Max Verstappen was thrilled to join team-mate Sergio Perez in locking out the front row at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for Red Bull, following a week of controversy.
Championship winner Verstappen attracted criticism in Sao Paulo last week after refusing a team order to let Perez pass on the final lap.
Lack of teamwork was not an issue in Saturday's Abu Dhabi qualifying, however, with Verstappen helping Perez to second place, while securing for himself a third consecutive Yas Marina circuit pole position.
"It was a bit up and down qualifying, started off quite well, Q2 was a little bit more messy, I don't know why. I couldn't quite get the grip together," Verstappen said.
"In Q3 it all felt a bit more normal, though we had a bit of a scare as the car turned off before the first run, so we had to reboot everything.
"We're very pleased and very happy that both cars are on the front row. Of course, we want to win the race, but we also want to finish second with Perez in the championship, so that's a great start for tomorrow.
"It always sounds great, today was amazing, I still expect it to be a good battle tomorrow but at least we have two cars there, so we can do what we want."
Perez specifically mentioned the teamwork conducted with Verstappen, who finished 0.228 seconds in front of the Mexican.
"I didn't make the final step in Q3, especially in the first run, so we were a bit behind, but it's good to lock out the front row tomorrow. Max did a great job for me, we worked as a team really strongly in that final run," Perez said.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was third quickest, clocking in just 0.04 seconds behind Perez, and team-mate Carlos Sainz took fourth on the grid.
"It's the place we deserve, Red Bull were stronger," said Leclerc. "We are still in quite a good position, it's going to be close to Perez for sure.
"I'm sure we can work with Carlos, I have no doubt in that, we'll try to maximise the team result. Red Bull is a bit stronger on a Sunday, so it's going to be tricky, but hopefully we can do it and get second place in the championships."
Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto remains "pretty relaxed" after discussing his future with chairman John Elkann amid claims the Italian could be sacked.
Reports in Italy this week suggested Ferrari were moving to appoint Alfa Romeo's Frederic Vasseur to replace Binotto, who has been in the Formula One role for four seasons.
In that period, Ferrari have struggled to compete with dominant Mercedes and Red Bull teams, though Binotto's team could finish second in the constructors' championship this year.
Ferrari sit 19 points clear of third-placed Mercedes heading into Sunday's season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with Binotto far from fearing for his future with the Italian constructors.
"Obviously it's not down to me to decide, but I'm pretty relaxed," Binotto told reporters on Saturday after Ferrari talked down exit reports earlier in the week.
"The reason why I'm relaxed is that I always [have] open, frank and constructive discussions with my bosses, with my chairman, not only in the short term but the medium and the long term.
"When these speculations were out, I had a chat with my chairman John Elkann.
"We discussed openly what was the best way to move forward, and we decided to release a statement was maybe the best way to close any speculation and clearly show that speculation is totally with no foundation."
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have helped a resurgence this season for Ferrari, who went winless in 2020 and 2021 but have won four races in 2022.
Monegasque driver Leclerc appeared an early contender for the title before Max Verstappen and Red Bull ran away with the drivers' and constructors' championships.
Despite erroneous pit decisions, reliability issues with the car designs and mistakes from their drivers, Binotto offered a positive outlook on Ferrari's performance but said there was room to improve.
"Yes, there are still a lot of things that we need to progress, weaknesses have been shown," he said.
"But I'm pretty sure that as we did in the past, we will review, we will try to address them."
Three weeks ago, the New York Jets looked to have their best shot to beat the New England Patriots for a long, long time.
The end result of their home game with their hated AFC East rivals: a 22-17 win for the Patriots that would have been more emphatic if not for a Zach Wilson touchdown pass with under two minutes remaining.
It was a defeat that marked the Jets' 13th successive loss to the Patriots, who have won every game in this matchup since the beginning of the 2016 season.
The Patriots' run of dominance over the Jets has them tied for the longest active win streak against a single opponent for any team (Kansas City Chiefs over Denver Broncos).
However, after recovering to beat the Buffalo Bills the week after and then seeing the Bills lose at home to the Minnesota Vikings, the Jets are second in the AFC East at 6-3, just one game in the win column behind the Miami Dolphins.
With the Dolphins on bye, a win for the Jets on the road against the Patriots this week will move them to the top of the AFC East at 7-3. Lose, and the Jets may find themselves bottom of the pile at 6-4.
