Nick Kyrgios started his Friday by finishing off his third-round win against Reilly Opelka, and his business was not finished until after 1am local time when he defeated Frances Tiafoe 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (14-12) 6-2 in the quarter-final.
Due to length rain delays on Thursday, Kyrgios was one of five players forced to abandon their matches and return to finish them first thing on Friday, with Kyrgios and Russia's Andrey Rublev the only two to successfully navigate both.
Tiafoe defeated Botic van de Zandschulp 4-6 6-2 6-3 in the morning, but Kyrgios' ability to keep his service games short was a decisive factor, winning the ace count 35-14 and not conceding a single break all match.
Rublev had to deal with Maxime Cressy in the morning, winning 6-4 7-6 (10-8), setting up a quarter-final later at night against J.J. Wolf after the American defeated Holger Rune 7-5 4-6 6-3.
Rublev made his second match look far easier, cruising through 6-2 6-3 to earn a semi-final against Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka after he needed over three-and-a-half hours to beat Daniel Evans 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 7-5.
In an all-unseeded semi-final, Kyrgios will play Sweden's Mikael Ymer, who fought his way past Sebastian Korda 6-2 5-7 6-3 after the American beat Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov 4-6 6-1 6-2 earlier in the day.
Meanwhile, down in Mexico at the Los Cabos Open, Daniil Medvedev earned his spot in the final by defeating Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic 7-6 (7-0) 6-1.
Medvedev will play England's Cameron Norrie for the title after he prevailed in arguably the match of the tournament against top-10 talent Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4 3-6 6-3.
Despite being ranked fourth in the world, Paula Badosa came into her quarter-final showdown with the red-hot Coco Gauff as the underdog, but she played like a favourite en route to a 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 victory.
Usually one of her stronger weapons, Gauff's serve was a liability on Friday, with six double faults in the first set alone to drop the opening frame despite breaking Badosa twice.
In the second set, while Badosa was converting 92 per cent (11-of-12) of her accurate first serves into points, Gauff's figure was down at 53 per cent (eight-of-15) as the Spaniard's return game was at its best.
Badosa will meet seventh seed Daria Kasatkina in the semi-final after the Russian beat Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka 4-6 7-5 6-0. The longer the match went, the less effective Sabalenka became with her ability to return serve.
In the first set, which Sabalenka won, she was successful in 53 per cent (19-of-36) of the points against Kasatkina's serve, and that number plummeted to 14 per cent (two-of-14) in the decider.
Third seed and Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur was eliminated by ninth seed Veronika Kudermetova 7-6 (7-5) 6-2, and she will meet unseeded American Shelby Rogers in the second semi-final after she defeated Amanda Anisimova 6-4 6-4.
Meanwhile, in Washington at the Citi Open, Emma Raducanu felt the effects of her gruelling match 24 hours prior as she went down 7-6 (8-6) 6-1 to Liudmila Samsonova.
On Thursday, Raducanu played in the longest two-set match of the WTA season as she eventually made her way through two tiebreakers against Camila Osorio in two hours and 49 minutes, and she ran out of steam after another tough tie-break against Samsonova.
Samsonova will play China's Xiyu Wang in the semi-final after another upset, knocking out fourth seed Victoria Azarenka in convincing fashion 6-1 6-3.
Estonia's Kaia Kanepi booked her place in the second semi-final after a 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 6-3 win against Anna Kalinskaya, where she will meet Daria Saville after the Australian got the better of Canada's Rebecca Marino 6-1 7-5.
The Houston Astros received a big boost from new recruit Trey Mancini as he blasted a pair of home runs, punctuated by a grand slam, in his side's 9-3 away win against the Cleveland Guardians on Friday.
Mancini, who was acquired from the Baltimore Orioles this past week, has now hit a home run in each of his two starts for his new club. In doing so, he became the first player in the modern era to hit a home run in his first two starts for his first two teams, after also accomplishing the feat back when he began with the O's.
He struck first in the second inning, tying the game at 1-1 after Amed Rosario hit his own home run to begin the game for the Guardians, and Mancini's second home run of the game came with bases loaded in the third frame for the first grand slam of his career.
Arguably the best hitter in baseball this season Yordan Alvarez went two-for-five and notched his 73rd RBI for the season – the seventh most in the league – and his future Hall-of-Fame teammate Jose Altuve tallied one RBI from his three hits.
