Category Archives: Deportes

Nuria Párrizas Diaz Defeats Louisa Chirico to Claim Historic Open Internacional de Valencia Title

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Nuria Párrizas Diaz is celebrating a historic title…

The 33-year-old Spanish professional tennis player defeated American Louisa Chirico on Sunday at the Open Internacional de Valencia.

Nuria Párrizas DiazPárrizas Diaz claimed the singles title after a thrilling final against Chirico, with a final score of 7-5, 7-6 (9).

With this victory, Párrizas claimed her first title at the WTA 125 event in Valencia, but also sets a milestone by becoming the first Spanish woman to lift the trophy in the tournament’s history.

The awards ceremony featured a distinguished institutional presence. Present were:

Ximo Raga, Director of Private Banking for the Eastern Region at BBVA
Miguel Selvi, President of the Sporting Club de Tenis Valencia
César Lorente, Director of Transformation for the Eastern Region at BBVA
Miguel Díaz, President of the Royal Spanish Tennis Federation
José Manuel Mieres, Director of the Eastern Region at BBVA
Rocío Gil, Councilor for Sports at Valencia City Council
Joaquín Ríos, Executive Director of Tennium
Anabel Medina, Tournament Director
Aurora Aranda, Director of Cáritas Valencia, who received a charity check from the organization

A tournament with significant institutional and corporate support the Valencia International Open is supported by important entities such as the Generalitat Valenciana, the Provincial Council of Valencia, the City Council of Valencia, and the Royal Spanish Tennis Federation. In addition, the sponsorships include BBVA, CamperDays, Glasol, Volvo, Monserrate Premium Home Agents, Arroz Dacsa, Iberdrola, Beronia, Melt Group, El Porteño, Ysabel Mora, Turia, Dunlop, Tennis Point, Agua NEA, Global Omnium, and Sanitas.

It’s Párrizas Diaz’s fourth WTA 125 title.

She previously claimed titles at Bastad Open (2021), the Columbus Challenger (2021) and the Canberra International (2024).

Carlota Ciganda Wins Meijer LPGA Classic

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Carlota Ciganda is celebrating a return to the winner’s circle. 

The 35-year-old Spanish professional golfer birdied the final two holes to win the Meijer LPGA Classic on Sunday for her first LPGA Tour victory in more than 8½ years.

Carlota Ciganda,Ciganda hit to a foot to set up her birdie on the par-4 17th, then made a 4-foot comebacker on the par-5 18th to avoid a playoff with playing partner Hye-Jin Choi.

“It feels amazing, obviously, after all these years,” Ciganda said. “I knew I could do it, but obviously once the years keep going and you start getting older you start doubting yourself.”

Part of a six-way tie to start the day at Blythefield County Club, Ciganda shot a 5-under 67 — her fourth straight round in the 60s — to finish at 16-under 272 on the tree-lined layout in the final event before the major KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in Texas.

“I love coming here,” Ciganda said. “It reminds me of Spain where I’m from in the northern part of the Spain. Very similar. Lots of trees, peaceful. I love the golf course. Five par 5s, you can hit it hard here.”

Ciganda won for the first time since the 2016 Lorena Ochoa Invitational, a span of 8 years, 7 months, 2 days. She has three LPGA Tour victories and has won eight times on the Ladies European Tour, the last in December in the Spanish Women’s Open.

“I had a chance to win this tournament,” Choi said. “But the bogey on 17 hole was, yeah, just the one I’m thinking about.”

Ciganda matched Beatriz Recari for the most victories by a Spanish player.

The former Arizona State player is the oldest LPGA Tour winner since Eun-Hee Ji at 36 in the 2022 T-Mobile Match Play.

“For me age is just a number,” Ciganda said. “I don’t feel as fresh as when I was 24, but I still feel I can compete and I can win out here. I love playing. I love Thursday to Sundays. I love competition.”