Their ability to finally overcome the Patriots could define how far the Jets go in an unexpectedly successful 2022 campaign to this point.
But can they finally get over their arch nemesis?
History clearly says no. The Jets have not beaten New England in Foxborough since a 34-31 overtime win in the 2008 season.
On that day, Brett Favre was the quarterback for New York while Matt Cassel was under center for the Patriots in place of an injured Tom Brady.
The Jets' hopes of ending their wait for a road win over the Patriots may hinge on current signal-caller Wilson avoiding Favre-esque gunslinging tendencies.
Back in Week 8, the Jets outgained the Patriots by nearly 100 yards, averaging 6.7 yards per play to New England's 3.8.
However, they were hamstrung by a tragicomedic three-interception showing from Wilson, who displayed a baffling aversion to throwing the ball away when there were no receiving options open.
For the season, Wilson has thrown 10 turnover-worthy passes, accounting for 6.67 per cent of his throws, the fourth-highest ratio among quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts.
Against the Bills, however, he did not throw a single interceptable pass, Wilson responding to his coaches' message of accepting a throwaway as a positive play.
In that 20-17 win over Buffalo, the Jets emerged victorious by relying on the formula they will likely need against New England, one which involves their quarterback staying largely within the structure of the offense and making sensible throws to a group of playmakers that have the talent to do damage, even in a matchup with an impressive Patriot defense.
That formula is reliant on the Jets' defense putting Wilson and the offense in advantageous positions. It did just that in Week 9 and the numbers suggest they should do so again in a matchup with Patriots signal-caller Mac Jones.
Jones' pickable pass rate of 7.41 per cent is the worst in the NFL (min. 100 pass attempts) and he struggles significantly when pressured, delivering an accurate ball just 71.4 per cent of the time under duress (the average for quarterbacks with at least 25 such attempts is 73.1%) and throwing a turnover-worthy pass on five of his 49 attempts under pressure this year.
The Jets' defense ranks second in the NFL by pressure rate (44.1 per cent) and, though the Patriots possess one of the better pass-blocking lines in the league, New York will surely look to lean on their fearsome defensive front to wreck New England's gameplan and significantly ease the burden on Wilson by creating turnovers that tilt the field in their favour.
New England's defense ranks third in defensive pressure rate and the Patriots will surely employ a similar approach in the hope of inducing another meltdown from Wilson, who has spent much of the season playing behind a banged-up offensive line.
But if Wilson is careful and decisive with the football, the Jets, as they showed in a home game with the Patriots that could have been markedly different if not for his turnovers, have the talent edge on both sides of the ball to dominate the Patriots statistically and on the scoreboard.
The Jets drafted Wilson in part because of the incredible improvisational skills he displayed in college at BYU. Those have not translated effectively to the NFL, however, and their hopes of finally ending a tortuous wait for a win over the Patriots may depend on Wilson's success in curbing his creative tendencies.
Zach LaVine conceded he had a poor night against the Orlando Magic but questioned the decision to leave him off the court in the closing stages as the Chicago Bulls lost 108-107 on Friday.
DeMar DeRozan top scored with 41 as the Bulls fought back in the second half after trailing by 14 at half-time, but the hosts ended up throwing away a four-point advantage with 20 seconds left.
Two-time All-Star LaVine had a night to forget, scoring four points from over 25 minutes on the court as he made just one from 14 field goal attempts, leading to him being left out in the last few minutes by coach Billy Donovan.
"I got to do a better job at the beginning of the game to make my shots, but you play a guy like me down the stretch," LaVine after the game. "That's what I do.
"Do I like the decision? No. Do I have to live with it? Yeah. Be ready to put my shoes on and play the next game.
"Just ask [Donovan] what his decision was, what made him think that way.
"Obviously, he wanted to go with some other guys out there, I wasn't having the best night shooting, but it's a tough one."
Donovan also cut a frustrated figure after the home defeat, and insisted it was a specific call for the situation in-game.
"I feel like my job, my responsibility in those moments is to try to make the best decisions for the team," Donovan said. "And I thought that was the best decision at the time.
"To me, I don't look at it as anything else but the one-off game where this is what was going on. I know he wanted to be out there.
"There's probably not very many games in his career where [LaVine] hasn't been out there in those moments, but that group was playing well and it gave us a chance."
Giannis Antetokounmpo insists he "never tried to disrespect anyone" after pushing over a ladder at Wells Fargo Center following the Milwaukee Bucks' 110-102 defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.
