Keyshawn Davis and Richard Torrez Jr could not end the USA's long wait for a men's Olympic boxing gold medallist, meaning the drought will reach 20 years by the time Paris 2024 rolls around.

On the final day of Tokyo 2020, there were high hopes that lightweight Davis and super heavyweight Torrez Jr could top the podium at the Kokugikan Arena.

Yet Davis lost on a split decision to Cuba's Andy Cruz in his final, and Torrez Jr was thwarted by Uzbekistan's Bakhodir Jalolov.

The two silver medals mean Andre Ward's light heavyweight gold at Athens in 2004 remains the last time an American man landed boxing glory in the Games. 

A devastated Torrez Jr said: "I feel like I had the world in my hands, and it slipped. And I watched it fall and break, and I'm trying to pick up the pieces.

"I've been on the medal podium before, and it's one of the best and worst feelings to ever feel. To not have that flag raised, to not have that anthem played, to sit there and one guy is crying tears of the joy, the other sadness. When you are in that position it's really tough. So maybe one day I'll look back and say I did a good job, because I do believe I did a good job, but it's tough.

"This is one of the most bittersweet moments I've ever felt."

The 22-year-old said the US men "fought their heart out" in Tokyo, with each man mindful and perhaps burdened by the unusually long wait for a place on the top step of the podium.

"I think overall as a team, we are putting boxing back into the USA. I do believe that we are giving it a surge again," Torrez Jr added. "I believe it's coming, I really do. I'm sorry I couldn't be the one to do it, but I have pride and I have belief in my country."

Davis was somewhat less lyrical in reflecting on his loss, saying of his experience in Japan: "It was something I never experienced before. Putting my professional career on hold to complete something, this is the hardest in the world to complete. I came up a little short, but leaving this tournament I'm a completely different fighter.

"I'm glad I got to experience what I experienced at this Olympics, and it's something I will remember for the rest of my life."

HOLMES WHERE THE HEART IS FOR PRICE

Great Britain's Lauren Price is a former international footballer and kickboxer who can now call herself an Olympic boxing champion.

The Welsh middleweight beat China's Li Qian on a unanimous verdict, even winning all three rounds with four of the five judges, and the 27-year-old revealed her inspiration came from the Athens Olympics.

British track star Kelly Holmes won 800 metres and 1,500m gold medals in the Greek capital, delivering on years of promise and effort at the highest level in athletics, and a watching Price was inspired.

"I've got to say today tops anything I've ever done in my career. It's been a dream of mine since I was eight years old watching Kelly Holmes win that gold," Price said.

"I've always said I didn't know how I was going to get here and what sport I was going to do, but the dream has always been to get to the Olympic Games.

"To win gold is just the icing on the cake and I can't really put into words what it means to me right now."

HARRINGTON CLEANS UP

Irish lightweight Kellie Anne Harrington fended off Brazilian Beatriz Ferreira to land gold in the first fight of the day, then promised she would soon be back to her cleaning job at St Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin.

The 31-year-old said: "I’m an Olympic champion but it doesn't define me as a person. At home, I'd say it will be a bit mental, but I will be going back to work in two or three weeks. I'll be back at work, back doing my normal thing, that's what keeps me grounded.

"My circle [of friends] is very small and it will be staying very small. I'm going to just keep doing what I do. Nothing will change. I won't start thinking I'm something that I'm not. This is me. I will continue to be this way - except I'll have my gold medal.

"I'll get home, have a break, eat loads of pizza. I'm sure there will be a little party in work for me and I'll be bringing my medal there."

Roger Federer turned 40 on Sunday amid uncertainty over whether he will grace the stage of a grand slam again.

Both he and Serena Williams, who reaches the same birthday landmark in September, have kept their future plans under wraps.

However, it would come as no surprise now if one, or both, were to retire by the end of the year.

Injuries are taking their toll, and even the greatest champions cannot go on forever.

Stats Perform looked at both Federer and Williams, considering what they may still want to achieve, and their prospects of attaining those remaining goals.

Federer's final fling?

Ahead of his 30th birthday, Federer was asked what it felt like to hit such a milestone.

"Birthdays happen. They're part of life," Federer said. "I'm happy I'm getting older. I'd rather be 30 than 20, to be honest. To me it's a nice time."

A decade on, Federer has good reason to be satisfied with life as he chalks up another decade. Family life is good, he'll never need to borrow a dollar, and he has advanced from 16 grand slams to 20.

