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Jannik Sinner has completed the coveted Golden Masters in tennis to become only the second man after Novak Djokovic to win all nine Masters 1000 events, the biggest tournaments outside the Grand Slams.

Top-ranked Sinner’s 6-4, 6-4 victory over Casper Ruud in Sunday’s final of the Italian Open also made him the first Italian man to win the tournament since Adriano Panatta in 1976.

“There’s no better place to complete this set,” Sinner said after winning the title and accomplishing the feat on the red clay of the Foro Italico in Rome in front of jubilant home fans who finally saw the half-century-long wait come to an end.

“For an Italian, it’s one of the most special places we play tennis in. To win at least once in my career means a lot to me.”

Djokovic completed the career set in 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio, in the United States at the age of 31 and then went on to win each event at least twice. Sinner is 24, and with his only real rival, Carlos Alcaraz, currently sidelined due to a right wrist injury, he is proving hard to beat.

“Welcome to the exclusive club, Jannik,” Djokovic wrote on Instagram.

Sinner extended his winning streak to 29 matches. He hasn’t lost since being beaten by Jakub Mensik in the Qatar Open quarterfinals on February 19 . And he’s now 17-0 on clay this year as he is poised to enter the French Open, which starts on Sunday.

Sinner celebrated calmly as usual, revealing a wide smile when he landed an inside-out forehand on the line on his first championship point, then held his hands over his head in apparent relief. Then he waved to the crowd, which included former Italian professional tennis player Adriano Panatta sitting in the front row.

“Adriano, after 50 years, we’ve won back a very important trophy,” Sinner told the 75-year-old Panatta, who participated in the trophy ceremony.

Roland Garros is the only Grand Slam that Sinner hasn’t won. He has two Australian Open titles and has won Wimbledon and the US Open once each.

Sinner’s triumph came – also with Italian President Sergio Mattarella in attendance – after he lost last year’s final in Rome to Alcaraz in his first tournament back after a three-month doping ban. That defeat came a day after Jasmine Paolini became the first Italian woman to win the Rome singles title in 40 years. She also claimed the doubles trophy with Sara Errani.

With many of Sinner’s fans dressed in orange – his theme colour, which matches his curly hair – the capacity crowd of 10,500 on Campo Centrale created a football-style atmosphere with chanting and loud cheers for the player who has become far and away Italy’s most popular athlete.

After several key points, the crowd erupted into a cheer of “Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole; Sin-ner, Sin-ner.” Then there was more chanting during the trophy presentation.

Angelo Binaghi, the president of the Italian tennis federation, suggested that even if there was a 25,000-seat centre court in Rome – bigger than the US Open’s Arthur Ashe Stadium, the world’s largest tennis arena – it would have been full.

No signs of fatigue

Sinner overcame exhaustion to beat Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals in a rain-delayed match that required two days to finish. But there were no signs of fatigue against the 25th-ranked Ruud, who has been one of the circuit’s top clay-court players for years.

Ruud reached two finals at Roland Garros, losing to Rafael Nadal in 2022 and Djokovic in 2023. But the Norwegian wasted an early break and a 2-0 advantage at the start of the first set against Sinner, who quickly broke back and then broke again towards the end of the set with the help of three key drop shots – two of which were so well-placed that Ruud didn’t even run for them.

A big backhand winner up the line gave Sinner another break in the opening game of the second set.

Sinner improved to 5-0 in his career against Ruud.

“What you’re doing this year, it’s hard to describe in words,” Ruud told Sinner during the trophy ceremony. “It’s really an honour to watch you play. … Congratulations for making history.”

Day to remember for Italy

It was an extra special day for the host nation after Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori became the first Italian duo to win the men’s doubles title in Rome since 1960.

Bolelli and Vavassori beat Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 7-6 (8), 6-7 (3), 10-3.

For both the singles and doubles finals, there was a packed crowd watching on a jumbo screen on the statue-lined court of the Nicola Pietrangeli Stadium next to Campo Centrale.

Elina Svitolina beat Coco Gauff in the women’s singles title match on Saturday.

Last year, Arsenal won the Champions League but will be mere spectators when Barcelona and Lyon face off next Saturday (17:00 BST).

The Gunners reaching the semi-finals but were dispatched by the French giants in a one-sided second leg.

Chelsea went out a round before, to Arsenal, while Manchester United were seen off by Bayern Munich.

The Ballon d’Or will likely reflect this European balance.

Nominations come later in the summer but with no international tournaments this year, it will be enlightening to see which WSL players make the shortlist.

Nine made the top 30 last August – and that did not include anyone from Manchester City, for whom Khadija Shaw, Vivianne Miedema and Yui Hasegawa among others have staked huge claims.

Others such as Arsenal’s Alessia Russo and Mariona Caldentey, Chelsea’s Alyssa Thompson and Manchester United’s Jess Park have also all had exceptional seasons and may feature.

Yet when the biggest award is doled out, it is still likely to be dominated by players from elsewhere. After all, a Barcelona player has won each of the past five years

Perhaps until Champions League success becomes commonplace, the leading WSL clubs must accept second billing to Europe’s other heavyweights.