The Greece-born star scored 25 points on the night, with 14 rebounds and four assists, but struggled from the free-throw line for a second-consecutive game.
Antetokounmpo could only sink four from 15 attempts on Friday, having managed the same amount from 11 in Wednesday's home defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In an attempt to get his form back, Antetokounmpo came back onto the court after the loss to Philadelphia to try and shoot 10 free-throws in a row.
After having the ball taken off him by Montrezl Harrell in a bizarre exchange, he got another ball from the locker room and returned, only to this time see a ladder in his way.
When arena workers refused to move it, Antetokounmpo shoved the ladder away, causing it to skid across the court and fall on its side.
Speaking to reporters later in the night, he explained: "I've never tried to disrespect anyone in any way, shape or form -. I feel like today is just an unfortunate event that took place.
"I went back out there to shoot and there was a ladder in front of me, and I said, 'Can you please move the ladder? And they said, 'No.' I said, 'Can you guys please move the ladder?' They said, 'No.' I was like, 'Guys, I have two more free throws, can you please move the ladder?' And they said, 'No.'
"I know what happened. I think there's cameras all over this court. We can show the whole incident from people coming and getting the ball, people getting in my face. I don't want to get into all those things.
"I don't know if I should apologise because I don't feel like I did anything wrong, except the ladder just fell.
"I feel like it's my right for me to work on my skills after a horrible night at the free throw line. I think anybody in my position that had a night like me would go out and work on his free throws.
"And if they didn't, they don't really care about their game."
Darius Garland was the game's top scorer as his Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Charlotte Hornets 132-122 in double-overtime, but he was more impressed with the work of his young teammate Evan Mobley.
Mobley, 21, was the third overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, entering the league as one of the best defensive prospects in the history of college basketball.
Standing at seven-feet tall, the USC product has shown the ability to guard all five positions, showing at a young age that he can switch onto shifty point guards and hold up stoutly, putting him in rare company with the likes of all-time great defenders Kevin Garnett and Anthony Davis.
In an action-packed game, the Hornets incredibly came back from a 10-point deficit with only 45 seconds remaining in regulation, with three-pointers from P.J. Washington, Kelly Oubre Jr and two from Terry Rozier, including a game-tying bomb with one second on the clock.
That forced overtime, where it was the Cavs' turn to save the game. A potential game-tying three from Donovan Mitchell clanked off the rim, but Mobley was there for the offensive rebound, kicking it out for Garland to tie it.
The Hornets then had a chance to win it with the last shot of the extra period, getting Rozier one-on-one with Mobley, but the young Cavs star held firm and forced double-overtime.
Their defense would lift in the second extra period, holding Charlotte to just two points to seal the win.
Garland top-scored with 41 points on 16-of-26 shooting, adding five steals, but the post-game press conference centered on the brilliance of Mobley, who finished with 21 points (nine-of-14), 18 rebounds, five assists, two blocks and a steal.
"Evan was kind of angry tonight – I loved it," Garland said. "We always tell Evan he's the man, he's him. So I want him to start acting like it, keeping that same fire and same energy.
"He had a huge game tonight, he helped us offensively and defensively, came up with some big rebounds, and he switched onto [Terry] Rozier on that big possession in overtime.
"You don't usually see a seven-footer out there guarding a guard like that, either. He's special, we really need him, and we're happy to have him.
"I feel comfortable with Evan guarding anybody, literally. He moves his feet really well, and he keeps his distance because he's so long.
"I think Evan can guard anybody in this league if he puts his mind to it, and that's what we do. We switch three-through-five, and he guards some threes, some fives. That's what he's here for."
While he is currently a supporting piece on the offensive end, Mobley was urged by his All-Star point guard to try to dominate on that end the same way he does defensively.
"I want him to take more shots," he said. "His one-on-one game is really, really good for his size, and he can get to any shot that he wants to.
"I mean 14 [shot attempts] is a good number, but I think he should take a lot more, in my opinion. I want him to be more aggressive, I want him to really ask for the ball – tell me to give him the ball.
"He's going to get there, he's building his confidence every day."
When asked about his comfort level when getting pulled away from the basket in isolation situations, Mobley said he thrives in it.
"I'm real comfortable [against smaller guards], honestly," he said. "I feel like I have good enough size, and I'm also quick enough to stay in front, so any shot they really take, I'm going to be there.