On the mound, Framber Valdez secured his 18th consecutive 'quality start' – defined by a pitcher going at least six innings while conceding three or fewer runs – finishing with three earned runs from seven hits and three walks in his six-and-a-third innings.
He now leads the league with 19 quality starts, and his streak of 18 consecutive is the longest since Jacob deGrom rattled off 26 in a row beginning in May 2018.
The win moves the Astros' record to 70-38 – one game behind the New York Yankees for the best record in the American League.
Yankees, Holmes blow late lead
The New York Yankees led nearly the entire game before eventually falling 4-3 to the St Louis Cardinals, courtesy of a blown save from All-Star reliever Clay Holmes.
Josh Donaldson drove in a pair of runs for the Yankees, while AL MVP favourite Aaron Judge collected two hits and came home to score twice, giving their side a 3-2 lead heading into the eighth inning.
Determined to take no risks, the Yankees brought in Holmes an inning early to try and get to the ninth inning with their lead still in tact, but it was not to be as Holmes conceded a walk and two hits, the second being a two-run double from Paul deJong to steal the lead.
Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley made no such mistakes, closing the door and collecting the save.
Gibson produces near-perfect start for the Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Kyle Gibson had a perfect game through six innings in his side's 7-2 win against the Washington Nationals.
Gibson retired the first 18 batters he faced, striking out three as he relied on strong fielding behind him to accumulate quick outs. His bid for a perfect game was eventually broken up by a hit-by-pitch to begin the seventh frame, and a single from the next batter ended the no-hitter.
He finished with one earned run from two hits and one walk in eight complete innings, while Kyle Schwarber hit his 34th home run of the season to help on the offensive side of the ball. Only Judge has more home runs this season than Schwarber.
Jamaica’s Jaydon Hibbert established a new championship record on his very first jump on his way to winning gold in the triple jump on Friday’s penultimate day of the World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia.
The 17-year-old Hibbert, who is headed to the University of Arkansas in the Fall, produced a winning jump of 17.27m to improve upon the silver medal he won in Nairobi, Kenya in 2021.
He broke the record of 17.15m set in 2018 by Cuba’s Jordan Diaz Fortun. It also moved the Jamaican to number two all-time at the U20 level behind Fortun’s 17.41m and was only two centimetres shy of fellow Jamaican’s James Beckford national U20 record of 17.29m set in 1994.
India’s Selva P. Thirumaran copped the silver medal with his best jump of 16.15m while Estonia’s Viktor Morozov leapt out to 16.13m to claim the bronze medal.
Hibbert would have also won the competition with his second jump of 16.82m.
Jamaica also claimed gold in the high jump as Brandon Pottinger cleared 2.14m to win the high jump over Brian Raats of South Africa and Bulgaria's Bozhidar Saraboyukov, who each cleared 2.10m.
Meanwhile, Roshawn Clarke was denied a possible gold medal in the 400m hurdles but finished third.
Battling down the home stretch with eventual winner Ismail Nezir of Turkey, Clarke hit the ninth hurdle and lost his momentum as Nezir surged past him on his way to victory in a national U20 record of 48.84.
Clarke’s mishap also allowed Matic Ian Gucek to get by him to claim silver in 48.91, also a national U20 record. The Jamaican finished in 49.62.
At the end of competition on Friday, Jamaica have won 12 medals – five gold, four silver and three bronze. Only the USA, with 13 medals (five gold, four silver and four bronze), has more.
Jamaica’s women’s 4x100m relay team put on a dazzling performance to smash the U20 world record at the World Athletics U-20 Championships in Cali, Colombia on Friday.
The quartet of Serena Cole, Tia Clayton, Kerrica Hill, and under-20 100m world champion Tina Clayton took apart the field to stop the clock at 42.59. The mark improved on the previous record of 42.94, which was also set by a Jamaican quartet at the World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya last August.
The mark was also just outside of the 42.58 clocking set at the Carifta Games earlier this year, by Cole, Tina and Tia Clayton as well as Brianna Lyston, which was eventually rejected by World Athletics because one of the members of the team, Tina Clayton, was not drug tested at the completion of the race, due to a procedural issue.
The United States were a distant second in the event but also set a new national record after clocking 43.28. The USA was represented by Jayla Jamison, Autumn Wilson, Iyana Gray, and Shawnti Jackson. The home team quartet of Maria Alejandra, Marlet Ospino, Melany Bolaño and Laura Martínez took bronze in 44.59.
