Jenson Brooksby has confidence he can compete with anybody after threatening a fourth-round upset against Novak Djokovic at the US Open.
The unheralded American posed a real problem for Djokovic at Arthur Ashe Stadium and took out the opening set 6-1 in New York City.
It was not to be, though, as Djokovic – chasing a calendar Grand Slam – roared back to win 1-6 6-3 6-2 6-2.
Despite falling short, Brooksby is only looking at the positives from going toe-to-toe with the world number one in such a huge match.
"It's definitely all positive things to take away. I learned my game. I'm feeling really confident in my game. I believe I can compete with anybody," Brooksby said after his first run to the second week of a grand slam.
"I knew it would be important to start strong, to impose my mindset and my strategy, my game out there. It's definitely special. I mean, I always enjoy the matches and everything throughout the moment. Obviously you have to stay focused.
"Afterwards, you can always have time to reflect more. Just appreciate and enjoy for the whole journey.
"Atmospheres like that are what you want to be in front of since you were a little kid, watching on TV when you were young, and now you're living it. It is something I really appreciate and I'm grateful to be here now. I'm excited to keep [playing] in atmospheres like this for the future."
Brooksby required treatment a couple of times during the match and revealed he was contending with an issue to his left hip.
"Yeah, there was something. Something that kind of came up from later in the second match, then in the third one. Even with a day off, then kind of into today, like my left hip kind of was bothering me even early on and more into it," he added.
"Not like it's an excuse or anything, but it kind of went throughout the leg today a bit. I was struggling more to push off and move. But that's part of the sport. I did everything I could to feel the best I can going out there today and all the other days. There's no regrets on that.
"I definitely think if there wasn't that, I could have kept a better level up closer to the first set throughout the rest of the match."
Brooksby only reached the world's top 100 earlier this month and is now projected to be on the cusp of the top 40.
The 20-year-old relished his first experience of playing on Arthur Ashe.
"I did take time to look around a little bit, just appreciated being in an atmosphere like that with so many people cheering you on. Took a moment to still have it all in after," he said.
"You're not going to win every match you play obviously, but you still have to enjoy it.
"I think [the belief] comes from definitely more training, but most importantly other match situations against other guys and just the whole process of it.
"Leading up to it, I 100 per cent believed I could win against anybody. I thought I showed that with the level I could produce out there. Unfortunately, physically it got a little tougher."
Novak Djokovic said "I'll take your legs out, that's for sure" after digging deep to outlast American qualifier Jenson Brooksby in a physically demanding encounter at the US Open.
Djokovic – bidding to become only the third man to claim a calendar Grand Slam and first since Rod Laver in 1969 – rallied from a set down to prevail 1-6 6-3 6-2 6-2 en route to the quarter-finals in New York on Monday.
It was a brutal clash on Arthur Ashe Stadium, 20-time major champion and top seed Djokovic needed almost three hours to see off world number 99 Brooksby, who was making his debut at the iconic venue.
After being blitzed in a 29-minute opening set, Djokovic and Brooksby contested a gruelling 20-minute fifth game in the second set – the latter converting a sixth break-point chance.
Djokovic's physical superiority, however, was on display as the Serb star eventually powered past the spirited 20-year-old at Flushing Meadows.
During the last-16 matchup, former world number one Andy Roddick tweeted, in reference to Djokovic, "first he takes your legs… then he takes your soul".
Djokovic – who will face sixth seed Matteo Berrettini in a repeat of the Wimbledon final – said on court: "Thanks Andy, I take that as a compliment – only the first part.
"The second part, I don't take anybody's soul. Everyone has their soul, we're all beautiful souls so I appreciate everyone. But I'll take your legs out, that's for sure."
Djokovic hit 44 winners in the four-set triumph, to go with 41 unforced errors in a tricky clash under the Arthur Ashe lights.
With his hard-fought victory, Djokovic improved to 11-0 against Americans at the US Open. He is 29-3 at major events and 70-10 in ATP Tour-level matches.
The 34-year-old is on a 21-match winning streak against players from the United States since Sam Querrey snapped his 30-match slam streak at Wimbledon in 2016.
"Great quality match," Djokovic, who can break the record for most men's slam titles – currently level with injured pair Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, told reporters. "He started off better. I've never played him. I didn't see him play too many times. Maybe few matches in the last few months. Haven't followed his career prior to that, so I didn't know much about him. Had to do some homework and some analysis.
"It's different stepping out on the court first time against someone that really has nothing to lose. He's a young, talented player that is very crafty. He's got the really all-around game. He was pumped. He had the crowd behind him, of course. He played a perfect first set. Everything he intended to do he executed it perfectly.
"On my end, I was just trying to find a rhythm, trying to read his game, trying to understand where I can find holes in his game and start to attack and shift the momentum to my side.
"That happened already at the beginning of the second set. I broke him early. He broke back. But I re-broke his serve right away. We had some very, very long rallies, long games. It took a toll physically I think on both of us at that point. But I managed to find the right serves. I served efficiently when I needed to, opening up the court.
