LONDON -- Wimbledon’s Centre Court is the property of the All England Club, but on Tuesday it belonged to Serena Williams.

A LITTLE over three weeks since opening camp for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Gilas Pilipinas said things are steadily coming along and expected it to further pick up in the coming weeks.

LONDON -- A quick glance at Cori Gauff’s Twitter account shows what a difference a week makes in the life of a 15-year-old tennis phenomenon.

GOLD MEDAL winners in the 2017 Southeast Asian Games, Filipino boxers John Marvin and Eumir Felix Marcial are eyeing a repeat of the feat in this year’s edition of the biennial regional games which the Philippines is hosting later this year.

Magnus Carlsen has just won his eighth consecutive tournament with an overpowering 5-win 6-draw result in the Zagreb leg of the 2019 Grand Chess Tour. The moving spirit behind this event is former World Champion Garry Kasparov. As you may know Kasparov tried to run for President of Russia in 2008 against Vladimir Putin but failure to find a sufficiently large rental space to assemble the number of supporters that is legally required to endorse such a candidacy forced him to withdraw. Kasparov blamed “official obstruction” for the lack of available space.

The Thunder were not pleased. They had greeted free agency with guarded optimism, strapped as they were by the repeater tax and yet bent on coming up with solid deals to enhance their competitiveness moving forward. Despite already having the most expensive payroll in the National Basketball Association, they remained committed to investing in talent. And they did, entering into handshake deals with Alex Burks and Mike Muscala. Unfortunately, their plans were overtaken by the prospect of top scorer and erstwhile Most Valuable Player candidate Paul George leaving them. For some reason, he asked to be traded, and specifically to the Clippers.

LOSERS of their last two matches which has prevented them from barging into the quarterfinals of the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup, the Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok are out to arrest their skid when they collide with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in league action today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

THE COLLEGE of Saint Benilde Blazers survived a tough challenge from the Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals in their National Collegiate Athletic Association Season 95 debut on Tuesday, holding on to a narrow 69-66 victory at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan City.

CHAMPION clubs Kaya FC-Iloilo and Ceres-Negros FC go into battle in the lone midweek fixture of the Philippines Football League today at the Philippine Football Federation National Training Center in Carmona, Cavite.

AN already-stacked Manila card in August of ONE Championship got loaded some more with recent additions and changes made by the promotion this week.

LONDON -- Coco Gauff’s dream Wimbledon run came to an abrupt end on Monday when the consistency of seventh seed and former world number one Simona Halep proved a step too far for the 15-year-old American, who went down 6-3 6-3 in only 75 minutes.

LOS ANGELES -- Russell Westbrook’s 11-year run in Oklahoma City could be coming to a close as the Thunder shift into rebuilding mode.