Latest news with #Frenchman
New York Post
7 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Mohamed Diawara's ‘love' for defense is the upside behind Knicks' draft gamble
The newest Knick understands where his bread is buttered. 'I just love defense,' Mohamed Diawara, who was drafted by the Knicks on Thursday, said in a recent interview with Off The Grid Fitness. 'That's not the job that everybody wanna do. But I feel like it can really, really bring you some money if you could do it good. 'So you got to be a great defender and I feel like what's motivating me is I just want to play at the highest level. And I know for me to play at the highest level, I have to be a great defender. That's what motivates me.' The defensive element — along with Diawara's athleticism and the potential to stash him overseas if necessary — carried the Knicks' decision to make an upside gamble on the 20-year-old Frenchman.
Miami Herald
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Real Madrid blank RB Salzburg, win Group H in Club World Cup
Vinicius Junior scored one goal and assisted another to lift Real Madrid to a 3-0 victory over RB Salzburg and a Group H first-place finish in the FIFA Club World Cup on Thursday night in Philadelphia. Federico Valverde added the second goal just before halftime and Gonzalo Garcia added the third in the 84th minute for Madrid (2-0-1, 7 points) in a second consecutive multi-goal win following a tournament-opening draw against Al Hilal. The five-time winners of the Club World Cup in its previous format will face Juventus in a Round of 16 clash on Tuesday in Miami Gardens, Fla. RB Salzburg (1-1-1, 4 points) were eliminated as Al Hilal held on to win their simultaneous match against CF Pachuca in Nashville, Tenn. It was Salzburg's second defeat to Real Madrid in 2025 after a 5-1 loss in Spain in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League. Madrid were more efficient than dominant. The teams had 12 shots apiece, with the victors' four attempts on goal only one more than Salzburg's three. Madrid again played without Kylian Mbappe, who has yet to feature in the tournament due to a stomach illness that left him briefly hospitalized. But Vinicius Junior did enough to compensate for the Frenchman's absence on Thursday. He failed to convert the game's first shot on target, denied on the break by Christian Zawieschitzky after Jude Bellingham had played him into a 20th-minute breakaway. But two brilliant moments over a five-minute stretch tilted the game squarely in Madrid's favor. In the 40th minute, the Brazilian ran onto another terrific ball out of the back from Bellingham, before weaving left on the dribble to evade defender Kouakou Gadou. He drove an early low finish well out of Zawieschitzky's reach and into the bottom right corner. In the 45th, he reached Arda Guler's deflected pass on the right side of the box before directing a backheel pass to a wide-open Valverde behind him for an equally clinical finish past Zawieschitzky. Bellingham had the next crucial intervention in the 66th minute, blocking Edmund Baidoo's effort off the line with Thibaut Courtois beaten. --Field Level Media Field Level Media 2025 - All Rights Reserved
The Advertiser
10 hours ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Ayora hits front as List keeps within striking distance
Angel Ayora has shot a bogey-free round of 65 to put himself top of the leaderboard after day two of the Italian Open while Australia's Danny List remains firmly in contention. Englishman Dan Bradbury held the clubhouse lead heading into the second day, but he sits a shot behind in a tie for second despite going two under par for the day. Ghana-born List, meanwhile, who is in his first year on the tour, followed up an opening-round 68 with a 67 on Friday to leave himself four shots off the lead. Ayora was two shots behind the leader coming into the second day in Monte Argentario and after the 20-year-old started with eight straight pars, he holed four successive birdies from the ninth to reach nine under. Bradbury's day got off to the worst possible start as he double bogeyed the first, but he recovered with five birdies, along with another dropped shot, to remain in contention. Sitting in second alongside Bradbury at eight under were the trio of Martin Couvra, Andreas Halvorsen and Marcel Schneider. Frenchman Couvra fired the lowest round of the day, hitting eight birdies and a bogey in his 63 to sit in the chasing pack behind Ayora. Adrien Saddier is alone in sixth after he produced his lowest round of season so far with a six-under 64 to catapult his way into contention for a maiden DP World Tour win. Spanish pair Ivan Cantero and Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra, and Italian Francesco Laporta are all tied in seventh on six under par. Australia's David Micheluzzi carded a 69 to be three under and six shots off the front. Elvis Smylie is