup for the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals will be complete after the final pool-stage games taking place on Sunday.Fiji looks sure to be staying in France for the knockouts. The bigger question is which of Japan and Argentina will reach the last eight, too.That’s undoubtedly the biggest game of the day, with a couple of hard-to-separate teams looking to set up a likely quarterfinal against Wales.Japan and Argentina were beaten fairly comfortably by pool winner England, have battled past plucky Samoa, and easily dispatched Chile. Now they go head-to-head as Japan seeks to reach back-to-back quarterfinals and Argentina eyes getting back to that stage after missing out in 2019.They are tied on points so it’s essentially a win-or-go-home game in Nantes.Tonga and Romania are definitely going home and will meet in Lille, bidding for a first win in a desperately tough pool that contained South Africa, Ireland and Scotland.Portugal bids farewell to the tournament against ...

Israel dice que está “en guerra” tras los ataques de militantes palestinos desde Gaza. Esto es lo que debes saber

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:53 GMT

(CNN) –El primer ministro israelí, Benjamin Netanyahu, declaró el sábado que el país estaba “en guerra”, después de que militantes de Gaza lanzaran una mortífera andanada de cohetes y enviaran hombres armados a territorio de Israel, en una importante escalada del prolongado conflicto entre ambas partes.“Ciudadanos de Israel, estamos en guerra, —no en una operación, no en asaltos— en guerra”, dijo Netanyahu en un mensaje de video.Israel está “en guerra” tras los ataques de Hamas desde Gaza: última hora y noticias en vivoLos ataques han dejado hasta el momento al menos 22 muertos, según información actualizada del servicio de rescate israelí Magen David Adom.Hamas, el movimiento militante palestino que dirige Gaza, reivindicó la autoría del ataque con cohetes y llamó a un levantamiento general contra Israel.Vista de un edificio residecial en la ciudad israelí de Ashkelon tras el ataque masivo de cohetes desde Gaza. (Foto de Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/...

US condemns Hamas ‘terrorism,’ attacks on Israeli civilians

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:53 GMT

The U.S. on Saturday strongly condemned a surprise attack and incursion by Hamas on Israel’s southern region, saying there is “never any justification for terrorism.”“The United States unequivocally condemns the unprovoked attacks by Hamas terrorists against Israeli civilians,” National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement.“There is never any justification for terrorism. We stand firmly with the Government and people of Israel and extend our condolences for the Israeli lives lost in these attacks,” Watson added.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared early Saturday that the U.S. ally was “at war” as the Israel Defense Forces responded by striking Hamas targets in neighboring Gaza. Israel says at least 22 people have died.IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told reporters that more than 2,200 rockets have been fired into Israel Saturday morning, the Times of Israel reported. Hagari said the Hamas militants infiltrated from land, sea and ai...

Hamas kills 40 in unprecedented, wide-ranging incursion into Israel

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:53 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — The ruling Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel at daybreak Saturday, firing thousands of rockets as dozens of fighters infiltrated the heavily fortified border in several locations by air, land and sea, catching the country off guard on a major holiday.Several hours after the invasion began, Hamas militants were still fighting gunbattles inside several Israeli communities in a surprising show of strength that shook the country. Israel’s national rescue service said at least 40 people have been killed and hundreds wounded, making it the deadliest attack in Israel in years.At least 561 wounded people were being treated in Israeli hospitals, including at least 77 who were in critical condition, according to an Associated Press count based on public statements and calls to hospitals.There was no official comment on casualties in Gaza, but AP reporters witnessed the funerals of 15 people who were killed and saw another eig...

Taxiing airplane and shuttle bus collide at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, injuring at least 2, officials say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:53 GMT

(CNN) — A taxiing airplane collided with a shuttle bus at Chicago O’Hare International Airport on Friday evening, injuring at least two people, the city’s fire department said.Air Wisconsin Flight 6209 was taxiing for departure when the collision happened, the Federal Aviation Administration said.Six American Airlines employees on the bus were taken to a hospital to be evaluated, and no injuries were reported on the airplane, American Airlines said in an email.Details about the two injuries reported by the Chicago Fire Department were not immediately available.Air Wisconsin is a regional airline that performs flying services for American Airlines operating as American Eagle, according to the airline’s website.The plane, which was supposed to fly to Dayton, Ohio, was taken out of service and passengers boarded a different plane to continue to Dayton, American Airlines said.The collision happened “as we were rolling forward,” Kevis Mitchell, a passenger on the plane, told CNN.“Th...

