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Kvitová beats Vekić to win Berlin Open and show she’s ready for Wimbledon

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:05:52 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitová showed she’s ready to try for a third title on Sunday by beating Donna Vekić 6-2, 7-6 (6) to win the Berlin Open for her 31st career victory.Kvitová saved three of the four break points she faced and converted four of her five opportunities as she won the match in 1 hour, 41 minutes for her sixth title on grass. She has won 12 of her last 13 matches on the surface going back to her title run in Eastbourne last season. “Every time I play you, you seem to go on and win the title,” Vekić told her experienced opponent. “At least this time it was in the final.”Vekić had knocked out two top-10 opponents in No. 3 Elena Rybakina and No. 8 Maria Sakkari on her way to the Berlin decider.The 33-year-old Kvitová, who was playing in her 42nd final, wrapped up the first set in 33 minutes on her debut in Berlin, but the second wasn’t as straightforward. The Czech’s double-fault gave Vekić the chance to break for a 2-1 lead.Kvitová manag...

Exit poll from Greek election shows conservative New Democracy party in landslide victory

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:05:52 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Exit poll from Greek election shows conservative New Democracy party in landslide victory.Source

Ostapenko beats Krejcikova in Birmingham Classic final for 2nd title on grass

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:05:52 GMT

BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Jelena Ostapenko staved off a late comeback to beat top-seeded Barbora Krejcikova in the Birmingham Classic final on Sunday to win her second title on grass.In a battle of the top two seeds and former French Open champions, it was the second-seeded Latvian who came out on top, winning 7-6 (8), 6-4.Krejcikova hadn’t dropped a set all week coming into the championship match. But it was Ostapenko who secured a tight opening set at her fourth opportunity in the tiebreaker.Ostapenko then raced to a 5-1 lead to leave her on the brink of victory before Krejcikova responded by winning three games in a row.“I was really close from 5-1 to 5-4 but then I managed somehow and I’m really, really happy about it,” said Ostapenko, who had four three-set matches before the final.“I was fighting every match. I played five great matches, this was the only match in two sets. It’s a great preparation for Wimbledon and there’s still a couple of things I can do better.”It was Ost...

Lionel Messi admite que tuvo una “adaptación difícil” en Francia tras mudarse al Paris Saint-Germain

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:05:52 GMT

(CNN) — Lionel Messi tuvo problemas para adaptarse a un nuevo entorno en el Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) después de mudarse al club francés en 2021, dijo el delantero argentino en una entrevista con beIN Sports transmitida esta semana.Messi ganó dos títulos de liga durante su tiempo en el PSG, anotó 21 goles y completó 20 asistencias en todas las competiciones durante la temporada pasada.Sin embargo, no logró llevar el éxito de la Liga de Campeones al club y su tiempo en la capital francesa terminó amargamente cuando fue suspendido por realizar un viaje no autorizado a Arabia Saudita, algo por lo que se disculpó posteriormente.Lionel Messi mira durante el partido de la Ligue 1 entre el PSG y el Clermont Foot el 3 de junio. Julian Finney/Getty Images“La verdad es que fue una adaptación muy difícil, mucho más de lo que esperaba”, dijo Messi a beIN sobre su fichaje por el PSG hace dos años.“A pesar de tener gente que conocía en el vestuario y tener relación con ellos, me costó adapt...

Aaron Boone insists Josh Donaldson is still an ‘everyday player’ for Yankees despite ‘reset’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:05:52 GMT

As Josh Donaldson declined to speak with reporters on Sunday morning, he made his way toward Aaron Boone’s office.The struggling third baseman — out of the lineup for the third consecutive day — and manager proceeded to have a conversation that made Boone half an hour late for his daily pregame press conference. When Boone finally spoke, he had no moves to announce despite speculation over Donaldson’s future with the Yankees.“JD and I were talking,” Boone explained. “It just spilled into a long conversation. That’s all.“He and I have had a lot of conversations yesterday and today. We’re on the same page. I’m not going to get into it that much but it’s just more him and I talking. I’m sorry it spilled over. You have important conversations with guys all of the time.”Donaldson, a former MVP, entered Sunday’s series finale against the Rangers slashing .125/.197/.406 with six home runs and eight RB...

