Jannik Sinner found it "mentally tough" to come from behind and defeat Roman Safiullin at the China Open.

Sinner forged a second straight comeback to prevail 3-6 6-2 6-3 on Saturday.

The world number one, who equalled Alexander Zverev by picking up his 57th win of 2024, ensured he kept up his run of reaching at least the quarter-finals in every ATP Tour-level tournament he has reached this season.

But he certainly did not find it easy against the world number 69.

"A tough match. He’s an incredible player and we always have tough battles," said Sinner. 

"This was our third encounter, so we know each other a bit. He returns very well, and he was serving well at important moments. So I tried to keep up mentally, which today was very tough.

"Especially on these kinds of days, when maybe you don’t feel at your 100%, to find a way through means so much to me.

"He's an incredible player, so I knew I had to raise my level when it counted."

While Sinner was on court, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced it would be appealing against the decision to clear the Italian of blame after he twice tested positive for a banned substance.

WADA claimed last month's ruling, which was made by an independent tribunal, which found Sinner had no case to answer was "not correct", and the organisation has now appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), seeking a ban of between one and two years for the 23-year-old.

Sinner "Obviously I'm very disappointed and also surprised of this appeal because we had three hearings. All three hearings came out very positively for me.

"I knew it a couple of days ago, that they were going to appeal, that today it's going to go official."

Prabath Jayasuriya and Nishan Peiris starred in the field as New Zealand's middle order collapsed, keeping Sri Lanka in control on day three of their second Test.

The tourists struggled in the morning and despite a bright start to their second innings later on, they struggled to put Sri Lanka under pressure.

New Zealand resumed at 22-2 in their first innings in the first session, but Jayasuriya (6-42) did not let them find any momentum. Kane Williamson was dismissed for seven runs before the rest of their middle order toppled for 47, leaving them with 88 runs.

Such was Sri Lanka's dominance in their first innings, finishing on 602-5 and leading by 514 runs, New Zealand picked up the bat once again for the second session.

Tom Latham was dismissed for a duck by Peiris (3-91), but Devon Conway (61) and Williamson (46) restored some pride before the wickets started to fall once more.

Tom Blundell (47 not out) and Glenn Phillips (32 not out) steadied the ship before poor light and then heavy rain cut the play short. They will resume at the crease on Sunday at 199-5. 

Data Debrief: A tale of two partnerships

Sri Lanka's batters did most of the heavy lifting, but their bowlers also stepped up as they took 13 wickets on Saturday.

Debutant Peiris took six of those overall, three in each session, while Jayasuriya got seven with his hard work done by lunch.

New Zealand's tally of 88 is their lowest all-out score against Sri Lanka, with Conway and Williamson's partnership stand of 97 bettering the team's first-innings score. 

Brazil head coach Dorival Junior called for Neymar to be given as much time as he needs to make a full recovery from a knee injury before returning to the national side. 

Neymar ruptured his meniscus and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) while on international duty last October in a 2-0 defeat to Uruguay, missing the Copa America as a result.

The 32-year-old underwent surgery and returned to training with Al-Hilal in July, but he is yet to make his comeback, with head coach Jorge Jesus saying this week the Brazilian was not ready. 

Neymar is Brazil's all-time top scorer with 79 goals in 128 appearances and is 15 caps shy of breaking Cafu's record for the most outings for the Selecao. 

But the forward is again missing from the Brazil squad for their 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Peru next month, with Dorival saying he will wait until the right moment to welcome Neymar back into the fold. 

"We'll wait, we'll be patient, it doesn't matter if he can't come back in October, November or even February," Dorival said. 

"He needs to be confident, he needs to play and above all he needs to be completely healed from this injury.

"We are starting to realise how important he is.

"If he returns in the coming years, we will have one of the greatest players in world football at a remarkable moment in his career and in our national team."

Dorival recalled Barcelona winger Raphinha and Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli for their upcoming fixtures next month. 

Real Madrid trio Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Endrick were the other attacking options included for the five-time world champions.

Brazil have 10 points from eight qualifiers after losing four of their last five matches, leaving them fifth and just one point above Paraguay, who occupy the play-off spot.

Pep Guardiola said Manchester City had been "provoked" into a "war" with Arsenal after the two sides drew 2-2 at the Etihad Stadium in a drama-filled clash.