But the knees would sooner be 30 than 40, and Federer, remarkable sportsman though he is, looks to have entered the lap of honour stage of his career – if he can even complete such a lap.

Two knee operations in 2020 were followed by a setback that ruled him out of the Olympics and will also keep him sidelined for the Toronto and Cincinnati tournaments before the US Open.

Will Federer make it to Flushing Meadows, where he won five successive titles at the height of his career? There has to be doubt over that, and should he indeed be an absentee in New York, what is there left to target? The Laver Cup, perhaps, a tournament in which he is financially invested and which is due to be played in Boston in late September.

Would he play on in 2022? Could he tolerate more long road trips without his family, living in a tennis bubble?

Target: Federer has never settled for second best, and it may have dawned on him at Wimbledon that in all probability he no longer can win a grand slam. Losing a 6-0 set to Hubert Hurkacz on the way to a quarter-final exit would have hurt. The hunger does not go away after 20 grand slams, but Federer's battle-weary body is sending him messages. He will want to go out on his own terms, which means getting fully fit.

Prospects: Assuming the knee issue is not a major problem, and more of a niggle, then Federer could still play the US Open, Laver Cup, Indian Wells and Paris Masters this year. If the mind is willing but the body does not comply, however, then it would not be a shock to see him call time before the Australian Open comes around in January.

Serena still one short of Court

From precocious teenager to queen of the tour, Williams' tennis journey has been a 25-year odyssey and there is nobody more driven to succeed than the great American.

It is an intense frustration that she remains rooted on 23 grand slams, one short of Margaret Court's record haul, and the four grand slam final losses she has suffered while on that mark have been cruel blows.

As her 40th birthday approaches on September 26, prospects of matching Court are fading. The leg injury that cruelly forced her out of Wimbledon in the first round was a harrowing turn of events, given she looked primed to be a big title challenger in London.

She is becoming less of a factor when looking at title favourites, but Williams is still capable of beating top players, still a threat wherever she shows up. It comes down to whether the body lets her chase her goals, and whether the pain of so many near-misses in recent years persuades this great champion the exertion is no longer worth prolonging.

Target: The 24th slam has been the must-have for Williams. Tour titles feel like an irrelevance, and Williams has won just one of those since January 2017, her calendar built around peaking for the majors since returning from giving birth to daughter Olympia.

Prospects: Beating Aryna Sabalenka and Simona Halep at the Australian Open demonstrated Williams still has the game for the big stage, and a semi-final defeat to Naomi Osaka, to whom she has now lost in three of four encounters, should not particularly detract from that. Wimbledon felt like a golden opportunity, with a host of major rivals absent and others struggling for form. There is no doubt she felt that way. Getting to 24 – and beyond – has shifted from feeling like an inevitability to being an odds-against chance now.

Novak Djokovic led the ATP Tour's birthday message to Roger Federer, as the Swiss star celebrated his 40th on Sunday.

Federer, ranked ninth in the world, made his professional debut in 1998. He has gone on to win 20 grand slam titles, a feat matched by only Rafael Nadal and Djokovic, who tied his rivals with his triumph at Wimbledon in July.

His first grand slam title arrived at Wimbledon in 2003, when Federer was aged just 21. In 2004, 2006 and 2007, he won three out of the four majors on offer.

Federer has six Australian Open titles, eight Wimbledon triumphs, five US Open wins and one French Open success to his name, while he has also won six ATP Tour Finals.

Djokovic and Federer have met 50 times on the ATP circuit, with the Serbian shading their head-to-head record with 27 wins – their most recent encounter coming in the semi-finals of the 2020 Australian Open.

Yet it was he who led the tributes to a true great.

"Hey Roger, happy 40th birthday – 40th, wow, what a milestone! You still keep on inspiring and thriving on the court, off the court, inspiring all of us," Djokovic said in a video posted to the ATP Tour's official Twitter account.

"It's been a huge honour to share the tennis court and the tennis circuit with you in the last 15 years.

"Hopefully you can still keep on playing. The sport needs you, of course, and thanks for everything you have done and thanks for showing us that even at that age we can play at a very high level.

"All the best, I wish you health and love and happiness with your close ones and thanks again for everything."

Kei Nishikori, who has beaten Federer three times and suffered eight defeats to the Swiss, was next up.

"Roger, happy 40th birthday!" Nishikori said.

"You are still my idol, I always looked up to you and I hope we can play a couple more times and I hope you can still keep going and win grand slams."

World number 15 Felix Auger Aliassime shares his birthday with Federer, though the Canadian is some 19 years junior.

