Petra Kvitova beat fellow Czech left-hander Lucie Safarova 7-6 (6), 6-1 on Thursday to advance to the Wimbledon final and a chance to win her second title at the All England Club.    

An Olympic distance runner and World War II veteran who survived 47 days on a raft in the Pacific after his bomber crashed, then endured two years in Japanese prison camps, has died. Louis Zamperini was 97.    

The Los Angeles Clippers have engaged in conversations with the Brooklyn Nets to try to construct a sign-and-trade that would reunite small forward Paul Pierce with Doc Rivers, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.    

Edwin Encarnacion hit a three-run, walk-off home run in the ninth inning and the Toronto Blue Jays beat Milwaukee 7-4 on Wednesday, handing the Brewers their third straight loss.    

The Cleveland Cavaliers are hosting restricted free agent forward Gordon Hayward for a visit Wednesday and are preparing a huge offer sheet to try to pry him away from the Utah Jazz, sources told ESPN.com.    

A new book reveals that suspended New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez was granted an exemption by Major League Baseball to use testosterone prior to his 2007 MVP season.    

When LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh went their separate ways after a lunch meeting last Wednesday, they went not knowing whether they had played their last game together, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.    

The Toronto Raptors have agreed to terms with free agent point guard Kyle Lowry on a four-year, $48 million contract, multiple sources told ESPN.com.    

The Brooklyn Nets have agreed in principle to a deal making Lionel Hollins their next head coach.    

In an effort to court Carmelo Anthony, the Rockets posted pictures of Anthony in a No. 7 jersey in the windows near one of the entrances to the Toyota Center.