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Alex Eala secures new career-high in WTA Rankings with next opponent confirmed at SP Open

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Alex Eala has taken her unbeaten run to seven matches after claiming another comfortable two-set victory in the second round of the SP Open in Brazil.

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Just days after winning her first WTA singles at the second-tier Guadalajara 125 Open, Eala opened her campaign with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Yasmine Mansouri and she has now followed it up with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Julia Riera to reach the quarter-final.

It is the third time this season that the 20-year-old has made it to the last four of a WTA Tour-level tournament with her other runs coming at the Eastbourne Open when she finished runner-up to Maya Joint in June while in March she reached the semi-final of the Miami Open on the back of beating the likes of Iga Swiatek, Madison Keys and Jelena Ostapenko.

The stay in Sao Paolo has been good for the rising star as she stated afterwards: “I said the other day that the Brazilians are super hospitable. That’s one thing I think you have in common with the Philippines, so I’m feeling at home. I loved the atmosphere tonight.”

WTA Rankings Breakthrough

Eala, seeded third at the SP Open, started the tournament at No 61 in the WTA Rankings, but her latest win has seen her jump six places to No 55 in the Live Rankings – one place above her previous high that she achieved after her run to the Eastbourne final.

Another win at the WTA 250 event will see her on the cusp of a top 50 breakthrough, but she faces a difficult quarter-final clash against Janice Tjen.

The stay in Sao Paolo has been good for the rising star as she stated afterwards: “I said the other day that the Brazilians are super hospitable. That’s one thing I think you have in common with the Philippines, so I’m feeling at home. I loved the atmosphere tonight.”

WTA Rankings Breakthrough

Eala, seeded third at the SP Open, started the tournament at No 61 in the WTA Rankings, but her latest win has seen her jump six places to No 55 in the Live Rankings – one place above her previous high that she achieved after her run to the Eastbourne final.

Another win at the WTA 250 event will see her on the cusp of a top 50 breakthrough, but she faces a difficult quarter-final clash against Janice Tjen.

Eala and Tjen both enjoyed memorable moments at the recent US Open as the former became the first Filipino player to win a singles main draw match at a Grand Slam with her first-round win over 14th seed Clara Tauson.

Tjen, meanwhile, upset 24th seed Veronika Kudermetova in her opener to become the first Indonesian in two decades to win a main draw singles match at a major.

Both went on to lose in the second round, which paved the way for Eala to sign up for the Guadalajara event, which she ended up winning the title.

Tjen is at No 130 in the official rankings, but her 6-1, 6-0 win over Martina Okalova has seen her jump seven places to a new high of No 123.

The draw will certainly get tougher for whoever wins the quarter-final clash, as they will take on either second seed Solana Sierra or sixth seed Francisca Jones in the semi-final.

 

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Paige Spiranac’s surprising NFL fandom confession triggers heated debate over loyalty, authenticity, and fan culture

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The 2026 NFL Draft starts Thursday night in Pittsburgh, and the spotlight isn’t only on prospects and front offices. Golf influencer Paige Spiranac has again found herself pulled into NFL conversation, this time for her open support of multiple teams.

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With the Steelers hosting the first round, her long-standing connection to Pittsburgh has resurfaced. But it’s not just about hometown ties. Her broader fandom, which stretches beyond one franchise, continues to draw mixed reactions at a time when fan loyalty is often treated as non-negotiable.

Paige Spiranac roots for 2 NFL teams: Who are they?

Paige Spiranac has never hidden where her loyalties lie, even if they don’t fit the usual mold. She has consistently pointed to her roots while leaving space for other allegiances.

“Both my parents are from Pittsburgh so I’ve been a Steelers ..fan since the day I was born. I also love the Bills. It’s a complicated relationship…Who’s your team?” she previously asked her followers. It’s a candid admission, one that reflects personal history more than calculated fandom.

Still, the reaction has been sharp. NFL culture tends to rew ..

 

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Quiet moments on the course can say a lot about what’s coming next.

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Sometimes the most important work happens when nobody is really watching.
Lexi Thompson was out on the 18th green, working through her putting during a practice round ahead of the Chevron Championship in Houston.

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It’s a simple scene, but it shows the kind of quiet preparation that goes into these big tournaments—getting the feel of the greens, adjusting to conditions, and building trust in every stroke.

These are the small details that can shape how a player starts when the pressure kicks in.

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Predicting what will happen to Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson if LIV Golf collapses

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It looks like LIV Golf is over.

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The Saudi Public Investment Fund has reportedly decided that this league simply isn’t worth the hole it’s burning in their pocket, and they’re pulling funds at the end of 2026.

That gives them less than a year to seek new investment. While CEO Scott O’Neil seems confident, it’s going to be extremely difficult to secure funding for a league that is operating at such eye-watering losses.

So this probably pulls the curtain closed on one of the most turbulent, frustrating, confusing, and ridiculous eras in golfing history. Hopefully, we can all return to some reality after the year is over.

But there is still so much uncertainty surrounding golf’s future thanks to this. Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed saw the signs early and jumped ship, but they did that with some leverage. So what on earth is going to happen to the rest of these players who didn’t take the olive branch when it was offered to them?

Feelings will be hurt, and careers will be ended. Let’s take a look.

Jon Rahm rejoins the PGA Tour

Koepka returned to the PGA Tour under the returning member program, which saw him pay $5 million to charity, accept that he’ll receive no FedEx Cup bonus money, and agree he cannot be a sponsor exemption for the 2026 signature events.

 

That same deal was offered to Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau. They didn’t accept it, but a similar offer will likely be handed out to them again.

 

If LIV Golf folds, Rahm will not hold the same leverage as Koepka did, but he is a bigger star at this stage of his career. Make no mistake, the PGA Tour will want him back immediately.

But Rahm does risk leaving himself without any options at all. Reed didn’t come straight back to the PGA Tour, so he’s spending a year on the DP World Tour first. You’d imagine Rahm would consider doing the same, but it might not be so easy for him.

Rahm is in a feud with the DP World Tour, as the only one of eight players to reject a deal which would have seen him retain his full-time membership. If Rahm agreed to play in six DP World Tour events this year, then he could have played on both LIV Golf and the tour. He did not agree.

For now, his membership is at risk. So, will it be possible for him to spend a season on the DP World Tour like Reed? Maybe not. That makes it all the more likely that Rahm will be back on the PGA Tour the moment LIV folds.

Bryson DeChambeau does YouTube full-time

With DeChambeau, I don’t think it’s as much of a done deal that he returns to the PGA Tour. Not immediately anyway.

He’s been negotiating his contract with LIV, which expires at the end of this season. During these negotiations, he’s made it very clear that he is completely willing to step away from full-time competition and be a full-time YouTuber.

DeChambeau’s channel has over two million subscribers, so he could feasibly do that with all of the money he’s making there.

He was annoyed to see LIV move to a four-day format, so he could commit himself fully to being the content king. It would be a wild thing to do, but it’s also exactly the kind of move you could see the two-time major winner making.

He could qualify for The Open Championship and the US Open, and earn enough points there to play The Masters and the PGA Championship. It’s possible.

He does seem to live for competition, so maybe YouTube won’t quite scratch the itch, but it is on the table for DeChambeau. At least for a year until his suspension expires. Out of Rahm and DeChambeau, the American is absolutely the least likely to take a deal.

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