"I knew [Rozier] likes step-backs, so I was just giving him a good amount of space, using my length. I knew I could slide my feet – I'm pretty fast – so I was just using my length, and when he shot it, just get a good contest."
The win snaps a five-game losing streak for the Cavs, bringing their record to 9-6, and 5-1 at home.
The Miami Heat only had seven available players on Friday, and eventually ran out of steam in a gutsy 107-106 road loss against the Washington Wizards despite a heroic performance from Kyle Lowry.
Miami's top two players, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, were both absent along with a cast of their teammates after a quick succession of injuries, forcing their available players into extended minutes.
Lowry played 46 of a possible 48 minutes in regulation, but a late Kyle Kuzma three-pointer tied the game at 104-104 with 15 seconds left, forcing overtime.
With four of their five starters reaching the 40-minute mark in overtime, fatigue caught up with the visitors as they failed to hit a single field goal in the extra period.
Their only two points came from two Lowry free throws, capping his 24-point, 15-assist, 10-rebound triple double in 51 minutes of play.
Kristaps Porzingis scored the only basket of overtime, giving him 20 points and 17 rebounds, while Bradley Beal top-scored for the Wizards with 27 on nine-of-18 shooting.
The win for the Wizards moves them to 9-7, while the Heat fall to 7-9 as they desperately await healthy reinforcements.
Suggs delivers dagger in Magic win
Second-year point guard Jalen Suggs is beginning to fulfill the potential that saw him as a top-five pick in the 2021 draft, hitting the game-winning three-pointer in a 108-107 win against the Chicago Bulls.
The Bulls received polarizing performances from their two star wings, with Zach Lavine struggling mightily on his way to one-of-14 shooting, while DeMar DeRozan stepped up with 41 points on 16-of-30 shooting.
DeRozan's big game had the Bulls up 103-107 with under 30 seconds remaining, but two made free throws for Suggs were followed by two misses by Bulls center Nikola Vucevic, giving the Magic a chance to steal it.
Suggs was determined to be the one taking the last shot, stepping back confidently for a three-pointer and nailing it to finish with 20 points (seven-of-16 shooting) and eight assists. It is the first time this season Suggs has posted back-to-back 20-point games, and he has at least six assists and five rebounds in each.
Embiid finishes Maxey's strong start against the Bucks
The Philadelphia 76ers had a different star in each half of their 110-102 home win against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Tyrese Maxey was the focal point early, putting up 24 points on nine-of-12 shooting, with five assists and four rebounds, before rolling his ankle in the shadows of halftime.
He did not return after the break, and Joel Embiid stepped up in his absence, scoring a game-high 32 points (12-of-26 shooting) with 11 rebounds, eight assists and three blocks. It is the third game in a row Embiid has had at least 32 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.
Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies and Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey both were forced to leave their respective games early on Friday after rolling their left ankles.
Morant's injury came late in the fourth quarter of a 121-110 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, immediately needing to be helped off the floor. He finished the game with 19 points on five-of-20 shooting and 11 assists.
After the game, Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said his star point guard "tweaked his ankle" and that there will be no update until scans on Saturday. It is the same ankle he rolled last week that forced him to miss one game, while co-star Desmond Bane remains out for multiple weeks with a toe sprain.
Earlier in the day, Maxey hurt himself late in what was arguably the best half of his young career.
The third-year guard played nearly the entire first half as starters Tobias Harris and James Harden both were absent with their own injuries, putting up 24 points (nine-of-12 shooting), five assists and four rebounds with only one turnover.
He did not return in the second half as his team went on to lose to the Milwaukee Bucks 110-102. The initial X-ray was negative, meaning there will be an MRI scheduled for Saturday to determine the damage.
Matthew Stafford will return to the field for Sunday's Week 11 game against the New Orleans Saints after the Los Angeles Rams quarterback missed Week 10 due to a concussion.
With Stafford out and backup quarterback John Wolford in the game, the Rams lost their third game in a row, and their fifth loss from their past six outings.
Sitting at 3-6, the reigning Super Bowl champions look a long way from being contenders this year, with their playoff chances hanging by a thread when they travel to New Orleans.
Stafford, 34, tossed an equal career-high 41 touchdown passes last season in his first year since being traded from the Detroit Lions, but he has struggled this campaign, with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions in eight games.
