The hype around Serena Williams' potential swansong tournament is "the biggest thing I've ever seen in women's tennis", says Torben Beltz, the coach of her next opponent Anett Kontaveit.

Williams has announced she is soon to retire, and the US Open is widely expected to be her final tournament.

The 23-time grand slam champion came through in straight sets in her first-round match against Danka Kovinic to set up a tough meeting with world number two Kontaveit on Wednesday.

Beltz wanted to watch Williams' opening match but could not do so after Arthur Ashe Stadium sold out, with reports of tickets on the secondary market on sale for around $1,000.

And Beltz says he has not seen anything like it, telling the New York Times: "I couldn't get a ticket. 

"This is the biggest thing I've ever seen in women's tennis. I think it's the greatest thing for the sport, and we all have to thank Serena for all she did. Especially right now with the end coming."

While Beltz's charge Kontaveit is favourite for the second-round match, the Estonian's coach knows it will be a tough match against the six-time US Open champion.

"I think her ball speed, serve and return is really up to her prime time," Beltz added.

"I saw her other matches, and it looks like she's improved over the last couple of weeks. She looks in better shape and looks good now.

"For Anett, I think the key is to just go out and try to play her best tennis but also enjoy the moment. It's going to be a big challenge, a great challenge, but I think she wants that challenge and wants to embrace it."

Rafael Nadal was "super happy" to be back on the court after injury, coming from a set down to beat Rinky Hijikata in the first round of the US Open.

Hijikata raced out to a one-set lead against the 22-time grand slam champion to give him hopes of a major upset.

But the 36-year-old Nadal romped back to win the next three sets and secure safe passage into the next round 4-6 6-2 6-3 6-3.

Although Nadal has won the Australian Open and French Open titles this season, he has also suffered with injuries, withdrawing from his Wimbledon semi-final against Nick Kyrgios with an abdominal problem.

That issue meant he had played just once – in defeat to Borna Coric at the Cincinnati Masters – between the previous major at the All England Club and Tuesday's match at Flushing Meadows.

The lay-off prompted doubts in Nadal's mind, and he was therefore relieved to be back in action.

"It's been a long wait," said Nadal in his on-court interview after the match.

"For some time, I thought I may not be able to be back, so I am super happy. I just have to be humble and accept the process, day after day in practices and matches, and stay positive.

"I think I started not that bad the first couple of games, but then I had some opportunities that I was not able to make.

"I think I didn't play a good game with my serve. Then he had the break. Then I was a little bit nervous. First match here in New York after three years, a night session, it's always exciting. Yeah, I went through this tough moment.

"It's always the same story: things are not perfect when you are not competing very often, when you come back from injury. I am able to play again in two days, and I hope to play better."

Colin de Grandhomme has announced his retirement from international cricket.

The New Zealand all-rounder played 29 Tests, 45 ODIs and 41 T20Is over a 10-year career.

De Grandhomme averaged 38.7 in the longest format, including two centuries, as well as taking 49 wickets.

However, at 36, he has decided "this is the right time to finish" and agreed a release from his central contract with the Black Caps.

"I accept that I am not getting any younger and that the training is getting harder, particularly with the injuries," De Grandhomme said in a statement.

"I also have a growing family and am trying to understand what my future looks like post-cricket. All of this has been on my mind over the past few weeks.

"I've been fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to play for the Black Caps since debuting in 2012, and I'm proud of my international career – but I feel this is the right time to finish."

Paulo Dybala's fine performances for Roma are good news for Argentina with the 2022 World Cup on the horizon, according to Jose Mourinho.

Two goals from Dybala against Monza on Tuesday – his first for Roma – fired the Giallorossi to the top of the Serie A table with a 3-0 win.

The forward, signed from Juventus in this transfer window, had not scored more than once in a Serie A match since April 2018.

But this brace took Dybala to 100 goals in the competition for his career; he is only the eighth player since 2004-05 to pass 100 goals and 50 assists.

Roma coach Mourinho is working to ensure Dybala remains in top condition, having started all four matches so far this season but been substituted in each of them.

Dybala never started 30 league games in a single season for Juve, too often beset by injury problems that also impacted his international career.

In this form, Dybala will have a key role for Argentina in Qatar in November, so Mourinho is expecting gratitude from Albiceleste coach Lionel Scaloni.

