Strong Group-Pilipinas’ Boban Marjanovic during a game vs Jordan in the 2026 William Jones Cup. –SGA PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Strong Group-Pilipinas salvaged fifth place in the 2026 William Jones Cup after beating Jordan, 96-91, in the classification game Friday night in Taiwan.

NBA veteran Boban Marjanovic spearheaded the charge for the Philippine-based team in their final game with 21 points, missing just four of his 13 shots from the field. He also had eight rebounds and three assists.

In the end, the  Strong Group-Pilipinas finished the tournament with six wins, including a 5-1 card for second place in the group phase.

Despite that record, the tournament’s new format denied the Philippines a semifinal spot as the host teams in both groups were given direct berths to the next phase.

Since losing their tournament opener at the hands of South Korea’s Wonju DB Promy, Strong Group-Pilipinas never dropped a game the rest of the way.

Coach Charles Tiu and company vented their ire on the semifinals-bound Chinese Taipei-Blue—which had a 1-5 record—with a 43-point beatdown, 117-74.

Tajuan Agee helped Marjanović in the classification game with 17 points, four rebounds and three steals, while Ian Miller and Matthew Wright added 15 points each for Strong Group-Pilipinas.

Hadi Alshami led Jordan with 21 points, while Abdullah Olajuwon, son of NBA legend Hakeem Olajuwon, had 18 points, three assists and a block. Saif Saleh added 12 in the loss.

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner has announced he is pulling out of the upcoming U.S. Open due to a knee injury.

Sinner, last year’s U.S. Open runner-up and 2024 champion, said in a social media post that over the past few days he’s been doing on-court work, but that he needs more recovery time.

“Even though I have been working hard with my team and my medical staff, we have now had to make the difficult decision that I will not be able to compete at the US Open this year. We have been back on court in Monte Carlo over the last couple of days and have realized that I still need more time to recover from my right knee issue.

“I’m obviously very sad and disappointed, as New York has a special place in my heart. I was very much looking forward to coming back and playing in the electric atmosphere in front of the great fans there.”

The 25-year-old Sinner has been out of action since winning Wimbledon last month.

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Sinner’s withdrawal comes one day after Carlos Alcaraz, who beat the Italian in last year’s U.S. Open final, announced he was returning following a four-month absence due to a wrist injury.

While Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are still playing at 39 and 41 respectively, most football fans thought Ronaldinho belonged to another footballing era.

That all changed in June, when Italian Serie C club, Ravenna, announced that the former Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan forward would play for them in the upcoming season.

On a rainy Thursday in northeastern Italy, the former Ballon d’Or winner was unveiled with a quick press conference and a sense of excitement gripping the city.

“I’m very happy to be here with friends, we have a team that can do something good,” said Ronaldinho.

“I just arrived, but I have a great desire to live this experience with the whole city.”

Pure PR?

The 46-year-old last played for Fluminense in his homeland in 2015 and will become a shareholder in Ravenna, owned by Ignazio Cipriani, an Italian-American businessman who has owned the club since 2024.

Despite holding up the shirt and signing a piece of paper for the cameras, the suspicion remains that this is little more than a PR stunt for an ambitious lower league club. Ronaldinho himself didn’t actually dispel those rumors.

“Will you see me play? I don’t know, only the coach knows that,” he said. “Coming back to Italy is wonderful, I’m here to help my teammates win.”

Both the Brazilian and Cipriani used the same language to describe one of Ronaldinho’s motivations: “Friendship and passion,” they both said. Both men also referred to Ronaldinho’s quest to score a 300th professional goal.

“His objective is romantic, to try to score his last goal,” Cipriani said.

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“His involvement is not a token gesture or a marketing stunt to get people talking about us.”

How an 81-year-old sprinter chases a world record

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The way in which that figure has been reached is slightly unclear, with many widely used resources saying Ronaldinho has scored far fewer than 299 goals in his career. He has, however, won the Ballon d’Or in 2005, the 2002 World Cup and topflight titles in Spain and Italy.

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Ronaldinho some way off Japan’s Miura

Whether he ends up playing or not, Ronaldinho’s presence in the northeastern city of about 160,000 inhabitants has sparked plenty of anticipation and ticket sales. Reports suggest the club has sold 2,700 season tickets, largely off the back of the Brazilian’s arrival.

Even if he does get onto the pitch at 46, Ronaldinho will be far from the oldest footballer around. That title has long belonged to Japan’s Kazuyoshi Miura, 59.

The former Japan international, who also played in Italy, scored two penalties in the country’s Emperor’s Cup competition this week, further extending his record as the world’s oldest player.

Edited by: Chuck Penfold

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A 42-year-old star has opened up about his WWE release. This year, the Stamford-based promotion cut a number of superstars from its roster following WrestleMania 42.

While a number of names were let go in a single swoop, the situation was a little different for Santos Escobar.

Escobar had been with the promotion since 2019, and there were rumors of him leaving the company in October 2025. However, he reportedly re-signed and began competing in AAA, owned by WWE.

After suffering a triceps injury in March, he underwent surgery before requiring a second procedure on his ulnar nerve in April. His release came just days after the second surgery.

In a recent interview with TMZ’s Inside The Ring, he opened up on his exit. He said the situation was hard for him because he was injured.

“In all honesty, it was hard; it was difficult. It was difficult mostly because of the injuries, not so much for the release itself, which, you know, the optics always matter, but that’s something that’s out of my reach. I don’t really know what’s behind it,” he said.

Escobar described the situation as heartbreaking, saying he wasn’t ready for it.

“Again, it was a very heartbreaking situation for me personally because I was injured, and I think it was maybe six or seven days after my second surgery. So it was even more heartbreaking, disappointing, if you can imagine my mental state at that point. I don’t want to say I was ready because I wasn’t. I don’t think anyone is ready for that,” he said.

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Santos Escobar reveals conversation with Nick Khan leading to WWE return

Amid his prolonged absence from WWE last year, it was rumored that Santos Escobar had left the company. But in October, he reportedly re-signed a deal to continue his tenure.

During the conversation on Inside The Ring, Escobar revealed that he let his contract expire and was ready to look at other options. However, he received a call from WWE President Nick Khan, who apologized for how his character was treated.

Escobar said that Khan told him that they would give him everything he needs to thrive, and that’s the reason he re-signed with them.

If you use quotes from this article, please credit TMZ’s Inside The Ring podcast and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.