"The third and fourth set were really, really good from my side. I felt I was more dominant. I decreased the unforced errors that were really high in the first part of the match. I just was kind of swinging through the ball better. Was a good finish. It wasn't a good start. But all in all, expected the battle, and I got that one. I'm pleased to overcome it."
The Tampa Bay Rays rallied from six runs down to beat American League (AL) East rivals the Boston Red Sox 11-10.
In a wild showdown on Monday, Austin Meadows hit a game-tying inside-the-park homer in the ninth inning before Nelson Cruz's go-ahead single in the 10th completed the comeback.
Despite Chris Sale starting for the Red Sox, AL East leaders the Rays recorded their MLB-leading 43rd come-from-behind victory of the season, having trailed 7-1.
The highest scoring team in the majors in 2021, Tampa Bay had been 0-70 all-time when trailing by six runs or more against the Red Sox.
"That's the biggest win of the year, for sure," Meadows said afterwards. "All year we just find a way."
Tampa Bay's Wander Franco finished with four hits as the 20-year-old rookie extended his historic on-base streak to 36 games, tying Mickey Mantle's AL record set in 1951-52 for the most consecutive times by a player under 21. Frank Robinson set the MLB-league mark of 43 in 1956.
The Rays (87-51) are eight and a half games clear of the New York Yankees (78-59) atop the AL East, while the Red Sox (79-61) are nine games behind following consecutive defeats.
Scherzer stars, Guerrero and Semien make history as Jays stay hot
Max Scherzer struck out 13 batters to lead World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers past the St Louis Cardinals 5-1. In a dominant eight-inning start, Dodgers ace Scherzer allowed one unearned run with no walks. The Cy Young candidate is 5-0 with a 1.05 ERA and 63 strikeouts in seven starts since his trade to the Dodgers.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his 40th home run of the season as the in-form Toronto Blue Jays routed the Yankees 8-0. The 22-year-old All-Star became the youngest Blue Jays hitter to reach 40 homers in a season and one of just 10 in franchise history, while he and his Hall of Fame father Vladimir Guerrero are one of only two father-son duos to hit 40 home runs, along with Price Fielder and Cecil Fielder. Meanwhile, Marcus Semien delivered a grand slam in the ninth inning as he set the franchise record for most home runs (37) by a middle infielder in a single season.
The Texas Rangers blanked the Los Angeles Angels 4-0 behind A.J. Alexy. He pitched six innings and allowed one hit after going five innings, while allowing one hit in his first career start. According to Stats Perform, Alexy is the first rookie in the modern era to go five-plus innings and allow one or fewer hits in each of his first two career starts.
Astros get on top of Kikuchi
Yusei Kikuchi had a rough outing in the Seattle Mariners' 11-2 demolition at the hands of the Houston Astros. He allowed 3 three hits, six runs – four earned, four walks and a homer in just 1.2 innings of work.
The Blue Jays roughed up Yankees starter Jameson Taillon, who finished with three hits, three runs, two walks and a pair of homers in 7.0 innings pitched.
Segura hits memorable slam
Jean Segura launched the first grand slam of his career as the Philadelphia Phillies trounced the Milwaukee Brewers 12-0. Bryce Harper also homered as part of a six-homer display by the Phillies.
Monday's results
Tampa Bay Rays 11-10 Boston Red Sox
Kansas City Royals 3-2 Baltimore Orioles
Washington Nationals 4-3 New York Mets
Toronto Blue Jays 8-0 New York Yankees
Pittsburgh Pirates 6-3 Detroit Tigers
Philadelphia Phillies 12-0 Milwaukee Brewers
Chicago Cubs 4-3 Cincinnati Reds
San Francisco Giants 10-5 Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 St Louis Cardinals
Minnesota Twins 5-2 Cleveland Indians
Houston Astros 11-2 Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers 4-0 Los Angeles Angels
Rays at Red Sox
The Rays (87-51) will look to claim back-to-back wins when they visit the Red Sox (79-61) on Tuesday. Rays ace Drew Rasmussen will take to the mound, while Eduardo Rodriguez starts for the Red Sox.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. made history with the Toronto Blue Jays after homering in an 8-0 demolition of MLB rivals the New York Yankees.
Guerrero Jr. hit his 40th home run of the season as the in-form Blue Jays routed the Yankees on Monday to further boost their Wild Card chances.
The 22-year-old All-Star became the youngest Blue Jays hitter to reach 40 homers in a season and one of just 10 in franchise history, while he and his Hall of Fame father Vladimir Guerrero are one of only two father-son duos to hit 40 home runs, along with Price Fielder and Cecil Fielder.
"I have front-row seats to watch this whole season," said Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo, who was a team-mate of Vladimir Guerrero Sr. with double-A Harrisburg in 1996.
"What he's done, that's not easy to do. This guy he's going to be one of the best players in baseball. Actually, he already is and it's been fun to watch somebody that young be that good at the plate."
