Despite suggesting this year's US Open will be her final tournament before retirement, Serena Williams said "you never know" after her first round victory against Danka Kovinic.

The 23-time grand slam winner was made to work for the win, but strong support from the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium helped Williams over the line in a 6-3 6-3 success on Monday.

In a recent interview with Vogue Magazine, Williams indicated she was ready to move on to the next stage of her life, signalling an intent to bring her decorated career to an end after the event at Flushing Meadows.

Asked about her intentions during the post-match press conference, Williams said while smiling: "Yeah, I've been pretty vague about [retirement], right? I'm going to stay vague because you never know."

Williams credited the atmosphere, admitting it meant a lot to her to have such a strong following against her Montenegrin opponent.

"I think when I walked out, the reception was really overwhelming. It was loud and I could feel it in my chest. It was a really good feeling. It's a feeling I'll never forget, so... yeah, that meant a lot to me," she said.

"I was just thinking, like, 'Is this for real? Really?' At the same time, I'm also thinking 'I still have a match to play and I want to be able to play up to this reception almost.'

"It was so loud. I just was overwhelmed, in a good way. But at the same time it's like you have to be focused, you have to be laser-focused. That's what I needed to do and that's what I tried to do."

The 40-year-old plays number two seed Anett Kontaveit in the second round on Wednesday, and she did go on to seemingly confirm she intends to hang up her racquet once her tournament is over.

"The more tournaments I play, I feel like the more I can belong out there," she added. "That's a tough feeling to have, and to leave knowing the more you do it, the more you can shine.

"But it's time for me, you know, to evolve to the next thing. I think it's important because there's so many other things that I want to do."

Ukrainian qualifier Daria Snigur dedicated her shock victory over Simona Halep in the opening round of the US Open to the people in her war-torn country.

The world number 124 marked her debut in the main draw of a major with a 6-2 0-6 6-4 win at Flushing Meadows on Monday.

Snigur is the lowest-ranked player to win a grand slam match against Halep – one of the favourites for the title – since Maria Sharapova at the same tournament in 2017.

She is also the first female qualifier to win a US Open match against a top-10 seed since Johanna Konta eliminated Garbine Muguruza seven years ago.

Making Snigur's achievement all the more incredible is that the 20-year-old's training base in Kyiv was bombed by Russia, forcing her to instead prepare for the event in Riga.

Reflecting on the biggest win of her burgeoning career, a tearful Snigur said: "This is a victory for Ukraine, for all Ukrainian people, for my family, for my team.

"The situation is bad, of course. I try to do the best for Ukraine, I try to support my country.

"It's not so easy because the war is continuing. Sometimes it's impossible to play but I try to do my best because I want to live in Ukraine.

"I have to say thanks to Simona for this incredible match. I want to thank all the fans who watched our match today."

Two-time major champion Halep has lost just three of her past 19 first-round matches in grand slams, though each of those have come at the US Open.

Snigur will now face Rebecca Marino, who defeated Magdalena Frech in straight sets to advance to the second round.

Bournemouth have sacked Scott Parker as head coach after a run of three league defeats.

The Cherries began their first season back in the Premier League with a 2-0 opening day win against Aston Villa.

Comprehensive losses to Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool followed, though, with the 9-0 scoreline at Anfield on Saturday the joint-heaviest defeat in the league's history.

Following that game, Parker said: "There is no denying we are under-equipped at this level".

A statement on Bournemouth's website on Tuesday read: "AFC Bournemouth can announce that the club has parted company with head coach Scott Parker.

"Gary O'Neil will take interim charge of the team, and will be assisted by Shaun Cooper and Tommy Elphick."

Bournemouth co-owner Maxim Demin said on Parker's departure: "I would like to place on record my gratitude to Scott and his team for their efforts during their time with us. Our promotion back to the Premier League last season under his tenure will always be remembered as one of the most successful seasons in our history.

"However, in order for us to keep progressing as a team and a club as a whole, it is unconditional that we are aligned in our strategy to run the club sustainably. We must also show belief in and respect for one another. That is the approach that has brought this club so much success in recent history, and one that we will not veer from now.

"Our search for a new head coach will begin immediately."

Parker left his previous job at Fulham to take charge at the Vitality Stadium in July 2021 and guided Bournemouth to promotion from the Championship in his first season, finishing second behind his former club.

Despite the promising start against Villa, Bournemouth lost their next three league games to City, Arsenal and Liverpool, conceding 16 times and failing to score themselves, though did beat Norwich City on penalties in the EFL Cup second round last week.