Carlos Alcaraz Rallies to Defeat Jannik Sinner for Second Straight French Open Title

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Carlos Alcaraz comes from behind to win French Open title…

The 22-year-old Spanish tennis star rallied from two sets down and saved three match points to beat world No. 1 Jannik Sinner 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (10-2) to win his second straight French Open title on Sunday.

Carlos AlcarazIn a thrilling final, Alcaraz trailed 5-3, 0-40 on serve in the fourth set but recovered to win his fifth Grand Slam title after 5 hours, 29 minutes, the longest men’s final at Roland Garros in the Open era and the second-longest men’s Grand Slam final ever.

“The match is not finished until he wins the last point,” Alcaraz said in his post-match news conference. “A lot of times people came back from match point down in final of a Grand Slam or even in other matches. I just wanted to be one of those players who saved match point in the Grand Slam final and ended up winning.

“I just believed all the time. I never doubted myself, even in those match points down. I thought, just one point at a time. Just one point and then after one point, try to save that game and keep believing. That’s what I thought.”

Alcaraz is the eighth man in the Open era to successfully defend the Roland Garros title and is the first man to save match points and win a Grand Slam final since Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2019.

It’s the first time in nine attempts that Alcaraz has come from two sets down to win a match.

He’s now 5-0 in Slam finals and extended his head-to-head advantage over Sinner to 8-4.

An Alcaraz comeback looked unlikely as Sinner, chasing his first French Open title and fourth Grand Slam title overall, took the first two sets and broke early in the third.

Alcaraz, roared on by a crowd inside Court Philippe Chatrier that included actor Dustin Hoffman, film director Spike Lee and a host of sporting heroes, hit back to take the third, but the match again looked over when Sinner had three match points at 0-40 on the Alcaraz serve in the ninth game of the fourth.

However, the Spaniard dug himself out of a hole to take the set on the tiebreak and then, after letting an early lead slip in the fifth, rebounded for victory, taking his tally in deciding-set tiebreaks to 12-2.

“When the situations are against you, you have to fight, keep fighting,” Alcaraz said. “It is a Grand Slam final. It’s no time to be tired. It’s no time to give up. It’s time to keep fighting, try to find your moment, your good place again, and just go for it.

“I think the real champions are made in [those] situations when you deal with that pressure in the best way possible. That’s what the real champions have done in their whole careers. I’m just trying to feel comfortable in the situations with the pressure, and I’m not being afraid of it.”

Alcaraz is exactly the same age — 22 years, 1 month, 3 days old — as his countryman Rafael Nadal was when he won his fifth Grand Slam title. Nadal was among the first people to congratulate Alcaraz on social media, joined by Billie Jean King and the Real Madrid football team.

“Honestly, the coincidence of winning my fifth Grand Slam in the same age as Rafa Nadal, I’m going to say that’s destiny, I guess,” Alcaraz said, smiling. “It is a stat that I’m going to keep for me forever, winning the fifth Grand Slam at the same time as Rafa, my idol, my inspiration. It’s a huge honor honestly. Hopefully it’s not going to stop like this.”

Alcaraz’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, told a news conference that the comeback was even more remarkable than when Alcaraz saved a match point in his quarterfinal win over Sinner at the 2022 US Open, when he won his first major.

“I’m not going to say that I was believing that he was able to recover from that 5-3, love-40,” he said. “But one more time with Carlos, everything is possible, and he did it again. Amazing achieve[ment].”

Sinner looked shell-shocked at the end of the match. “I don’t think I will sleep very well tonight,” he said at the trophy presentation.

“Happy about the tournament still,” he said later at a news conference. “But obviously this one hurts.

“It’s a very high-level match, that’s for sure. Happy to be part of this. But yeah, the final result hurts.

“Today I had chances. I was break up in the third. Was break up in the fourth. Was three match points. Serving for the match. Came back. 6-5, I had chances also in the fifth. So many chances I couldn’t use. Sometimes you have these days. You can’t really do anything now.”

