Leon "Rocky" Edwards is leaving no stone unturned as he prepares for his upcoming UFC welterweight title defence against Belal Muhammad. The reigning champion has enlisted the help of a sleep specialist to adjust his body clock to the unusual start time of his fight, set for approximately 5am UK time.
The highly anticipated bout will headline UFC 304 at Manchester’s new Co-op Live Arena on July 27. Despite being held in England, the event’s schedule has been adjusted to cater to American audiences, with the first prelim starting at 11pm UK time and the main card kicking off at 3am. This late-night timeline is a significant departure from the typical 11pm main event start time that British MMA fans are accustomed to.
In an interview with talkSPORT Drive’s Andy Goldstein and Darren Bent, Edwards shared his initial reaction to the unconventional fight schedule. "At the start, I was bit like 'Oh, why is it that time?'" Edwards admitted. However, he quickly adapted by seeking professional help. "I've brought in a specialist in sleep and they've given me a plan of how it will work."
The sleep specialist's plan involves gradually shifting Edwards' daily routine to align with the fight's late start time. "I thought I'd have to train at 5am in the morning every day straight away but they said basically 'Six weeks out we'll start switching your body clock and training'," Edwards explained.
The process includes adjusting his training sessions incrementally. "So my evening session will now become my first session, so at 5pm I'll do my first session and then I'll train again at midnight. And then each week I'll move both sessions forward an hour to adjust to the time so I'll sleep later and train later," he elaborated.
This strategic approach aims to ensure that Edwards will be at peak performance when he steps into the octagon in the early hours of the morning.
The fight holds additional significance given the history between Edwards and Muhammad. Their last encounter in March 2021 at UFC Fight Night 187 in Las Vegas ended in a no-contest due to an accidental eye poke from Edwards that rendered Muhammad unable to continue. This rematch offers both fighters a chance to settle the score and for Edwards, an opportunity to solidify his reign as the welterweight champion.
As the fight approaches, all eyes will be on Edwards to see if his meticulous preparation, including his innovative approach to adjusting his sleep schedule, will give him the edge he needs to defend his title successfully against a formidable opponent in Belal Muhammad.
Christian McCaffrey has reset the running back market in the NFL.
McCaffrey agreed to a two-year, $38million extension with the San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday, making him the league's highest-paid running back.
The new deal keeps McCaffrey, who turns 28 on Friday, under contract for the next four years after he signed a four-year, $64million extension in 2020 following his third season with the Carolina Panthers.
The 49ers acquired McCaffrey from the Panthers via a trade during the 2022 season, and he won the AP Offensive Player of the Year award in his first full season in San Francisco in 2023 after leading the NFL in rushing with 1,459 yards with 14 touchdowns.
He added another 564 receiving yards and seven TD receptions to help the 49ers secure the top seed in the NFC.
In 27 games with the 49ers, he has 2,205 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns to go with 1,028 receiving yards and 11 receiving TDs.
Since his 2017 rookie season, he leads all players with 10,505 scrimmage yards, while his 81 scrimmage touchdowns trail only Derrick Henry's 88.
Known for his bruising running style, McCaffrey also leads all players with 72 runs of at least 10 yards over the last two seasons.
McCaffrey attended the first day of San Francisco's mandatory mini-camp on Tuesday after skipping voluntary work-outs over the last two weeks.
Kyrie Irving is the "most gifted player the NBA has ever seen" and holds the key to the Dallas Mavericks' chances of victory in the NBA Finals, according to former team-mate LeBron James.
James and Irving played together with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2014 to 2017, making the NBA Finals in each of those seasons and triumphing in 2015-16.
Irving then enjoyed stints with the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets before joining Dallas last February.
He has been in great form during the offseason, averaging 22.8 points and 5.2 assists as well as shooting 48.5 per cent from the field to help put Dallas in contention for their second NBA championship.
Speaking on an episode of his 'Mind the Game' podcast, James said of Irving: "I'm so happy and so proud to watch him continue his growth.
"I'm so f****** mad at the same time that I'm not his running mate any more.
