Category: News
Indiana conquista 1er campeonato nacional de futbol americano universitario al vencer 27-21 a Miami
MIAMI (AP) — Indiana conquista 1er campeonato nacional de futbol americano universitario al vencer 27-21 a Miami.
Harris anota 25, Brown falla tiro decisivo y Pistons vencen 104-103 a Celtics
DETROIT (AP) — Tobias Harris anotó 25 puntos y Jaylen Brown falló un tiro justo antes de la bocina, permitiendo que los Pistons de Detroit se mantuvieran con una victoria de 104-103 sobre los Celtics de Boston el lunes por la noche en un enfrentamiento de equipos con los mejores récords en la Conferencia Este.
Jalen Duren anotó 18 unidades y capturó nueve rebotes, Cade Cunningham tuvo 16 tantos y 14 asistencias y Duncan Robinson agregó 15 puntos para los Pistons, líderes de la División Central (31-10).
Brown tuvo 32 al acertar 11 de 28 en tiros para los Celtics, líderes de la División Atlántica (26-16).
Cunningham y Brown fueron nombrados titulares del Juego de Estrellas por primera vez más temprano el lunes. Cunningham ocupó el primer lugar en votos por parte de los jugadores, y Brown tuvo la mayoría de los votos de los medios.
Detroit comenzó el cuarto período adelante 84-82 después de 11 empates y cinco cambios de liderazgo y los últimos 12 minutos también fueron muy disputados.
El quinto triple de Robinson le dio a los Pistons una ventaja de cinco puntos a mitad del cuarto.
Brown hizo un tiro que puso a su equipo por delante con 3:20 por jugar y Harris respondió con un triple para poner a los Pistons adelante 99-97.
Brown falló dos tiros libres con 1:58 por jugar, estando dos puntos abajo, y encestó un tiro en carrera con 45 segundos restantes para acercarse a uno.
Cunningham falló un tiro con cinco segundos restantes y Boston tenía el balón con 4,4 segundos restantes con la oportunidad de al menos extender el juego, pero Brown no pudo aprovechar un tiro desde el ala derecha.
Payton Pritchard de Boston anotó 17, Sam Hauser tuvo 16 puntos y Luka Garza superó el haber sido sancionado con cuatro faltas en tres minutos para agregar diez puntos.
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Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Getting on a roll from 3-point range, Waubonsie Valley’s Maya Pereda plays role to perfection. ‘What we need.’
On every successful team, each player has a role to perform. Junior guard Maya Pereda understands that concept completely for Waubonsie Valley.
For this season’s version of the Warriors, Pereda operates as the team’s sharpshooter.
And she’s excelling in that role.
“I’m catch and shoot,” Pereda said. “If the girls are going to get downhill and attack, it will cause their defense to collapse, so I’ll have opportunities to hit shots. I have so much trust in them.”
Pereda went out and rewarded her teammates for their trust Monday night, putting up 12 points on four 3-pointers in a 68-40 victory over Carmel in the Coach Kipp Hoopsfest at Benet in Lisle.
Illinois State-bound senior guard Danyella Mporokoso led all scorers with 29 points for Waubonsie (20-1). Pereda shot 4 of 6 on 3 pointers, while Arie Garcia-Evans had 22 points and 11 rebounds.
Waubonsie Valley’s Maya Pereda (0) drives into Carmel’s Maron Bowes (21) and Maliyah Mays (13) during the Coach Kipp Hoopsfest at Benet in Lisle on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (James C. Svehla / The Beacon-News)
Josie Hartman and Liv Johnson paced Carmel (17-7) with 14 points apiece.
Waubonsie coach Brett Love, meanwhile, knows there’s more to Pereda’s game, but as far as the makeup of this team, she’s doing the job that’s required.
“What she brings is what we need,” Love said of Pereda. “There is definitely more to unlock, her downhill drives and finishes around the basket, things like that.
“But if we can find her open and give her just a little bit of breathing room it’s going in.”
Waubonsie Valley’s Maya Pereda (0) looks to make a pass against Carmel during the Coach Kipp Hoopsfest at Benet in Lisle on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (James C. Svehla / The Beacon-News)
Garcia-Evans and Mporokoso combined to score 33 of Waubonsie’s 36 points in Monday’s first half. The other points came on a three from Pereda, who started getting more involved offensively in the third quarter as the Warriors really started to pull away.
Pereda’s final 3-pointer in the fourth quarter, followed by a Garcia-Evans pull-up jumper, pushed the advantage to a game-high 29 points.
“We’ve had games where we’ve all scored 20 and there’s really not much you can do to defend that,” Pereda said. “If one of us isn’t hitting, then the other two have the opportunity to attack.
“It’s really hard to guard. I think that’s great, especially for us to get to our goal.”
