Final Round Barracuda Championship
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Venus Williams is back and she is not done. She heads to Cincinnati next and maybe the US Open
WASHINGTON (AP) — After Venus Williams' four-matches-in-four-days return to professional tennis was over, after she was loudly feted by appreciative fans even after a loss in singles, the D.C. Open stadium announcer offered a thought: 'We're never going to say goodbye to Venus Williams, are we?' he said. Not yet, anyway. This was not a one-stop hello-and-farewell appearance for the 45-year-old Williams, who had been away from the tour for 16 months before showing up in Washington this week and winning once each in singles and doubles. She hadn't won a match since 2023, and the owner of seven Grand Slam singles titles, plus 14 in women's doubles with her sister Serena and another two in mixed doubles, was celebrated by the spectators and other players. 'I'm sorry to have (fallen) short,' Williams said after being eliminated by 24th-ranked Magdalena Frech 6-2, 6-2 on Thursday night, 'but I know I can play better. And I know I will play better.' Yes, there will be more: Williams next heads to the Cincinnati Open in August. That's certain. And she also might very well be competing at the U.S. Open later next month, if the U.S. Tennis Association awards her a wild-card entry. The USTA already announced that Williams asked for an invitation to play with Reilly Opelka in the tournament's newfangled mixed doubles event. Williams made quite obvious that the whole experience in Washington was fun for her. She loves the challenge. She loves playing tennis. Plus, what's not to like about so much adulation from so many? 'Everything is about her (at) this tournament. All the media, all the fans — everyone is for her,' Frech said. 'She's a superstar. She's a legend here.' There's more to it, though. Because Williams also made clear that this is not merely about having a good time. She wants to win, too. 'There's so many learnings from here. I know exactly what I need to work on, where I can improve. The good news is I'm always in control of the point. The important part is to put the ball in,' Williams said with a smile. 'So this is one thing I didn't do today. Was I in control? Absolutely. Will I be in control of most of my matches? Most likely, yes. That's the place I want to be, so I'm putting myself in that position. That's what counts.' Williams still can hammer a serve, as the series of aces she delivered at more than 110 mph during her straight-set victory Tuesday against 35th-ranked Peyton Stearns showed. Still can pound forehands and backhands, too. As Stearns put it: 'She played some ball tonight.' At the end of her final news conference in Washington, Williams spoke about her takeaways from the matches she played and the work she put in to make them possible after needing to stay off the court last year because of surgery for uterine fibroids. Her answer sounded a bit like a warning to other players out there who will face her. 'I'll reflect on this match and the things I could have done better. I'll reflect on my preparation going into the matches to make sure I'm prime and ready. Those are the kind of things. But more than anything, I take a lot of information from this tournament. So much data,' Williams said. 'Like, I can't wait to get on the practice court. My coach and I were already talking about what we're going to work on and also how much better I got so quickly in these last few weeks, too, was kind of like straight up a mountain.' Then she paused and added: 'So we have made so much progress, and I expect that there will be more.' ___ Howard Fendrich has been the AP's tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: More AP tennis:
Yahoo
9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
A-Rod SPAC Strikes Out, Canceling Long-Pending Merger With Lynk
Slam Corp., the SPAC formed by Alex Rodriguez that raised more than $500 million at its IPO during the height of the sports SPAC craze, told investors Thursday evening that it has called off its long-delayed merger with satellite phone service provider Lynk Global. 'Termination was on mutually acceptable terms and was completed as part of the full dismissal and settlement of related litigation in the Delaware Court of Chancery, which was commenced on June 19, 2025,' the company said in a regulatory filing. 'The settlement agreement provides that Lynk will make a deferred payment to Slam within the next two years that is significantly less than Slam's current liabilities.' More from A-Rod Again Confronts 'Seller's Remorse' in Slam SPAC Spat Kevin Durant, Livvy Dunne Invest in PE-Backed Spindrift DraftKings the Exception to Sports SPACs' Dire Track Record Slam has about $612 million in liabilities on its balance sheet, almost all of which probably accounts for warrants issued as part of its IPO and continued efforts to retain investors. The company has $1.15 million in other, more common, liabilities, including accrued expenses, long-term debt and accounts payable, according to data compiled by S&P Global Market Intelligence. The baseball great and new owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves formed Slam in 2021 to pursue the acquisition of a sports, media, entertainment or health and wellness-related business. At the time of its IPO, Slam was part of a wave of blank-check businesses associated with sports figures and seeking sports properties, sparked by the success of DraftKings' merger with a SPAC. The market soon fell headlong in a prolonged slump after most of the business combinations secured by SPACs turned out to be terrible deals for shareholders. A-Rod's pivot to merge with Lynk, which is still in development stage, was a relative success when announced in late 2023. However, the two parties ran into trouble; Slam accused Lynk of slow-walking the merger in an attempt to force the deal to fail. Last month Slam filed a lawsuit against Lynk in Delaware for that reason, but Lynk disagreed. The merger dissolution includes dropping of all legal claims. The outlook for Slam itself is uncertain. SPAC shareholders have the option at certain points to redeem their shares for cash, and many Slam investors have done so over time. Right now Slam has about 15.5 million shares, according to a June filing. They are worth about $179 million, far less than the $575 million in publicly traded shares Slam had shortly after its IPO. Best of Most Expensive Sports Memorabilia and Collectibles in History The 100 Most Valuable Sports Teams in the World NFL Private Equity Ownership Rules: PE Can Now Own Stakes in Teams
Yahoo
9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'Somebody else caught it': Scottie Scheffler playfully admits to doing this during Open
The mystery has been solved. Who farted during Scottie Scheffler's approach shot on Royal Portrush's 17th hole Thursday at The Open? That would be the Champion Golfer of the Year himself. 'Oh yeah, that was me,' Scheffler said Thursday on Barstool Sports' Pardon My Take. 'You're out there for like six hours. You're eating some different food over there. Some stuff's going to happen.' Scottie kept his foot on the gas: 'You never know when the boom mic is there. You never know what they're going to pick up. I'm actually surprised it hasn't happened more in the past, picking up stuff like that. I literally didn't think anything about it, and after we got inside, Xander Schauffele was showing me the video. He pulls up the video and I see myself standing on 17, and I'm like, 'Oh, I know what this is.'' The show hosts, Big Cat and PFT Commenter, had a couple more questions on the topic: How would you grade the fart? 'It had a nice sound to it,' Scheffler said. 'As long as we were outside, it was perfect.' And did it smell? 'No, we were outside, the breeze was blowing,' Scheffler said. 'Somebody else caught it.'