"I would call Kyrie 'the wizard' all the time. There was nothing on a basketball floor that Kyrie couldn't do."
James highlighted Irving's performance in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, when he scored 24 of his 30 points in the first half against the Minnesota Timberwolves, as the standout moment of this postseason.
While Boston may be favourites for the NBA Finals, which tip off on Thursday at TD Garden, James says Irving's ability gives Dallas a chance.
"That was like, 'oh s***, Dallas may be able to not only win the Western Conference finals, they might be able to win the whole thing'," James said of Irving's Game 1 display.
"Because of that wild card. He's the most gifted player the NBA has ever seen."
Rookie Luis Gil pitched six scoreless innings to win his seventh straight start and Aaron Judge continued his great pace with a two-run double to lead the New York Yankees to their sixth straight win, 5-1 over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night.
Gil gave up just one hit with three walks and six strikeouts to improve to 7-0 with a 0.60 ERA in his last seven starts. He is the first pitcher in Yankees history to throw at least six innings and allow no more than one run in seven consecutive starts.
Gleyber Torres hit a solo home run and Giancarlo Stanton added a two-run shot for the Yankees (43-19), who have won 17 of 21 to tie Philadelphia for the majors’ best record.
Judge went 2 for 3 with a walk, two RBIs and a run scored. He is 41 for 100 (.410) with 15 home runs, 31 RBIs and 32 runs in his last 29 games.
New York are 105-42 against Minnesota since 2002 – the best record for any team against an opponent in their own league during that span.
The Twins’ lone run came on Royce Lewis’ homer on his return from a 58-game injury absence. That snapped a 32-inning scoreless drought for the Twins against Yankees pitching.
Fried stifles Red Sox as Braves win
Max Fried had a career-high 13 strikeouts in seven innings and Ozzie Albies snapped a tie with a three-run homer as the Atlanta Braves defeated the Boston Red Sox 8-3.
Fried allowed two earned runs and four hits with one walk while pitching at least seven innings for the sixth time in his past eight starts.
His previous best of 11 strikeouts came most recently on September 30, 2019, against the White Sox.
Orlando Arcia also homered to help the Braves improve to 3-0 this season against the Red Sox.
Albies’ homer off Kutter Crawford snapped a 3-all tie and came after Austin Riley walked and Marcell Ozuna reached on an infield single.
Phillies walk-off Brewers in 10th
Nick Castellanos lined an RBI double in the 10th inning after Alec Bohm tied it with a solo homer in the eighth as the Philadelphia Phillies topped the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1 in a matchup of division leaders.
After Bryson Stott was intentionally walked to open the bottom of the 10th, Castellanos doubled to right off Joel Payamps to score Whit Merrifield with the winning run for Philadelphia’s 43rd win, tied for the major league lead.
The Phillies have won five of six and lead the NL Central by seven games over Atlanta.
Bohm lifted Philadelphia into a 1-1 tie when he led off the eighth against Elvis Peguero with his sixth home run.
Milwaukee’s lone run came in the third when Bryce Perkins doubled, moved up on a flyout and scored on Andruw Monasterio’s groundout.
Rookie Luis Gil pitched six scoreless innings to win his seventh straight start and Aaron Judge continued his torrid pace with a two-run double to lead the New York Yankees to their sixth straight win, 5-1 over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night.
Gil gave up just one hit with three walks and six strikeouts to improve to 7-0 with a 0.60 ERA in his last seven starts. He is the first pitcher in Yankees history to throw at least six innings and allow no more than one run in seven consecutive starts.
Gleyber Torres hit a solo home run and Giancarlo Stanton added a two-run shot for the Yankees (43-19), who have won 17 of 21 to tie Philadelphia for the majors’ best record.
Judge went 2 for 3 with a walk, two RBIs and a run scored. He is 41 for 100 (.410) with 15 home runs, 31 RBIs and 32 runs in his last 29 games.
New York is 105-42 against Minnesota since 2002 – the best record for any team against an opponent in its own league during that span.
