Latest news with #U.S.OpenTennisChampionships
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Canadian tennis star Auger-Aliassime derives on-court success, personal growth from Togolese roots
Next week, Montreal tennis star Felix Auger-Aliassime is set to compete in his eighth straight singles main draw at the 2025 U.S. Open Tennis Championships. But despite a lengthy list of accolades, including an Olympic bronze medal and seven singles titles on the ATP Tour, it's his community outreach in his father's home country of Togo that the tennis star wants the attention focused on. In the late 1990s, the 25-year-old Felix's father, Sam Aliassime, immigrated from the West African nation when he was around the same age as his son is right now. "You're there [in Togo and] even if you have a dream and you want it, you're stuck by the circumstances of your environment," he told CBC Sports. "And he comes to Canada, steps foot, and everything is possible here, if I work hard and I really stick to my goal." WATCH | Auger-Aliassime discusses his journey — and playing hockey with Connor McDavid: Those values were poured into Auger-Aliassime at a young age, influencing his drive to compete at the highest level of tennis. "He gave me all the right tools, to achieve that: hard work discipline, curiosity, work ethic," he said. "You can be a professional tennis player. You can win a Grand Slam. You can be the best tennis player, if you want … that deep belief that you can achieve something out of the ordinary." Following Auger-Aliassime's breakout year in 2019, he and his father sat down to plan how to give back to the community through his earned success, asking themselves: "Is there a way I can link my tennis career to something that is outside of the tennis but that also resonates with me?" Serving the youth of Togo quickly came to mind. In 2020, their money-matching program called #FAAPointsForChange was born, where Auger-Aliassime donates $5 for every point he wins in a match toward supporting education and child protection in Togo. "I can't do the math quickly now but it's a lot of points." "We've helped hundreds of kids to get a better education," he said. "Now we're going to help young adults to get a scholarship to university … We really want to help to give them a shot at higher education." WATCH | Auger-Aliassime discusses his journey — and playing hockey with Connor McDavid: Every couple years, Auger-Aliassime takes a trip to Togo to spend time with the youth, which has also expanded his perception of his father's childhood, he says. "He tells me stories as a kid but it never matches what you can see with your own eyes. My level of respect for his desire to succeed in life, and to work hard, and to be consistent with that. Going there gave me even more respect for what he's done in his life." 'Unexpected' Olympic breakthrough Last summer, Auger-Aliassime won his first Olympic medal, securing bronze at the Paris Olympics in mixed doubles alongside three-time Grand Slam tennis champion Gabby Dabrowski. "It was unexpected," he said. "It was an unbelievable week … The support I was getting from the crowd, from the people at home, for my second Olympics, was extremely special." A few months later, in November 2024, the tennis player announced his engagement to his long-time girlfriend, Nina Ghaibi. And now? It's the "little wins of every day" that keep him going. "At heart, I'm a competitor," he said. "I love the challenge, when you overcome a challenge. "The stress before a match when facing an opponent … when it goes your way and when you win, it's the best feeling." Auger-Aliassime will search for that feeling when the U.S. Open gets underway, as the marquee event runs from Aug. 18 to Sept. 8. "Winning a special tournament and the emotion you get," he said. "That's deep happiness."