Overall, the former Chelsea and Tottenham midfielder took charge of 55 games at Bournemouth, winning 28, drawing 14 and losing 13.

Parker becomes the 10th manager to either be sacked or resign with four games or fewer of a Premier League season played.

RJ Barrett is close to signing a four-year extension with the New York Knicks worth up to $120million, according to reports.

The 22-year-old guard will become the youngest player in Knicks history to earn over $100m from a deal.

However, the news may indicate an end to the franchise's pursuit of Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz.

It had been expected that Barrett would be part of those negotiations, but according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the player's agent Bill Duffy of BDA Sports and WME Sports has advised his client is penning an extension in New York.

Barrett made 70 appearances for the Knicks last season, averaging 20 points per game, as well as 5.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists.

The number three pick from the 2019 NBA Draft recorded 3,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 200 three-pointers before he turned 22, joining an elite group of five to have done so along with Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Luka Doncic.

Tottenham have announced the permanent signing of Cristian Romero from Atalanta on a five-year deal following the defender's successful spell on loan.

The 24-year-old joined Tottenham 12 months ago on an initial season-long loan with the option to make the move permanent.

Argentina international Romero featured 30 times in all competitions last season and started Spurs' opening two Premier League games this campaign prior to sustaining an injury.

Tottenham confirmed on their official website on Tuesday that Romero has now agreed a deal that will run through until the end of the 2026-27 campaign.

Romero, who is in contention to be part of Argentina's World Cup squad later this year, has also previously represented Genoa and Juventus in Serie A.

Aaron Judge blasted his 50th home run of the season, but Shohei Ohtani had the decisive say as the Los Angeles Angels beat the New York Yankees 4-3 on Monday.

With scores locked at 2-2 at the bottom of the fifth inning, Ohtani delivered a two-run blast down right-center field from a Frankie Montas splitter in the zone.

The 398-foot home run was Ohtani's 29th of the season, boosting the two-way star's American League (AL) MVP case, with Judge likely to be his strongest opposition.

Judge produced his 434-foot solo shot over left-center field at the top of the eighth inning to halve the deficit and bring up his 50th home run for the season.

The slugger became just the seventh player to hit 50 home runs before September in AL or National League (NL) history.

Judge also became only the 10th player in MLB history to register multiple 50-home run seasons. Only three Yankees have achieved that feat; Judge, Babe Ruth (four) and Mickey Mantle (two).

"It's just another number," Judge said. "It's great, but I'm kind of upset about the loss."

The defeat leaves the Yankees with a 78-51 record having lost their last three games.

Pujols edges past Bonds all-time milestone

Albert Pujols moved a step closer to 700 career home runs and surpassed the record held by Barry Bonds in the St Louis Cardinals' 13-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

Pujols' two-run blast came in the third inning from Reds left-hander Ross Detwiler, bringing up his 694th-career home run.

The blast also tagged his major league record for the 450th different pitcher for a home run, breaking the all-time mark that had been tied with Bonds .

Padres overcome delays for key NL win

The San Diego Padres boosted their NL Wild Card aspirations with a hard-fought 6-5 win over the San Francisco Giants in a game full of delays, including an injury to home plate umpire Marvin Hudson as well as stadium lighting issues.

Brandon Drury's two-run first-inning home run set the Padres on their way before the delays, with three eighth-inning runs keeping the Giants alive, before Nick Martinez closed it out.

The Padres improved to 71-59 to firm up the third NL Wild Card spot, with the Giants back at 61-66. The Milwaukee Brewers, who beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-5 on Monday, split the pair at 68-59.

Serena Williams joined elite company in the final tournament of her playing career becoming the fourth player in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam match in her teens, 20s, 30s and 40s.

Williams joined 18-time Grand Slam champion Martina Navratilova, former world number four and three-time major semi-finalist Kimiko Date Krumm and six-time major winner and sister Venus Williams in achieving the feat.

The American's 6-3 6-3 win over Danka Kovinic in the US Open first round on Monday comes ahead of her 41st birthday next month, with Williams aged 40 years and 337 days.

The 40-year-old has been lauded for her decorated playing career, highlighted by 23 Grand Slam titles, but none of that is possible without endurability.

Williams's career spans 27 years, having turned professional in 1995 and having first played in a major in 1998 at the Australian Open. She played in that year's US Open too and has won every first-round match at Flushing Meadows in her career (21).

The ceremony and pomp after Monday's win was bigger than ever, with words from Oprah Winfrey and Billie Jean King along with an extended interview conducted by Gayle King with Williams, followed by a crowd display of signs reading "We love Serena".

It all offered a level of finality, despite Williams still being live in the tournament, albeit with a tougher test against second seed Anett Kontaveit to come on Wednesday.