The Twins’ lone run came on Royce Lewis’ home run in his return from a 58-game injury absence. That snapped a 32-inning scoreless drought for the Twins against Yankees pitching.
Fried stifles Red Sox as Braves win
Max Fried had a career-high 13 strikeouts in seven innings and Ozzie Albies snapped a tie with a three-run homer as the Atlanta Braves defeated the Boston Red Sox, 8-3.
Fried allowed two earned runs and four hits with one walk while pitching at least seven innings for the sixth time in his past eight starts.
His previous best of 11 strikeouts came most recently on Sept. 30, 2019, against the White Sox.
Orlando Arcia also homered to help the Braves improve to 3-0 this season against the Red Sox.
Albies’ homer off Kutter Crawford snapped a 3-all tie and came after Austin Riley walked and Marcell Ozuna reached on an infield single.
Phillies walk-off Brewers in 10th
Nick Castellanos lined an RBI double in the 10th inning after Alec Bohm tied it with a solo homer in the eighth as the Philadelphia Phillies topped the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1 in a matchup of division leaders.
After Bryson Stott was intentionally walked to open the bottom of the 10th, Castellanos doubled to right off Joel Payamps to score Whit Merrifield with the winning run for Philadelphia’s 43rd win, tied for the major league lead.
The Phillies have won five of six and lead the NL Central by seven games over Atlanta.
Bohm lifted Philadelphia into a 1-1 tie when he led off the eighth against Elvis Peguero with his sixth home run.
Milwaukee’s lone run came in the third when Bryce Perkins doubled, moved up on a flyout and scored on Andruw Monasterio’s groundout.
Jamaican Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight secured his third win in a row and seventh win in his last eight fights with a unanimous decision victory over Brazilian veteran Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos at UFC 302 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on Saturday.
The 33-year-old Brown won two out of three rounds on all three of the judges scorecards to move his overall MMA record to 19-5.
Despite the win, Brown, in the post-fight interview, maintained that he still has work to do to get to where he needs to be to be a top contender.
“Still not happy. We got work to do. Skills pay the bills,” Brown said.
Brown then gave love to his Jamaican fans.
“You know I have to big up Jamaica. I have to big up all my people. We’re here on the biggest stage doing a lot. Big up Spanish Town, Old Harbour, the whole of St. Catherine,” Brown said.
The night could’ve gone much differently for Brown as he fought the final two rounds of the fight with a broken foot.
“I broke the foot close to the big toe knuckle at the instep,” he told SportsMax.tv on Tuesday.
“It happened one minute into the first round,” he added.
When asked about who he wants to fight next, Brown called out number 10 ranked Welterweight, Geoff Neal.
“Come on Geoff Neal, it’s my time. I didn’t get the finish tonight but I’ve got to get to the top 15. I’m on a mission right now. It’s my time and I’ll do whatever it takes,” he said.
“Geoff Neal, you are that guy right now and I need you. Come on let’s do this. You don’t have a fight so let’s go,” he added.
Neal is 2-3 in his last five fights and has an overall record of 15-6 in MMA.
Carlos Alcaraz continued his perfect start to the French Open, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets to reach the semi-finals on Tuesday.
It is the second year running that Alcaraz has brushed aside Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals, this time with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 victory in just two hours and 15 minutes on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
The Spaniard set the tone early on with a break in the opening game as he comfortably cruised through the first set and was 3-0 up in the second before Tsitsipas started to mount a comeback.
The momentum stayed with Alcaraz as he stretched his lead following the tie-break though, and held his nerve to see out the third set.
The world number three has reached the semi-finals for the second consecutive year, and has booked a meeting with the new world number one, Jannik Sinner.
Data Debrief: Alcaraz keeps chasing records
Alcaraz has become the youngest player since Andy Roddick in 2003 (v Xavier Malisse) to defeat a player in all his first six meetings in ATP events.
Not only that, but among players who started their career in the Open Era, only Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe (59 each) have registered 50 Men's Singles Grand Slam wins in fewer matches than Alcaraz (60).
Novak Djokovic was left to rue his "tough decision" after a knee injury forced him to pull out of the French Open.
