Aryna Sabalenka was having a hard time dealing with her Wimbledon quarterfinal opponent’s unusual game style. The mistakes were mounting Tuesday. The stress was rising. The deficit was troubling.

As things went awry, Sabalenka would look at her box with a quizzical expression and raise her hands. After missing one forehand off a short ball, she knelt on the grass near the net, the very picture of exasperation. A month after her loss to Coco Gauff in the French Open final, Sabalenka knew she needed to keep her emotions in check and straighten out her strokes.

Did just that, right on time. Sabalenka trailed by a set, then twice was down a break in the third, before grabbing the last three games to return to the semifinals at the All England Club by overcoming 104th-ranked Laura Siegemund 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 at Centre Court.

• Alcaraz was a 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 winner against unseeded Cam Norrie, the last British player in either singles bracket, and 2024 U.S. Open runner-up Fritz recovered from a mid-match lull to reach the semifinals at the All England Club for the first time with a 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4) victory over Karen Khachanov.

NHL

NHL CBA’s extension ratified through 2030 >> The NHL and NHL Players’ Association have ratified their extension of the collective bargaining agreement, securing labor peace in the sport through 2030.

The league and union announced in a joint news release that the deal had been approved. It took a vote of the Board of Governors and the full NHLPA membership.

The sides came to a tentative agreement on the four-year extension late last month. Among other things, it includes an 84-game regular season with less exhibition play, shorter maximum contract lengths, a playoff salary cap, no mandatory dress code for players and the creation of a full-time traveling goaltender position to eliminate the practice of emergency backup goalies, or “EBUGs,” from entering games.

NFL

Lawsuit surrounds new Browns stadium plans >> Ohio Republicans’ strategy for funding a new domed stadium for the Cleveland Browns using residents’ unclaimed funds violates multiple provisions of the state and federal constitutions, according to a class action lawsuit filed in county court.

Former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann and former state Rep. Jeffrey Crossman, both Democrats, filed the expected legal action in Franklin County Common Pleas on Monday on behalf of three named Ohio residents, as well as all other individuals whose unclaimed funds were being held by the state as of June 30, 2025. They have asked the court for an injunction stopping the plan.

The lawsuit argues that taking money from the state’s Unclaimed Funds Account to pay for the stadium that Haslam Sports Group is planning for suburban Brook Park, south of Cleveland, violates constitutional prohibitions against taking people’s private property for government use, as well as citizens’ due process rights. The city of Cleveland has fought the plan.

Former Cowboys tight end Norman dies at 86 >> Pettis Norman, a Dallas Cowboys tight end who was outspoken on issues of civil rights in the 1960s, has died. He was 86.

The Cowboys said on the team’s website that Norman died this week, calling him one of the most influential players in the club’s history.

Norman went to coach Tom Landry to ask that the team quit assigning players hotel rooms based on race. The Cowboys soon started assigning rooms based on names.

NBA

Gilgeous-Alexander announced as 2k cover athlete >> Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the cover athlete of NBA 2K26 following his MVP and title-winning season, the video game’s developer announced.

Last season’s scoring champ and finals MVP will be featured on the game’s standard edition. He averaged 32.7 points, 6.4 assists and five rebounds per game, leading the Thunder to a 68-14 record.

The Thunder outscored teams by 12.9 points per game, the biggest margin in league history. They beat the Indiana Pacers in seven games to win the NBA title. Gilgeous-Alexander was awarded last week for his stellar season with a record-setting 4-year, $285 million extension.

WNBA

Bonner signs with Mercury >> DeWanna Bonner has rejoined the Phoenix Mercury, signing as a free agent.

She helped the franchise win two WNBA titles in her previous stint with the team which drafted her fifth in 2009.

Bonner spent the first 10 years of her career with the Mercury and helped them win titles in 2009 and 2014. She left for Connecticut and helped the franchise reach the WNBA semifinals for five straight years from 2020-24.

Soccer

Chelsea advances to CWC final >> João Pedro scored twice against his boyhood team in his first start for Chelsea, leading the Blues over Fluminense 2-0 to assure an all-European Club World Cup final.

A 23-year-old who had been at Fluminense from about age 10 until leaving for Watford in 2020, João Pedro scored in the 18th and 56th minutes and refused to celebrate either goal in a sign of respect for his former club. He joined Chelsea from Brighton on July 2.

Seeking its second world championship, Chelsea advanced to Sunday’s title match against the winner of Wednesday’s game between PSG and Real Madrid.