Guerrero Jr. is also on a career-high 14-game hit streak with the Blue Jays, who have won five straight games to be three games adrift in the American League (AL) Wild Card race.
The 2021 All-Star boasts a .414 batting average, 1.090 OPS, four homers and nine RBIs during that run.
Guerrero Jr. became the 10th player in MLB history with 40 homers in his age-22 season, and first since Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. in 2019.
"That's amazing," Blue Jays team-mate Marcus Semien said. "I knew when we took BP, it was a good day to hit to right field. He didn't hit on the field but I mentioned that to him. He's so good he did it in his first at-bat. It's something special."
It was also a special outing for Semien against the slumping Yankees in New York, where he launched his 36th and 37th home runs of the season.
Semien delivered a grand slam in the ninth inning as he set the franchise record for most home runs by a middle infielder in a single season.
"For me, when my mechanics and timing are sound, I think I see the ball better and I'm more confident," Semien said. "I'm seeing that with everybody in the cage when they work. This time of year, you really get a good feel for what you're doing. You see the results."
World number one Novak Djokovic's quest for a calendar Grand Slam and record-breaking 21st major title remains on track after outlasting Jenson Brooksby 1-6 6-3 6-2 6-2 in a gruelling US Open showdown.
Unheralded American qualifier and world number 99 Brooksby had the crowd roaring following an incredible opening set against Djokovic in Monday's last-16 clash at Flushing Meadows.
However, Djokovic – bidding to become only the third man to sweep all four slams in the same year and first since Rod Laver in 1969 – responded to the almighty challenge, showcasing his superior physicality as the three-time US Open champion rallied into the quarter-finals in New York.
Brooksby was making his first appearance on Arthur Ashe Stadium, where the 20-year-old was looking to become the lowest-ranked player to beat a number one at the US Open since the start of the ATP rankings in 1973 and youngest American man since Andy Roddick (2003 Wimbledon) to reach a major quarter-final.
He was not overawed on the big stage, blitzing Djokovic in a remarkable first set. Playing with a bounce in his step and bringing the crowd to its feet, Brooksby only hit one unforced error in a dominant 29-minute display, which included two breaks of serve.
Djokovic was 38-34 at grand slams when losing the opening set and 12-10 at Flushing Meadows and after an error-filled opener, the Serb star let out an almighty roar after racing out to a 3-0 lead.
Just as Djokovic – level on 20 men's slams with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer – looked comfortable, he endured a marathon 20-minute fifth game against Brooksby.
Brooksby broke at the sixth time of asking and the breath-taking tennis continued as Djokovic broke straight back to reclaim his advantage at 4-2 – the latter ending the game with an intense stare down in the direction of his opponent.
After a gruelling second set to level the match, the third followed a similar pattern, with Djokovic breaking in the opening game before moving 3-0 ahead.
Djokovic did not relinquish that lead, hitting 13 winners while claiming 11 of his 13 points at the net as he took the match to Brooksby.
Brooksby put up a huge fight but, he was unable to maintain his charge as the crowd went silent – Djokovic looking ahead to a last-eight showdown with sixth seed Matteo Berrettini in a rematch of the Wimbledon final.
Data slam: Djokovic flawless against locals in New York
With his hard-fought victory, which lasted almost three hours, Djokovic improved to 11-0 against Americans at the US Open. He is 29-3 at major events and 70-10 in ATP Tour-level matches. The 34-year-old is on a 21-match winning streak against players from the United States since Sam Querrey snapped his 30-match slam streak at Wimbledon in 2016.
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Djokovic – 44/41
Brooksby – 27/28
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Djokovic – 9/1
Brooksby – 4/1
BREAK POINTS WON
Djokovic – 6/12
Brooksby – 3/11
Louis van Gaal compared the self-confidence of his Netherlands side to being like that of Formula One star Max Verstappen.
Van Gaal's Netherlands will face Turkey in a crucial top-of-the-table World Cup Group G qualifier on Tuesday.
The Netherlands are a point adrift following their 4-0 rout of Montenegro last time out and Van Gaal is happy with his team since taking over from Frank de Boer.
Van Gaal likened the Netherlands' confidence to that of Dutch driver Verstappen, who reclaimed the F1 world championship lead from Lewis Hamilton with his Dutch Grand Prix success last week.
"The most important thing, which Max [Verstappen] also has, is to have self-confidence," Van Gaal told reporters.
"Very strong confidence, and you just heard from Memphis [Depay] that he also has very strong confidence in the team.
"I am happy about that because I also have a lot of self-confidence. So, we are all on the same wavelength."
After being held 1-1 by Norway in Van Gaal's first game in his third spell in charge, Oranje turned on the style in Saturday's World Cup qualifier with Montenegro at Philips Stadion.
Memphis Depay opened the scoring from the penalty spot and added a second just after the hour mark to put the Netherlands on course for a seventh straight home win.
That was the first time in 70 caps Depay had scored the first two goals for his country in a match, the Barcelona forward taking his goals tally to 30 across that period.