Having said that, with Georgia Stanway, Ona Batlle and even Alexia Putellas linked with switches to England this summer, the balance could flip sooner than expected.

No. 8 UCLA stuck with right-hander Taylor Tinsley throughout the Los Angeles Regional and that faith in the senior paid off.

During the Bruins’ NCAA tournament opener at Easton Stadium, Tinsley gave up 10 runs before her teammates rallied for a walk-off win. She returned less than 24 hours to pitch against South Carolina, giving up two earned runs in a victory. Tinsley was back in the circle Sunday afternoon, yielding one run in UCLA’s 15-1 victory over the Gamecocks to advance to the super regionals.

“I am proud of Taylor’s resiliency, the ability to do whatever she can to help this team,” UCLA coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said. “She got stronger through the weekend. I am proud of that.”

Tinsley and her teammates will host Central Florida in a super regional that begins Friday.

“I feel good,” Tinsley said after pitching three key games in three days. “I could have gone more innings if needed.”

South Carolina right-hander Jori Heard gave up only one hit through two innings, keeping UCLA’s potent bats relatively quiet. The Gamecocks had runners on first and second with two outs in the second, but Tinsley escaped the inning with a pop-up to left field.

The Bruins got on the board first with a two-run home run from left fielder Rylee Slimp in the third inning. The Bruins followed it up by loading the bases with no outs in the fifth for right fielder Megan Grant.

Grant cooked up a grand slam to make it 6-0. She has 40 home runs, extending her hold on the NCAA single-season home run record. Oklahoma freshman Kendall Wells trails Grant with 37 homers.

“Its just incredible because I am blessed to be able to say the number 40,” Grant said.

South Carolina broke through on an RBI single from left fielder Quincee Lilio to cut UCLA’s lead to 6-1 in the fifth inning after being held to just one hit since the first inning. The Gamecocks couldn’t cash in the rest of the way.

The Bruins resumed scoring in the sixth inning, with the bases loaded and Grant at bat again. Fans at Easton Stadium anticipated another grand slam, holding up their cellphones hoping to catch some magic. Grant served up a two-run RBI single to expand the lead 8-1.

Jordan Woolery added to the scoring with a two-run RBI double down the left-field line, and Kaniya Bragg hit a home run to left-center field. Soo-jin Berry put a bow on the win with one more home run.

NASHVILLE — Hany Mukhtar scored three goals, his first hat trick since 2023, and Nashville SC beat LAFC 3-2 on Sunday night.

Mukhtar, the 2022 MLS MVP, became the seventh player in MLS history with at least five regular-season hat tricks.

Nashville (9-1-3) leads MLS with 30 points this season and is unbeaten, with five wins, in its past seven games. San José and Vancouver are tied atop the Western Conference with 29 points apiece.

LAFC (6-5-3) has lost three consecutive games and is winless in four straight.

Mukhtar tapped a pass to Warren Madrigal at the top of the penalty box. Madrigal flicked a slick pass back to a charging Mukhtar for the finish from the right corner of the six-yard box in the 13th minute. The 21-year-old Madrigal has five goal contributions (three goals, two assists) in the past five games.

Mukhtar also scored on free kicks in the 21st and 59th minutes. The 31-year-old has 101 goals across all competitions in 229 appearances for Nashville.

David Martinez scored a goal for the second consecutive game in the 22nd minute and Denis Bouanga added a goal in the 68th for LAFC.

Brian Schwake had seven saves for Nashville.

Thomas Hasal made his second start this season in place of Hugo Lloris (thigh) and finished with one save. Lloris was injured in training Wednesday and is out indefinitely.

LAFC outshot Nashville 21-8, 9-4 on target.

Nashville’s Sam Surridge and Andy Nájar did not play. Surridge missed his fourth consecutive game because of what the club is calling a “middle body” injury. The 27-year-old forward, who was injured late in a 4-2 loss to Charlotte on April 25, has nine goals in seven appearances (four starts) this season. Nájar suffered a muscle injury in Wednesday’s 3-0 win at New England.

Angelina Anderson made one save for her second shutout and became the first goalkeeper to hold Portland scoreless this season as visiting Angel City played the Thorns to a 0-0 draw on Sunday.

Mackenzie Arnold made three saves for Portland (6-2-2) in her fourth shutout of the year. Angel City (3-4-1) snapped a four-game skid.

Late in second-half stoppage time, Thorns midfielder Jessie Fleming sent a shot off the post.

Portland had two players leave the game with injuries: Isabella Obaze in the 67th minute and M.A. Vignola in the 74th.

The leading scorers for each team missed the game: Portland’s Olivia Moultrie (calf) and Angel City’s Sveindis Jonsdottir (foot).

BBC Sport pundits Mark Schwarzer and Dion Dublin believe Bryan Mbeumo using his arm to trap the ball to his side to help better control Diego Dalot’s cross in the build-up to Matheus Cunha’s goal, gave Manchester United an “completely unfair advantage” in their 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.

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“I got stabbed on the shoulder first”, he tells BBC Sport.

