Andy Murray equalled Lleyton Hewitt by claiming his 47th main-draw win at the US Open as he came through a tricky first-round clash with Francisco Cerundolo.

Just under 10 years on from his maiden grand slam triumph at Flushing Meadows, where he famously beat Novak Djokovic in a near five-hour final, Murray overcame 24th seed Cerundolo in relatively short order.

The world number 51 produced one of the more impressive performances since his return from hip surgery to win 7-5 6-3 6-3 in two hours and 42 minutes on the Louis Armstrong Stadium court.

It is a success that moved him level with Australian great Hewitt, with whom he now shares ninth place on the all-time list for the most main-draw wins in New York.

Additionally, it marked Murray's first straight-sets win at a grand slam since his fourth-round victory over Benoit Paire at Wimbledon in 2017.

Cerundolo, meanwhile, is still awaiting his first main-draw win at a major.

He has enjoyed a breakthrough year, winning his first ATP title at the Swedish Open in July and reaching a career-high ranking of 24, but fell at the first hurdle for the third successive major having failed to qualify for the Australian Open at the start of the year.

Murray will play John Millman or Emilio Nava in the second round.

Rory McIlroy said making history is the reason he plays golf, as the world number three could not resist another jibe at the LIV Golf Invitational Series.

McIlroy claimed an unprecedented third FedEx Cup title on Sunday, edging out Scottie Scheffler in a play-off in the final round of the Tour Championship.

The 33-year-old has enjoyed a resurgence in 2022, despite missing out on major glory.

McIlroy has also become a de-facto spokesperson for the PGA Tour amid the divide caused by breakaway competition LIV Golf.

On his official Twitter account, McIlroy had one last swipe at LIV Golf, while outlining his motivation for playing the game.

"It's an absolute privilege to be a member of the PGA Tour, where I have the opportunity to battle players like Scottie in front of the most incredible fans," McIlroy tweeted.

"Having the chance to do something no one else has done by winning three FedEx Cup titles is why I play this game."

McIlroy has won three PGA Tour titles in the 2021-22 season and on Monday confirmed he will take part in the Italian Open next month.

He will aim to get in some early practice for the Ryder Cup, which takes place at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in 2023.

Manchester United have confirmed midfielder Hannibal Mejbri will spend the 2022-23 campaign on loan with Championship outfit Birmingham City.

The Tunisia international, who has made three senior appearances for United since making his bow at the end of the 2020-21 season, is the latest player to make a temporary exit from Old Trafford.

Mejbri follows goalkeeper Dean Henderson and defenders Alex Telles and Eric Bailly as additional departures.

Birmingham's social media accounts celebrated the signing for John Eustace's side with an edited poster for the 1991 film 'The Silence of the Lambs', playing on the 19-year-old's shared name with the character Hannibal Lecter.

A clutch of pre-season appearances during the club's tour of the Far East and Australia suggested an increased role under Erik Ten Hag for Mejbri, but the teenager will now look to gain first-team minutes at St Andrew's instead.

The move will likely bolster the 19-year-old's hopes of cementing his place in the Tunisia squad for the Qatar 2022 World Cup, with the 16-cap international hoping to feature at the end-of-year tournament.

Patrick Vieira had no intention to speak about players at other clubs when asked about Crystal Palace's rumoured move for Conor Gallagher.

The midfielder spent last season on loan at Palace in an impressive first campaign in charge for Viera.

His form for Palace saw the 22-year-old earn his first England call-up and the club's Player of the Year award.

Gallagher has since returned to Chelsea, but has found it hard to impose himself in the same manner so far this term.

An early red card after successive bookings at the weekend against Leicester City, on his second start of the season, has further highlighted his struggles and now reports have emerged of a £27million bid from Palace to bring him back on a permanent basis.

Vieira, however, refused to comment on whether any such move had been launched.

"The way that you are talking, it is like the £27million is on the table," Vieira quipped when asked if a move for Gallagher was on the cards.

"It is difficult to talk about players who are [at] other football clubs. You mention Conor, [but] Conor is a Chelsea player, and until Chelsea say otherwise, there is no point for us to think about what may not be possible to do."

Vieira acknowledged Palace are hopeful of concluding more business before the transfer window shuts on Thursday, adding: "We have people around the world working on trying to improve the squad.

"Like I said, we are short of numbers. We need players, and we will try to bring those players. If not, I am quite really happy with the players that we have, and we will try to win football matches."

The Washington Commanders' Brian Robinson Jr. has a positive mindset and is in good spirits after undergoing surgery for gunshot wounds suffered during an attempted arm robbery over the weekend. 