Waubonsie Valley’s Maya Pereda (0) keeps a close eye on defense against Carmel’s Ada Lindal (24) during the Coach Kipp Hoopsfest at Benet in Lisle on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (James C. Svehla / The Beacon-News)
Following Monday’s win, Mporokoso is within 325 points of breaking the program record for career scoring set by Ashley Luke. Mporokoso sits at 2,561.
Pereda’s contributions have helped Mporokoso put up those huge numbers.
“It’s really good, especially in those games where she’s confident and she’s in that mode, she’s locked in,” Mporokoso said of Pereda. “You have to get to her in transition. She’ll set a screen for me. I’ll set a screen for her. One of us is going to get the shot. It’s super helpful.”
Pereda pointed out that, even before Maya Cobb was lost for the season with a knee injury suffered in the fourth game, she had discussions with Love about being more aggressive.
“Someone else had to step up and take her place,” Pereda said of Cobb. “I knew that for me, that was my role this year for us to be successful. Coach and I talked and he said that I have to be shooting more.
“There were some games where I had four shots, and that’s not going to help us win. He has those expectations for me.”
Waubonsie Valley’s Maya Pereda (0) sets up on a 3-point shot against Carmel during the Coach Kipp Hoopsfest at Benet in Lisle on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (James C. Svehla / The Beacon-News)
Even though Pereda is a different kind of scorer than the downhill Cobb, Love still knew he had somehow to replace 11 points a game.
“I looked to her to increase her points,” Love said of Pereda. “I need her around that 15-point mark every game.”
Every program also keeps an eye toward the future. While Pereda fits in perfectly this winter, the Warriors will lose Garcia-Evans and Mporokoso to graduation. Mporokoso sees a bright future.
“I think next year she’s going to hit a whole other level,” Mporokoso said of Pereda. “I think she’ll be a three-level scorer and a good leader and communicator.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/19/maya-pereda-waubonsie-valley-carmel-ihsa-girls-basketball/
China Flies Military Drone Into Taiwan Airspace For First Time
China Flies Military Drone Into Taiwan Airspace For First Time
In the latest geopolitical escalation – because let’s face it, all that’s left now for the global geopolitical chaos to be complete is for Beijing to finally launch its much anticipated invasion of Taiwan – China sent a military drone into Taiwanese airspace for the first time, underscoring Beijing’s efforts to test the island’s defenses.
The Chinese reconnaissance drone flew in the airspace of Pratas Island for about four minutes early Saturday, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said in a statement. The islet is near the southern end of the strait, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) from Taiwan’s main island.
The unmanned aerial vehicle was a WZ-7 known as ‘Soaring Dragon’ according to a Taiwanese national security official. It flew at an “altitude outside the range of our air defence weapons and left following warnings Taipei broadcast via international radio channels”, Taiwan’s defence ministry said in a statement.
The ministry added that the drone flew above the range of air defense weapons, adding that it left after warnings were broadcast over international radio frequencies. In 2022, Taiwan downed a Chinese civilian drone that flew near another one of its offshore outposts, Kinmen.
China’s military said on social media the aircraft conducted “legitimate and lawful” training.
According to the FT, analysts said the move highlighted Taiwan’s difficulties in countering China’s high-end drone capabilities and allowed Beijing to further undermine the country’s sovereignty.
“China has found another soft spot,” said Kitsch Liao, an associate director at the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub. “They can repeat this to demonstrate that they can enter Taiwan airspace with impunity. And what do you do if they start flying lower and lower? If you decide to shoot the drone down when it comes into range, China can blame Taiwan because it didn’t do anything before.”
Increasingly often China also harasses Taiwan’s outlying islands with its coastguard and maritime militia — armed fishing vessels that carry out paramilitary missions. Pratas has become a preferred target for those operations over the past year. On Wednesday, Taiwan’s coastguard published footage of two Chinese coastguard ships approaching the atoll. It is located about 420km from southern Taiwan, in waters both US and Chinese submarines would have to pass through in a potential future conflict.
The latest drone incident highlights China’s efforts to militarily intimidate Taiwan. Taipei rejects Beijing’s claims to its territory, and under President Lai Ching-te has stepped up efforts to bolster its defenses to deter any attack.
Last month, the People’s Liberation Army held live-fire drills around Taiwan after the US announced an $11 billion arms package for Taipei, one of the biggest ever. The PLA has in recent years held large-scale military exercises with the declared goal of intimidating Taiwan. It has also launched increasingly frequent naval and air patrols which are growing in scale and gradually moving closer to Taiwan.
US and Taiwanese government officials believe that, while the US might help defend Taiwan in the case of a Chinese attack, it would not intervene over Pratas, which is part of Tapei’s disputed claim to sovereignty over the South China Sea as a legacy of the Republic of China.
Under US domestic law, Washington is required to provide Taiwan with the weapons needed to defend itself and to maintain the capacity of the US to resist any force or coercion that would jeopardise Taiwan’s security.
“China could severely weaken Taiwan’s morale and confidence in defending itself if it got away with seizing Pratas,” said a foreign military official in Asia.
