The Phoenix Suns are hopeful but unsure about Chris Paul's availability for Game 6 after he injured his shoulder again in Tuesday's 115-85 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Suns took a 3-2 series lead over the Lakers with a victory that was soured by Paul's injury, which leaves his availability for Game 6 on Thursday in doubt.
The 36-year-old went down in pain, clutching his right shoulder halfway through the third quarter after a minor collision with Laker Wesley Matthews.
Paul left the court and did not return to action, although he sat on the bench in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, with coach Monty Williams revealing he said he still had strength in the shoulder which has troubled him all series.
Williams preferred not to offer any official update, instead stating the Suns medical staff will assess Paul on Wednesday.
"He went in the back and got some treatment," Williams said. "When I talked with him when he came back out, he said he still had his strength.
"He seems to be okay but we want to wait until tomorrow after he wakes up and our medical team can make an assessment."
Paul, who played almost 23 minutes and scored nine points to go with six assists, said that the injury felt "very uncomfortable", leaving him "helpless".
"It scared me," Paul said during his post-match video conference. "It was just a very uncomfortable feeling. I felt helpless. When it happened, I was looking up and didn’t know what happened with Wes.
"But after I'd seen it I came back out on the court and I told Wes it was a clean play and it was unfortunate my neck and arm snapped again like it did."
The Lakers were missing their own star, with forward Anthony Davis absent due to a left groin strain.
Four-time NBA MVP LeBron James said he was preparing for Game 6 without Davis being available.
"My mindset is as if AD won't be in the game in Game 6, if something changes we go from there," James said post-match. "I'm preparing as if he's not."
With just nine days to go until the start of Euro 2020, preparations are hotting up.
There are systems to train, friendlies to navigate and injuries to heal – hopefully – for the 24 teams involved before the delayed competition begins on June 11.
That year-long wait for the finals has helped some, with certain players able to recover form and fitness after looking likely to miss out entirely had the tournament gone ahead last year.
However, there are others for whom the rescheduling has come as a bit of a blow.
Using Opta data, Stats Perform examines some of the major contenders for the trophy and why the postponement could prove a particular problem...
Belgium
Roberto Martinez has been left with a major headache around three of his biggest names.
Eden Hazard may have hoped the extra year would help him recover peak form with Real Madrid but, if anything, matters have become worse.
He was limited to just 21 Madrid appearances in 2020-21, scoring four goals and providing two assists from a mere nine chances created, as fitness problems and fan frustrations persisted.
There are also worries now around Kevin De Bruyne, whose magnificent season for Manchester City ended with broken facial bones in a losing Champions League final, while Axel Witsel has not played since January 9 due to an Achilles injury.
Croatia
Ivan Rakitic caused a shock last September when he announced his retirement from international football, having been all set to play at the Euros had they gone ahead as planned.
While the 2018 World Cup finalists still have Luka Modric at the heart of their midfield, the Real Madrid man will be 36 this year and has come off a hectic season in which he played 48 games.
Another veteran, Ivan Perisic, last played a full match for Inter in February and Mateo Kovacic missed seven of Chelsea's final nine games of the season through injury.
England
England have some concern around Raheem Sterling, who has scored one league goal since February and fell out of favour at Manchester City. There are also problems with Marcus Rashford, who has been managing an ankle issue for several weeks and only has four league goals to his name since the turn of the year.
In midfield, Jordan Henderson has not played since undergoing groin surgery in February, Jack Grealish missed three months of action for Aston Villa and Harry Maguire's ankle ligament damage has left him battling to be fit enough for the start of the group stage.
And what of Trent Alexander-Arnold? The Liverpool right-back, sensational in 2019-20, was left out of the World Cup qualifiers in March after an inconsistent season and is hardly guaranteed a starting spot under Gareth Southgate.
Netherlands
The Netherlands will have to make do without Virgil van Dijk. The Liverpool star was integral to the Oranje's run to the inaugural Nations League Finals and seemed destined to head into the tournament as Europe's best centre-back. As it is, he will watch from afar, having failed to recover from the knee injury he sustained in October.