UPI
29-05-2025
- Business
- UPI
E.l.f Beauty to acquire Hailey Bieber's Rhode in $1 billion deal
1 of 3 | Hailey and Justin Bieber watch the 2023 U.S. Open Tennis Championships on September 1, 2023, in New York City. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo May 28 (UPI) -- E.l.f. Beauty announced Wednesday it will acquire Hailey Bieber's three-year-old beauty company Rhode for $1 billion. "This powerhouse alliance between E.l.f. Beauty and Rhode is built on both brands' shared focus on disruption and product innovation, setting the stage for transformative global expansion," E.l.f. Beauty said in a news release about the acquisition of the company known for its high-performance, skin-focused products. The 27-year-old model, who is married to pop singer Justin Bieber, in 2022 launched Rhode. The company has more than doubled its customer base over the past year and brought in $212 million in revenue in the 12 months ended March 31. Last year, Rhode became the No. 1 skincare brand in earned media value with 367% year-over-year growth. The acquisition comprises $600 million in cash and $200 million in stock, plus an additional potential $200 million payout based on Rhode's performance over the next three years. The cash consists of fully committed debt financing of $600 million. They plan to close the deal by the close of the company's second quarter of fiscal year 2026. E.l.f's brands include e.l.f. Cosmetics, E.l.f. Skin, Keys Soulcare, Naturium and Well People. "We can't wait to bring Rhode to more faces, places, and spaces," Bieber said in a news release. "From day one, my vision for Rhode has been to make essential skin care and hybrid makeup you can use every day. Just three years into this journey, our partnership with E.l.f. Beauty marks an incredible opportunity to elevate and accelerate our ability to reach more of our community with even more innovative products and widen our distribution globally." She plans to step into an expanded role of Chief Creative Officer and Head of Innovation for the new company. "I look forward to leading the brand into this exciting new chapter of possibilities alongside my Co-Founders Michael D. Ratner and Lauren Ratner, who have helped bring my vision to life from the start," she said. E.l.f. Chairman and CEO Tarang Amin told CNBC: "I've been in the consumer space 34 years, and I've been blown away by seeing this brand over time." In a news release, Amin said: "E.l.f. Beauty found a like-minded disruptor in Rhode. Rhode further diversifies our portfolio with a fast-growing brand that makes the best of prestige accessible. We are excited by Rhode's ability to break beauty barriers, fully aligning with e.l.f. Beauty's vision to create a different kind of company. Rhode is a beautiful brand that we believe is ready for rocketship growth. E.l.f. shares declined about 4% in extended trading in the New York Stock Exchange. After the market closed at 4 p.m., the company also posted fourth-quarter financial data: $332.7 million revenue and 76 cents adjusted earnings per share over nine months. About 75% of its products come from China, which has been slapped with a 30% duty on exports to the U.S. Last week, the company announced plans to raise prices by $1 on Aug. 1 to offset higher costs from tariffs. Hailey Bieber is the daughter of actor Stephen Baldwin and her maternal grandfather is Brazilian musician Eumir Deodato. She married Justin Bieber in November 2018 and they have one child, who is 9 months old. Justin Bieber is 31.
New York Post
23-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Former Fordham coach relieved ‘aggressive' NCAA probe finally over
Keith Urgo felt like a weight had been lifted on Tuesday when the NCAA finally revealed the full scope of a yearslong investigation into recruiting violations while was the head men's basketball coach at Fordham University. But the former Fordham coach couldn't help but feel frustrated over the 'aggressive' nature in which the NCAA looked into the matter, especially in the current climate of college athletics and considering the relatively small scale by which the Rams basketball program broke the rules. 'It's a sigh of relief for my family and I. It's been something that's been hovering over us for almost three years now,' Urgo told The Post in a phone interview. 'It's been a dark cloud over my family, our program, and just finally closing it and just being able to move on, I think seemed incredibly important for me and my career. Just excited to kind of put it past us.' In a release Tuesday, the NCAA said that it found Urgo had 'violated ethical conduct rules' and 'head coach responsibility rules' related to a photo shoot in Times Square for prospective recruits and spending $10,736 total on entertainment expenses during eight player visits over two years. The NCAA rules allow for programs to spend $75 a day on entertainment expenses during official visits. Among those expenses were Jet Ski rentals, tickets to New York Knicks games, tickets to the U.S. Open Tennis Championships and suite tickets for a New York Giants game. The overages ranged from as little as $35 to as much as $5,595. Nevertheless, the transgressions never extended beyond that, and Urgo felt as the investigation — which began in 2021 as a result of the program self-reporting an issue — continued, it took on a more hostile tone. Former Fordham coach Keith Urgo said he is relieved the NCAA probe into recruiting violation while he was the coach of the Rams is over. AP 'They were treating me like I was some criminal, literally like I had broken some laws,' Urgo said. 'They were just trying to do whatever they could to pin a Level 1 violation on us and none of it made any sense. We were just all confused, including all the lawyers in the situation, confused as to why they were just being so aggressive and trying to do whatever they could to bury us.' The lengthy investigation took its toll on Urgo and on the program, he said during the phone conversation, especially this past season, when the NCAA's investigation ramped up. 'I think in this last year, specifically, it was probably the most taxing,' he said. 'This past season was definitely very difficult, because it just seemed like two or three times a week for several months, we were dealing with [the investigation]. Former Fordham coach Keith Urgo Robert Sabo / New York Post The Rams finished 12-21 last season and 3-15 in the A-10, and the program opted to move on from Urgo after the season came to an end. Urgo is still widely respected as a coach and beloved by his players — as seen by the reaction after his dismissal at Fordham — and he seemed positive he'll be back on a sideline soon enough. And he's hoping that the full details being out about the investigation will help. 'That's why I was so excited when the report came out,' he said. 'Because for so long, people weren't even sure for so long what was going on. Now they can see some of the ridiculousness.'