two over and Jason Scrivener a further shot adrift. Angel Ayora has shot a bogey-free round of 65 to put himself top of the leaderboard after day two of the Italian Open while Australia's Danny List remains firmly in contention. Englishman Dan Bradbury held the clubhouse lead heading into the second day, but he sits a shot behind in a tie for second despite going two under par for the day. Ghana-born List, meanwhile, who is in his first year on the tour, followed up an opening-round 68 with a 67 on Friday to leave himself four shots off the lead. Ayora was two shots behind the leader coming into the second day in Monte Argentario and after the 20-year-old started with eight straight pars, he holed four successive birdies from the ninth to reach nine under. Bradbury's day got off to the worst possible start as he double bogeyed the first, but he recovered with five birdies, along with another dropped shot, to remain in contention. Sitting in second alongside Bradbury at eight under were the trio of Martin Couvra, Andreas Halvorsen and Marcel Schneider. Frenchman Couvra fired the lowest round of the day, hitting eight birdies and a bogey in his 63 to sit in the chasing pack behind Ayora. Adrien Saddier is alone in sixth after he produced his lowest round of season so far with a six-under 64 to catapult his way into contention for a maiden DP World Tour win. Spanish pair Ivan Cantero and Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra, and Italian Francesco Laporta are all tied in seventh on six under par. Australia's David Micheluzzi carded a 69 to be three under and six shots off the front. Elvis Smylie is two over and Jason Scrivener a further shot adrift. Angel Ayora has shot a bogey-free round of 65 to put himself top of the leaderboard after day two of the Italian Open while Australia's Danny List remains firmly in contention. Englishman Dan Bradbury held the clubhouse lead heading into the second day, but he sits a shot behind in a tie for second despite going two under par for the day. Ghana-born List, meanwhile, who is in his first year on the tour, followed up an opening-round 68 with a 67 on Friday to leave himself four shots off the lead. Ayora was two shots behind the leader coming into the second day in Monte Argentario and after the 20-year-old started with eight straight pars, he holed four successive birdies from the ninth to reach nine under. Bradbury's day got off to the worst possible start as he double bogeyed the first, but he recovered with five birdies, along with another dropped shot, to remain in contention. Sitting in second alongside Bradbury at eight under were the trio of Martin Couvra, Andreas Halvorsen and Marcel Schneider. Frenchman Couvra fired the lowest round of the day, hitting eight birdies and a bogey in his 63 to sit in the chasing pack behind Ayora. Adrien Saddier is alone in sixth after he produced his lowest round of season so far with a six-under 64 to catapult his way into contention for a maiden DP World Tour win. Spanish pair Ivan Cantero and Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra, and Italian Francesco Laporta are all tied in seventh on six under par. Australia's David Micheluzzi carded a 69 to be three under and six shots off the front. Elvis Smylie is two over and Jason Scrivener a further shot adrift. Angel Ayora has shot a bogey-free round of 65 to put himself top of the leaderboard after day two of the Italian Open while Australia's Danny List remains firmly in contention. Englishman Dan Bradbury held the clubhouse lead heading into the second day, but he sits a shot behind in a tie for second despite going two under par for the day. Ghana-born List, meanwhile, who is in his first year on the tour, followed up an opening-round 68 with a 67 on Friday to leave himself four shots off the lead. Ayora was two shots behind the leader coming into the second day in Monte Argentario and after the 20-year-old started with eight straight pars, he holed four successive birdies from the ninth to reach nine under. Bradbury's day got off to the worst possible start as he double bogeyed the first, but he recovered with five birdies, along with another dropped shot, to remain in contention. Sitting in second alongside Bradbury at eight under were the trio of Martin Couvra, Andreas Halvorsen and Marcel Schneider. Frenchman Couvra fired the lowest round of the day, hitting eight birdies and a bogey in his 63 to sit in the chasing pack behind Ayora. Adrien Saddier is alone in sixth after he produced his lowest round of season so far with a six-under 64 to catapult his way into contention for a maiden DP World Tour win. Spanish pair Ivan Cantero and Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra, and Italian Francesco Laporta are all tied in seventh on six under par. Australia's David Micheluzzi carded a 69 to be three under and six shots off the front. Elvis Smylie is two over and Jason Scrivener a further shot adrift.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Spurs rumors: San Antonio targeting ex-1st rounder with Victor Wembanyama connection
