Dominant fast-bowling was the key to Australia's comfortable eight-wicket win in their second ODI against Zimbabwe on Wednesday, holding the visitors to just 96 runs after sending them in to bat first.

Winning the toss for the second consecutive match, the Australians stuck with their strategy of bowling first on the tricky Townsville wicket, and the results were nearly immediate.

After a couple of early wides, Starc found the first wicket in his second over, swinging one into the right-handed Innocent Kaia to clip the outside of off-stump, leaving Zimbabwe at 13-1.

With Josh Hazlewood at the other end bowling at his efficient best, Zimbabwe had not scored a run by the time Starc got the ball back and took his second wicket, this time with his in-swinger coming all the way back to collect Wesley Madhevere LBW in front of his leg-stump.

After another maiden from Hazlewood, Starc had his third straight over with a wicket, this time with an edge finding substitute fielder Marnus Labuschagne in the slips.

Sean Williams went on to top-score for Zimbabwe with 29 from 45 deliveries, before a loose shot saw him caught for a wicket to leg-spinner Adam Zampa.

Zampa went on to take three wickets of his own, finishing with figures of 3-21 from 3.5 overs, while Starc took 3-24 from eight overs. Following up his maiden ODI five-wicket haul, Cameron Green took 2-7 from three overs.

With Zimbabwe all-out for 96, there was almost no pressure on the Australian batsmen, although that might have been what led to their cheap wickets.

David Warner wanted to get the job done in a hurry, with two boundaries from the first eight deliveries he faced, before a big swing resulted in a top-edge caught by a fielder at third-man.

It was good bowling from Richard Ngarava, which resulted in a two-wicket over when Aaron Finch nicked one to first slip just three balls later on a score of one.

That would be it for Zimbabwe's bowling highlights as Steve Smith and Alex Carey made it look easy the rest of the way, with Smith finishing on 47 not-out from 41 deliveries, while Carey posted 26 not-out from 33 to reach the target in the 15th over.

The third ODI will be contested on Saturday, with Australia already having secured the three-game series.

Athletico Paranaense are one step closer to the Copa Libertadores final after holding serve for a 1-0 home win in the first leg of their semi-final against Palmeiras.

Athletico have not made it to the final since 2005, when they lost to Sao Paulo, while Palmeiras are the reigning back-to-back champions from 2020 and 2021.

In a game where Palmeiras controlled 64 per cent of the possession and produced four shots on target compared to just one for the hosts, it was Athletico's one shot on target that made the difference.

It came in the 23rd minute, when a botched clearance went straight up in the air, allowing 17-year-old Vitor Roque to bring it down and control it deep in the penalty area, before squaring the ball along the six-yard box to Alex Santana for the easy finish.

With the lead, Athletico opted to attempt to sit on their advantage and park the bus, only controlling 28 per cent of the possession in the second half, and they would have to do it with 10 men after a hand-ball Hugo Moura resulted in his second yellow card in the 70th minute. 

Incensed, his manager and former Chelsea and Brazil boss Luiz Felipe Scolari was also shown a red card from the resulting fallout.

But the home side was gutsy enough to hold on, making five substitutes in quick succession in the dying minutes to try and kill the clock. It resulted in nearly 10 minutes of stoppage time, which they successfully navigated.

Palmeiras will host the second leg on Tuesday, September 6.

Rafael Nadal survived an early scare against world number 198 Rinky Hijikata, steadying after dropping the first set to run away with a 4-6 6-2 6-3 6-3 victory.

The first set saw the 21-year-old Australian play out of his skin in the biggest match of his life, hitting 11 winners in the frame, before only being able to muster a combined 15 winners in the next three sets.

Nadal also left the door open, with one of his two double faults in the match leading to Hijikata's only break point opportunity from the first three sets, and he took full advantage before serving it out.

From that point on, it would be all Nadal as he found his footing, winning the points from 14 out of his 15 accurate first serves in the second set, before his second serve lifted in the third frame, taking 11 of those 13 opportunities.