The Rams are currently last in the NFC West, three games behind the division-leading Seattle Seahawks (6-4). They also have, by far, the worst point differential in the division at minus 52, behind the Arizona Cardinals (minus 28), the Seahawks (plus 16) and the San Francisco 49ers (plus 35).
Jameis Winston has been unable to regain his job as the New Orleans Saints starting quarterback despite being healed from his back injury, and that isn’t sitting too well with him.
"I lost my job due to injury, and the policy has always been you don’t lose your job due to injury," he said. "That’s what happened."
Winston started the first three games of the season for the Saints, but reportedly suffered four fractures in his back in the season opener against the Atlanta Falcons.
Although he says he is healthy enough now to return to the field, coach Dennis Allen decided to stick with veteran Andy Dalton for the eighth consecutive game Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams.
"I’m going to support Andy, I’m going to support this offense, I’m going to support everyone on this offensive staff the best I possibly can, and that’s it," Winston said. "Because, like I said, I wear that shirt that says 'Big team, little me' even though it hurts my heart. It hurts my soul the way things have turned out to be this year, but it is what it is."
Allen said earlier this week that he does not think Winston will return to 100 percent this season, which is likely part of the reason why Dalton has remained the starter. He hinted earlier this week that he was considering a change at quarterback due to offensive struggle, but ultimately decided against it.
Neither quarterback has separated himself from the other in terms of effectiveness.
Winston completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 858 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions as the Saints went 1-2 in his three starts.
Dalton, meanwhile, has completed 65 percent of his passes for 1,559 yards and thrown 11 TDs with seven picks. New Orleans are 2-5 in his seven games.
"I owe it to this team to be in the role that I’m in right now, to this offense, to everyone," Winston said. "I apologise to the fans. I know some of them went to see me out there. But I think winning makes a lot of things better, so we need to go out there and start with this week, get a win as a team."
Through two rounds – one on each of Sea Island Resort's two courses – Cole Hammer, Andrew Putnam and Harry Higgs lead the RSM Classic field with a score of 12 under.
In a unique format, this tournament has half of the field play the par-70 Seaside Course and the other half play the par-72 Plantation Course in the first round, before swapping for the second round.
After earning the solo lead by shooting an eight-under 64 on Thursday's trip around the Plantation Course, Hammer still produced seven birdies on the Seaside Course, but three bogeys on the front-nine allowed others to join him at the top.
Both Higgs and Putnam shot rounds of seven under, albeit on different courses. Higgs went bogey-free for a 63 at the Seaside Course, and Putnam went bogey-free until his final hole, blowing a chance to head into the weekend with the outright lead.
Of the five players to shoot better than seven under on Friday, all five did it on the Plantation Course, including Joel Dahmen with his eight-under 64 to jump up to a tie for fourth at 11 under, where he is joined by Sahith Theegala.
The other eight-under rounds came from South Korea's Noh Seung-yul, tied for fourth at 10 under, as well as Ben Martin and Will Gordon, one further back at nine under.
The round of the day came from Akshay Bhatia, following his three-over 73 with a nine-under 63.
Some of the bigger names in the field will not be participating on the weekend as former world number one Jason Day missed the cut by three strokes, and former Masters champion Danny Willett withdrew after his three-over opening round.
The remaining two rounds will both be played at the Seaside Course.
Andrey Rublev produced a stirring fightback to defeat Stefanos Tsitsipas and reach the last four of the ATP Finals for the first time on Friday.
Rublev had failed to make it out of the group stage on each of his first two appearances at the season-ending showpiece.
It initially looked as if he would fall short once again in this winner-take-all clash with Tsitsipas, with both men looking to join Novak Djokovic in progressing from the Red Group.
He was outclassed by Tsitsipas in the first set but showed the grit to recover from 0-30 down in the opening game of the second to find a crucial hold of serve.
That proved the catalyst for a stunning turnaround, as Rublev dominated with his fierce forehand and a series of superb passing shots to seal a 3-6 6-3 6-2 victory in Turin.
He will face Casper Ruud on Saturday for a place in the final.
Rublev told Prime Video of that semi-final encounter: "I'm really looking forward because Casper is such a nice person, great player, great fighter, he has achieved so many things this season, so it's going to be a really good challenge for me."
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Rublev – 10/2
Tsitsipas – 10/2
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Rublev – 36/22
Tsitsipas – 25/12
BREAK POINTS WON
Rublev – 3/5
Tsitsipas – 1/3
The Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings face off in Week 11 in a potentially pivotal NFC clash, and history says it will be a tense game that goes down to the wire.