The rookie running back posted on his Instagram story that, "Surgery went well! Thanks for the prayers! God is Great!"

Commanders coach Ron Rivera told reporters that doctors described Robinson’s surgery as a success and he is on the road to recovery, though, it is too early to make any timetable for a return to the football field. 

"I can't get into specifics of it other than to say he's doing well. I had an opportunity to visit with him last night, which was really a relief and kind of cool because he was in a really good place," Rivera said on Monday.

"The doctors were very positive with him and he was very positive as well. He's very fortunate, it's a very unfortunate situation. He's doing well, it's just gonna be a matter of time before he’s back out here. There is no timeline, but, as I said, everything's been very positive."

Washington D.C. police reported the shooting during an attempted robbery or carjacking and the Commanders posted a statement on Twitter on Sunday confirming the 23-year-old Robinson was receiving treatment in a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. 

A third-round pick in this year's draft, Robinson was expected to take over the starting running back job after impressing the coaching staff during training camp and preseason games. 

In two exhibition games, Robinson had rushed for 57 yards and one touchdown on 14 carries while incumbent Antonio Gibson had rushed for just five yards on six attempts. 

The Commanders, who went 7-10 to finish in third place in the NFC East in 2021, open this season against the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars on September 11. 

Leeds United host Everton on Tuesday, but both sides are learning to adapt to life without two star Brazilians.

Raphinha and Richarlison were instant hits after joining the clubs in 2020 and 2018 respectively.

While Raphinha was a relatively under-the-radar arrival from Rennes for a reported £17million, eyebrows were raised when Everton spent an initial £40m to bring in Richarlison from Watford. 

A double on his Everton debut swiftly endeared Richarlison to Evertonians, and he went on to score 53 goals across all competitions in his four seasons at Goodison Park.

Neither player will be involved at Elland Road on Tuesday. Raphinha is at Barcelona, and Richarlison will be preparing for Tottenham's match against West Ham.

But who has been the biggest miss so far, and what strides have Leeds and Everton taken towards attempting to replace them?

What are they missing?

Across his two seasons in the Premier League, Raphinha directly contributed to 29 goals, scoring 17 times and providing 12 assists, at least one more than any team-mates.

The variety of his strikes was hugely impressive, with seven of his league goals for Leeds coming from outside the area. Only one player – Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse – could boast a better total (nine) in the same time frame. That quality was on show when he planted a wonderful strike into the top-right corner for Barca against Real Madrid in a pre-season friendly in the United States.

He has started well at Barca, with only three players in LaLiga creating more goalscoring opportunities so far than the 25-year-old (eight).

Raphinha's 11 league goals last season marked his best performance since the 15 he netted in the 2017-18 campaign, when he played for Vitoria Guimaraes in Portugal. He did not score as freely for Sporting CP, and only managed seven goals during his sole full season with Rennes in France, but in Marcelo Bielsa's system, he thrived.

One of the hardest-working wide players in the Premier League, Richarlison provides flair to go with the graft and snide that endears him to his fans. He played at least 30 league games in each of his seasons on Merseyside, operating all across the front line and even as a number 10 at times under Rafael Benitez.

While not as creative as Raphinha, whose tally of 129 chances created in the league for Leeds betters the total managed by Richarlison in his four years at Everton (109), Richarlison's knack of finding space in behind defences and between the lines mean he is often in the right place at the right time to apply a finishing touch.

Meanwhile, his tenacity off the ball was demonstrated perfectly by his assist for Harry Kane's second goal for Spurs against Nottingham Forest on Sunday. Having chased what looked like a lost cause, Richarlison picked out Kane with a sublime outside-of-the-boot cross, supplying Tottenham's talisman with a simple header into a gaping net.

The replacements

Raphinha was not the only big player to leave Leeds, with Kalvin Phillips having been sold to Manchester City. 

Leeds, eager to back Jesse Marsch, moved quick to reinvest those funds into the squad. Luis Sinisterra was drafted in from Feyenoord as Raphinha's de-facto replacement.

More comfortable playing on the left, but also capable of featuring from the opposite flank, Sinisterra has pace and skill in abundance. A hamstring injury in pre-season was cause for concern but he returned in time to make his debut as a substitute against Southampton on August 13.

A wonderful strike on his full debut – in an EFL Cup win over Barnsley last week – demonstrated what the Colombia international, who scored 23 goals for Feyenoord last term, is all about.

Brenden Aaronson, Marcsh's compatriot, is an attacking midfielder who shone for Salzburg and has made a bright start to life in England and will help plug the gap, too.

