Wimbledon: Taylor Fritz beats hobbled Alexander Zverev to reach quarterfinals

• July 8, 2024

LONDON (AP) — After Taylor Fritz deposited a backhand that Alexander Zverev didn’t even chase, wrapping up the American’s comeback from a two-set hole in Wimbledon’s fourth round Monday, the men met at the net for what turned into a longer-than-usual chat.

Zverev, playing with a bone bruise in his right knee, said he was bothered by some of the cheering coming from Fritz’s guest box in the fifth set. When Fritz began to move away, Zverev stuck his chest to block the path and continued the mostly one-sided exchange.

This wasn’t the 13th-seeded Fritz’s only noteworthy postmatch interaction at the All England Club this fortnight — he told an earlier opponent to “have a nice flight home” — but he shrugged this one off, more interested in thinking about the way he turned things around to defeat two-time Grand Slam finalist Zverev 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 6-3 and reach the quarterfinals.

“It was amazing,” said Fritz, a 26-year-old from California, “to do that on Centre Court (at) Wimbledon, two sets down.”

Zverev said later that his issue wasn’t with Fritz or his two coaches, but rather with others in the winner’s support group “that are not maybe from the tennis world, that are not maybe (used to) watching every single match; they were a bit over the top.”

“He’s totally allowed to be annoyed if they were being annoying. … That’s one of the things I asked him at the net, ‘Who was it?’” said Fritz, who next meets 25th-seeded Lorenzo Musetti, a first-time Slam quarterfinalist. “It’s not a big thing. It’s all good.”

The implication from Zverev was that there was no need for the entourage to be acting quite so excited when his knee, which was covered by a gray sleeve after a fall in the previous round, was such a significant factor in Monday’s outcome.

“I was playing on one leg,” Zverev said. “It was fairly obvious that I wasn’t 100% today, right? I wasn’t moving, really, the entire match. I wasn’t running for drop shots. If I was running for a drop shot, I was limping there more than running.”

The 3 1/2-hour match, played with the main stadium’s retractable roof shut, was the 35th to go five sets at Wimbledon this year, tying the record for the most at any Slam event in the Open era, which began in 1968. Fritz’s comeback is the 11th from a two-set deficit in this edition of the grass-court tournament, more than in any other year.

This will be Fritz’s fourth major quarterfinal and second at Wimbledon, where he lost to Rafael Nadal in 2022. He is 0-3 at that stage; the other two setbacks came against Novak Djokovic.

“This will be my first quarterfinal where I’m the more experienced person,” Fritz said.

Fritz joins good pal Tommy Paul in the final eight, giving the United States two men that deep in the tournament for the first time since 2000. The other quarterfinal on the bottom half of the men’s draw will be No. 9 Alex de Minaur against seven-time Wimbledon champion Djokovic, who dismissed No. 15 Holger Rune 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in Monday night’s last match on Centre Court.

Spectators often let out loud noises that sounded like “Ruuuuune” — the young Dane often gets saluted that way during matches — but Djokovic thought the folks in the stands were actually saying “Booooo,” and he let them know he was not pleased.

Musetti gave Italy three singles quarterfinalists at a major for the first time — he got there with No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the men’s bracket; No. 7 Jasmine Paolini is still in the women’s field — by beating Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2. De Minaur eliminated Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.

Winners in women’s fourth-round matches included 2022 champion Elena Rybakina, No. 21 seed Elina Svitolina — who wore a black ribbon on her shirt to mourn victims of Russian missile attacks on her home country, Ukraine — and 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko. Rybakina faces Svitolina in the quarterfinals, and Ostapenko’s next opponent will be 2021 French Open winner Barbora Krejcikova.

Rybakina moved on when No. 17 Anna Kalinskaya stopped playing because of a wrist injury, Svitolina overwhelmed Wang Xinyu 6-2, 6-1, Krejcikova defeated No. 11 Danielle Collins 7-5, 6-3, and Ostapenko was a 6-2, 6-3 winner against Yulia Putintseva, who beat No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the third round.

The fourth-seeded Zverev was the runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz at the French Open last month — after blowing a 2-1 lead in sets. Zverev also lost in the final of the 2020 U.S. Open against Dominic Thiem — after wasting a two-set lead and a match point.