Captain Georginio Wijnaldum put the result beyond doubt with the hosts' third and Cody Gakpo rounded off the scoring 14 minutes from time with his first international goal.
On Turkey, Van Gaal added: "[Turkish coach Senol Gunes] has made his team play in a very disciplined way. It's really very good to have Turkey play with discipline, and Turkey has some smart players, with players who play at top clubs, actually.
"They only have two players who play in Turkey, at least in the team we're expecting to face."
Atlanta Braves star Charlie Morton signed a new contract with the MLB franchise, it was announced on Monday.
Braves ace and two-time All-Star Morton penned a one-year, $20million extension in Atlanta, where the starting pitcher has a $20m option for 2023.
Morton returned to the Braves this season following his exploits during the Tampa Bay Rays' run to the 2020 World Series, having been drafted by Atlanta in 2002.
The 37-year-old – a World Series winner with the Houston Astros in 2017 – debuted for the Braves in 2008 before leaving the following year.
Morton has starred in his second stint with the Braves, going 13-5 with a 3.47 ERA in 28 starts this season.
He has 185 strikeouts in 2021 – tied for eighth, while he is fifth for winning percentage (.722).
The Braves (72-64) top the National League (NL) East.
Shelby Rogers was anticipating "nine million death threats" after her fourth-round loss to Emma Raducanu at the US Open on Monday.
Just two days after coming from two breaks down in the third set to defeat world number one and top seed Ash Barty, Rogers succumbed to a 6-2 6-1 defeat at the hands of Raducanu.
The 18-year-old consequently reached the first grand slam quarter-final of her career and became just the third qualifier to reach the last eight of the women's draw at Flushing Meadows in the Open Era.
Having been overwhelmed with adulation in the wake of her win against Barty, Rogers admitted she was now concerned the scales would tip the other way.
Sloane Stephens revealed she received more than 2,000 abusive messages on social media after losing to Angelique Kerber in the third round and her fellow American was wary of suffering a similar fate.
"I kind of wish social media didn't exist, but here we are. It's a big part of marketing now. We have contracts, we have to post certain things," said Rogers.
"You could probably go through my profile right now, I'm probably a fat pig and words that I can't say right now. But, I mean, it is what it is. You try not to take it to heart, and it's the unfortunate side of any sport and what we do."
She continued: "I think someone asked by the other day some advice I would give, and I said try not to get too high or too low with every match.
"It's tough when you know you have a win like that [against Barty] and everybody is treating it like the final. Everybody coming up to me on-site.
"I'm really actually happy I had doubles [on Sunday] because it kind of refocused me a little bit, but everyone's coming up to you, 'Oh, great win.' I'm like, 'Yeah, but it's just the third round. We're not even halfway right now.'
"It's just really tough sometimes to keep that in perspective, but you do the best you can and try to ignore the media and everybody blowing it up and making you the story of the tournament.
"Obviously, we appreciate the spotlight in those moments, but then you have today and I'm going to have nine million death threats and whatnot. It's very much polarising – one extreme to the other very quickly.
"At this point in my career, I'd say I'm used to it. It's just now for me, finding a way to have those big wins but then be able to back it up a little bit. It's not easy to say the least."
Rogers won just 38 per cent of points behind her first serve and committed a total of 29 unforced errors, leaving the 28-year-old hugely dissatisfied with her display.
"That was pretty embarrassing," she said. "It was a tough day at the office. Unfortunately, I had to fail in front of thousands and thousands of people. I have to live with that one.
"It's disappointing that I couldn't must up a little more today. But I told you guys the other night it took everything I had to beat Barty. I guess that was a little apparent today. The tank was empty."
Emma Raducanu broke new ground on Monday as the qualifier reached the quarter-finals of the US Open in supreme style.
The 18-year-old produced one of the performances of the tournament when she defeated Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-0 6-1 on Saturday.
The Briton lost the first two games of her clash with Shelby Rogers, who impressively beat world number one Ash Barty in the previous round, but she then stormed to a 6-2 6-1 victory in her first outing on the court of Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Raducanu, who made headlines in the United Kingdom when she reached round four on her Wimbledon debut in July, will now face Olympic gold medallist Belinda Bencic in the first major quarter-final of her career.
Raducanu responded after a nervy start by reeling off six games in a row to take the first set in dominant fashion.
Rogers, who won just 12 points behind her first serve throughout, seemed to wilt against the onslaught as her groundstrokes became wild, her unforced error count totalling 29 by the end.
Raducanu appeared to feel the nerves towards the end of the second set but eventually closed out a famous win on her fourth match point, becoming just the third qualifier in the Open Era to reach this stage of the US Open.
"It feels absolutely amazing to play in front of all of you," she said in her on-court interview. "I'm so happy to have come through and overcome some of the nerves from the beginning.
"Belinda's a great player who's in great form, so I know I'm going to have to bring it.
"I'm just not really thinking about tennis right now. I'll leave that for tomorrow!"