Despite all that Williams, who has steered clear of the word retirement instead using "evolution", teased reporters when she replied to a question about the US Open definitively being her final tournament with a smile: "Yeah, I've been pretty vague about it, right? I'm going to stay vague because you never know."

Stefanos Tsitsipas had a shot at rising to the number one ranking at the 2022 US Open but instead he is out in the first round following a four-set loss to Daniel Galan on Monday.

The world number 94 stunned recent Western and Southern Open finalist Tsitsipas in the first two sets by winning the first 11 games of the match, before the Greek rallied but Galan would triumph 6-0 6-1 3-6 7-5 in two hours and 48 minutes.

World number five Tsitsipas, who has never gone beyond the third round at Flushing Meadows, did need treatment for a forearm tightness but admitted he was simply "dominated" by Galan who eventually prevailed on his ninth match point.

The 24-year-old had some form after reaching the final in Cincinnati earlier this month, losing to Borna Coric, and felt it was a missed opportunity, in the absence of Novak Djokovic, to press his case for the top rank across the next fortnight.

"I was very motivated and pumped before the US Open started because I knew I could use this tournament to get closer to the number one spot," Tsitsipas said.

"It would be very weird and very unusual if it didn’t cross my mind, because this is something I wanted since I was a kid and I know this is my chance now to step it up.

"It just didn’t go as planned. Sometimes you just need to let it go, you don’t need to overthink it, you don’t need to push yourself too hard but at the same time it’s difficult because there’s this open opportunity right in front of you, you don’t want to mess it up, you don’t want to waste it."

"My chances are a bit smaller. The margin is not as thin as it used to be now after the US Open but I’m still going to try and add points to my ranking, as much as I can until the end of the year, I really want to perhaps finish in the top three… more opportunities ahead."

Tsitsipas, who only won seven points in the opening set, hit 57 unforced errors for the match compared to Galan's 36.

The Greek only managed 28 winners, with Galan hitting 41, while the Colombian also had the better of the all the key serve categories, winning 74 per cent on his first serve.

"He dominated the match," Tsitsipas said. "I just couldn't get into it."

The Los Angeles Rams were boosted at Monday practice by the returns of running backs Darrell Henderson and Cam Akers after soft tissue injuries.

Rams head coach Sean McVay revealed they were "just being smart" with the pair who had injuries during their Super Bowl-winning campaign last season.

Akers was part of the Rams' Super Bowl triumph after missing most of the season due to an Achilles tear in July last year, while Henderson had a four-game layoff with an MCL sprain.

McVay said the pair were full participants during practice.

"They looked good," McVay told reporters. "They got a few reps and so, it was a good thing.

"Like I mentioned, Darrell was able to get a bunch of full-speed work the other day. Cam looked good today. So I expect all hands on deck."

Henderson led the Rams' running backs for touchdowns last season with five from 10 starts. He had 149 rushing attempts for 688 yards, along with 29 receptions for 176 yards and three TDs.

Hasan Salihamidzic's tenure as Bayern Munch executive board member for sport has been unanimously extended by three more years by the club's supervisory board.

Salihamidzic served as Bayern's sport director from August 2017 until July 2020 when he moved on to the board, overseeing a period of great success for the Bavarians including winning 2020 Champions League.

The former Bayern player has had his contract for three more years until 2026, having been originally appointed in 2020 for an initial three years.

Bayern president and supervisory board chairman Herbert Hainer said: "During his five years in the FC Bayern management, Hasan Salihamidzic has done an excellent job.

"He is constantly advancing the sporting side of our first team and young talents, both structurally and personnel-wise.

"As well as our targets on the pitch, he always keeps in mind the financial conditions. Hasan Salihamidzic gives everything for FC Bayern 24 hours a day. He represents the FC Bayern DNA, continuity and titles.

"Our team is delighting our fans with attractive, winning football. The supervisory board is convinced that he will continue to successfully shape the sporting future of FC Bayern together with his board colleagues in the coming years."

During Salihamidzic's time in charge of the sporting department, Bayern have won five Bundesliga titles, the DFB-Pokal twice along with their 2020 Champions League triumph and 2020 FIFA Club World Cup victory.

Salihamidzic added: "I've always said: I love FC Bayern, Munich is my home. I'm very pleased that we can continue our very good and productive collaboration until 2026.

"It's my goal and the goal of my board colleagues - who I'd also like to thank - to give our members and fans a team that is competitive and successful domestically and internationally every season, based on sound financial sense. I will continue to give everything to achieve that - we're on a very good path."

Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has praised the impact of Antoine Griezmann amid transfer speculation after netting the winner in Monday's 1-0 victory at Valencia.

Griezmann once again came off the bench just past the hour mark, making the decisive impact with a deflected 66th-minute strike after receiving a pass from fellow substitute Thomas Lemar.

The Frenchman is on a two-year loan at Atletico from Barcelona, and Los Rojiblancos have been using him for under 30 minutes in each match to avoid triggering a purchase clause in his contract.

"As long as Griezmann manages to respond as he does, having him on the field is very important and I understand that you have to put him on when it suits the team best," Simeone told reporters.

"The entry of Lemar and Griezmann gave us more peace of mind to impose the team's game."

Yannick Carrasco, who was a half-time substitute, has also been linked with a move away from Atleti, with Tottenham reportedly interested.

"You can't imagine it, it's normal for all coaches except for some," Simeone said about the Carrasco speculation.

"Something can always happen that is important for the clubs, we are not the owners but coaches."

There were two crucial VAR interventions in the win over Valencia, with Yunus Musah's thunderbolt ruled out after a foul in the lead-up on Joao Felix was spotted.

Valencia defender Thierry Correira was also sent off in the 42nd minute for a last-man foul, but that was downgraded to a yellow card after a VAR review.

"When the play started, it was clearly a foul," Simeone said about Musah's disallowed goal.

"The referee didn't see it, the goal came and then with the VAR he did see it.

"On the second play I didn't go for a goal, they told him no and I missed it. It's always fair what happens then there is no going back."

Serena Williams says the "crazy" crowd support she received in Monday's US Open first-round clash with Danka Kovinic helped will her over the line for a hard-fought victory.

The 40-year-old, who will end her decorated playing career after this year's US Open, triumphed in one hour and 39 minutes with a 6-3 6-3 win amid raucous scenes at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

It was a star-studded turnout at the stadium to watch what could have been Williams' last singles' match, but the six-time US Open winner proved too good, extending her farewell campaign.

Despite staying live in the tournament, Williams was honoured with a lengthy post-match ceremony including addresses from Oprah Winfrey and Billie Jean King and an extended interview with Gayle King, followed by a pre-organised crowd display where letters on cards showed the words "We Love Serena".

The 23-time Grand Slam champion appeared nervy early, including two double faults in the first game, and letting a 2-0 lead slip to trail by a break at 2-3 in the first set.

Williams won the next four games to clinch the opening frame and was decisive in the second set.

"The crowd was crazy," Williams said. "It really helped pull me through… I was really calm. Yes, I got this."

The triumph marked the first step on Williams' farewell tour at the US Open, although she has a sterner test next in the second round against second seed Anett Kontaveit on Wednesday which will likely attract another wild crowd.

"Just keep coming out and supporting me as long as I'm here, and know that I love you so much and I'm so excited to be here," Williams said.

Williams was asked about her decision to move on from playing tennis, which she described as her "evolution" rather than retirement in an essay in Vogue.

"It's been a very hard decision," she said.

"I think when you're passionate about something and you love something so much, it's always hard to walk away.

"Sometimes I think it's harder to walk away than to not. That's been the case for me. I've been trying to decide for a little while what to do.

"I think now's the time. I just have a family. There's other chapters in life. I call it evolution."

Serena Williams battled nerves early but has commenced their US Open farewell campaign with a first-round victory over Danka Kovinic in front of a loud Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd on Monday.

The 22-time major champion, who will end her decorated tennis career after the Flushing Meadows tournament, triumphed in one hour and 39 minutes over the unseeded Montenegrin 6-3 6-3.

Williams will face a bigger test next on Wednesday against second seed Anett Kontaveit who eased past Jaqueline Cristian 6-3 6-0.

Given Williams' impending retirement, there was a sense of expectation but also trepidation inside the star-studded center court and the 40-year-old appeared nervous early on with two double faults in a row in the first game.

But after a topsy turvy first set that included five breaks of serve, Williams eventually got a stronghold of the contest.

Williams improved as the match wore on, hitting 23-18 winners, with Kovinic having 28-9 forced errors.

Kovinic won three games in a row after Williams led 2-0 early, but the American responded in the sixth game to break back to square it up and never looked back.

Williams was forced to save four break points in an epic service game before converting set point after back-to-back aces.

The six-time US Open champion broke Kovinic in the fifth game of the second set to assert her control on the contest, before clinching the match by breaking to love.

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Kovinic – 18/25 
Williams – 23/25

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Kovinic – 6/8 
Williams – 9/6

BREAK POINTS WON
Kovinic – 2/10
Williams – 5/11