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Venus Williams loses to Madison Keys in Montreal tennis tournament

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:45:57 GMT

MONTREAL (AP) — Venus Williams lost to fellow American Madison Keys on Monday night, falling 6-2, 7-5 in the opening round of the National Bank Open.The 43-year-old Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam champion, dropped to 2-4 in six career matches against the 28-year-old Keys.The 16th-ranked Keys broke Williams twice in the first set. She recorded two more breaks in the second and held on for the win.Keys, who also is playing with fellow American Jennifer Brady in the women’s doubles tournament, now faces Italian Jasmine Paolini in the round of 32.Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova posted a 6-3, 6-7 (8), 6-2 win over China’s Lin Zhu in the opening round. Rebecca Marino of Vancouver was eliminated by Britain’s Katie Boulter, 6-3, 6-1.Pliskova, ranked No. 23 in the world, had 11 aces and seven double-faults. She converted five of 16 break points.Zhu had two aces and eight double-faults. She broke on two of her three opportunities.As the second set began, Boulter continued to asser...

Alonso homers in consecutive at-bats and drives in 6 as Mets rout Cubs 11-2 to stop 6-game skid

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:45:57 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Alonso homered in consecutive at-bats and tied a career high with six RBIs as the New York Mets withstood a long rain delay and snapped a six-game losing streak with an 11-2 rout of the Chicago Cubs on Monday night.In their first home game since trading Justin Verlander, Mark Canha and Tommy Pham at last week’s deadline, the Mets (51-61) avoided matching their longest skid this season. New York dropped seven straight June 2-9 when it fell under .500.Alonso connected in the first and third innings against Drew Smyly (8-8). It was his fourth multi-homer game this year and third since the All-Star break. The first baseman also got his 18th career multi-homer game to move into sole possession of third on New York’s career list behind Darryl Strawberry (22) and former captain David Wright (21).Alonso’s first homer carried over the left-center wall for a three-run shot that gave the Mets a 3-0 lead in the first. His two-run shot to center made it 5-1.Those were Alonso...

Yankees manager Aaron Boone puts on show after getting ejected for 6th time this season

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:45:57 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone made the most of his AL-leading sixth ejection this season during a 5-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Monday night. Boone was booted by plate umpire Laz Diaz after Anthony Volpe was called out on strikes against Chicago reliever Bryan Shaw to begin the eighth inning. After he was thrown out, Boone ran to home plate and went into a theatrical, arm-waving display.The manager bent down and drew a line in the dirt with his finger at the edge of the left-handed batter’s box, demonstrating where he thought the pitch was, and then mimicked Diaz emphatically calling strike three. Volpe was caught looking at a sinker that actually appeared to nip the outside corner. But frustration had built up for the Yankees, who left 13 runners on base and struck out 12 times. They were handed eight walks by White Sox pitchers and still mustered only one run. “I was pretty upset,” said Boone, tossed for the 32nd time in his managerial career. “I...

Jankowski scores tying run in seventh, delivers go-ahead RBI groundout in eighth as Rangers beat A’s

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:45:57 GMT

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Travis Jankowski had a go-ahead RBI groundout in the eighth and Leody Taveras followed with a sacrifice fly, and the Texas Rangers won their season-best seventh straight game by beating the Oakland Athletics 5-3 on Monday night.Texas tied it in the seventh when Nathaniel Lowe reached on an error by pitcher Kirby Snead while covering first and trying to catch a throw from first baseman Tyler Soderstrom, allowing Jankowski to score. He came through again the next inning facing Dany Jiménez (0-1).Zack Gelof hit a two-run double in the third and Nick Allen also doubled home a run that inning for the A’s, coming off two impressive wins over the San Francisco Giants during the weekend Bay Bridge Series.Mitch Garver hit a two-run double in the top of the fourth for Texas, which topped its six-game winning streak from July 14-19. The Rangers won this one without clearing the fences. They had hit multiple home runs in six straight games to begin August — 17 total...

Yankees squander scoring chances, Aaron Boone gets tossed in loss to White Sox

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:45:57 GMT

For the first time all season, the Yankees failed to win a Gerrit Cole start coming off of a loss. But Monday night’s defeat against the White Sox was hardly the ace’s fault.The Yankees repeatedly squandered scoring opportunities as they fell 5-1 to lowly Chicago, stranding 13 men on base and twice leaving the bases loaded. The most electric display of the night came from Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who was ejected after an eighth-inning screaming match with home plate umpire Laz Diaz.Struggling White Sox starter Dylan Cease walked seven batters, including three consecutively to begin the second inning. He worked out of the bases-load jam by coaxing shallow flyouts from Anthony Volpe and Ben Rortvedt and a slow groundout from Jake Bauers.The Yankees drew at least one walk in each of the first four innings against Cease, who finished second in AL Cy Young Award voting last season but came into Monday’s game with a 4.61 ERA this year. He served up seven runs over 1....