Taiwan’s defense minister Wellington Koo told lawmakers in 2024 that the country’s armed forces would view the unauthorized entry of any Chinese military aircraft, ship or other asset into Taiwan’s territorial airspace or waters as a “first strike” against which Taiwan could order a counterstrike in self-defense. But according to Taiwan’s latest quadrennial defence review published last March, the military is still working on rules which would spell out under what circumstances frontline officers would be empowered to order such a move.
Two Taiwanese officials said Taipei would exercise “extreme caution” to avoid any incident at Pratas sparking a broader conflict. “We would consult with our ally,” one of the officials said, referring to the US.
Also Saturday, the Chinese military said in a statement on social media that it tracked the USS John Finn, a guided-missile destroyer, and a US oceanographic survey vessel as they passed through the Taiwan Strait. The US usually sends warships through the busy shipping lane following major Chinese military maneuvers.
Tyler Durden
Mon, 01/19/2026 – 23:00
Los Patriots enfrentan a un viejo conocido en su intento de regresar a un Super Bowl
Por JIMMY GOLEN
FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts, EE.UU. (AP) — Todo lo que separa a los Patriots de Nueva Inglaterra de su primer viaje al Super Bowl desde que Tom Brady se fue es un quarterback suplente que ya conocen bastante bien.
El equipo al que Brady llevó a seis títulos de la NFL —y 13 juegos de campeonato de conferencia— jugará contra Denver (15-3) el domingo por el campeonato de la AFC contra uno de los mariscales de campo que lo sucedieron.
Jarrett Stidham, quien fue seleccionado por Nueva Inglaterra (16-3) en la cuarta ronda del draft de 2019, hará su primera titularidad desde 2023 como sustituto de Bo Nix, quien se fracturó el tobillo cerca del final de la victoria de los Broncos en los playoffs sobre Buffalo el sábado.
Stidham pasó dos años en los Patriots como suplente. Cuando el coordinador ofensivo de Nueva Inglaterra, Josh McDaniels, estaba entrenando en Las Vegas, le dio una oportunidad allí; el entrenador Mike Vrabel dijo que también consideró a Stidham cuando estaba en Tennessee y nuevamente el verano pasado, antes de que el veterano suplente volviera a firmar con los Broncos.
“Supongo que fue algo irónico”, dijo Vrabel el lunes, elogiando la precisión, el atletismo y la toma de decisiones de Stidham. “Es realmente decisivo en los juegos que revisamos y vimos”.
Los Patriots vencieron a Houston 28-16 el domingo para regresar al juego de campeonato de la Conferencia Americana por primera vez desde que ganaron su sexto Super Bowl en la temporada 2018, el penúltimo año de Brady en Nueva Inglaterra.
Drake Maye completó 16 de 27 pases para 179 yardas y tres touchdowns; también tuvo una intercepción en un pase desesperado al final de la mitad y perdió el balón cuatro veces, entregándolo dos veces, en una mezcla invernal que también contribuyó a las cuatro intercepciones lanzadas por el mariscal de campo de los Texans, C.J. Stroud.
Está funcionando
La defensiva capturó a Stroud tres veces y lo forzó a hacer lanzamientos erróneos que terminaron en manos de los Patriots.
Carlton Davis III tuvo dos intercepciones, Craig Woodson tuvo una y una recuperación de balón suelto, y Marcus Jones devolvió su intercepción para el touchdown que le dio a Nueva Inglaterra la ventaja definitiva a principios del segundo cuarto.
Lo que necesita ayuda
Nueva Inglaterra nunca ha ganado un juego de playoffs en Denver. “Es un desafío”, dijo el ala cerrada Hunter Henry, quien pasó cinco temporadas enfrentándose a los Broncos en la AFC Oeste mientras estaba con los Chargers.
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Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Brooks y Booker impulsan a los Suns a una victoria 126-117 sobre los Nets en apuros
NUEVA YORK (AP) — Dillon Brooks anotó 27 puntos, Devin Booker sumó 23 y los Suns de Phoenix derrotaron 126-117 a los Nets de Brooklyn el lunes por la noche.
Collin Gillespie terminó con 22 puntos y Grayson Allen añadió 14 desde la banca para los Suns, que han ganado cinco de sus últimos siete partidos. Mark Williams aportó 16 unidades y ocho rebotes.
Phoenix tuvo un 57% de acierto en tiros de campo (44 de 77), incluyendo un 51% (20 de 39) desde larga distancia.
Los Suns llegaron a liderar por hasta 20 puntos en la primera mitad y tenían una ventaja de 17 con 9:08 en el cuarto período antes de que los Nets remontaran.
Noah Clowney de Brooklyn culminó una racha de 19-6 con una jugada de tres puntos que redujo la desventaja a 118-114 con 4:01 restantes en el tiempo reglamentario. Brooks respondió con un triple, pero fue sancionado con una falta técnica después de hacer contacto con Michael Porter Jr.