Having stunned the Buffalo Bills in overtime last week, the 8-1 Vikings are only behind the Philadelphia Eagles in the race for the top seed in the NFC on the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Philadelphia's loss to the Washington Commanders on Monday gave hope to the 6-3 Cowboys that they can catch the Eagles in the NFC East.
To bolster their hopes of doing so, the Cowboys will need to come through what will likely be a closely fought contest in Minneapolis.
The last six regular-season games between the Cowboys and Vikings have all been decided by four points or fewer, the longest streak between any two NFL teams since the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers had a six-game streak from 2008 to 2010. The last teams to do so in seven straight meetings were the Carolina Panthers and Washington from 1998 to 2009.
Minnesota have made a habit of winning close games in 2022. Indeed, seven of the Vikings' eight victories have been by one score.
And, even if the Cowboys do take a double-digit lead against the Vikings, they cannot be sure of it being safe.
Dallas gave up a 14-point lead against Green Bay Packers in Week 10 and lost in overtime. That snapped a Cowboys streak of 195 consecutive wins when leading by 14+ points entering the fourth quarter (including postseason). It was the longest such run in NFL history.
Now the Cowboys face a Vikings team that has overturned a fourth-quarter double-digit deficit to win three times in 2022, tying the 1980 Miami Dolphins, 2000 New York Jets, 2003 Indianapolis Colts and 2011 Detroit Lions for the most such victories in a single season.
Dallas will be looking for a significantly better performance in pass defense this week, having allowed a success rate through the air of 52.2 per cent against the Packers. Only six defenses allowed a higher rate of successful plays in Week 10.
If they fail to improve on their struggles in the loss at Lambeau Field, it figures to be a long day for the Cowboys' defense against arguably the top receiver in the NFL.
Justin Jefferson produced an astonishing 10-catch, 193-yard display in the win over the Bills, including his phenomenal fourth-down catch that kept the Vikings' hopes alive in the fourth quarter.
He has 814 receiving yards over his last six games, the most in a six-game span in Vikings history and the most by any NFL player over a six-game span in a single season since Antonio Brown had 868 in 2015.
The level to which the Cowboys are able to restrict his ability to add to that tally may have a significant bearing on whether Dallas can put themselves in the mix to be top dog in the NFC.
Novak Djokovic finished with a perfect group-stage record at the ATP Finals after beating Daniil Medvedev 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-2) in a lengthy three-hour contest on Friday.
Djokovic – who is bidding to equal Roger Federer's record of six ATP Finals titles – sealed his spot in the last four by beating Andrey Rublev on Wednesday, but he was in no mood to do the already-eliminated Medvedev any favours in Turin.
The 21-time grand slam winner dominated the opening set, winning 89 per cent of points behind his first serve and hitting several outstanding cross-court forehand winners.
Djokovic began the second set in similar fashion, but saw his standards dip when he returned to the court following a long stoppage at 5-5.
The rejuvenated Medvedev forced a tie-break with a delightful drop shot before taking advantage of a rare double fault from Djokovic to level the match.
With the exhausted Djokovic visibly shaking ahead of the decider and his semi-final against Taylor Fritz looming, the Serbian's commitment to Friday's dead rubber could have been called into question, but he found a second wind to take the match away from Medvedev.
Djokovic was on the ropes when he saw his serve broken for the first time in the tournament nine games into the third set, but he hit back immediately and then forced another tie-break.
The Serbian was back to his exquisite best from there on as he sealed the win by hitting a huge forehand winner down the line, though the drawn-out nature of his victory could yet play into Fritz's hands.
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Djokovic – 9/3
Medvedev – 16/2
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Djokovic – 53/43
Medvedev – 47/35
BREAK POINTS WON
Djokovic – 2/6
Medvedev – 1/6
Eddie Jones says England must "light the crowd" when they do battle with New Zealand in a mouth-watering Test at Twickenham on Saturday.
The All Blacks will be looking for a measure of revenge for a 19-7 defeat to the Red Rose the last time the two heavyweight nations collided in a Rugby World Cup semi-final in Yokohama three years ago.
You have to go back a decade for England's last victory over New Zealand at their headquarters in London.
There was drama before the 2019 semi-final kicked off in Japan, with England crossing the halfway line as they lined up in a V formation while the All Blacks performed the haka.
