Iga Swiatek suggested there has been a lack of leadership at the top of tennis in how to deal with Russia's invasion of Ukraine after Victoria Azarenka was shunned by Marta Kostyuk at the US Open on Thursday.

Ukrainian Kostyuk elected not to shake hands with Azarenka following a second-round defeat at Flushing Meadows, instead merely tapping rackets.

That came after Kostyuk criticised the Belarusian for participating in a charity match for Ukraine, before the United States Tennis Association announced she would no longer be involved.

Belarus maintains close ties with Russia and has been under sanction from western nations for supporting Vladimir Putin after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in March.

Both situations led to a frosty atmosphere following the conclusion of the tie, which Azarenka won 6-2 6-3.

Asked if anything could be done to address tensions between players on the tour, world number one Swiatek, who booked her place in the third round with a 6-3 6-2 win over Sloane Stephens, said: "Well, basically I think it's already too late. I mean, it's never too late, you know, but I think the best time for ATP or WTA to do anything was when the war started, and where the tension was pretty big in the locker rooms.

"I think right now it's already pretty messed up, and maybe next time it's gonna be easier for us to handle it if somebody is going to guide us and somebody is going to even arrange some meetings between players and showing that we should be united.

"Even though there are countries who are invading other countries, we are tennis players. It's sad but it's not our fault that it's happening. Yeah, I think it would be much, much easier at the beginning to do that.

"Right now, it's kind of too late to fix that. But I think it's just in between players and their personal relationships how you're going to handle it and how you're going to communicate to each other.

"But from my case, right now it's easy to say that maybe there was lack of leadership, but at that time I didn't know what to do either. But there are smarter people than me, so they should kind of have an idea."

Victory over Stephens means Swiatek has now won 52 matches in 2022. The last players with more WTA-level wins in a single campaign were Ash Barty (57) and Kiki Bertens (55) in 2019.

Serena Williams is dominating the headlines, though, in what is likely to be her last tournament before retirement – a situation Swiatek is more than happy with. 

Asked if she felt like she was flying under the radar, Swiatek said: "Maybe a little bit, yeah, for sure. You can see the difference than on Roland Garros and on Wimbledon when I came back after winning Roland Garros.

"But I would say it doesn't really matter for me. If I'm going to play well and if I'm going to do my work on court, I know I will be fine in terms of everything that's going around.

"But, yeah, Serena totally deserves it and it's pretty obvious for me that she's going to be in the spotlight in this tournament. That's kind of her time right now. I'm just playing and focusing on that, and that's the most important thing for me."

Swiatek will face Lauren Davis in the next round after the American beat Ekaterina Alexandrova 0-6 6-4 7-6 (10-5). 

Arthur has swapped Juventus for Liverpool in a surprising season-long loan deal on transfer deadline day as Jurgen Klopp bolstered his midfield options.

Reports suggested the deal for the 26-year-old did not include an option to buy, but Juve confirmed that there is indeed a possibility for Liverpool to make the move permanent.

Arthur spent two years at Barcelona before moving to Serie A in 2020 in a €72million deal, but he made just 11 league starts in Italy last season and has not yet featured this term.

The Brazilian had previously been linked with Everton but instead joins the Toffees' city rivals for the rest of the season.

The deal follows Juventus signing Leandro Paredes on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, and means a fringe figure can be shuffled out of Massimiliano Allegri's large squad.

Liverpool have been struggling with injuries in midfield, and Arthur, albeit no stranger to an injury himself, adds to their options in that department.

The former Gremio player is a Brazil international who will be hoping to impress at club level to earn a place in Tite's World Cup squad.

Speaking to the club's website after the announcement, Arthur, who will wear the number 29, said: "I'm really, really happy to be here wearing this great shirt with this famous badge that represents so much in world football, it's a dream.

"We talked a lot, and our ideas and visions were a good fit so I'm sure it was the right choice. I'm really happy and highly motivated to continue living my dream on the pitch and giving my all in a Liverpool shirt."

He will be expected to add bite as much as flair to the Liverpool midfield, where he will provide cover for an area where Klopp has seen several players fall to injury already this season.

Thiago Alcantara, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain remain sidelined, while Jordan Henderson came off with a hamstring issue in Wednesday's 2-1 win against Newcastle United.

Manchester United have won three Premier League games in a row for the first time this year as they beat Leicester City 1-0 at the King Power Stadium on Thursday.

Although United's performance was by no means flawless, victory moved them up to fifth in the table, with the nightmares of their first two games of the season seemingly a distant memory.

United were fully deserving of the first-half lead that was given to them by Jadon Sancho at the end of an incisive move – though their level dropped significantly after the restart.

Leicester were encouraged and carried greater threat, but clear-cut chances remained at a premium as United's solid backline helped guide the visitors to another win.

United looked sharp right from the start and almost went ahead in the 11th minute, but Christian Eriksen shot into the side-netting after breaking into the left side of the area.

The breakthrough arrived 12 minutes later, though.

