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Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia Carrying Napoli to New Heights

Football - Serie A - Torino v Napoli - Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino, Turin, Italy - March 19, 2023 Napoli's Victor Osimhen applauds fans after being substituted. (Reuters)
Football - Serie A - Torino v Napoli - Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino, Turin, Italy - March 19, 2023 Napoli's Victor Osimhen applauds fans after being substituted. (Reuters)
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Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia Carrying Napoli to New Heights

Football - Serie A - Torino v Napoli - Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino, Turin, Italy - March 19, 2023 Napoli's Victor Osimhen applauds fans after being substituted. (Reuters)
Football - Serie A - Torino v Napoli - Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino, Turin, Italy - March 19, 2023 Napoli's Victor Osimhen applauds fans after being substituted. (Reuters)

Victor Osimhen combines the characteristics of a classic No. 9 with the talents of a modern striker.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s dribbling wizardry and passing abilities befuddle defenders in Italy and beyond.

Individually, Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia are devastating enough. Together, they are leading Napoli to new heights game after game.

The latest demonstration came when Osimhen scored a brace of headers and Kvaratskhelia earned and converted a penalty and set up two goals in Napoli’s 4-0 win at Torino in Serie A on Sunday.

The victory moved the runaway leader a staggering 21 points ahead of second-place Inter Milan and a step closer to Napoli’s first Serie A title since Diego Maradona led the club to its only two Italian league championships back in 1987 and 1990.

Osimhen started it off midway through the first half when he leaped above the defense to redirect in a corner with a towering header.

After a couple of key saves from Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret — who is also quietly having a standout season — Kvaratskhelia doubled the advantage with a penalty.

But that was just the warmup.

The main act was Napoli’s third goal, a full team move with Kvaratskhelia providing a backheel flick to Mathias Olivera, who floated in a cross for Osimhen to head in at the far post.

Osimhen became the first player to score two headed braces in the same Serie A season since former Italy striker Alberto Gilardino accomplished the feat in 2009-10 with Fiorentina.

Osimhen has a league-best 21 goals in 27 matches, while Kvaratskhelia has 12 goals and 10 assists — the first player with such production in their first season in Europe’s big five leagues since Diego scored 13 and provided 13 assists for Werder Bremen 16 years ago.

Kvaratskhelia also set up Tanguy Ndombole’s first Serie A goal midway through the second half.

Osimhen also scored twice when Napoli beat Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0 on Wednesday to secure a 5-0 aggregate victory and reach the Champions League quarterfinals.

Also Sunday, Fiorentina moved into the top half of the table by beating Lecce 1-0 with an own-goal from Antonino Gallo and Sampdoria defeated Hellas Verona 3-1 with a brace from Manolo Gabbiadini in a matchup of two teams in the drop zone.

Meanwhile, fans clashed with police outside the Stadio Olimpico before the Rome derby between Roma and Lazio.

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Coco Gauff is Just 21 but Already Thinking About What to Do after Tennis

Coco Gauff of the US takes part in a practice session ahead of the Wimbledon Championships in London, Britain, 27 June 2025. The Wimbledon Championships 2025 will be played from 30 June to 13 July 2025. EPA/NEIL HALL
Coco Gauff of the US takes part in a practice session ahead of the Wimbledon Championships in London, Britain, 27 June 2025. The Wimbledon Championships 2025 will be played from 30 June to 13 July 2025. EPA/NEIL HALL
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Coco Gauff is Just 21 but Already Thinking About What to Do after Tennis

Coco Gauff of the US takes part in a practice session ahead of the Wimbledon Championships in London, Britain, 27 June 2025. The Wimbledon Championships 2025 will be played from 30 June to 13 July 2025. EPA/NEIL HALL
Coco Gauff of the US takes part in a practice session ahead of the Wimbledon Championships in London, Britain, 27 June 2025. The Wimbledon Championships 2025 will be played from 30 June to 13 July 2025. EPA/NEIL HALL

To be clear, Coco Gauff didn't bring up the word “star” during a recent interview with The Associated Press; the reporter did. So as Gauff began to answer a question about balancing her life as a professional athlete with her off-court interests, she caught herself repeating that term.

“I definitely didn’t know how it would look like,” she began with a smile, “before I got to be, I guess, a star — feels weird to call myself that — but I definitely did want to expand outside of tennis. Always. Since I was young.”

She still is young, by just about any measure, and she is a really good tennis player — Gauff owns the Grand Slam titles and No. 2 ranking to prove it as she heads into Wimbledon, which begins Monday — but the 21-year-old American is also more than that, The Associated Press reported.

Someone unafraid to express her opinions about societal issues. Someone who connects with fans via social media. Someone who is the highest-paid female athlete in any sport, topping $30 million last year, according to Sportico.com, with less than a third of that from prize money and most via deals with companies such as UPS, New Balance, Rolex and Barilla. Someone who recently launched her own management firm.

And someone who wants to succeed in the business world long after she no longer swings a racket on tour.

“It's definitely something that I want to start to step up for post-career. Kind of start building that process, which is why I wanted to do it early. Because I didn’t want to feel like I was playing catch-up at the end of my career,” said Gauff, who will face Dayana Yastremska in the first round at the All England Club on Tuesday.

“On the business side of things, it doesn’t come as natural as tennis feels. I’m still learning, and I have a lot to learn about," Gauff said. "I’ve debated different things and what paths I wanted to take when it came to just stimulating my brain outside of the court, because I always knew that once I finished high school that I needed to put my brain into something else.”

In a campaign announced this week by UPS, which first partnered with Gauff in 2023 before she won that year's US Open, she connects with business coach Emma Grede — known for working with Kim Kardashian on Skims, and with Khloe Kardashian on Good American — to offer mentoring to three small-business owners.

“Coco plays a key role in helping us connect with those younger Gen-Z business owners — emerging or younger entrepreneurs,” Betsy Wilson, VP of digital marketing and brand activation at UPS, said in a phone interview.

“Obviously, she’s very relevant in social media and in culture, and working with Coco helps us really connect with that younger group.”

While Grede helped the entrepreneurs, Gauff also got the opportunity to pick up tips.

“It's really cool to learn from someone like her,” Gauff said. “Whenever I feel like I’m ready to make that leap, I can definitely reach out to her for advice and things like that. ... This will help me right now and definitely in the long term.”