"Hey Roger, the big 40, while I'm just turning 21," he said. "It's amazing for the sport that I'm playing and you're still playing at the same time.

"I hope I'll still be playing when I'm 40 as well. Thank you for everything you've been doing for tennis, it's so good to still have you around, I hope you have a great birthday."

The United States finished top of the Tokyo Olympics medal table after a stunning run of success from their elite women on the final day of competition.

Triumphs in basketball, volleyball and track cycling saw Team USA move to 39 gold medals for the Games, pipping China at the post.

China finished with 38 golds, meaning that for the third successive Olympics it is the United States who hold sway on the medals front.

The all-conquering women's basketball team were 90-75 winners over Japan in their final, landing gold for a seventh successive Olympics.

They last lost at the Games in 1992 at Barcelona and were never in danger of surrendering their undefeated streak since, as Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi each picked up the fifth gold medals of their remarkable careers.

Jennifer Valente emerged victorious from the multi-race omnium cycling event at the Izu Velodrome, with the 26-year-old from San Diego scooping the first Olympic gold of her career.

Volleyball gold medals had previously been the preserve of the men among the US ranks, but now the women have triumphed at Olympic level too.

Their first visit to the top step of the Games podium was secured by a 3-0 win over Brazil in Sunday's final.

Haleigh Washington, a 25-year-old star of the team, said: “It's a great day to have a gold-medal day. The hard work we put in, the sweat, the tears, the blood, it’s been worth it. I am so proud to have done it with this group of women. I am so honoured."

Coach Karch Kiraly added: "I am so happy for this team and these amazing women in this programme. I told them not only are they bad-asses, but they are now gold medallists."

The San Francisco Giants needed seven runs in extras and some Jake McGee heroics to win 9-6 over the Milwaukee Brewers in MLB on Saturday.

Scores were locked at 2-2 after nine innings, before both sides managed three runs in the 10th.

The Giants got the edge at the top of the 11th, with LaMonte Wade Jr driving in Austin Slater with a right-field base hit before Brandon Belt hit his second home run of the game.

With Wade on first, Belt homered over right field to give the Giants an 8-5 lead, before Kris Bryant's big hit allowed Buster Posey to get home.

McGee, who was expected to rest for this game, came in to close out the win in the 11th, allowing only one run and getting one strikeout to seal it.

"They told me I'd be down today so I came in, got treatment, but didn't do my stretches," McGee said. "I didn't have my brace down there [in the bullpen] or even my cup. They had to run it out to me in extra innings."

Bellinger HR as Dodgers down Angels

Trailing 3-2 in the seventh inning, Cody Bellinger homered to turn the tide as the Los Angeles Dodgers won 5-3 over the Los Angeles Angels.

In the eighth inning, Chris Taylor hit a two-run double which proved enough for the world champions.

Alex Verdugo landed a sole home run and Jonathan Arauz hit a go-ahead single as the Boston Red Sox came from behind to win 2-1 over the Toronto Blue Jays.

The in-form New York Yankees claimed five consecutive victories with a 5-4 win over the Seattle Mariners. The Yankees improved to 61-49 with the win.

The Philadelphia Phillies have also hit form, securing their seventh straight win with a 5-3 triumph over the New York Mets. The streak is the Phillies' longest since 2012.

Rebuilding Cubs shut out

The rebuilding Chicago Cubs were humbled at Wrigley Field by cross-towners Chicago White Sox 4-0. The result leaves the Cubs in a slump with two wins from their past 10 games, including three straight defeats. The White Sox shut-out makes matters worse as the opposition pitchers notched 17 strikeouts.

Winker on song for hot Reds

Jesse Winker had a day out as the Cincinnati Reds stayed hot with an 11-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Winker's form has been crucial to the Reds' run and he displayed that against the Pirates, with two runs, three hits and six RBI.

Saturday's results 

New York Yankees 5-4 Seattle Mariners
Chicago White Sox 4-0 Chicago Cubs
Toronto Blue Jays 1-0 Boston Red Sox
Philadelphia Phillies 5-3 New York Mets
Oakland Athletic 12-3 Texas Rangers
Tampa Bay Rays 12-3 Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox 2-1 Toronto Blue Jays
San Francisco Giants 9-6 Milwaukee Brewers
Detroit Tigers 2-1 Cleveland Indians
Cincinnati Reds 11-3 Pittsburgh Pirates
Houston Astros 4-0 Minnesota Twins
St Louis Cardinals 5-2 Kansas City Royals
Washington Nationals 3-2 Atlanta Braves
Colorado Rockies 7-4 Miami Marlins
San Diego Padres 6-2 Arizona Diamondbacks
Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3 Los Angeles Angels

Angels at Dodgers

Shohei Ohtani's Los Angeles Angels will head across town again to take on the world champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, for the third and final time in their series.