City players John Stones and Kyle Walker suggested the Gunners used the "dark arts" as they sought to defend a 2-1 lead in the second half with 10 men.

Mikel Arteta's men had just one shot and 12.4% possession following the break, after Leandro Trossard had been sent off just before half-time.

While Stones salvaged a point with a late equaliser, Arsenal’s defensive approach led Guardiola to call into question what had previously been a cordial relationship with former protegee Arteta.

"Gabriel [Magalhaes] said it perfectly in the press after the match, so this is a war. We have to provoke the opponent, to push them, and at the end, what can you do? You provoke me, OK, I'm there," the City boss told the media.

"You want a war? Now we war."

Last Sunday's result means City have failed to beat Arsenal in their last four meetings in all competitions.

Arsenal had overturned a 1-0 deficit in the first half after an early Erling Haaland goal to lead 2-1 through Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel.

When asked about accusations of the "dark arts", Arteta reflected the claims back on his opponents in reference to the time he spent at City as Guardiola's assistant.

"I was there for four years. I have all the information, so I know, believe me," the Spaniard jibed.

The City boss responded: "Next time Mikel has to be more clear about exactly what he means.

"He said he was here four years and knows exactly what happened here. That can be related to the process now with 115 charges, maybe he knows information about that? Or maybe he had something like, I don't know?

"Hopefully, this question has been asked, and he can answer exactly what he means."

Arteta is still hugely respectful of his former mentor.

"I love him, I respect him, and I admire him. I admire his team and everything that he does," added Arteta.

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson has suggested that the form and ability of compatriot and Manchester City stopper Ederson pushes him to be better on the field.

Since making his Premier League debut in August 2018, the Brazilian has prevented more league goals than any other goalkeeper according to Opta's goals prevented metric.

He has also kept 89 clean sheets, with only Ederson (97) managing more in the same period.

"Ederson is a fantastic guy and in the national team, we have a really good relationship," said the 31-year-old, during an interview for BBC's Football Focus.

"I really like his composure… When I look at him, I can see that this is the way that I have to play. I have to be cooler with the ball at my feet even when I am under pressure.

"I think in a way we push each other because I see him doing well, and I know I have to do better.

"It's healthy competition, we push each other, and it's the best for the national team."

Since joining Liverpool from Roma in 2018, Alisson has won the Premier League, FA Cup, EFL Cup, Champions League and Club World Cup, along with the 2019 Copa America with Brazil.

But he insists that while he has enjoyed the success he has achieved, they are not his main source of drive.

"My main motivation is not the prizes… my motivations come from inside," he added.

"My faith in God makes me work hard and better. I really believe that everything I do is a way to praise God.

"Winning trophies and awards makes me happy, but my motivation comes from inside, my family."

Alisson and Liverpool are aiming to emulate some of the success achieved by former manager Jurgen Klopp, who signed him, under the leadership of his replacement Arne Slot.

Slot has made a bright start to life at Anfield, winning six matches out of seven in all competitions, while they currently occupy second in the Premier League, one point behind leaders Man City.

The new ideas brought in by the Dutchman have been warmly embraced by the Liverpool players, according to Alisson.

"We were great before, but Arne is bringing us a new energy and knowledge," he said.

"He is a really smart manager, and he is helping us a lot. You can see from how we are playing now.

"We are committed to the plan and can see it is a good plan. We still have a lot to improve, but we are [going] in the right direction. We have a big gap to reach for our best, but we are doing well so far."

Following the departure of senior players such as Jordan Henderson and James Milner in recent seasons, Alisson is now one of the oldest and most experienced players within the Liverpool squad.

That has seen him take on more leadership responsibilities alongside other established players, having rejected a move to Saudi Arabia in the summer.

"I am committed to this club 100% and that involves being part of the leadership group," he said.

"We have a lot of young players coming in, new players coming in, old players going out, there is a completely new staff.

"The challenge for us was to keep the good things, pass these onto the staff and the players coming in, and embrace the good stuff that the new staff are bringing.

"It was a big challenge for this leadership group and I really believe we are doing quite well. We are sharing the responsibility and telling young players they need to step up as well.

"This club is special and the people who work here are special."

There was no play on day two of India's second Test against Bangladesh, as stop-start rain saw the ground remain under covers on Saturday.

Though the weather let up at mid-morning in Kanpur, heavy rain overnight did most of the damage and the umpires eventually called it off at 2pm local time.

