AP Sports SummaryBrief at 11:27 p.m. EDT

By The Associated Press

Jasmine Paolini wins Wimbledon’s longest women’s semifinal and faces Barbora Krejcikova next

LONDON (AP) — Jasmine Paolini has reached her second consecutive Grand Slam final with a 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (10-8) victory over Donna Vekic at Wimbledon. She will face 2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova in Saturday’s final. Krejcikova eliminated 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in Thursday’s second semifinal. Paolini is the No. 7 seed at the All England Club and her win at Centre Court follows her runner-up showing at Roland Garros last month. The 28-year-old Italian is the first woman to get to the title matches at the French Open and Wimbledon in the same season since Serena Williams did in 2016.

Paul Skenes pitches 7 no-hit innings as the Pirates blank the Brewers 1-0

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Paul Skenes struck out 11 in seven no-hit innings in another dominant performance, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Milwaukee Brewers 1-0. Skenes threw 99 pitches in his 11th major league start, 65 for strikes. The All-Star right-hander walked one while lowering his ERA to 1.90. Colin Holderman replaced Skenes and surrendered a leadoff single to Jake Bauers for Milwaukee’s first hit. The Brewers loaded the bases with two down in the eighth, but Holderman escaped the jam when he struck out William Contreras swinging. Aroldis Chapman handled the ninth for his fourth save, finishing a two-hitter for Pittsburgh.

Uruguay players defend decision to enter crowd to protect families amid Copa America brawl

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Uruguay striker Luis Suárez defended his teammates’ decision to enter the stands following a 1-0 loss to Colombia in the Copa America semifinals, saying the action was necessary to defend families and supporters. After a physical and emotional game that included seven yellow cards and one red card, players exchanged words and shoves at midfield of Bank of America Stadium on Wednesday night. Uruguay players, including Darwin Núñez, noticed an altercation behind the team’s bench and about a dozen or so players then climbed into the stands as the melee continued.

US appeals court says some NCAA athletes may qualify as employees under federal wage-and-hour laws

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A U.S. appeals court in Philadelphia has ruled that some college athletes may qualify as employees under federal wage-and-hour laws. The court says a test should be developed to differentiate students who play college sports for fun from those whose effort “crosses the legal line into work” that benefits the school. The NCAA had hoped to have the case dismissed. It now goes back to a trial judge for fact finding. The ruling follows a Supreme Court case that led the NCAA to allow athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness.

If Jürgen Klopp is available, Jim Curtin says no others need be interviewed by US Soccer

NEW YORK (AP) — Philadelphia coach Jim Curtin thinks the search for Gregg Berhalter’s successor as U.S. coach doesn’t need to be complicated. Curtin says that if Jürgen Klopp is available, he’s the guy. Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Marcelo Bielsa also are among those being speculated about as candidates to lead the Americans into the 2026 World Cup, along with Curtin, Steve Cherundolo, Jesse Marsch, Hugo Pérez, Pellegrino Matarazzo, David Wagner, Massimiliano Allegri and Mauricio Pochettino.

Serena Williams hosts an ESPY awards show celebrating landmark year for women’s sports

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Led by host Serena Williams, The ESPYS celebrated a landmark year for women’s sports, with Simone Biles, A’ja Wilson, Caitlin Clark, Dawn Staley and JuJu Watkins among the honorees on Thursday nigh at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. The three-hour show on ABC was delayed when President Joe Biden’s nationally televised news conference started late. Host Serena Williams told jokes during her monologue and later sang.

Phillies back Nola with 3 homers and down Dodgers 5-1 to finish 3-game sweep

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Brandon Marsh hit a home run and an RBI triple, Trea Turner launched his sixth longball in nine games and the Philadelphia Phillies completed a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 5-1 victory. Aaron Nola struck out nine in six innings for his 11th win and Kyle Schwarber also went deep for the Phillies, who swept the Dodgers for the first time since 2011 — and the first time in Philadelphia since 2008. Los Angeles has lost four straight overall. In a matchup between the top two teams in the National League, the Phillies led in every inning of the series except for the first one on Tuesday, which ended with both teams scoreless. They outscored the Dodgers 19-5 in the three games.

Bill Belichick joining ‘Inside the NFL’ for upcoming season

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The CW Network announced Thursday that Bill Belichick will be one of the analysts on “Inside the NFL” this season. Belichick coached the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl titles during his 24 years at the helm. He will also appear this season on the Manningcast during “Monday Night Football.” Belichick joins Ryan Clark, Chad Johnson and Chris Long. Johnson and Long each played one season for Belichick in New England.

Here’s what you need to know about the NBA’s upcoming 11-year, $76 billion media rights deal

The NBA might not be happy with the NFL making Christmas Day a regular part of its schedule. However, its new set of media rights deals nearly puts them in the same economic arena. The NBA’s 11-year, $76 billion contract package will begin with the 2025-26 season. It is the same number of years as the NFL’s most recent deal, which began with the 2023 season. The deals with ESPN/ABC, NBC and Amazon Prime Video will average $6.9 billion per season. The NFL averages $10 billion per year, but that is with five networks.

Longtime NFL assistant coach and defensive mastermind Monte Kiffin dies at age 84

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Monte Kiffin, the longtime NFL and college assistant coach whose Tampa Bay defenses routinely ranked among the league’s best, died Thursday. He was 84. One of the architects of the ultra successful Tampa 2 defensive scheme, Kiffin spent 13 seasons as defensive coordinator of the Bucs under former coaches Tony Dungy and Jon Gruden from 1996 to 2008 and helped the franchise win the first of its two Super Bowl titles. The University of Mississippi football program announced on the social media platform X that Kiffin passed away surrounded by family and friends in Oxford, Mississippi, where Kiffin’s son, Lane, is coach of the Rebels.