The post Spurs rumors: San Antonio targeting ex-1st rounder with Victor Wembanyama connection appeared first on ClutchPoints. The San Antonio Spurs are gradually building a powerhouse team around Victor Wembanyama, preferring to slowly construct the perfect blend of the right young core and solid veteran talent to complement the 7'3″ Frenchman heading into his third season in the NBA. They have not seized opportunities to expedite their rebuilding process, preferring to keep their young talent instead of packaging them together in a trade for someone like Kevin Durant or perhaps even Giannis Antetokounmpo. Advertisement Nonetheless, with Wembanyama rapidly improving, it's only a matter of time before the Spurs become a powerhouse in the Western Conference once more. To push the Oklahoma City Thunder for West supremacy, the Spurs will need to load up on even more depth, as the two teams that made it to the NBA Finals proved that there is nothing more important in today's NBA than having many players on the roster who are playoff-viable. To that end, it seems as though the Spurs are targeting a versatile big man who has strong ties to their franchise cornerstone. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Spurs are 'among several teams expected to have interest in Yabusele during free agency'. Yabusele and Wembanyama are very much familar with one another, being the primary frontcourt pairing that the France National Basketball Team relied on on their way to the silver medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Yabusele, the 16th overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft, made his triumphant return stateside this past season with the Philadelphia 76ers. He averaged 11.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game on 50/38/73 shooting splits — a major improvement from the last time he stepped foot in the NBA. He started in 43 games last season for the depleted 76ers and proved himself capable of being a small-ball center, as well as fitting on bigger lineups as a power forward, thanks to his defensive versatility and floor-stretching utility. Guerschon Yabusele's potential fit on the Spurs © Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Should the Spurs sign Wembanyama's compatriot in Yabusele, it's not quite clear what role the 29-year-old forward will be playing for them. He's not likely to start for the Spurs, as they have Jeremy Sochan, Harrison Barnes, and Keldon Johnson as options at the position, so he's probably going to end up being a backup big man for San Antonio. Advertisement With Sandro Mamukelashvili, Charles Bassey, and Bismack Biyombo all being free agents, the Spurs certainly have more than enough room for the potential addition of Yabusele, who will add toughness and positional versatility to their frontcourt. Related: Why the Spurs made right decision to pass up on Kevin Durant trade Related: Fans hit Skip Bayless with Spurs receipts after bizarre 22-minute Thunder video
The Star
11 hours ago
- Sport
- The Star
Tennis-Moutet downs Michelsen to reach first ATP final in over five years
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Queen's Club Championships - Queen's Club, London, Britain - June 19, 2025, France's Corentin Moutet in action during his round of 16 match against Britain's Jacob Fearnley Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra/File Photo (Reuters) -Corentin Moutet booked his place in the Mallorca Open final with a 6-4 7-6(3) win over third seed Alex Michelsen on Friday, reaching his first ATP showpiece match in over five years. The Frenchman will face Tallon Griekspoor in Saturday's showdown after the Dutchman secured a 6-4 6-4 win over Canadian second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime. The unseeded Moutet, whose only previous appearance in an ATP final was in Doha in 2020, broke twice in the opening set and remained solid on serve to take it 6-4. Moutet's court craft kept his American opponent off balance throughout, with his lefty angles and slice disrupting Michelsen's rhythm. The second set was a tighter affair, with both players trading early breaks. Michelsen created five break points at 4-3 but 26-year-old Moutet saved them all in a gutsy hold. The American edged ahead 6-5, but Moutet responded with a composed service game to force a tiebreak. Moutet went ahead 4-3 in the breaker and never looked back, sealing the match on his first opportunity and will now be biding to win his maiden ATP title. Fourth seed Griekspoor secured a break in each set and held firm on serve to reach the final. Auger-Aliassime made a few errors but mostly struggled to challenge Griekspoor's serve, falling short in key moments. (Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
