Sabalenka's Wimbledon foe is Carson Branstine, a qualifier from California, Canada and Texas A&M
LONDON — There are plenty of tennis players who might be daunted by the prospect of making their Grand Slam debut against someone ranked No. 1 and in a big stadium — in this case, Aryna Sabalenka at Wimbledon's No. 1 Court.
Carson Branstine, though, is embracing the circumstances she'll find herself in Monday. Branstine, 24, is a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen — she was born in California and represents Canada, where her mother is from — and helped Texas A&M win the 2024 NCAA title. She is ranked just inside the top 200, but made it into the women's bracket at the All England Club by winning three matches in qualifying last week.
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
After Just Five Years of MMA Training, UFC Fighter Joshua Van May Become a Champion
After Just Five Years of MMA Training, UFC Fighter Joshua Van May Become a Champion originally appeared on Athlon Sports. At just 23 years old, Joshua Van has accomplished what most fighters spend a lifetime chasing. His unanimous decision victory over Brandon Royval at UFC 317 wasn't just another win— it was a step towards greatness. In a fight already being hailed by fans and UFC commentator Joe Rogan as a potential 'fight of the year,' Van outlasted the seasoned Royval in a three-round war that showcased his volume, durability, and elite fight IQ. Advertisement What makes Van's ascent even more remarkable is that he only began training MMA relatively recently, according to his post-fight interview, and now he is the no. 1 contender for Alexandre Pantoja's UFC flyweight title. CEO of UFC Dana WhiteGetty Images When Rogan asked him how long he had been training, Van answered, 'To answer your question, man, I've been training for five years.' Van has already built himself an impressive legacy in MMA with his relentless activity and rapid evolution. According to his record on Tapology, Van made his amateur debut in December 2020 and turned pro just 10 months later. He then joined the UFC in 2023, just two years and 1 month after his pro debut. In his two years of fighting in the UFC, Van has already fought eight times, amassing a 7-1 record in the promotion. His sole loss was via knockout at the hands of Charles Johnson in July 2024. Advertisement Van has fought an astonishing 17 times in under four years. What sets Van apart isn't just his record—it's his ability to adjust to the conditions of the fight while it is still occurring. He fought with the composure of a veteran. His ability to adjust mid-fight, as seen when he weathered Royval's second-round surge before retaking control in the third, demonstrated a maturity beyond his years. Next up for Van is a title shot against Pantoja, who successfully defended his belt against Kai Kara-France later that night. The matchup is a dream for the UFC—a fresh, charismatic challenger against a dominant champion. This opportunity is the culmination of a journey that began just half a decade ago. Advertisement "The winner of the title fight tonight, they're gonna have to see me," Van declared post-fight. "Dana White, if you give me a chance to face off with them, I'm here." Van's rise mirrors that of other UFC phenoms like Max Holloway, who also fought at a breakneck pace early in his career. But even Holloway didn't achieve title contention this quickly. With his combination of skill, activity, and fan-friendly fighting style, Van might be the future of the UFC flyweight division, and perhaps the sport itself. Related: Ilia Topuria KOs Charles Oliveira at UFC 317, Wins Lightweight Belt to Become Two-Division Champion (Video) Related: UFC Hall-of-Famer Questions Jon Jones GOAT Status Over Failed Steroid Tests This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 29, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Giants takeaways: Ugly week ends with ugly series loss to White Sox
It was just one week ago that the San Francisco Giants had momentum. They'd taken two games and an All-Star from the Boston Red Sox, and they were getting national attention for the right reasons. The ballpark energy was back. Strangers on the street were talking to you about your Giants hat. Remember that? Everyone being excited about the local ballclub? Advertisement It was seven days ago, but it might as well have been seven years ago. The Giants were embarrassed by the Miami Marlins and Chicago White Sox last week, getting outpitched and outhit by two teams that might combine for 200 losses this year. At no point did it look like the Giants were the better team. At only a couple of points did it look particularly close. They made two of the worst teams in baseball look like World Series contenders, and soon they'll come home to face actual World Series contenders. There are bad weeks, and then there are existentially bad weeks. The Giants just had one of the latter. Other than that, everything seems fine. Here are some takeaways from an ugly weekend of baseball in Chicago. Remember that these valuable takeaways are for subscribers only. Gift subscriptions are available. The Giants scored 17 runs in their six games against the Marlins and White Sox, who sure give up a lot of runs to other teams. The Giants have had 14 at-bats with the bases loaded since June 15, and they've turned those 42 runners into four runs. Two of them scored on rally-killing double plays, one scored on a walk and one scored on a play where the back runner was thrown out at home. None of those bases-loaded situations ended with the offensive team feeling very good about itself, which seems hard to do. You can keep going with the not-so-fun facts. In Sunday's 5-2 loss, the Giants drew eight walks and scored just two runs, which is a combination that hadn't happened since 2019. It's been weeks since the Giants have had more than two hits with runners in scoring position in the same game. None of the factlets will be as descriptive as the simple, bleak truth: The Giants couldn't score runs against the Marlins and White Sox, who scored plenty of runs against them. Advertisement If there's good news, it's the kind of 'good news' that gets put in scare quotes. A lot of these problems have to do with the Giants' inability to hit with runners in scoring position (they were 8-for-44 last week), which tends to even out over time. The Giants were on a 110-win pace early in the season when they were great with RISP; they're the most frustrating team in the world now that they're incapable in those situations. The truth, as always, is probably somewhere in the middle. The Giants shouldn't always be this hopeless when it comes to scoring runs. Just some of the time. One thing to keep an eye on: keeps a stat called 'meatball swing percentage,' which is exactly what it sounds like, and only four teams are taking more pitches