"In the other games, he couldn't quite pull off the things he wanted to at times, but he never showed the wrong attitude," Mourinho said of Dybala after the Monza game. "Great.

"For me, there can be times when a talented player helps his side but he's also a bit isolated from it.

"But with us, Paulo is a great talent who also plays for and with the team. Right now, when it comes to the defensive side of the game, he's doing a great job for us – and that's not something that he was born to do.

"When he came off today, he said to me: 'Boss, if I carried on I would have got my third.' I told him: 'Get it against Udinese instead!'

"It's important to manage him a bit, because he has had a bit of bad luck with injuries in the past and he did not play a huge amount last season. Right now, his levels are improving.

"For us, he’s great, and I can already see what is going to happen in Qatar. Maybe the Argentina coach should offer us a bottle of wine."

Dybala has scored only three goals in 34 caps for Argentina; he has started just one match at a major tournament and was restricted to 77 minutes in 2022 World Cup qualifying.

Rafael Nadal believes he is treated the same as any other player in terms of shot-clock violations – even if John McEnroe suggests otherwise.

Nadal became engaged in a slightly awkward exchange with a reporter following his first-round win at the US Open on Tuesday.

After beating Rinky Hijikata 4-6 6-2 6-3 6-3, it was put to the Spaniard that there are "different rules for Rafael Nadal than there are for everybody else".

The reporter referred to comments from McEnroe, who has asked why Nadal was not punished for taking more than 25 seconds to serve.

Nadal was amused by both the question and McEnroe's comments, replying: "Yeah, I think it's a joke.

"I went through a lot of warnings under my tennis career – never for breaking a racquet, never for doing a mess on court, but yes, for the time clock.

"I have a problem that I am sweating a lot. When you are playing during these very humid conditions, we have a biggest problem today, that is we don't have the ballboys bringing the towel to you for the last couple of years. You have to go to the farthest place of the court to take the towel.

"The problem for players like me that are sweating that much, you know when you go to pick up the towel, you're going to be in trouble with the time. So I am not going very often.

"I don't think I have a different treatment from the umpires at all.

"I never said that [there should be different rules for Nadal]. I am following the rules. If I am having more than 25 seconds, I receive a warning every single time.

"If not, check the clock. I don't know if you want to create [something].

"I don't think I'm receiving a different treatment at all. I don't understand why John can say that on the TV. But I'm going to have a chat with him later."

Naomi Osaka suffered another early major exit at the US Open on Tuesday and reflected on a difficult season.

Osaka is a four-time grand slam champion, winning twice at Flushing Meadows in 2018 and 2020.

However, the former world number one has not been able to contend in 2022, winning only two matches at majors – both at the Australian Open.

In fact, Osaka has not been beyond the third round at a slam since her most recent title in Melbourne at the start of 2021.

Tuesday's 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 defeat to Danielle Collins was just the 22nd Tour-level match Osaka has played this year.

"This year hasn't really been a great year," she said, adding: "I feel like everyone deals with injuries. I would say, for me, it's been more prominent this year.

"But I think it's something that I can learn [from]. I learned a lot more about my body, I learned what's weak, what I can do to prevent it.

"I would say the sport is definitely very physical, but it's my job to stay on top of it."

Given her fitness troubles, Osaka was just relieved to be able to play a competitive match against Collins, even if it was a fourth defeat in a row – her worst run since 2018.

"Honestly, the main goal was just to have fun," she said. "I don't know. I think that was kind of accomplished.

"Of course, it's more fun to win more rounds. We're just kind of winging it."

Neither Anthony Gordon nor Wilfried Zaha will be on the move ahead of the transfer deadline, according to their respective managers.

Gordon and Zaha have each been linked with transfers to Chelsea, who are continuing to spend big before the window closes on Thursday.

However, both players played and netted in the Premier League on Tuesday – Gordon opening the scoring in Everton's 1-1 draw at Leeds United, as Zaha did likewise as Crystal Palace were held by Brentford.

And after their respective matches, Everton manager Frank Lampard and Palace boss Patrick Vieira spoke with certainty on the futures of their key men.

"Anthony is too important a player," Lampard said. "He has showed his worth in the last two games; it is too late [in the window].