A competitive fourth set meant Nadal had to save three break points, but only after he had already secured a break of his own and was cruising towards the finish line. 

He needed five match points to finish off the determined Aussie, but he got the job done after three hours and 12 minutes of action, booking his place against Italy's Fabio Fognini in the second round.

Data Slam: Nadal's uncharacteristic start

The last time Rafael Nadal lost the opening set of a grand slam match against an opponent ranked outside of the top-100, it was five years ago at the 2017 US Open against Taro Daniel. It was a similar story on that day, as the Spaniard then rattled off the next three sets 6-3 6-2 6-2 without issue.

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Nadal – 43/22

Hijikata – 27/33

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS

Nadal – 9/2

Hijikata – 7/4

BREAK POINTS WON

Nadal – 5/10

Hijikata – 1/4

Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw will make his first start in nearly a month on Thursday, when he takes the mound against the New York Mets at Citi Field.

Kershaw has been sidelined since he exited a start against the San Francisco Giants on August 4 due to lower-back pain. The decision comes after the three-time Cy Young Award winner felt strong following a bullpen session on Monday.

Because he did not go on a rehab assignment, Kershaw’s workload likely will be limited at the start as he rebuilds arm strength and gears up for the postseason.

The 34-year-old is 7-3 with a 2.64 ERA in 15 starts this season. Kershaw pitched seven perfect innings before being pulled against the Minnesota Twins in his season debut April 13, and carried a perfect game into the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Angels on July 15.

Kershaw’s return comes at a good time for the Dodgers, who entered Tuesday with a major league-best 89-38 record.

Los Angeles recently announced that Walker Buehler will miss the rest of the season and potentially all next season after Tommy John Surgery. Fellow starter Tony Gonsolin, who is tied for the major league lead with 16 wins, was placed on the injured list earlier this week with a strained forearm.

Manager Dave Roberts said the Dodgers hoped to go to a six-man rotation before Gonsolin was injured, but will now go forward with a five-man rotation of Kershaw, Julio Urias, Andrew Heaney, Tyler Anderson and Dustin May.

"But it wouldn't surprise me if we reinstated someone at some point to give guys an extra day," Roberts said.

Reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu has been eliminated in the first round after going down in straight sets 6-3 6-3 against Alize Cornet on Tuesday.

Raducanu struggled with both her serve and her ground strokes early on against her French opponent.

She won just 40 per cent (10-of-25) of her service points in the opening set, while committing 18 unforced errors with seven winners as she had her serve broken three times.

After footage emerged of Raducanu distressed during a recent training session due to blisters and hand issues, it was no surprise to see her call for a medical timeout between the sets, needing some running repairs and fresh band-aids.

The women traded breaks of serve continuously throughout the match, with four breaks from the first five games of the second set, but every time Raducanu gained any momentum, Cornet would answer immediately.

For the match, Raducanu only held serve twice from nine attempts. Cornet will meet Katerina Siniakova in the second round.

Data Slam: Raducanu hits cold stretch at the worst time

It was not a great preparation for her maiden grand slam title defence, with Raducanu now collecting four straight-sets losses from her past six matches.

The 19-year-old has had a disappointing season, and has not won three matches in a row since last year's US Open.

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Raducanu – 15/30

Cornet – 22/22

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS

Raducanu – 2/2 

Cornet – 1/9

BREAK POINTS WON

Raducanu – 4/6

Cornet – 7/10

Bukayo Saka is confident he will agree to a new contract with Arsenal, revealing he feels "really loved" by Mikel Arteta and his Gunners teammates.

Saka has emerged as a key part of Arsenal's side since making his league debut in 2019, and hit the net 11 times to finish as their top Premier League goalscorer last season.

Since the start of last campaign, meanwhile, no Gunners player has recorded as many Premier League assists as Saka (eight), and only Martin Odegaard has created more chances (80 to Saka's 75).