Frank de Boer became the first Netherlands head coach to fail to win any of his first four fixtures, and though he managed to correct that dismal form, his record since leaving Ajax does not exactly bode well heading into a major tournament.
There is also the issue of Donny van de Beek, who has started just four Premier League games for Manchester United and finished his first season with the Red Devils as an unused substitute as they lost on penalties to Villarreal in the Europa League final.
Spain
Ansu Fati is the big new hope for Barcelona and Spain, but injury ended the winger's season prematurely and he has not recovered in time to make Luis Enrique's 24-man squad – a selection that does not feature Sergio Ramos or any of his Real Madrid team-mates.
Ramos has only played only once – in a Champions League defeat to Chelsea – since March, and it was felt he needed time to recover away from the international stage.
It also seemed as though Adama Traore would prove a valuable impact player in the Spain attack, but the Wolves forward managed only two goals and two assists in 37 Premier League games in 2020-21.
Speculation has swirled for months about the future of Lionel Messi following a season of change at Barcelona.
Barca have been busy already this off-season, signing Sergio Aguero and Eric Garcia.
Compatriot Aguero had implored Messi to extend his Barcelona stay, which dates back to 2000, and it seems the striker may get his wish.
TOP STORY - MESSI RE-COMMITS TO CATALANS
Six-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi is set to pen a new two-year contract with Barcelona, according to AS.
The Argentina forward has practically agreed to the deal, with only "structural details" to complete.
Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain have both shown interest in Messi but he looks set to commit until 2023.
ROUND-UP
- Everton are in the market for a new manager after Carlo Ancelotti's sudden departure and The Athletic reports they will consider Rangers boss and Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard. TalkSPORT claims ex-Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo is also on their radar.
- COPE claims that new Real Madrid boss Ancelotti will not push to recruit James Rodriguez from the Italian's former club Everton.
- The Sun reports that Arsenal are in pole position in the race to sign Raheem Sterling from Manchester City.
- The Sun also claims any potential Sterling move to Arsenal may scupper Manchester City's plans to sign Tottenham's Harry Kane , as they want to use the winger in a swap deal given Spurs hefty asking price.
- Manchester United are keen on Sevilla defender Jules Kounde but Barcelona have joined the pursuit for his signature, claims Mundo Deportivo.
Clint Frazier had a dream game as the New York Yankees ended their four-game losing run and halted the Tampa Bay Rays' five-game winning streak with a 5-3 walk off victory on Tuesday.
Austin Meadows homered early for the Rays, while Miguel Andujar sent Tyler Glasnow into the bleachers at the bottom of the fourth inning to make it 3-3.
At 3-3, outfielder Frazier made his first major impact on the game with a sensational diving catch from Joey Wendle.
The game went to extras and in the 11th inning with two outs and a runner on third, Frazier hit a home run for his second career walk off.
Orioles end losing run, sluggers slug
The Baltimore Orioles ended their 14-game losing streak with a 7-4 triumph over the Minnesota Twins.
Center fielder Cedric Mullins pulled off a spectacular catch on the wall, before touching down on home base in the third inning from Trey Mancini's home run.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr and Ronald Acuna Jr remain top of the home run charts with both scoring homers on Tuesday.
Guerrero's Toronto Blue Jays swept aside the Miami Marlins 5-1, taking his season home run tally to 17.
Acuna's 17th home run came in a losing battle, with the Atlanta Braves going down 11-6 to the Washington Nationals who hauled pitcher Stephen Strasburg with a suspected shoulder injury after velocity issues.
Venezuela-born Acuna had four runs, three hits and two runs batted in across his four innings, but it was in vain.
Padres sweating on Tatis
The San Diego Padres were beaten 4-3 at the Chicago Cubs but to add injury to insult, the also lost Fernando Tatis Jr due to tightness around the mid-section after over-stretching in the field. Padres manager Jayce Tingler set the exit of Tatis, who has hit 16 home runs this season, was "precautionary".
Rendon flies for Angels
Anthony Rendon came up with the goods with three hits and 5 runs batted in as the Los Angeles Angels won 8-1 at the San Francisco Giants. With bases loaded, Rendon hit a home run at the top of the four inning to give the Angels an 8-0 lead they would never surrender.
