US OPEN
John Isner has headed off into retirement after losing in singles and doubles at the U.S. Open. The 38-year-old American was beaten in final-set tiebreakers in both matches. That included a five-set exit against Michael Mmoh in singles before a packed house at the Grandstand at Flushing Meadows. Isner leaves with the record for career aces and finished with 48 against Mmoh. Isner and Jack Sock then lost in doubles. Isner is best known for winning the longest match in tennis history — one that lasted 11 hours, 5 minutes and ended 70-68 in the fifth set against Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon in 2010.
SOCCER
Two-time U.S. Soccer Player of the Year Julie Ertz has retired after a 10-year career that included back-to-back Women’s World Cup titles. Ertz had already hinted at her retirement at the recent World Cup after the United States fell to Sweden on penalties in the Round of 16. She tearfully told reporters it was likely her final match wearing the team crest. She made it official Thursday, also retiring from her club team, Angel City in the National Women’s Soccer League.
MLB
Detroit 4 N.Y. Yankees 3
Gleyber Torres’ throwing error in the 10th inning gave Detroit a 4-3 win against the New York Yankees, allowing the Tigers to salvage the series finale. The Yankees were trying for their first four-game winning streak of the season since May 27-30. Instead, the Yankees suffered their ninth walk-off loss of the season. Down 3-0 in the ninth, Anthony Volpe tied the game with a three-run homer to right off Tigers closer Alex Lange to become the first Yankees rookie to reach 20 homers and 20 stolen bases in a season. He is the 15th rookie with a 20-homer, 20-stolen base season, and the second this year with Arizona’s Corbin Carroll.
The Mets, Red Sox, and Phillies were off last night. New York begins a three-game set against the Mariners at 7:10 tonight in Queens, Boston starts a three-game series against the Royals in Kansas City at 8:10 tonight, and Philadelphia will play three against the Brewers starting at 8:10 tonight in Milwaukee.
The Cleveland Guardians are hoping some Los Angeles Angels throwaways can help their playoff push. Cleveland claimed starter Lucas Giolito and relievers Matt Moore and Reynaldo López off waivers from Los Angeles on Thursday. The acquisitions didn’t cost the Guardians any prospects. After going 4-2 on a recent road trip, the Guardians are currently five games behind the first-place Twins with 28 games left. By getting Giolito, Moore and López, the Guardians hope to catch the Twins, defend their division title and make the postseason. It could be a memorable final surge as manager Terry Francona has hinted he’ll retire in October.
Atlanta’s Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a long grand slam in the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers, becoming the first player in major league history with 30 home runs and 60 stolen bases in the same season. Acuña sent a 429-foot shot to deep into the left field pavilion off Lance Lynn for his third career slam and first since 2021. Acuña has 36 career homers in August, his most in any month. Acuña has 61 stolen bases.
BASKETBALL WORLD CUP
The U.S.’s match against Montenegro began at 4:40, and the Dominican Republic’s game against Puerto Rico begins at 8am.
HOCKEY
The newly minted Professional Women’s Hockey League, which succeeds the now-defunct Premier Hockey Federation and will include players from the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association, will announce general managers for its six inaugural teams at 9 this morning, followed by the draft order at 10 AM. The six teams, names for which have not yet been announced and which are owned by the league, will be located in New York City, Boston, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Minnesota.
HORSE RACING
This is the last weekend of action in the 40-day horse racing meet. The top race on today’s card is the Grade III Saranac Stakes, a $175,000 1 1/16-mile turf race for 3-year-old horses.
Saturday’s top race is the Grade I Jockey Club Gold Cup, a $1,000,000 1 and ¼ mile dirt race for 3-year-old and up horses.
Other feature action Saturday includes the Grade II $500,000 Flower Bowl, a 1 3/8-mile turf race for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up, the $150,000 Harvey Pack Stakes, a 5 ½ furlong turf race for horses four-years-old and older, as well as the Grade II $250,000 Prioress Stakes, a six-furlong dirt race for 3-year-old fillies.
Sunday’s top action is the $300,000 Grade I Spinaway Stakes, a 7-furlong dirt race for two-year-old fillies.
ESPN
ESPN is among a number of Disney Entertainment channels that have gone dark on Charter Spectrum cable systems. The channels went off the air Thursday night due to a carriage dispute between the nation’s second-largest cable TV provider and Disney. Charter Spectrum is the major carrier in New York and Los Angeles, among numerous other cities. ESPN was carrying a college football game between Florida and No. 14 Utah while ESPN2 was showing the U.S. Open tennis tournament when the channels went dark for Charter Spectrum's 14.7 million subscribers.
NFL
The biggest storyline in the first NFL season this century without Tom Brady centers on Aaron Rodgers’ quest to turn the New York Jets into a championship contender. The 39-year-old, four-time NFL MVP left Green Bay for a team that hasn’t reached the playoffs since the 2010 season and hasn’t won a Super Bowl since Broadway Joe Namath guaranteed one more than 50 years ago. Rodgers has plenty of talent surrounding him but the Jets play in one of the toughest divisions in the league and a conference loaded with contenders, including the defending Super Bowl champions. Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are aiming to become the first team to win consecutive titles since Brady led the New England Patriots to back-to-back rings in 2003-04.
Derrick Henry has run for more yards than anyone else since the start of the 2016 NFL season and seems like a man on a mission going into the final year of his deal with the Tennessee Titans. He can make his case for a third contract and help the Titans win. He also can help remind everyone the run game still matters in a league where only kickers and punters earn less on average than NFL running backs. Henry notes that running backs touch the ball sometimes almost as much as quarterbacks and are very marketable. He says they want their due share.
ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE
With Atlantic Coast Conference university leaders seemingly on the verge of deciding whether to expand with Stanford, California and SMU, two members of North Carolina’s board of trustees announced their opposition to the move. ACC presidents and chancellors are scheduled to meet Friday morning to again consider a Western expansion, a person with direct knowledge of the meeting told The Associated Press. It was unclear if the presidents will take a decisive vote on adding new members, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the conference and schools were not making internal discussions public.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Bryson Barnes threw a 70-yard touchdown pass to Money Parks on Utah’s first play of the game, rushed for another score and No. 14 Utes beat Florida 24-11 on Thursday night in the opener for both teams. Nate Johnson split time at quarterback with Barnes for the Utes with usual starter Cam Rising still recovering from a knee injury in the Rose Bowl. Utah clamped down on defense in Rising’s absence, forcing a turnover and getting five sacks. Graham Mertz threw for 333 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in his first start for the Gators. Ricky Pearsall had 92 yards on eight catches. Florida drove inside the red zone four times but totaled only 10 points on those drives.
NASCAR
Kevin Harvick is happy to get one more chance at the NASCAR playoffs. The 2014 Cup Series champion won't spend much time on nostalgia, knowing he's left a legacy of success and leadership at the track. Harvick will end his stellar career after this season and become a TV analyst for Fox. Harvick is winless this season and will start 15th among the 16 playoff drivers. He's had 10 top-10 finishes this year, including a second place at Darlington Raceway in May. The playoffs begin at the track “Too Tough To Tame” on Sunday.
F1 RACING
Former Ferrari driver Felipe Massa says he is ready to take Formula One’s governing body to court to press his claims that he was “robbed” of the 2008 title, which he lost by one point to Lewis Hamilton. Massa told The Associated Press that he has given governing body FIA and Formula One Management until the end of next week to respond to a letter the Brazilian sent them this month, in which he claims both had “deliberately ignored the misconduct [at the Singapore Grand Prix] that stripped him of that title.” The Brazilian added he is ”100% ready” to take the case to court if he hears nothing back before then.
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