Matters have been more complicated for Everton when it comes to replacing Richarlison. 

While he has so far had to settle for cameo roles at Spurs, Richarlison was Everton's attacking hub. With Dominic Calvert-Lewin injured for so much of last season, it was his 10 goals, with six of those coming from April onwards, that were crucial to keeping Frank Lampard's team up. He was involved in 10 of Everton's 11 league wins in 2021-22.

With Richarlison sold at least in part to appease the Premier League's profit and loss regulations, Everton have not been able to use the initial £50m they received from Spurs as freely as they would have liked.

Dwight McNeil has been brought in but is not a goalscorer, putting extra onus on Demarai Gray and Anthony Gordon, who is drawing the interest of Chelsea. Neal Maupay arrived last week to ease some of the strain, but with Calvert-Lewin injured again, Everton's attack looks blunt.

Who is coping better?

At the time of writing, Leeds look better equipped to make up for the loss of Raphinha than Everton do Richarlison.

That could change in the coming days, with Everton linked with moves for Ben Brereton Diaz (Blackburn Rovers), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolves) and PSV star Cody Gakpo, with the latter two also said to interest Leeds, and the Whites' own Daniel James. That being said, those moves might hinge on Gordon's future.

Leeds have taken seven points from their opening four fixtures, whereas Everton have just two to their name. While they were defeated by Brighton on Saturday, they have already scored seven goals. With striker Rodrigo in form, the Whites have slightly outperformed their expected goals (xG - 6.8)

Everton, on the other hand, have underperformed theirs, scoring three times from an xG of 4.8, suggesting the finishing abilities of Richarlison – and, in fairness, Calvert-Lewin – have been missed. Golden opportunities missed by Gordon and Gray in draws against Nottingham Forest and Brentford are glaring examples of where a forward of Richarlison's prowess would likely have done better.

It is a long season, and Tuesday's match between the sides that finished 17th and 16th respectively last season should not be taken as a sure indicator of where these teams will end up. But as for the two absent Brazilians, it is Leeds who are adapting quicker.

Antonio Conte wants Harry Kane to sign a new deal at Tottenham, but is uncertain if his star striker will do so.

Kane seemed to be close to leaving the club where he has spent his entire career so far in 2021 when Manchester City were trying to sign him, only for Pep Guardiola's side to be reportedly put off by Spurs' asking price.

Despite a poor start to last season, Kane has thrived since the arrival of Conte as head coach last November, recording 28 goal involvements (20 goals, eight assists) in 32 Premier League games since the Italian came in.

His two goals against Nottingham Forest on Sunday helped Spurs to a 2-0 win at the City Ground, and rumours have begun about Kane penning a new deal at the club.

However, speaking at a press conference ahead of the trip to West Ham on Wednesday, Conte said while he would like Kane to commit further, he did not have any information on it.

"I have to be honest with you, I don't know, I don't know about this situation, I don't know the details, honestly, honestly," he said. 

"You know we are talking about an important player for Tottenham, and the desire of everybody into the club is [for Kane] to continue to stay with Tottenham, to sign a new contract. But if you ask me about the details, about information, I cannot answer you."

The transfer window closes on Thursday, with Spurs having already added Yves Bissouma, Ivan Perisic, Richarlison, Djed Spence and Fraser Forster, as well as Clement Lenglet on loan and Destiny Udogie, who has been loaned back to Udinese.

Conte said he has made his feelings clear to the club about last-minute additions, but insisted he will be happy whatever happens, saying: "I spoke with the club. I spoke with [director of football, Fabio] Paratici, with [chairman] Daniel Levy, I said to them my opinion.

"But as you know very well, the most important thing is for the club to know my opinion. If we do something or not, it's OK."

One of the new arrivals, Richarlison, earned rave reviews for his performance from the bench against Forest as the former Everton man played a delightful cross with the outside of his right boot for Kane's second goal, and Conte added to the praise. 

"I think about Richy, we are really happy," he said. "We are talking about a player who can help us a lot, we are talking about a player who is really good addition, especially up front. In the past at Tottenham [we] didn't have a player of this level behind Harry, behind [Son Heung-min]. Now we have a really good player.

"He is in the best moment of his career, to stay in Tottenham to show his talent, he has a big [talent] for sure. He can help us a lot in this season. And now every time he is playing, also for 20-30-40 minutes, he is playing very well. For sure in the next games you will see him in the starting 11."

Chelsea have released Ross Barkley from his contract, with the England international becoming a free agent.

Barkley was not given a squad number for the new season, having made just six Premier League appearances last term.

