A fit of anger has cost Novak Djokovic a chance to win a fourth U.S. Open title. The top-ranked player and prohibitive favorite was defaulted from his fourth-round match after he accidentally hit a line judge with a tennis ball.
Djokovic had just lost a game to his opponent, Pablo Carreno Busta, to fall behind 6-5 in the first set. As he walked to the sideline for the changeover, Djokovic smacked a ball behind him. The ball hit a female line judge, who dropped to her knees at the back of the court and reached for her neck. The chair umpire announced the default following a minutes-long conversation with officials on court. It seemed clear Djokovic did not intend to hit the line judge; there was concern written on his face as soon as he realized what happened. But players who hit a ball out of anger and make contact with an on-court official have been defaulted in the past. It was a stunning end to Djokovic's bid for an 18th Grand Slam title and his 26-0 start to this season. It also means the men's winner will become a first-time Grand Slam champion.
Men's fifth seed Alexander Zverev racked up 18 aces and dropped just five games in advancing to the quarterfinals. He is the first German in 13 years to reach the U.S. Open quarters. Denis Shapovalov is the first Canadian male to reach the quarters in tournament history. Shapovalov has reached his first Grand Slam quarterfinal by beating No. 7 David Goffin, 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3.
In the women's bracket, Naomi Osaka returned to the quarterfinals by taking advantage of some early jitters for Anett Kontaveit and showing no ill effects from a recent left hamstring problem. The fourth-seeded Osaka never faced a break point in a 6-3, 6-4 victory. Jennifer Brady has extended her dominant showing at the U.S. Open and reached the quarterfinals for the first time. The hard-hitting 25-year-old knocked off 17th seed Angelique Kerber, 6-1, 6-4 in Sunday's opening match. Brady has yet to drop a set and has lost only 19 games in her four matches. Brady wasn't the only American to pull off an upset on Sunday. Unseeded Shelby Rogers pulled off a 7-6, 3-6, 7-6 stunner against No. 6 Petra Kvitova. Another upset had eighth seed Petra Martic losing to No. 23 Yulia Putintseva.
NBA
The Milwaukee Bucks have managed to stay alive in the NBA's Eastern Conference semifinals, doing it without their top player. With Giannis Antetokounmpo out with an ankle injury, Khris Middleton took over the offense for the Bucks in a 118-115 overtime win against the Heat. Middleton scored 21 of his 36 points in the third quarter, then made a huge 3-pointer with 6.3 seconds left in overtime. He also had eight rebounds and eight assists as the top-seeded Bucks avoided a four-game sweep. Antetokounmpo aggravated his sprained right ankle with 10:18 left in the second quarter. He scored 18 of Milwaukee's first 26 points and finished with 19 in 11 minutes. Bam Adebayo had 26 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists for the Heat, who will try again to oust the Bucks on Tuesday.
Also in the NBA bubble, LeBron James and Anthony Davis have led the Lakers to a 117-109 win over the Rockets to even the Western Conference semifinal series at a game apiece. James had 28 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists after taking just 15 shots in Game 1. He had eight points in the fourth quarter, when he also provided a powerful blocked shot on Russell Westbrook that flew far out of bounds. Davis added 34 points and 10 boards for the Lakers, who had to regroup after blowing a 21-point, first-half lead. Eric Gordon furnished six of the Rockets' 22 3-pointers and finished with 24 points, while James Harden had a team-high 27 points. Westbrook shot only 4 for 15 while scoring 10 points and grabbing 13 rebounds for the Rockets. Game 3 is Tuesday.
NHL
Anton Khodobin and the Dallas Stars have taken Game 1 of the NHL's Western Conference finals in stifling fashion. The Stars allowed just 25 shots on goal to allow Khudobin to get his first career playoff shutout in a 1-0 win over the top-seeded Vegas Golden Knights. Neither team scored after John Klingberg beat Marc-Andre Fleury 2:36 into the contest. That was enough offense for Dallas to get within three wins of their first Stanley Cup final appearance in 20 years. Fleury stopped 24 shots for the Knights who will try to pull even in Game 2 on Tuesday.
MLB
Jacob deGrom struck out 12 while holding the Phillies to three hits over seven innings of the Mets' 14-1 laugher. Dominic Smith had four hits and Pete Alonso homered twice for New York, which also received round-trippers from Jeff McNeil, Brandon Nimmo and Wilson Ramos.
Elsewhere in the majors:
The Baltimore Orioles suddenly can't lose to the New York Yankees after dropping 19 straight meetings to the defending AL East champs. The Orioles made it three straight wins over the Yanks as Dean Kremer allowed one hit over six innings in his major league debut to lead Baltimore's 5-1 victory. DJ Stewart put the Birds ahead to stay with a two-run homer off Masahiro Tanaka in the first inning. New York committed two errors, allowed three unearned runs and finished with only four hits. The Yankees have dropped 13 of 18 since a 16-6 start to the season.
The Blue Jays also posted a 10-8 win over the Red Sox as Cavan Biggio, Joe Panik, Caleb Joseph and Derek Fisher drove in two runs apiece. Joseph and Rowdy Tellez furnished solo homers in Toronto's first win in three games.
The Braves crushed the Nationals, 10-3 as Freddie Freeman hit his second career grand slam, both coming in this series. Marcell Ozuna drove in four runs with three hits, including a homer and a three-run triple to help the NL East leaders gain a four-game split.
Jared Walsh and Justin Upton delivered key singles during a four-run eighth that sent the Angels past the Astros, 9-5. Walsh singled home the tiebreaking run and Upton capped the rally with a two-run single in the Angels' season-high fifth straight win.