"He is going to be special. In the bigger picture, he has an affiliation with the fans. It is a process – can we build around that?

"The interest in him is because he is a top player, and why we are so keen to keep him, you saw the reasons why in the last two games. He is our player."

Vieira added: "I didn't even put that [the possibility of Zaha leaving] in my head. I didn't even ask myself that question.

"I'm working with him every day and there is no doubt, there is nothing crossing my mind that something like that will happen."

It wasn't particularly certain we would arrive at Kylian Mbappe's five-year anniversary at Paris Saint-Germain.

For well over a year, it was widely expected the superstar forward would swap the French capital for the Spanish and join European heavyweights Real Madrid.

But, lo and behold, an eye-watering new deal that runs until June 2025 was agreed back in May, much to the fury of Madrid and the joy of the PSG faithful.

A lot has changed since 2017, not least the fact Mbappe is now a World Cup winner with France.

And yet, there is a feeling that the PSG mission is very much not accomplished, so just how do we judge Mbappe's success at the Parc des Princes thus far?
 

DOMESTIC DOMINANCE

Mbappe has won Ligue 1 in four of his five seasons with PSG, adding to the title lifted in his last year with Monaco in 2016-17, and also has three Coupe de France, two Coupe de la Ligue and two Trophee des Champions to his name.

While it has not quite been a clean sweep of honours for the Parisians, they have dominated domestically during Mbappe's time at the club and the France international has played a huge part in that.

Indeed, since making his PSG debut in September 2017, only Robert Lewandowski (185) and now team-mate Lionel Messi (203) have been directly involved in more goals across Europe's top five leagues than Mbappe's 167 – 123 goals and 44 assists.

Yet, harshly or otherwise, Mbappe's domestic achievements with PSG are often discredited due to club's sheer financial might. For all the Ligue 1 titles, it is the Champions League that is considered to be the true barometer of success for the French giants.
 

EUROPEAN SHORTCOMINGS

PSG have consistently fallen below expectations in the Champions League, coming closest to winning Europe's elite club competition in the 2019-20 season when they lost to Bayern Munich in the final in Lisbon.

The following season, PSG reached the semi-finals of the competition before losing to Manchester City. In Mbappe's other three seasons in Paris, they have fallen at the last-16 stage – most recently last term against Real Madrid.

In Mbappe's five years at the Parc des Princes, he has scored more Champions League goals than any of his team-mates, netting 27 in all, with Neymar being his closest rival in that regard with 20 goals.

While Mbappe cannot do it all himself, he must shoulder some responsibility for PSG's continental shortcomings – particularly as in his first three seasons at the club, he netted just one knockout goal in the competition.

That came in 2018-19 in the round of 16 against Manchester United, when PSG suffered elimination after the Reds Devils' remarkable comeback at the Parc des Princes.

Mbappe also failed to score in the knockout stages in 2019-20 as PSG finished runners-up in the competition, though there has been a significant upturn in the past two seasons, with the forward netting four across two legs against Barcelona in the 2020-21 last 16, including a famous hat-trick at Camp Nou, then scoring twice in the quarter-finals as PSG knocked out Bayern.

In the 2021-22 season, Mbappe repeated the feat against Real Madrid in the last 16, scoring twice, but PSG were eliminated as Karim Benzema turned the tie on its head.

All in all, nine of Mbappe's 27 Champions League goals have come in the knockout stages, eight of which have come in the last two seasons. Including the group stages, Mbappe has scored 14 goals in the past two seasons, compared to 13 in his first three years.

Yet all he has to show for it is that runners-up medal from 2020.

ANOTHER NEW ERA, DIFFERENT STORY?

With five years already under his belt as a PSG player and potentially three more to come (though Madrid will surely have something to say about that), Mbappe still has plenty left to achieve in his home city.

He is just 26 goals short of overtaking Edinson Cavani as the club's all-time record goalscorer, yet personal milestones will surely be sacrificed in pursuit of that elusive Champions League crown.

Now joined by Neymar and Messi in one of the most star-studded forward lines in history, anything less than going all the way for PSG will be deemed a massive failure – as was the case last season when the front three struggled to truly click.