World record holder Eliud Kipchoge vowed to enjoy the moment before setting his next goal after successfully defending his Olympic men's marathon title at Tokyo 2020 on Sunday.

The 36-year-old Kenyan won by over a minute in a time of two hours, eight minutes and 38 seconds, with Dutchman Abdi Nageeye and Belgium's Bashir Abdi taking silver and bronze respectively.

The triumph was a coronation for Kipchoge who won gold at Rio 2016, while he claimed bronze and silver Olympic medals in the 5,000m in Athens and Beijing respectively.

Kipchoge, who is widely regarded as the greatest marathon runner in the modern era, refused to look ahead after his latest win.

"I am a believer of the philosophy that you should only chase one rabbit," Kipchoge said. "If you chase two, then you cannot get all of them.

"For the last two years I have been focusing on the Tokyo Olympic Games 2020, so I will only plan the next thing when there is a big job ahead of me.

"What was in my bucket list was Tokyo 2020. So I will go back now, talk to my coach, and see what the opportunities are and then I will come back to you people. But, for now, I want to enjoy winning here in Tokyo."

Nageeye and Abdi claimed second and third with an enthralling final sprint, edging out Kenyan Lawrence Cherono for the medals. The Dutchman willed on training partner Abdi in the dying stages.

"I was just telling him to stay with us, stay with us the last one (kilometre)," Nageeye said. "I felt good as that is what I was doing. I wasn't volunteering, but I knew if he stayed until the end, the last 200 metres, close your eyes and just sprint."

KENNY CLAIMS HISTORIC SEVENTH OLYMPIC GOLD

British cyclist Jason Kenny secured his seventh career Olympic gold medal, winning the men's keirin final on the final day of the Games after a remarkable race where he stormed ahead unopposed.

Kenny claimed his historic gold by 0.763 seconds from Malaysia's Mohd Azizulhasni Awang who edged Harrie Lavreysen of the Netherlands on the line to claim silver and bronze respectively.

In a bizarre race, the 33-year-old Kenny pulled clear with two laps to go, with second-placed Matthew Glaetzer not following him, powering ahead and eventually crossing the line on his own.

"It was such a long way," Kenny said. "I felt like the last lap took me about half an hour. But I got there in the end. I still can’t believe I crossed the line on my own."

He first won gold in the team sprint at Beijing 2008, following with two triumphs at London 2012 and three at Rio 2016, including the keirin title which he successfully defended.

Kenny's gold medal means he is the most successful British athlete in Olympic history, pulling clear of cyclist Chris Hoy.

Jason's wife Laura Kenny was involved in a huge crash in the opening round of the women's omnium and missed out on the medals, with gold won by USA's Jennifer Valente. Japan's Yumi Kajihara won the host country's first medal in cycling at Tokyo 2020 with silver.

Canada's Kelsey Mitchell won the gold medal from Ukraine's Olena Starikova in the women's sprint, with Hong Kong's Lee Wai Sze taking bronze.

USA CONTINUE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL DYNASTY

The United States women's basketball team claimed their seventh consecutive gold medal with a 90-75 victory over hosts Japan.

Brittney Griner top-scored with 30 points for USA, along with five rebounds and two assists.

Team USA opened up a nine-point lead at the first change and they were never headed, with a strong display headed by Griner.

USA only hit four three-pointers for the game compared to Japan's eight, but the favourites played to their strengths with strong offensive and defensive contributions from A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart.

Wilson added 19 points, seven rebounds, five blocks and five assists, while Stewart was exceptional with 14 points, 14 rebounds, three blocks and five assists.

USA veteran Sue Bird signed off on her Olympic career with a fifth gold medal.

USA MOVE CLEAR WITH VOLLEYBALL TRIUMPH

The United States moved into the outright lead on the gold medal table after clinching their first-ever women's volleyball victory.

USA triumphed 3-0 over Brazil, winning 25-21 25-20 25-14 in a dominant final display.

The gold medal took USA's tally to 39 golds, moving ahead of China with 38 as the final day continued to unfold.

Jason Kenny took a leap of faith and saw it pay off as the British cycling great landed his seventh Olympic gold medal with an audacious keirin triumph.