The midfielder was signed from Everton in January 2018 but never managed to solidify his place as a regular starter under Antonio Conte, Maurizio Sarri, Frank Lampard or Thomas Tuchel.

He spent the 2020-21 season on loan at Aston Villa, where he appeared to be striking up a promising partnership with Jack Grealish, but his form tailed off and his move was not made permanent.

On Monday, three days before the close of the transfer window, Chelsea confirmed they had agreed to cut ties with the 28-year-old, whose deal was to expire at the end of the season.

Barkley has been linked with a move back to Everton and could be the first of several exits from Stamford Bridge this week, with Billy Gilmour, Conor Gallagher, Armando Broja and Trevoh Chalobah all drawing interest, according to reports. Callum Hudson-Odoi, meanwhile, is set to join Bayer Leverkusen on loan.

Rory McIlroy will get some early Ryder Cup preparation when he makes his Italian Open debut next month.

Just under a year before Europe attempt to wrestle the Ryder Cup back off the United States, McIlroy will get a first look at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club venue where the biennial event will be staged.

McIlroy is riding on the crest of a wave after becoming the first player to win the FedExCup three times in dramatic fashion at East Lake.

The four-time major champion trailed Scottie Scheffler by six shots during his final round of the Tour Championship on Sunday, but a closing 66 sealed a hat-trick of FedExCup victories – and a whopping $18million in prize money.

DP World Tour Rankings leader McIlroy will be on his way to the outskirts of Rome eyeing another title in a tournament that starts on September 15.

The Northern Irishman said: "Not only is the city of Rome steeped in history but so too is their national open, so I am really looking forward to the Italian Open this year.

"It's the first time I have played in Italy, and I've heard the Italian fans are very passionate, so I'm excited to get out there and experience a new challenge."

McIlroy is third in the world rankings behind Scheffler and Cameron Smith.

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has suggested the FIA struggle to police the Formula One budget cap effectively.

Binotto's team are competing with Red Bull for the constructors' championship this season, though driver Charles Leclerc's challenge for the drivers' crown is effectively over after a series of poor race calls.

The gap between the two could yet grow as reigning world champion Max Verstappen edges towards a second title, with Red Bull reportedly set to introduce a lighter car in forthcoming races.

There is a strong belief Red Bull will introduce a weight-trimmed chassis four kilograms lighter than their current model, which would facilitate a faster performance overall.

Binotto, though, feels the FIA are not doing enough to enforce the sport's budget cap.

"The number of people in the FIA monitoring it is very little," he told reporters. "It has to improve for the future because it would be really bad if somehow a championship was dictated by a financial regulation and not technical or sporting.

"I cannot know what they are doing, if they have a [lighter] chassis or not, but the budget cap is always a concern. The financial regulations can make differences between teams in the way they are interpreting and executing it.

"We know we need a very strong FIA to make sure they are properly focusing, otherwise the regulations will not be fair and equitable.

"Ferrari would never be capable of introducing a lightweight chassis or a different chassis through a season simply [because of the] budget cap and I would be very surprised if a team is capable of doing it.

"And if they are, it is back to the regulation itself, is it fair enough, is it equitable enough, is the policing sufficient?"

Red Bull principal Christian Horner has suggested the team are not preparing to make a change, stating: "No, there is no [lighter chassis]. These chassis will run for the next few races."

Emma Raducanu can deal with the high expectations around her but needs to find a coach and stick with them, according to former British number one John Lloyd.

Raducanu is set to defend her US Open title at Flushing Meadows as the final grand slam of the year gets underway on Monday.

The teenager's sensational success at the 2021 tournament as a qualifier came from nowhere, but she has been unable to replicate it since, having not won any further singles titles.

In fact, she has not even been beyond the quarter-finals of any slam or WTA Tour event since her extraordinary success.

Lloyd still struggles to comprehend her achievement.

Speaking to Stats Perform, Lloyd said: "When you win a slam the expectations are going to go through the roof, that's just the way it is.

"She achieved something, I'd liken it to Rocky, it was very similar. People have sent me film scripts like the one Wimbledon, the tennis film that came out, and I told the person, they sent me the script six months before, I said, 'This is stupid, stop coming up with these movies where you get some guy or woman comes up from the qualifiers and wins a grand slam, it doesn't happen, it's stupid, it's never going to happen.' And then she goes and does it.

"What she achieved was amazing, but she did it almost like getting an A in a test without doing the homework. She really didn't do the homework to get there.

"She hasn't done the miles yet, and her body hasn't, the toughness hasn't come. She went above it before she was ready in some ways, but she's already got it, that's in her pocket now. She is a slam winner and no-one can take that away from her.