Tuesday's results
Cleveland Indians 6-5 Chicago White Sox
New York Yankees 5-3 Tampa Bay Rays
Baltimore Orioles 7-4 Minnesota Twins
Toronto Blue Jays 5-1 Miami Marlins
Philadelphia Phillies 17-3 Cincinnati Reds
Atlanta Braves 11-6 Washington Nationals
Detroit Tigers 10-7 Milwaukee Brewers
Chicago Cubs 4-3 San Diego Padres
Kansas City Royals 10-5 Pittsburgh Pirates
Houston Astros 5-1 Boston Red Sox
Colorado Rockies 3-2 Texas Rangers
Los Angeles Angels 8-1 San Francisco Giants
Arizona Diamondbacks 6-5 New York Mets
Oakland Athletics 12-6 Seattle Mariners
St Louis Cardinals 3-2 Los Angeles Dodgers
Rays at Yankees
The Tampa Bay Rays (35-21) continue their series away to the New York Yankees (30-25) in their American League East match-up.
The Phoenix Suns moved 3-2 ahead in their NBA first round playoffs series against the Los Angeles Lakers with a 115-85 victory but star guard Chris Paul went down after re-injuring his shoulder.
Devin Booker top scored for the Suns with 30 points, seven rebounds and five assists as the Suns move within one win of knocking out the reigning champions.
The Suns, however, will be sweating on Paul's fitness ahead of Game 6 after going down clutching his sore right shoulder, having played 23 minutes, with nine points and six assists.
Phoenix blew the game open with a remarkable 32-10 second quarter, opening up a 32-point half-time lead which the Lakers, who were without Anthony Davis, never threatened in the second half.
LeBron James top scored with 24 points including six three-pointers along with five rebounds and seven assists, while Andre Drummond had seven points and 13 rebounds.
The series returns to Los Angeles for Game 6, before the final match in Arizona if required.
Nugs win in double over-time, Nets progress
Nikola Jokic and Damian Lillard traded blows as the Denver Nuggets edged the Portland Trail Blazers 147-140 in a double over-time thriller.
Jokic finished with 38 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists, while Michael Porter Jr had 26 points, including a clutch late three-pointer along with 12 rebounds and three assists.
Lillard remarkably scored 55 points for the defeated Blazers, along with six rebounds and 10 assists, although he may regret passing to CJ McCollum with nine seconds left at 143-140 down. McCollum mis-controlled and stepped out of play, forcing the decisive turnover.
In a back-and-forth encounter, McCollum had earlier drained a three-pointer to send the game into over-time.
The Brooklyn Nets finished the job in their first round series against the Boston Celtics with James Harden starring in a 123-109 win which completed a 4-1 victory.
Harden produced a triple-double, scoring 34 points with 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Nets.
Kyrie Irving added 25 points, while Kevin Durant contributed 24, including four three-pointers shooting at 66 per cent from beyond the arc.
The Nets will next face the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Wayward Tatum's radar off
Jayson Tatum was a lone hand for the Celtics, managing 32 points, although he shot poorly, albeit regularly under intense heat, at 12-from-27 from the field and 36.4 per cent from beyond the arc.
History-making haul in losing cause
Lillard's 55 points came in a losing cause, making history as the third most in a defeat in NBA playoffs history behind Michael Jordan's 63 against the Celtics in 1986 and Donovan Mitchell's 57 against the Nuggets in 2020. He also had a record 12 threes.
Tuesday's results
Brooklyn Nets 123-109 Boston Celtics
Denver Nuggets 147-140 (OT) Portland Trail Blazers
Phoenix Suns 115-85 Los Angeles Lakers
Hawks at Knicks
The New York Knicks will look to stay alive as their first round playoffs series returns to Madison Square Garden against the Atlanta Hawks trailing 3-1.
James Harden says the Brooklyn Nets are a "very, very special group" after securing a 4-1 NBA first round playoffs series win over the Boston Celtics with a 123-109 win on Tuesday.
The Nets progress to the Eastern Conference semi-finals where they will face Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks who swept the Miami Heat 4-0.
