Sebastián Yatra to Take Part in Star-on-Star Interview with Lasso During Billboard Latin Music Week

Posted on September 28, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Sebastián Yatra is preparing for a special star moment…

The 28-year-old Colombian hitmaker will take part in a star-on-star interview at this year’s Billboard Latin Music Week.

Yatra, who has been pushing the boundaries of Latin pop, will be interviewed by by Lasso. The live Q&A will take place on Tuesday, October 3 at the Faena Forum Main Stage at 11:45 am ET.

In his upcoming interview with the Venezuelan singer/songwriter, the two South American artists will discuss Yatra’s creative process, his foray into the film industry, and how a multi-hyphenate artist manages success in a highly demanding Latin pop world. Topics will range from what inspires him and sparks curiosity, planning vs. flowing, mental health, tennis, and the power of one’s voice. The “Tacones Rojos” singer will also reveal what’s next for him.

Yatra continues his skyward ascent this year. Amid releasing a string of viral singles like “Vagabundo” with Manuel Turizo and Beéle and his latest solo hit “Energía Bacana,” Yatra was selected as the official musical opener for the 2023 U.S. Open tennis tournament.

He also received 2023 RIAA Honors for “driving the rise across American music, culture and society,” alongside global icon Gloria Estefan.

Currently, the Medellín artist is in the running for two 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards: Latin Pop Artist of the Year, Solo and Latin Pop Song of the Year for “Una Noche Sin Pensar.” Last year, Yatra achieved a No. 36 slot on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 for “Dos Oruguitas” from Disney’s Encanto and has positioned himself multiple times on Billboard’s Global charts.

In 2022, the moderator and Yatra collaborated on the pop-rock ballad “Ojos Marrones.” Lasso’s “Ojos Marrones” is nominated for three Latin Grammys: record of the year, song of the year, and best pop/rock song. The song also became the Venezuelan artist’s first entry into the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. US charts.

Sebastian Yatra to Perform at This Year’s U.S. Open

Posted on August 12, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Sebastian Yatra is headed to Flushing Meadows…

The 28-year-old Colombian singer will be making a special appearance at this year’s U.S. Open.

Yatra received a personal call from tennis star Carlos Alcaráz inviting him to join him at the Grand Slam tennis tournament.

Yatra will perform “Vagabundo” at the Sound of the Open show on August 25 in New York.

“Let’s go,” responded Yatra to the invitation. “But you’ll have to sing the song with me. Thanks for the invite. I’m excited to see you again.”

Tickets to show can be purchased here.

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Emma Navarro Earns First-Ever Grand Slam Victory in Three-Set Win Over Erika Andreeva

Posted on May 30, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Emma Navarro has notched her first-ever Grand Slam victory…

The 22-year-old Latin American tennis player rallied in the third set for a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 win over Russia’s Erika Andreeva in a first-round match at the French Open on May 30.

Navarro, a former NCAA singles champion at Virginia who is ranked No. 75 on the WTA Tour, trailed by 3-0 in the third set before winning five straight games for a 5-3 lead. She lashed a forehand past Andreeva for a crucial break in game seven, and served out the match in the 10th game.

It was Navarro’s first win in a Grand Slam event; she previously lost a first-round match at the U.S. Open in 2021.

Navarro hit 32 winners to 23 for Andreeva, and had just 23 unforced errors to her opponent’s 31.

In the second round, Navarro will face No. 42 Bianca Adreescu of Canada.

Jon Rahm Outlasts Brooks Koepka to Win First Career Masters Title

Posted on April 10, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Jon Rahm is seeing green… A Masters green jacket, that is.

The 28-year-old Spanish professional golfer turned the longest day into his sweetest victory Sunday.

The 30-hole marathon finish started with him trailing by 4 and ended with a walk up to the 18th green that nearly reduced him to tears, and gave him another major that affirmed him as No. 1 in the world.

He closed with a 3-under 69 to pull away from mistake-prone Brooks Koepka. He won by four shots over Koepka and 52-year-old Phil Mickelson, who matched the low score of the tournament with a 65 and became the oldest runner-up in Masters history.

