Novak Djokovic moved one win away from his 100th ATP Tour-level singles title with a hard-fought victory against Britain’s Cameron Norrie in the semi-finals at the Geneva Open.
Djokovic, who celebrated his 38th birthday on Thursday, is bidding to become just the third man in the Open era – after Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer – to win 100 ATP titles.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion took a step closer to that milestone with a resilient 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 6-1 win over Norrie.
Djokovic, who has not won a title since claiming Olympic gold in Paris last summer, will face Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz in Saturday’s final.
“It was the toughest match of tournament for me so far, for sure,” the world number six said in his on-court interview.
Playing in his first semi-final of the season, Norrie won just two points on Djokovic’s serve in the first set as the Serb raced through the opener.
It was the Briton, however, who took control in the second set, challenging Djokovic’s serve for the first time to move 4-1 in front.
A double fault by Djokovic at 5-2 brought up a set point for Norrie, but he missed his chance and allowed Djokovic to break back and level the set at 5-5.
The world number 90 redeemed himself in a cagey tie-break, saving a match point before an unforced error from Djokovic took the last-four tie to a deciding set.
Djokovic reasserted his dominance by grabbing the first three games of the third set – a gap that Norrie was unable to close as he was broken again to allow Djokovic to serve out the victory after two hours and 15 minutes.
“I’m really glad how I regrouped in the third and played the best set of the tournament,” added Djokovic, who is playing in his first event since splitting from coach Andy Murray.
“It means a lot [to reach the final]. So let’s go for a title.”
It has been a disappointing clay-court season for Djokovic, who suffered immediate exits in Madrid and Monte Carlo.
However, an ATP 250 title in Geneva could be the perfect confidence booster before the French Open, where he will be chasing a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title.
Djokovic will face American Mackenzie McDonald in the first round at Roland Garros, which starts on Sunday.
Ekow ‘The Engine’ Essuman comes into the bout with a record of 21-1-0, with eight of his 21 victories coming by KO.
Essuman’s only defeat came at the hands of Harry Scarff in 2023, losing by unanimous decision in Manchester, meaning Taylor will look to be the first man to KO Essuman to get back to form.
The Engine in turn looks to be the first man to KO Taylor, with both of his defeats coming by unanimous decision, with whoever can score the victory becoming the WBO international welterweight champion.
When is Josh Taylor vs Ekow Essuman?
Josh Taylor vs Ekow Essuman is LIVE on Saturday, May 24.
Coverage of the card starts at 7pm BST on DAZN.
The fight takes place at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow.
Ringwalks for Taylor vs Essuman are expected at around 10pm BST.
Nick Garcia, the throws coach at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, calls shotputter and discus thrower Aja Johnson “the dragon slayer.”
She’s only 5 feet 3 but slays taller girls competing in those events.
Last weekend, she won the Southern Section Division 3 shotput and discus titles. This weekend she will try to qualify for the state championships when competing at the Masters Meet at Moorpark High. She won the state discus title last year. She was state champion in the shotput in 2023.
Aja Johnson of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
Under Garcia’s guidance, Johnson uses technique, athleticism, agility and explosiveness to excel in the two events. She has committed to Louisville. Notre Dame athletes have won every Division 3 shotput or discus title since 2021. …
The City Section Division I baseball semifinals will be held Wednesday at Stengel Field in Glendale with a trip to Dodger Stadium on Saturday at stake. Carson will play Taft at 3 p.m., followed by Banning taking on Verdugo Hills at 6 p.m.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email [email protected].
Sitting in the Birmingham High bleachers wearing headphones before running the 400 meters at the City Section track and field prelims, 17-year-old senior Nathan Santa Cruz looks like a teenager comfortable and confident. Teammates gravitate to him. Maybe it’s his smile. Or maybe they want to be near someone enjoying each and every day.
A traumatic experience changed his outlook on life in the fall of 2022 when he suffered a brain injury in the opening football game for Venice High and underwent emergency surgery to stop bleeding.
“We don’t know if he’s going to make it,” his mother, Crystal Clark, remembers being told at the hospital.
Nathan Santa Cruz, who survived a brain injury in 2022, goes for a City Section title at 400 meters.
(Craig Weston)
Santa Cruz recovered so well that he played two more years of football, but his real love was using his speed in track. Last season he finished second in the City Section 400. This year, he ran a career-best time of 47.74 seconds at the Arcadia Invitational.
On Thursday, he’ll have a rematch against Justin Hart of Granada Hills in the 400 final. They ran one-two last season.