Harden had a 34-point triple-double as the Nets' 'big three' got more game-time together, with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving having 24 and 25 points respectively.
"We're a special group especially when we lock in defensively," Harden told ESPN post-game.
"When we can get three-four stops in a row, we're a very, very special group. Offensively we can get it going, we've got that much firepower."
Harden was also delighted to get more minutes alongside Durant and Irving, having missed 18 games late in the season with a hamstring injury.
"We've had so much adversity, injuries, COVID protocol, whatever it may be, we've dealt with a lot of adversity throughout the regular season so it felt good to get some meaningful games in," Harden said about the Boston series.
"Obviously in playoffs you don’t want to lose. It helped us out in the sense that it's time to lock in now.
"Tonight was a really good job. They're a really good ball team. They were down a few players but they kept fighting."
Men's top seed Novak Djokovic says he empathizes with Naomi Osaka having been on the wrong side of the media in the past following her withdrawal from the 2021 French Open.
Four-time grand slam winner Osaka pulled out of Roland Garros on Monday, a day after tournament organisers said her continued refusal to attend compulsory news conferences could result in her being expelled from the Open.
Osaka had come out publicly prior to the French Open and announced she would not attend the news conferences after matches at Roland Garros, citing mental health reasons.
After winning in the first round, Osaka opted out and explained her decision in a social media statement where she said has had bouts of depression since winning the US Open in 2018 and never intended for her stance to become a distraction.
Djokovic, who came under fire last year for his role in the Adria Tour and his US Open default, was asked about Osaka's situation at his post-match news conferences after his straight sets win over Tennys Sandgren on Tuesday.
"Naomi is very young… I can understand her very well. I can empathise because I was on the wrong edge of the sword in my career many times with media," Djokovic said.
"I know how it feels. I support her. I think she was very brave to do that.
"I'm really sorry that she's going through painful times and suffering mentally. I wish her all the best.
"She's a very important player, brand and person for our sport. We need to have her back.
"This was a very bold decision from her side but she knows how she feels best. If she needs to take time and reflect and recharge, that's what she needed to do. I respect it fully. I hope she'll come back stronger."
Djokovic, who was 18 major titles to his name, added that he understood the stance of the French Open and other Grand Slams who have insisted on news conferences being mandatory after every match.
"The grand slams are protecting themselves and their own business," he said. "Of course, they're going to follow the rules and make sure you are complying otherwise you'll be paying fines and getting sanctioning.
"It's not surprising to me that that was their reaction. We're used to this environment and the principles of us doing interviews after every match and getting to answer questions that are majorly quite similar.
"But it's part of our sport and what we do. The media is important without a doubt. It's allowing us to have the platform to communicate with our fans but in a more traditional way.
"It used to be the only way how we could reach out to our fans. In the last five to 10 years it's not the case anymore. We have our own platforms and social media accounts."
Djokovic won 6-2 6-4 6-2 over Sandgren, compiling 33 winners to extend his outstanding French Open first round record to 17-0.
"I thought I played really well, moved very well," he said. "From the later stages of the Rome tournament until now, I'm finding my groove on the court, striking the ball well."
France captain Hugo Lloris says the return of Karim Benzema does not guarantee the world champions anything ahead of the 2020 European Championship.
Les Bleus take on Wales in a friendly on Wednesday ahead of Euro 2020, where France have a tough group alongside Germany, Hungary and Portugal.
Real Madrid forward Benzema, 33, has been recalled to the France squad for the first time in almost six years.
The forward had been frozen out by France head coach Didier Deschamps since 2015 having been embroiled in a blackmail scandal over a sex tape.
Benzema has forged an outstanding club career in the meantime, netting 23, 21 and 21 league goals over the past three seasons in Spain and looms as a major addition for the 2018 World Cup winners.
"Karim's return does not change anything," Lloris said at the pre-game news conference prior to the Wales friendly in Nice. "His reinstatement went well, it happened naturally.
"There is a lot of respect, even more from the younger players. There is admiration for what he has done in his career at Real Madrid. We ignore what is said from the outside.
