Coco Gauff followed up Olympic disappointment with an early Canadian Open exit after being stunned by Diana Shnaider in Toronto.
World number two Gauff suffered early eliminations at the Paris Olympics last week after falling in the singles, doubles and mixed doubles.
The number one seed was then downed 6-4 6-1 by her fellow 20-year-old, who secured the first top-10 win of her career to seal a maiden appearance in the quarter-finals of an ATP 1000 event.
"Sometimes I question like whether I should have played or not," Gauff said, "But at the end of the day I wanted to test myself and see if I would be able to, how I would do being mentally tired a little bit and physically fatigued.
"I said going into the tournament I didn't have high expectations, but I wish I could have competed better today, even if it resulted in a loss. I don't think I competed well."
Shnaider is a remarkable 39-14 across all professional matches for the year, winning three titles in Hua Hin, Thailand (hard) in February, Bad Homburg (grass) in June and Budapest (clay) in July.
"I know Coco is very physically prepared for everyone on tour, and she's running very well, she's covering all of the balls and all the angles on the court," Shnaider said.
"So when there were long rallies and I was winning them I was like, 'Wow, I just beat Coco in long rallies. I am good'. I mean, I tried to play it cool, but inside I was like, 'Yes! I made it!'"
Meanwhile, third seed Aryna Sabalenka eased past British number one Katie Boulter for a routine 6-3 6-3 triumph in Canada.
Sabalenka will next face Amanda Anisimova, one of five Americans in the last eight alongside defending champion Jessica Pegula, Peyton Stearns, Emma Navarro and Taylor Townsend.
Since the beginning of 2020, Sabalenka has reached 17 WTA 1000 quarter-finals, a feat only matched by world number one Iga Swiatek for the most at WTA 1000 events in that time.
South Africa ended Joe Schmidt's unbeaten start as Australia coach in emphatic fashion as the Springboks hammered the Wallabies 33-7 in Brisbane.
The world champions were in control throughout their Rugby Championship opener as South Africa silenced an expectant 50,000-plus crowd at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday.
Visiting captain Siya Kolisi crashed over early on from a rolling maul before Pieter-Steph du Toit and Kurt-Lee Arendse crossed to seal a 21-0 half-time lead.
Kwagga Smith added another after the interval, punishing an error-strewn Australia, while Arendse doubled his own account with the Springboks' fifth try on away soil.
Hunter Paisami managed a late consolation for the drab hosts, converted by Tom Lynagh, but the damage was done as South Africa triumphed in Brisbane for the first time since 2013.
New Australia boss Schmidt had overseen two wins over Wales and another against Georgia, though needs desperate improvements ahead of the second meeting with the Springboks in Perth next Saturday.
Data Debrief: Springboks continue hold over Australia
South Africa have now secured back-to-back Test victories against the Wallabies in Australia for the first time since July 1993, following their 24-8 win in September 2022 in Sydney.
The Springboks are also on a three-match winning run against the Wallabies, their best such streak since a three-Test span from September 2012 to September 2013.
Having won 14 of their last 16 international fixtures, South Africa will fancy their chances of another victory in Perth after ending Australia's four-Test victorious streak with ease.
Matt Wallner hit a go-ahead three-run homer and Minnesota’s bullpen pitched four perfect innings as the Twins completed a doubleheader sweep of the reeling Cleveland Guardians with a 6-3 win on Friday night.
In the first game, Bailey Ober pitched six shutout innings and Carlos Santana and Ryan Jeffers each hit solo home runs to give the Twins a 4-2 victory.
The Twins’ seventh win in nine tries moved them within 1 ½ games of the Guardians, who have lost a season-high seven in a row.
That's the closest defending division champion Minnesota has been since May 13 to Cleveland, which has held first place for all but seven days in April.
The Guardians, who hadn't lost more than three games in a row all season until this skid started last weekend, went hitless against relievers Cole Sands, Caleb Thielbar and Trevor Richards after tagging Twins starter Louie Varland for eight hits and three runs in 4 2/3 innings.
Richards recorded his first save, after Jhoan Duran notched his 16th save in the opener by striking out the side in the ninth inning.
Sizzling Padres rally past Marlins
Manny Machado highlighted a four-run 10th with a two-run double and drove in three runs as the red-hot San Diego Padres rallied for their sixth straight win, 6-2 over the Miami Marlins.