Things were only slightly better on day one, as a combination of heavy rain and poor light allowed just 35 overs.

India had opted to bowl and dismissed three in the play that was possible on Friday. Bangladesh stand at 107-3, with Mominul Haque (40 not out) and Mushfiqur Rahim (6 not out) now set to resume at the crease on Sunday.

Aryna Sabalenka moved to within two wins of equalling the best winning run of her career after crushing qualifier Mananchaya Sawangkaew at the China Open.

In her first appearance since her US Open triumph, the top seed overcame a slow start in Beijing to win 6-4 6-1 in an hour and 16 minutes against her Thai opponent. 

Sawangkaew did not make life easy for the Belarusian in the opener, breaking back to level the contest heading into the ninth game before Sabalenka took control. 

The world number two then clicked into gear, winning five games in a row in the second set to roar to a 13th straight victory, though she acknowledged the difficulties she faced on Saturday.

"She's playing great tennis. The first set she played incredible tennis. It was really difficult playing against her," Sabalenka said. 

"Especially on this surface in these conditions. I'm happy I was able to manage that set. In the second set, everything started coming together.

"Thank you so much for the support. It’s really amazing to be back here. I'm happy with this win."

Sabalenka will face Ashlyn Krueger in the next round after the American beat Wimbledon quarter-finalist Lulu Sun in straight sets. 

Data Debrief: Sabalenka continues China love story

Sabalenka has won 18 of her first 21 matches in WTA-1000 tournaments in China, the most of any player since the format's introduction in 2009.

Since Tianjin 2017, when she made her debut at a tournament in China, no women's player has won more matches at WTA events in this country than Sabalenka (38).

Borussia Dortmund staged a convincing 4-2 comeback win over Bochum on Friday, but Nuri Sahin was left frustrated by his side's defensive display.

The Black and Yellow suffered a shock 5-1 defeat at the hands of Stuttgart in their previous Bundesliga game, and got off to a poor start against Bochum, finding themselves 2-0 down after just 21 minutes.

However, a brace from Serhou Guirassy, along with goals from Emre Can and Felix Nmecha, completed the turnaround in a dominant display.

"The supposed scenario of a 3-0, which could have happened, was simply because we defended very, very badly. It was very, very poor defending," Sahin told a press conference.

"We have to develop in this area and defending in depth is always a huge topic. I hope that we improve as quickly as possible, because there's no other way."

Guirassy was the standout performer for Dortmund on Friday with his two goals, as he also had the most shots (six), shots on target (three) and the highest expected goals (1.22). He also had the joint-most touches in the opposition box (nine, level with Jamie Gittens). 

Since returning to the Bundesliga in September 2022, Guirassy has scored 42 goals in the top-flight (53 appearances), with no player scoring more in the competition since then.

"We are all very happy that he [Guirassy] is with us. And I'm not just happy that he scores goals, but also how he presents himself," Sahin added.

"I've said that before. And I thought he was also one of those who was clear-headed at half-time.

"That's why we brought him in so that he can help lead here, so that he's not just on the pitch but also off it."

Dortmund are temporarily second in the Bundesliga on 10 points, two behind leaders Bayern Munich. They host Celtic in the Champions League on Tuesday before travelling to Union Berlin in the Bundesliga four days later.

Jannik Sinner came from a set down once again to reach the quarter-finals of the China Open, beating Roman Safiullin in three sets on Saturday. 

After coming from behind in the last round against Nicolas Jarry, the Italian showed his powers of recovery once more, emerging a 3-6 6-2 6-3 victor in just over two hours. 

The world number one immediately found himself on the back foot, with Safiullin breaking his opening service game before grasping the early advantage with both hands. 

But as he did against Jarry, Sinner responded emphatically in the second, serving three of his four aces during the contest, including two love games, to send the encounter to a decider. 

From then on, the Italian never looked back. An early break set the tone, and despite missing one match point, the world number one booked his place in the last eight at the second time of asking against his plucky opponent. 

Sinner's next assignment will be Jiri Lehecka, who overcame qualifier Roberto Bautista Agut in three sets. 

Data Debrief: Comeback King

Sinner is now 9-2 on the ATP Tour in 2024 after losing the first set, with one loss coming in Monte Carlo to Stefanos Tsitsipas, who went on to win the tournament, and the other against Andrey Rublev in Montreal. 