While Saka's current deal does not expire until 2024, Arsenal are keen to tie one of their most important assets to new terms in order to avoid being placed in a vulnerable position at the end of the season.

Ahead of a 3-0 win at Bournemouth earlier this month, Arteta said he was "very confident" a new contract would be agreed with the England international.

When those comments were put to Saka ahead of Arsenal's Premier League meeting with Aston Villa on Wednesday, the 20-year-old responded: "I share his confidence.

"I really feel the love from my team-mates, my coaches and the fans as well. I feel really loved here."

Arsenal have made a perfect start to the new Premier League season, winning their first four games as Arteta earns plaudits for implementing an entertaining style of play since the acquisitions of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Saka hailed the Spaniard's man management skills as crucial to his development, adding: "I feel like he's always there for me. 

"He knows when to speak to me, it's not too much but it's not too little, and the different bits of advice he gives me are special and it makes such a difference."

Arsenal are looking to start a top-flight campaign with five consecutive victories for the fourth time when they welcome Villa to the Emirates Stadium, having previously done so in 1930-31, 1947-48 and 2004-05.

The Gunners ended the first two of those seasons as champions, finishing as runners-up to Chelsea last time they made such a strong start.

Chelsea continued their frustrating start to the Premier League season with a disappointing loss at Southampton – which had previously been a happy hunting ground.

The Blues took an early lead but could not hold off a Southampton comeback, leaving Thomas Tuchel's side with just two wins from their opening five league games.

Brighton and Hove Albion's unbeaten start came to an end against Fulham at Craven Cottage, Crystal Palace conceded a late equaliser against Brentford, while Leeds United and Everton shared the spoils in a fiery 1-1 draw at Elland Road.

Here, Stats Perform unpacks the pick of the data from Tuesday's fixtures in the English top flight.

Southampton 2-1 Chelsea: Sterling delivers but Saints finally sink Blues at home

Romeo Lavia and Adam Armstrong cancelled out Raheem Sterling's opener as Southampton beat Chelsea at home in the Premier League for the first time since March 2013.

Saints were winless in nine games at St Mary's against Chelsea in the competition and would have feared a familiar fate after Sterling poked home in the 23rd minute.

That marked the forward's 169th goal involvement (112 goals, 57 assists) in the top flight, a tally bettered by only Harry Kane (230) Sergio Aguero (209 and Jamie Vardy (175) since Sterling made his debut in March 2012.

But Lavia soon hit back as he became the fourth youngest Southampton player to score in the Premier League, with the recent arrival aged just 18 years and 236 days.

A smart Armstrong finish then inflicted consecutive top-flight away defeats on Chelsea for the first time under Tuchel, who may have reasons for concern after an underwhelming start to the new campaign.

Indeed, Chelsea (W2 D1 L2) have lost two or more of their first five games in a Premier League season for just the second time this century. The last time it happened, they finished 10th in 2015-16 after opening with three losses in five games.

Fulham 2-1 Brighton and Hove Albion: Mitrovic ends Seagulls' flying start

Brighton headed to Craven Cottage unbeaten in nine league games, winning six of those, but were undone by Aleksandar Mitrovic and a Lewis Dunk own goal.

Mitrovic continued his fine form in front of goal for his 48th-minute opener, scoring for a fourth time in the Premier League against the Seagulls, more than he has managed against any other side in the competition.

The Serbian's strike also marked his 100th league goal in Fulham colours before Dunk turned into his own net – his sixth Premier League own goal, more than any other player since the start of the 2016-17 season.

Richard Dunne (10), Martin Skrtel (7), Phil Jagielka (7) and Jamie Carragher (7) are the only players to find their own net more in Premier League history than Dunk, who endured a night to forget.

Alexis Mac Allister offered brief hope of sparing Dunk's blushes with a penalty, but Fulham held on to reach eight points from five games, their best start to a top-flight season since the 2012-13 term (nine points).

