France are through to the final of the women‘s basketball World Cup for the first time after a 86-64 victory over host nation Germany on Saturday.

Gabby Williams top scored with 22 points for the Olympic silver medalists, who kept their unbeaten record at the tournament alive before Sunday’s decider in Berlin.

The US-born Williams, who also topped the assist charts with five and with four had the most steals, was the constant threat on both ends of the floor for the French.

Admitting she was “on a mission,” Williams told Bein Sports: “I just want to give it my all.

“You never know when you’ll get an opportunity like this. You don’t know if it’ll be the last one. So, I’m just going to give everything.”

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France are on track to face the United States and will hope to avenge their one-point defeat in the Olympic final in Paris in 2024, should the heavily favoured Americans get past Spain later on Saturday.

The 11-time champion United States are on a 34-game winning streak at the World Cup dating back to their surprise semi-final defeat at the hands of Russia in 2006.

The underdog Germans swept past European champions Belgium in their quarter-final clash for a first semi-final appearance as a unified country, with East Germany having made the final four in 1967.

France burst out of the blocks early but the Germans stayed hot on their heels, trailing by just two at quarter-time.

France’s quality told as the match went on and the French scored nine straight points to start the second-half, running out to a 16-point lead.

Alexis Peterson and Emily Bessoir hit threes in the final quarter as the Germans cut the lead to just nine to stay within striking distance, but France again went on a run, scoring 12 straight to end the match and seal progress to a maiden final.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

In the end, Chelsea clung on for a brave point. Emiliano Martinez made an important late save. They survived a barrage of set-pieces. And when Cole Palmer stood over a free-kick 30 yards from goal, with the last kick of the game, he pumped it into the stands just to be safe. A draw against a team who were, for much of the afternoon, top of the league? You have to take it.

Of course that wasn’t quite the mood at Stamford Bridge when the final whistle blew on this 2-2 draw. A volley of boos rang out and it was hard to know exactly who they were for. The players, perhaps, who were collectively disconnected and at times individually calamitous. The referee, Farai Hallam, who at one point intercepted a Chelsea counterattack with his feet and picked up the ball with his hands, like a schoolteacher at the end of break time. Chelsea were exasperated when he waved away several handball shouts.

But really it was an outpouring of frustration, that as talented a front three as Chelsea possess, they cannot possibly outscore a defence as chaotic and porous as this one. Chelsea have conceded at least two goals in all four Premier League games this season, 13 goals in six games in all competitions, and that is too much for Palmer, Joao Pedro and Morgan Rogers to overcome every weekend. Arsenal, by comparison, have conceded only once.

Chelsea went from 1-0 up to 2-1 down in six minutes, and Xabi Alonso accused his players of “soft” defending. “We are attacking better than defending,” he understated. “It’s just four games, but the dynamic in terms of conceding, I don’t like it, and we need to do much better. Open play, set-pieces, long balls – this toughness, this competitive sense, we can do better.”

Perhaps there was also some confusion mixed into the fans’ outpouring, after a game when Alonso’s team didn’t always make sense. Why was Maxence Lacroix not at the heart of defence from the start? Why doesn’t the manager trust Estevao Willian when Chelsea are chasing a game? What exactly is the purpose of Malo Gusto?

The first Hull goal was particularly troubling from Chelsea’s perspective. Wesley Fofana watched a long ball fly over his head, Gusto lost a 50-50 in the corner and Jorrel Hato lost his senses, misjudging the flight of the cross like it was his first time encountering this strange bouncing sphere. Mohamed Belloumi couldn’t believe his luck as the ball hopped over Hato, and he took the opportunity beautifully with a low drive under Martinez’s body.

Moments before Hull’s second, it was quite obvious to everyone in the stadium before the corner was taken that Belloumi was alone in a sunny glade on the edge of the box. He pleaded for a pass which didn’t come, and yet still had no Chelsea player near him by the time the ball flew into the middle, bounced off the bar and rolled out to his feet. This time his finish took a couple of fortunate deflections, but you couldn’t say Hull deserved any less.

Martinez did not have his finest afternoon. He flapped at the corner which led to Belloumi’s second goal, and in the second half fumbled a routine shot which almost presented the ball to Oli McBurnie to tap in what would have most probably been the winner.