The Padres trailed 2-0 entering the eighth but Jurickson Profar doubled with one out and scored on Machado’s double. Jackson Merrill, who finished with three hits, led off the ninth with a 400-foot homer to center, his 16th to tie it.
Machado’s double off Brett De Geus scored former Marlin Luis Arraez, who had singled, and Jake Cronenworth. Tyler Wade broke the 2-2 tie when he beat the throw home on a Cronenworth grounder to shortstop Xavier Edwards.
Martin Perez allowed two runs on three hits over seven innings and Bryan Hoeing and Jason Adam each worked a hitless inning before Tanner Scott worked the 10th against his former team.
San Diego has won 15 of its last 17 games and is 2 ½ games behind the NL West-leading Dodgers.
Jake Burger and Jonah Bride hit back-to-back homers in the fourth for the last-place Marlins, who have lost eight of 12.
Diamondbacks win on Del Castillo’s walk-off homer
Adrian Del Castillo hit a walk-off home run in the ninth inning for his first career blast to lift the surging Arizona Diamondbacks to a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Phillies rallied from a 2-0 deficit, tying it in the eighth on a two-out RBI double from Johan Rojas that scored Nick Castellanos from first.
That set up Del Castillo's ninth-inning heroics. He jumped all over a 97 mph fastball from Jeff Hoffman, launching it deep into the right-field seats for his first big league homer. Del Castillo was called up this week after starting catcher Gabriel Moreno went down with a groin injury in Cleveland.
Arizona has won 13 of 16 to strengthen its hold on an NL wild-card spot.
Thierry Henry praised France's "beautiful journey" at the Paris Olympics despite defeat to Spain in their gold medal match on Friday.
Henry led France to their first football medal at the Games since their triumph at the 1984 edition in Los Angeles, but will take home silver this time around.
Maghnes Akliouche and Jean-Philippe Mateta's late strikes saw Les Bleus come from 3-1 down in the final 10 minutes to send the encounter to extra-time.
However, Sergio Camello's brace broke French hearts at the Parc des Princes, with Spain continuing to assert their dominance on the international stage.
Despite the defeat, Henry lauded his players' efforts during the tournament, saying that he will remember their journey as something that united the country.
"It was magical. I told the guys that I was proud of them and that we've got a medal at the end. Sure this is not how we wanted to be but the story is amazing," said Henry.
"I think everybody enjoyed. It didn't end well but there was emotion, a medal and a beautiful journey. We are a beautiful country when we are together.
"It's beautiful to see people with jerseys, people with flags at the Olympics.
"It's difficult to celebrate this medal but we have to. There was a story, an amazing human journey."
Alexandre Lacazette, who was one of Les Bleus' three overage players at the Games, echoed the comments made by his head coach.
The 33-year-old has not played for France since 2017, but thanked Henry for giving him the opportunity to represent his country once again.
"To Henry, thank you for trusting me and make me wear the blue (French) jersey again," Lacazette said.
"I will remember the journey, the fact that I could wear the blue jersey again, the atmospheres that we had. I think all the French are proud of us after all. Even if we are disappointed.
"I don't know if this match was the most important but it's one of the most beautiful matches in terms of emotions."
Shimron Hetmyer’s 44 wasn’t enough to prevent the London Spirit from going down by 12 runs to the Manchester Originals in the Men’s Hundred at Lord’s on Friday.
The Originals, after being inserted by the Spirit, made 135-5 from their 100 balls thanks to 58 from Captain Phil Salt and 38 from Max Holden.
Pacers Richard Gleeson and Olly Stone took two wickets, each, for the Spirit while Andre Russell went wicketless while conceding only 14 from his 10 deliveries.
The Spirit then fell just short of their target, reaching 123-5 from their 100 balls.
Opener Keaton Jennings led the way with 61* off 50 balls while Hetmyer, batting at five, made 44 off 35 balls including three fours and a six.
Fazalhaq Farooqi took 3-24 from 20 balls for the Originals.
This result means the Spirit, like their opponents, have no chance to advance to the knockout phase of the tournament.
This was the Originals’ first win in six games while the Spirit have a similar record and are one spot above them in the eight-team table.
Sheffield United kickstarted their quest for an immediate return to the Premier League with a comfortable 2-0 win over Preston North End at Deepdale.
Oliver Arblaster would net the Championship's first goal of the season with 12 minutes on the clock as his deflected effort wrong-footed Freddie Woodman.