Marcel Granollers & Horacio Zeballos Claim First Grand Slam Title as a Pairing with French Open Men’s Doubles Win

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Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos have claimed their first Grand Slam title as a team…

And 39-year-old Spanish professional tennis player and the 40-year-old Argentine professional tennis player won the French Open doubles final on Saturday for their first major title together at the combined age of 79.

Marcel Granollers & Horacio ZeballosGranollers and Zeballos played in their fourth Grand Slam final as a pairing, but first at the clay-court major. They defeated British pair Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski 6-0, 6-7 (5), 7-5.

Granollers and Zeballos, who were seeded fifth in Paris, were runners-up at the U.S. Open in 2019 and Wimbledon in 2021 and 2023.

Salisbury and Skupski were the first all-British team to reach a Grand Slam men’s doubles final in the Open era (1968) and the first British men’s doubles finalists at Roland Garros since 1936.

Granollers and Zeballos were dominant early, blanking their eighth-seeded opponents in the opening set before being dragged into a dogfight in the next.

Salisbury and Skupski, who won the only previous tour-level encounter between the two teams in the Rome quarterfinals last month, won the second set tiebreak and were close to building a 4-3 lead in the decider before a moment of magic.

Zeballos hit the shot of the match to level at deuce in the next game, chasing down a dipping ball and squeezing it around the post at ground level to draw loud cheers from a small crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier.

Salisbury and Skupski refused to fade away, fighting on before running out of gas in the 12th game.

Granollers and Zeballos broke to love to secure victory and fell to the ground in celebration.

Seattle Mariners Claim Leody Taveras from Texas Rangers

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Leody Taveras is headed to the Emerald City.

The Seattle Mariners the 26-year-old Dominican professional baseball outfielder off waivers from their American League West rival Texas Rangers on Tuesday.

Leody TaverasThe Mariners also designated right-hander Luis F. Castillo for assignment.

Taveras spent the first six years of his Major League Baseball career with Texas and started all five games of the Rangers’ 2023 World Series win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in center field.

But the Rangers placed Taveras on outright waivers after Sunday’s game against the Mariners.

Taveras was batting .241 with one home run, eight RBIs and six stolen bases through 30 games. He’s a career .240 hitter with 39 homers, 168 RBIs and 72 stolen bases since making his major league debut in 2020.

Meanwhile, Castillo, 30, made two starts earlier this season and pitched to a 7.71 ERA, with seven walks to just five strikeouts. He previously had not played in the big leagues since 2022 with the Detroit Tigers.

Carmelo Anthony Joining Roster of NBC Sports & Peacock’s NBA Coverage as a Studio Analyst

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Carmelo Anthony is heading to the broadcast studio…

The 40-year-old Puerto Rico former professional basketball player is joining the roster at NBC Sports and Peacock as a studio analyst for the network’s revitalized NBA coverage.

Carmelo AnthonyAppearing Saturday on NBC Sports’ coverage of the Kentucky Derby, the 10x NBA All-Star announced that he’s expected to be in the studio one or more nights per week starting in October, reporting on the 2025-’26 season throughout the playoffs.

“A new chapter begins @NBAonNBC this fall,” wrote Anthony on X with a video teasing his new gig.

After more than two decades on other networks, NBA makes its return to NBC this fall. Anthony recalled the influence the network’s coverage had on him as a child.

“Watching the NBA on NBC growing up shaped my love for the game,” he said. “Now, I’m thrilled to join the NBC Sports family. I’ve always used my platform to help grow the game, and I’m excited to bring fans a fresh perspective as we usher in a new era of NBA coverage and programming.”

During Saturday’s broadcast, Anthony said he’s most excited to be “just building a team, getting back into a team-oriented aspect,” following the news that Jamal Crawford and Reggie Miller will join NBA on NBC game analysts. Mike Tirico and Noah Eagle will also serve as play-by-play analysts.