“I remember jumping over the table, jumping over the chairs. I was just running down the corridor, telling people, ‘there’s a guy with a knife, run, I’ve been stabbed, run, run, run’. I was screaming. I think I was the first person that got stabbed. I felt the pain. But adrenaline kicked in.

“That split second, me jumping over the table, saved me. All I thought about was just running for my life, getting off that train. As I got down to the first or second carriage, I pulled the alarm, and was just drenched with blood.”

“I was thinking I wasn’t going to see my family again, if I died, and that was the main worry for me”, he says. “Normally I would drive back down to London. That was the first time I got on a train to go back. What’s the chance of that happening? It’s crazy.”

The train made an emergency stop at Huntingdon where it was met by armed police. Having been given first aid by a fellow passenger, Gjoshe managed to get himself out to the station car park, from where paramedics rushed him to hospital.

It was only after surgery that he learned he had sustained seven wounds to his bicep, shoulder and arm.

The knife, he was told by the medics, “had gone through my muscles” coming fractionally close to hitting a nerve in his arm.

When asked if he feared his footballing career could be over, he says, “I was very worried. Just thinking, ‘what damage has happened to me?’ I didn’t have a clue until I had the surgery. They said, ‘It’s not much from the nerve. You’re very lucky’.”

In the days that followed, Gjoshe recalls: “They had to move me from ward to ward because of the media that were coming there looking for me.”

Having been released from hospital, Gjoshe faced several months of rehab, only returning to full training in March, something he describes as “a big relief. I started to get the movement of my arm, day by day it was getting better. It was an amazing feeling”.

Despite handling what he has been through with impressive stoicism, Gjoshe has not been on a train since the mass stabbing.

“I wouldn’t want to now. You just never know know. It’s best to be safe. I just can’t trust anything now”, he says.

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Aaron Rai shifted into high gear Sunday and pulled away from a world-class field with one amazing shot after another until he became the first English-born player in more than a century to capture the PGA Championship.

Rai, who dreamed of being a Formula 1 driver until he turned to golf as a boy, was three shots behind and approaching the turn at Aronimink Golf Club when he delivered a performance worthy of a major champion.

He made a 40-foot eagle putt on the par-5 ninth during a stretch when he one-putted seven straight greens to take the lead.

And on the closing holes when the contenders needed him to stumble, Rai holed a birdie putt of some 70 feet across the 17th green for the clincher.

The 31-year-old Rai, the first player of Indian heritage to win a major, closed with a 5-under 65.

Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Justin Rose, they all had their chances and until they were undone by untimely mistakes or failure to get good looks at birdie. McIlroy, who closed with a 69, played the par fives in even for the week and he chopped up the reachable par-4 13th for a bogey.

Rai, who finished at nine-under 271, is the first player from England with his name on the Wanamaker Trophy since Jim Barnes in 1919, the second edition of this major and the first after World War I.

He wound up winning by three shots over 54-hole leader Alex Smalley and Rahm, who had his best finish in a major since defecting to LIV Golf at the end of 2023. Rahm was slowed by a pair of bogeys on the front nine, and managed only one birdie on the back nine for a 68.

Aaron Rai and wife Gaurika Bishnoi hold the Wanamaker Trophy.

(Frank Franklin II / AP)

Smalley lost the lead with a messy double bogey on the sixth hole, and his best golf was too late. Rai already had his eye on the Wanamaker Trophy.

Justin Thomas made a 16-foot par putt on the final hole for a 65 and pulled him within one shot of the lead as the final group was in the second fairway. For the longest time, as Aronimink got tougher and the pressure got tighter, it looked like Thomas might have a chance.

Like everything else on this final day, Rai ended those hopes, too.

So ended a most remarkable week in the Philadelphia suburbs, where no one could separate themselves on Aronimink. The 22 players within four shots of the lead going into the final round was a PGA Championship record.

From that pack emerged the 31-year-old Rai, with one PGA Tour title, three on the European tour, and no finishes inside the top 15 at any of the majors.

He might not be well known among casual observers, but he is a star in the eyes of his peers for his humility and gracious personality.

“You won’t find one person on property who’s not happy for him,” McIlroy said.

“Super pumped for him and his team,” Schauffele said. “All-world gentleman, no doubt.”

Rory McIlroy hits from the bunker on the 16th green.

(Carolyn Kaster / AP)

He wears two gloves, a habit he started as a kid in England to battle the cold winters when he was practicing — and he was always practicing. Even more unusual for Rai is the plastic covers on each iron, a reminder of his roots.

He once said his father sacrificed to buy the nicest golf clubs and then would clean the grooves with baby oil after his son was done playing. Rai has left the iron covers on since then “to remember where I cam from and to respect what I have.”

Now he has his name on the Wanamaker Trophy and his place in history.

MEXICO CITY — The highway from the Guadalajara city airport to downtown is newly paved and the city’s famous roundabout has gotten a $4-million facelift. The city is abuzz with renovation projects as Guadalajara prepares to host four World Cup soccer matches in June.