Crystal Palace 1-1 Brentford: Zaha-reliant Eagles suffer more London derby frustration

Wilfried Zaha continued to carry the hopes of Selhurst Park on his shoulders, but his curling effort was not enough to see Palace to a rare London derby victory.

The Ivory Coast international found the top-right corner in the 59th minute to open the scoring, his 13th goal in 20 appearances in the Premier League in 2022, as many as he managed in his previous 45 games in the competition.

Zaha has also scored six of Palace’s last seven home league goals, but the Eagles could not hold out for what would have been just a third win in their last 20 top-flight London derbies.

Yoane Wissa denied Palace in the 88th minute with a fourth league goal in his last eight games on the road.

Brentford have now avoided defeat in five of their last eight Premier League games where they conceded first (W2 D3 L3), while Palace have won just one of their last five when opening the scoring in the league.

Leeds 1-1 Everton: Lampard's men let another lead slip

Everton remain winless this season in the Premier League (D3 L2), despite taking the lead at Elland Road through Anthony Gordon. Expecting Everton to hold a lead has become a fool's game.

Luis Sinisterra's leveller means that since Frank Lampard's first league game in charge of Everton in February, only Leicester (16) and Wolves (14) have dropped more points from winning positions than the Toffees (13).

Leeds would have seen this as an opportunity to put three more points on the board, but at least their unbeaten run at home continues. They have earned eight points from their last four league games at Elland Road (W2 D2), which is as many as they had mustered from their previous 11 (W2 D2 L7).

Will Gordon stay with Everton beyond Thursday's transfer deadline, or could the links to Chelsea see him move on? He has now scored two goals in his last two Premier League games, having netted just four in his first 52 appearances. His last two strikes have been away from home, with each of his first four coming at Goodison Park.

Venus Williams says she is "focused" on her US Open women's doubles pairing with sister Serena following her first round exit to Alison Van Uytvanck on Tuesday, adding that she couldn't turn down "the boss" one more time.

The seven-time grand slam singles champion saw her solo stint at Flushing Meadows come to an early end following a 6-1 7-6 (7-5) straight sets loss to the Belgian at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Following younger sister Serena's announcement earlier this year that she intended to step back from top-level tennis following the conclusion of the final tennis major of the year, many had wondered if Venus would follow suit.

But speaking after her defeat, Williams eschewed questions on her future, simply stating: "Right now, I'm just focused on the doubles."

The return of the Williams sister pairing – the only duo to have won the Career Golden Slam in women's doubles – has added a further degree of excitement to Serena's farewell tour.

When asked how their on-court reunion came about, Venus stated it was her sibling who got the ball rolling, adding: "It was Serena's idea.

"She's the boss, so I do whatever she tells me to do! I don't think we have played since 2016, but I might be getting that wrong. We have had some great wins. It would be nice to add some more."

Former world number one Williams made her 91st grand slam main draw singles appearance with her match against Van Uytvanck, a record for both the men's and women's game.

It is a testament to her longevity that 58 players in the main draw had not been born when she made her grand slam debut at the 1996 French Open – including this year's Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, who also suffered a first round loss to the unseeded Clara Burel.

Thomas Tuchel declared Chelsea must improve "as fast as possible" after claiming "it does not take a lot" to beat the Blues at present after their underwhelming Premier League start continued at  Southampton.

Chelsea took the lead through Raheem Sterling on Tuesday, but goals from Romeo Lavia and Adam Armstrong turned the contest on its head as Southampton secured a 2-1 success.

Having been thrashed 3-0 by Leeds United on their last road trip, Chelsea have now suffered back-to-back away league defeats for the first time since December 2020.

Tuchel, meanwhile, has suffered consecutive league losses on the road for the first time since he was coaching Paris Saint-Germain in August 2019.

After Southampton moved level with the disjointed Blues in the early-season Premier League table, Tuchel was at a loss to explain their troubles.