The German entered Monday having won all nine sets he played at Wimbledon this year and having held in all 41 of his service games — not even facing a single break point since the first round.

The key stat, then, was this: Fritz accumulated four break points and converted two — once in the third set and once in the fifth — while only getting broken once himself.

Fritz hit 15 aces, with zero double-faults, and they combined for 124 winners (69 by Fritz) and 56 unforced errors (23 by Fritz).

He’s now 10-1 on grass in 2024 and is on an eight-match winning streak that includes a title at a tuneup event in Eastbourne the week before Wimbledon began.

“What I enjoy the most on grass,” Fritz said, “is just when you hit a good shot, you’re rewarded for it.

​ Orange County Register 

Six Flags’ Fright Fest is ready for Halloween showdown with Universal’s Horror Nights

• July 8, 2024

Six Flags’ Fright Fest is ready for a Halloween showdown with Universal Studios’ Horror Nights and unafraid to go severed head-to-severed head with the Hollywood theme park chain that built its reputation on bringing terrifying horror film franchises to life.

Six Flags Magic Mountain will bring an arsenal of haunted houses headlined by Stranger Things and Saw to the fight with Universal Studios Hollywood that will have a stockpile of haunted mazes based on Ghostbusters, A Quiet Place and other horror blockbusters.

ALSO SEE: Six Flags Magic Mountain adds Stranger Things and Trick ‘r Treat mazes

The newly supercharged Fright Fest Extreme 2024 will run on select Thursday through Sunday nights from Sept. 7 to Nov. 3 at Six Flags Magic Mountain.

Halloween Horror Nights 2024 will feature eight new haunted mazes along with several scare zones and the Terror Tram on select nights from Sept. 5 to Nov. 3 at Universal Studios Hollywood.

ALSO SEE: Universal’s Horror Nights calls the Ghostbusters to save the world from another Ice Age

Is Six Flags’ Fright Fest ready for a showdown with Universal’s Horror Nights?

“It does put us in competition with them,” Six Flags Chief Fright Officer Edithann “EA” Ramey said. “We want to appeal to those fandom communities of people who love Halloween and go there and bring them to us. I think they will love these houses. They’re ‘must see’ for somebody who loves Halloween.”

ALSO SEE: Universal brings A Quiet Place maze to Halloween Horror Nights

Fright Fest 2024 at Six Flags Magic Mountain will feature haunted mazes based on The Conjuring, Trick ‘r Treat and Army of the Dead horror franchises in addition to Stranger Things and Saw.

The new Fright Fest lineup steals a page out of the playbook of Universal’s Horror Nights — which previously hosted haunted mazes based on Stranger Things (2023), Trick ‘r Treat (2018) and Saw (2012).

ALSO SEE: Universal unleashes radioactive zombies for Halloween Horror Nights 2024

Six Flags is teamed up with a list of major Hollywood players like Netflix, Warner Brothers, Lionsgate and Legendary that had largely partnered exclusively with Universal Studios on Halloween mazes over the past couple decades.

Six Flags is working closely with Netflix and their partners on a Stranger Things maze that will take visitors into the mysterious alternate dimension of the Upside Down alongside students from Hawkins High School, according to Ramey.

“Everything that we do is a partnership with the brand,” Ramey said during a phone interview. “They’ve helped us create something that’s going to feel very fresh.”

ALSO SEE: 4 reasons why Universal won’t launch Fast & Furious coaster until 2026

Six Flags Magic Mountain tested the waters during a pilot year in 2023 with haunted mazes based on The Conjuring and Saw horror movie franchises.

“It was an idea that we were excited about,” Ramey said. “We thought people would be positive about it, but we couldn’t believe how much people wanted to go inside the houses and what success we would see. It quickly became obvious that we wanted to expand on it.”

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New versions of this year’s Hollywood horror mazes are expected to return for Halloween 2025 at Magic Mountain and other Six Flags parks.

“We want to build on the program,” Ramey said. “Next year we would expect to see all these guys come back. That’s not to say that as we continue to grow it, there wouldn’t be any other property. I’m always open. You never know.”