“We all dream of things like this as players, and you try to visualize what it’s going to be like and what it’s going to feel like,” Rahm said. “Never thought I was going to cry by winning a golf tournament, but I got very close on that 18th hole.

“And a lot of it because of what it means to me, and to Spanish golf,” he said. “It’s Spain’s 10th major, fourth player to win the Masters. It’s pretty incredible.”

It was Mickelson who declared Rahm would be among golf’s biggest stars even before the Spaniard turned pro in 2016. Rahm now has a green jacket to go along with his U.S. Open title he won in 2021 at Torrey Pines.

“It was obvious to me at a very young age that he was one of the best players in the world even while he was in college,” said Mickelson, whose younger brother was Rahm’s college coach at Arizona State. “To see him on this stage is not surprising for anybody.”

Rahm made up two shots on Koepka over the final 12 holes of the rain-delayed third round and started the final round two shots behind. He seized on Koepka’s collapse and then surged so far ahead that Mickelson’s amazing closing round — it matched the three-time Masters champion’s best final round ever at Augusta National — was never going to be enough.

The finish was vintage Rahm. He pulled his drive into the pine trees and it ricocheted out, short of where the fairway starts. No problem. He hit 4-iron toward the green and lofted a pitch to 3 feet to end his round with only one bogey.

“An unusual par, very much a Seve par, a testament to him, and I know he was pulling for me today,” said Rahm, who finished at 12-under 276. “And it was a great Sunday.”

Rahm embraced his wife and two children, and as he walked toward the scoring room, there was two-time Masters champion José María Olazábal in his green jacket for the strongest hug of all and a few words that included Ballesteros.

“He said he hopes it’s the first of many more,” Rahm said in Butler Cabin. “We both mentioned something about Seve, and if he had given us 10 more seconds, I think we would have both ended up crying.”

Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira Wins Latin America Amateur Championship

Posted on January 15, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira is celebrating a big win…

The Argentine golfer made two straight birdies to turn away his last challenge and closed with a 5-under 67 on Sunday to win the Latin America Amateur Championship, earning a spot in three majors this year.

Fernandez de Oliveira, the second Argentine to win since the Latin America Amateur began in 2015, broke the 72-hole scoring record of Joaquin Niemann by eight shots. He finished at 23-under 265.

“I’m still very shocked. I think my life has changed,” Fernandez de Oliveira said. “I’m looking forward to a great year. I’m going to take advantage of the three opportunities that I’ve been given for winning this event. So, I’m very happy and I just want to enjoy every second of it.”

The senior at Arkansas atoned for last year, when he missed a playoff by one shot at Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic.

Fernandez de Oliveira was staked to a four-shot lead at the start of the final round at Grand Reserve. Luis Carrera of Mexico, who also closed with a 67, managed to get within two shots. But the Argentine birdied the 11th and 12th holes, and a steady diet of pars was enough for him.

The victory sends him to the Masters in April and to Los Angeles Country Club in June for the U.S. Open and to Royal Liverpool for the Open Championship in July.

Royal Liverpool is where the late Roberto de Vicenzo became the first Argentine to win a major when he held off Jack Nicklaus to win the British Open in 1967.

Fernandez de Oliveira went to Royal Liverpool in 2016 and felt the Argentine pride.

“The minute I walked into the clubhouse, they asked me where I was from,” he said. “And I said, ‘Argentina’, and they told me, ‘OK, come with me.’ They took me to the lunchroom where they have portraits and everything about when he won. I felt very proud.”

Carrera was awarded an exemption to the final stages of qualifying for the U.S. Open and Open Championship as the runner-up.

“I think the week has been fantastic,” Carrera said. “I am not sad at all. I just wish I could have won, but it was a great experience. I proved myself that I can play great golf, be up there, and win big tournaments. It is satisfying.”

Jon Rahm Wins DP World Tour Championship

Posted on November 21, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Make that three titles this year for Jon Rahm…

The 28-year-old Spanish professional golfer claimed the trophy at the DP World Tour Championship, taking his third title of the season and third DP World Tour Championship in the last six editions of the event.

After a 70-66-65 start, Rahm shot 67 on Sunday while playing alongside U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick. Combined, those two have now won five of the last seven DP World Tour Championships.