"I don't know if concerned is the word, I absolutely dislike to lose and it's the second time in the season, very early," he told BT Sport.

"I think it does not take a lot to beat us. This is what I don't like. We are humble enough to understand that we can lose matches and of course, away matches.

"We don't like it and we try to win every match but the way we do this is something we need to understand as fast as possible and to change.

"It's difficult, I don't know why, we start well in all the games almost, and obviously we struggle with our focus and consistency in matches.

"It's not enough to play 20 minutes good, we did the same in Leeds. Then one thing goes against us, and we struggle to find answers and fight our way back if things don't go in our direction."

Meanwhile, Sterling has now scored each of Chelsea's last three goals, and while Tuchel is concerned by his team-mates' attacking struggles, he emphasised the importance of rediscovering their defensive composure. 

"It is what it is and it's the reality. We played with four offensive players now many, many times," Tuchel said.

"I think in the first 20 minutes we created chances, half-chances but we struggled to score, which is also not brand new for us and does not necessarily need to have the consequence that you lose matches.

"You can also win 1-0 or 2-0 with a late goal, so no problem. But then you need to have a clean sheet, you need to be more focused. 

"The amount of individual errors, the lack of concentration is simply too high at the moment to win football matches consistently. We can win, of course, but it's not consistent enough." 

Chelsea were without Reece James due to illness and the injured N'Golo Kante on the south coast before sustaining another blow when Ruben Loftus-Cheek was withdrawn at half-time after suffering discomfort.

Tuchel was visibly frustrated with the injury woes that have hampered Chelsea as he added: "It's a hamstring injury, so the next midfielder is out and nobody is left.

"The recommendation for Mateo Kovacic was 20 minutes, we made 45 out of it. That's the situation.

"I also don't understand why we are in this situation regarding the injuries, and the injuries like all players in midfield. But that's the way it is, and we need to find solutions."

Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi was proud of his team's "mature" performance after they ran out 3-1 winners over Cremonese at San Siro on Tuesday.

Joaquin Correa and Nicolo Barella scored first half goals to set them on the way to victory and Lautaro Martinez added a third with a precise finish, before David Okereke netted a late consolation.

The win for Inter is a positive response after they were beaten 3-1 by Lazio on Friday, and three points move them into second above rivals Milan, who they face on Saturday.

Inzaghi was pleased with his side's response to the defeat against Lazio, telling DAZN: "I am very happy, we won a difficult match against a team that collected less than they deserved.

"We have one point more than last year, the condition is improving, we know that we will face many matches, we must definitely improve.

"We were criticised after the match against Lazio, against a very strong team, but there was a lot of noise about this defeat, but today we played a mature game."

When questioned on the significance of moving above Milan ahead of Saturday's derby, Inzaghi replied: "It means nothing.

"It seems to me too early to look at the standings. Tonight I saw the reaction of a mature team."

Stefano Pioli criticised Milan after a poor performance resulted in a goalless draw with Sassuolo, but the head coach expects better in Saturday's derby against Inter.

The Rossoneri have two wins and two draws in the first four games of their Serie A title defence, though the display on Tuesday away at Sassuolo left much to be desired.

Pioli's side were far from their best, perhaps fortunate to share the spoils after Mike Maignan was required to save a Domenico Berardi penalty in the first half.

Having missed a chance to collect three points, Milan opened the door for Inter, Roma and Napoli to leapfrog them in the early stages of the 2022-23 Scudetto race.

Fierce rivals Inter are next up for Pioli and the Milan coach acknowledged there must be an improvement on this latest showing.

"It was not a Milan of quality, technique or decision-making," Pioli said. "We played football that was too frenetic, we weren't able to read the game and this made it complicated.

"It made it dirty, ruffled and with little rhythm. We struggled to find spaces. We started well, I liked the beginning very much, then we lost calmness and we were in too much of a hurry in the search for the opponent's goal.