Earlier on Tuesday, the tournament organisers announced Djokovic would not be continuing his title defence after picking up a knee injury in his incredible comeback win against Francisco Cerundolo on Monday.
His withdrawal also means he has relinquished his world number one ranking, with Jannik Sinner set to take his place in the standings following the end of the tournament.
In a social media post, Djokovic confirmed the news himself.
"I am really sad to announce that I have to withdraw from Roland Garros," his post read.
View this post on Instagram
"I played with my heart and gave my all in yesterday's match and unfortunately, due to a medial meniscus tear in my right knee, my team and I had to make a tough decision after careful consideration and consultation.
"I wish the best of luck to the players competing this week and sincerely thank the incredible fans for all the love and continued support. See you soon."
The 37-year-old now faces a race to be fit for Wimbledon, where he is a seven-time champion, with the tournament beginning on July 1.
World number one Scottie Scheffler is still struggling to move past his arrest last month at the PGA Championship, despite charges being dropped.
The American is preparing for the upcoming Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Ohio, though the events at the last major remains on his mind.
Scheffler was arrested after play was delayed at Valhalla Golf Club due to a traffic incident outside the course, with one person left dead from the incident, which did not involve the golfer.
It later emerged the American had been charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals from an officer.
An American court dismissed Scheffler's charges just 12 days later but the incident continues to trouble him.
"I would say that I still wouldn't have 100 per cent moved past it," Scheffler said.
"Because now it's almost more appropriate for people to ask me about the situation and, to be honest with you, it's not something that I love reliving, just because it was fairly traumatic for me being arrested going into the golf course.
"It's not something that I love talking about and it's something that I'm hoping to move past, but when the charges are dropped, that's kind of only the beginning of getting past it, if that makes sense.
"It was definitely a bit of a relief, but not total relief because that's something that will always, I think, kind of stick with me. That mugshot I'm sure is not going anywhere any time soon."
Scheffler's attorney Steve Romines confirmed his client would not file a civil lawsuit after charges were dropped.
"I did not want to have to pursue legal action against Louisville because, at the end of the day, the people of Louisville are then going to have to pay for the mistakes of their police department and that just doesn't seem right," Scheffler said.
"So at no point did I ever want to sue them, but if it came there, I think my lawyer was more than prepared to use that as more of like a bargaining chip-type thing more than anything.
"I think sometimes in society people are expecting perfection out of everybody and just because somebody will make one mistake, people will crucify them for that and I've never really believed in that.
"I believe in forgiveness, I believe in grace and I try to give that out as much as possible because of how much grace I've been given."
Sergio Perez has secured a two-year contract extension at Red Bull, keeping him at the F1 World Champions until the end of the 2026 season.
The Mexican joined the team in 2021 and has been a part of their recent success that has seen them dominate F1 in the last two years, alongside team-mate Max Verstappen.
Perez has claimed five of his six F1 career wins since joining Red Bull, though he is still waiting for his first victory in the 2024 season.
He said: "I am delighted to be staying here to continue our journey together and contribute to this team's great history for two more years.
"Being part of the team is an immense challenge, and one I love. We have a great challenge this year and I have full trust in the whole team that the future is bright here, and I am excited to be part of it.
"We have a great challenge this year and I have full trust in the whole team that the future is bright here, and I am excited to be part of it.
"I want to thank everyone for all the trust they are putting in me. It is a lot and I want to pay it back with excellent results on track and off track. I think we have a lot of work to do, we have a lot more championships to win together."
Meanwhile, team principal Christian Horner backed Perez to get stronger after a tough start to the season after making the announcement.
"Continuity and stability are important for the team and both Checo and Max are a successful and robust partnership, securing our first ever one-two finish for the team in the championship last year," he said.
"Checo has had a strong start to 2024 with second places in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Japan and then his podium in China," added Horner.
"The past few races have been tough, there is convergence on the grid, but we are confident in Checo and look forward to his return to proven form and performance that we so often see."
Red Bull will be aiming to hold onto their lead at the top of the F1 standings at the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend.