"We have the talent but matches are won on the pitch and not on paper. It will be necessary for us to be strong as a team."
France loom as one of the favourites for Euro 2020, along with England, Belgium, Germany, Spain and reigning champions Portugal.
Lloris added: "Karim never gave up, he gave himself the chance to come back, and his presence adds talent to this generation, but there are no guarantees of success.
"It is up to us to create the conditions for a positive dynamic, to create an energy to enter this competition well and to stay there as long as possible, while remaining solid when it is more complicated."
Deschamps is expected to unleash Benzema alongside Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann against the Dragons in a star-studded front line.
"Our performance will also depend on what everyone brings," Deschamps said.
"The midfielders, the full backs. I don't want to dissociate the three forwards from the rest of the team."
Roberto Mancini has included Sassuolo forward Giacomo Raspadori in Italy's final 26-man squad for Euro 2020.
Raspadori is a surprise selection considering he is yet to make his debut for the national team and has only played 39 games in Serie A.
The 21-year-old did make 27 league appearances in the 2020-21 campaign but only 13 of those were starts, scoring six goals as Sassuolo finished eighth.
All of his goals came since the turn of the year, though, including finding the net against Milan in April and then also Juventus the following month.
He was part of Italy’s squad that was knocked out of the European Under-21 Championship on Monday, losing 5-3 after extra time against Portugal in an eventful quarter-final tie.
As well as Raspadori, Mancini also found a spot for Atalanta defender Rafael Toloi, though his club colleague Matteo Pessina failed to make the final cut.
There is no place for Matteo Politano either, while Roma defender Gianluca Mancini misses out.
Italy face the Czech Republic on Friday in their final friendly before the tournament, which was postponed last year due to the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Azzurri will then go up against Turkey in their opening game on June 16, with Switzerland their next opponents four days later. They round out the group stage by taking on Wales on June 20, with all of those fixtures taking place in Rome.
Italy squad for Euro 2020:
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Milan), Alex Meret (Napoli), Salvatore Sirigu (Torino); Francesco Acerbi (Lazio), Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Emerson Palmieri (Chelsea), Alessandro Florenzi (Paris Saint-Germain), Leonardo Spinazzola (Roma), Rafael Toloi (Atalanta); Nicolo Barella (Inter), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Jorginho (Chelsea), Manuel Locatelli (Sassuolo), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Stefano Sensi (Inter), Marco Verratti (Paris); Andrea Belotti (Torino), Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo), Federico Bernardeschi (Juventus), Federico Chiesa (Juventus), Ciro Immobile (Lazio), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Giacomo Raspadori (Sassuolo)
Boston Celtics pair Kemba Walker and Rob Williams have both been ruled out of Game 5 on Tuesday against the Brooklyn Nets with their NBA first round playoffs series on the line.
The Nets lead 3-1, having won 141-126 on Sunday in Game 4 over the Celtics who were without Walker (knee) and Williams (ankle).
Point guard Walker had played in Friday's 125-119 Game 3 win but is battling bone bruising in his left knee and coach Brad Stevens confirmed he would not take his place on Tuesday.
Bigman Williams only managed six minutes in Game 3 due to a sprained left ankle.
Boston are already without forward Jaylen Brown for the rest of the season due to a wrist injury, leaving a heavy burden on star Jayson Tatum.
Brooklyn can wrap up the series on Tuesday with victory and were aided by their 'big three' firing in Game 4.
Kevin Durant scored 42 points had four rebounds and five assists, while Kyrie Irving added 39 points and 11 rebounds and James Harden had 23 points and 18 assists in the win.
The Dominican Republic rebounded from yesterday’s close defeat to Belgium to beat Korea in fine style at the Volleyball Nation’s League, in Italy, on Tuesday.
Overall, the Dom Rep gave a commanding performance to win in straight sets 25-23, 28-26, 25-18. Although they got off to a shaky start, the team’s aggressive approach to the match was clear.
The Caribbean team dropped points early in the first set but worked their way back with strong backcourt defence and impressive attacking to eventually come out on top.