down the middle than the Giants. If you have unlimited time and a strong stomach, you can watch videos of all of them. Some of them are in hitter's counts. Some of them are with runners in scoring position. Some of them are with hitter's counts with runners in scoring position. It's painful, and it might hint at a passivity that needs to change. It's also not quite as permanent as it feels when the team is in the middle of it, most likely. But one of my main takeaways from the weekend is that, boy, the Giants stink at scoring runs right now. Gift subscriptions still available. The names in the Giants' bullpen might change somewhat, but the roles are going to be consistent. There will be high-leverage guys for late-and-close situations. There will be situational relievers to mix and match in the middle innings. There will be at least one backend guy who can absorb innings, even if he threw a lot of pitches a couple of days ago. Right now, Walker doesn't fit into any of those roles. He clearly isn't trustworthy enough to be a late-inning guy, and he's not stretched out for multi-inning appearances multiple times in the same week. He needs regular work to get right, but the Giants are playing so many close games that it's leaving only high-leverage situations for him. The results have been unfortunate. Put up a 4️⃣-spot for the lead ‼️ — Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) June 29, 2025 Walker is the worst of all worlds — a reliever who's too talented to give up on, but too erratic to trust. There isn't a bigger gulf between risk and reward on the team. Don't roll your eyes at the idea of Walker eventually contributing quality innings — he had one of the best relief seasons in franchise history last year, and there's a lot that's similiar between the pitches he threw last season and the ones he's throwing now. Other than, you know, the results. Still, if he were having this exact season for another team, he'd be a trade target for the Giants to fix. It doesn't feel like he's that far gone. Advertisement He's a haunted reliever, though, and he's constantly ending up in unexpectedly important spots, even as the Giants try to keep him away. He's like the bullpen's version of Mr. Bean, coming into hilariously sticky situations and somehow making everything even worse. It's almost charming when you think of it like that. Almost. Walker still has options remaining. As of last week, I wouldn't have thought the Giants would seriously consider using them, but then Tyler Fitzgerald was sent down. It was a harsh move to demote the Opening Day second baseman, but it wasn't a controversial one. The Giants sent him down primarily because the Giants still hoped he could help this season, not because they'd given up on him. Walker would appear to be on a similar path. There just aren't any great spots for him to get work on a team that's still very uncertain about its postseason chances. His inability to get one more out in the seventh inning of Sunday's game helped turn a half-respectable series win into a brutal series loss, and these outings will continue until morale improves. You can't make all of the takeaways depressing. It's bad for business. If you're more focused on the long-term success of the team, you can take comfort in Carson Seymour's wide-shouldered sinker, which sure looks like a quality major-league pitch. No idea if it's the kind of pitch that can keep him in the rotation for a decade, but it's a pitch to get excited about right now. It'll be interesting how it plays in short bursts out of the bullpen. Good day on the mound for JV 6.0 IP | 5 H | 1 R | 2 BB | 3 K — SFGiants (@SFGiants) June 29, 2025 If you're focused on the idea of this season, however, you can take comfort in Verlander's outing, which was one of his best in a Giants uniform. He held his velocity deep into Sunday's game, and he was allowed to face hitters for a third time. It feels like a good time to remember that there is still a ceiling the Giants can hope for from Verlander. His stuff is still good enough to impress some of the pitch-modeling metrics, and the dream of him pitching like this in October — against much better lineups — is still alive. Assuming the Giants aren't completely cooked. Which they might be. Unless they're just marinated and resting on the counter, getting closer to room temperature as the grill preheats. Either way, Verlander looked like a capable starting pitcher again, and that qualifies as the best Giants news of the weekend. Take it and don't look back. (Photo of Willy Adames: Kamil Krzaczynski / Imagn Images)
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Tiffany Hayes scores 21 points as Valkyries run away from Storm for 84-57 win
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Tiffany Hayes scored 21 points, Veronica Burton contributed 15 points, five rebounds and five assists, and the Golden State Valkyries ran away from the Seattle Storm for a 84-57 victory Sunday night. Valkyries leading scorer Kayla Thornton headed to the locker room at the 9:22 mark of the third quarter appearing to hold her neck, and the team said she was undergoing further evaluation without providing details of the injury. She shot 1 for 9 and missed all five of her 3-point tries, held to two points while grabbing five rebounds. Her teammates picked up the slack — on both ends of the floor. Skylar Diggins had 18 points, six assists and five rebounds for Seattle, which came in leading the league in field-goal percentage at 47.0% but was limited to a season-low 27% (20 for 74) by the stingy Golden State defense. The Storm had only been held below 40% once, shooting 33.3% in the season opener at Phoenix on May 17. Laeticia Amihere added 15 points and eight rebounds as the Valkyries jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead before Nneka Ogwumike's shot at the 6:58 mark and made five of their first eight shots for a 13-4 advantage. Ogwumike, who starred at nearby Stanford, finished with eight points on 3-of-10 shooting and seven rebounds. The Storm had won four of five. Both teams struggled from 3-point range — Seattle went 6 of 28 and the Valkyries 8 of 27. Golden State center Temi Fágbénlé played 20 minutes after resting for two games upon returning from a brief absence to play for Great Britain in the EuroBasket 2025 tournament. The game attracted some famous fans among the sellout crowd of 18,064 — Golden State's 10th in as many home games at Chase Center — including Warriors two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry, South Carolina women's coach Dawn Staley, former Storm and U.S. star Sue Bird and U.S. soccer great Megan Rapinoe. Valkyries guard Carla Leite missed her fourth straight game with a back injury. Up next Seattle goes on a three-game East Coast trip beginning Thursday at Atlanta. The Valkyries play at Minnesota on Saturday. ___ AP WNBA:
