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If Madison Keys was not nervous enough about starting her Australian Open title defence, facing an unknown opponent only added to the tension.

The 30-year-old American had a fairytale run in Melbourne 12 months ago, culminating in her lifting the first Grand Slam trophy of her career.

However, she made an edgy start to her title defence on Tuesday, losing the first four games to Grand Slam debutant Oleksandra Oliynykova.

Keys said afterwards she had struggled to find footage of her opponent to help her prepare, with Oliynykova’s defensive play style not matching up well with her big-hitting game.

But the ninth seed eventually settled down to clinch a 7-6 (8-6) 6-1 victory over the Ukrainian.

“I’ve been thinking about this moment for basically a year,” said Keys.

“The moment they say, ‘Ready, play’, it all hits you in a way that I don’t think you can ever really explain.

“As nerve-racking and stressful as that can be, I’m still reminding myself of just how few people get to be in that moment.

“Being able to walk out today and have the crowd be as welcoming as they were, I’ll take the stress any day.”

Scotland’s Paul Foster and Alex Marshall have become World Indoor Bowls pairs champions together for the fifth time.

They defeated compatriots and two-time winners Stuart Anderson and Darren Burnett 11-5 12-7 in a final between four players who have all won the world singles title.

It is Foster and Marshall’s first pairs title since 2019 and leaves them one behind England’s Tony Allcock and David Bryant, who won it six times between 1986 and 1992.

Asked about their continuing success, Foster told BBC Sport: “My hunger will not change and Alex is the same.

“Age is just a number and I’m just delighted to win this again.

“Stuart and Darren probably didn’t play as well as they can, but their record is formidable.”

Marshall, who has now won the pairs seven times to his partner’s six, paid tribute to Foster, saying he was “absolutely phenomenal”.

Anderson had been given a fright earlier in the day before winning his first-round singles game 2-1 against fellow Scotsman Martyn Rice but was not using that as excuse for his pairs defeat.

Burnett, meanwhile, said of Foster and Marshall, “they were exceptional”.

All four pairs finalists are through to the second round of the singles.

Novak Djokovic says he does not think the upcoming Australian Open is “now or never” for his hopes of winning a standalone all-time record 25th Grand Slam title.

Djokovic, 38, has been tied on 24 major victories with Australia’s Margaret Court since his last triumph at the 2023 US Open.

Unsurprisingly, the Serb has showed signs of decline in recent years, yet still managed to reach the semi-finals of all four Grand Slams last year.

Given he is a record 10-time men’s champion in Melbourne, and has had plenty of recovery time going into the first major of the season, the consensus is that the Australian Open represents his best chance of landing the elusive record-breaking title.

“There has been a lot of talk about the 25th, but I try to focus myself on what I have achieved, not what I’m possibly achieving,” Djokovic, who is seeded fourth at Melbourne Park, said.

“I hope it comes to that [winning 25], but 24 is also not a bad number. I have to appreciate that and remind myself of the amazing career I had.”

Djokovic has never made a secret of his desire to achieve even more history, but is now attempting to release some of the “unnecessary” pressure he places on himself to surpass Court.

He starts his latest bid against Spain’s Pedro Martinez in Monday’s night session on Rod Laver Arena.

“I don’t think it’s needed for me to really go far in terms of make-it-or-break-it or a now-or-never type of mentality,” said Djokovic, who is aiming to become the oldest Grand Slam men’s champion in the Open Era.

“Neither does that allow me to excel and perform my best.”

Kayla Harrison has been ruled out of her bantamweight title defence against Amanda Nunes at UFC 324 in Las Vegas next week after suffering an injury.

The UFC has not yet revealed the extent of the injury, but American media are reporting Harrison requires surgery on herniated discs in her neck.

The bout, which was set to be the co-main event at the T-Mobile Arena on 24 January, has been “postponed to a later date”, the UFC says.

The promotion has not announced a replacement bout and has instead promoted former bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley’s contest with Song Yadong to the co-main event.

Harrison, 35, was set to make the first defence of her title against returning former double champion Nunes in a bout UFC president Dana White had described as “the biggest women’s fight of all time”.

Former two-time PFL lightweight champion Harrison beat Julianna Pena in June to win the belt in only her third UFC fight.

Brazil’s Nunes, who many regard as the greatest women’s mixed martial artist of all time, was set to compete in her first bout since retiring from the sport in 2023.

The 37-year-old former bantamweight and featherweight champion is the only woman in history to hold UFC titles in two separate divisions.

The card on 24 January will be headlined by Britain’s Paddy Pimblett, who is set to face American Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title.

Ryan Garcia will return to the ring nine months after his loss to Rolando “Rolly” Romero in May 2025, and he will do so in a world championship fight against Mario Barrios, the current World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight champion. The 12-round bout will take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Feb. 21.

Turki Alalshikh, president of the General Entertainment Authority in Saudi Arabia, confirmed the matchup. The event will be called “The Ring: High Stakes” and broadcast by DAZN pay-per-view.

Barrios (29-2-2, 18 KOs) won the WBC welterweight world championship in September 2023 and has defended the title twice, both times in fights that went the full 12 rounds. In November 2024, he fought to a split draw against Abel Ramos, and in July 2025, he recorded a majority draw against legendary former world champion Manny Pacquiao.

“This is my division, my moment and I’m ready to show the world why the WBC title is staying here,” Barrios said in a statement.

Barrios, who has faced Gervonta “Tank” Davis and Keith Thurman, was also world champion in the super lightweight division, where he won the World Boxing Assn. (WBA) title in 2019. Before his draws against Pacquiao and Ramos, he defeated Argentina’s Fabián Maidana and Cuba’s Yordenis Ugás, a fight in which he won the vacant WBC title.

For his part, García (27-1, 19 KOs) returns after losing to Romero in a fight in which he did not appear to enter the ring in optimal condition. During that fight, the Victorville native was knocked down in the second round and ended up losing by unanimous decision after 12 rounds. Garcia came into that fight with physical problems, suffered an injury during training camp and underwent surgery on his right hand after the fight, which kept him out of the ring for months.

“I will be world champion on February 21,” Garcia said in a statement.

Mario Barrios punches Manny Pacquiao during a July bout in Las Vegas. Barrios will next face off with Ryan Garcia.

(John Locher / Associated Press)

García’s return comes after a turbulent period in his career. In 2024, he defeated Devin Haney by decision in the super lightweight division, although he weighed in 3.25 pounds overweight, making him ineligible to compete for Haney’s title. He subsequently tested positive for the banned substance ostarine, which resulted in the fight being declared a “no contest,” as well as a lawsuit from Haney and a one-year suspension.

Now, Garcia will seek redemption in a new division against an established champion, while Barrios will attempt to reaffirm his dominance at welterweight against high-profile opponent.

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

World no 1 becomes back-to-back champion at the Brisbane International with a straight sets victory over Marta Kostyuk.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka brushed aside Marta Kostyuk 6-4 6-3 in the Brisbane International final on Sunday to retain the title without losing a set ahead of her bid to reclaim the Australian Open title this month.

Kostyuk had beaten top 10 players Jessica Pegula, Mirra Andreeva and Amanda Anisimova on her way to the final but was no match for the sheer power of the US Open champion.

Sabalenka is determined to win back the Australian Open title she relinquished last year and her performance in the fierce Brisbane heat, suggests she will be hard to beat at Melbourne Park this month.

“Thank you to my team for handling me. I’m really the toughest one to handle, and you guys are the toughest people in the world if you can handle me,” she told the crowd before directing a comment at partner Georgios Frangulis in the stands.

“Thank you to my boyfriend. Hopefully, soon I’ll call you something else, right? Let’s just put a bit of extra pressure on, right?”

Sabalenka overpowers Kostyuk

Sabalenka raced off to a 3-0 lead in the opening set before coming a bit unstuck as her first serve deserted her and her 23-year-old opponent feasted on her second.

There were the familiar hangdog expressions as Sabalenka raised her eyes to the skies in reaction to spraying a shot high and wide, but it did not last for long.

Rallying at 3-3, Sabalenka reduced the number of wild swings and heaped the pressure on her 26th-ranked opponent with the sheer power and accuracy of her strokes.

She quickly wrapped up the opening set and was soon 3-0 up in the second after again taking Ukrainian Kostyuk’s first service game.

There was no way back for Kostyuk this time and she faced a real battle just to hold her serve three times before Sabalenka served out to secure her 22nd WTA title, sealing the deal when her opponent netted a return on her first championship point.

Kostyuk said her thoughts were with the people back home in her war-torn country.

“I play every day with a pain in my heart and there are thousands of people who are without light and warm water,” she said.

“Right now it’s minus 20 degrees outside, so it’s very, very painful to live this reality every day. It’s very hot here in Brisbane, so it’s difficult to imagine this, but my sister is sleeping under three blankets because of how cold it is at home.”

Sabalenka will be gunning for a third Australian Open and fifth major title at the year’s first Grand Slam, which starts on January 18.

Jan. 7 (UPI) — President Donald Trump‘s first pick to serve as the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia has been ordered to explain why she is still using the title despite her appointment being ruled unlawful.

U.S. District Judge David Novak ordered Lindsey Halligan to give an explanation of her continued use of the U.S. attorney title within seven days. Novak said her use of the title, including in court documents, may amount to false or misleading statements.

False and misleading statements in a court of law can result in punishment, including charges of perjury, fines and imprisonment.

Halligan, a Trump loyalist, was the president’s original pick to serve in the Eastern District of Virginia last year. A federal judge determined that the Department of Justice illegally appointed Halligan and barred her from assuming the role.

U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie ruled in November that Halligan was never eligible to hold the position of U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Her appointment had circumvented the standard appointment process, including a Senate confirmation. She also has no experience as a prosecutor.

Despite the ruling, the Justice Department has kept Halligan in office.

On Tuesday, Novak said that Halligan and the department cannot continue to ignore the ruling.

“It remains the binding precedent in this district and is not subject to being ignored,” Novak said in his order.

Erik Siebert, the acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia prior to Halligan’s appointment, resigned in September after refusing to prosecute New York Attorney General Letitia James.

After her appointment, Halligan filed charges against James and former FBI Director James Comey, who investigated Trump’s ties to Russia during Trump’s first term.

Both cases were dismissed when Currie ruled that Halligan was not qualified for the U.S. attorney role.

SANTA CLARA — Zach Charbonnet scored on a 27-yard run in the first quarter and Seattle shut down the high-powered San Francisco offense in a 13-3 victory over the 49ers on Saturday night that secured the No. 1 seed for the Seahawks in the NFC playoffs.

Seattle (14-3) won its first division title since 2020 and is two home wins away from returning to Levi’s Stadium for the Super Bowl next month after besting San Francisco (12-5) in just the fourth season-ending game ever where the winner was guaranteed the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.

The loss sends the 49ers on the road for the wild-card round next weekend against an opponent that will be determined after Sunday’s games.

Coach Mike Macdonald’s defensive unit flummoxed a 49ers offense that had been the NFL’s most potent since Brock Purdy returned from an injury in Week 11.

The Seahawks didn’t allow a first down in the opening quarter, generated three sacks and made the biggest defensive play early in the fourth quarter when Drake Thomas got an interception at the Seattle three on a pass that went off the hands of Christian McCaffrey.

Sam Darnold did just enough for the Seahawks as he won a Week 18 showdown this season after falling flat a year ago for Minnesota against Detroit in a loss that cost the Vikings a chance at the No. 1 seed. Darnold went 20 of 26 for 198 yards and didn’t turn the ball over once as Seattle relied heavily on the running game.

Kenneth Walker III ran for 97 yards, Charbonnet had the long touchdown and the Seahawks finished with 180 yards on the ground, their second most in a game this season.

Purdy went 19 of 27 for 127 yards and the interception and McCaffrey was held to 23 yards in eight carries as the 49ers had their lowest-scoring game since losing 23-3 to Carolina in coach Kyle Shanahan’s debut in 2017.

The 173 yards gained by the 49ers were their fewest in any regular-season game under Shanahan.

The Seahawks controlled the first half, outgaining the 49ers by 127 yards and allowing only three first downs, but led only 10-3 at the break after two long drives ended with no punts.

Seattle got stopped on fourth and goal from the four on the on the opening drive but managed to force a three-and-out that set up a short field and Charbonnet’s touchdown run.

Jason Myers also missed a 47-yard field goal attempt. He went two of four on the night, missing from 26 yards late in the fourth quarter.

The West Valley League boys’ soccer competition has been dominated by El Camino Real and Birmingham. Both schools usually end up competing for a City title.

Now Cleveland, under second-year coach Julio Chacon, is trying to disrupt the ECR-Birmingham soccer dynasty.

The Cavaliers enter Wednesday’s league opener against El Camino Real with an 11-2 record. Anderson Carranza has 10 goals.

Chacon, a Cleveland graduate, has been trying to get his team to have the confidence to compete against defending City champion El Camino Real and longtime power Birmingham.

“I’m trying to build a new culture,” he said.

This is the first season in years that the City title hunt appears to be wide open. Sylmar owns a win over Birmingham and South East is 14-1-2, including a tie against Birmingham.

El Camino Real is facing a big week, with games against Cleveland, then Birmingham on Friday. On Saturday, ECR passed its first test with a 5-0 win over Sylmar.

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

Declan Rice shrugged off a knee injury to extend Arsenal’s advantage at the top of the Premier League to six points with a come-from-behind 3-2 win at Bournemouth.

A rare Gabriel Magalhaes error gifted the Cherries an early opener through Evanilson on Saturday, but the Brazilian quickly redeemed himself to level.

Rice had been a doubt after missing Tuesday’s 4-1 demolition of Aston Villa due to knee swelling.

The England international returned to the starting lineup and doubled his tally for the season with two composed finishes either side of the hour mark.

Eli Kroupi’s fine strike gave Bournemouth hope, but Arsenal comfortably saw out the closing stage to move seven points clear of Manchester City, who host managerless Chelsea in their game in hand on Sunday.

There had been a glimmer of hope for Pep Guardiola’s men when Arsenal conceded after just 10 minutes.

Gabriel mishit his attempted cross-field pass towards Jurrien Timber and presented the ball to his compatriot Evanilson, who slotted past David Raya for his first home goal of the season.

Arsenal’s towering centre-back netted on his first start for nearly two months against Villa in midweek and showed his eye for goal once more to equalise within six minutes

Gabriel pounced to slam home Noni Madueke’s deflected cross for his 20th Premier League goal since he joined the Gunners in 2020 — seven more than any other defender.

Rice has also turned into a useful source of important goals since being pushed into a more advanced role this season.

He was perfectly picked out by Martin Odegaard to slot in from the edge of the box to put the visitors in front on 56 minutes.

Bukayo Saka came off the bench to create Arsenal’s third as Rice swept home his cut-back.

Bournemouth remain without a win, stretching back 11 games to October 26.

However, only five sides have scored more Premier League goals this season than Andoni Iraola’s men.

A stunning strike by Kropi from long range set up a nervy finale.

But Mikel Arteta’s men held firm to take another big step towards ending their 22-year wait to lift the Premier League title.

Villa beat Forest, while West Ham ’embarrassed’ at Wolves

Aston Villa beat struggling Nottingham Forest 3-1 at their home fortress to ease the pain of their midweek mauling by Arsenal, leapfrogging Manchester City into second place in the Premier League.

Ollie Watkins’s strike on the cusp of half-time gave Unai Emery’s side a deserved lead, and John McGinn scored twice in the second half, either side of a Morgan Gibbs-White goal for the visitors.

Villa’s 11-game winning streak in all competitions was brought to a shuddering halt with a 4-1 defeat at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, raising doubts about their ability to maintain a title charge.

But their impressive record at Villa Park remains intact – they have now won 11 straight matches there since a 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in August.

Villa boss Emery told Sky Sports that his players and coaching staff had held a meeting after their chastening loss to Arsenal.

“I am so happy,” he said. “We had to recover our energy and our confidence. Here, at Villa Park, the energy we create was really important.

“Forest are competitive. After the Arsenal match, we met the players and staff: how we are doing this season, how we are feeling, how we needed to keep the same consistency as before, how we needed to be together and strong.”

Villa started brightly on a bitingly cold day in Birmingham, but struggled to make their dominance count in a tepid first half.

But the in-form Watkins broke the deadlock in the closing moments of a half in which they enjoyed nearly 80 percent possession.

The England international received the ball outside the area from Morgan Rogers and slammed home for his fourth goal in three games.

McGinn doubled Villa’s lead in the 49th minute, side-footing home from a Matty Cash cross.

Villa appeared to be cruising, but Forest were back in the game in the 61st minute courtesy of a fine finish from Gibbs-White, who chipped past the diving Emi Martinez.

The home side were gifted a third goal in the 73rd minute when Forest goalkeeper John Victor inexplicably vacated his goalmouth to try to reach a long ball from Youri Tielemans, even though there were defenders nearby.

Scotland midfielder McGinn collected the ball and remained cool, sidestepping Victor and stroking the ball into the empty net with his left foot from well outside the area.

The win took Villa to 42 points, one ahead of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, who host managerless Chelsea on Sunday.

Forest, who have now suffered four straight league defeats, remain one place above the relegation zone, four points clear of West Ham, who were thumped 3-0 at bottom-of-the-table Wolves.

“The first half was embarrassing, and I have to apologise to the fans – this is not what we want to show,” beleaguered Hammers’ manager Nuno Espirito Santo said after.

Elsewhere, second-bottom Burnley lost 2-0 at Brighton and Hove Albion.

It had seemed like Arsenal were starting to wobble.

After starting December with defeat by Aston Villa, they were far from convincing as they beat Wolves, Everton and Brighton by narrow margins.

But the Gunners ground out vital results and they answered any lingering doubts over their title credentials with an emphatic 4-1 home victory over Villa on Tuesday.

It not only kept Unai Emery’s in-form side at bay in third place, it served as a powerful statement to any team hoping to derail their trophy ambitions.

Arsenal head into 2026, and the second half of the campaign, at the top of the league – five points clear of second-placed Manchester City, with Villa a further point behind.

“Arsenal doing what they did to Villa tells you where they are,” former Aston Villa striker Dion Dublin told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“It’s all going right for them because everyone is contributing – the manager, the players, the staff.”

Speaking on Match of the Day, ex-England midfielder Danny Murphy added: “Arsenal‘s performance was a big statement. It was powerful, full of quality and showed their strength in depth.”

But, with a history of letting the title slip from their grasp following three successive runners-up finishes, can Arsenal finally make it count this season and be champions for the first time since 2004?

Guardiola – who takes his side to Sunderland on New Year’s Day – held several talks with his squad during the Club World Cup in America in the summer and believes the breakthrough came there.

He said: “When we went out to Al Hilal, it wasn’t the fact we didn’t win but that we were so good there. It was then holidays so I said: “OK, go on holidays” but I was annoyed because we were good there, good with the guys training, good with the competition.

“The place we were in, Boca Raton in front of the beach, everyone was happy. We made a lot of dinners, a lot of talks, [about] what we have to do next season. What we have to do. We wanted to extend it, just to live that.

“After talking with Pep [Lijnders] and James [French], Manel [Estiarte], Hugo [Viana], Txiki [Begiristain], we turned around and said something changed. Something [you can feel].

“Energy, energy, energy. We lost it last season. We started to train better, compete better.

“It doesn’t mean you are going to win but that you are able to recognise the team. Now it is eight victories in a row. It is not easy but compete in a way we do. We have to improve, absolutely, but this mindset is better.”

What began as a blowout, ended as a down-to-the-wire finish Saturday, as the Houston Texans held off the Chargers with a 20-16 victory at SoFi Stadium.

The outcome rippled through the AFC, with the Denver Broncos clinching the AFC West, and the Indianapolis Colts eliminated from playoff contention. The Broncos are the first team other than Kansas City to win the division in the past decade.

The Chargers (11-5), who had won four in a row, made some uncharacteristic mistakes to fritter away scoring chances.

Justin Herbert, who otherwise had a tremendous and gutty game, was intercepted a yard away from the end zone in the first half.

Cameron Dicker, the most accurate kicker in NFL history, missed for the first time in his career inside of 40 yards and in the fourth quarter hooked an extra-point try, only the fourth PAT miss of his career.

Herbert completed 21 of 32 passes for 236 yards with a touchdown and interception.

Houston’s C.J. Stroud completed 16 of 28 for 244 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

The Texans (11-5), who got off to an 0-3 start this season, came into Saturday’s game riding a seven-game winning streak.

They played host to the Chargers in the first round of the playoffs last season and collected a 32-12 victory, intercepting Herbert four times.

On Saturday, Herbert kept the Chargers in the game, absorbing hits from every angle yet still throwing a one-yard touchdown pass to Oronde Gadsden II at the end of the third quarter and setting up another touchdown, a five-yard run by rookie Omarion Hampton, with 3:37 left in the fourth.

Dicker missed the extra point on the latter touchdown, meaning the Chargers couldn’t tie with a field goal and needed a touchdown.

At the end of the first half, Dicker missed a 32-yard field goal, and weird as that was, it encapsulated what kind of start it was for the Chargers.

They were flat and flat-footed from the beginning, surrendering a 75-yard touchdown pass on Houston’s first possession and a 43-yard touchdown pass on the second.

The Texans were up, 14-0, before the Chargers got their initial first down.

Herbert was sacked three times in the half, and on the first appeared to have hurt his surgically repaired left hand. At least he was wincing and favoring that hand as he walked off the field, but it didn’t sideline him.

Despite getting off to a two-touchdown lead, the Texans didn’t run away with the game.

Derwin James Jr. had an interception early in the second quarter to set up a field goal for the Chargers.

The Chargers got a field goal and moved into position for a touchdown in the second quarter when Herbert connected with Quentin Johnston for a 60-yard gain.

On the following play, however, Herbert attempted to hit Gadsden over the middle. The pass wasn’t perfectly timed, and glanced off the hands of the rookie tight end, who was near the goal line. Houston linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair made the interception at the one.

Minutes later, the Chargers would get another golden opportunity to score. Elijah Molden made an interception at the Houston 32, and his team made it into the red zone before Dicker’s failed attempt.

Emery may deflect title talk, but his body of work at Villa and the Midas touch he displays – match-winner Watkins described his manager as a “tactical genius” – means they are now right at the heart of the conversation at the top of the table.

Villa’s acid test may just come in their next game, when they face league leaders Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, 30 December (20:15 GMT) but Emery has made a habit of making life difficult for his former club.

He ticks every box for an elite manager, taking Villa into the Champions League last season, only missing out on this term’s competition on the final day of the last campaign, and now taking them just three points from the top of the table and only a point behind Manchester City.

Another figure of significance is that Villa’s win means they are now 10 points clear of fifth-placed Chelsea, a position they would have accepted with gratitude after failing to win any of their first five league games.

Emery proved his pedigree when he acted to galvanise a stuttering Villa display just before the hour as they trailed to Joao Pedro’s messy 37th-minute goal, the striker touching home Reece James’ corner in a scramble.

With Villa going nowhere but the game still in the balance, Emery sent on Watkins, Amadou Onana and Jadon Sancho for Donyell Malen, John McGinn and Emiliano Buendia.

The impact was stunning, Watkins equalising inside four minutes then powering home a header for the winner.

Emery did what the best managers do – he took the big decisions that turned a game which looked to be getting away from Villa on its head.

Vince Zampella, the video game developer who helped launch the wildly lucrative and enduring “Call of Duty” franchise and “Apex Legends” studio Respawn Entertainment, has died.

A representative for Electronic Arts, which owns Respawn, confirmed Zampella’s death Monday in a statement shared with The Times. He was 55.

