BARCELONA — Paris Saint-Germain’s (PSG) Kylian Mbappé fired in a stunning hat-trick as his side overcame the absence of Neymar to thrash Barcelona (4-1) away in their Champions League last-16 first leg on Tuesday to move within full view of the last eight.

BACK ON the helm as coach in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) after nearly a decade away from it, Chot Reyes said there is no denying the pressure that goes with it, but it is something he is ready to embrace.

MELBOURNE — The brute force of Naomi Osaka crushed the artistry of Hsieh Su-wei as the Japanese former champion charged into the Australian Open semifinals with a (6-2, 6-2) win on Tuesday.

DESPITE some teams reconsidering their participation in the league and have taken a different direction, the Philippine Superliga (PSL) remains strong and ready to forge ahead and bring its brand of volleyball to the fore.

The International Olympic Committee Boxing Task Force (BTF) announced Monday via a virtual meeting that the World Qualifiers for the Tokyo Olympics has been cancelled.

THE fourth session of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) online summit takes place this week with sports marketing taking front and center.

JORDAN Clarkson helped the Utah Jazz overcome big nights by Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris while leading the NBA’s hottest team to a 134-123 win over the Philadelphia 76ers in Salt Lake City on Monday night.

Tennis habitués who got to watch Novak Djokovic’s match against Taylor Fritz in the third round of the Australian Open last Friday were treated to a roller-coaster ride that included a stoppage midway in compliance with safety protocols. Owing to the Victorian government’s decision to impose a five-day lockdown in light of the increasing number of COVID-19 cases, play was suspended while spectators lined up in the exits of the Rod Laver Arena at Melbourne Park half an hour before the midnight curfew. At the time, the 27th seed was ahead two sets to one and three to two in the fourth.

MELBOURNE — Jessica Pegula continued her dream run at the Australian Open on Monday with a (6-4, 3-6, 6-3) win over fifth seed Elina Svitolina to set up an all-American quarterfinal against Jennifer Brady, who beat Croatia’s Donna Vekić in straight sets.

CHESS Grandmaster Wesley So of the United States defeated world champion Magnus Carlsen to win the Opera Euro Rapid chess championship on Monday.

AMID the uncertainties around the staging of the Olympic Games because of the coronavirus pandemic, organizers of the quadrennial sporting spectacle are making sure that proper health and safety protocols are in place, coming up with a “playbook,” which all participants need to follow.

ONE of 16 contestants chosen to compete on The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition, Filipino Lara Alvarez said the experience was to remember and has taught her a lot.