TENNIS
Naomi Osaka has defeated Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets at the U.S. Open, 6-3, 6-2, for her first victory over a top-10 opponent in more than four years. Osaka is a two-time champion at Flushing Meadows but has missed time in recent seasons because of mental health breaks and while having a baby. Her victory over 2017 French Open winner Ostapenko marked the first opening-round matchup at the U.S. Open between two past Grand Slam champs since Serena Williams eliminated Maria Sharapova five years ago. Other winners on Day 2 in New York included No. 1 Iga Swiatek and No. 1 Jannik Sinner. Swiatek defeated Russian Kamilla Rakhimova 6-4 7-6 (8-6).
Jannik Sinner has overcome a poor start at the U.S. Open and won his first match since news of his doping case emerged a week ago. If there were boos at Arthur Ashe Stadium when he was introduced Tuesday, they were imperceptible. Sinner pulled (pulling) away for a 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 victory against Mackie McDonald of the United States to reach the second round at Flushing Meadows. There were no apparent signs in the stands or disparaging shouts making reference to what no one knew about for months: Sinner tested positive twice for trace amounts of the anabolic steroid Clostebol in an eight-day span in March.
Dan Evans has won the longest match at the U.S. Open since tiebreakers were introduced in 1970, beating Karen Khachanov 6-7 (6), 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-4 in 5 hours, 35 minutes. Evans trailed 4-0 in the fifth set before running off the final six games. The final point, fittingly, was a marathon 22-shot rally. The previous record was 5 hours, 26 minutes, set when Stefan Edberg beat Michael Chang in a five-setter in the 1992 semifinals. Evans improved to 5-0 against Khachanov, a semifinalist at the 2022 U.S. Open, by emerging in a match in which the sets lasted 68, 67, 72, 67 and 61 minutes.
MLB
Dylan Crews got the first two hits of his career and fellow rookies Andrés Chaparro and José Tena hit back-to-back homers as the Washington Nationals beat Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees 4-2. Aaron Judge doubled in the first inning but remained stuck on 51 homers for the AL-best Yankees. Patrick Corbin outpitched Cole, allowing two hits in six scoreless innings. Crews doubled off Cole in the second inning and added an infield single in the sixth. He went 0 for 3 in his major league debut a night earlier. Chaparro's homer was the first of his career.
Sean Manaea matched a season high with 11 strikeouts, Pete Alonso hit a solo homer and the New York Mets won 8-3 to stop the Arizona Diamondbacks’ winning streak at six games. Manaea allowed just one hit until the seventh inning, when Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Corbin Carroll homered. The left-hander gave up three runs and four hits over 6 2/3 innings, pitching into the seventh for the fifth time in his past six starts. The Mets broke open the game in the fifth, sending 12 batters to the plate and scoring six runs for an 8-0 lead.
Jarren Duran led off with a homer, Masataka Yoshida added a two-run single in a three-run first inning, and the Boston Red Sox ended a four-game losing streak with a 6-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. David Hamilton, Triston Casas and Wilyer Abreu also drove in runs for Boston, which had not won since beating Houston last Wednesday. Boston also ended the Blue Jays’ five-game winning streak. Toronto has still won 10 of its last 15, placing the team on the verge of climbing from the bottom of the AL East standings. Will Wagner hit his first career homer for Toronto and Daulton Varsho hit a solo shot.
Rich Hill is back in the majors, nearly two decades and more than a dozen teams since he made his big-league debut. The Boston Red Sox selected the 44-year-old lefty from Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday as Hill tries to add a little more history to a lengthy career. One outing in 2024 would make him the only active player to appear in a game in each of the past 20 seasons. This is Hill’s fourth stint with the Red Sox, who signed him to a minor league deal Aug. 16. He has pitched for 13 major league teams, one short of Edwin Jackson’s record.
Aaron Nola tossed four-hit ball over seven shutout innings and Nick Castellanos hit a three-run homer to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to their fourth straight win, 5-0 over the Houston Astros. Nola earned a needed victory after going winless in his last seven starts, a span that included five no-decisions and two losses. The right-hander last won a game on July 11, against the Dodgers. Nola earned a rousing standing ovation from the crowd of almost 40,000 fans after he finished the seventh. He struck out six and walked one over his 102 pitches. Alec Bohm added an RBI single in the seventh.
