Cooper Flagg cold in NBA summer league debut; American Amanda Anisimova reaches Wimbledon final

Happy Friday everybody. This is Carter Bahns, filling in for Zach. We've got a big summer weekend ahead, highlighted by the MLB Draft and the run-up to next week's All-Star Game, the completion of Wimbledon -- you can follow this morning's men's semifinals here -- and one of the year's most anticipated boxing matches of the year happens tonight.

Here's the rundown.

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WIMBLEDON FINALIST AMANDA ANISIMOVA

Amanda Anisimova is one win away from Wimbledon glory. The American pulled off an upset of top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 triumph Thursday to punch her ticket to the first Grand Slam final of her career, setting up a showdown with No. 8 Iga Światek in Saturday's championship match at Centre Court.

"To be honest, if you told me I would be in the final at Wimbledon, I would not believe you. At least not this soon," said Anisimova after her upset victory. "It's been a year turnaround since coming back, to be in this spot, it's not easy. So many people dream of competing on this incredible court. To be in the final, it's just indescribable honestly."

A great deal of history is on the line as the 23-year-old from New Jersey gears up for the biggest match of her life.

• Anisimova would be the first American champion, man or woman, at Wimbledon since the legendary Serena Williams won her seventh and final title in 2016.
• The No. 13 seed would clinch her first Grand Slam title with a victory over Światek.
• The United States would produce its fourth consecutive major champion with a victory after Jess Pegula won the U.S. Open last September, Madison Keys reigned supreme in the Australian Open and Coco Gauff ran the table at the French Open.

Meanwhile, Taylor Fritz is the United States' last chance at producing a male champion. He faces Carlos Alcaraz in the first of Friday's early morning semifinal matches, preceding the marquee clash between top-seeded Jannik Sinner and seven-time Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic.

Our SportsLine division has predictions for the Alcaraz-Fritz match (which likely will be underway by the time you read this) and predictions for the following Sinner-Djokovic match.

👍 Honorable mentions

• The Thunder locked up the third piece of their nucleus when they reached an agreement with Jalen Williams on a five-year maximum rookie extension worth as much as $287 million.
• The Pelicans signed Herbert Jones to a three-year extension.
• The Yankees pulled off one of the most stunning comebacks in recent MLB memory. After Mariners standout Bryan Woo no-hit the Bronx Bombers through seven innings, they rallied to score six runs en route to an improbable 6-5 win.
• Brent Rooker and Jazz Chisholm entered the Home Run Derby, rounding out the eight-man field.
• Replacing Robbie Ray as a reserve, David Peterson earned his first All-Star nod.
• No. 1-ranked defensive line recruit Lamar Brown committed to LSU, bolstering the Tigers' top-10 class for the 2026 cycle.
• Giannis Antetokounmpo said he will "probably" remain with the Bucks.
• Stephen Curry hinted at the Warriors potentially signing Al Horford.
• The Heat helped Norman Powell fulfill a childhood dream.
• Jacy Sheldon is enjoying a "dream come true" as one of four active WNBA players with a signature shoe.
• Joe Johnson is scheduled to return to BIG3 action in Sunday's slate from Boston on CBS.

⚾ And not such a good morning for ...

CLARKE SCHMIDT AND THE YANKEES' ROTATION

Clarke Schmidt will miss the rest of the season and most, if not all, of the 2026 campaign after he undergoes a second Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said to reporters Thursday that the righty will go under the knife again, following the procedure he had in 2017 prior to his arrival in the organization.

Schmidt's absence is yet another blow to an embattled rotation that already saw a bevy of arms hit the shelf.

• Gerrit Cole is out for the year after he underwent his own Tommy John surgery.
• Reigning AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil has yet to pitch for the Yankees in 2025 and is on the 60-day IL with a lat strain. He will begin a rehab assignment in the next few days, Boone said.
• Ryan Yarbrough is on the 15-day IL with an oblique strain he suffered in mid-June and resumed throwing on Wednesday.
• Marcus Stroman missed a month and a half with a knee injury before he returned to the mound three starts ago.

The Yankees saw a terrific version of Schmidt before he left his last start due to forearm inflammation. He held a career-best 1.093 WHIP when his season came to a premature conclusion, and that the surgery ended one of his best years as a major-leaguer only added salt to the wound. Schmidt pitched to a strong 3.32 ERA with 73 strikeouts across 78.2 innings.

👎 Not so honorable mentions 🏀 Cooper Flagg cold in summer league debut

The clash between Cooper Flagg's Mavericks and Bronny James' Lakers was an NBA Las Vegas Summer League scriptwriter's masterpiece. But Flagg hardly held up his end of the bargain from the field in a far from efficient 5-for-21 shooting effort. The No. 1 overall pick in last month's draft was ice-cold from deep, too, as he missed on all five of his attempts beyond the 3-point line. He also failed to hit a single field goal in the second half.