“Talking the game, speaking the game, figuring out what’s the ‘why’ on what a lot of people are doing, what a lot of players are doing in the game,” added Anthony. “The game within the game, I think, needs to be talked about.”

Anthony, who was drafted as the Denver Nuggets’ first-round pick in 2003, ended his 19-season NBA career in 2022 with the Los Angeles Lakers. Since retiring, he’s gone on to discuss the league on his 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony podcast.

Teofimo Lopez Cruises to Unanimous Decision Win Over Arnold Barboza Jr. to Retain WBO Junior Welterweight Championship

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Teofimo Lopez cruises to victory…

The 27-year-old Honduran American professional boxer, a two-division world champion, cruised to a unanimous decision to retain his WBO junior welterweight championship on Friday in Times Square against previously unbeaten Arnold Barboza Jr.

Teofimo LopezLopez (22-1, 13 KOs) routinely beat Barboza to the punch, easily evaded his opponent’s offense and was too skilled. The judges scored the bout 116-112, 116-112 and 118-110 for Lopez.

Lopez, fighting out of Las Vegas, was coming off a unanimous decision win over Steve Claggett. But Lopez faced questions about reaching his full potential over his past few fights.

He put those concerns to rest with a dominant performance against a slick boxer who had been undefeated.

Barboza (32-1) entered the fight after an impressive split decision victory over Jack Catterall in February. After wanting to fight Lopez for years, Barboza finally got that opportunity, but quickly realized he wasn’t ready for the challenge against “The Takeover.”

Lopez’s physical advantages were on display early as he was elusive, slipping punches and frequently landing counters. Barboza worked hard to jab his way inside but couldn’t keep pace with the supremely talented Lopez.

As the rounds continued, Lopez found a rhythm, mixing some showboating with his pinpoint accuracy, while Barboza struggled to find his mark.

With an accurate jab, a powerful counter right hand and sharp reflexes, Lopez was too much for his rival. By the late rounds, it was evident Barboza needed a knockout, but the California fighter’s lack of power made that outcome highly unlikely.

Lopez outworked Barboza, landing 127 of 574 punches. Barboza couldn’t keep pace, with only 71 punches landed of 426 thrown.

With the win, Lopez is looking for bigger obstacles and called out undefeated unified welterweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis.

“You know me guys, I go after the tough challenges,” Lopez said. “I want to see Boots. I’m Dora the Explorer and I’m looking for Boots.”

Junior Alvarado Dominates Field with Horse Sovereignty to Become a First-Time Kentucky Derby Winner

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Junior Alvarado has proved his sovereignty…

The 38-year-old Venezuelan jockey rode Sovereignty to victory on a muddy track at Churchill Downs on Saturday to win the Kentucky Derby for the first time in his career.

Junior AlvaradoLess than two months before the Kentucky Derby, Alvarado was praying to God to heal him.

On March 23, he was riding the horse Term at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida, when his thoroughbred suffered a heart attack, sending Alvarado off his saddle. He was clipped by another horse while on the ground tending to his own, resulting in a hairline fracture in his shoulder that would sideline him for three weeks.

Alvarado was heartbroken. His dream was winning the Derby, and he felt he had a legitimate shot this year with his horse Sovereignty. Alvarado wasn’t sure if he would ever get an opportunity like this again if he didn’t return in time.

“I have a lot of faith in God,” Alvarado said Saturday about the mental challenge he faced. “Every day since I got the injury I kept telling God, ‘Please heal me, please heal me. If it’s meant to be, I know you’re going to put me right back in action before the Derby.’”

Alvarado’s prayers were answered.

He recovered in plenty of time for the 151st Run for the Roses to claim his first career win in horse racing signature’s event after five previous losses.