In the men's equivalent the Jamaican quartet of Bouwahjgie Nkrumie, Bryan Levell, Mark-Anthony Daley, and Adrian Kerr crossed the line in third position behind South Africa and Japan but were upgraded to silver following the disqualification of South Africa.
A poor second round from John Huh opened the door at the Wyndham Championship, with Brandon Wu, Kim Joo-hyung and Ryan Moore capitalising to claim a share of the lead at nine under heading into the weekend.
Huh was two strokes clear after his opening round nine-under 61, but he was 10 shots worse on his second trip around Sedgefield Country Club, shooting a one-over 71 to sit one off the lead.
Of the three leaders, Kim had the best round with his 64, posting seven birdies and one bogey, with Moore shooting a 66, and Wu getting around in 67. All three posted top-five putting days according to Data Golf's strokes gained stats, with Kim leading the field (4.61 strokes gained), Moore third (3.31) and Wu fifth (3.06).
One stroke off the lead along with Huh is American Russell Henley and South Korea's Im Sung-jae, with India's Anirban Lahiri part of the next group at seven under.
Japan's Satoshi Kodaira and Australia's Brett Drewitt are in the group tied for 10th at six under, England's Tyrrell Hatton is at five under, and Sweden's Henrik Norlander rode the second-best putting performance of the day to reach the weekend at four under.
Will Zalatoris responded to a poor opening round with a 66 to sneak one stroke inside the cut-line, Adam Scott and Michael Gligic are right on the cut-line at two under, and pre-tournament favourites Shane Lowry and Corey Conners missed out by one stroke.
Jamaica’s Briana Lyston continued the country’s dominance of the women’s sprint events after claiming the 200m title at the World Athletics U20 Championships, in Cali, Colombia on Friday.
After heading into the final as a heavy favourite, the inclement weather did very little to slow the young Jamaican speedster as she pulled away from the field to take the title with a time of 22.65.
America’s Jayla Jamison chased the Jamaican to the line, to finish second in 22.77, a new personal best. Another Jamaican Alana Reid also clocked a personal best of 22.95 to take the bronze medal.
The Jamaicans also managed to add to their tally in the field, as high jumper Brandon Pottinger held his nerve to take the gold medal with a leap of 2.14m. Following a break in the competition due to a steady downpour, the Jamaican was the only athlete of six to clear the height. Brian Raats of South Africa and Bulgaria’s Bozhidar Sarâboyukov shared the silver medal with a mark of 2.10m.
Thomas Tuchel says "nobody wants to touch the number nine" at Chelsea, joking that the shirt is "cursed".
The Blues begin the 2022-23 season with the number vacant following Romelu Lukaku's return to Inter just a year after he moved back to Stamford Bridge in a record transfer.
Lukaku did not reach the heights expected of him and joined a long list of players who have struggled to deliver for Chelsea while wearing the number nine shirt.
That jersey previously belonged to Mateja Kezman, Fernando Torres, Radamel Falcao, Alvaro Morata and Gonzalo Higuain.
Given the history, Chelsea have found suitors for the number hard to come by, and Tuchel said: "It's cursed, it's cursed, people tell me it's cursed!
"It's not the case that we leave it open for tactical reasons, or for some players in the pipeline that come in and naturally take it.
"There was not a big demand for number nine, when like players sometimes want to change numbers. But, surprisingly, nobody wants to touch it.
"Everyone who [has been here] longer than me at the club tells me, 'ah, you know, like he had the nine and he did not score, and he had the nine and he did also not score'.
"So, now, we have a moment where nobody wants to touch the number nine."
Raheem Sterling is the sole attacking player Chelsea have signed so far in this transfer window, but he will don the number 17 favoured by fellow wingers Eden Hazard and Pedro.
Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw has landed on the injured list, one day after he left his start at San Francisco with lower-back pain.
Kershaw, who missed a month earlier this season with inflammation in a pelvic joint, has spent time on the injured list for back-related issues in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020.
He walked off the mound after throwing a few warmup pitches before the bottom of the fifth inning in Thursday’s 5-3 win over the Giants.
"I just felt something kind of lock up there in the fifth and couldn’t really throw after that. Something in my back again," Kershaw said. "Just more back stuff."
The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner and nine-time All-Star is 7-3 with a 2.64 ERA in 15 starts with 88 strikeouts in 85 1/3 innings this season.
Manchester United great Gary Neville is "a little bit disappointed" with Cristiano Ronaldo and the ongoing saga surrounding his future.
Ronaldo is widely reported to be seeking an exit from Old Trafford before the close of the transfer window on September 1, due to his desire to continue playing in the Champions League.