The Boston Celtics are expected to get starting center Kristaps Porzingis back in the lineup on Thursday when they host the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
Porzingis sustained a right calf strain in Game 4 of the opening round of the playoffs against the Miami Heat on April 29 after averaging 14 points and 5.7 rebounds in the first three meetings.
Al Horford moved into the starting lineup after Porzingis went down and averaged 10.7 points and 7.3 rebounds in 10 games as Boston went 9-1 to reach the NBA Finals for the second time in three seasons.
The Celtics acquired Porzingis from the Washington Wizards last June, and the fourth overall pick of the 2015 NBA Draft averaged 20.1 points and 7.2 rebounds in 57 games for Boston this season.
Porzingis spent part of three seasons with Dallas before being traded to Washington in February 2022.
Jannik Sinner celebrated becoming the new world number one with a straight-sets victory over Grigor Dimitrov booking his place in the French Open semi-finals.
Following Novak Djokovic's withdrawal from Roland-Garros due to a knee injury, the Italian moves to the summit of the ATP rankings for the first time in his career.
In fitting fashion, Sinner secured his maiden passage into the last four of the clay-court major after ousting Dimitrov 6-2 6-4 7-6 (7- ) in just under two-and-a-half hours on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
The reigning Australian Open champion landed the early blow with back-to-back breaks in games five and seven on the way to drawing first blood.
Another break in the opening game of the second proved decisive as he held out for a two-set lead.
The second seed then had a chance to serve for the match after he broke in game nine of set three. Although Dimitrov responded immediately, the Bulgarian only delayed the inevitable as Sinner would dominate the tie-break to advance.
Data Debrief: Italian job well done by the new world number one
Sinner is the first Italian man to become world number one since the rankings were first published in 1973.
The 22-year-old is now 4-0 in his first four grand slam matches against top-10 opponents this year, making him the youngest player to achieve that feat since Jim Courier in 1992.
After Stefanos Tsitsipas, he is also just the second player in the last 15 years to reach the semi-finals at the Australian Open and French Open in the same season.
Jannik Sinner will be the new world number one after Novak Djokovic was forced to withdraw from the French Open due to a knee injury.
The Serb was forced to go the distance in his fourth-round tie against Francisco Cerundolo on Monday, coming from behind to win in five sets after just over four and a half hours on the court.
After cruising through the first set, Djokovic had to receive medical treatment in the second due to a knee problem but carried on, eventually receiving medication for the issue.
He revealed after the match that he was close to quitting due to the injury, and said he would make a decision on whether to continue on Tuesday.
The 37-year-old was due to face Casper Ruud in the quarter-final in a rematch of last year’s final, but instead, the Norwegian will advance with a walkover.
Djokovic had to reach the final to ensure he retained his world number one status, but his withdrawal now means Sinner will move above him in the standings after the tournament.
He will become the first Italian player to become world number one since the ATP rankings were published in 1973, with the change officially happening on June 10.
There will also be a new champion at Roland Garros as Djokovic will not have the opportunity to defend his title or gain a 25th major title.
Iga Swiatek soared into her fourth French Open semi-final after another statement victory over fifth seed Marketa Vondrousova.
The reigning Roland-Garros champion took just over an hour to complete a comprehensive 6-0 6-2 rout of the reigning Wimbledon champion on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Swiatek has not looked back since surviving match point against Naomi Osaka in round two, wrapping up a dominant 6-0 6-0 humbling of Anastasia Potapova in the last 16.
She built on that momentum against a player she had beaten in each of their three previous meetings, including a 6-1 6-2 victory in round one on the way to winning her first French Open in 2020.
Indeed, Swiatek set the tone by winning 12 of the first 15 points then, following a lengthy fourth game, eight of the last 11 - and 11 from 14 overall on first serve - to draw first blood inside just 28 minutes.
It marked the second year running she had achieved three successive bagels at Roland-Garros, also doing so against Claire Liu and Xinyu Wang 12 months ago.