Not only was Alvarado’s spot on Sovereignty in jeopardy after falling in March, he also ran the risk of being replaced by a different rider. But the day after Alvarado was released from the hospital, he received a call from Sovereignty trainer Bill Mott, who assured Alvarado the horse was his to ride once he recovered.

“When Mr. Mott called me the day after I got out of the hospital, he gave me a big peace of mind,” Alvarado said. “You don’t get that in the business often. This is the nature of the business: Somebody else gets to ride the horse, he’s riding good, and you get to keep him.”

“But having the peace of mind and being able to do what I needed to do was something that I always will appreciate from Mr. Mott.”

Alvarado kept his calm even after a second fall on Thursday, two days before the Derby, when he tumbled off Caramel Chip during the ninth race of the day.

While Alvarado literally had to get himself back on the horse, Sovereignty was having a much smoother run-up to the Derby, according to Mott, even after finishing second in his most recent race under jockey Manny Franco in late March.

“I didn’t have any reservations about him,” Mott said in reference to Sovereignty. “You got to go out and run the race, but the way the horse was doing, I really couldn’t have asked for anything different in the last five weeks since his last race. Everything had gone smoothly. Ordinarily to win these kinds of races, you can’t have any hiccups in your training schedule or the way the horse is doing.”

Mott, who previously won the 2019 Kentucky Derby with horse Country House after a disqualification, said winning with his “regular rider” Alvarado made Saturday’s result particularly special.

Alvarado’s journey, of course, began long before his fracture in March or even his previous Derby appearances. It began in Venezuela, where his father was a jockey. He said that growing up, the only race he could watch on television was the one he just won at Churchill Downs.

He first told himself it would simply be nice to race in the event. Later on he wanted to win it.

“Today we did that,” Alvarado said. “I don’t know if I’m going to be able actually to find the right words that can describe this feeling that I have right now.”

Canelo Alvarez Defeats William Scull in Super Middleweight Title Fight to Become Undisputed 168-Pound Champion

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Canelo Alvarez remains an undisputed champion.

The Mexican boxer (63-2-2, 39 KOs) defeated William Scull in super middleweight title fight to become the undisputed 168-pound champion for the second time in his career.

Canelo AlvarezAlvarez defeated Scull (23-1, 9 KOs) via decision in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

With the victory, Alvarez regained the IBF title that was stripped of him last year after he declined to face Scull.

Saturday’s win set up a highly anticipated matchup between Alvarez and Terence Crawford on September 12 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Crawford was in attendance on Saturday and immediately entered the ring to do a faceoff with Alvarez.

The end result was what the sport of boxing expected — and wanted — but it took a painful 12-round bout Saturday to make it official.

Scull, a 32-year-old from Cuba, spent most of the championship bout dancing around the perimeter, throwing half-hearted jabs with little weight behind them. Alvarez pursued Scull from bell to bell, but refused to aggressively open up more than necessary.

It turned into a very easy fight to score in Alvarez’s favor, but a difficult one to watch. Alvarez won via scores of 119-109, 116-112 and 115-113.

“I don’t like to fight those kinds of guys,” Alvarez said. “They came to just survive to the final round. That’s why I don’t like to fight them. It won’t be that kind of fight [against Crawford]. I hate that kind of fight. He moved even more than we thought. But it’s OK. We won. We’re here.”

By contrast, Alvarez said it will be his “pleasure” to square off against an action fighter like Crawford.

“I feel great. Crawford is one of the best out there, and, you know, I like to share the ring with that kind of fighter,” Alvarez said. “It’s my pleasure.”

Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) offered little analysis of Alvarez’s performance, only saying, “He did what he had to do to get the job done, for what was in front of him.”

Alvarez and Scull both received warnings for inactivity, but that didn’t stop it from being a historically slow affair. The two combined for 445 punches thrown, according to CompuBox. That is the fewest number of combined punches thrown in a 12-round fight in CompuBox’s 40-year history. They each landed an almost incomprehensibly low average of five punches per round.