Raducanu will face Bencic on Wednesday, the Swiss having beaten seventh seed Iga Swiatek in straight sets.
Tyrod Taylor has been confirmed as the Houston Texans' starting quarterback for the 2021 NFL season.
Taylor, who signed a one-year, $5.5million contract in Houston, was widely expected to be named the Texans' QB1 – a decision confirmed by head coach David Culley on Monday.
The Texans, for whom third-round rookie Davis Mills will serve as back-up, are set for a testing year.
Deshaun Watson has been the team's star QB over the past four seasons, last year leading the league in passing yards (4,823) and passing yards per attempt (8.87) – this despite being sacked 49 times, second only to Carson Wentz.
Watson was the one bright spot on a team that finished 4-12 in 2020, but he is not likely to feature this season despite remaining on the roster.
The 25-year-old in January asked for a trade, only for talk of a move to be overshadowed two months later by the emergence of sexual assault and misconduct allegations. Watson is the subject of investigations from the police and the NFL and faces 22 civil lawsuits.
Watson has not been restricted from taking part in team activities, yet a belated exit is anticipated after a period on the sidelines.
That leaves Taylor in the firing line on a team forecast to have the worst record in the league.
The 32-year-old was a regular for the Bills for three years between 2015 and 2017, but he has started only four games in three seasons since leaving Buffalo – three with the Cleveland Browns in 2018 and one last year with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Taylor completed only 16 of his 30 pass attempts in 2020, a small sample size providing a 53.3 completion percentage that paled next to Watson's 70.2.
The Texans start against the Jacksonville Jaguars and number one overall pick Trevor Lawrence on Sunday.
Lewis Hamilton has described Valtteri Bottas as the best team-mate of his career following news the Mercedes driver will be heading to Alfa Romeo.
Bottas, 32, has won nine races and helped Mercedes to four constructors' championships since joining the team back in 2017.
The Finn is now due to take the place of the retiring Kimi Raikkonen at Alfa Romeo, with George Russell expected to line up as Hamilton's new team-mate with the Silver Arrows in 2022.
Bottas will bring plenty of experience to Alfa Romeo, having twice finished as runner-up to Hamilton in the drivers' standings and also secured 54 podiums in 92 starts for Mercedes.
Reigning champion Hamilton says Bottas is a greater driver than he realises and has savoured sharing a garage over the past five seasons.
"I'm immensely proud to have worked alongside Valtteri for the last five years," he wrote on social media.
"Together, we've been part of a team that has delivered four constructors' championships, and we've motivated one another to keep pushing through the ups and the downs.
"He has been the best team-mate I've had the pleasure of working with. Your speed and resilience has been impressive but where you truly stand out to me is the human being you are and gentleman.
"You are greater than you know and I know there's a bright future ahead for you.
"Thank you Valtteri for all your support and amazing contributions to this team. You will be missed. I wish you all the best for your future endeavours. Let's finish off strong and get that 8th for the team."
Alfa Romeo have announced Valtteri Bottas will leave Mercedes to replace the retiring Kimi Raikkonen on a multi-year deal from next season.
Bottas has raced for Mercedes since 2017, winning nine races across that period and helping the Silver Arrows to four constructors' championships.
However, the 32-year-old's future has been the subject of much speculation in recent months and it has now been confirmed he will leave Mercedes at the end of the 2021 season.
The Finn's exit paves the way for George Russell's likely graduation to Mercedes to partner fellow Briton Lewis Hamilton from next season onwards.
Bottas will bring plenty of experience to Alfa Romeo, having twice finished as runner-up to Hamilton in the Driver Standings and also secured 53 podiums in 92 starts for Mercedes.
"A new chapter in my racing career is opening," he said in a statement on Monday.
"I'm excited to join Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN for 2022 and beyond for what is going to be a new challenge with an iconic manufacturer.
"Alfa Romeo is a brand that needs no introduction; they have written some great pages of Formula 1 history and it's going to be an honour to represent this marque.
"The potential of the setup in Hinwil is clear and I am relishing the opportunity to help lead the team forward up the grid, especially with the new regulations in 2022 giving the team a chance to make a leap in performance.
"I'm grateful for the trust the team has put in me and I cannot wait to repay their faith: I'm as hungry as ever to race for results and, when the time comes, for wins.
"I know Fred [Vasseur] well and I am looking forward to getting to know the rest of the team I am going to work with, building relationships as strong as the ones I have at Mercedes.
"I am proud of what I have achieved in Brackley and I am fully focused on finishing the job as we fight for another world championship, but I am also looking forward to the new challenges that await me next year."
The news of Bottas' arrival comes after Raikkonen announced last week he is to retire at the end of the season. Alfa Romeo have yet to announce who will partner Bottas next year.
Bottas will reunite with Alfa Romeo team principal Vasseur after the pair previously worked together at ART in F3 in 2009 and 2010, and in GP3 in 2011.
