National Sports

Virgil van Dijk has been a commanding — even transcendent — presence at the heart of Liverpool’s defence throughout the team’s rise to the top of English and European soccer in recent years.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Canadian flyweight Gillian (The Savage) Robertson used her superior grappling skills to dominate Brazil's Poliano Botelho en route to a unanimous decision win Saturday night on a UFC Fight Night card.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — Canadians Denis Shapovalov and Milos Raonic were ousted in the semifinal round Saturday at the St. Petersburg Open tennis tournament.

COLOGNE, Germany — Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime is through the final of the Cologne Open after posting a 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 win over Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut in a semifinal match Saturday.

OTTAWA — The Ottawa Senators have signed goaltender Joey Daccord to a three-year contract.

ARLINGTON, Texas — One Will Smith outdid another Will Smith to keep the season alive for the Los Angeles Dodgers. A common name, a special result for the Dodgers catcher.

SAN DIEGO — The blowback from a sign-stealing scandal three years ago and a losing record during the pandemic-shortened regular season don't mean a thing to Dusty Baker and the Houston Astros.

TORONTO — He's still a win away from ending Canada's lengthy Triple Crown drought, but Mighty Heart has his championship pose down pat.

Braeden Moskowy has a new roommate in skip Matt Dunstone thanks to provincial rules that have limited the Saskatchewan curling team's options this season. Dunstone, who bought a home with his girlfriend last month in Kamloops, B.C.

NEW YORK — The Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees drew the five-most watched games of the Division Series, boosted by prime-time start times. Tampa Bay’s 2-1 win in Game 5 on Oct.