• "It's just a different game," Flagg said postgame on the ESPN broadcast. "Different pace, different feel, different spacing. Just a lot of adjustments, but we'll be alright."

It was not an entirely missed opportunity for Flagg to showcase his skills and build some early experience against NBA competition, though. The newly minted Mav logged six rebounds and four assists, flashing the all-around ability that made him Duke's statistical leader in every major metric during his lone college season. Cameron Salerno noted the bright sides of Flagg's summer league debut.

• Salerno: "This summer should be viewed as trial and error for Flagg as he develops more point guard skills. … One positive is Flagg turned the ball over only once (in the fourth quarter) while logging 32 minutes. That's a good sign. He also had a clutch block in the final two minutes which led to an assist on the go-ahead shot by Ryan Nembhard."

Thursday's first look at Flagg in a Dallas uniform was a tough ticket, and it set the record with the most expensive price tag in summer league history. Even after a tough shooting night, all eyes will be on the projected future superstar when he returns to action at 4 p.m. Saturday.

🥊 Katie Taylor, Amanda Serrano to renew legendary rivalry

The biggest fight in women's boxing history will occur Friday night when Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano conclude their trilogy. Taylor took the first two fights by split decision, but the 36-year-old Serrano is the betting favorite in the third, which will settle the junior welterweight title.

The pair of all-time greats delivered legendary fights the first two times they faced each other. The first was a sellout at Madison Square Garden back in April of 2022. Taylor-Serrano I was a landmark event in women's boxing history as it marked the first time two female headliners each brought in seven-figure paydays. The rematch, on the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul card last November, was even more momentous and became the most highly watched women's sporting event in U.S. history.

Another classic could be in store when they meet again in Manhattan, and Brent Brookhouse sided with Serrano to finally get in the win column.

• Brookhouse: "If Taylor can't find a way to keep Serrano off of her more effectively than the last fight, it's hard to imagine that she gets a third win in the rivalry. Serrano is going to want to continue being the bully in the ring and Taylor has had her best success when she's boxing, not brawling. … Serrano seems to have the right mix of skill and aggression to beat Taylor and should be able to get the job done on Friday."

And it's not just Taylor-Serrano; it is a historic all-female card at MSG with five of eight fights featuring title-holders.

🏀 NCAA Tournament expansion talks inconclusive

NCAA Tournament expansion -- the hottest offseason topic in college basketball -- remains on the table, but the field will remain at 68 teams for the time being after the Division I men's and women's basketball committees did not reach a consensus on whether to expand to as many as 76 teams. All eyes were on the meeting room Thursday as the hoops world presumed a long-awaited decision would go final, but the future of bracket season hangs in limbo.

It is a small victory for the general public, whose sentiment largely opposes tournament expansion. But it may just delay the inevitable, as NCAA figureheads and conference administrators have been outspoken about the benefits of adding more teams to the postseason mix.

• NCAA senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt: "The topic of expanding the field for each championship was discussed at length but no decision or recommendation was made. The still viable outcomes include the tournaments remaining at 68 teams or expanding the fields to either 72 or 76 teams in advance of the 2026 or 2027 championships."

📺 What we're watching this weekend Friday

🎾 Wimbledon men's semifinals, 8:30 a.m. on ESPN 🏀 NBA Las Vegas Summer League: Here's how to watch. ⚾ Mariners at Tigers, 7:10 p.m. on Apple TV+ 🏀 Dream at Fever, 7:30 p.m. on Ion 🥊 Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano: Here's how to watch. ⚾ Diamondbacks at Angels, 9:38 p.m. on Apple TV+ ⚾ Phillies at Padres or Dodgers at Giants, 9:40 or 10:15 p.m. on MLB Network 🏀 Sun at Storm, 10 p.m. on Ion

Saturday

🎾 Wimbledon women's final, 11 a.m. on ESPN 🏀 Lynx at Sky, 1 p.m. on ABC 🏀 NBA Las Vegas Summer League: Here's how to watch. ⚾ MLB All-Star Futures Game, 4 p.m. on MLB Network 🏀 Valkyries at Aces, 4 p.m. on CBS ⚾ MLB Celebrity All-Star Softball Game: Here's how to watch.

Sunday

🎾 Wimbledon men's final, 11 a.m. on ESPN 🏀 Wings at Fever, 1 p.m. on ABC ⚽ FIFA Club World Cup final -- Chelsea vs. Paris Saint-Germain, 3 p.m. on TBS 🏀 BIG3 Week 5, 3 p.m. on CBS 🏀 NBA Las Vegas Summer League: Here's how to watch.