Vasseur said: "It is a pleasure to welcome Valtteri to the team and we are looking forward to our journey together. With him, we bring to Hinwil a strong team player with experience at the sharp end of the grid.
"Valtteri has been an integral part of a team that rewrote the history books and he has four constructors’ world titles to his name: he is the right driver to help Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN make a step forward towards the front of the grid."
Carlos Alcaraz's fairytale run to the quarter-finals at the US Open is a dream come true for the Spanish teenager.
Alcaraz became the youngest men's US Open quarter-finalist in the Open Era when he ousted Peter Gojowczyk 5-7 6-1 5-7 6-2 6-0 on Sunday.
The 18-year-old, who became the youngest man to defeat a top-three player at Flushing Meadows when he beat Stefanos Tsitsipas last week, is also the most junior male player at the New York grand slam since Thomaz Koch in 1963.
Similarly, Sunday's triumph made him the youngest men's singles quarter-finalist at any grand slam since Michael Chang (18) made the last eight at the 1990 French Open.
Alcaraz will now face another rising star – Felix Auger-Aliassime – for a place in the semi-finals.
"I'm super excited to be in my first second week in the grand slam, so it's amazing for me. It's a dream come true," an ecstatic Alcaraz told reporters.
"It's really tough to play these kinds of matches, to play fifth sets. I hope to play [in] more second weeks, to play more quarter-finals of grand slams.
"I didn't expect to play in the quarter-finals here, so I think it's a really good performance from me in these matches."
Dubbed as the heir to Rafael Nadal's thrown, Alcaraz has certainly had the crowd on his side during his run.
"In the first sets I thought that I reached my limit, physically and mentally. I think the crowd was really, really important for me in this situation," Alcaraz added.
"I felt the energy of the crowd pushing me up. I think without the crowd, it couldn't be possible to be here."
Alcaraz faces a stern test in the form of world number 15 Auger-Aliassime, who has reached his second straight grand slam quarter-final.
However, the 21-year-old Canadian – who is aiming to secure a maiden appearance in the last four of a major – knows the quality Alcaraz possesses.
"He's a great player. At some point age is just a number. He already feels like a player who's established," Auger-Aliassime said of Alcaraz.
"He's playing some amazing tennis, so I think we’ll see a lot of him, a lot of us, a lot of Frances [Tiafoe] in the future."
Barbora Krejcikova explained she was hit by breathing difficulties and a spell of severe dizziness as she overcame Garbine Muguruza at the US Open.
French Open champion Krejcikova – who is making her main-draw debut at Flushing Meadows – had to hold off a fightback from former world number one Muguruza on Sunday to progress into her first US Open quarter-final with a 6-3 7-6 (7-4) victory.
However, Muguruza was left angry after Krejcikova started to take more time in between points.
After saving three set points at 4-5 down in the decider, Krejcikova went off court for medical treatment, before returning to see out the match on a tie-break.
Muguruza appeared to confront Krejcikova during the post-match handshake, and the Spaniard told the media: "I'll let you guys judge what you think about this.
"I think, between players, you know a little bit how to behave in certain moments and I wasn't very happy at the end of the match."
Krejcikova, however, explained how she had suffered during the match.
"I think I started the match really well and was playing good tennis," Krejcikova said, according to the WTA.
"The key was to start the match well. There were a lot of breaks, which was difficult, but I was happy that I won the first set 6-3. Out of nowhere I got the lead 4-0 and then things started to get complicated.
"Garbine started to raise her level and I was expecting that. At the end I was really struggling and I feel really bad right now.
"I don't really know what happened, but I couldn't breathe. I started to feel dizzy and the whole world was shaking. It never happened to me before."
Krejcikova also needed medical attention after the match and did not hold a post-match news conference.
The Czech has now won 29 of her last 32 matches and will face Aryna Sabalenka, the highest seed remaining at Flushing Meadows, in the quarter-finals.
The San Francisco Giants got the better of Walker Buehler and the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 6-4 victory as they reclaimed top spot in MLB's National League (NL) West.
It was a tough outing for Dodgers ace and Cy Young contender Buehler, who was tagged for a season-high six runs on seven hits over three innings at Oracle Park on Sunday.
Giants star Steven Duggar hit a tie-breaking two-run triple, while Brandon Belt also homered at home to the Dodgers in San Francisco.
Future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols hit his 678th career home run but it was not enough for the Dodgers as the Giants wrapped up the series.
Ray fuels streaking Jays with historic display
Robbie Ray struck out 10 batters as the Toronto Blue Jays swept the Oakland Athletics in an 8-0 rout. The Blue Jays starter became the first pitcher in team history with 10-plus strikeouts in four consecutive starts. Ray now boasts an American League (AL)-leading 2.60 ERA.
The Cleveland Indians homered for a franchise-record 19th consecutive game after taking down the Boston Red Sox 11-5. Franmil Reyes homered for the Indians.
The New York Mets topped the Washington Nationals 13-6 behind Javier Baez and Kevin Pillar. Baez went four for four with a home run, while Pillar hit a grand slam in a six-run ninth inning.