“I think it’s going to be a real competitive race,” Santa Cruz said. “I’m going to try to come out on top.”
If he doesn’t finish first, he’s already won. He has a track scholarship waiting for him at Cal Poly Pomona, where he plans to study business or criminology. And he has grown up fast because of what happened to him. He’s no normal teenager when you listen to what he believes.
“At the end of the day, it’s God giving you another chance to wake up,” he said. “Make sure I’m better than yesterday. That’s what I do.”
Granada Hills’ Justin Hart, the son of former NBA player Jason Hart, is favored in the City 400 and 200.
(Craig Weston)
His competitor, Hart, has his own story to tell. He’s the son of Kentucky basketball assistant coach Jason Hart, who spent 10 years in the NBA. An older brother, Jason II, also played basketball but Justin was different.
Justin played lots of sports, including basketball, but when he was 7, he told his father, “I don’t want to do this anymore. I don’t want you to waste your money.”
He wanted to run.
“I didn’t want to be in my dad’s shadow. I wanted to create my own identity in my own sport,” he said.
He won the 400 and was second in the 200 at last year’s City final. He’s going for a sweep on Thursday and is just getting started.
“I think the ceiling is really high,” Granada Hills coach Johnny Wiley said.
He’ll welcome his father and mother in the bleachers cheering loudly.
There really won’t be any losers when Hart and Santa Cruz square off. They come from great families and have learned lessons that will help them succeed for years to come.
Santa Cruz makes it clear he runs to make his mother proud because he’ll never forget a memory from his hospital experience.
“Seeing her cry at the hospital, I knew I had to go make an impact in her life, make it so she didn’t have to pay for her kid to go to college,” he said. “Seeing her smile, that’s why I do it.”
And when days don’t go as well as he might like, Santa Cruz said he has learned, “It’s just the way life goes. I think God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers.”
When you have perhaps the best golfer in Southern California on your team, it certainly helps in team competitions. Oaks Christian always turns to junior Max Emberson to set the standard, and he helped deliver a Southern Section Division 2 team championship on Monday at Bear Valley Country Club in Victorville. The Lions finished with a score of 371.
Emberson, who won last year’s state individual championship, shot 65. Sophomore Broxton Brock shot 68. Apple Valley, Corona del Mar and Great Oak tied for second at 376.
La Serna pulled off the day’s biggest surprise, winning the Division 1 title by a single stroke over powerhouse Santa Margarita at El Dorado Park Golf Course in Long Beach. Hill Wang of La Serna led the way with a 69. Junlin Pan of Orange Lutheran, a sophomore, had the low score at 68.
In Division 7, St. Bonaventure won the team title with a 414. Los Altos finished second. Eoin O’Neil shot a 72 for St. Bonaventure.
In Division 3, Xavier Prep won at 384. Newport Harbor was second. Troy Song of Chaparral shot 67 for the low score on the day.
In Division 6, Alta Loma edged Damien 411 to 412. Troy Borges of Chino shot 68.
World number one Scottie Scheffler outlasts a final round challenge from Jon Rahm to record a five-stroke victory in golf’s second major of the year.
Scottie Scheffler held off a spirited effort by Spain’s Jon Rahm to secure a five-shot PGA Championship victory at Quail Hollow Club for his third career major title.
The top-ranked Scheffler, who was three shots clear of Swede Alex Noren at the start of the day, struggled off the tee early on Sunday but righted the ship in time for the back nine to card an even-par 71 that left him at 11 under for the week.
“I knew it was going to be a challenging day, finishing off a major championship is always challenging,” Scheffler said on the 18th green after being presented with the Wanamaker Trophy.
“I didn’t have my best stuff … but stepped it up on the back nine.”
Ryder Cup hopeful Harris English, who began his day 11 shots adrift, shot a 65 that was the low round of the day and finished in a distant share of second place alongside fellow Americans Bryson DeChambeau (70) and Davis Riley (72).
Twice major champion Rahm (73) gave Scheffler a scare early on the back nine but came apart in stunning fashion with five dropped shots over his final three holes to slide back into a share of eighth place.
Rahm, who began the day five shots back of the lead and playing two groups ahead of Scheffler, took a while to get going in the final round but found his groove right in time to set up some back-nine drama at Quail Hollow Club.
The Spaniard joined Scheffler atop the leaderboard when, at the par-four 11th, he made his third birdie over a four-hole stretch, but Scheffler reclaimed the outright lead with a 9-foot birdie at the 10th moments later.