Having fallen short in agonising fashion with that aforementioned defeat to Madrid in last season's knockouts, the French champions have taken a calculated gamble by replacing Mauricio Pochettino – who never truly took to the job – with former Lille and Nice boss Christophe Galtier.

Reunited with de factor sporting director Luis Campos, with whom he worked closely at Lille to help create the team that pipped PSG to the Ligue 1 title by a point in 2020-21, the Parisians have opted to take a different approach in their quest to be kings of Europe.

The early indications are positive, too, with PSG winning their opening three Ligue 1 matches and scoring 17 goals in the process – a tally only Rennes (18 goals in 1950-51) have bettered in the competition's history at that stage.

PSG were held 1-1 by Monaco last time out, however, and their impressive start has not come without its complications. Neymar and Mbappe clashed in the 5-2 win against Montpellier over who would take a penalty, and the latter was also spotted seemingly sulking in the same game after the ball was not played his way.

It appears some things may never change at PSG in that regard, but ending the club's wait for continental glory is something that simply must happen if Mbappe is to eventually bow out having achieved all he set out to at his boyhood club.

Emma Raducanu tried to focus on the positives after seeing her US Open defence ended at the first hurdle, suggesting "the target will be off my back" as she prepares to tumble down the WTA rankings.

The teenager sensationally won at Flushing Meadows in 2021 without dropping a set, yet that remains her sole Tour-level title a year on.

And any hopes of a remarkable repeat were swiftly dashed by first-round opponent Alize Cornet, who brushed the 11th seed aside 6-3 6-3 on Tuesday.

But Raducanu is relishing the opportunity to build her career again without her status as a reigning major champion.

"[It is] obviously really disappointing, [I am] really sad to leave here," Raducanu said afterwards. "It's probably my favourite tournament.

"But also, in a way, [I am] happy, because it's a clean slate. I'm going to drop down the rankings, climb my way back up.

"Yeah, in a way, the target will be off my back slightly. Yeah, I just have another chance to claw my way back up there.

"I've been doing some really good work in the last six weeks especially. [I am] just looking forward to putting more of those weeks together consistently, then we'll see what happens."

Indeed, Raducanu claimed her 2022 season might have been considered a success had she not set such a high standard in New York last year.

She has played two quarter-finals this year, losing to Iga Swiatek in Stuttgart and Liudmila Samsonova in Washington D.C.

"It is a clean slate. I can just start again," Raducanu said. "I don't know what my ranking will be – probably pretty low down.

"With perspective, actually as a 19-year-old, I've had not a bad year. To be top 100, if you told me that a year ago, I'd take it.

"But I think it would be nice in a way to just start over, start fresh. Off the court, I don't think it will make much of a difference, to be honest."

She added: "I actually think, for me, the most exciting thing is trying to do well at each of the different tournaments.

"Regardless of what it is – it sounds weird – [as] US Open defending champion, obviously it would have been great to defend the title, but I want new experiences.

"In a way, I've kind of done that [winning the US Open], so I want another tournament.

"It doesn't really matter what it is. I think any player would be happy to win a tournament. I think it makes a massive difference, no matter what the level is."

Tampa Bay Rays All-Star left-hander Shane McClanahan was a late scratch from his scheduled start Tuesday because of what the team is calling a left shoulder impingement.

McClanahan was set to make his 25th start of the season Tuesday against the Miami Marlins, but the injury flared up while he was warming up in the bullpen. He was replaced by Shawn Armstrong, who tossed three scoreless innings in Tampa Bay’s 7-2 victory.

The 25-year-old McClanahan is among the leading contenders for the American League Cy Young Award this season. He is 11-5 with a 2.20 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP, striking out 182 batters over 147 innings.

McClanahan will undergo further testing Wednesday to determine whether he will be available to make his next turn through the rotation.

Aaron Judge stole the show in the New York Yankees' 7-4 win against the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday, blasting yet another home run as he pushes for Roger Maris' 61-year-old record.

Maris hit 61 home runs in the 1961 season, setting a new record for a Yankees player, and with 32 games remaining, Judge is now up to 51. It is the second straight day he has hit a home run, and he has five in his past eight games.

His long-ball proved to be the difference between the two teams, with his three-run shot in the fourth inning extending his side's lead from 4-2 to 7-2.