Vondrousova - the 2019 French Open finalist - had only dropped a single set on route to the quarter-finals, though she did stop the rot in game two of the second set.
That halted the Pole's run of 20 successive games won, but all it did was briefly delay the inevitable as she sailed into the last four, where Coco Gauff awaits.
Data Debrief: Swiatek matches Serena and Navratilova
Her latest bagel made Swiatek the first player since Serena Williams against Sara Errani in 2013 to win the opening set of a French Open quarter-final 6-0 against a top-10 opponent.
It also made fifth seed Vondrousova only the second top-10 player in the last four decades to concede multiple opening sets 6-0 at a single slam - after Kim Clijsters here in 2003.
Swiatek subsequently wrapped up her 33rd win in 35 matches at Roland-Garros - a tally only bettered by Chris Evert (34) after her opening 35 matches here.
That winning percentage of 94.2 per cent is only bettered in a single women's singles major during the Open Era by Margaret Court at the Australian Open (95.5 per cent, 21-1) and French Open (95.2 per cent, 20-1).
Speaking of greatness, the Pole has only dropped two games across her last two matches. That is the joint-most combined in the last 16 and quarter-finals in a single slam, matching Martina Navratilova's tally from the same stages of the 1989 US Open.
Coco Gauff is through to her second French Open semi-final, after coming from behind to deny Ons Jabeur on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Runner-up to Iga Swiatek at Roland-Garros two years ago, the third seed recovered from losing her first set of the tournament to prevail 4-6 6-2 6-3 in just under two hours.
Gauff was a dominant 6-0 6-1 winner when she last met Jabeur at the 2023 WTA Finals, while also prevailing 6-3 6-1 in their 2021 French Open encounter.
However, it was the Tunisian - appearing in her second successive quarter-final at Roland-Garros - who struck first, breaking in game seven to move halfway towards a maiden semi-final at the clay-court major.
Gauff hit back with a vengeance and broke her opponent in three successive games to take the contest the distance on Chatrier.
The deciding set swung firmly in the American's favour when she broke to 30 in game during a hot streak in which she won 12 out of 15 points, before holding her own serve to prevail when Jabeur sent a forehand smash wide.
Data Debrief: Gauff matches Evert
Gauff continues to excel at the French Open, where her tally of 20 women's singles match wins before turning 21 is only bettered by Iga Swiatek (21), who she may face in the semi-finals.
Aged 20 years and 82 days old, she is the youngest woman to reach three or more successive major semi-finals since Maria Sharapova's run of four between 2006 and 2007.
Gauff is also the third American women in the Open Era to reach multiple French Open semi-finals before the age of 21, matching the great Chris Evert and Andrea Jaeger.
As for her opponent, Jabeur is the second woman to lose successive completed Roland-Garros quarter-finals after winning the opening set, after Conchita Martinez (1992 and 1993).
Novak Djokovic revealed he was close to quitting against Francisco Cerundolo with a knee injury, before forcing his way through the pain barrier and into the French Open quarter-finals.
The reigning champion, who is eyeing a record-breaking 25th major singles title this week, came through a second successive five-set epic to book his place in the last eight at Roland-Garros.
Djokovic finished his third-round clash with Lorenzo Musetti after 3am in the early hours of Sunday morning, and was on Court Philippe-Chatrier over four-and-a-half hours to battle past Cerundolo.
Although, the Serb looked like he could be heading for an early exit when he required treatment for a knee problem in the second set, having dominated the first 6-1.
It certainly affected the three-time champion as he fell two sets to one behind before receiving medication for the issue.
Djokovic dug deep from 4-2 down in the fourth set to force a decider, which he subsequently controlled to scrape over the line a 6-1 5-7 3-6 7-5 6-3 winner.
"For the last couple of weeks, I have had slight discomfort in my right knee, but I haven't had an injury that would concern me at all," he told reporters during his post-match press conference.
"I was playing a few tournaments with it, and had no issues until today. I actually felt great coming into the match - as good as I could under the circumstances - and played really well [in the] first set.