After claiming the first, Dom Rep took a commanding lead in the second set but lost concentration at one point and Korea was able to capitalise and tie the set at 23-all. Thanks to good blocking at the net and a couple of mistakes from the Koreans, however, they were able to close out the set and take a 2-0 lead.
Dom Rep was closely trailed by their opponents in the final set, but with the score at 16-15 in their favour, they started to pull away and surged to victory for the second time this tournament.
Outside hitter Brayelin Elizabeth Martinez and right-side hitter Isabel Pena were the top scorers for the Dominican Republic with 16 points each. Martinez had 14 kills, a block, and an ace, and Pena finished with 15 kills and a block.
This victory means that the Dominican Republic now sit ninth on the table with seven points from five matches. The team will be hoping to carry the winning momentum into their next game tomorrow against Poland.
The leaders of tennis' four grand slam events have commended Naomi Osaka for opening up about her mental health problems and have vowed to put players' wellbeing first.
Osaka pulled out of the French Open on Monday, a day after organisers fined the four-time grand slam winner and threatened her with more severe sanctions for refusing to attend mandatory media conferences.
The world number two said in a statement posted on social media that she has had "long bouts of depression" since winning the US Open in 2018 and never intended for her stance to become a distraction.
Osaka also indicated that she was willing to work closely with tour officials "to discuss ways we can make things better for the players, press and fans."
Amid criticism for the way in which they have handled the matter, those in charge of the French Open, Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open have now softened their stance.
A joint statement on Tuesday from French tennis federation president Gilles Moretton, All England Club chairman Ian Hewitt, U.S. Tennis Association president Mike McNulty and Tennis Australia president Jayne Hrdlicka read: "On behalf of the Grand Slams, we wish to offer Naomi Osaka our support and assistance in any way possible as she takes time away from the court.
"She is an exceptional athlete and we look forward to her return as soon as she deems appropriate. Mental health is a very challenging issue, which deserves our utmost attention.
"It is both complex and personal, as what affects one individual does not necessarily affect another.
"We commend Naomi for sharing in her own words the pressures and anxieties she is feeling and we empathise with the unique pressures tennis players may face.
"While players' wellbeing has always been a priority to the Grand Slams, our intention, together with the WTA, the ATP and the ITF, is to advance mental health and wellbeing through further actions.
"Together as a community we will continue to improve the player experience at our tournaments, including as it relates to media.
"Change should come through the lens of maintaining a fair playing field, regardless of ranking or status. Sport requires rules and regulations to ensure that no player has an unfair advantage over another.
"We intend to work alongside the players, the tours, the media and the broader tennis community to create meaningful improvements. As Grand Slams, we aim to create the stage for the players to achieve the highest accolades in our sport."
Osaka's shock withdrawal generated an outpouring of support across the tennis world and beyond, with the likes of Serena Williams, Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova backing the 23-year-old's stance.
Gael Monfils also chipped in on Tuesday, the top-ranked French men's player pointing out that it is difficult to judge Osaka's situation from the outside.
"We need Naomi. We need her definitely to be 100 per cent," he said following his win over Albert Ramos-Vinolas.
"We need her back on the court, back on the press conference, and back happy. You know, that's what we need.
"What she's dealing with is tough for me to even judge, because I think she has massive pressure from many things.
"I think she's quite young. She's handling it quite well. Sometimes we want maybe too much from her, and then how she says maybe she can't manage it that well, so sometimes for sure she's going to make some mistakes.
"But I give her always the chance because she's a champion, she's quite young, she has a huge influence. I think she needs to take some time for herself to work on herself, feel better."
Novak Djokovic eased into the second round of the French Open thanks to a straight-sets win over Tennys Sandgren in the final match at Roland Garros on Tuesday.
The top seed – beaten by Rafael Nadal, who is in the same half of the draw, in the Paris final last year – had won his previous 16 first-round contests at the French Open, and there never appeared to be any danger of him failing to extend that record on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Indeed, this meeting lasted under two hours, with the world number one cruising through 6-2 6-4 6-2 without conceding serve and while hitting 33 winners in the process.
It also brought up his fourth career win over Sandgren, maintaining a 100 per cent record over the world number 66. Pablo Cuevas awaits in round two.