In a half that only saw seven attempts from either side, a moment of magic from Gustavo Hamer after the interval would secure Chris Wilder's men the win.
Hamer, who scored nine goals in his last campaign in the second tier with Coventry, intercepted Woodman's throw out from the back, taking a touch before lobbing the North End goalkeeper.
The Blades will be looking for an improved display when they face QPR next weekend, recording an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.19 from their 10 shots.
Meanwhile, in the other game taking place, Blackburn recorded their biggest opening day win in 21 years after beating newly-promoted Derby County 4-2 at Ewood Park.
Tyrhys Dolan gave the hosts the lead in the 19th minute, firing the ball into the roof of the net after the Rams failed to clear Makhtar Gueye's cross into the area.
The visitors would draw level in the second half as Curtis Nelson powered a header beyond Aynsley Pears, but their joy was short-lived.
Two goals in four minutes from substitute Andreas Weimann and last season's Golden Boot winner Sammie Szmodics put John Eustace's side back in the driving seat.
Rovers' new signing Yuki Ohashi would put the game beyond doubt with a delicate chipped finish, with Kane Wilson netting a late consolation for the Rams.
A mostly disappointing day for the Caribbean ended in more disappointment at the Paris Olympic Games as Jamaica’s Roshawn Clarke and Kyron McMaster of the British Virgin Islands had tough outings in the men’s 400m finals at Stade de France on Friday.
McMaster, who has endured a topsy-turvy season, placed fifth in a season’s best 47.79s, while Clarke, who was up with the front runners at one point, lost his form, clipped obstacles in the closing stages, and failed to finish.
Still, there was some Caribbean connection on the podium, as American gold medal winner Rai Benjamin is the son of former West Indies stalwart Winston Benjamin. The younger Benjamin, who represented Antigua and Barbuda at the youth level, won in a season’s best 46.46s.
He upstaged Norwegian World Record holder Karsten Warholm (47.06s), while Brazil’s Alison dos Santos (47.26s) closed fast to claim bronze.
Newcastle produced a rampant first half display in their penultimate pre-season outing as they thrashed La Liga side Girona 4-0 on Friday.
The Magpies blitzed their opponents in the opening 45 minutes, with Sean Longstaff, Jacob Murphy and Anthony Gordon giving the hosts a 3-0 lead after just 15 minutes.
Longstaff notched his brace before the interval to secure the Magpies' first win in their two pre-season fixtures taking place at St. James' Park this weekend.
In a frantic start to proceedings, Longstaff opened the scoring in the third minute, with Murphy adding Newcastle's second with a fierce strike off the crossbar.
A mistake by David Lopez allowed Alexander Isak to pick out Gordon two minutes later, composing himself before sending a left-footed strike into the far corner.
Isak had the chance to increase the hosts' advantage in the 21st minute after being brought down in the box, but saw his penalty saved by Paulo Gazzaniga.
The first half rout was complete after Joelinton saw his headed effort hit the crossbar, only for the rebound to be volleyed home by Longstaff.
Murphy and Isak squandered opportunities to increase their advantage in the second half, but the damage was done in the first 45 against the La Liga side.
Newcastle conclude their pre-season preparations against French side Brest on Saturday ahead of their Premier League opener against Southampton next weekend.
Data Debrief: Magpies on fire, but should have been more
Newcastle would have been expecting a tougher test from a side who will play Champions League football next season, and should have won by a more handsome scoreline.
The Magpies recorded an expected goals (xG) of 3.24, an underperformance of 0.76, with 11 of their 20 shots on target, while also missing four big chances.
Jamaica's young and promising triple jumper, Jaydon Hibbert, came agonizingly close to securing a medal at the Paris Olympic Games, finishing just shy of the podium in fourth place at the Stade de France on Friday.
With his impressive run of form coming into the global multi-sport showpiece, Hibbert was one of the favourites to earn a medal, but the 19-year-old, who looked a shadow of his usual bubbly self, fell short of the top three with a best leap of 17.61m.
The event was topped by Spain’s Jordan Alejandro Diaz (17.86m) ahead of Portugal’s Pedro Pichardo (17.84m) and Andy Diaz (17.64m). Cuba’s Lazaro Martinez (17.34m) was eighth.
No doubt Hibbert’s performance left him with a mix of pride and disappointment, as he entered his Olympic Games debut with high expectations after he consistently delivered strong performances throughout the season.