Fernando Tatís Jr. matched Angels slugger Mike Trout for the majors' home run lead with his 15th, a two-run drive in the seventh inning of the Padres' 5-3 win over the Athletics. Garrett Richards struck out nine and didn't walk a batter over seven sharp innings to end a four-start winless stretch.
Brandon Lowe hit a sacrifice fly to complete a two-run 10th inning that pushed the Rays past the Marlins, 5-4. Randy Arozarena homered twice and Hunter Renfroe also went deep for Tampa Bay.
Edwin Encarnación belted a three-run homer and Dallas Keuchel threw five scoreless innings as the White Sox whipped the Royals, 8-2 to complete a four-game sweep. Jose Abreu singled in a five-run seventh to extend his hitting streak to 20 games.
Shane Bieber is 7-0 after striking out 10 over five innings of the Indians' 4-1 decision over the Brewers. Carlos Santana hit an RBI double and a run-scoring single to support Bieber, who allowed a run and five singles.
Grayson Greiner launched a tiebreaking, solo homer in a three-run eighth that sent the Tigers to a 10-8 triumph over the Twins. Willi Castro hit a two-run homer and had three RBIs as Detroit ended Minnesota's five-game winning streak.
Kyle Seager smacked a two-run home run and rookie Kyle Lewis added a solo shot in the Mariners' fifth straight, 4-3 versus the Rangers. Seattle has won 10 of 13 after an 8-19 start.
Former Dodger Matt Kemp drilled a go-ahead, two-run homer in the eighth inning to send the Rockies to a 7-6 win at Los Angeles. Corey Seager homered twice for the Dodgers, who have dropped two straight since a six-game winning streak.
Donovan Solano ripped a two-run, go-ahead homer in the sixth inning of the Giants' 4-2 verdict over the Diamondbacks. Brandon Belt and Chadwick Tromp also went deep for San Francisco, which has won seven of nine against Arizona this season.
Paul Goldschmidt cracked a three-run homer off Jon Lester in the third inning to put the Cardinals ahead to stay in a 7-3 win against the Cubs. Tommy Edman also went deep to help St. Louis overcome home runs by Anthony Rizzo and Jason Kipnis.
The Reds overcame a two-run homer by Nick Castellanos, scoring twice in the ninth to beat the Pirates, 3-2. Cole Tucker's single tied it before Erik Gonzalez lifted a sacrifice fly.
In MLB news:
Baseball Hall of Famer and former stolen base king Lou Brock has died at 81. His longtime agent and friend confirmed Brock's death on Sunday, but he said he couldn't provide any details. Brock became a Cardinal in one of the most lopsided trades in major league history. He went on to win two World Series and three NL pennants with St. Louis. Brock stole 938 bases in his career, including 118 in 1974. Both were records later broken by Rickey Henderson. Brock had over 3,000 hits while compiling a .293 average over 19 seasons. He lost a leg from diabetes in recent years and was diagnosed with cancer in 2017.
The Phillies have put outfielders Jay Bruce and Roman Quinn on the injured list. Bruce reaggravated a left quadriceps injury Saturday during a 5-1 loss to the Mets. Quinn was placed on the seven-day concussion injured list after slamming into the center field wall chasing a flyball Saturday.
NASCAR
Kevin Harvick has opened NASCAR's playoffs by earning his circuit-leading eighth win overall this season and second at Darlington. Harvick had a bit of luck in this one. Martin Truex Jr. led for a race-high 196 laps until he bumped with Chase Elliott, causing them to brush the way. Truex had to pit for repairs, putting Harvick in control of the race for the final 14 laps. Austin Dillon finished second, followed by Joey Logano, Eric Jones and William Byron.
F1
AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly has claimed an unlikely victory at the Italian Grand Prix. A thrilling race saw world champion Lewis Hamilton receive a 10-second stop-go penalty and both Ferraris fail to finish at their home circuit on Sunday. Hamilton had appeared on course for a comfortable victory from the pole position before he was given the penalty for entering the pit lane when closed. It's Gasly's first win in Formula One. The 24-year-old Frenchman finished 0.415 seconds ahead of McLaren driver Carlos Sainz.
PGA
Dustin Johnson matched the low round at the Tour Championship with a 6-under 64 that puts him one round away from capturing the FedEx Cup and its $15 million prize. Johnson missed only three fairways and putted for birdie on all but three holes. It led to a five-shot lead over Justin Thomas and Xander Schauffele going into the Labor Day finish at East Lake. Johnson was at 19-under par, his fourth consecutive event holding at least a share of the 54-hole lead.
NFL
Adrian Peterson has agreed to a one-year contract with the Detroit Lions, according to a person with knowledge of the deal. ESPN and the NFL Network also reported the deal. The 35-year-old Peterson was released by Washington on Friday after spending the past two seasons there. He has rushed for 14,216 yards in 13 seasons, mostly with the Minnesota Vikings.
The Titans have agreed to terms with three-time Pro Bowl linebacker Jadeveon Clowney on a one-year contract. The Titans did not announce the terms Sunday, but ESPN.com reported the deal could be worth up to $15 million. The No. 1 overall pick of 2014 went into free agency looking for a mega-contract that never materialized.
49ers general manager John Lynch says starting receiver Deebo Samuel "has a shot" to play in the season opener after being sidelined all summer by a broken foot. Samuel broke his foot in June during informal workouts with teammates in Tennessee and hasn't been able to practice since.
The Cowboys appear on the verge of having players kneel during the national anthem for the first time. Quarterback Dak Prescott says teammates should be able to decide for themselves how they wish to protest racial inequality. The national reckoning over race has led owner Jerry Jones to soften his hard-line stance requiring players to stand during the anthem.
© The Associated Press 2020. All Rights Reserved.