Diogo Dalot intercepted Danny Ward's long ball and found Bruno Fernandes, who hurried the ball on to Marcus Rashford and he fed Sancho to round the Leicester goalkeeper and apply a simple finish.

The hosts looked reinvigorated after the break and nearly levelled early on as David de Gea produced an acrobatic save to keep James Maddison's free-kick out of the top-right corner.

Leicester failed to build on that momentum and United – boosted by a lively Cristiano Ronaldo cameo – finished with something of a flurry, though their inability to add a second goal might have been punished had James Justin kept a stoppage-time strike down.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are set to pull off arguably the biggest trade of the offseason by landing three-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz, according to reports.

Mitchell, 25, was one of the most desirable stars on the market after it became clear the Jazz were entering a rebuild following their trade of three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert.

In return, the Jazz will receive three unprotected first-round picks. They include two future first-round pick swaps in guard Collin Sexton and stretch forward Lauri Markkanen, as well as Ochai Agbaji, who was the 14th selection from this year's NBA Draft.

It is a sizeable haul for the Jazz, who also received four future first-round picks, plus three rotation-level players from the Minnesota Timberwolves for Gobert, putting them in one of the most favourable rebuilding situations in the NBA.

For the Cavaliers, the move affirms their position as a true contender in the Eastern Conference for years to come, after emerging from this past season with a long-term core of Darius Garland, Rookie of the Year runner-up Evan Mobley and All-Star centre Jarrett Allen.

Cleveland will have one of the league's strongest six-man rotations when factoring in fifth pick from the 2020 draft Isaac Okoro – who will likely start at small forward – and potential Sixth Man of the Year Caris Levert.

The Tennessee Titans have lost their best pass-rushing threat and one of their top overall defenders before the 2022 season has begun.  

Outside linebacker Harold Landry III will miss the entire season after suffering a torn ACL in practice Wednesday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported.  

Landry set career highs last year with 75 total tackles, 12 sacks and 14 tackles for loss.  

A second-round draft pick in 2018, Landry signed a contract extension with the Titans earlier this offseason worth up to $87.5million over five years.  

Landry has 31 career sacks, more than double any other Tennessee player since 2018.  

Landry’s loss will put more pressure on Bud Dupree to pressure opposing quarterbacks, although the former Pittsburgh Steeler had a disappointing first season in Tennessee in 2021, starting six games and managing just three sacks.  

Ola Adeniyi and Rashad Weaver are the other outside linebackers who made the Titans’ 53-man roster, but that pair has just 2.5 career sacks combined.  

Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani has told fans on social media the club has "been screwed up" following the collapse of a proposed transfer.

The Premier League side were negotiating to bring Bamba Dieng in from Marseille, with Radrizzani having earlier taken to Twitter to confirm a move was set to go ahead.

Replying to a fan, Radrizzani also acknowledged the intention to sign Cody Gakpo from PSV as Leeds pushed to bolster their attacking ranks before the transfer window shut on Thursday evening.

"Let's welcome Bamba Diang and we will continue to work on Gakpo. Now it's time to focus on the pitch and support our new project and the great job Jesse [Marsch] and the staff are doing," he posted.

However, Leeds' desire to land Diang from the Ligue 1 side fell flat following the emergence of Nice as rivals for the player's signature, leaving the deal at a crossroads.

Diang was reported to have been waiting at an airport while he decided whether he wanted to move to Elland Road or the French Riviera, then apparently electing for the latter option.

Radrizzani then returned to social media to address the situation and claimed they had been "screwed up".

"Part of the madness of deadline day. We have been screwed up, it happens even to the best ones," he said.

"We have done a great market, planned and executed our targets at a very early stage. Keep going."

Leeds have lost just one of their opening five Premier League matches this season and face Brentford on Saturday.

Aston Villa have announced the signing of Leander Dendoncker from Wolves amid rumours Douglas Luiz will join Arsenal before the transfer window closes.

Dendoncker initially joined Wolves on loan from Anderlecht ahead of the 2018-19 season, before making the move permanent ahead of the following campaign.

The 27-year-old, who has been capped 29 times by Belgium, scored 12 goals in 159 appearances across all competitions for Wolves.

He arrives at Villa Park for a reported fee of £13million.

His signature could be a sign that Villa boss Steven Gerrard is prepared to let Douglas Luiz join Arsenal.

The Gunners, who beat Villa 2-1 in the Premier League on Wednesday, have reportedly had multiple bids for the 24-year-old turned down, but they are expected to make at least one more before the window shuts on Thursday.

Brendan Rodgers believes someone else was behind Wesley Fofana's parting shot at him following the defender's move to Chelsea.

Fofana completed his long-awaited switch from Leicester City to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, signing a seven-year contract after a deal in the region of £75million was struck.

The build up to the defender's departure was not entirely amicable, with Fofana made to train with Leicester's under-23 squad after professing his desire to join Chelsea.

Rodgers declared he was "not in the right frame of mind" to play for the Foxes, and in a message addressing Leicester's supporters on Wednesday, Fofana accused his former manager of trying to "expose" him.

However, Rodgers thinks there is more than meets the eye about his statement.