Sandgren was a break down in a hurry as Djokovic breezed through the first set in just 31 minutes.
The 34-year-old – a five-time Roland Garros finalist who claimed his solitary title at the event in 2016 – grew frustrated in the second set as he made nine unforced errors and offered up six break points, yet he saved them all.
It evidently demoralised Sandgren, who had put everything into trying to draw level, and the American swiftly found himself 4-1 and two breaks down in the final set, with Djokovic moving through the gears.
A sloppy shot into the net cost Djokovic his first match-point opportunity at 5-2 up, yet he made no mistake as he served out for the win – Sandgren's overhit cross-court forehand rounding off a one-sided contest.
Data Slam: Super Djokovic serves up a treat
Eighteen-time grand slam champion Djokovic may not have needed to live up to his own lofty standards, but his service game was typically excellent in the evening session. He landed 49 of 73 first serves, helping him to win 86 per cent of his first-serve points (42/49).
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Djokovic – 33/21
Sandgren – 25/27
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Djokovic – 4/2
Sandgren – 5/1
BREAK POINTS WON
Djokovic – 5/11
Sandgren – 0/6
Ashleigh Barty acknowledged it will be a "tough" week for her at the French Open as she plans to play through the pain at Roland Garros.
Barty – champion in Paris back in 2019 – had to take a medical time out during her first-round tie with Bernarda Pera on Tuesday.
The Australian world number one struggled with a hip issue, yet still progressed with a 6-4 3-6 6-2 win.
"It's going to be a little bit tough this week. I think over the weekend we had a bit of a flare-up through my left hip, which obviously just needed a bit of help today, needed some assistance to try and release it off as best I could," the 25-year-old said in her post-match news conference.
"I'm not going to hide behind the fact I'm not quite 100 per cent but I can guarantee that I will go out there with the right attitude every day and be really accepting of that and give it a crack no matter what.
"We're confident in that we can get my body to a point where I'm able to compete. We're here, we're fighting, we're in with a chance, and that's all we can do."
Magda Linette is next up for Barty on Thursday, the Polish player defeating Chloe Paquet in straight sets.
COCO CARRIES ON HER FORM AS SEEDS REACH ROUND TWO
Fresh from her triumph in both the singles and doubles in Parma, and a run to the Internazionali BNL d'Italia semi-finals, Coco Gauff started her campaign with a tough win over qualifier Aleksandra Krunic.
Gauff, the 24th seed, certainly had to do it the hard way, with the 17-year-old clawing back four set points in the opener, but some brilliant first serves – she landed 71 per cent of them – got her through in straight sets.
It brought up Gauff's first win at a grand slam as a seed. She is ranked at 25th in the world, making her the youngest American woman to make it into the top 25 since Serena Williams in 1998.
Wang Qiang will face Gauff in round two in what is a repeat of the Parma final.
Meanwhile, three other big names also made it through. Former world number one and 2017 French Open semi-finalist Karolina Pliskova overcame her close friend Donna Vekic 7-5 6-4, while fellow Czech Karolina Muchova came from behind to beat Andrea Petkovic 1-6 6-3 6-4.
With Petkovic's exit, there are no female players from Germany in the second round at Roland Garros for the first time since 1958.
Fifth seed Elina Svitolina is also through to round two after coming back from a break down in the second set to beat teenager Oceane Babel 6-2 7-5.
"It's a first time for her to play here in the main draw of the grand slam and to face the sixth player in the world it's extremely tough," Svitolina said of her young opponent.
"I think she dealt very well with it and she went for her shots in the second set and made life very difficult for me."
SUAREZ NAVARRO MAKES COMEBACK
Carla Suarez Navarro overcame Hodgkin lymphoma earlier this year, after revealing last September that she had been diagnosed with the rare cancer.
Suarez Navarro won that battle and is now cancer free, but in what she said will be her last appearance at Roland Garros, she slipped to a defeat to 2018 finalist Sloane Stephens.
The Spaniard took the first set 6-3 and forced a tiebreaker in the second, but it was Stephens who edged it before taking that momentum into the decider to claim a 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 win.
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