But the Italian was far from his free-flowing best. He served up three double faults compared to Safiullin's two but did convert four of the break points he was presented with.

New Zealand staged an impressive first-half comeback before sweeping Australia aside 33-13 to secure a sweep in the Bledisloe Cup.

The teams traded blows in the first half, but the All Blacks soon found their groove after the break, as the Wallabies failed to find a way back into the contest.

Australia made a slow start last week, but they came out flying in Wellington with Fraser McReight getting an early try after seven minutes.

Anton Lienert-Brown soon crossed to get the All Blacks up and running, but Scott Barrett's missed conversion meant they could not draw level.

Noah Lolesio's two penalties on either side of Tupou Vaa'i's try kept Australia in control, at least until the stroke of half-time.

Caleb Clarke exploited a gap to cross under the posts, and Barrett kept his cool, adding the extras after the half-time siren to send New Zealand into the break 19-13 up.

Australia had no answers after that, with Tamaiti Williams and Clarke extending New Zealand's advantage as the Wallabies' fight fizzled out. 

Data Debrief: New Zealand take Wellington by storm

Despite their shaky start, New Zealand were able to continue their impressive run against Australia in Wellington. They have now gone six games (W5 D1) without defeat against Australia in the capital, having won only one of the five meetings before that (L4).

The All Blacks have also won their last nine in a row against the Wallabies, but bettered their previous two victories in which they only won by a three-point margin. 

It has been a sorry Rugby Championship for Australia, meanwhile, winning just one of their six matches, giving up 213 points and scoring just 107.

Paris Saint-Germain head coach Luis Enrique is relishing his side's Champions League tie with Arsenal next week after brushing aside Rennes on Friday. 

The Parisiens maintained their unbeaten start to the Ligue 1 season, with Bradley Barcola's brace and Lee Kang-In's header sealing the victory. 

PSG are now unbeaten in their first six matches of a league season for the third time in the last four campaigns (L1 in 2023-24), as many as in the previous six.

Luis Enrique's side have also scored at least three goals in five of their six Ligue 1 matches, two more than any other team in the top five European leagues. 

But the Parisiens' next assignment sees them travel to the Emirates next Tuesday to face Arsenal, having edged past Girona in their Champions League opener. 

The French side have played more games against the Gunners without winning (four) than against any other opponent in European competition. Still, Luis Enrique is confident his side can remain perfect in the competition. 

“It was a very complete match from the beginning, we had a lot of chances. We scored three goals, but we could have scored more," Luis Enrique told BeIN Sports.

"The Champions League? We are going to play against another favourite (in Arsenal), it will be a stimulating match, we will prepare ourselves.”

While Barcola's impressive display grabbed the headlines on Friday, Luis Enrique showered praise on striker Kang-In. 

The South Korean netted his third league goal of the season against Rennes, but the PSG head coach was also impressed with his defensive display. 

Kang-In created more chances (seven) than any other player for the hosts, while also winning seven duels, a total only bettered by Joao Neves (eight) for PSG. 

"He was in the right place to score the goal as a clever striker," Luis Enrique added.

"I really liked his performance, he gave us consistency, he held the ball up when we needed him to. 

"He is very intelligent with his pressing, he wins back a lot of balls and recovers well.

"I thought he was superb tonight, it’s a pleasure to have players with that level and mentality."

The Parisiens did, however, concede another goal in the league, with Arnaud Kalimuendo's late penalty proving to be a consolation for the visitors. 

PSG have managed just one clean sheet from their opening six Ligue 1 matches, but Luis Enrique insisted he was not concerned by his side's defending. 

"Football is not being fair to us," Luis Enrique concluded.

"Our opponents are creating very few chances against us, far fewer than last season, and they get there (to set pieces) and they score.

"They scored from a penalty today. We're not perfect and never will be."

Paulo Fonseca praised Milan for their convincing 3-0 win over Lecce but is still hoping for improvements as they prepare for a return to the Champions League.

The Serie A win was secured with three quick-fire goals before the break, with Alvaro Morata, Theo Hernandez and Christian Pulisic all scoring during a five-minute spell. 

After a slow start to life in Milan, things look to be clicking into place under Fonseca, as the team had 15 shots, six of which were on target, and finished strong despite Davide Bartesaghi's late red card.

They secured a hard-fought 2-1 win over Inter last weekend, and have now won each of their last three Serie A matches for the first time since April.