It was the third Yankees home run of the night after Andrew Benintendi connected as the second batter of the game, giving him his second home run since being traded to New York at the deadline.

Anthony Rizzo followed suit in the second inning with his own solo homer to make it 2-0, before Los Angeles' Max Stassi tied things up later in the frame with a two-run home run.

Judge now has 15 more home runs than second-placed Kyle Schwarber from the Philadelphia Phillies as he makes his case as the AL MVP, while his biggest competitor for the award – the Angels' Shohei Ohtani – finished two-for-four at the plate with a double. 

The Yankees are seven games clear of the Toronto Blue Jays for the AL East lead.

Valdez dishes up another quality start

Houston Astros pitcher Framber Valdez produced a terrific start on the mound to help his side to a 4-2 road win against the Texas Rangers, collecting his league-leading 23rd quality start of the season.

From Valdez's 25 starts this season, 23 have been considered quality starts, meaning at least six innings pitched with no more than three earned runs, and he did it in style.

Valdez ended up pitching eight full innings, striking out eight batters while only allowing two runs, while future Hall-of-Fame teammate Jose Altuve provided run support with his 22nd home run of the campaign.

No other starting pitcher has more than 19 quality starts, with five players on that number – including Valdez's Astros teammate Justin Verlander.

Vladdy stars for the Blue Jays

Toronto Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr went three-for-four at the plate with a home run in his side's 5-3 home win against the Chicago Cubs.

Guerrero batted in the Blue Jays' first run with an RBI single in the fifth inning, and after a three-run homer to Teoscar Hernandez in the sixth, Guerrero added a final insurance score with a solo blast in the seventh frame.

On the mound, Kevin Gausman was strong for Toronto, striking out nine batters in his six innings while giving up two runs.

Manchester United make the trip to Leicester City on Thursday on the back of successive Premier League victories, coinciding with captain Harry Maguire dropping out of the side.

Already under pressure in some quarters following chastening defeats to Brighton and Hove Albion and Brentford in his first two games in the job, Erik ten Hag made the bold call to drop his skipper – as well as star forward Cristiano Ronaldo – for the subsequent wins over Liverpool and Southampton.

After claiming six points from six and letting in just one goal across those two matches, compared to six conceded in their first two outings, Ten Hag has no real reason to integrate Maguire back into his starting line-up for the King Power Stadium clash.

With Maguire set for a watching brief from the bench against his former side, Stats Perform looks at what exactly has gone wrong for the England international, and whether there is any way back.

OLD TRAFFORD BECOMES HARRY'S HOUSE

Maguire joined United in an £80million deal from Leicester in August 2019, a fee that remains the most ever paid for a defender. With that valuation comes pressure, yet the centre-back thrived in his new surroundings and was named captain the following January following Ashley Young's move to Inter.

The 29-year-old played the full 90 minutes in each of his first 71 Premier League matches, equalling Gary Pallister's club record, though he could not quite surpass him as he was substituted in the following game against Aston Villa with a minor injury.

Put simply, Maguire was a guaranteed starter and often repaid that faith, reflected in his stats across those first two campaigns. 

Between the start of the 2019-20 season and the end of 2020-21, Maguire ranked second for interceptions (132), second for duels won (443), second for successful passes (4,127) and fourth for recoveries (436) among all Premier League defenders.

THE CAPTAIN OF A SINKING SHIP

Last season was a difficult one for United and by extension Maguire, who as captain had to front up to the club's issues. The Red Devils finished with their lowest-ever Premier League points tally (58) and failed to record a positive goal difference for the first time in over 30 years.

The 57 goals United scored last season was massively down on each of Maguire's first two campaigns at Old Trafford, but even more alarmingly, they shipped a whopping 57 goals across their 38 matches – the most they have let in in a single season in 43 years.

From being towards the top of several metrics in the two campaigns prior, Maguire was nowhere to be seen in the 2021-22 campaign. The Englishman's cause was not helped by missing eight matches, though even on a per-game basis his figures dipped in a number of key areas.

The number of goals conceded per 90 minutes went from 0.95 in his first season to 1.47 last time out; recoveries dropped from 6.2 to 5.3; duels won from 6.3 to 4.7; and successful passes from 57 on average to 48.