Ramón Urías hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the fifth inning, Ryan O’Hearn also went deep and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 in their interleague series opener. Urías’ second homer in two games scored Jackson Holliday, who singled, and restored the Orioles’ lead. It was Baltimore’s 201st homer of the season, trailing only the New York Yankees. O’Hearn’s solo shot in the second gave the Orioles a 1-0 lead in their first visit to Dodger Stadium since 2016. The Dodgers got a sacrifice fly from Miguel Rojas in the second and a two-out RBI single by Teoscar Hernández in the third.
Max Schuemann and Lawrence Butler each hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning to propel the Oakland Athletics past the Cincinnati Reds 5-4. Zack Gelof added a solo shot in the eighth and All-Star closer Mason Miller hung on after giving up two runs and four hits in a shaky ninth. With runners at second and third, he struck out pinch-hitter Amed Rosario for his 22nd save. Oakland had one hit and trailed 1-0 through six innings, but rallied to hand Cincinnati its ninth straight loss against interleague opponents. A’s starter Mitch Spence allowed a run and five hits in 5 1/3 innings. Michel Otañez got two outs in the sixth for his first major league win.
Matt Olson drove in the go-ahead run on a fielder’s choice, Travis d’Arnaud added an RBI single and Ramón Laureano put the game away with a two-run double as the Atlanta Braves scored four times in the 10th inning to beat the Minnesota Twins 8-6. All the runs were scored against Minnesota closer Jhoan Duran (6-8). The Braves, who led 4-0 before the Twins rallied late, won for the eighth time in 10 games. Trevor Larnach and Edouard Julien had RBI doubles and Matt Wallner added an RBI single in Minnesota’s three-run seventh. Atlanta closer Raisel Iglesias (4-1) got the win.
Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter homered in a three-run sixth inning and the Detroit Tigers extended their winning streak to five games with a 6-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels in a game delayed almost three hours at the start due to heavy storms. The Angels, last place in the AL West at 54-78, have lost six straight and 12 of their last 14 games. Brant Hurter (2-1) picked up his second MLB win in his first start, allowing two runs on four hits in five innings. Jason Foley got the final out for his 18th save. Johnny Cueto (0-2) took the loss in his second start of the season. The 38-year-old right-hander allowed six runs on six hits — including three homers — in five-plus innings.
Paul DeJong hit a two-run homer as the Kansas City Royals caught Cleveland atop the AL Central by beating the Guardians 6-1 in a game delayed more than two hours by rain. The Royals, who lost 106 games last season, improved to a league-best 23-13 since the All-Star break, when they trailed the Guardians by seven games. Cleveland had been all alone in first since April 14 before dropping the first three games in this four-game series. The Guardians have lost nine of 12 and are just 17-21 since the break. DeJong homered in the second off Gavin Williams.
Jose Siri hit a go-ahead two-run homer, Jeffrey Springs pitched five scoreless innings, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Seattle Mariners 3-2. Manuel Rodríguez allowed a two-out single beforing striking out pinch hitter Luke Raley for his second save of the season. Siri’s seventh-inning homer came on a 0-2 count with two outs. Of Siri’s 17 home runs this season, five have been tying or go-ahead hits. Springs allowed no runs on one hit, two walks, and recorded a season-high nine strikeouts. Seattle scored the game’s first run in the sixth inning when Victor Robles singled, stole second then scored on an error.
Seiya Suzuki and Dansby Swanson homered during Chicago’s five-run fourth inning, and the Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-5 to move over .500 for the first time since May 28. Suzuki hit a tying two-run drive for his 19th homer this season, connecting on a fastball from rookie right-hander Jared Jones. The Cubs have won five of six. They are 28-18 since falling nine games below .500 on July 3. In his first start off the injured list, Jones gave up five runs and five hits in four innings. He had been sidelined by a right lat strain. Justin Steele went five innings for Chicago.
Jake Cronenworth hit a tiebreaking RBI single in San Diego’s two-run seventh inning, and the Padres beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-5 for their third consecutive win. Manny Machado homered for San Diego, and Luis Arraez had three hits. Yuki Matsui pitched an inning for the win, and Tanner Scott handled the ninth for his 20th save in 22 chances. Padres right-hander Dylan Cease threw 96 pitches in 4 1/3 innings on a night when the gametime temperature was announced at 98 degrees. Paul Goldschmidt homered for St. Louis in its third loss in four games.