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Yahoo
Taylor Swift Tickets Stolen & Resold By Cybercrime Crew With $600K Profit — Report
Reports claim a cybercrime crew stole and resold nearly 1,000 Taylor Swift's concert tickets. Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz further stated the ticket URLs were stolen by a pair of StubHub subcontractors. The pair were working for a third-party firm, Sutherland. A cybercrime crew stole and resold Taylor Swift's Eras Tour tickets. As per Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, the crew stole over 993 tickets and resold them on StubHub, amassing approximately over $635,000. The theft took place between June 2022 and July 2023. The District Attorney further explained the operation of the reported theft. According to Katz' office, two StubHub subcontractors working for a third-party firm called Sutherland in Kingston, Jamaica, took the ticket URLs and emailed them to their co-conspirators in Queens. Apart from Taylor Swift's concert tickets, the crew also resold tickets for Adele and Ed Sheeran concerts, NBA games, and the U.S. Open Tennis Championships. The attorney's office has identified two of the co-conspirators, Tyrone Rose and Shamara Simmons. Both the accused people have faced arrest. Their charges include grand larceny in the second degree, conspiracy in the fourth degree, and computer tampering in the first and fourth degrees. As per the latest update from the prosecutors, Rose and Simmons have pleaded 'not guilty.' They will appear before the court again on March 7. The attorney's office further revealed that the duo had an alleged accomplice. But the third individual has since passed away. The district attorney explained, 'According to the charges, these defendants tried to use the popularity of Taylor Swift's concert tour and other high-profile events to profit at the expense of others. They allegedly exploited a loophole through an offshore ticket vendor to steal tickets to the biggest concert tour of the last decade and then resold those seats for an extraordinary profit of more than $600,000.' Stubhub has also released a separate statement regarding the third-party firm. The ticketing platform noted: 'StubHub has since replaced or refunded all identified orders impacted.' Their official statement also reassured on strengthening security measures to further protect our fans and sellers.' The post Taylor Swift Tickets Stolen & Resold By Cybercrime Crew With $600K Profit — Report appeared first on - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Yahoo
Cybercrime Crew Stole Taylor Swift Tickets & Made $600K Profit — Report
Reports claim a cybercrime crew stole and resold nearly 1,000 Taylor Swift's concert tickets. Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz further stated the ticket URLs were stolen by a pair of StubHub subcontractors. The pair were working for a third-party firm, Sutherland. A cybercrime crew stole and resold Taylor Swift's Eras Tour tickets. As per Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, the crew stole over 993 tickets and resold them on StubHub, amassing approximately over $635,000. The theft took place between June 2022 and July 2023. The District Attorney further explained the operation of the reported theft. According to Katz' office, two StubHub subcontractors working for a third-party firm called Sutherland in Kingston, Jamaica, took the ticket URLs and emailed them to their co-conspirators in Queens. Apart from Taylor Swift's concert tickets, the crew also resold tickets for Adele and Ed Sheeran concerts, NBA games, and the U.S. Open Tennis Championships. The attorney's office has identified two of the co-conspirators, Tyrone Rose and Shamara Simmons. Both the accused people have faced arrest. Their charges include grand larceny in the second degree, conspiracy in the fourth degree, and computer tampering in the first and fourth degrees. As per the latest update from the prosecutors, Rose and Simmons have pleaded 'not guilty.' They will appear before the court again on March 7. The attorney's office further revealed that the duo had an alleged accomplice. But the third individual has since passed away. The district attorney explained, 'According to the charges, these defendants tried to use the popularity of Taylor Swift's concert tour and other high-profile events to profit at the expense of others. They allegedly exploited a loophole through an offshore ticket vendor to steal tickets to the biggest concert tour of the last decade and then resold those seats for an extraordinary profit of more than $600,000.' Stubhub has also released a separate statement regarding the third-party firm. The ticketing platform noted: 'StubHub has since replaced or refunded all identified orders impacted.' Their official statement also reassured on strengthening security measures to further protect our fans and sellers.' Originally reported by Arpita Adhya on ComingSoon. The post Cybercrime Crew Stole Taylor Swift Tickets & Made $600K Profit — Report appeared first on Mandatory.