That has put new United boss Erik ten Hag in a difficult position, with Friday's news conference ahead of their Premier League opener against Brighton and Hove Albion dominated by questions on the future of his number seven.
Neville said earlier this week United should allow Ronaldo to leave and has now followed up those comments by urging the 37-year-old to come out publicly to make his feelings clear.
"I'm a little bit disappointed in him," Neville said on Sky Sports. "He's letting the manager go into those press conferences...
"Cristiano now is at a good age, he's been the best player in the world along with [Lionel] Messi in the last 10 years, he's got all that experience in the world.
"Would it be too much to ask for him to come out and do an interview to clear things up, tell us what he's actually thinking and what is actually happening? Would that be too much to ask?
"Is he just not going to do an interview in the next few weeks? Obviously, we're going to ask for him, is he going to come out, stand up, do the interview and not let everybody else have to answer the questions for him?
"I think that would be something that would be a start. I am disappointed, because it's the clarity that we haven't got, and the reason Erik ten Hag has been a little bit jumpy in his press conference is because he's been asked difficult questions, and he's probably not even telling us the truth of it, because he can't.
"The reality of it is if a Champions League clubs comes in for Cristiano Ronaldo in the next two weeks, I think we know that he wants to take that move, it's emerged over the last few weeks. But at the moment, no one has come in for him.
"That's why the club is saying at this moment in time that they want him to stay, but I think if somebody came in, he would go.
"Should Manchester United be waiting until the final two weeks of the transfer window to see as to whether the star centre-forward leaves? I don't think they should be in that position. Do they just say no, you're staying, come what may? That would be clarity.
"But then there's a big risk that Ronaldo in a few weeks' time throws his toys out of the pram, says he's leaving. It's the sort of thing that could happen, and that's why I think it's a little bit unpalatable."
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta hailed the performance of debutants William Saliba and Gabriel Jesus in the Gunners' 2-0 win over Crystal Palace.
While Jesus was a thorn in the side of the Eagles' defence with a threatening display, particularly in the first half, at the other end Saliba put in a commanding defensive display – having waited three years for his debut.
Saliba's dominant showing saw the 21-year-old register a team-high seven clearances and win possession seven times, behind only Thomas Partey (eight).
Speaking after the game, Arteta discussed the merits of a partnership with Gabriel Magalhaes.
"You need the right balance," the manager told Sky Sports.
"Physicality in this league is something that you cannot come short, because if you do, you're going to be exposed, and you're going to have to be able to deal with certain games and certain opponents, which demand so much in those aspects.
"The two, for their age, they're really well built, and they give us a different edge, the same with Ben [White].
"That's the resilience we need to win football matches and to see football matches through. We had some moments; you need your goalkeeper because, to be honest, they had the biggest chance in the game, the one against one, and Aaron [Ramsdale] did incredibly well."
Although Jesus was not on the scoresheet for Arsenal, his intent was evident from the start as he put the Palace defence under pressure and contested a team-high 21 duels.
"The fear factor," Arteta said, describing the forward's impact. "He's always on your shoulder, he's always had that ability, the intuition to get the ball off you, and he's never standing still.
"He's always on the move, he's always ready to act, and he's so sharp. For the defenders, it's difficult to play against him."
As well as Jesus, Arsenal have added Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fabio Vieira, Matt Turner and Marquinhos, but Arteta – who celebrated his 50th league win as Gunners boss – is still on the lookout for further additions before the transfer window shuts on September 1.
"We are going to try," he said. "There are a few things that we have planned, and if we can do them, it would be great.
"But now we'll work with the players we have. We're into the season already, and the focus should be on the players we have, to get the best out of them."
Chun In-gee heads into the weekend with the lead at the Women's Open after a super round of 66 propelled her to the top of the leaderboard ahead of Ashleigh Buhai and Madelene Sagstrom who finished day two seven under.
Hinako Shibuno had led overnight but struggled on day two, plummeting down the standings after carding a two-over 73, now one of three players to sit four under par in a tie for seventh.
Chun was out in front at eight under following her 66, even if Buhai was perhaps the star of the day.
Her 65 included an eagle at the fifth, and she could even have been better placed, sitting a stroke back after failing to putt from 10 feet at the 17th and then finishing with a bogey at the last.
Buhai was alongside Sagstrom, who also shot a six-under round after eight birdies.
Jessica Korda, second overnight, saw her charge stumble with four consecutive bogeys on the back nine that saw her finish three over for the day, now two under for the week.