Another recruit from Aston Villa with improvements to make is Austin MacPhee, Chelsea’s hirsute set-piece coach, who bobbed around the technical area waving his arms and looking generally exasperated with players who apparently weren’t following his instructions, as if somehow that wasn’t his fault. Some of Chelsea’s intricate attacking corners almost worked, when Palmer would ghost to the front post and receive a low pass, but they need to spend time on the defensive side.

These are early days, of course. Alonso is still learning his best combinations. Chelsea will be better when Moises Caicedo returns, when Marco Palestra finally begins his career here. But for all their successful trading, earning a billion pounds in sales since BlueCo took over, there was a sense that some past players were missing. Trevoh Chalobah, for example, was Chelsea’s best defender for large parts of last season and would surely have enhanced this ragged display.

The only positive is that their attack continues to fire. Rogers and Pedro produced clinical finishes in each half, and while it wasn’t Palmer’s best game, he played a major hand in both goals. Palmer has a habit of drifting to the fringes when it becomes congested, partly out of an instinctive feeling of where the space is, where the opponents’ soft spots are, and partly out of frustration at a lack of involvement. He loitered on the left and then drove into the box to feed Pedro, who lashed a first-time finish into the roof of the net.

But they could not find another, and if anything it was Hull who looked most likely to score a third. No Premier League team have been involved in as many goals as Chelsea so far this season, but Alonso would much rather they were not the top flight’s great entertainers.

“I hope that one day you say it was a boring game and we won,” he said. “For sure, it’s some repeated patterns that we are making. It will take time to fix them. When we get the lead, you still need to be competing and not give the chance so easily for them to come back.

“Especially in the first goal, we can do much better. It was too soft to give them this hope because until then we were controlling, we were creating chances … It was from a long ball, two bounces. The way it happened, you need to be very, very aware, and very ready that the danger can come from any situation. If you are soft or if you are not prepared, you will get punished.”

NEW YORK (AP) — American Christian Harrison and British partner Neal Skupski won their second Grand Slam men’s doubles title of the year by defeating Germany’s Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz 6-4, 7-6 (6) in the U.S. Open final on Saturday.

Harrison and Skupski were playing just their second tournament together when they won the Australian Open in January. They are the fourth men’s team to win these two majors in the same year since Melbourne went to hard courts in 1988.

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“It’s been a great year,” Harrison said. “To get two titles like this, I’m speechless — and to do it at home.”

They cruised through at Flushing Meadows, becoming just the third team since the Open era began in 1968 to win without dropping a set. It took fending off set point in the second during the tiebreak to join the duos of John McEnroe and Peter Fleming in 1983 and Bob and Mike Bryan in 2008 and ’10 in the history books.

“It’s amazing what a year does in tennis,” said Skupski, who lost in the 2025 U.S. Open and French Open finals with former partner Joe Salisbury. “Still in shock. … This moment right now feels so special.”

Harrison is a major champion on home soil after undergoing eight surgeries from 2009-18 that led him to largely abandon singles play to focus on doubles. That included two operations on his left femur, along with one on each hip and adductor.

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Father and coach Pat was in attendance along with other family members, putting aside his fear of flying to make the trip.

“Got my dad to fly up here,” Christian Harrison said. “He doesn’t fly.”

Krawietz and Puetz came up short in the final for a second time in three years. They lost to the Australian pair of Max Purcell Jordan Thompson in 2024.

“To lose a final hurts, of course,” Krawietz said. “See you next year.”

___

See AP’s full tennis coverage here

Week 1 provided a satisfying introduction to the 2026 college football season, but Week 2 serves up the true main-event of the campaign’s first month.

“It’s great for college football,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said on Tuesday of his No. 1-ranked Buckeyes visiting No. 5 Texas on Saturday. “This is going to be an unbelievable atmosphere down here against a great opponent. Everybody in the country will be watching.”

And everybody tuning into the prime-time kickoff from Austin presumably agrees with Day that this matchup is indeed great for the sport, regardless if one is wearing scarlet and gray or burnt orange.

The Week 1 slate was not without thrilling contests, capped on Monday with SMU escaping Florida State with a 27-24 win. The Mustangs’ victory was the second marquee matchup in as many nights coming down to a field goal, as Ole Miss outlasted Louisville in a Sunday night barnburner, 41-38.

Second-ranked Oregon’s 34-27 win over Boise State on Saturday likewise provided an exciting return to action. What’s more, it embodied a positive byproduct of the College Football Playoff as it exists now.

Before the expansion to a 12-team tournament, the loss — which came down to the final possession — would have eliminated Boise State from title contention. Given the Broncos’ status coming in unranked, winning in such nail-biting fashion may well have ended Oregon’s aspirations for a championship back in the Bowl Championship Series days.