Clowney convirtió el tiro libre técnico antes de que Allen encontrara a Royce O’Neal completamente abierto en la esquina para un triple que puso el marcador 124-115, dejando el juego fuera de alcance.
Porter anotó 23 puntos para liderar a los Nets, que han ganado uno de sus últimos ocho partidos. Clowney sumó 16 y el suplente Ziaire Williams añadió 15.
Los Nets han perdido nueve de sus 11 partidos en enero después de haber tenido un récord de 7-4 en diciembre tras un inicio de temporada de 3-16.
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Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
After time off due to an injury, Darrius Hawkins Jr. refocuses for Homewood-Flossmoor. ‘Different perspective.’
After suffering a leg injury in the second half of a Jan. 6 win over Sandburg, Homewood-Flossmoor’s Darrius Hawkins Jr. was forced to spend some time on the sidelines.
The sophomore guard missed two games, including a Jan. 10 loss to Thornton. But he looked at the time off as a blessing in disguise. It was an opportunity to learn more about his teammates.
“It was great,” Hawkins said. “Me sitting out helped bring a lot out of the players who were sitting on the bench for a while. We need those guys to step up in the long run. It was great for me to sit there and see things from a different perspective.
“But I’m back and I’m ready to go.”
Hawkins, who returned to the lineup last week, was back in full force Monday night.
He scored 20 points and dished out four assists to lead the host Vikings to an 80-63 victory over Mount Carmel at the MLK The Dream Continues Invitational in Flossmoor.
Darrius Hawkins Jr. (4) converts a layup for the host Vikings against Mount Carmel in the Homewood-Flossmoor MLK The Dream Continues Invitational in Flossmoor on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (Steve Johnston / Daily Southtown)
Ethan Jackson scored 22 points to lead H-F (17-2). Marvin Douglas finished with 12 points and seven rebounds, while Danny Ruffin contributed 10 points, six rebounds and six assists.
Ronald Johnson led Mount Carmel (15-6) with 18 points. Logan Wessel scored 16 points, while Samuel Ogeto contributed 12 points and six rebounds and DK Heard added nine points, six rebounds and three blocked shots.
Hawkins, though, controlled the game from the start. After setting up his teammates early, he got his own offense going with eight points in the second quarter.
In his first year with the Vikings after transferring from Leo, Jackson confirmed that Hawkins is equally adept in both roles.
Darrius Hawkins Jr. (4) puts up a 3-pointer for the host Vikings against Mount Carmel in the Homewood-Flossmoor MLK The Dream Continues Invitational in Flossmoor on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (Steve Johnston / Daily Southtown)
“It’s obviously my first year playing with him and it’s been amazing,” Jackson said. “He’s a young guard, but he really sets the pace and sets up the game for everybody on the floor.
“He works well with everyone and then he can score on his own, too.”
Hawkins is the only returnee who played a big role on last season’s senior-laden team. That’s made him a player his teammates look up to and lean on, even though he’s just a sophomore.
“I took a year to learn from the seniors last year,” Hawkins said. “Now, having to be more effective and more of a leader, it’s beneficial for my future, wanting to be a Division I point guard and knowing I’m going to have to do that at the next level.”
Marvin Douglas (0) drives on Mount Carmel’s Samuel Ogeto (42) for the host Vikings in the Homewood-Flossmoor MLK The Dream Continues Invitational in Flossmoor on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (Steve Johnston / Daily Southtown)
With that leadership standpoint in mind, Hawkins valued his time on the bench with the injury. He tried to take on a coach’s mentality and learn what the team could do better.
“Watching from the sidelines and seeing the pace of the games, it was very up and down,” he said. “We want to slow it down a bit and take our time. We can play with pace, but we don’t want to rush things. Get into our offense and take our time with things.”
H-F played with the perfect mix Monday night, using its speed to get Mount Carmel off-balance offensively but taking time to run its offense with Hawkins at the controls.
The Vikings led 15-6 after the first quarter and 35-22 at halftime and stayed in control all night.
Darrius Hawkins Jr. (4) of host H-F and Mount Carmel’s Charlie Wingate (4) collide in the Homewood-Flossmoor MLK The Dream Continues Invitational in Flossmoor on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (Steve Johnston / Daily Southtown)
H-F coach Brandin Brown is certainly glad to see his team — which was also without Ruffin for the Thornton loss — back at full strength.
But he also wanted to see certain things when Hawkins was out.
“Being a leader, it’s not easy to do as a sophomore,” Brown said. “But when he was out, we challenged him to stay engaged. He couldn’t help physically, but we still wanted to hear his voice.
“He definitely passed with flying colors.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/19/darrius-hawkins-jr-hf-mount-carmel-ihsa-boys-basketball/
Damascus Attacks Syrian Kurds Overseeing ISIS Prison As US Stands By
Damascus Attacks Syrian Kurds Overseeing ISIS Prison As US Stands By
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said Monday that Damascus has continued to attack its positions across northern Syria despite the US-backed ceasefire reached a day earlier, warning that attacks are targeting the vicinity of SDF-run prisons holding tens of thousands of jailed ISIS militants.