However, the fiercely competitive field in Paris proved to be a challenging environment, and Hibbert was unable to improve on his second attempt. His sequence also includes 17.31m and 17.53m, with his last three attempts having two failures, while he passed on the final attempt, which could be a signal that the jovial athlete might not have been in the best of health.
"It was a good championship, so firstly, I want to thank God for what He has done. To think that I almost boycotted the Olympics and now I am here today (Friday) standing on a fourth-place finish. I don't think many 19-year-olds can say they came fourth at the Olympics so I am grateful," Hibbert said shortly after competition.
"I got a hard fall on one of the jumps and I felt something so I kind of stopped the competition. Me and coach talked about it, and he was trying to influence me to go back, but I told him that coach, 'I have more years to come' so for now I am grateful for the fourth place, and so it is just the road to recovery from here," he added.
Dominican Republic's Marileidy Paulino set a new Olympic record to take gold in the women's 400m at the Paris Games on Friday.
Paulino, who won silver in Tokyo three years ago, crossed the finish line in 48.17 seconds, eclipsing Marie-Jose Perec's previous record of 48.25 that had stood since 1996.
It was the latest confirmation of the Dominican's recent dominance in the event following her victory at last year's World Championships in Budapest.
Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain finished in second, while Poland's Natalia Kaczmarek claimed bronze.
Great Britain's Amber Anning finished in fifth, breaking Christine Ohuruogu's British record, which has stood for 11 years, with a time of 49.29 seconds.
"I’m absolutely blessed. I am a little bit disappointed. I wanted to come away with three things," Anning said.
"It was either a medal, a PB or a national record and I got one of them. I'm just grateful to be in this position with these amazing girls.
"It was tough [the race], I think I let myself have too much work coming into home straight but I just used my strength.
"It’s been an amazing experience. "It’s still not done yet. I've got the relay tomorrow."
Steven Gardiner, 2020 Tokyo Olympic champion has responded sharply to comments made by fellow Bahamian and 2000 Olympic gold medalist Pauline Davis, following his withdrawal from the men's 400m event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Gardiner, who was a favorite for the event, had to pull out due to an ankle injury, leaving his lane vacant in the preliminary round—a development that left fans and fellow athletes stunned.
Gardiner, who has been plagued by injuries over the past few years—including missing the 2022 World Championships and suffering another injury in the semi-finals of the 2023 World Championships in Budapest—cited another injury as the reason for his withdrawal from the Paris Olympics.
However, Davis publicly criticized athletes, including Gardiner, for what she perceived as a lack of transparency regarding their physical conditions leading up to the Games. Her remarks did not sit well with Gardiner, who took to social media to express his frustration.
"To Pauline Davis, please don't ever speak on me ever because you've never been an influential person to many of us athletes," Gardiner began in his post, clearly stung by the criticism.
He went on to suggest that Davis's comments were not only unwarranted but also harmful. "You would love to see us suffer, and it shows," he added, directly addressing her public rebuke.
Gardiner continued, emphasizing that Davis was not present during his warm-up and therefore had no basis for her criticism. "You weren't in attendance during my warm-up, but you were the first to broadcast your loud and wrong remarks to spread lies and propaganda, which is pure evilness," he wrote.
Despite his anger, Gardiner concluded his message with a more conciliatory tone, saying, "But you'll be just alright. I'll pray for you just like others."
Katarina Johnson-Thompson claimed her first Olympic heptathlon medal but narrowly missed out on taking gold to Belgium's Nafissatou Thiam.
Johnson-Thompson, who is a two-time world champion, produced a career-best performance in the 800m, clocking a time of 2:04.90 seconds.
After going into the final event 121 points behind Thiam, the Brit needed to finish nearly nine seconds quicker than her opponent to reach the top step of the podium.
However, the Belgian finished with a time of 2:10.62 seconds, claiming gold by 36 points and becoming the first woman to win three heptathlon titles.
Thiam finished on 6,880 points, with her compatriot Noor Vidts moving above Switzerland's Annik Kaelin in the final event to take bronze.
Team GB's Jade O'Dowda finished 10th overall, while Ireland's Kate O'Connor was 14th.
Sergio Camello came off the bench to score twice in extra time as Spain added Olympic gold to their glittering trophy cabinet with a thrilling 5-3 victory over France.