The cut was set at three over, and Anna Nordqvist became the third consecutive defending Women's Open champion to miss the cut after finishing at four over.
World number one Ko Jin-young also departed at the halfway stage, failing to recover from her opening 76 with an even-par round on day two.
Mohamed Salah is ready to light up the Premier League again after committing his long-term future to Liverpool, claims Jurgen Klopp.
Last season's Golden Boot joint-winner, who shared the prize with Tottenham's Son Heung-min, signed a three-year contract last month to calm fears he could quit Anfield.
Salah's previous deal was due to expire at the end of the 2022-23 season, when he would have been able to walk away as a free agent.
Now that Liverpool have him tied down to fresh terms, the player and club can focus on chasing more trophies, having lifted the FA Cup and EFL Cup last term.
"Knowing where he will be for the next important years of his career – I wouldn't say for the rest of his career because he can play much longer – that gave all of us a boost, him as well," Klopp said.
"It's much better than if there was any contract [to resolve] next summer."
Thirty-year-old Salah's new deal served as a pick-me-up for a club who were pipped at the post for the Premier League and Champions League titles in late May, dashing hopes of an unprecedented quadruple.
There is likely to be at least one new challenger for the league's top scorer prize in the new season, with Erling Haaland having arrived at Manchester City after racking up 86 goals in 89 games for Borussia Dortmund.
Liverpool's new recruit Darwin Nunez may also have an eye on the honour, but Klopp suspects Salah will only be interested in the Golden Boot when the season nears an end.
"People are motivated by different things and i think Mo's biggest motivation is to win football games and to score," Klopp said.
"I don't think he looks about other players and how many they've scored. That may be in May when he has hopefully 34 or 35 and the other two have 32. Then maybe, but before that I can't see that."
Klopp has no doubt Salah would have been motivated to perform even if he had just months left to run on his Anfield deal, but the Liverpool manager accepts there would have been incessant talk about such a scenario.
"Mo would have been the same person, I'm 100 per cent sure he could have pushed that aside as long as he was only with us," Klopp said. "But the world does not stop asking, and that's a problem we are constantly facing.
"It helps, it's much better to know as much as possible, even about the season after."
Salah could match a record in their opening game of the season, with Liverpool tackling Fulham on Saturday.
He has scored in Liverpool's first Premier League game in each of the past five seasons and has seven matchday-one goals to his name, meaning he stands one short of a competition record that is held jointly by Alan Shearer, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney, who managed eight each.
The former England trio are three of the Premier League's all-time goalscoring greats, with Shearer's 260 strikes putting him top of the pile. Rooney (208) and Lampard (177) sit second and sixth on the Premier League era goals list.
Salah has scored 118 Premier League goals in 180 outings for Liverpool, putting him 10 away from matching Robbie Fowler's club record in the competition.
Harry Kane is "very happy" heading into the new season at Tottenham, according to head coach Antonio Conte, who is pushing for the club to achieve "something incredible".
Spurs rallied from a slow start to the 2021-22 season to secure a top-four finish and a return to the Champions League, having replaced Nuno Espirito Santo with Conte in November.
Kane entered last season with his future shrouded in speculation amid interest from Manchester City, and he scored just once under Nuno in the Premier League before the coach was axed.
Better form from the England captain followed under Conte as he netted 16 league goals across the remainder of the campaign – including five in the final five matches of the season as Tottenham pipped rivals Arsenal to fourth place.
With Kane far more settled ahead of the 2022-23 campaign, Conte believes his star striker is in a good mindset.
"Harry is very happy," the coach said. "I see him very happy and totally involved in this process and the club. I like to see him this way with this desire and this will.
"He's the first player that's understanding that we're moving in the right direction. I'd like to have the best satisfaction with my players. "
"We need to be ambitious. We have to give 120 per cent of our capacity, we need to try and do something important for the club, but target to be better than last season."
Conte is targeting success with Spurs but recognises he has to "be realistic" while understanding the excitement of the supporters.
"For sure I'm excited because I'm living this time with joy. We are going in the right way," he added.
"We have just started a path, that if we are good to follow, we can reach an important level in the future. But I can't talk about winning the Champions League, Premier League, it would be arrogant. I feel that we have started a good path.
"I'm a dreamer for sure, but I have to be realistic. If you are a dreamer and work hard then it can bring you something incredible.
"But you have to know the reality. It's good for our fans to be excited."
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