This poses an “extremely dangerous” security threat, the SDF warned. “Since the early hours of this morning, Al-Shaddadi Prison, which holds thousands of detainees from the terrorist organization ISIS, has been subjected to repeated attacks carried out by factions affiliated with Damascus. Fighters of the SDF confronted these attacks and succeeded in repelling them several times, resulting in the martyrdom of dozens of our fighters and the injury of others, in an effort to prevent a serious security catastrophe,” it said. Unconfirmed reports and videos on social media say that Syrian troops are freeing prisoners from SDF-run detention centers holding ISIS militants.
“Taking up arms is a public duty. It is a national and moral responsibility to protect our people and safeguard the achievements of our revolution, as well as to strengthen the spirit of resistance. We support a political solution, but true peace cannot be achieved without self-defense. If war is imposed on us, or if the existence and rights of our people are targeted, we are fully prepared for legitimate defense,” the statement said.
Government forces moved into Aleppo’s Tishreen Dam area on Monday as SDF fighters withdrew. The northeastern city of Hasakah remains under Kurdish control.
A commander in the People’s Protection Units (YPG) – the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) that makes up a significant bulk of the SDF fighting force – has called on Washington to “forcefully intervene” on behalf of the Kurdish militia.
“Our greatest hope is that there will be a tangible outcome, especially from the coalition and the United States, meaning that they will intervene more forcefully in the existing problems than what they are currently doing,” said YPG commander Sipan Hamo.
“In the current situation and the chaos we are living in, the only ones who can offer guarantees are the United States or the coalition. We believe that the responsibility for everything currently happening inside Syria lies with the western countries, and especially the US,” he added.
Syrian Government troops tear down a Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) (Kurdish women forces) statue in the NE of #Syria.
This is the end of the autonomous Kurdish led region in Syria, which has existed for a decade. The US withdrew its support from the SDF and Kurds. pic.twitter.com/GvzFitQwp5
— Joshua Landis (@joshua_landis) January 18, 2026
The Syrian army swept across north and east Syria on Sunday, seizing the country’s largest oil fields, which have been under SDF-US army control for years. Syrian troops also moved into the northern cities of Tabqa and Raqqa. The escalation followed recent battles between the two sides in Aleppo and its countryside.
On Sunday, Syrian state media announced an immediate US-backed ceasefire deal, after Washington called on both sides to quickly resolve the conflict.
Key points of the ceasefire agreement include the handover of Deir Ezzor and Raqqa governorates, as well as all border crossings, oil fields, and gas fields in the region to the Syrian government.
It also reiterates demands for the complete integration of all SDF military and security personnel into the structures of the Syrian Ministries of Defense and Interior on an individual basis, rather than as Kurdish-commanded units.
SDF chief Mazloum Abdi said on Sunday that he agreed to the deal and withdrew from Raqqa and Deir Ezzor to “stop bloodshed” and avoid a civil war.
🚨🇸🇾 SYRIA’S KURDS JUST GOT SOLD OUT, AND THE U.S. WATCHED IT HAPPEN
The SDF signed a deal with Damascus that’s basically a surrender. Oil fields, dams, border crossings, ISIS prisons, their semi-autonomous region… all handed over.
Kurdish fighters don’t even integrate as… pic.twitter.com/XVAfC5EiBx
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) January 19, 2026
Over the weekend, the US called on Damascus to end its assault on Kurdish-held areas, despite also fully backing the Syrian demand for SDF integration.
The Syrian government and the SDF signed an agreement in March aimed at integrating the Kurdish group into Damascus’s forces. Both sides have been in disagreement about the deal’s implementation – particularly the SDF’s wish to remain under Kurdish command and enter the army as a bloc rather than dissolve and conscript, as Damascus is demanding.
The Kurdish group has also insisted on a decentralized system that would allow it a degree of autonomy in north and east Syria, as has been the case in recent years.
Reports of ISIS members in Syria now outside prison facilities and close to the Iraqi border, as per Iraqi sources.
🇸🇾🇮🇶 ISIS members in Syria are now outside prison facilities and close to the Iraqi border, as per Iraqi sources.
SDF Statement:
“For the past three days, our forces have been coordinating with the so-called International Coalition to transfer ISIS detainees held at al-Aqatan… pic.twitter.com/Yg3Koynltm
— DD Geopolitics (@DD_Geopolitics) January 19, 2026
As a result, clashes have intermittently broken out between government forces and the SDF over the past several months, with both repeatedly accusing each other of obstructing the March agreement.
The SDF was formed by the US-led military coalition in Syria in 2015, and has since helped Washington oversee its occupation of Syrian oil fields. The latest tensions follow a significant reduction in the US military presence in Syria in recent months. Washington has left five of eight major bases in the country.