On Sunday, the Mets scored six runs in the ninth, Indians hit five runs in the ninth, Milwaukee Brewers clubbed five runs in the ninth and the Seattle Mariners tallied seven runs in the 11th. According to Stats Perform, it is the first time four teams had a five-run inning in the ninth or later on the same day since 1940.
Salvador Perez hit another home run in the Kansas City Royals' 6-0 shutout of the Chicago White Sox. Perez (41) is second for home runs this season behind two-way Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani after hitting eight homers from his last 11 outings.
Yankees blow lead
The New York Yankees are in a rut following their 8-7 defeat at home to the Baltimore Orioles. Gary Sanchez hit a grand slam and a two-run homer but the Yankees still lost, blowing leads of 4-1, 5-2 and 7-4. The Yankees have now lost sixth of their last eight games, having enjoyed their first 13-game winning streak since 1961.
Vogelbach delivers stunning walk-off slam
Daniel Vogelbach was the hero in the Brewers' 6-5 walk-off victory against the St Louis Cardinals. He hit a walk-off grand slam in the ninth inning.
Sunday's results
San Francisco Giants 6-4 Los Angeles Dodgers
Baltimore Orioles 8-7 New York Yankees
New York Mets 13-6 Washington Nationals
Toronto Blue Jays 8-0 Oakland Athletics
Cleveland Indians 11-5 Boston Red Sox
Detroit Tigers 4-1 Cincinnati Reds
Minnesota Twins 6-5 Tampa Bay Rays
Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 Miami Marlins
Kansas City Royals 6-0 Chicago White Sox
Milwaukee Brewers 6-5 St Louis Cardinals
Chicago Cubs 11-8 Pittsburgh Pirates
Atlanta Braves 9-2 Colorado Rockies
Texas Rangers 7-3 Los Angeles Angels
San Diego Padres 4-3 Houston Astros
Seattle Mariners 10-4 Arizona Diamondbacks
Blue Jays at Yankees
The high-flying Blue Jays (73-62) will continue their Wild Card push away to slumping AL East rivals the Yankees (78-58) on Monday. Blue Jays ace Ryu Hyun-jin starts as the Yankees go with Jameson Taillon.
Teenage Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz made history after outlasting Peter Gojowczyk for a US Open quarter-final berth.
Alcaraz became the youngest men's US Open quarter-finalist in the Open Era thanks to Sunday's 5-7 6-1 5-7 6-2 6-0 victory at Flushing Meadows.
After stunning third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in New York, where he became the youngest man to defeat a top-three player at the US Open, the 18-year-old needed another five-setter to continue his fairytale run.
Alcaraz rallied past Gojowczyk, finishing with 35 winners – five more than the German qualifier – and 45 unforced errors, which were 39 fewer than his opponent.
Dubbed the new Rafael Nadal, Alcaraz became the youngest men's US Open quarter-finalist since Thomaz Koch (18) in the pre-Open Era in 1963.
He also became the youngest men's grand slam singles quarter-finalist since Michael Chang (18) at the 1990 French Open.
With the win, Alcaraz became the youngest men's player to earn back-to-back five-set wins at a grand slam since Chang (16) at the 1988 US Open as Felix Auger-Aliassime or Frances Tiafoe await.
Canadian sensation Leylah Fernandez said she is pinching herself after continuing her fairytale run with a shock last-16 win over Angelique Kerber at the US Open.
After stunning defending champion Naomi Osaka in a third-round boilover at Flushing Meadows, giant-slaying teenager Fernandez conquered three-time grand slam winner Kerber 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 en route to the quarter-finals.
Kerber – the 2018 US Open champion – won the opening set in New York, however 18-year-old Fernandez staged a remarkable comeback on the eve of her 19th birthday to reach her first slam quarter-final.
"I did have to pinch myself a little bit to see that it actually happened, but like I said, I knew that my tennis, my level of tennis is there," Fernandez said post-match. "It's just a moment of time, opportunity, and I'm glad that I was able to get this opportunity now and that I was able to showcase what I can do in front of these players.
"Even if I would have lost, I would have been proud of myself with the way that I played, the way that I fought. I was lucky enough to get the win today and just getting this experience.
"It's my first fourth-round quarterfinals in a grand slam. I'm just going to enjoy it at 100 per cent, and tomorrow is going to be a new day."
Fernandez, who hit 45 winners to 34 unforced errors – added: "The match was incredible. I was playing well in the first set.
"Unfortunately I did a few mistakes. Her, as a great player, great champion, she noticed and she took advantage of it. I was able to refocus and fight back for the second.
"In the third, I was just enjoying every moment of it. Honestly, the crowd has been amazing, so thanks to them I was able to win."
"I'm just super happy," she continued. "I'm going to enjoy tonight as much as I can, and then once I'm off to bed, I'll try to forget about it so that I can get ready for tomorrow."
Daniil Medvedev said "it's tough to beat me" as the confident and in-form world number two took another step towards his maiden grand slam crown at the US Open.