"Today it was too important to win, after the derby there is always a state of euphoria," Fonseca told DAZN.

"The players played a serious match, it wasn't all perfect, but we had good moments and chances, and we didn't concede goals, which is always important.

"This team has to learn to play this type of game, our positional play has to be different.

"During the break, we talked about many details that need to be improved. We have to wait for the right moment, understand where the space is. It's important to improve this, the team has to learn to play like this... In the second half, we did better."

Fonseca chose to start with Tammy Abraham and Morata up front, with the latter scoring his second goal for the team.

"It was both a tactical [choice] and for their aggressiveness," Fonseca said.

"Morata's characteristics allow me to have him play this role of attacking midfielder, between the lines. With a forward like [Erling] Haaland you couldn't do it.

"Then I really like the energy they both bring, it's contagious for the team. Now I also see [Rafael] Leao working harder, also because he follows their example."

Milan travel to German champions Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday after opening the tournament with a 3-1 home defeat to Liverpool earlier this month.

"We immediately found the two teams that play better at the moment in Europe," Fonseca added.

"First Liverpool, now Leverkusen, who are the same as last year [or] maybe even better. We know it will be difficult."

The red-hot Detroit Tigers earned an AL wild card berth on Friday night, ending a decade-long postseason drought with a 4-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

The Tigers have been on a tear, winning six straight and 10 of 11 to surge into the playoffs and eliminate the defending AL Central champion Minnesota Twins from the race.

Since Aug. 11, when Detroit was eight games under .500 and counted out of contention, it has been the hottest team in the majors with 31 wins in 42 games with the lowest ERA in baseball and the largest run differential.

The Tigers will play AL Central champion Houston or Baltimore next week in a best-of-three Wild Card Series, most likely on the road.

The White Sox, meanwhile, set a modern major league record with their 121st loss. They broke the post-1900 record of 120 losses set by the New York Mets in 1962 during their first season. The overall record was set in 1899 by the Cleveland Spiders with a 20-134 record.

Taking advantage of playing a historically bad team, Detroit broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning. Jake Rogers scored when Jared Shuster was charged with a wild pitch even though the ball didn’t hit the dirt just below catcher Korey Lee’s glove.

Riley Greene put Detroit ahead 3-1 with a double in the seventh, and Chicago helped the home team’s cause again later in the inning when Fraser Ellard threw the team’s third wild pitch of the night.

Royals clinch playoff berth despite loss

Max Fried pitched three-hit ball over 8 2/3 innings to lead the Atlanta Braves to a 3-0 victory over Kansas City, but the Royals still got a chance to celebrate their first postseason berth since 2015.

Sean Murphy hit a two-run homer and Marcell Ozuna trotted home on a throwing error after his first stolen base since 2022 for the Braves, who won their fourth straight and sixth in seven games.

Atlanta moved into a tie with the Mets in the NL wild-card race when New York lost 8-4 at Milwaukee.

Despite the loss, the Royals, who matched a franchise record with 106 losses last season, clinched a wild card when Baltimore beat Minnesota 7-2. This is their first playoff appearance since winning the 2015 World Series.

Fried came within one out of a shutout, giving way to Raisel Iglesias when the Royals put runners at second and third. Iglesias retired Salvador Perez on a flyout for his 33rd save.

Fried threw 98 pitches, 63 for strikes. He walked two and struck out nine.

Padres beat Diamondbacks to secure top wild card

Luis Arraez hit two doubles and a triple, Yu Darvish pitched 5 1/3 gritty innings and the San Diego Padres used a four-run first inning to beat the sliding Arizona Diamondbacks 5-3.

The Padres secured the No. 4 spot in the National League bracket, meaning they'll host a best-of-three Wild Card Series next week in San Diego.

As for the Diamondbacks (88-72), they sit just behind the Mets (87-71) and Braves (87-71) in a tight race for the final two NL wild cards. The D-backs - who have lost four of five - have a slightly lower winning percentage.

Atlanta and New York have played two fewer games because Hurricane Helene washed out two games of their crucial series earlier this week. The teams would play a doubleheader Monday in Atlanta if playoff positioning is still undecided.

The Mets and Braves hold tiebreakers over the Diamondbacks should they finish with the same record. Arizona lost the season series to both teams.

The Padres never trailed, jumping to a 4-0 lead in the first inning after Merrill Kelly gave up four hits, one walk and a hit by pitch.