One new addition to Magic Mountain’s Fright Fest 2025 could be a Texas Chainsaw Massacre haunted house. Leatherface will terrorize Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey during this year’s Fright Fest ¯ but will be notably missing from the Magic Mountain lineup.

The Horror Nights mainstay last appeared at Universal Studios Hollywood in 2021. It will be interesting to see if and when the roar of chainsaws echo throughout the night at Magic Mountain once Universal Studios Hollywood relinquishes its grip on the storied Halloween franchise.

​ Orange County Register 

Drew League Week 6: Black Pearl Elite stays undefeated led by Montrezl Harrell

• July 8, 2024

The Drew League entered its sixth week of play on July 6 and 7 at King Drew Magnet High School. Black Pearl Elite continues its winning streak but some teams who haven’t performed as well made roster additions to boost their squad.

The big question moving forward is what big players will show up. Kevin Punter, who was a standout scorer last season in the Euroleague, helped Undisputed Legends get a win. Very few players in the league will have a chance to contain Punter.

Here are a few things to look out for at the Drew League in the coming weeks.

Black Pearl Elite remains unbeaten

Black Pearl Elite (B.P.E.) coached by Lamar Gayle and Cedrick Lusk is the only remaining unbeaten team in the Drew League. B.P.E. features former LA Clipper Montrezl Harrell, who finished with 25 points and eight rebounds in a 79-70 win over Hometown Favorites.

Harrell only missed one field goal attempt out of his 10 shots. Last summer, Harrell played with the 2023 Drew League Champions Tuff Fades. Players went their separate directions this season with Franklin Session starting his own team, Elevate.

Harrell, who last played in the NBA in 2023 with the Philadelphia 76ers, said his goal for Elite is to win the Drew League.

“It’s going to take consistent play like we’re doing,” Harrell said. “We’re going to have to keep defending and going to have to keep putting together great quarters.”

B.P.E has made deep playoff runs the past few seasons but hasn’t secured a championship. This season the team has brought on younger talent to supplement the roster.

One of those younger players is DJ Brewton, who played for Cal State Fullerton last season. Brewton is a shifty guard who thrives in the open floor setting of the Drew where he can use his elusive handle and shot-making ability.

Brewton had 23 points on 10-for-10 shooting from the field and has been a key contributor in all of the team’s matchups.

“We’re just trying to win a championship,” Gayle said. “We’ve been at it for seven years and been in two finals in a row.”

B.P.E won’t have Kyree Walker until potentially the playoffs. Walker was a key player for the team before he departed for his season with the Canadian Basketball League.

B.P.E. will face off against the Nationwide Souljas on Saturday at 3 p.m.

New addition for Undisputed Legends

For the most part, the Drew League made up of current professionals from overseas and the NBA and college players along with a few elite high school players.

But Kevin Punter on Undisputed Legends is a different level of player. In his first week with his team, Punter scored 29 points on 10 of 14 shooting from the field, including this stepback jumper with a defender draped on him in a 103-78 win over the Jedi.

Kevin Punter lighting it up in the Drew League right now. Two nasty pull up three pointers.

Punter played last season for FC Barcelona basketball in the Euroleague and averaged 15 ppg last season.

Definitely an NBA level talent. pic.twitter.com/AaR5ooizwX

— Matthew Ho (@mho_kj) July 6, 2024

Punter went undrafted in 2016 and played for the Minnesota Timberwolves Summer League team after graduating from Tennessee. He’s been one of the best scorers in the Euroleague. Last season he averaged 15 points per game for Partizan Mozzart Bet in Belgrade, Serbia.

The Jedi, who are coached by former LA Clipper and longtime NBA veteran Corey Maggette, opted to double-team Punter in pick-and-roll scenarios to get the ball out of his hands, but Undisputed Legends countered by having Punter isolate his defender and get his own shot off.

Many teams are expected to bring in high-level talent from overseas and the NBA as the summer goes along. Undisputed Legends were 1-4 coming into the game but their outlook changes with Punter.