Medvedev advanced to the quarter-finals with a comfortable 6-3 6-4 6-3 victory over 24th seed Dan Evans in New York on Sunday.
US Open finalist in 2019 and Australian Open runner-up this year, Russian star Medvedev is yet to drop a set at Flushing Meadows this week.
As Dutch qualifier Botic Van De Zandschulp awaits, Medvedev discussed expectations at the US Open in pursuit of his first major title.
"I always say I take it match by match," Medvedev told reporters after hitting 42 winners in one hour, 43 minutes. "You can lose first round, you can lose final. If I play good, I know what I'm capable of. It's tough to beat me.
"In Wimbledon, I was honest, I lost against a great player, Hubert is playing great. I think he's on the rise. He's going to be even better ranked and maybe he's gonna go further in slams. He beat Roger [Federer] after me.
"But again, I was not talking about match itself where the loss was okay, I would say. I was talking about the result in general, and fourth round is not enough for number two in the world, especially I like grass more than clay, so maybe on clay I would not say this.
"Yeah, it's the same every tournament. If you're top seed, if you are not in the final, let's say Cincinnati, I lost against Rublev, brutal match, really strong play from him. But if you talk about the result itself, semi-final was not good enough.
"There is not much to add. I want to win every tournament I play in, without putting pressure on myself. Because again, I know how to win matches, and I know sometimes why I lose them, so that's just learning and being better for the next time."
Medvedev is 31-5 on hard courts in 2021 and 162-61 in his career, while he has won 11 of his 12 ATP titles on hard courts.
The 25-year-old owns a 17-4 record (80.95 per cent) at the US Open – his most wins and highest win percentage at a grand slam event.
"Feeling great before the second week," Medvedev said. "Feeling great with my tennis, my mental, my physical. Just looking forward."
Medvedev, who lost a thrilling US Open final to Rafael Nadal two years ago, added: "Now I just want to make it to the finals again to have another thing to remember and hopefully a better one."
Max Verstappen feared Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes were leaving Red Bull behind before Formula One's mid-season break, but the tables have turned and now the Dutchman wants to pull further clear.
Verstappen won five of the first nine races in 2021 to take control of the title race, only to then earn only five points across the next two races – three of them from sprint qualifying at Silverstone.
It meant Hamilton entered last month's break with a six-point advantage as he seeks a record-breaking eighth drivers' championship.
Red Bull regrouped, however, and Verstappen has claimed consecutive wins in Belgium, the country of his birth, and his home nation the Netherlands.
After his pole at the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend, the 23-year-old had complete control of the race at Zandvoort, able to hold off Hamilton and become the first Dutch driver to win at home.
Red Bull again showed greater pace than Mercedes, with Hamilton feeling the gap has widened since the season's resumption.
"I'm giving it everything. We're giving it absolutely everything," Hamilton told a post-race news conference.
"Even since the first race, these guys have just had such a strong car all year. We're trying as hard as we can.
"We had a couple of races where we looked like we were just about on par with them or just slightly ahead, but there's only been a couple of those.
"Then they took a big leap, and it's been difficult. You can't really overtake in a lot of these places we've been to, because we are so closely matched.
"There's nothing really more I can say – we just have to keep our heads down, keep working, keep pushing.
"We are ahead in the team championship, which is great, but of course we need to pick up some speed if we want to win races in future."
Verstappen explained this improvement was in response to Hamilton's performances in Great Britain and Hungary.
"For me, they had pole position at Silverstone, even though of course it didn't count as pole position, and they were ahead in Hungary, where they definitely had more pace than us," Verstappen said.
"Of course, Hungary was a crazy race with what happened, with the wet and the start, so I think you shouldn't look at stats.
"You should look at the realistic pace that there was and not look always at the race result, because I think definitely they would have won Hungary if everything went normal.
"That's why I really thought in the break, I was like, 'We really need to speed things up, because otherwise they're going to run away with it'.
"I think we did, we did pick it up a bit, [but] I feel like we still need a bit more.
"It's heading into the right direction, but there are quite a lot of different kind of tracks coming up, so it will definitely swing both ways. We just have to keep on it, keep pushing and keep bringing new bits to the car."
One area in which Hamilton has noted Red Bull progress all year long is with their Honda power unit, which made Verstappen "a rocket off the start" at Zandvoort.
"They've made a big, big step forward this year with their engine," Hamilton said. "You saw it last year, they weren't the greatest at starts.
"They've improved their power – just the whole power unit's massively better this year on all aspects for them.
"Naturally, their driveability and their starts... they're the quickest starters this year, I think, overall. We've got some work to do in lots of different areas."
Hamilton still could have won on Sunday, he felt, but Mercedes would have had to be "perfect".
"I think today we probably needed everything to be perfect to even have the slightest chance of getting past them through a strategy," Hamilton said.
"Pit stops needed to be on point, strategy needed to be on point, traffic also, but none of those three were ideal today."
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