Three goals in 10 first-half minutes – two from Fermin Lopez and the other from Alex Baena – appeared to take the final away from Thierry Henry's hosts, who had led early on through Enzo Millot.
However, Maghnes Akliouche teed up a grandstand finish at the Parc des Princes, then Benat Turrientes' foul allowed Jean-Phillipe Mateta to force extra time with a 93rd-minute penalty.
Both teams threw caution to the wind in the additional period, but Camello was the hero, producing a wonderful lob and a breakaway second to secure gold for Spain.
The hosts took the lead with the very first attempt of the game as Millot pounced on a loose clearance to fire goalwards from the right side of the area. Spain goalkeeper Arnau Tenas seemed to misjudge the flight of the ball, palming it into the bottom-left corner.
However, Spain soon hit back through Barcelona youngster Lopez, who swept his finish into the bottom-left corner after being found in the middle of the area by Baena.
Buoyed by that strike, Spain built a two-goal lead within 10 further minutes. Lopez pounced for his second when Guillaume Restes could only parry Abel Ruiz's shot to put them 2-1 up, then Baena added the pick of the goals.
Lining up a free-kick just to the left of the D, the Villarreal man gave Restes no chance by whipping a sensational effort over the wall and into the top-left corner.
Manu Kone missed a great chance to cut Spain's lead when he nodded against the crossbar after the break, but Les Bleus' hopes were rekindled with 11 minutes to play as Michael Olise's free-kick was steered into the far corner by Akliouche.
There was more drama in stoppage time, with Turrientes clumsily dragging Arnaud Kalimuendo down from a corner. Mateta kept his nerve from the spot to level, though Turrientes almost redeemed himself with a dream winner when his shot clipped the crossbar at the other end.
France continued to press in extra time, but they were caught out in the 100th minute as Camello latched onto Adrian Bernabe's pass before sitting Restes down with a delicate chipped finish.
Camello was not done there, latching onto a long throw from Tenas as France threw players forward in stoppage time, before making sure of the gold by finishing past Restes.
Data Debrief: Roja end 32-year Olympic wait
Since an iconic Spain team featuring the likes of Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique won gold on home soil at Barcelona 1992, La Roja have been reduced to the role of nearly men at the Games.
They were losing finalists at Syndey 2000 (versus Cameroon) and Tokyo 2020 (against Brazil), but they got over the line this time around, even if they had to go the distance.
With the senior squad winning a record-breaking fourth European crown last month and the under-23s claiming gold in Paris, it looks like this era of Spanish success could go on for some time yet.
Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic solidified her status as one of the all-time greats in the 400m, capturing Olympic gold in a stunning and historic race at the Paris 2024 Games on Friday. In what is now the fastest 400m race in Olympic history, Paulino stormed to victory, shattering the Olympic record with an extraordinary time of 48.17 seconds.
Paulino, known for her powerful and controlled running style, took command of the race from the start. She maintained her composure through the first 300m and then unleashed a devastating kick down the home stretch, pulling away from a world-class field to claim her first Olympic title. Her time of 48.17 seconds broke the long-standing Olympic record of 48.25 seconds, set by Marie-José Pérec at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Trailing Paulino was Bahrain's Salwa Eid Naser, who clocked a season-best 48.53 seconds to take the silver medal. Naser, who has been gradually returning to her best form after a few challenging seasons, showed glimpses of the brilliance that saw her run the third-fastest time in history, 48.14 seconds, at the 2019 World Championships in Doha.
The bronze medal went to Natalia Kaczmarek of Poland, who crossed the line in 48.98 seconds, marking her as the third woman in the race to break the 49-second barrier—a testament to the extraordinary quality of the competition.
The race was exceptional from start to finish, with all eight finalists clocking sub-50-second times. Ireland’s rising star, Rhasidat Adeleke, finished fourth in 49.28 seconds, just a fraction ahead of Great Britain's Amber Anning, who set a new personal best of 49.29 seconds. Alexis Holmes of the USA also set a lifetime best, finishing sixth in 49.77 seconds, while Sada Williams of Barbados was seventh in 49.83 seconds. Norway's Henriette Jaeger rounded out the field, finishing eighth in 49.96 seconds.
Paulino’s victory adds another prestigious trophy to her growing collection, which already includes two World Championship silver medals. Her performance in Paris not only cements her legacy but also raises the bar for future generations of 400m runners.
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