But there’s one thing the 3 million fans expected to flock to the city won’t see — the sites where hundreds of bodies have been found in clandestine graves dug by Mexico’s notorious New Generation Jalisco Cartel. Scores were discovered on the main route leading to Akron Stadium, where the games will be played.

One set of remains was that of a 17-year-old high school student who had gone out to sell his motorcycle to help his unemployed uncle. He disappeared. When his uncle began searching, he disappeared as well. At another site, the bones of a 34-year-old cellphone repairman were found. He was a father of two who’d simply ventured out to shop for used tennis shoes.

According to statistics compiled by the state of Jalisco, between 2018 and March of this year, 1,907 bodies were found in Guadalajara and surrounding cities.

The arrival of the World Cup is an opportunity for Mexico’s second-largest city to shine on the international stage, and the Jalisco state government launched an upbeat campaign highlighting the municipality where games will be played: “Zapopan, the heart of soccer,” the slogan goes.

Families searching for their loved ones sarcastically responded with, “Zapopan, the heart of clandestine graves.”

An aerial view of La Minerva roundabout fountain in Guadalajara, Mexico, taken on June 27, 2025.

(Ulises Ruiz / AFP via Getty Images)

Since January of 2025 alone, search groups and authorities have discovered 58 graves with 226 sets of remains inside city limits. Five graves were located within three miles of Akron Stadium.

Three graves with 15 bodies were found within a mile of the city’s iconic La Minerva roundabout, a huge traffic circle featuring fountains, greenery and a towering statue of the Roman goddess Minerva. Others were found not far from Chapultepec Street, a popular tourist destination.

Liliana Meza, mother of Carlos Maximiliano Romero Meza, who disappeared on Oct. 22, 2020, poses with a search card at the Glorieta de las Personas Desaparecidas in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Friday, May 15, 2026. Founders of the Luz de Esperanza Desaparecidos Jalisco collective created the cards, inspired by World Cup soccer stickers, to draw attention to missing persons cases ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Jalisco.

(Alejandra Leyva/For The Times)

Though tourists and tourist sites are rarely touched by cartel violence in Mexico, critics say the graves are an embarrassment for state and city administrators.

Amid all the cleanup, little official attention has gone to the growing number of clandestine graves that groups of persistent, family-funded search teams have found in recent months.

Large machinery and backhoes are working nonstop across the city ahead of the games, said Jaime Aguilar, a spokesperson for the group Warrior Searchers of Jalisco, which finds an average of two graves a month. “But when we ask for a backhoe to help in our searches, there is never one available,” he said.

Over the years, secret graves have been discovered in rural areas, at industrial sites, alongside roads, inside buildings and even in the heart of Guadalajara. The Jalisco state government tracks grave discoveries, but an analysis by The Times and Puente News Collaborative shows many have been concentrated in the Guadalajara area.

Flyers with photographs and identifying information about missing persons, posted by search collectives, have become a common sight along the main streets of the city’s historic center, as seen here on Friday, May 15, 2026.

(Alejandra Leyva/For The Times)

Earlier this year, authorities found a blood-soaked safe house a mile from Akron Stadium where cartel enemies were tortured. One person was found buried there. Within a 10-mile radius, nearly 100 sets of remains were found in 500 trash bags buried in shallow graves.

The graves, and the potential discovery of more, worried Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. She feared that FIFA, the international soccer association in charge of the games, might move the Mexico games to the United States or Canada, the other countries co-hosting the games, because of the violence, said one Mexican official familiar with planning for the tournament.

That fear burst into the open in February, when Mexican special forces killed Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, leader of the hyper-violent New Generation Jalisco Cartel. Law enforcement officials said Guadalajara is a stronghold for the criminal group.

Cartel members responded to El Mencho’s death by setting fire to cars and buses and blocking major exits from Guadalajara. The city was briefly paralyzed. Gunmen burned 80 convenience stores and a host of pharmacies, flexing their power in the city.

In the days after the violence, FIFA officials met with the Mexican government to review security for the Guadalajara matches. Sheinbaum laid out a plan to send 100,000 security personnel, including Army soldiers and police officers, to stadiums in Guadalajara and the country’s two other host cities, Mexico City and Monterrey. FIFA determined it would not change the World Cup venues.

U.S. law enforcement has been advising Mexico on counter-terrorism methods, including training in repelling drone bombs, a weapon increasingly used by cartels to terrorize communities, attack adversaries and target military convoys. U.S. special forces have been training Mexican military teams to repel attacks at stadiums.

Fliers with photographs and identifying information about missing persons are displayed throughout Guadalajara’s historic center alongside traditional city scenes and World Cup-related imagery.

(Alejandra Leyva / For The Times)

The Mexican government had already witnessed the Jalisco cartel’s proclivity for brazen killing. In December, some four miles from Akron Stadium, gunmen fired more than 3,000 bullets in broad daylight into the car of a director of a produce distribution center. The gun battle between his security guards and the cartel took place just a few blocks from a police station. It took officers nearly a half hour to arrive at the scene.

In recent years, Jalisco state has become a cartel killing ground, security experts say. Some graves discovered in the Guadalajara area contained a single body, some more than 40. A few had 95 or more.

In 2023, the remains of nine teenagers, chopped up and stuffed in trash bags, were found in a canyon in Zapopan. They had worked for a Jalisco cartel call center where telemarketers scammed Americans of millions of dollars in a time-share scheme. The teenagers are believed to have upset their employer.

Traffickers recruit young people, including minors, to serve as foot soldiers in their bloody quest to control drug-trafficking routes across Mexico. Some of those teenagers were lured by ads promising good-paying jobs, only to discover they were being funneled to a Jalisco cartel training camp an hour outside Guadalajara. There, as a test, Mexican security officials said, recruits were forced to kill fellow recruits.

Plaza Liberacion, the city’s main public square, with flyers with photographs and identifying information about missing persons, on Friday.

(Alejandra Leyva/For The Times)

The cartel has recruited more than 45,000 minors across Mexico in recent years, said one Jalisco state representative.

While some of Guadalajara’s upscale neighborhoods have escaped the violence, families across the metropolitan area have seen hundreds of children disappear, some to reappear, dead, on cartel battlefields across Jalisco and in the states of Sinaloa and Michoacán, searchers said.

The Jalisco state government lists more than 16,000 reports of missing people — the most of any Mexican state. Nationwide more than 130,000 people are reported missing.

Despite the preparations and the buzz among the nation’s vast population of soccer fans, World Cup fever has not caught on among families of the disappeared and the search teams that each week fan out across Guadalajara, looking for new graves.

Natalia Leticia García’s son disappeared in 2017. She began her own search and launched a group to help find other victims. Eight years later, García’s group has located 26 graves. Some finds have been bags full of severed heads, others holding just arms. It is a cartel tactic, she said, to make it harder to piece together remains.

“It is cruel,” García said. Her son, César Ulises Quintero García, remains missing.

Fisher is a special correspondent. This article was co-published with Puente News Collaborative, a bilingual nonprofit newsroom that covers stories from Mexico and the U.S.-Mexico border.

Kiki Rice dribbled to the hoop, deked and then put up a shot over the Toronto Tempo practice squad, crisp ombre blue-and-burgundy nails releasing the ball into the basket.

Just over a month ago and just about 10 miles away, Rice‘s blue-and-yellow nails grasped the NCAA championship trophy in celebration at Pauley Pavilion. That’s when she was starring for UCLA and leading the Bruins to their first NCAA national title during her fourth college season.

She was one of six Bruins to be selected in the WNBA draft on April 14, with all of them sticking to notoriously difficult-to-crack WNBA rosters. Rice was the expansion Toronto Tempo’s first college pick.

“We got really lucky getting her in the draft,” Tempo coach Sandy Brondello said. “She hasn’t disappointed.”

Former UCLA star Kiki Rice holds up a Toronto Tempo jersey next to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. Rice was the Tempo’s first draft pick and was selected No. 6.

(Angelina Katsanis / Getty Images)

In her first two WNBA games, Rice has averaged 7.7 points and 1.3 assists in 20 minutes per game. She has been coming off of the bench to back up starting point guard Julie Allemand, who the Tempo took from the Sparks in the expansion draft.

“There’s definitely a lot of adjustments and getting used to what it is like inside this level,” Rice said on Friday. “But I’m with great vets, really great coaches, and I’m really enjoying the play as a pro.”

The No. 6 pick in this year’s WNBA draft, Rice elevated her stock as a prospect by having her best UCLA season. She finished her senior season averaging 14.9 points per game with 5.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists, and was named the Big Ten tournament MVP.

Ahead of the NCAA tournament, WNBA scouts said that her defensive prowess and willingness to charge to the basket made her emerge as an early first-round candidate.

“She stays confident in who she is, and that’s what we just pour into her,” Brondello said. “She comes from a really successful, you know, college program in UCLA. Cori [Close] is a great coach, and you know, pushed her hard for greatness. So she’s very mature. She knows that there’s another level that she can go to. She’s going to work really hard to get there.”

Rice went through the WNBA rookie gauntlet, going from the NCAA championship game to the draft within a week and then straight to the Tempo’s training camp.

“It’s something we all go through, it’s the same for all the rookies,” Rice said. “I feel like I haven’t slept a ton the past few weeks. It’s definitely not easy, it happens very quickly, but I am very grateful to be in the position.”

Sparks coach Lynne Roberts coached against Rice during her first two UCLA seasons while the former was the head coach at Utah.

Tempo guard Kiki Rice drives past the Storm’s Zia Cooke during expansion franchise Toronto’s first win on Wednesday in Toronto.

(Michael Chisholm / Getty Images)

“I think she’s going to do well with Sandy in her system,” Roberts said on Friday. “I saw over the course of her four years … her decision making, you know, improve and get better, which is natural, and her outside shot get more comfortable. … She’s going to be a good player to watch.”

Rice faced her old teammates Lauren Betts and Angela Dugalic with the Washington Mystics in the franchise’s first game on May 8, and the trio hugged at center court in Toronto. Rice had one assist and no points in 18 minutes during the loss. She rebounded with 12 points and one assist in 21 minutes during the franchise’s first win over the Seattle Storm on Wednesday.