Other game notes

Overseas veteran Jerome Randle scored 30 points as the Cititeam Blazers took down Nationwide Soujas 83-82. Blazers and Souljas are now tied at 4-2.
For Rex 6, Wali Hepburn dropped 33 points and hit a game-winning fading three-pointer at the buzzer in a back and forth matchup versus Dawg Pound. Rex 6 improves to 2-4 and hands Dawg Pound their second loss of the season after starting off 4-1.
In a battle between two 4-1 teams, the I-Can All Stars beat the Mecca Cheaters 66-62. Noel Scott for I-Can All Stars was named Player of the Game with 16 points, five rebounds and five steals.
West Coast Elite had the highest point differential in the Drew League and led by double-digits against the Saints. The Saints made a run to get back into the game but West Coast Elite held on for an 81-78 win. MVP candidate Deshawndre Washington scored 20 points in the win.

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Score from the weekend

Black Pearl Elite 79, Hometown Favorites 70

Undisputed Legends 103, Jedi 78

Problems 83, Elevate 66

Reapers Black Ops 111, Surgeon 106

Cititeam Blazers 83, Nationwide Souljas 82

Rex 6 82, Dawg Pound. 79

Task Force 82, Redemption 62

I-Can Allstars 66, Mecca Cheaters 62

West Coast Elite 81, Saints 78

California Supreme Court 70, Young Citi PTI 53,

Women’s Drew League

After winning Week 5 Player of the Week, Imani McGee, who is the daughter of former WNBA player and Los Angeles Sparks standout, Pamela McGee and half-sister of NBA player JaVale McGee dropped had 25 points and 16 rebounds in the Remix’s 67-60 win over Undisputed Legends. McGee is in a strong position for the MVP race.

TNSS 57, Task Force 47

Remix 67, Undisputed Legends 60

Redemption 70, Lady Jedi 53

GAGE 48, Triple Threat 46

RELATED:

Drew League: Session, Elevate shine in Week 5 with NBA players on the horizon

Drew League looks to bring in younger talent in 51st season

​ Orange County Register 

Housing slump deepened this spring. Where does that leave home shoppers and sellers?

• July 8, 2024

By Alex Veiga | The Associated Press

The housing market shows few signs of busting out of its three-year funk after a disappointing spring season and amid a gloomy outlook for the summer and fall.

Home shoppers came into 2024 with optimism that mortgage rates would ease further after a decline late last year. But those hopes faded as stronger-than-expected data on inflation and the economy clouded the timing of a possible rate cut by the Federal Reserve.

By April, the average rate on a 30-year home loan moved above 7% for the first time since November. That, plus record-high home prices, forced many would-be homebuyers to put their house hunt on hold — some indefinitely.

Economists are projecting mortgage rates will ease modestly by the end of this year. But a small decline in rates may not be enough to entice home shoppers and persuade homeowners it’s a good time to sell.

Here is a look at the key trends behind the housing market’s trajectory so far this year and what homebuyers and sellers can expect in the second half of 2024:

The spring homebuying season was a bust — again

On average, more than one-third of all homes sold in a given year are purchased between March and June. This is known as the spring homebuying season, and it’s been a downer in recent years.

Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes fell in the March-June period from a year earlier in 2022 and 2023. Sales declined in March, April and May of this year, and indications are that June saw a pullback as well.

The weak spring sales are a reflection of the affordability challenges many home shoppers face: the average rate on a 30-year mortgage rate is moored near 7%; the supply of homes for sale is historically low; and home prices are at record highs.

High rates deter homebuyers

The average rate on a 30-year mortgage is at 6.95%, according to mortgage buyer Freddie Mac. That is more than double where it was in early July 2021.

Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, including how the bond market reacts to the Fed’s interest rate policy and the moves in the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans.

The 10-year yield, which topped 4.7% in late April, has been mostly falling recently following some economic data showing slower growth, which could help keep a lid on inflationary pressures and convince the Fed to begin lowering its main interest rate from its highest level in more than 20 years.

Fed officials said in June that inflation had moved closer to its target level of 2% in recent months and signaled that they expect to cut their benchmark interest rate once this year.

Even so, economists’ projections call for the average rate on a 30-year home loan to remain above 6%.