Geay toys with field, cruises to BAA 10k win

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:05:52 GMT

Tanzania’s Gabriel Geay took the lead for the first mile of Sunday’s 13th Annual BAA 10K just to see if anyone in the front group was ready to move hard sooner than later. When no one responded and gave chase, Geay simply let the group of 12 swallow him as it pounded up Commonwealth Ave.When Geay moved into the lead for a second time, it was decisive and it was for keeps.The 2018 winner put daylight between him and the pack at 5K before running a blistering 4:18 fourth mile to leave Edwin Kurgat of Kenya in his wake. Geay ran the fifth mile in 4:24 and felt comfortable enough to grab a cup of water on Boylston Street. In front of a huge crowd in warm, humid conditions Geay extended his lead on Kurgat to break the tape in a personal best of 27 minutes, 49 seconds for the win. The runner-up in April’s BAA Marathon, Geay averaged 4:29 in his second win 10K win.Kurgat finished a strong second in 28:01 and Alex Masai of Kenya was another eight seconds back, in 28:09. Et...

One dead and several are injured after riders plunged from a roller coaster in Sweden

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:05:52 GMT

STOCKHOLM (AP) — One person was killed and several others injured when a roller coaster derailed in Stockholm on Sunday, Swedish TV reported.Park officials told public broadcaster SVT that that one of the carriages on the Jetline rollercoaster derailed and people fell to the ground at the Grona Lund amusement park.“It is incredibly tragic and shocking,” park spokeswoman Annika Troselius told SVT. “Unfortunately we have been informed that one person is killed and many are injured.”Police said seven people, both children and adults, were hospitalized.The amusement park was evacuated to facilitate the work of rescue crews.SVT reporter Jenny Lagerstedt, who was standing in line for another ride, said the carriage was at a high altitude.“Suddenly I heard a metallic thud and then the rides started to shake,” she said. Rescuers had to remove other passengers who were stuck in other carriages on the roller coaster after the accident.

Daughter of San Diego County firefighter battles 'incurable' diagnosis

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:05:52 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A San Diego County firefighter is looking to the community for their support as his daughter faces a battle beyond his control.Rich Durrell, a crew member of San Miguel Fire & Rescue, recently received some devastating news: his daughter has been diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer. Chain of survival: Man suffering cardiac arrest recovers after 70 minutes of CPR On June 12, Ashley Durrell underwent brain surgery to remove a large growth, but the end result was an Astrocytoma diagnosis. Though his type of cancer is considered treatable, Rich says the doctors informed them that the cancer is "incurable."According to medical professionals, the average survival rate is 2-5 years in 85% of people diagnosed."Ashley is a strong young woman. She is also a mom, a wife, a sister and a daughter. She’s ready to fight but she could use some help," Rich stated. "Treatments will start soon and she will not be able to return to work. She will need help with many things ahe...

LGBTQ+ Pride revelers flash feathers and flags in the streets from New York to San Francisco

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:05:52 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Celebrations mingled with displays of resistance Sunday as LGBTQ+ pride parades filled streets in some of the country’s largest cities in annual events that have become part party, part protest.In New York, thousands marched down Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue to Greenwich Village, cheering and waving rainbow flags to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall uprising, where a police raid on a gay bar triggered days of protests and launched a movement for LGBTQ+ rights. While some people whooped it up in celebration, many were mindful of the growing conservative countermovement to limit rights, including by banning gender-affirming care for transgender children.“I’m not trying not to be very heavily political, but when it does target my community, I get very, very annoyed and very hurt,” said Ve Cinder, a 22-year-old transgender woman who traveled from Pennsylvania to take part in the country’s largest pride event.“I’m just, like, scared for my future and for my tra...

Previous passenger on doomed submersible says Titanic adventure tourism at an end

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:05:52 GMT

HALIFAX — A German man who was among the first customers to successfully descend to the Titanic wreck aboard a submersible destroyed in an implosion one week ago believes the tragedy will put an end to adventure tourism at the site for the foreseeable future.Arthur Loibl made the journey on Titan in 2021 with the submersible company’s CEO Stockton Rush and French Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet. Both men were among the five people who perished in the catastrophic incident that prompted a frantic international search in a remote area of the North Atlantic for most of last week.British billionaire Hamish Harding and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son, Suleman, were also killed.“I think this kind of public tourism died last week,” Loibl said in a phone interview Sunday. “I think it will take a very long time before somebody will try it again. They will need to make a sub that is much more safe and it will take a lot of money.”The 60-year-old retired busin...