Tyler Durden
Mon, 01/19/2026 – 22:30
La campeona defensora Madison Keys remonta y avanza a la 2da ronda del Abierto de Australia
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — La campeona defensora Madison Keys tuvo dificultades al principio, pero logró vencer a Oleksandra Oliynykova de Ucrania 7-6 (6), 6-1 en un partido de primera ronda el martes en el Abierto de Australia.
Keys, novena favorita en la presente edición, se metió en un gran problema en la Rod Laver Arena, pero se recuperó. Estaba perdiendo 4-0 en el primer set y remontó para forzar un desempate contra la ucraniana.
Oliynykova, jugando en su primer cuadro principal de un Grand Slam, también se adelantó 4-0 en el desempate, pero no pudo aprovechar dos puntos para ganar el, lo que le dio a Keys la apertura que necesitaba para llevarse el parcial.
“Obviamente estaba muy nerviosa al principio”, dijo Keys en una entrevista en la cancha. “Tan nerviosa como estaba… Estoy realmente contenta de estar de vuelta y de haber superado ese partido”.
Keys elogió a Oliynykova, quien firmó autógrafos, aceptó fuertes aplausos y ondeó una bandera ucraniana en la cancha después del partido.
“Mi oponente hoy fue increíble”, dijo Keys. “Comenzó muy bien. Una competidora excelente. Definitivamente me lo puso difícil”.
El primer set duró uno hora y 12 minutos.
Oliynykova mantuvo a Keys fuera de ritmo, particularmente en el primer set, con tiros aleatorios, que incluyeron globos altos — tiros lunares — que obligaron a Keys a retroceder profundamente detrás de la línea de fondo. La fuerte defensa de la ucraniana y su juego poco ortodoxo también la mantuvieron en el partido al principio.
“No es el estilo típico que ves todos los días, lo que lo hace un poco más complicado”, dijo Keys.
Elogió el “cambio de ritmo con las bolas más altas y el slice” de Oliynykova. “También es súper rápida y llegó a muchas bolas”.
La remontada de Keys en el primer set claramente agotó la energía de la ucraniana, quien poco a poco se vio abrumada por el poder y el ritmo de la campeona defensora.
Keys está jugando en su duodécimo Abierto de Australia y su quincuagésimo torneo de Grand Slam en general.
Entre otros partidos tempranos del martes, dos jugadoras sembradas fueron derrotadas. La indonesia Janice Tjen venció a la cabeza de serie número 22, Leylah Fernandez de Canadá, 6-2, 7-6 (1) y Tereza Valentova de la República Checa derrotó a la jugadora australiana mejor clasificada, la cabeza de serie número 30, Maya Joint, 6-4, 6-4.
Otra australiana, Taylah Preston, venció a Zhang Shuai de China 6-3, 2-6, 6-3.
En dos partidos nocturnos en la Rod Laver, el dos veces campeón defensor masculino Jannik Sinner se enfrentó a Hugo Gaston de Francia y la dos veces campeona del Abierto de Australia Naomi Osaka tenía programado jugar contra Antonia Ruzic de Croacia.
Basketball and local scores for the Southland, Aurora, Elgin, Naperville and Lake County
High school and local college results and highlights from the Southland, Aurora, Elgin, Naperville and Lake County coverage areas.
Email Daily Southtown results to southtownsports@gmail.com, Beacon-News, Courier-News and Naperville Sun results to tribwestsports@gmail.com and News-Sun results to newssunsports@gmail.com.
MONDAY’S RESULTS
HIGH SCHOOLS
BOYS BASKETBALL
Glenbard North 67, South Elgin 42
Hoffman Estates 60, Vernon Hills 58
Lake Zurich 54, Conant 31
Manley 59, Southland Prep 50
Reavis 66, Universal 64
Sandburg 73, Elk Grove 43
Sandburg (13-8): Will Johnson 17 points.
Schaumburg 65, Bartlett 44
BLOOMINGTON CENTRAL CATHOLIC MLK SHOOTOUT
Tolono Unity 83, Joliet Catholic 69
JCA (11-7): Donavyn Simmons 27 points.
FENWICK MLK SHOOTOUT
Riverside-Brookfield 64, Crete-Monee 55
Crete (11-10): Zyheir Gardner 20 points.
GENEVA MLK DAY OF HOOPS
Geneva 45, West Aurora 43
Hampshire 53, Woodstock 33
Palatine 55, Naperville North 47
Naperville North (15-6): Miles Okyne 23 points.
Wheaton North 59, Yorkville 47
HOMEWOOD-FLOSSMOOR MLK THE DREAM CONTINUES CLASSIC
Benet 72, Chaminade (Mo.) 55
Benet (21-1): Jayden Wright 15 points. Colin Stack 15 points.
Homewood-Flossmoor 80, Mount Carmel 63
Joliet West 58, Thornton 55
Thornton (7-9): Dakari Nesbitt 24 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds.