The opposite side of that perspective, however, suggests that lower stakes for high-profile non-conference contests devalues their meaning. In the BCS days, Ohio State-Texas might well have been a de facto playoff game in an era when only two teams could play for a national championship at season’s end.

One can be understandably pessimistic over college football trading in a postseason atmosphere every Saturday over the span of three months for a system that has the 2025 version of Alabama competing for a title.

But in the same vein, Ohio State traveling to Texas offers hope of the sport encouraging more of these kind of early-season matchups.

Consider that in 1998 — the first season of the BCS — the campaign kicked off with eight Top 25 matchups in Weeks 0 and 1. The 2026 slate opened with just the Ole Miss-Louisville game.

This year’s slate is more in line with the trend that began early into the BCS years. The system tacitly discouraged scheduling up in the non-conference almost immediately, with a trip to Miami denying UCLA a title-game spot in 1998 and the Hurricanes coming up on the other end of a similar scenario in 2000 when it lost a September heartbreaker at Washington.

By the first season of the four-team Playoff in 2014, the season kicked off with just one Top 25 game. Here in the 12-team era, the dearth of such contests in the non-conference portion of most teams’ schedules has become more of a tradition than heavyweight showdowns like Ohio State and Texas.

Should Saturday’s losing side endure the rest of their schedule that follows, however, and lands a spot in the Playoff, perhaps the expanded bracket can be the conduit that creates more such matchups.

That’s a win for the players who seek high-profile competition, as Day alluded to on Tuesday.

“This is why you come to Ohio State,” he said.. “This is why you come to Texas.”

And games like Ohio State-Texas are why we follow college football.

Ben Shelton has given American tennis a reason to believe again.

The 23-year-old defeated Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 on Friday night to reach his first Grand Slam final, setting up a historic showdown at the US Open on Sunday.

Shelton’s victory means he is the youngest American man to reach a Grand Slam final since Andy Roddick in 2005. Even more significantly, he is the first Black American man to reach the US Open singles final since Arthur Ashe in 1972.

It is also the first time a Black American man has reached a Grand Slam singles final since MaliVai Washington at Wimbledon in 1996.

And now, Shelton has one match left.

After his victory, he was reminded that it has been 23 years since an American man last won the US Open title and that Ashe was the last Black American man to play the final in New York.

His response was emotional.

“It’s a lot of emotion. My mom and dad sacrificed a lot for me to be in this position today. My dad lost his mom earlier this year. She’s the reason he was able to play tennis. Without her there’s no Ben Shelton standing here today. This one is for her.”

Then said to the American crowd ahead of Sunday.

“Ima need you guys on Sunday to bring the energy. We’re going for it here. Ima leave it all on the court. I hope you guys come and back me. Let’s do this for the USA.”

When Shelton sealed his place in the final, his friend Tiafoe immediately walked around the net to congratulate him.

Now comes the big one.

Shelton will now face Alexander Zverev in Sunday’s US Open final, where he will be chasing his first Grand Slam title and a piece of history for American tennis.

The American has already made history by reaching the final. On Sunday, he has the chance to go one step further.

Seattle Seahawks fans, breathe.

While Sam Darnold will likely miss at least one game due to a hip injury he suffered in the team’s Wednesday night season opener against the New England Patriots, an MRI has determined that Seattle’s starting quarterback “dodged a bullet” and shouldn’t miss an extended period of time, NFL Media reported on Thursday afternoon.

Darnold hobbled off the field after being sacked on Seattle’s opening drive on Wednesday night and didn’t return. The Seahawks later announced that Darnold sustained a hip injury and wouldn’t return, with backup Drew Lock stepping in and helping Seattle pull off a come-from-behind 13-10 victory over New England.

After the game, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald revealed the team was “able to rule out a fracture” regarding Darnold’s hip.

In what was a rematch of Super Bowl LX, which the Seahawks won 29-13, Lock finished with 187 passing yards, one passing touchdown, no interceptions and a 113.3 passer rating, while completing 72.7% of his passes (16 of 22).

If Darnold misses time, Lock would presumably become Seattle’s starting quarterback, with second-year signal caller and 2025 third-round pick Jalen Milroe serving as the backup quarterback. Lock has made 28 starts over his seven-plus-year NFL career (2019-present), most recently making five starts for the New York Giants in 2024.