The 33-year-old Kenny made an immediate break from the pack in Sunday's final as soon as the derny bike - the motorised bicycle that paces the riders in the early laps - moved aside.

It was a calculated gamble as Kenny surged the best part of half a lap clear of his rivals, who were caught by surprise and only began to seriously narrow the gap in the closing metres.

Kenny, who won his first gold in Beijing, has now been a podium topper at four consecutive Olympic Games and becomes the first athlete from Great Britain to win more than six golds in a career. He had previously been level with fellow cyclist Chris Hoy.

In total, Kenny has nine Olympic medals, with two silvers to go with his stack of gold.

"It is a bit of shock I think," Kenny said. "I really wanted to cross the finish line. Obviously, I am absolutely buzzing."

Asked about his decisive early move, he explained: "It was just too big an opportunity. I didn't really want to be on the front, I felt like I had a bit of a target on my back with these guys behind. When I looked back, I saw a gap, gave it a little squeeze and it got bigger. I just sort of went through it.

"Everyone just looked at each other and it was just enough - I was just lucky it was enough for me to slip away and get my head down.

"I kind of felt like I had nothing to lose, so I put my head down and went through it.

“It was such a long way. I felt like the last lap took me about half an hour. But I got there in the end. I still can’t believe I crossed the line on my own."

Silver went to Malaysian rider Mohd Azizulhasni Awang, and Dutchman Harrie Lavreysen took bronze.

Kenny earned a team sprint silver earlier in his Tokyo 2020 programme but was only eighth in the individual sprint.

To produce a gold-winning display again was a fine way to end his time in Japan's capital, but there was disappointment for his wife, Laura Kenny, whose bid for a hat-trick of omnium titles ended with a sixth-placed finish.

The London 2012 and Rio 2016 champion had a fall in the scratch race and then struggled to get in medal contention, with gold going to American Jennifer Valente, silver to Yumi Kajihara of Japan and bronze to Kirsten Wild of the Netherlands.

Laura Kenny at least enjoyed her husband's success, after privately fearing he would fall short.

"The amount of people who came up to me afterwards and were like 'I'd have counted him out of this' - and to be honest, so had I!" Kenny told BBC Sport.

"I was speaking to him last night and he was like 'I just want to go home'. Then obviously he won - just typical Jason, that."

Gold in the women's sprint went to Canada's Kelsey Mitchell, who edged out Ukraine's Olena Starikova in the final, with Lee Wai Sze of Hong Kong beating Germany's Emma Hinze to bronze.

Ciryl Gane is the new interim heavyweight UFC champion after dominating Derrick Lewis winning with a third round TKO in Houston on Saturday.

The referee intervened in the third round after Gane hurt Lewis numerous times before finishing the American with a series of hammerfists while he lay on the ground.

The Frenchman, who boasted an undefeated 9-0 record coming into the fight, dominated throughout, with Lewis' corner asking him to be more active to combat Gane.

Gane switched between jabs and leg kicks in a cagey first round, before asserting his dominance with a 34-2 advantage in significant strikes, controlling range and proving evasive for Lewis.

Lewis could not land any big hits before a series of strikes from Gane floored the 36-year-old American.

Gane's victory means he now has former teammate and heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in his sights.

"The fight is gonna go up, so let's go, just let's go," Gane said during the post-game interview in the octagon.

STILL PLENTY OF FIGHT IN ALDO

Jose Aldo defeated Pedro Munhoz by unanimous decision to defend his men's bantamweight crown for the second time.

The 34-year-old Brazilian, who was formerly a champion in the featherweight division, was shrewd and sharp against Munhoz.

Aldo beat Munhoz in total strikes 75-56 across to UFC Stats and appeared a class above.

"I've been working a lot," Aldo said via a translator after the bout. "I want to be a champ in this division. I've been dedicating myself a lot in Brazil. That's why I'm here."

LUQUE WINS AND CALLS OUT USMAN

American-born Brazilian Vicente Luque won his pivotal welterweight fight with a choke submission against Michael Chiesa.

Luque is lining up a bout with champion Kamaru Usman and called him out following the fight.

"I think it's our time," Luque said. "I'm the only guy up there you haven't fought yet. Let's go." Usman, who is due to face Colby Covington in November, responded on Twitter, indicating he was up for it.

Tecia Torres made it two-for-two against Angela Hill as she won by decision in the women's strawweight.