"I have already seen the players, they have spoken more. We lacked quality and calmness, they are aware and it is important. I think that the next matches will be different."

Asked whether preparations were different due to the looming clash with Inter, Pioli added: "We recovered after [Saturday's 2-0 win over] Bologna and tried to prepare for the game well from a tactical point of view.

"Saying something to the team for the derby will be easy. It is a derby, the rivalry is high and we know how much the result can weigh and we will prepare for it in the best possible way."

Fast-paced play and a never-say-die attitude characterised Milan's route to Scudetto glory last season – a facet that was largely missing against Sassuolo.

Milan's championship-winning season has changed the way Pioli's side are judged, and the coach urged his players to rise to that challenge.

Pioli said: "Our expectations have increased and we have to hold them up, but that's right, it's a privilege."

Jurgen Klopp jokingly ordered his Liverpool players to pay him as much attention as they paid Steve Kerr when the Golden State Warriors coach visited the Reds' training ground.

Kerr won five NBA championships as a player and has been crowned a winner four times as a coach, with the Warriors defeating the Boston Celtics to claim victory in the 2022 NBA Finals.

The American also guided Golden State to 73 wins in the 2015-16 season, breaking the record for the most wins in an NBA campaign.

Kerr took the chance to visit Liverpool's Kirkby base during his off-season, meeting the players and coaching staff after he watched over their training session.

While coaching methods and man-management styles may have been expected to be discussed, Klopp revealed no such conversations took place between the two top bosses.

"We didn't have this kind of conversation, to be honest," Klopp said, when asked if there was a coaching element to their talks. "We had a very private conversation."

Klopp's players, who play Newcastle United on Wednesday, were so awestruck in the presence of Kerr that their German boss hoped they could show as much interest when he addresses them.

"A fantastic guy. It was a pleasure to meet him," Klopp said. "I took a picture when he spoke to a couple of the players and said to the boys, 'If you looked one time as concentrated when I talk to you, it would be really cool'.

"I told him what we were doing. The training grounds for football and basketball look slightly different and he liked everything that he saw.

"The one moment I was really, really happy I didn't become a basketball coach was when he said he has to do press every day. Wow. That would be a killer. But he has a four-month break."

Klopp added: "He is one of the greatest in the game – absolutely outstanding. You can be seen as big as you want in public. Smart people stay still, are very grounded and are just good people. It was a real pleasure to meet them."

Lautaro Martinez put the seal on Inter's 3-1 victory against Cremonese at San Siro after first-half goals from Joaquin Correa and Nicolo Barella gave the Nerazzurri full control.

The hosts were in front early on when Correa converted a rebound from a parried Edin Dzeko shot, before a superb strike from Barella made it 2-0 before half-time.

Simone Inzaghi’s hosts took their foot off the gas after the interval, but they added a third through substitute Martinez before David Okereke netted a late consolation.

The three points mean Inter bounce back from Friday’s 3-1 defeat to Lazio as they move up to second, just one point behind leaders Roma. Cremonese are still yet to pick up a point this season, kept off the bottom by Monza on goal difference.

The hosts were ahead after 12 minutes when visiting goalkeeper Ionut Radu, on loan from Inter, palmed a powerful Dzeko shot straight into the path of Correa, who finished with ease.

Inter dominated the first half, and they doubled their lead shortly before the break with a wonderful volley from Barella, after a perfectly weighted cross from Hakan Calhanoglu picked him out on the edge of the box.

After the interval, the visitors started to have more of the ball and a vicious Luca Zanimacchia effort flew just over Samir Handanovic’s crossbar.

Dzeko nearly added a third for Inter when a brilliant Denzel Dumfries flick-on put the striker in on goal, but Radu made an excellent stop from the close-range shot.

Despite Cremonese's improved second-half performance, Martinez secured the three points with an excellent finish into the bottom corner after Barella played him in.

The visitors grabbed their reply in the dying seconds, with a delightful curling effort from Okereke denying Inter a clean sheet.