After going out in 33, Rahm came home in 34 for the trophy. At 20 under, he beat Tyrrell Hatton and Alex Noren by two and Roy McIlroy by four.

“Because of COVID I never got a chance to defend my 2019 title, and even though I decided not to come last year, I came with the mentality that, well, nobody beat me in the last two years, so they are going to have to beat me again,” Rahm said.

Rahm has won this tournament now in three of the last four times he’s competed. He is 72 under and has defeated 212 of 217 competitors in those four starts. As referenced, he did not play it in 2020 as the defending champion nor did he make it over last year for the 2021 edition.

Caroline Garcia Outlasts Bianca Andreescu at Bad Homburg Open to Win First WTA Title in Three Years

Posted on June 26, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Caroline Garcia is back in the winner’s circle…

The 28-year-old half-Spanish French tennis player outlasted 2019 U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4 on Saturday in the final of the Bad Homburg Open, giving her a first tour title in three years.

Garcia had to come back from a set and a break down to beat her opponent.

Garcia took a medical timeout for what seemed to be a shoulder problem early in the second set. She then went 4-2 down before winning 10 of the next 14 games to seal the match ahead of the start of Wimbledon on Monday.

“It was a fight [for] every point from the first to the last one,” Garcia said.

Garcia is 8-3 in career finals but her last title was almost exactly three years ago in Nottingham in the build-up to the 2019 Wimbledon tournament.

Andreescu was looking for her first title since beating Serena Williams in the 2019 final at Flushing Meadows before injuries forced her to miss the entire 2020 season.

Jon Rahm Outlasts Competition to Win Mexico Open

Posted on May 2, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Jon Rahm has returned to the winner circle…

After a stressful final two hours of competition, the 27-year-old Spanish professional golfer held on to win the Mexico Open and claim his first victory since the U.S. Open last summer.

Rahm rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-5 14th hole to pull out of a four-way tie for the lead, and he had to make two tough pars and a finish more nervy than he expected.

The relief and satisfaction was evident when he tapped in for par on the final hole at Vidanta Vallarta for a one-shot victory. He pumped his arm and then pounded his fist downward, and at one point he looked skyward and exhaled.

“Today was a battle,” Rahm said. “But I got it done.”

Tony Finau and Brandon Wu each closed with a 63, while Kurt Kitayama birdied the final hole from a back bunker for a 68. They tied for second.

Rahm had a couple of close calls in Mexico City when it was a World Golf Championship at Chapultepec. Now the Mexico Open, which has a history dating to 1944, is a regular PGA Tour event for the first time. And it got a popular winner.

Against one of the weaker fields of the year — Rahm at No. 2 was the only player from the top 15 in the world — the Spanish golfer was a heavy favorite and played that way from his opening 64.

“I like to think every time I tee it up I’m a favorite. I play to win,” Rahm said. “Fortunately, I got my seventh PGA Tour win. It was a pretty stressful weekend, all the way to the end.”

Staked to a two-shot lead going into the final round, he never trailed. But it was never easy.

Rahm had a one-shot lead after his lone bogey of the round on the tough par-4 10th.

Well ahead of him, Wu holed a 25-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole to join him at 16 under. Kitayama, playing in the final group with Rahm, got up and down from right of the green on the par-5 12th to tie. And then Finau went birdie-eagle-birdie to get in the mix and capped off his 63 with a birdie to make it a four-way tie.

“I really wanted to put together a nice week and I was able to do that this week and gave myself a chance to do something special right at the end,” Finau. “Making a 3 on 18 probably would have been a big deal, but making that putt for birdie, a lot of confidence builders on a day like today, and I’ll carry that with me the rest of the season.”

Rahm never lost his patience. His chip left of the green on the par-5 14th raced 12 feet by the hole, but he hit his best putt of the round and made it for birdie for a one-shot lead.

His wedge to the 15th came up short, and his chip ran 5 by the hole. He made that to stay in front and then had to two-putt from 50 feet on the 16th for his par. Rahm missed a 10-foot birdie putt on the 17th that would have given him room for error.

Still, the closing par 5 at Vidanta Vallarta is easily reachable, and Rahm birdied it the three previous times. This time, his fade stayed straight and instead of dropping into the bunker, it nestled in deep rough on a steep slope just above the sand. He did well to punch that out just over a waste area and into the fairway.