Sue Bird signed off her Olympic career with a fifth gold medal as Team USA landed a seventh successive women's basketball title, scuppering the hopes of hosts Japan in the final.

At the age of 40, Bird has declared Tokyo 2020 will be her final Games, and she helped the latest incarnation of the mighty United States team to a 90-75 win in the Saitama Super Arena.

Brittney Griner set a new USA record of 30 points in a women's Olympic final, while Diana Taurasi joined Bird in landing a fifth gold, the two longest-serving members of the team each finishing the game with seven points. Taurasi, 39, could yet play on until the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

A'ja Wilson scored 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field in Sunday's final, while Breanna Stewart added 14 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.

Maki Takada led Japan with 17 points. Her team-mate Nako Motohashi drained four of five three-point shots but was far less clinical when nearer the net.

Japan made just 36 per cent of their field-goal attempts (28 of 77) and the 54 per cent success rate of the US team (37 of 69) proved a decisive factor.

The home team never led and trailed 50-39 at half-time, then 75-56 after the third quarter, and by that point the contest was all but over.

Taurasi said of her fifth gold: "It's 20 years of sacrifice, of putting everything aside and just wanting to win. It's never easy playing on this team [with] the pressure, but this group found a way to win and I'm just happy this group got to enjoy it."

Griner, who was also on the Rio 2016 team, recalled the efforts of the triumphant teams of years gone by, with this winning streak having begun at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

"Seven in a row, I mean that's just amazing. That just goes to show everything USA basketball's about," Griner said.

"Japan's hard to guard. They can shoot it anywhere on the court. They're a tough guard, they're a really good team. I'm just glad we've got this gold."

Roma head coach Jose Mourinho has been sent off as tempers boiled over in the 5-2 pre-season friendly defeat to Real Betis on Saturday.

The former Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester United boss stormed on to the pitch and approached the referee to protest a dubious Betis goal.

The incident occurred with the match at 2-2 with Alex Moreno awkwardly netting for Betis appearing to use his arm, but the referee did not disallowed the goal prompting Mourinho's strong reaction despite the friendly's relative insignificance.

Mourinho was red carded for his actions along with Lorenzo Pellegrini before Roma had two more players and two more assistant coaches dismissed and conceded two more goals to lose 5-2.

The Portuguese took over at Roma in the off-season, as the Giallorossi look to improve on last season's seventh-place finish in Serie A.

Roma commence their 2021-22 Serie A campaign against Fiorentina on Sunday 22 August.

Top seed Elise Mertens was knocked out as Daria Kasatkina won through to the Silicon Valley Classic final where she will meet Danielle Collins.

Fourth seed Kasatkina swept aside world number 17 Mertens in one hour and 21 minutes, winning 6-3 6-2 in San Jose.

The 24-year-old Russian progresses to her fourth final of the WTA season, claiming her third win from four meetings against the Belgian.

The win was former top 10 player Kasatkina's fourth triumph over a top 20 player this year.

Kasatkina broke Mertens three times throughout the match, never dropping her own serve, sending down 4-2 aces.

Mertens was not helped by seven double faults throughout the match, with Kasatkina saving the Belgian's only break point.

Kasatkina will face American seventh seed Danielle Collins who was too good for Ana Konjuh. Collins only needed 52 minutes to win 6-0 6-2 over the Croatian qualifier.

Konjuh struggled on serve throughout, with Collins breaking her six times, while she only won one from 17 points on her second serve.

American Mackenzie McDonald toppled former champion Kei Nishikori in three sets to claim a spot in the Citi Open final on Sunday against fifth seed Jannik Sinner.

McDonald triumphed over unseeded Japanese Nishikori 6-4 3-6 7-5 in two hours and 45 minutes in Washington DC.

The 26-year-old American's win qualifies him for his maiden ATP Tour final, sending down 4-1 aces while getting a slight edge with his return.

Nishikori, who triumphed in DC in 2015, fought back when trailing a set and a break in the second with four straight games to send it to a third.

The 31-year-old Japanese appeared to have the momentum but McDonald responded to outlast him.

McDonald will face 19-year-old Sinner who overcame another emerging talent, American 20-year-old Jenson Brooksby, 7-6 (7-2) 6-1.

Sinner becomes the first Italian to reach the final in DC and also progresses to his first ATP 500 decider.

The Italian continued his fine run in DC, having not yet dropped a set all tournament, marking a return to form after being on a four-match losing run.

Sinner saved three set points at 5-6 in the first to fight back to take the lead in a tiebreaker before a dominant second.