According to the Ringer, Darnold suffered a muscle strain after initial X-rays confirmed no fracture. While he is expected to avoid Injured Reserve, his immediate return is uncertain, and he is likely to miss time.

Seattle’s next two games are road tilts against the Arizona Cardinals (Sept. 20) and Washington Commanders (Sept. 27). With Darnold unable to go next week, the expectation is Drew Lock will remain the quarterback moving forward.

The 29-year-old Darnold is in his second season with the Seahawks. Last year (2025), Darnold earned his second consecutive Pro Bowl nod, throwing for 4,048 yards, 25 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, while posting a 99.1 passer rating and completing 67.7% of his passes in a 14-3 season for Seattle. 

Oregon-Oklahoma State weather updates: Latest news on forecast after thunderstorms, lightning push back kickoff originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Those hoping to tune into No. 6 Oregon‘s clash with Oklahoma State were dealt a cruel blow in the lead-up to the contest’s scheduled kickoff.

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Thunder and lightning proved unruly in the lead-up to game’s 12 p.m. ET start. As it turned out, Mother Nature preferred a slightly later opening act.

Here’s the latest on the weather delay preventing the Ducks and Cowboys from taking the field.

MORE: Ranking the top 25 prospects for the 2027 NFL Draft in Ohio State-Texas game

Oregon-Oklahoma State weather updates

Kickoff for Oregon vs. Oklahoma State was slated to take place at 12 p.m. ET (11 a.m. local time). As it turned out, that start time proved to be something of a moving target; the game was subjected to a lengthy delay after thunderstorms roved above Boone Pickens Stadium.

If you invite a die-hard Michigan fan to a live show and give him the chance to build his all-time Wolverines football team, you better be ready for some debate.

Dave Portnoy, one of Michigan’s most passionate — and outspoken — fans, was given that opportunity Thursday during a special live edition of “The Joel Klatt Show” in Ann Arbor ahead of Saturday’s showdown between Michigan and Oklahoma (noon ET, FOX).

Klatt asked Portnoy to select an all-time Michigan team consisting of a quarterback, running back, two wide receivers and one defensive player. Portnoy selected a recent national champion at quarterback, a legendary running back, two of the program’s most dynamic receivers and perhaps the greatest player in school history on defense.

Here’s who made Portnoy’s all-time Michigan team:

Career stats: 482-of-713 passing (67.6%) for 6,226 passing yards, 49 passing TDs, and 11 INTs; 161 carries for 632 rushing yards and 10 rushing TDs.

Portnoy’s thoughts: “To me, it’s a no-brainer. It’s not even close. If you’re saying you need a QB for the NFL, it’s [Tom] Brady, clearly. But [McCarthy’s] record was 27-1 as a starter. You gotta remember, before he came here, we couldn’t beat Ohio State. He turned the whole program around. Michigan was down, and when McCarthy came in, everything turned.

“I wanted Jim Harbaugh gone. … Every year we were getting drummed [by Ohio State]. There were some down years. But, McCarthy’s record, him winning the national championship. … I don’t know how anybody could say anybody but him.”

Career stats: 434 carries, 2,624 rushing yards, 24 rushing touchdowns, 12 receptions, 121 receiving yards.

Portnoy’s Thoughts: “I’m going with Biakabutuka. He had 313 yards against Ohio State, which was the No. 2 team in the country at the time and undefeated. He made them look bad. I loved Biakabutuka. I had a crush on Biakabutuka.”

Career stats: Howard: 134 receptions for 2,146 receiving yards (16.0 YPR) and 32 receiving TDs; 23 rushes for 249 rushing yards and 2 rushing TDs; 45 kickoff returns for 1,211 yards and 2 TDs; 26 punt returns for 337 yards and 1 TD

Carter: 161 receptions for 3,076 receiving yards (19.1 YPR) and 37 receiving TDs; 36 rushes for 213 rushing yards and 1 rushing TD; 79 punt returns for 907 yards and 2 TDs; 63 kickoff returns for 1,606 yards (40 total touchdowns).

Portnoy’s thoughts: “I want Desmond [Howard] and Anthony Carter. I’m down with that.”

Career stats: 21 receptions, 370 receiving yards, 3 receiving TDs, 167 rushing yards, 2 rushing TDs, 16 interceptions.

Portnoy’s thoughts: “You could argue Aidan Hutchinson. There’s that clip of him just taking the Ohio State lineman and just throwing him into the fourth row. But, yeah, it’s gotta be Woodson.”