His approach to a back pin just trickled off the green, and he navigated the slick putt perfectly to a few inches. Instead of waiting for Kitayama and Cameron Champ to finish, Rahm quickly stepped in and closed the deal.

“I didn’t think a par 5 that requires a fade that I’d be stressing this much,” Rahm said. “It wasn’t my best putting weekend, but I stayed aggressive. I was confident in what I was doing. I have faith in every part of my game, and it showed.”

Champ, who like Kitayama started the final round two shots behind, took himself out of the mix with a triple bogey on the par-4 eighth hole. He never recovered, shot 70 and finished three shots behind in a tie for sixth.

Rahm has 14 victories worldwide. He had gone 17 starts without winning, matching the longest such streak in his career. The victory moves him a little closer to Scottie Scheffler in his bid to reclaim the No. 1 ranking, and he’ll have another opportunity at the PGA Championship in three weeks.

Rahm has at least one victory in six full years as a pro.

Julián Périco Sets 36-Hole Record at Latin America Amateur Championship

Posted on January 22, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Julián Périco is makin’ history…

The 22-year-old Peruvian professional golfer shot a second-round 66 on Friday to set a new Latin America Amateur Championship 36-hole record and take the tournament lead by three strokes.

Perico sits at 9-under at Casa de Campo‘s Teeth of the Dog course, which broke the previous tournament record set by Brazilian André Tourinho during the first LAAC in 2015.

This is Perico’s fifth LAAC appearance, and though he’s finished in the top six twice but never won, he’s positioned himself as the favorite to win an automatic bid to the Masters, the Open Championship and the final rounds of U.S. Open qualifying with a victory.

“I feel I am doing things right, particularly my attitude and staying positive on the course,” said Perico, who birdied 11 through 14 and the par-5 18th. “Whenever I had a chance to attack the pin, I went for it. But it was a very clean round. I never forced anything.”

Argentina’s Segundo Oliva Pinto, a teammate of Périco’s at the University of Arkansas, is three strokes behind.

“I was not feeling that good with my game in the morning,” said Oliva Pinto, who had a slow start to Friday’s round but had four birdies on the back nine. “But I was able to keep being aggressive.”

Three more Argentines, including defending champion Abel Gallegos, Vicente Marzilio and Mateo Fernández de Oliveira, are tied for third along with Mexico’s Santiago De La Fuente, Aaron Jarvis from the Cayman Islands and Puerto Ricans Jerónimo Esteve and Roberto Nieves.

“I never thought about being in [this] position,” said the 20-year-old De La Fuente, who is playing his second LAAC. “I am just thinking about playing solid and if it happens, it happens.”

Périco and Oliva Pinto are also joined by Arkansas teammates Fernandez de Oliveira and Colombian Juan Camilo Vesga (4-under) in the top 10.

Only 15 players remain under par after the second round. The tournament cut (+6) leaves the top 53 players heading into weekend play.

Leylah Fernandez to Compete at This Year’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals

Posted on October 4, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Leylah Fernandez is gearin’ up for a special cup…

The 19-year-old half-Ecuadorian Canadian tennis sensation and U.S. Open finalist is among the players named to the 12 teams at next month’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals.

Fernandez will play for Canada in the competition.

But she isn’t the only Latina set to play in the Cup.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Garbiñe Muguruza will play for Spain along with Carla Suarez Navarro.

Meanwhile, Caroline Garcia is set to play for defending champion France, alongside her teammates Alize Cornet and Fiona Ferro, who were all part of the group that won the event in 2019. The 2020 edition was called off because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Matches will be played in Prague on Nov. 1-6.

The host Czech Republic will be led by 2021 French Open singles and doubles champion Barbora Krejcikova.

She is joined by Marketa Vondrousova, the 2019 French Open runner-up and the 2020 Tokyo Games singles silver medalist, and Katerina Siniakova, who was Krejcikova’s doubles partner for three Grand Slam doubles titles and a gold medal at the Summer Games.

Sloane Stephens is joined by Jessica Pegula, Danielle Collins, CoCo Vandeweghe and Caroline Dolehide on the U.S. roster.

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