Owen Farrell, who will win his 100th cap this weekend, was also caught smirking on the big screen as his opponents were laying down the pre-match challenge with their famous ceremonial Maori war dance.
England head coach Eddie Jones expects his players to whip the crowd into a frenzy for their penultimate Test of the year.
"The haka in 2019 had a massive effect on the fans," said the wily Australian.
"On Saturday we've got a responsibility to light the crowd up and we want to, as they can be our 24th player.
"Whether it's during the haka or post the haka I don't really care. We're going to go after them."
Jones is confident England will rise to the challenge of facing the in-form Rugby Championship winners.
"It takes a massive effort to beat New Zealand, our players understand that," said Jones. "It's like if you're a climber going to the top of Mount Everest.
"Traditionally they have bullied teams, so you've got to get on the front foot, be physical. You've got to truly believe you can win; that your strengths are stronger than theirs, that you will expose their weaknesses.
"We believe we've got strength that we can maximise against New Zealand. We believe there are weaknesses we can expose. We're prepared."
Helmut Marko says Daniel Ricciardo will be Red Bull's third driver in the 2023 Formula One season.
Ricciardo is without a seat on the grid next year after his McLaren contract was terminated 12 months before it was due to end.
The Australian paid the price for a disappointing season in which he has finished in the top 10 just six times, sitting 12th in the driver standings.
Ricciardo had stated that spending time away from F1 could be a "blessing in disguise", but Red Bull advisor Marko revealed he will have a part to play after all.
Marko told Sky Germany ahead of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: "Ricciardo will be our third driver.
"We have so many sponsors, we have to do show runs and the like, so of course he's one of the most high profile and best suited."
Ricciardo spent five seasons with Red Bull before joining Renault for the 2019 and 2020 campaigns.
World champion Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez will remain Red Bull team-mates for the 2023 season.
A new Formula One competition for young female drivers will start next year.
The F1 Academy will be introduced in 2023 to develop and prepare drivers with the aim of progressing to competitions such as F1, Formula 2, Formula 3 and W Series.
There will be five teams, run by current F2 and F3 constructors, with three cars each to make up a grid of 15.
The inaugural series will include 21 races, with three taking place at seven events on the calendar.
Drivers will be competing in cars with a Tatuus T421 chassis, with Autotecnica supplying turbocharged engines that will produce 165 horsepower.
CEO of Formula Motorsport Limited Bruno Michel will manage the new series, with F1 to subsidise the cost of each car with a budget of €150,000 - with drivers covering the same costs.
"Everyone should have the opportunity to follow their dreams and achieve their potential and Formula One wants to ensure we are doing everything we can to create greater diversity and routes into this incredible sport,” said F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali said.
"That is why I am delighted to announce the F1 Academy that will give young female drivers the best chance to fulfil their ambitions through a comprehensive programme that supports their racing careers and gives them everything they need to move into F3 and hopefully to F2 and then the pinnacle of Formula 1.
"The more opportunity there is the better and this is designed to provide another route for the drivers to succeed."
There are no more perfect teams in the NFL, just some very good ones.
The Philadelphia Eagles lost their 100 per cent record against the Washington Commanders on Monday, and will look to bounce back in Indianapolis in Week 11.
The New York Jets return from their bye week looking to continue to surprise, though they have a tough trip to the New England Patriots to contend with, while the Minnesota Vikings host the Dallas Cowboys in another enticing clash.
Stats Perform has taken a look at some of the more interesting numbers ahead of these and other big games on Sunday.
Philadelphia Eagles (8-1) @ Indianapolis Colts (4-5-1)
Philadelphia possessed the ball for just 19 minutes and 36 seconds of game time in the loss to the Commanders. It was their lowest time of possession in a game since another loss to Washington in Week 4 of the 2015 season (18:52).
Jalen Hurts rushed for a touchdown last week, giving him 20 in his career. At 24 years and 99 days old, he became the second-youngest quarterback in NFL history to reach 20 rushing touchdowns, trailing only Cam Newton (23 years, 199 days).
Matt Ryan had a 39-yard rush in last week's win over the Las Vegas Raiders, the longest run of his career. It was the longest rushing play by a Colts quarterback since Jim Harbaugh ran for 41 yards in Week 4 of the 1994 season.
With a win, Jeff Saturday would join Jim Caldwell (2009) as the only Colts head coaches to win the first two games of their careers.