Rahm nearly answered right back, but his perfectly paced 19-foot birdie attempt at the par-three 13th curled around and out of the cup before going on to misread birdie putts at the next two holes, followed by his brutal closing stretch.
Jon Rahm, of Spain, reacts after missing a putt on the 16th hole during the final round of the PGA Championship [George Walker IV/AP]
Scheffler added birdies at 14 and 15 and then saw his lead suddenly grow to five over JT Poston after Rahm made double-bogey at the par-three 17th, where he blasted his tee shot into the water.
“It’s a tough pill to swallow right now,” said Rahm.
“Pretty fresh wound right now. But there’s been a lot of good happening this week and a lot of positive feelings to take for the rest of the year.”
US Open champion DeChambeau, who finished runner-up at last year’s PGA Championship, was driving the ball and giving himself chances, but struggled on the greens.
“I felt like I had the game to win this week, and the golf course suited me pretty well, missed a few putts coming down the stretch and got a little unlucky in this great game of golf,” said DeChambeau.
“It was a good fight, good battle, take a lot from it. It’s just burning a bigger fire in my belly.”
Noren, playing alongside Scheffler and alone in second place to start the day, stayed in the mix until his round unravelled with a trio of bogeys early on the back nine.
Scheffler took home a $3.42m top prize from a record $19m purse.
Scheffler plays a shot from the bunker on the 14th hole during the final round of the PGA Championship [Andrew Redington/Getty Images via AFP]
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Scottie Scheffler worked harder than he imagined and got the result everyone expected Sunday in the PGA Championship: A most pleasant walk to the 18th green with another major title secure in the hands of golf’s No. 1 player.
Scheffler was flawless when he had to be on the back nine of Quail Hollow, leaving the blunders to Jon Rahm and everyone else trying to catch him on a final day that turned tense until Scheffler pulled away with a steady diet of fairways and greens.
“This back nine will be one that I remember for a long time,” Scheffler said. “It was a grind out there. I think at one point on the front I maybe had a four- or five-shot lead, and making the turn, I think I was tied for the lead.
“So to step up when I needed to the most, I’ll remember that for a while.”
He closed with a bogey he could afford for an even-par 71, giving him a five-shot victory and his third major title. Scheffler became the first player since Seve Ballesteros to win his first three majors by three shots or more.
The margin doesn’t match up with the grind. That much was clear when Scheffler raised his arms on the 18th green and then ferociously slammed his cap to the turf, a brand of emotion rarely seen by the 28-year-old Texas star.
Scheffler was five shots ahead coming to the last hole when he won his first Masters green jacket in 2022. He was four shots clear of the field when he won at Augusta National last year. And he had a six-shot lead at Quail Hollow.
But this sure didn’t feel like a walk in the park.
He had a five-shot lead standing on the sixth tee. But with a shaky swing that led to two bogeys, and with Rahm making three birdies in a four-hole stretch around the turn, they were tied when Scheffler got to the 10th tee.
It looked like a duel to the finish, with Bryson DeChambeau doing all he could to get in the mix. Under the most pressure he felt all day, Scheffler didn’t miss a shot off the tee or from the fairway until his lead was back to four shots.
Rahm wound up seven shots behind, but the two-time major champion was the only serious threat. His chances began to fade when he failed to birdie the 14th and 15th holes, the two easiest holes on the back nine and the last good scoring chances.
His five-wood on the reachable par-four 14th was a yard from being perfect, instead going into the bunker. He blasted out weakly and his seven-foot birdie putt never had a chance.
He drilled a 345-yard drive on the par-five 15th and his four-iron went just over the back. Rahm putted it too hard and it rolled 12 feet. He missed that birdie putt and then came unglued.
A bogey on the 16th hole went from rough to bunker. Having to take on a dangerous pin at the par-3 17th, it bounded over the sunbaked green into the water for double bogey. And his last tee shot went left off the grassy bank and into the stream for another double bogey.
All that work to make up a five-shot deficit at the start of the day and Rahm closed with a 73 to tie for eighth.
“Yeah, the last three holes, it’s a tough pill to swallow right now,” said Rahm, his first time seriously contending in a major since he left for the Saudi riches of LIV Golf two years ago.
“I’ll get over it. I’ll move on,” Rahm said. “Again, there’s a lot more positive than negative to think about this week. I’m really happy I put myself in position and hopefully learn from this and give it another go in the U.S. Open.”