Rob Gronkowski teams up with Make-A-Wish to teen’s wish come true

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:53 GMT

It was a big day for one fan at Patriot Place Thursday as former Patriots star Rob Gronkowski dropped by to make a wish come true. The retired tight end was in Foxboro to visit 14-year-old Joseph “Jake” Drake. The visit was part of a special day planned by Make-A-Wish of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. “My wish was to meet the Gronk and have a talk with him, play catch,” Drake said. “And I had a lot of fun doing it.”“He told me to never give up on what I dreamed to be,” Drake separately said. Drake is in remission from an optic nerve tumor. He said watching sports helped him through long, hard days in the hospital and inspired him to stay determined. As he continues his remission, the Make-A-Wish wanted to help Drake meet one of his heroes. In their visit this week, Drake and Gronk bowled together at Splitsville Luxury Lanes where Drake even learned to do Gronk’s signature spike celebration. “There’s a saying out there that Julian Edelman always said in...

Field hockey notebook: College-bound stars fuel Feehan girls

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:53 GMT

It’s easy to marvel at Bishop Feehan’s two field hockey superstars, both fourth-year starters set to play at Div. 1 colleges next year.Ava Meehan, committed to one of the country’s most reputable field hockey programs (University of North Carolina), is a multi-faceted scorer and playmaker whose offensive skills outweigh those of many of the other top players in the state. Kay Murphy, headed to University of New Hampshire, is also an elite playmaker whose versatility, IQ and speed has her shining in the midfield after standing out as a forward in years prior.Shamrocks head coach Betsy D’Ambrosia raves about their work ethic. Opposing coaches rave about their impact. They’re team-first players on and off the field.And their yoga expertise?“Kay? Kay is not flexible,” D’Ambrosia said light-heartedly of a private hot yoga class the team took for team-bonding. “Her doing some of the positions was hysterical because she could barely touch her toes and then you have a girl next to her who h...

Hi, TikTok; bye, sub-$2 hot dog: 7 things that changed during the Orioles’ 7-year playoff pause

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:53 GMT

With the Orioles’ return to the postseason Saturday, superstitious Orioles fans may be finding their lucky playoff shirt doesn’t fit the way it used to. Of course, with all that’s changed around the sport and the ballpark since the Orioles’ previous postseason appearance seven years ago, just being a fan has a different feel.While the intervening years weren’t even half as long as the playoff drought the Orioles ended in 2012, with a pandemic and three 100-loss seasons folded in this time, it’s easy to forget the way things were. Here are seven things that have changed since the Orioles last played a playoff game in 2016.Sports bettingThat pinstriped-clad fellow cheering loudly for an Adley Rutschman walk may not be driven purely by AL East pride. This will be the first postseason involving the Orioles on which fans can legally place wagers in Maryland. Legalized in 2020, in-person sports betting launched December 2021 and mobile sports bett...

Column: Clues for the Chicago Cubs’ late-season collapse were right in front of our eyes all along

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:53 GMT

Even if the Chicago Cubs had made the postseason, most agreed their season would have ended in the wild-card round.Expectations were higher than normal in early September, with a 3-1/2 game lead for a National League wild-card spot and the team on a roll with a 12-1-2 record in 15 series from July 17-Sept. 6.No one was crazy enough to think this was a World Series-caliber team, but getting in would be good enough — a small step to spread a little optimism for 2024.Then it all went wrong, spectacularly so, leading to a late-season collapse. The Cubs went 7-14 and were eliminated on the second-to-last day of the season.“It’s hard to define exactly what went wrong,” Cubs President Jed Hoyer said Tuesday before pointing to the fatigue factor, bullpen injuries, lack of clutch hitting and defensive miscues.Those were all valid factors in the slow-motion demise, but what Hoyer forgot to mention was roster construction.That would’ve meant throwing himself ...