LAKES MLK TOURNAMENT
Lakes 60, Fremd 59, championship
Lakes (11-7): Dorian Pullen 13 points; GW 3-pointer as time expired.
Deerfield 59, Lake Forest Academy 50, third
Deerfield (13-7): Jake Pollack 23 points.
Wauconda 53, Zion-Benton 43, fifth
Wauconda (14-5): Alex Ortega 18 points.
Oak Forest 64, Woodstock North 46, seventh
MOLINE MLK SHOOTOUT
East Moline United 38, Batavia 30
WHEATON WARRENVILLE SOUTH MLK SHOWCASE
Metea Valley 80, Larkin 58
Metea (11-9): Tre Watkins 21 points.
Neuqua Valley 66, Wheaton Warrenville South 36
Neuqua (19-1): Luke Balgro 15 points.
Stevenson 69, Oak Park-River Forest 64
Stevenson (15-5): Donny Williams 27 points, 8 rebounds.
Glenbard North 67, South Elgin 42
Normal Community 67, Waubonsie Valley 43
Waubonsie (12-7): Kris Mporokoso 22 points.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Buffalo Grove 49, Vernon Hills 44
Jacobs 52, Wheeling 23
Providence 55, Unity Christian 22
Providence (20-3): Landrie Callahan 14 points.
Richards 44, De La Salle 41
COACH KIPP’S HOOPSFEST
At Benet
Benet 58, Whitney Young 41
Benet (19-1): Emma Briggs 27 points.
Geneva 67, Hinsdale South 42
Lincoln-Way Central 53, Grayslake Central 34
Lincoln-Way Central (7-15): Brooke Katzmann 17 points.
Marist 59, Fremd 47
Marist (19-5): Caroline Flynn 15 points.
St. Laurence 66, Sycamore 47
Waubonsie Valley 68, Carmel 40
Crown Point (Ind.) 47, Lake Zurich 37
Downers Grove North 50, Libertyville 45
Libertyville (16-4): Lily Fisher 16 points, 11 rebounds.
Nazareth 60, Homewood-Flossmoor 36
LITTLE TEN TOURNAMENT
Hinckley-Big Rock 54, IMSA 34
Indian Creek 44, Newark 22
ROUND LAKE MLK TOURNAMENT
Round Lake 42, Highland Park 38
Streamwood 80, East Aurora 27
Johnsburg 65, Round Lake 23
Maine East 53, Streamwood 40
TRINITY MLK SHOWCASE
Aurora Central Catholic 56, T.F. North 53
T.F. North (14-7): Natalie McGhee 24 points, 9 rebounds.
Mother McAuley 67, Plainfield South 33
McAuley (17-4): Taji Alexa 19 points.
Thornwood 41, King 38
SUNDAY’S RESULTS
HIGH SCHOOLS
BOYS BASKETBALL
ERIE (Pa.) ROYAL RUMBLE
Chaney (Ohio) 55, Rich Township 50
HOMEWOOD-FLOSSMOOR MLK THE DREAM CONTINUES CLASSIC
Bloom 67, De La Salle 56
Curie 58, Hillcrest 56
Glenbard East 67, Lemont 48
Webster Groves (Mo.) 64, Marist 57
Marist (18-2): Kendall Meyers 16 points.
MALCOLM X COLLEGE MLK SHOOTOUT
Marshall 69, Thornridge 54
SATURDAY’S RESULTS
HIGH SCHOOLS
BOYS BASKETBALL
Belvidere North 66, Grant 56
Cary-Grove 65, Highland Park 54
Chicago Christian 68, Bulls Prep 37
Crystal Lake Central 60, North Chicago 45
Crystal Lake South 68, Carmel 64 (OT)
Elk Grove 68, Elgin 39
Grayslake Central 43, Fenton 37
Lake Forest 47, Mundelein 28
Lake Park 55, Naperville Central 54
Naperville Central (7-11): T.J. Hillmann 28 points.
Leyden 57, Argo 53
Lisle 54, St. Edward 39
Oswego 60, Naperville North 53
Palatine 41, Lake Zurich 33
Providence 54, Evergreen Park 41
Providence (8-14): Eli Phillips 18 points.
Sandburg 64, Bremen 55
Sandburg (12-8): Will Johnson 24 points.
Warren 65, Libertyville 48
Warren (16-1, 6-0 North Suburban): Jaxson Davis 26 points.
West Aurora 66, Plainfield East 53
ERIE (Pa.) ROYAL RUMBLE
Rich Township 58, Rochester East (N.Y.) 41
Rich Township (11-9): Kavon Adams 23 points.
GALESBURG MLK TOURNAMENT
Batavia 64, Comer 37
Batavia 66, Danville 41
HOMEWOOD-FLOSSMOOR MLK THE DREAM CONTINUES CLASSIC
Leo 58, Crete-Monee 53 (OT)
Leo (14-4): Brian Kizer 17 points, 6 rebounds.
Crete (11-9): Joseph Jones 29 points, 13 rebounds.