Zampella was one of two people who died Sunday afternoon in a car crash along Angeles Crest Highway, NBC 4 reported. The crash involved a red 2026 Ferrari 296 GTS, and the identities of the deceased are pending release by the county coroner, said California Highway Patrol spokesperson Sgt. Daniel Keene.

Zampella was a noted sports car collector, often sharing photos of his luxury vehicles and visits to car races on Instagram.

“This is an unimaginable loss, and our hearts are with Vince’s family, his loved ones, and all those touched by his work,” said the Electronic Arts representative in a statement. “Vince’s influence on the video game industry was profound and far-reaching.”

The CHP said in a Sunday news release that it received a call at 12:43 p.m. about a crash at Mile Post 62.70 of the scenic drive, which reopened in August after a years-long closure due to storm damage. Officers responded to the scene of the crash, and a preliminary investigation found that a car had been traveling southbound when, “for unknown reasons, the vehicle veered off the roadway, struck a concrete barrier, and became fully engulfed,” according to the release.

“The passenger was ejected from the vehicle, and the driver remained trapped,” the CHP statement said. “Both parties succumbed to their injuries.”

Video emerged online showing a red Ferrari shooting out of a tunnel along the highway at a high speed, slamming into a concrete barrier where the road curved and erupting into flames.

The 2026 Ferrari 296 GTS is a hybrid convertible powered by a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 and an electric motor, producing a combined 819 horsepower.

The scenic Angeles Crest Highway, which features 66 miles of mountainside twists and turns is a favorite among motorcycle riders and car enthusiasts but also has a track record of deadly and dangerous crashes.

The CHP said Sunday it was unclear whether drugs or alcohol were a factor in the crash.

Zampella was a formative figure in the modern gaming scene. Alongside Jason West and former creative partner Grant Collier, he co-founded the original “Call of Duty” studio, Infinity Ward, in 2002 and released the first installment of the first-person military shooting game in 2003. Activision acquired the studio that same year. Since its inception, “Call of Duty” has spawned dozens of sequels and spin-offs across various consoles and platforms, most recently “Call of Duty: Black Ops 7,” released in November.

He and West, after an acrimonious split with Activision, founded Respawn Entertainment in 2010. Though West departed Respawn in 2013 due to unspecified family issues, Zampella remained head of the studio, overseeing the creation of titles including “Titanfall,” “Apex Legends” and “Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond.” Additionally, Respawn expanded its lineup with the story-driven “Star Wars” titles “Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order” and “Star Wars Jedi: Survivor,” starring Cameron Monaghan.

Zampella also led the L.A. branch of Swedish video game developer DICE, which was renamed in 2021 to Ripple Effect Studios, and was appointed to oversee its “Battlefield” franchise.

“A friend, colleague, leader and visionary creator, his work helped shape modern interactive entertainment and inspired millions of players and developers around the world,” Electronic Arts said in its statement. “His legacy will continue to shape how games are made and how players connect for generations to come.”

Zampella is survived by his three children, Quentin, 26; Kyle, 22; and Courtney, 19.

Britain’s Hamzah Sheeraz has been ordered to fight Diego Pacheco for the vacant WBO super-middleweight title following Terence Crawford’s retirement.

American Crawford left the sport last week, adding he has “nothing else left to prove” after beating Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvaraz in September to become the first man in the modern era to hold undisputed titles in three weight divisions.

In retirement Crawford, who won all 42 of his professional fights, vacated his belts, with the WBO instructing Sheeraz to fight American Pacheco for its title.

The bout gives 26-year-old Sheeraz a second option after he was previously ordered by the WBC to fight Christian Mbilli for their vacant super-middleweight title.

The sanctioning body stripped Crawford of his belt before his retirement because he did not pay sanctioning fees.

Sheeraz’s promoters Queensberry and Pacheco’s Matchroom have 20 days to agree on the terms of a fight but if they cannot reach an agreement they must proceed to purse bids according to WBO rules.

Sheeraz drew with WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames last February in an underwhelming performance over 12 rounds, before beating Edgar Berlanga in July.

He is unbeaten in 23 fights, while 24-year-old Pacheco has won all 25 of his bouts.