Serena Williams had little trouble with Maria Sharapova as the two rivals kicked off the night session at the U.S. Open. The eighth-seeded Williams rolled to a 6-1, 6-1 rout that gives her 19 straight wins over Sharapova.
Williams took control by winning the final five games of a 24-minute opening set, then the first two of the second set. Sharapova has dropped 20 of their 22 meetings and hasn’t beaten Williams since a pair of victories in 2004, including Wimbledon.
Men’s top seed Novak Djokovic has breezed into the second round, but it took a while for women’s No. 2 Ash Barty to get going. Djokovic is 34-1 in his last 35 Grand Slam matches following a 6-1, 6-1, 6-4 win over Spaniard Roberto Carballes on opening day at Flushing Meadows. The 34-year-old Djokovic is seeking his fourth U.S. Open title, his 17th major championship and third Grand Slam crown this year. Barty amassed 36 unforced errors and got less than half her first serves in before walking off the court with a 1-6, 6-3-6-2 victory. The reigning French Open champ rallied after dropping the opening set in 28 minutes. Women’s third seed Karolina Pliskova also struggled in her opener, overcoming 32 unforced errors for a 7-6, 7-6 win.
Roger Federer dropped his opening set against a qualifier ranked 190th before coming back to eliminate Sumit Nagal of India, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4. American Reilly Opelka pulled off an upset of men’s 11th seed Fabio Fognini, and women’s No. 14 Angelique Kerber was knocked out by Kristina Mladenovic.
Others advancing on the men’s side include fifth seed Daniil Medvedev, seventh seed Kei Nishikori, No. 12 Borna Coric and No. 15 David Goffin. Nishikori was leading 6-1, 4-1 when his opponent retired. Unseeded Venus Williams moved into the women’s second round, as did fifth seed Elina Svitolina, No. 12 Anastasija Sevastova and No. 16 Johanna Konta.
A sculpture of tennis great Althea Gibson has been unveiled at the U.S. Open, honoring the accomplishments of the first African-American to win her country's national title.
MLB
The Yankees earned a 5-4 win at Seattle as Mike Ford went deep twice and Gleyber Torres smacked his 13th homer of the month. Torres sparked a four-run second with his 33rd homer and helped New York take a quick 4-0 lead before the Mariners got within a run. The Yanks stayed on top after Dylan Moore’s three-run blast made it a 4-3 game in the bottom of the second.
The Phillies earned a 6-5 win over the Pirates on a solo blast by Sean Rodriguez in the bottom of the 11th. Rodriguez victimized his former club after Josh Bell slammed a tying solo homer off Hector Neris in the ninth. Corey Dickerson smacked a two-run homer and Bryce Harper hit a solo shot as the Phils pulled within one game of the second NL wild card.
In MLB news, original Tampa Bay Rays owner Vince Naimoli has died at 81. The team said Monday he died Sunday nearly five years after being diagnosed with an uncommon brain disorder. The Tampa businessman had been part of unsuccessful bids to purchase and relocate the Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants. But he landed an American League expansion franchise in 1995 that began play as the Devil Rays in 1998. Naimoli sold the club to a group led by current Rays principal Stuart Sternberg in 2004 and relinquished control after the 2005 season.
NFL
Patriots safety Patrick Chung has waived a court appearance in New Hampshire on a cocaine possession charge and a lawyer entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. A Belknap County grand jury indicted the 32-year-old Chung on Aug. 8.
The Bills have claimed linebacker Jeff Holland off waivers and released punter Cory Carter. Holland was added a day after being released by Arizona.
The Kansas City Chiefs have lost backup quarterback Chad Henne to a fractured ankle that will require surgery. Henne was injured during Saturday’s preseason game against San Francisco. The Chiefs have signed veteran Matt Moore Monday to provide depth behind starter Patrick Mahomes. The 35-year-old Moore sat out last season after playing 10 seasons with the Dolphins and Panthers.
The Browns' new star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has returned to team drills during practice for the first time in nearly three weeks. Beckham has missed Cleveland's three exhibition games with a hip injury the team insists is minor.
Texans running back Lamar Miller has been placed on the injured reserve after tearing the ACL in his left knee during Saturday’s preseason game against the Cowboys.
The Denver Broncos have cut sixth-year defensive lineman Zach Kerr and 10th-year outside linebacker Dekoda Watson, freeing up about $3.5 million in salary cap space.
The 49ers have activated projected starting center Weston Richburg from the physically unable to perform list. Richburg had been recovering from a knee injury.
Saints defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins has returned to practice for the first time since tearing his Achilles tendon in New Orleans' divisional round playoff victory over Philadelphia last January.
The Cardinals have signed defensive linemen Clinton McDonald and Siupeli Anau. The 6-foot-2, 297-pound McDonald is entering his 10th NFL season and has played for Cincinnati, Seattle, Tampa Bay and Oakland.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Shea Patterson is set to start for No. 7 Michigan in its season opener Saturday night against Middle Tennessee, though coach Jim Harbaugh says he would like backup Dylan McCaffrey to play as well. Patterson threw for 2,600 yards and 22 touchdowns last season, his first with the Wolverines after transferring from Mississippi. McCaffrey played in six games last season and attempted just 15 passes. The Wolverines will be without offensive lineman Andrew Stueber this season. Harbaugh said he has a torn ACL.
James Blackman will be Florida State’s starting quarterback for the season opener against Boise State in Jacksonville on Sunday. Florida State coach Willie Taggart said he and offensive coordinator Kendal Briles told Blackman on Sunday that he was the starter over Wisconsin graduate transfer Alex Hornibrook. Blackman has started 13 games, including 12 as a true freshman in 2017.
Virginia Tech transfer Josh Jackson will start at quarterback for Maryland against Howard Saturday. First-year coach Michael Locksley says Jackson won the job after "an extremely tight camp battle" with Tyrrell Pigrome. Jackson earned his undergraduate degree at Virginia Tech before transferring to Maryland in May.
Longtime backup quarterback Anthony Gordon has been named the starter for No. 23 Washington State heading into Saturday's season opener against New Mexico State. Coach Mike Leach says Gordon beat out graduate transfer Gage Gubrud to start for the Cougars in the Air Raid offense.
NBA
The Brooklyn Nets have signed guard Caris LeVert to a contract extension after his remarkable recovery from injury last season. The 2016 first-round pick was averaging a team-best 18.4 points in his first 13 games before sustaining a dislocated right foot that kept him off the court for about three months. He managed to recover without surgery, helped the Nets reach the playoffs for the first time in four years and averaged 21 points in a first-round loss to Philadelphia.
Dwight Howard has rejoined the Lakers six years after his acrimonious departure. The eight-time All-Star center and 15-year NBA veteran led the NBA in rebounding while spending the 2012-13 season with the Lakers. He clashed with Kobe Bryant and subsequently spurned Los Angeles as a free agent.
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