Mike Yastrzemski hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning to put the San Francisco Giants ahead for good in a 5-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. Matt Chapman went 3 for 4 with a homer and Grant McCray also went deep for the Giants. Yastrzemski's homer ended Joel Payamps' string of 11 straight appearances without getting scored upon. Milwaukee’s Willy Adames and Jackson Chourio hit towering two-run homers off Giants starter Logan Webb. Chourio's 449-foot blast off the American Family Field scoreboard was the longest homer by any Brewers player this season.
Jesús Sánchez hit a three-run homer to cap a five-run rally in the ninth inning that gave the Miami Marlins an improbable 9-8 comeback victory against the Colorado Rockies. In a matchup between the National League’s two worst teams, the Marlins trailed 6-0 early and were down by four entering the ninth. But they got a two-run double from Jake Burger before Sánchez followed with his 17th homer. It was the largest deficit Miami has overcome this season, besting the five-run hole it climbed out of in an April 30 win, which also came against the Rockies. Kyle Stowers hit his second home run and first triple of the season for Miami.
Texas at Chi White Sox 5:10 p.m. (Suspended)
WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Satou Sabally had 28 points, seven rebounds and five assists, Natasha Howard added 24 points, and the Dallas Wings beat the Las Vegas Aces 93-90 despite A’ja Wilson’s 42-point performance. Dallas (8-22), which was coming off a 113-110 victory over Los Angeles on Sunday, secured its second two-game winning streak of the season. The Wings also snapped a seven-game losing streak against the Aces. Arike Ogunbowale finished with 20 points, five rebounds and six assists for the Wings. Jackie Young had 17 points and Chelsea Gray added 15 for Las Vegas (19-11).
NFL
As The New York Giants experience an offensive youth movement, some veterans are on the way out. Tight end Darren Waller retired this offseason, while veteran pass-catchers Isaiah Hodgins, Allen Robinson II and Lawrence Cager were among this week's cuts. Hodgins, who was claimed off waivers from Buffalo in 2022, started 14 games for the Giants over the past two years. Cager, a converted wide receiver, appeared in 11 games for New York at tight end last season. Robinson, an offseason addition, has 122 starts on his resume. Fans should be thrilled to see younger players sticking to the roster after years of struggling to field a functional receiving corps—and after the failed Kadarius Toney experiment. The Giants may finally be building a receiving corps with upside. The big question now is whether Daniel Jones will stick around long enough to take advantage.
The Buffalo Bills released former Olympic wrestler and WWE developmental talent Gable Steveson as part of their cuts. Steveson had never played football before but was trying to make the team as a defensive lineman. The Bills also released undrafted running back Frank Gore Jr., which was a bit of a surprise, given his strong performance during the preseason. Gore rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown in Buffalo's preseason finale, averaging an impressive 5.6 yards per carry in the process. He had looked like he could provide the Bills with a physical change of pace behind starter James Cook and rookie fourth-round pick Ray Davis. Gore, the son of longtime NFL starter Frank Gore Sr., will be a prime candidate to return to Buffalo's practice squad, though the Bills may have a hard time stashing him there. The Southern Miss product showed that he has NFL talent during exhibition play and will likely get looks from backfield-needy teams in the coming days.
The New England Patriots' effort to overhaul their quarterback room is complete. The big question, of course, is whether rookie third overall pick Drake Maye has shown enough to start over journeyman Jacoby Brissett in Week 1. Head coach Jerod Mayo hasn't given a clear indication there. "I would say at this current point, Drake has outplayed Jacoby," Mayo told WEEI's The Greg Hill Show (h/t Jaclyn Hendricks of the New York Post). "Now in saying that, we have to take in the full body of work, going all the way back to the spring and beginning of training camp, and we'll see where we end up." What is clear is that New England has turned the page completely on its recent quarterback struggles. Bailey Zappe, who started eight games over the past two seasons for The New England Patriots, was waived on Tuesday. Zappe should draw interest in the coming days and will almost certainly land on a roster or practice squad—possibly New England's. There wasn't room among the Patriots' final 53, however, after Brissett, Maye and sixth-round pick Joe Milton III were added in the offseason.