TEN HAG'S BIG CALL

Maguire has always had his critics, but the criticism aimed his way has become much louder over the past 12 months. While everyone is entitled to their opinion, the abuse went too far in April this year when Maguire received a bomb threat at his house.

The defender's hopes of winning over the fanbase were hit by disappointing displays in United's opening two games of the current campaign, coinciding with new recruit Lisandro Martinez being integrated into the team as the left-sided centre-back.

It had become clear that change of some sort was required, and Ten Hag made a huge call prior to the Liverpool match in replacing Maguire with Raphael Varane, and it is likely that the pairing will now be given a run in the side to strengthen their partnership.

There were plenty of positives to see against Liverpool, a game in which the Red Devils kept one of the most formidable attacks relatively quiet until Mohamed Salah's 81st-minute consolation, and also against Southampton, when keeping just a second clean sheet in 15 league outings.

FINDING A BETTER BALANCE

But are United a better side without Maguire in their back-line? In the 12 league matches they have started without him since the start of last season, they have won just four for a win percentage of 33.3 per cent, compared to 46.7 per cent with him in the side across 30 games.

In terms of goals against, however, United concede 1.6 compared to 1.3 with and without Maguire respectively. Ten Hag would not just have been looking at the goals conceded column when electing to leave Maguire out of his side, of course, with plenty of other factors to take into equation.

One of the reasons Martinez was signed is because of his ability on the ball, reflected in his 92.5 passes per 90 minutes in Eredivisie last season, with an 89 per cent pass-accuracy rate.

By comparison, Maguire averaged 56 passes a match in the Premier League and found his target 86 per cent of the time. It is not entirely fair to compare figures across divisions, though Maguire also lagged behind team-mate Varane (88 per cent) in terms of passing accuracy. 

NO GUARANTEES GIVEN BY TEN HAG

Ironically, the timing of Maguire being dropped coincides with the team finally signing the defensive midfielder they have been crying out for in recent years, with Casemiro bringing ample experience from his time at Real Madrid.

Ultimately, Ten Hag has to find the right balance and has landed on Varane and Martinez to help keep out the opposition and build from the back, with Casemiro operating just in front of the defence.

Just two months on from confirming Maguire would remain skipper, the Dutchman has suggested the former Leicester man will have to bide his time before being called upon again.

"It doesn't mean when you are captain you are established to always play," he said. "Especially when you also have Varane in your squad. We have options. Varane: his stature is immense and in pre-season we took a decision to build him physically so he had a bit of a slow start.

"He was fit in the first games but in the first period of pre-season he wasn't always so we are happy we built him in that way."

If Ten Hag's arrival was supposed to provide Maguire with an opportunity to kickstart his Old Trafford career and return to the previous form shown with United and England, instead it has left him at something of a crossroads amid talk of a possible move away.

Back at the ground where he truly made a name for himself, Maguire must watch on and wonder when – or if – he will get another chance to prove he has what it takes to play a part under Ten Hag.

Naomi Osaka's difficult run of form continued in the opening round of the US Open on Tuesday, going down against Danielle Collins 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 in the final match of the night.

Osaka was the unseeded party as she went up against the world number 19, but she appeared to have things clicking early as she collected an early break of serve to rattle off the first three games of the match.

But as would be a theme in the back-and-forth contest, Collins fought right back, taking the next three games to even things up.

Collins' serve was not sharp throughout the clash – committing all nine of the match's double faults – but she found a couple of crucial first serves in the tiebreaker to come away with the first set.

Just like the first set, it was Osaka nabbing the early break in the second, but that advantage was again wiped out instantly as Collins fought back to level, before breaking again to go up 5-3 with a chance to serve it out.

Osaka had two break points in the final game, but could not extend the contest as Collins saved five out of six break opportunities in the second set, while taking two of her three chances.

Data Slam: Osaka's yearly grand slam streak comes to an end

This will be the first year since 2017 that Osaka has not won a grand slam, after her two Australian Open victories in 2019 and 2021 and two US Open crowns in 2018 and 2020.

She has now lost four matches in a row for the first time since 2018, and six of her past seven.

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Osaka – 25/19

Collins – 23/24

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS

Osaka – 8/0

Collins – 1/9

BREAK POINTS WON

Osaka – 2/8

Collins – 3/5