"Then, in the third game of the second set, I slipped, one of the many times that I slipped and fell today. That affected the knee. I started feeling the pain and asked for the physio treatment and the medical timeout, and tried to take care of it.
"It did disrupt me definitely in play. For two sets, two sets and a half, I didn't want to stay in the rally too long. Every time he would make sudden drop shots or change directions, I would not be feeling comfortable doing the running.
"At one point, I didn't know whether I should continue or not with what was happening. I got the medication, and then after the third set was done, I asked for more medication, and I got it.
"I don't know how I won. I don't know what will happen tomorrow or if I'll be able to step out on the court and play. I hope so. Let's see what happens."
Next up for Djokovic is a quarter-final meeting with two-time runner-up Casper Ruud, and what will be a repeat of last year's final.
Rhys Hoskins homered in his return to Philadelphia, but his former team defeated his current one as the Phillies earned a 3-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in Monday's opener of a three-game series between National League division leaders.
Hoskins spent his first seven MLB seasons in Philadelphia and helped the Phillies win the 2022 NL pennant. After missing the entire 2023 campaign with a torn ACL, he signed a two-year, $34million contract to join the Brewers in the offseason.
The first baseman received a standing ovation from the Citizens Bank Park crowd during his first at-bat, then later took former teammate Zack Wheeler deep in the seventh inning for his 10th home run of the season.
Hoskins' blast was the lone run allowed in seven innings by Wheeler (7-3), who held Milwaukee to five hits and struck out six. Jose Alvarado recorded his 10th save with a perfect ninth as the Phillies snapped NL Central-leading Milwaukee's five-game winning streak and improved to 42-19, tied with the New York Yankees for the majors' best record.
Wheeler got all the support he needed when Philadelphia recorded four hits, including run-scoring singles from Edmundo Sosa and Johan Rojas, off Bryce Wilson in the second inning to build a 2-0 lead.
David Dahl extended the margin further with a solo homer off Wilson in the fourth. Dahl finished 2 for 3 with two runs scored in his Phillies' debut after being called up from the minors when Philadelphia placed left fielder Brandon Marsh on the injured list prior to the game.
Wheeler made the lead stand until Hoskins' homer in the seventh by working out of a pair of earlier jams. The Philadelphia ace got Brice Turang to bounce into a bases-loaded double play to prevent the Brewers from scoring in the third, and Hoskins was thrown out at the plate by Rojas while attempting to score on Blake Perkins' single to center in the fifth.
Wilson (3-2) allowed all three Philadelphia runs in 5 2/3 innings of work after entering the game in the second inning.
Diamondbacks stun reeling Giants on Smith's homer in ninth
Pavin Smith connected for a game-winning two-run homer in the ninth inning as the Arizona Diamondbacks extended the San Francisco Giants' losing streak to a season-high five games with a 4-2 victory.
Smith, pinch-hitting for Eugenio Suarez, sent Randy Rodriguez's pitch over the center field wall with one out and Jake McCarthy aboard to snap a 2-2 tie and give the defending NL champion Diamondbacks a third consecutive win.
McCarthy had reached on a double to precede Smith's second home run of the season.
Heliot Ramos went 2 for 4 for the skidding Giants and tied the contest at 2-2 with a solo home run off Ryne Nelson in the seventh inning.
Nelson pitched a career-high 7 2/3 innings and allowed two runs on six hits before giving way to Ryan Thompson, who tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings for the win.
Lourdes Gurriel hit his 100th career homer, a solo shot off Spencer Howard in the second that gave Arizona a 1-0 lead. The Diamondbacks scored again later in the inning when Suarez tripled and came home on Blaze Alexander's two-out single.
The Giants cut their deficit to 2-1 on Matt Chapman's fourth-inning double that plated Brett Wisely, who had led off the inning with a single.
Wisely and Chapman each finished with two hits for San Francisco, while Alexander went 2 for 3 for Arizona.
Rogers' two homers lift Tigers over Rangers
Jake Rogers' second home run of the game snapped a tie in the eighth inning as the Detroit Tigers earned a 2-1 win over the Texas Rangers in the opener of a three-game series.