"The expectations are unbelievably high, and they're going be and she has to face that fact, she can’t hide it, she's a slam winner so people are going to expect, but people in the game know that it was going be a tough year [for her]."

The 19-year-old split from her coach Torben Beltz in April after just six months, saying she needed "a new training model" and she has been working with Dmitry Tursunov on a trial basis in the last month.

Beltz became the third coach to move on from working with Raducanu in just 12 months after she swapped Nigel Sears for Andrew Richardson, who had been in her corner at last year's US Open.

Lloyd acknowledges there is not necessarily a right way to do things in tennis, though he is certainly not convinced by Raducanu's approach of choosing a new coach every few months.

"I'm not a big fan of the coaching situation," Lloyd added. "After what Richard Williams did [coaching Venus and Serena Williams] … to say that there's a norm, he threw that out the window.

"What they're doing now in coaching is almost like they're getting hold of coaches, soaking up like a sponge all the information they have and then they go onto the next. I don't think that works in tennis. I could be proved wrong, but I don't think that's right.

"You have to have coaches that you trust completely, because I think a lot of winning matches – I don't want to give too much credit to coaches because it's the person on the court that does the work – but I think a lot of matches are won by the night before the match, and even the morning of the match… you have a trust a coach and what they're saying to you.

"You're a unit, and I don't think chopping and changing having a different coach every three months is the right way to go about. I could be wrong but I think she has to have a settled coach."

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says they are in a "dungeon" following a dismal Belgian Grand Prix that saw Lewis Hamilton crash out on the first lap.

The Silver Arrows, last year's constructors' champions, have suffered a disappointing 2022 campaign compared to rivals Red Bull and Ferrari.

Seven-time world drivers' champion Hamilton, pipped in controversial circumstances by Max Verstappen last season, has been off the pace in 2022, while the Dutchman's win at Spa edged him closer to another title.

Wolff admitted it has been a frustrating season for the Briton and team-mate George Russell, acknowledging it has been hard to be on the outside looking in at glory this year.

"They say you never lose [but] you learn," he was quoted by the Guardian. "I can tell you it is ******* difficult.

"All these nice Instagram posts and everything we have talked about over the eight years, about how we are going to take this when you arrive in the dungeon.

"To stick to your principles and your values, to keep the spirit up and continue to relentlessly seek to get better? Phew. There is more to write a book about this year than there is about the last eight years."

Hamilton saw his race come to a premature end after a collision with Fernando Alonso, but the major issues plaguing Mercedes have been race-to-race inconsistency rather than one-off errors.

"It's very difficult to cope with these swings," Wolff added. "We had a totally sub-par performance in qualifying, [and] then in the race, sometimes we go three seconds a lap faster.

"There are big question marks about what is going on. It's not where we should be with the structure and knowledge to understand a racing car but we don't with this one.

"Whatever we decide for next year, it needs to be carefully evaluated because clearly our data does not give us the results, doesn't correlate it with the reality. We have massive swings in performance we can't really get on top of.

"In this moment to take a decision for next year, changing a concept dramatically, how can you be sure that is the better direction to go because clearly you would be starting a way back?"

Brighton and Hove Albion head coach Graham Potter is confident the club will retain Moises Caicedo amid reported interest from some of the Premier League's big hitters.

The 20-year-old Ecuadorian has become a pivotal asset for the Seagulls since returning from a loan stint with Beerschot in January, scoring in the 4-0 victory over Manchester United at the back end of last season.

Following the departure of Yves Bissouma to Tottenham in June, Caicedo's importance has increased and he has been a mainstay in the club's stellar start to the season, which sees them sitting fourth in the Premier League with 10 points from four games.

Caicedo's exploits have not gone unnoticed, with United and Liverpool among those attributed with an interest in in him.

Potter is unconcerned about the prospect of Caicedo leaving before the transfer window closes on Thursday, though he does accept it is not an impossibility.

"It doesn't surprise me that people are looking at him because he's playing at a fantastic level and, as soon as you do your research on him, you realise he's a top kid," Potter said on Monday.

"Young, played in the Premier League, has all of the attributes to play at the highest level, so it's no surprise.

"But we know the position that he's in, we know the position that the club are in, which is that we don't want to lose him and we don't think we will. In football, you never know, that's how it is, but we're quite calm and confident."

Quizzed further on a reported £42million fee for Caicedo, Potter added: "I think you'd probably get his boots for that, maybe. It's not for me to talk about, it is what it is."

Brighton continue their Premier League campaign against Fulham on Tuesday, then tackling early strugglers Leicester City at the weekend.