New York Jets (6-3) @ New England Patriots (5-4)
The Patriots have won 13 consecutive games against the Jets, winning every meeting since the beginning of the 2016 season. That is tied for the longest active win streak against a single opponent for any team (the Chiefs over the Broncos).
The Jets entered their bye week with a 20-17 win over the Bills in which they had 136 net passing yards. They are 5-0 this season when having 250 or fewer passing yards in a game compared to 1-3 when they have more than 250.
Players aged 23 and younger have gained 2002 yards from scrimmage for the Jets this season, the most in the NFL (next most is the Colts with 1336). That is already the most scrimmage yards for the Jets by players 23 and under since the 1990 season (2452).
Jakobi Meyers leads the Patriots with 457 receiving yards this season, one of five New England players with 200+ receiving yards this season. Only the Green Bay Packers (six) have more players with at least 200 receiving yards in 2022.
Dallas Cowboys (6-3) @ Minnesota Vikings (8-1)
Last week was the Vikings' third win this season after trailing by double digits in the fourth quarter, tying the 1980 Dolphins, 2000 Jets, 2003 Colts and 2011 Lions for the most such wins in a campaign in NFL history.
Justin Jefferson has 814 receiving yards over his last six games, the most in a six-game span in Vikings history and the most by any NFL player over a six-game span in a single season since Antonio Brown recorded 868 in 2015.
With his 81-yard rushing touchdown last week, Dalvin Cook has now had a rush of at least 65 yards in five straight seasons, level with Derrick Henry (2017-21) for the longest streak by any player since the 1970 merger.
Last week's loss to Green Bay snapped the Cowboys' streak of 195 consecutive wins when leading by 14 or more points entering the fourth quarter (including postseason), which had been the longest streak in NFL history.
Elsewhere...
The Buffalo Bills take on the Cleveland Browns having had at least 100 rushing yards and 300 total yards in 16 straight games, including postseason, the third-longest streak in the Super Bowl era behind the Seattle Seahawks (19, 2014-15) and the Vikings (18, 2002-03).
The Detroit Lions will need to stop Saquon Barkley, who had a career-high 35 rushing attempts for 152 yards in the New York Giants' 24-16 win over the Houston Texans last week. His 35 rushes were the most in a game by any NFL running back this season and the most by a Giant since Joe Montgomery had 38 against the Jets in 1999.
Ahead of facing the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has completed 76.8 per cent of his passes over his last four games, the fourth-highest by any QB over a four-game span in a single season in NFL history (minimum 140 attempts, excluding overlapping spans) behind Peyton Manning (78.8) and Philip Rivers in 2013 (78.3), and Sam Bradford in 2016 (77.9).
The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2, 27-24. Since 2018, six of the nine games between the Chiefs and Chargers have been decided by seven points or fewer, tied for the third most of any matchup since then (Bears-Lions and Texans-Colts, seven each).
Aaron Judge is resigned to being an intrigued observer when the ball he struck for a record-breaking 62nd home run goes up for auction – declaring he cannot afford to join the bidding race.
The 30-year-old set a single-season Yankees and AL home-run record by reaching 62 to surpass Roger Maris Sr's 61 – set 61 years ago in 1961.
Judge became the fourth major league player to hit 62 or more homers in a single season, and his feat belongs in baseball legend, making the ball that saw him set the record on October 4 especially valuable.
It occurred at the home of the Texas Rangers in Arlington, with the spectator at Globe Life Field that caught the ball striking lucky by guaranteeing himself an apparent fortune.
According to ESPN, that man, Cory Youmans, decided to put the ball in the hands of Goldin Auctions "after weeks of a lot of deep conversations" with his wife and lawyer.
Youmans said: "It seems fair in the sense it gives anyone that is interested and has the means the opportunity to own it. As a fan, I'm curious to see what it's worth, who buys it and what they do with it."
Youmans is said to have already turned down $3million for the ball, with his lawyer, Dave Baron, suspecting the final selling price could be "significantly higher based on New York, the New York fan base and how crazy it could get at an auction".
That rules Judge out of contention, as he said the ball is "out of my price range right now".
The ball is listed with a starting bid of $1million, with the auction due to get under way on November 30.
Judge said of the seller's choice: "He caught the ball, he's the one that made the play out there in left field, so it's his right to do what he wants with it. Hopefully he's making the right decision for him and his family.''
The ball's value will not have been harmed by Judge winning the AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) award ahead of Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday.
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