Rogers launched a pitch from Jose Leclerc into the left seats to break a 1-1 deadlock and record the third multihomer game of his career. The blast made a winner out of Beau Brieske after the right-hander yielded just one hit over three scoreless innings in relief of Detroit starter Tarik Skubal.
Skubal served up a lead-off homer to Marcus Semien in the first inning but kept the Rangers off the board for the remainder of his six-inning stint. The lefty scattered seven hits and struck out seven to help the Tigers to their seventh win in 10 games.
The defending World Series champion Rangers went 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position to drop two games below .500 at 29-31.
Rogers brought Detroit even with a two-out homer in the third, the only run surrendered by Texas starter Nathan Eovaldi in 5 2/3 innings. The veteran hurler gave up just three hits and fanned seven in his second start since missing nearly four weeks with a groin strain.
Semien and Corey Seager each had two hits for Texas, with Seager extending his hitting streak to 16 games with a pair of singles.
The Jamaica Table Tennis Association (JTTA) has announced a 15-member delegation to represent the country at the Caribbean Mini and Pre-Cadet Championships, scheduled to take place in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from July 1-7, 2024.
The delegation, which includes 10 players, three coaches, a team manager, and newly elected JTTA President Ingrid Graham, was selected following the successful staging of the 2024 National Mini and Pre-Cadet Trials held at the Excelsior High School auditorium on Saturday, June 1, 2024.
The players selected to represent Jamaica are: U11 Boys: Malone Bird, Yashma Anderson, Jathneil Todd, Rudane Hemmings; U13 Girls: Kira Scott, Christina Royes; U13 Boys: Anthony Bird, Ajani Spencer, Kyle Johnson, Andrew Anderson.
In addition to the players, the delegation will be supported by a team of experienced coaches and staff to ensure optimal performance at the championships.
The JTTA is seeking the assistance of donors to help cover the costs of airfares, accommodation, gears, and equipment for the team as the association is committed to providing the necessary support for the athletes as they prepare to compete on the regional stage.
In a press release, the JTTA expressed gratitude to the organizations and individuals who contributed to the success of the trials, including Excelsior High School, Mr. Desmond Palmer of Financial Management Services, Mr. Daren Mears (Herbalife Coach and Distributor), Gewo Jamaica, and Dr. Barrington Houston (KSATTA Director).
Reflecting on the previous year's performance, the JTTA highlighted the achievements of Jamaican players who secured two silver medals in the U13 Boys event and three bronze medals in the U13 Boys event at the 2023 championships. The association is hopeful that this year's team will build on that success and bring home even more medals.
The JTTA is confident that the selected players, with their dedication and hard work, will make Jamaica proud at the Caribbean Mini and Pre-Cadet Championships. The association is also excited about the new direction and leadership under President Ingrid Graham, who is expected to bring fresh energy and vision to the organization.
Novak Djokovic once again has to go the distance but is through to the French Open quarter-finals after a dramatic comeback victory against Francisco Cerundolo.
At one point, the Serb, who finished his third-round match just after 3am on Sunday, looked down and out, but he rallied in style to earn a 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 win after four hours and 39 minutes on Monday.
Djokovic looked fresh, cruising through the first set, but shortly into the second, he required treatment for what looked to be a knee problem.
The injury looked to be affecting him as Cerundolo responded well to going behind and stormed into a 2-1 lead after the third set.
Djokovic looked set to make an early exit when he found himself 2-4 down in the fourth, but he refused to surrender, breaking to drag it back to 4-4 before he forced a decider to level things up once more.
He was back to his best in the final set, easily seeing off the Argentinian to see up a meeting with Casper Ruud or Taylor Fritz in the next round.
Data Debrief: Making history
Djokovic continues to break records in his aim to win a record-extending 25th major crown and keep his world number one status. He has now reached the most quarter-finals in men's singles during the Open Era in Grand Slams (59), eclipsing Roger Federer's 58.
Not only that, but the 37-year-old has also recorded the most wins in Grand Slams during the Open Era (370).
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