DeChambeau birdied the 14th and 15th to get within two shots, but he never had another good look at birdie and bogeyed the 18th for a 70. He tied for second with Harris English (65) and Davis Riley, who overcame a triple bogey on No. 7 to play bogey-free the rest of the way and salvaged a 72.
“I’m baffled right now. Just felt like things just didn’t go my way this week,” DeChambeau said. “I drove it as good as I can. … I gave myself a good chance. I just felt like a couple breaks went a different way.”
J.T. Poston, the North Carolina native who also flirted with an outside chance, bogeyed the last two holes for a 73 to tie for fifth.
Scottie Scheffler hits from the bunker during the final round of the PGA Championship on Sunday.
(David J. Phillip / Associated Press)
English finished his Sunday-best score as Scheffler was making his way down the third hole. He had a flight to catch that afternoon. He also was the clubhouse leader. But he looked at Scheffler’s name atop the leaderboard and said with a smile, “I don’t see him slipping a whole lot. I see myself catching my flight.”
But then Scheffler was unable to find his swing. He hit only two fairways on the front nine. He failed to convert birdies on the par-5 seventh and the reachable par-4 eighth. On eight of his nine holes, his miss was to the left. And he was tied with the red-hot Rahm.
But part of Scheffler’s greatness is his ability to wear down a field, which he did at the Masters both times he won.
“I hit the important shots well this week, and that’s why I’m walking away with the trophy,” Scheffler said.
He finished at 11-under 273 and picked up his 15th victory in just his sixth year on the PGA Tour. Dating to 1950, Scheffler is the third-fastest player to go from one to 15 tour wins, behind only Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus, and even then by a matter of months.
His victory comes a month after Rory McIlroy captured the Masters to complete the career Grand Slam. The PGA Championship was always going to be a tough act to follow and it didn’t come close in terms of drama. But it served as a reminder why Scheffler has been No. 1 for two straight years, and why it will take a lot to replace him.
McIlroy made the cut on the number, shot 72-72 on the weekend and tied for 47th. It was his lowest 72-hole finish in four years in the majors. McIlroy declined all four days to speak to the media.
Scheffler came into the PGA Championship off an eight-shot victory in the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. And then he won a major by five. It was the first time since Woods in 2000 that a player won consecutive PGA Tour starts by five shots or more in the same season.
THE final day of the World’s Strongest Man 2025 is here!
British athlete Tom Stoltman is eyeing a FOURTH title in five years as he looks to go within one of equalling Mariusz Pudzianowski‘s astonishing record.
His older brother Luke is also competing in the finals alongside fellow Brits Paddy Haynes and Shane Flowers.
2023 Strongman winner Mitchell Hooper is one of the main contenders looking to take Stoltman’s crown.
Barcelona win back the La Liga title from rivals Real Madrid with a 2-0 win at neighbours Espanyol.
Barcelona clinched its 28th Spanish league title after Lamine Yamal starred in its 2-0 win at crosstown rival Espanyol.
Yamal scored in the 53rd minute of a tight match on Thursday, when the teenage phenom slid past two defenders along the edge of the area before he whipped one of his now-trademark left-footed curlers into the corner of the net.
Fermin Lopez scored in stoppage time to seal the win, but it was Yamal’s strike that stole the headlines and was a fitting culmination to the youngster’s season.
The 17-year-old excelled throughout for Barcelona with his goals, dribbling and playmaking as he confirmed his status as the next big star of global football.
The strike was his eighth league goal of the season, while he also has 12 assists to his name.
“Lamine’s goal is a move he practises a lot, he had scored twice today in the warmup, the same way. We have to look after him and let him enjoy it, he is fantastic,” his teammate Pedri told Movistar Plus after the game.
Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, left, scores from outside the box [Manaure Quintero/AFP]
Barcelona edge nervy Catalan derby
The first half had been a much tighter affair with only one shot registered by each side, indeed, it was the home team that had the best of the early chances, offering Real Madrid some hope that their title defence may continue beyond this game. It was not to be for the Madrid club and, shortly after Yamal’s latest wonder goal, Espanyol were reduced to 10 men when Leandro Cabrera swung his left arm into the chest of Barca’s starlet.
Barcelona won the title with two rounds remaining. It completed a domestic double with the Copa del Rey title and reached the Champions League semifinals in a fantastic first season for coach Hansi Flick.
Flick’s team virtually ended Madrid’s title defence when they beat their top rival 4-3 on Sunday, making it four of four Clasico victories across all competitions this season.