“Playing with five other pros, you got the advantage of really competitive practices,” Rice said of her time at UCLA. “[The draft] was an incredible moment, something that’s very special for all of us. We didn’t do it alone, and to be able to share it with some of my closest friends, and to hear everyone’s name, be called to see everyone walk across the stage, be able to celebrate together, enjoy the moment, was special.”

This weekend provided a different kind of reunion, with her UCLA coaches in attendance Friday night as Rice scored 11 points and added two assists in 21 minutes during a loss to the Sparks. The Tempo rallied to within one possession in the final minute and get a rematch on Sunday.

As the Dodgers navigate the ripple effects of a series of recent pitching injuries, they added bullpen depth on Sunday by acquiring left-hander Eric Lauer from the Blue Jays for cash considerations.

The Blue Jays designated Lauer for assignment last week, after a bumpy start to the season. Lauer had yielded a league-leading 11 home runs in eight appearances.

It was a contrast to the far steadier presence he’d provided on the mound last year en route to an American League pennant, when he posted a 3.18 ERA in the regular season and 3.12 in the postseason. Lauer didn’t give up a run against the Dodgers in two World Series appearances, including 4 2/3 innings in Game 3.

To make room on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers transferred right-hander Brusdar Graterol (right shoulder surgery recovery) to the 60-day injured list.

The Dodgers, who had to pivot to a bullpen game Friday when southpaw Blake Snell (left elbow surgery to remove loose bodies) landed on the IL, made a series of bullpen-related roster moves Sunday morning.

They put left-hander Jack Dreyer on the 15-day IL with left shoulder discomfort. Imaging showed “nothing relevant,” other than inflammation, manager Dave Roberts said. The Dodgers hope he’ll be ready to be reinstated after a minimum stint.

“He was warming up yesterday and then felt something in his shoulder, some soreness,” Roberts said. “We just wanted to be proactive.

The team also optioned left-hander Charlie Barnes to triple-A Oklahoma City. And they recalled two fresh relievers, right-handers Paul Gervase and Chayce McDermott.

Former UFC champion and Olympic medalist Ronda Rousey (13-2) needed just 17 seconds to defeat Gina Carano (7-2) with her signature armbar on Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, bringing her mixed martial arts (MMA) career to a close.

In her return to MMA, Rousey quickly took Carano down to the mat at the start of the round. Carano tried to defend herself but left her arm exposed, allowing the judoka to apply her signature armbar.

Rousey stopped fighting in 2016 following losses to Holly Holm in 2015 and Amanda Nunes a year later. For the Riverside resident, this fight marks the career finale Rousey never had.

“There’s no way I can top this,” said Rousey, 39, when asked after the fight if she planned to return to the ring.

“I wanted it to last longer,” said Carano, 44.

Rousey urged Carano to consider the fight at a difficult time in her life and the actor said she lost 100 pounds to prepare for the bout.

“She gave me a reason; I woke up every day thinking about her,” Carano said of Rousey.

“She’s a hero to me. You changed my world,” Rousey told Carano, before hugging her after the brief bout. “I didn’t want to hurt her — that’s just how mixed martial arts is.”

The event was organized by MVP, co-owned by influencer and boxer Jake Paul and businessman Nakisa Bridarian. The bout was scheduled for five rounds in the featherweight division.

“You’re going to see more MMA on MVP, and it’s all thanks to these women,” Paul said, before telling UFC President Dana White that his company would host more high-profile MMA events like Saturday’s card at Intuit Dome that paid the headliners millions and every fighter lower on the card at least $40,000 apiece.

Ronda Rousey hugs Gina Carano after using an armbar to beat Carano Saturday at Intuit Dome.

(Jae C. Hong / Ap Photo/jae C. Hong)

Carano had not competed since 2009 — a 17-year hiatus — and is considered by many to be the pioneer of women’s MMA, having competed in Strikeforce and Elite XC before retiring following a loss to Cyborg.

In other welterweight bouts, 41-year-old Nate Díaz (22-14) was unable to make it to the third round of his fight against Mike Perry (15-8) after taking a beating in two rounds, during which he also landed some strikes but bore the brunt of the action.

With Díaz’s face bleeding profusely, Perry took advantage of Díaz’s questionable physical condition. Díaz hadn’t fought in MMA since 2022, when he defeated Tony Ferguson, though he had dabbled in boxing.

Mike Beltrán, the referee for the bout, stopped the fight after Díaz was unable to stop the bleeding and continue at the end of the second round.

“I landed some good shots, but I was getting tired,” said Perry, 34. “He’s very good, tough; when he looks like he’s hurt, he always has a trick up his sleeve, so I had to be careful.”

In another heavyweight bout, Cameroonian Francis Ngannou (19-3) needed just one round to dispatch Brazilian Philipe Lins (18-6) in a fight where he didn’t seem to be trying very hard. The African fighter punished Lins, who, although he defended himself and managed to land a few blows on Ngannou, was easy prey for a blow to the head that knocked him out in the opening round.