"It clearly is difficult; I'll always defend players and I'll defend Wesley," he said on BT Sport before Leicester's Premier League clash with Manchester United on Thursday.

"There's a lot of noise out there about him and what was said.

"I never get too emotional with words; I try to look at the logic of it. I know where the statement came from and it is not Wesley Fofana.

"This kid is a good kid. We brought him in here and nobody knew him really. He came here, we gave him a great platform and he was amazing.

"We hoped he would stay on for another year before he moved on, but he has taken the possibility to go. It is a shame for us, and a shame how it ended a little bit.

"For me, he's a good guy and I know probably other influences have taken him away from the club."

Victoria Azarenka has played down the significance of being shunned by Marta Kostyuk at the US Open, adding that she has tried to contact the Ukrainian throughout the year.

Kostyuk elected not to shake hands with Azarenka following a second-round defeat at Flushing Meadows, instead merely tapping rackets.

That came after Kostyuk criticised the Belarusian for participating in a charity match for Ukraine, before the United States Tennis Association announced she would no longer be involved.

Belarus maintains close ties with Russia and has been under sanction from western nations for supporting Vladimir Putin after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in March.

Both situations led to a frosty atmosphere following the conclusion of the tie, which Azarenka won 6-2 6-3.

"Well, I wasn't surprised. I don't believe that making a big deal out of it is important. I always shake hands with my opponents. I had the same situation with [Dayana] Yastremska in Washington. It is what it is. I just move on. I cannot force anybody to shake my hand. It's their decision," Azarenka said in a press conference.

Asked if she had spoken to Kostyuk, Azarenka added: "I've offered many times through WTA, because I believe that there is a sort of sensitivity. I've been told that that's not a good time.  

"I don't have, or I never had a close relationship with Marta. I obviously knew who she is, but I've never practiced with her. I've never really had conversation with her.

"So in March when everything happened, I reached out to all the players that I personally know and I still have a good relationship with and, you know, I don't feel that forcing myself to speak to somebody who maybe doesn't want to speak to me for different reasons is the right approach. But I offered."

Kostyuk was asked about the decision not to shake hands and explained her reasons, saying she believed it was not "the right thing" in the current climate.

"I just don't think it's the right thing to do in the circumstances I'm in right now," she said.

"We had a great match, don't get me wrong. She's a great competitor, I respect her as an athlete but that has nothing to do with her being a human being."

Victoria Azarenka was not concerned by being shunned by Marta Kostyuk at the US Open, adding that she has tried to contact the Ukrainian throughout the year.

Kostyuk elected not to shake hands with Azarenka following a second-round defeat at Flushing Meadows, instead merely tapping rackets.

That came after Kostyuk criticised the Belarusian for participating in a charity match for Ukraine, before the United States Tennis Association announced she would no longer be involved.

Belarus maintains close ties with Russia and has been under sanction from western nations for supporting Vladimir Putin after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in March.

Both situations led to a frosty atmosphere following the conclusion of the tie, which Azarenka won 6-2 6-3.

"Well, I wasn't surprised. I don't believe that making a big deal out of it is important. I always shake hands with my opponents. I had the same situation with [Dayana] Yastremska in Washington. It is what it is. I just move on. I cannot force anybody to shake my hand. It's their decision," Azarenka said in a press conference.

Asked if she had spoken to Kostyuk, Azarenka added: "I've offered many times through WTA, because I believe that there is a sort of sensitivity. I've been told that that's not a good time.  

"I don't have, or I never had a close relationship with Marta. I obviously knew who she is, but I've never practiced with her. I've never really had conversation with her.

"So in March when everything happened, I reached out to all the players that I personally know and I still have a good relationship with and, you know, I don't feel that forcing myself to speak to somebody who maybe doesn't want to speak to me for different reasons is the right approach. But I offered."

Kostyuk was asked about the decision not to shake hands and explained her reasons, saying she believed it was not "the right thing" in the current climate.

"I just don't think it's the right thing to do in the circumstances I'm in right now," she said.

"We had a great match, don't get me wrong. She's a great competitor, I respect her as an athlete but that has nothing to do with her being a human being."

New Orleans Saints starting safety Marcus Maye was arrested for aggravated assault with a firearm on Thursday. 

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office in Louisiana said Maye was arrested on a warrant that was obtained after he was identified as the driver of a black SUV that was involved in a road rage incident on Monday. Maye is accused of pointing a firearm at another vehicle that was occupied by several juvenile females. 

He was released after posting a $30,000 bond. 

"Marcus vehemently denies the allegation from a motor vehicle incident, and looks forward to defending himself when all the facts come out," Maye’s attorney, Eric Hessler, said. 

Maye signed a three-year, $28.5million contact with New Orleans in March after spending his first five NFL seasons with the New York Jets. 

The 2017 second-round pick has started all 60 of his career games and totaled 308 tackles (216 solo) with six interceptions, 3.5 sacks, 24 passes defensed and four forced fumbles. 

The Saints open their season on September 11 with a visit to the Atlanta Falcons.