The New York Jets are taking a budget route to filling out their defensive line depth. Undrafted free agents Eric Watts, Leonard Taylor III and Braiden McGregor all ended up making the initial 53-man roster. McGregor making the team isn't a complete surprise. He helped the Michigan Wolverines win a national championship last season and made quite an impression during the 2024 preseason. In New York's finale, McGregor recorded two solo tackles and two sacks.This is a lot of undrafted players for a team with playoff aspirations to keep, however. This suggests that New York wants players who can help the team win now, regardless of draft status or pedigree. Keeping a few cap-friendly depth players behind starters Quinnen Williams and Jermaine Johnson may also give the Jets a little more financial flexibility heading into the season. That could be important for two reasons. For one, the Jets are hoping to make a serious run with a healthy Aaron Rodgers in 2024. If the opportunity to add another difference-maker arises, they're probably going to take it. Secondly, New York still hasn't sorted things out with pass-rusher Haason Reddick, who wants a new contract and has requested a trade. If Reddick doesn't reverse course, the Jets will need additional pass-rushing help. If their undrafted rookies can't provide it, signing another edge defender may be on the to-do list.
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and his brother, former Eagles center Jason Kelce, are taking their popular “New Heights” podcast to Amazon’s Wondery under a three-year deal that gives the company exclusive advertising sales and distribution rights. The financial terms of the deal were not immediately available, though some reports put the total at nine figures. The deal was announced by Wondery on Tuesday and will begin with this week’s episode, dropping Wednesday. It includes the back catalog of podcast content along with exclusive rights to monetize and distribute audio and video episodes.
NFL owners have approved a rule allowing private equity investors in their teams. They voted to let certain league-sanctioned firms buy up a stake of up to 10% in the 32 franchises that are steadily soaring in value. The previously prohibited practice was studied for the past five years. During that time the Denver Broncos sold for $4.65 billion and the Washington Commanders went for $6.05 billion. The NFL took this vote at a special meeting in Minnesota. It vetted three standalone funds and one consortium of five firms as the only allowable investors.
Kansas City receiver Kadarius Toney and Tennessee cornerback Caleb Farley, both first-round picks in the 2021 NFL draft, are among the cuts as teams trim their rosters for the regular season. Toney was on his second team since the New York Giants drafted him 20th overall three years ago. The Titans took Farley two picks later. Teams had to cut their rosters to 53 players from the training camp maximum of 90. Toney, Farley and hundreds of others will be eligible to return on practice squads that allow up to 17 players.
Now that CeeDee Lamb has a contract that could keep him with the Dallas Cowboys through 2028, the All-Pro receiver is ready for the peace of mind that quarterback Dak Prescott will be with him. Lamb went through the team’s light workout Tuesday night, a few hours after signing the $136 million, four-year extension that ended his monthslong holdout. Prescott is going into the final season of the club-record $160 million, four-year deal he signed in 2021. And coming off by far the best year with his No. 1 receiver. Lamb led the NFL with 135 catches and had 1,749 yards receiving with 12 touchdowns.
WNBA
The New York Liberty have been building chemistry on and off the court and it’s paid off. They are the team sitting atop the WNBA standings. New York has won nine of its last 10 games, including all but one of is post Olympic contests to hold a three-game lead over Connecticut in the race for the No. 1 seed. Star Breanna Stewart credits the Liberty's success to accountability. The team has had a year playing together and also has spent more time off the court together this season. Stewart says they go to dinners more together which has helped further strengthen their bonds.
GOLF
The PGA Tour could use a change of scenery for its postseason. For the third straight year, the path to the FedEx Cup finale starts at the TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee. The only playoff event that changes venues is the BMW Championship. The problem for the tour is that Memphis is the headquarters of FedEx, the company that pays the bills. The FedEx Cup began in big markets like New York and Boston and two of them moved around. Now it starts in Memphis and ends in Atlanta. It would be ideal to persuade FedEx to alternate out of Memphis.
HORSE RACING
A jockey who participated in Saturday's Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course has been fined and will serve a one-day suspension. The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority says Brian Hernandez Jr. used his crop seven times when riding filly Thorpedo Anna during Saturday's marquee race.
HISA implemented a six-strike limit in 2023. Thorpedo Anna finished second in the race, a neck behind Fierceness. Hernandez has been fined $1,250 and is suspended from racing on September 2nd.
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