Ronda Rousey uses an armbar to defeat Gina Carano in 17 seconds on Saturday at Intuit Dome.

(Jae C. Hong / Ap Photo/jae C. Hong)

“I kept my composure,” said Ngannou, 39. “My knockout wasn’t impressive for my style.”

Ngannou also challenged legendary former UFC champion Jon Jones to a bout in MVP MMA. Jones was in the arena conducting an interview with the Netflix broadcast team when he received the challenge and gave a thumbs up amid the crowd’s cheers. Another potential boxing opponent for the Cameroonian is MVP promoter Jake Paul himself, who stepped into the Octagon to celebrate with winners on Saturday.

“As a businessman, we’re going to promote MMA. And hopefully we can fight one day in boxing,” Paul said.

In the lightweight division, Salahdine Parnasse (23-2) defeated Kenneth Cross (17-5) in the first round after landing a flurry of punches and dominating him early. Parnasse unleashed a wide-ranging offensive, from body shots to head strikes, to end the fight at the 4:18 mark of the first round.

In another bout, in the heavyweight division, Brazilian Junior dos Santos (21-11) was knocked out spectacularly by Cuban Robelis Despaigne (6-2) in the first round. The Cuban landed a three-punch combination — two rights and a left — to finish off a bloodied Dos Santos at 2:59.

Despaigne, who has fought for promotions such as Karate Combat, said afterward that he would like to face Ngannou.

Other results

In the main event of the preliminary card, Namo Fazil (10-1) submitted Jake Babian (6-2) in the second round of their welterweight bout.

In a 130-pound catchweight bout, Brazilian Adriano Moraes (22-6) knocked out American Phumi Nkuta (11-1) in the final second of the third round. Moraes landed a kick to Nkuta’s body in the final moments of a close bout, and as Nkuta fell, Moraes applied a guillotine choke. At first, it appeared the bell had saved Nkuta, but the referee determined that the fighter was already knocked out and awarded the victory to Moraes.

In the welterweight division, one of the best knockouts of the night occurred when Jason Jackson (20-6) sent Jefferson Creighton (12-3-1) to the canvas in just 22 seconds.

In the featherweight division, David Mgoyan (9-1) dominated Albert Morales (19-11), defeating him by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-26, and 30-27).

Aline Pereira (3-2) defeated Jade Masson-Wong (3-3) by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 27-30) in a 130-pound bout.

Chris Avila (8-10) was defeated by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) by Brandon Jenkins (17-11) in a 165-pound bout.

This article first appeared in Spanish via L.A. Times en Español.

Harvard-Westlake’s boys’ tennis team accomplished something on Friday few have done: topple Irvine University.

The Wolverines ended University’s four-year run as tennis champions with a 10-8 win at the Southern Section Division 1 championships. University is a 16-time champion.

Aiden Zadeh had an important win in singles. Chase Klugo and Aaron Chung swept their doubles competition. And Gideon Ames won the clinching set.

At a school that excels in many different sports, the Wolverines rose to the top. The season continues with regional and state competition.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

Kaden Tennyson is a high school senior who works at an ice cream shop to make a few bucks to help pay for Uber drives and a veterinarian bill for his injured dog. He’s also a shotputter and discus thrower at Riverside Notre Dame.

He was suffering from a strained tendon in his right ankle resting at home when his ice cream manager called with a request for assistance.

“It was insanely busy,” said Tennyson, who is 6 feet 6 and 300 pounds. “I took an Advil and served birthday cake, brownie, chocolate fudge.”

There was no way Tennyson wouldn’t answer the call for duty.

“It’s my first job as a teenager,” he said. “It’s good for job experience.”

Tennyson never made it to the Southern Section track preliminaries after winning the league title.

“Every throw, it hurt badly,” he said. “I wanted to push through it.”

He made the decision to protect his future, so he passed on a chance to compete at Saturday’s Southern Section track championships.

He’s enjoyed much success in high school, on and off the playing field. He was back-to-back Skyline League champion. His best efforts were 51-10 in the shotput and 145-7 in the discus. He was admitted to 19 colleges. He was recognized by the Riverside Hall of Fame as a top scholar-athlete. He’s a two-time Principal’s Honor Roll recipient.

And yet, all that pales in comparison to what he has been forced to endure while his mother, Janet, twice battled cancer, affecting everyone emotionally and financially.

“As a mother, it’s been humbling to watch the kind of young man he has become through adversity,” Janet said in a letter she wrote honoring her son.

Fighting cancer is exhausting for everyone involved.

“We didn’t a spend a lot of time together, “ Kaden said. “She was mainly asleep. I wanted to be strong at home and not cry to make her sad. My friends helped a lot.”

Some of the senior activities Kaden hoped to participate in were lost for financial reasons, like going to the prom with his girlfriend.

He’s focused on the future.

“One of my dreams is to raise my own successful family,” he said. “In order to do that, you need to be successful yourself.”

He’ll take his 3.8 grade-point average and giant body to study buisness and compete in track and field at UC Irvine.