Evanston 83, Oswego East 54
ILLINOIS CENTRAL COLLEGE MLK SHOOTOUT
Yorkville Christian 70, Marion 65
Yorkville Christian (12-6): Jayden Riley 21 points.
LAKES MLK TOURNAMENT
Lakes 60, Deerfield 50
Lakes (10-7): Ben Newcomb 23 points.
Wauconda 66, Oak Forest 55
Zion-Benton 57, Woodstock North 48
Fremd 60, Lake Forest Academy 38
OAKTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE MLK SHOOTOUT
St. Viator 65, Antioch 30
SENECA MLK SHOOTOUT
Hinckley-Big Rock 70, Beecher 55
Hinckley-Big Rock (12-5): Marshall Ledbetter 36 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks.
Kaneland 59, Minooka 39
Kaneland (19-0): Jeffrey Hassan 19 points, 22 rebounds, 5 blocks.
Seneca 64, Sandwich 56
STERLING MLK CLASSIC
Geneva 62, Christ the King 50
Geneva (15-3): David Udoiwod 20 points.
Joliet Catholic 81, Rochelle 69
JCA (11-6): Eli Passehl 21 points, 10 rebounds.
Marian Catholic 65, Rockford Guilford 58
Rock Island 83, Marmion 36
TIMOTHY CHRISTIAN MLK SHOOTOUT
Lisle 54, St. Edward 39
WHEATON WARRENVILLE SOUTH MLK SHOWCASE
Neuqua Valley 96, Normal Community 74
Neuqua (18-1): Cole Kelly 18 points. Arshil Khimani 18 points.
Neuqua Valley 72, Rockford East 39
Stevenson 47, Downers Grove North 46
Stevenson 61, Metea Valley 58
Stevenson (14-5): Donny Williams 32 points.
Waubonsie Valley 57, Oak Park-River Forest 50
Waubonsie Valley 54, Rockford Jefferson 39
Glenbard North 78, Metea Valley 57
Normal Community 65, South Elgin 36
Rockford East 55, South Elgin 52
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Andrew 55, Morton 33
Andrew (11-9): Christa Olson 18 points.
Bartlett 50, Addison Trail 27
Conant 57, South Elgin 43
Hillcrest 54, Marshall 40
Lemont 43, Westmont 24
Lemont (7-8): Claire Podrebarac 19 points.
Libertyville 65, Warren 27
Libertyville (16-3, 8-0 North Suburban): Lily Fisher 20 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals.
Marian Central Catholic 51, Chicago Christian 48
Marist 58, Joliet Catholic 35
Metea Valley 46, Plainfield Central 44
Naperville Central 43, Lake Park 41
Naperville Central (18-3): Annabelle Kritzer 20 points, 4 rebounds, 3 blocks.
Naperville North 67, West Aurora 10
Oswego 46, Burlington Central 42
Peoria Notre Dame 50, Batavia 28
Plano 49, Richmond-Burton 34
Plano (11-10, 4-3 Kishwaukee River): Jadyn Long 14 points, 10 steals, 9 rebounds.
St. Charles North 56, Minooka 24
St. Edward 70, Larin 45
St. Laurence 58, Rich Township 29
St. Laurence (12-8): Ciyah Thomas 13 points, 9 steals, 5 assists. Sara Burzycki 19 rebounds.
Stagg 36, Richards 27
Stevenson 51, Buffalo Grove 36
Waubonsie Valley 63, Lockport 53
Waubonsie (19-1): Danyella Mporokoso 36 points.
COACH KIPP’S HOOPSFEST
At Maine West
Lake Zurich 67, Lyons 49
Mother McAuley 58, St. Charles East 49
McAuley (16-4): Quinn Arundel 19 points.
St. Charles East (13-7): Brooklyn Schilb 28 points.
Benet 61, Glenbrook South 39
Benet (18-1): Emma Briggs 19 points.
York 54, Sandburg 47
Sandburg (9-13): Ellie Driscoll 22 points.
DEKALB MLK SHOWCASE
Carmel 37, Huntley 29
Carmel (17-6): Liv Johnson 23 points.
Carmel 44, Lincoln-Way East 32
Lincoln-Way East 56, Belvidere North 42
Neuqua Valley 53, Belvidere North 27
Huntley 43, Neuqua Valley 31
HOMEWOOD-FLOSSMOOR MLK THE DREAM CONTINUES CLASSIC
Lincoln-Way West 64, Evergreen Park 36
Lincoln-Way West (13-8): Ava Tisch 19 points.
Bolingbrook 68, Homewood-Flossmoor 44
MALCOM X COLLEGE MLK DREAM CLASSIC
Crete-Monee 52, Hope Academy 51 (2 OT)
ROUND LAKE MLK TOURNAMENT
Round Lake 56, East Aurora 24
Johnsburg 59, Streamwood 44
Woodstock 38, Round Lake 35
Compiled by Josh Krockey.