Not enough homes for sale

Another impediment for homebuyers is the historically low inventory of homes on the market.

The good news: The number of homes on the market at the end of May was the most since August 2022, a trend that bodes well for homebuyers this summer. The bad news: The supply of homes available for sale nationally remains well below its pre-pandemic levels.

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The supply of homes for sale across the U.S. was tight before Covid hit due to more than a decade of below-average new home construction and demographic trends that led to homeowners hanging on to their properties longer.

The large gap between current mortgage rates and where they were just three years ago (3%) has also discouraged many homeowners who secured rock-bottom rates from selling, what real estate experts refer to as the “lock-in” effect.

The price isn’t right

The national median sales price of a previously occupied home rose 5.8% in May from a year earlier to $419,300, an all-time high on records going back to 1999, according to the National Association of Realtors. It’s also up 51% from just five years ago.

The price increases are slowing, however. CoreLogic’s home price index shows U.S. home prices rose 4.9% in May from a year earlier, the smallest increase since October. The real estate data tracker forecasts that national home price growth will slow to 3% by next May.

“The surge in mortgage rates this spring caused both slowing homebuyer demand and prices,” said Selma Hepp, CoreLogic’s chief economist.

Home prices are cooling as more homes sit on the market longer. Metro areas in Florida, Texas, Georgia and other states where home construction ramped up in recent years have also seen price growth ease.

Some economists worry that a slight decline in mortgage rates without a jump in the inventory of homes on the market could actually work against buyers struggling to afford a home by giving sellers an incentive to boost their asking price.

“It makes me a bit concerned for what will happen with home prices when rates do drop, because I think it would spur demand without really spurring supply, at least in the short run,” said Daryl Fairweather, chief economist at Redfin. “That could lead to some sharp rise in prices.”

Should anyone buy now?

Homebuyers who can afford to buy now should benefit from the wider selection of homes on the market.

Anyone who can afford to pay all cash may also want to buy in the near term.

“Prices have been going up, and they’re probably not going to come down, so there’s really no reason to wait if you’re not waiting for rates to come down,” Redfin’s Fairweather said.

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​ Orange County Register 

Murder by Suicide series

• July 8, 2024

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​ Orange County Register 

Despite a persistent heat wave, California’s grid is ‘stable’

• July 8, 2024

Though there are no signs that residential utility customers need to reduce their energy use, a lingering heat wave covering much of California has prompted the state’s grid operator to send an alert to power companies.

The California Independent System Operator has issued a Restricted Maintenance Operations notification to utilities (such as San Diego Gas & Electric) and electricity transmission operators, instructing them to avoid performing routine maintenance through 11:59 p.m. Wednesday. When high demand on the electric grid is anticipated, such notifications are sent to make sure all generators and transmission lines are available.

In addition, a Transmission Emergency for Northern California that has been in place since July 3 will remain in effect through Wednesday night. California ISO officials are keeping on eye on whether wildfires in the area could affect transmission facilities in the region.

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“The hot weather is persisting, but the grid remains stable,” the ISO said on a post Sunday on X, formerly known as Twitter. “We are not expecting any energy supply shortfalls … as we continue to monitor the hot weather and wildfire activity.”

Northern California has borne the brunt of the heat wave that has lasted more than a week.

Sacramento hit a high of 113 on Saturday, July 6, setting a city record for that date. Hot weather forces homeowners and businesses to crank up their air conditioners, increasing demand on the electric grid.

Wildfires also put power lines and electricity infrastructure at risk. The Thompson Fire that started on July 2 near the town of Oroville in Butte County destroyed 13 homes and led to the evacuation of 13,000 residents. As of Sunday, Cal Fire officials said the fire is 86 percent contained and said it charred nearly 3,800 acres.

Though not serious as other areas of the state, parts of San Diego County have also sweltered in the heat.

The National Weather Service on Monday predicted high temperatures of 94 degrees in Escondido and Julian, 99 degrees in Campo and 121 degrees in Borrego Springs and Ocotillo Wells.

No wildfires have been reported in the San Diego area, although firefighters — who have battled a series of recent brushfires — are on alert.