His mother is recovering. He intends to walk at graduation on June 5.

His mother says, “Kaden’s journey reflects resilience, family, perseverance and the reality that the effects of a serious illness don’t end when treatment does.”

Kaden’s smile continues. Maybe it’s because he works at an ice cream shop.

Asked he if he gets to sample the products, he said, “Sometimes.”

That’s a happy ending on any day.

There’s no denying that Loyola’s lacrosse program is best in Southern California and could be that way for years to come with the number of elite young players participating.

On Saturday night, the Cubs (16-3) won their latest Southern Section Division 1 championship with a 14-6 win over Santa Margarita. The Cubs have won three title since the sport was adopted as a championship event in the Southern Section. Defense has been Loyola’s strength all season.

Senior defenders Chase Hellie and Everett Rolph and junior goalkeeper William Russo led one of the best defenses in program history under coach Jimmy Borell.

Senior Cash Ginsberg finished with five goals and junior North Carolina commit Tripp King finished with two goals.

Orange Lutheran won Division 2 boys over Edison and Windward won Division 3.

In girls Division 1, Mira Costa upset top-seeded Santa Margarita 12-6.

London City Lionesses are an ambitious club under owner Michele Kang and had a steady debut campaign in the WSL, finishing sixth after eight wins from 22 matches.

Sources at the club say an agreement with Earps has not yet been made, but they remain optimistic about their summer business.

Eder Maestre’s side have been linked with several players including Barcelona defender Mapi Leon and England winger Beth Mead, who announced her departure from Arsenal this week amid additional interest from Manchester City.

Earps is one of a number of big-name players potentially available on a free deal this summer, with Arsenal’s Mead and Katie McCabe leaving, Barcelona’s Alexia Putellas yet to sign a new contract, Sam Kerr departing Chelsea and Manchester City top scorer Khadija Shaw rejecting contract renewal proposals.

During her time in England, Earps became one of the country’s most recognised and influential players, though her book – released in November – caused controversy and dominated headlines in the media for several weeks.

Seven-time Ulster Championship winner Paul McGrane believes that Monaghan will “have no fear” facing Armagh in Sunday’s Ulster Senior Football final.

Kieran McGeeney’s side are favourites to end their 18-year wait to lift the Anglo-Celt Cup given they have hit 100 points in their three Ulster games to date, including a thumping 28-point victory over Down in the semi-final.

But Monaghan have recovered from a poor league campaign to reach the final as they look to win the county’s first Ulster title since 1988.

McGrane, who was the last Armagh captain to lift the Anglo-Celt Cup in 2008, says that Monaghan’s experience of beating Armagh in the All-Ireland in 2023 and the Ulster SFC in 2021 will give them confidence at Clones.

“There’s a Monaghan team coming that are Ulster club champions, on their own patch and the display of grit they showed against Derry and to do what they did with the sideline points, they’ll relish playing Armagh,” he told BBC Sport NI.

“They’ll have no fear playing them. The last two big games they played them; in Croke Park [shootout win], they came out the right side of it and in the match in Pairc Esler [a thrilling 4-17 to 2-2 win].

“They’ll be going with hunger the same that Armagh have to get over the line and get an Ulster title themselves.”

HIGH SCHOOL BOYS VOLLEYBALL

CITY SECTION FINALS

FRIDAY

At Birmingham

DIVISION I

#1 Taft d. #3 Cleveland, 25-23, 25-14, 25-21

DIVISION IV

#7 Maywood CES d. #4 Math & Science College Prep, 25-17, 25-17, 25-23

At Venice

DIVISION II

#4 Marquez d. #6 Narbonne, 23-25, 25-19, 29-27, 25-16

DIVISION III

#13 Birmingham d. #2 Legacy, 25-20, 17-25, 31-33, 25-21, 15-10

SATURDAY

At Birmingham

OPEN DIVISION

#3 Chatsworth d. #1 Granada Hills, 24-26, 25-21, 25-14, 25-18

DIVISION V

314 Franklin d. #13 Rancho Dominguez, 25-18, 25-19, 25-16

SOUTHERN SECTION FINALS

THURSDAY

At Home Sites

DIVISION 9

Vasquez d. Tarbut V’ Torah, 25-19, 22-25, 25-21, 19-25, 15-10

FRIDAY

At Cerritos College

DIVISION 1

#1 Mira Costa d. #3 Loyola, 25-21, 25-22, 25-22

DIVISION 4

Sunny Hills d. Royal, 24-26, 25-22, 27-25, 25-23

At Home Sites

DIVISION 5

Bishop Diego d. St. Anthony, 25-19, 25-19, 23-25, 25-23

DIVISION 8

Temescal Canyon d. West Valley, 24-26, 25-16, 25-19, 25-23

SATURDAY

At Cerritos College

DIVISION 2

Orange Lutheran d. Edison, 3-1

DIVISION 3

Windward d. St, John Bosco, 24-26, 25–21, 25-22, 25-20

DIVISION 6

Culver City d. Garden Grove, 27-25, 25-20, 19-25, 21-25, 15-9