Nevertheless, Alvarez’s offense clearly surpassed Scull’s, as he targeted Scull’s body with power punches. It extended Alvarez’s winning streak to six, all of which have gone the distance. He has not scored a knockout since an 11th-round finish of Caleb Plant in November 2021. Scull, who went into Saturday as the IBF champion, suffered the first defeat of his career.

Rolando “Rolly” Romero Claims Upset Win Over Ryan Garcia

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Rolando “Rolly” Romero is officially a disruptor…

The 29-year-old Latino professional boxer pulled off a massive upset in Times Square on Friday of Ryan Garcia by unanimous decision (115-112, 115-112, 118-109).

Rolando "Rolly" RomeroIn the main event, Garcia’s return to boxing after a one-year suspension for failing a drug test after his April 2024 fight with Devin Haney was a disaster.

Garcia (24-2, 1 NC) entered the fight as a -1000 favorite on ESPN BET. However, he wasn’t able to uncork his trademark left hook or mount any significant offense in the 12-round affair.

Instead, Romero (17-2) set the tone early and dropped Garcia with a left hook in Round 2. Although Garcia didn’t appear hurt, the knockdown altered the course of the fight as he went from eager to timid for the rest of the fight. Neither fighter seemed to be interested in letting his hands go, with a combined 123 punches landed out of a total of 490 punches thrown. The output was the third-lowest in CompuBox history for a 12-round fight, even below the 503 punches Haney and Jose Ramirez combined to throw in the co-main event.

“He fought a good fight,” Garcia said afterward. “He caught me early. No excuses, man. Congrats to him. He did a great job, and that’s it.”

Garcia popped the jab, but Romero was patient and kept his distance. It was a surprising performance by Romero, who was two fights removed from being stopped by Isaac Cruz in 2024. Instead of recklessly rushing in, Romero was calm and steady in his approach.

Meanwhile, Garcia couldn’t shake the effects of the early knockdown and spent the duration of the bout looking for a fight-ending punch. He never found it and will now have to go back to the drawing board.

As for Romero, he might be the only person who wants to see a Garcia-Haney rematch despite emerging victorious Friday.

“I ain’t even thinking about what’s next,” Romero said. “I think Devin and Ryan should get their rematch and make a big one.”

The expectation was for Garcia and Romero to deliver fireworks and make the ringside judges’ scorecards unnecessary. Instead, the uninspired effort from Garcia capped off a listless night of fights against the backdrop of Times Square, where a small group of invite-only fans gathered inside a makeshift area staging a boxing ring. On the outside of the venue, pedestrians milled about with many stopping to see what was happening in the enclosure on several screens set up on the outside.

Turki Al-Sheikh, Saudi Arabia’s chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, planned to stage an iconic event, but the card will be remembered for a trio of fights that didn’t come close to delivering the action promised.

 

The main event followed an equally subpar effort by Haney, who was let off the hook by an opponent who was content simply following him around the ring. Haney appeared to be affected by his fight with Garcia last year when he was knocked down three times and lost a decision. The result was overturned to a no-contest after Garcia tested positive for the performance-enhancing drug ostarine. Garcia also came in 3.2 pounds over the contracted weight of 140 pounds for that fight.

Haney (32-0, 1 NC) seemingly couldn’t shake off the effects of the fight and was timid and reluctant to throw punches. However, Ramirez couldn’t capitalize. He followed Haney around the ring without a true sense of urgency. Fortunately for Haney, he was skilled enough to thwart the advances of a plodding Ramirez (29-3) in a sluggish fight that was relentlessly jeered on social media.

Of the 503 punches thrown in the fight, Haney landed 70 to Ramirez’s 40.

Plans for a Garcia-Haney rematch might still be in place, as a contract was reportedly signed ahead of Friday night for a clash later this year. However, due to how their fights played out, it will be interesting to see if that bout materializes later this year or if Al-Sheikh decides to go in another direction for both fighters.