Pete Alonso homers twice as Mets snap 6-game skid with win over Cubs

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:45:57 GMT

After losing six straight games since blowing up their roster at the trade deadline, the Mets finally got back in the win column Monday night against the Chicago Cubs. The Amazins’ pulled out an 11-2 victory, riding the coattails of Pete Alonso and Kodai Senga.Alonso homered twice, providing all of the offense needed for the evening. He blasted a three-run shot in the first inning followed by a two-run bomb in the third, both off of Cubs’ southpaw Drew Smyly. The first baseman’s 32nd and 33rd homers of the season tallied his 18th career multi-homer game, which is the third most in franchise history behind Darryl Strawberry and David Wright.While Alonso carried the Mets at the plate, Senga’s strong rookie season on the mound continued Monday night. The right-hander tossed six innings, allowing two runs on seven hits while striking out six.The 30-year-old worked out of jams in both the second and third innings with some help from Rafael Ortega, who made a slidi...

China’s July exports tumble by double digits, adding to pressure to shore up flagging economy

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:45:57 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — China’s exports plunged by 14.5% in July compared with a year earlier, adding to pressure on the ruling Communist Party to reverse an economic slump.Exports fell to $281.8 billion as the decline widened from June’s 12.4% fall, customs data showed Tuesday. Imports tumbled 12.4% from a year earlier to $201.2 billion in a sign of weak domestic demand, widening from the previous month’s 6.8% contraction.The country’s global trade surplus narrowed by 20.4% from a record high a year ago to $80.6 billion.Chinese leaders are trying to shore up business and consumer activity after a rebound following the end of anti-virus controls in December fizzled out earlier than expected.Economic growth sank to 0.8% in the three months ending in June compared with the previous quarter, down from the January-March period’s 2.2%. That is the equivalent of 3.2% annual growth, which would be among China’s weakest in three decades.The ruling party has promised measures ...

In Utah and Kansas, state courts flex power over new laws regulating abortion post-Roe

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:45:57 GMT

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — State courts in Utah and Kansas are set to hear arguments Tuesday in legal challenges to new laws on abortion as judges tussle with legislatures over how to regulate the medical procedure and its providers after the overturning of Roe v. Wade.Those and other state courts have become key venues in the fight over abortion since last year, when the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the constitutional right to abortion and made the rules governing it a matter of state laws.In Utah, the state Supreme Court is expected to weigh a lower court’s decision to put a law banning most abortions on hold more than a year ago. In Kansas, providers are asking a district court judge to block a new restriction on how they dispense abortion medications as well as older rules governing what doctors must tell patients and a required 24-hour wait between the first in-person consultation and the procedure.In both states, the impact of the overturning of Roe remains unsettled as GOP-co...

Once Colombia’s most-wanted drug lord, the kingpin known as Otoniel faces sentencing in US

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:45:57 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — For years, the man known as Otoniel was seen as one of the world’s most dangerous drug lords, the elusive boss of a cartel and paramilitary group with a blood-drenched grip on much of northern Colombia.On Tuesday, Dairo Antonio Úsuga faces sentencing to at least 20 years in a U.S. prison. He pleaded guilty in January to high-level drug trafficking charges, admitting he oversaw the smuggling of tons of U.S.-bound cocaine and acknowledging “there was a lot of violence with the guerillas and the criminal gangs.” The U.S. agreed not to seek a life sentence in order to get him extradited from Colombia. Instead, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn are seeking a 45-year term for Úsuga, who is 51 and has a number of medical problems. His “desire for control and revenge simply cannot be overstated, nor can the degree of harm he inflicted,” prosecutors wrote in a recent court filing. They described his decadelong leadership of Colombia’s notorious Gulf Clan group...

Mississippi candidates for statewide offices square off in party primaries

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:45:57 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A bitter Republican primary for lieutenant governor is one of several races to watch in Mississippi party primaries. Republicans currently hold all eight statewide offices and a majority in the state House and Senate.Polls are open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday. Primary runoffs are Aug. 29. The general election is Nov. 7, with runoffs Nov. 28. Here is a preview of statewide contests: LIEUTENANT GOVERNORRepublican incumbent Delbert Hosemann is challenged by state Sen. Chris McDaniel and educator Tiffany Longino. In November, the Republican primary winner will face business consult D. Ryan Grover, who is unopposed for the Democratic nomination.Hosemann is seeking a second term as lieutenant governor after serving three terms as secretary of state. He has touted a teacher pay raise, millions in new funding for public education, and a budget surplus. Hosemann has also called McDaniel a “pathological liar” and accused his campaign of “despicable” behavior. McDaniel, of Elli...