California ISO officials expect to have enough energy supply to cover demand. The system is projected to have about 55,000 megawatts available on Monday, more than enough to meet the expected peak demand of just over 43,000 megawatts.

Whenever demand on the grid threatens to outpace the available megawatts needed to keep the power system running smoothly, the ISO issues a number of different measures. One of the tools is a Flex Alert, in which the grid operator asks utility customers to voluntarily reduce consumption in the late afternoon and early evening hours, when the power system is under the most strain.

The ISO has not indicated any Flex Alerts are in the offing during the current heat wave, but said, “Consumers can always help maintain reliability by conserving energy when possible from 4-9 p.m. on hot days.”

No Flex Alerts were issued last year but in 2022, a “heat dome” that blanketed California and neighboring states in late August through early September prompted the system operator to issue a record 10 consecutive days of Flex Alerts.

For all of 2022, 11 Flex Alerts were announced.

​ Orange County Register 

Americans traveled internationally 8% more this spring compared with a year ago

• July 8, 2024

Lacey Pfalz | TravelPulse (TNS)

Americans left the country more this spring than they did before the pandemic, according to new passenger volume data released by The National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO).

The new data focused on the month of April and found that more than 8 million Americans left in April to travel internationally, an 8% increase from April 2023 and 106.3% higher than in April of 2019, prior to the pandemic.

Of the departures made in April, 38.5% left for Mexico, while 20.2% left for Europe. Canada is receiving an increase in popularity, with a 12.9% growth in visitation from Americans from April 2023.

Travel observers have seen an increased desire for international travel among Americans since the pandemic ended, and confidence once again grew for travel as a whole, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down.

The NTTO reports a strong statistic supporting that confidence: April was the 37th consecutive month that the total number of Americans traveling internationally grew on a year-over-year basis. This might indicate that the international travel trend is only growing the farther removed we are from the pandemic era.

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NTTO data from March 2024 found much the same, with a 20% increase in Americans traveling internationally compared with March 2019. The data also reported a growth in Americans heading to Europe, especially.

It’s not just an American trend, either. April data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) found that international air travel demand grew nearly 16% globally year over year.

Travelers heading to America from other countries increased 5.2% in April compared to the year prior, for a total of 5.88 million travelers. Yet that’s still 83.6% of the pre-pandemic number, which indicates that while other countries are seeing international visitor growth the likes of which exceed their prepandemic average, America is still far behind.

©2024 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. Visit at travelpulse.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

​ Orange County Register 

Hatch recalls nearly 1 million power adapters sold with baby sound machines

• July 8, 2024

Due to a shock hazard, a Palo Alto company is recalling nearly 1 million power adapters sold with sound machines marketed to help infants and young children sleep.

The plastic surrounding the AC power adapter that was supplied with some of Hatch’s Rest 1st generation sound machines can come off when removing the product from an outlet, leaving its prongs exposed, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said. That increases risks of electric shock.

There have been 19 reports of the plastic housing surrounding the adapter coming off, including two instances of consumers getting a minor electric shock, the CPSC said in its Wednesday recall notice.

The recall is specific to power adapters supplied by Jiangsu Chenyang Electron Co., Hatch said in a company announcement, adding that it is no longer sourcing from Jiangsu Chenyang for its products.

Hatch also noted that the issue is only with the adapter accompanying the sleeping machines, not the device itself. “Once a replacement power adapter is issued, the Hatch Rest 1st generation device is safe to continue using,” the company wrote.

In the meantime, consumers in possession of the faulty power adapters are urged to stop using them. The now-recalled adapters, which were manufactured in China, can be identified by their model number: CYAP05 050100U.

The adapters were sold with Rest 1st generation sound machines on Hatch.co, as well as major retailers including Target and Walmart, between January 2019 and September 2022. Some were also sold on Amazon through May 2024. The machines produce white noise or lullabies to help babies and young children sleep, and also have features including a night light.

An estimated 919,400 of them were purchased in the U.S., and over 44,000 in Canada. Hatch is offering a free replacement adapter to impacted customers and says it’s contacting all registered owners directly.

Consumers can learn more about registering for the recall on the company’s website.

​ Orange County Register