Madrid’s victory over Mallorca on Wednesday prevented Barcelona from winning the title without playing. But the Catalan club needed just two points from its final three games of the season.
Several Espanyol supporters were injured after being hit by a car near the stadium minutes before the start of the Catalan derby.
At least 14 individuals sustained injuries of varying severity when a female driver, encircled by Espanyol fans in front of their home ground, lost control of her car, causing panic and chaos.
The woman was subsequently arrested and subjected to a breathalyser test by the Mossos d’Esquadra, Catalonia’s police force, which is also known as also known as the Policia de la Generalitat de Catalunya.
The Emergency Medical Service responded promptly, deploying 10 ambulances to the scene.
Of the 14 injured fans, four are reported to be in a less serious condition, while the others suffered minor injuries. The most severe injury reported was a broken leg.
According to authorities, the incident occurred as Espanyol fans gathered to welcome the team’s coach. The driver’s car was wedged between two containers, prompting several supporters to throw objects at the vehicle, which resulted in damage.
In response, the driver accelerated and struck approximately 20 fans.
“It was an accident, some people were injured, but not seriously. There are no major incidents to report,” Salvador Illa, the president of the Generalitat, who was present at the match, told Spanish TV channel Movistar Plus.
Ilia Topuria will face Charles Oliveira, not Islam Makhachev, for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 317 main event.
Ilia Topuria will look to add a second Ultimate Fighting Championship belt to his collection when he headlines UFC 317 on June 28 – it just won’t be against Islam Makhachev.
After weeks of heightened anticipation for a potential blockbuster face-off between the superstar pair, Topuria, a former undisputed featherweight champ, will now fight former champion Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title, UFC CEO Dana White announced on Tuesday.
Makhachev, a four-time defending champion, will vacate the lightweight belt to move up to welterweight to face newly crowned Jack Della Maddalena, who defeated Belal Muhammad last Saturday at UFC 315 to become the new title holder in the weight class. The date for that fight has yet to be announced.
Topuria has a perfect UFC record of 16-0. The Spaniard relinquished his 145-pound (66kg) featherweight title earlier this year in anticipation of a lightweight title showdown against Makhachev and took to social media to voice his displeasure at the Russian vacating his title belt.
“On June 29, another dream will come true,” Topuria wrote. “I’ll be the champion of the lightweight division. Charles [Oliveira], my apologies in advance… I’m just fighting for my dreams. It’s unfortunate that Makhachev ran away.”
Makhachev, who sports a 27-1 UFC record, is ranked by ESPN as the best pound-for-pound UFC fighter in the world; Topuria is ranked number two.
UFC 317 is scheduled to take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Islam Makhachev’s next fight will be against Jack Della Maddalena in the welterweight class, rather than IIia Topuria in the lightweight class, after the Russian vacated his lightweight title to move up a weight class [File: Kamran Jebreili/AP]
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Freshman Moni Nikolov posted six kills, four aces and a pair of digs and Long Beach State beat UCLA 25-17, 25-23 and 25-21 to win the NCAA men’s volleyball tournament Monday night.
It was the Beach’s (30-3) fourth championship in program history and first since 2019. Long Beach State also won the title in 2018 and claimed its first title in 1991 when current coach Alan Knipe was a player.
The 6-foot-10 Nikolov, who just turned 18, started the match with an opening-serve ace and ended UCLA’s two-time reign with a thunderous kill.
“Not for one second did we think we were going to lose that game,” Nikolov said. “Before the game in the locker room we told each other we were here. We were born for this …. game.
“Even when we were down five, we trusted each other because we knew we were the better team.”
Trailing 1-0, UCLA led 18-13 in the second set before the nation’s No. 1-ranked team outscored the Bruins 12-5 for a two-point win. In the third set, Alex Kandev’s kill gave Long Beach State a 4-3 lead and the Beach led for the remainder. Kandev finished with a .452 hitting percentage.
The Bruins entered the tournament with the second-highest hitting efficiency in the country but were stifled in part by Long Beach State’s length and were outhit by the Beach .354 to .192. UCLA’s Cooper Robinson finished with a .381 hitting percentage.
The championship match was the third meeting between the two teams this season with Long Beach State owning a 9-1 set advantage.
Long Beach State dropped just a single set as it beat Fort Valley State 3-0 and Pepperdine 3-1.
Two-time defending champion UCLA (22-7) sought to become college volleyball’s first three-peat champion since the Bruins won four in a row from 1981 to 1984.
