Kyrie Irving will undergo further tests on the ankle injury he suffered in the Brooklyn Nets' defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday – a result that leaves the NBA playoff series all tied up at 2-2.
Irving twisted his right ankle after coming down on Giannis Antetokounmpo's foot after scoring from close range in the second quarter of Game 4 in the Eastern Conference semi-finals.
The seven-time All-Star received treatment on the court before walking to the locker room. The Nets later ruled him out for the remainder of the contest, though head coach Steve Nash confirmed after the game that X-rays on the issue came back negative.
"I have no idea what is going to happen with Ky in the coming days," Nash said.
"We will cross our fingers and hope that it is better than I don't know – better than what – better than missing the next game?"
Already without James Harden, Brooklyn slipped to a 107-96 defeat on the road. They host Game 3 on Tuesday, having recorded both their wins at home at the start of the best-of-seven series.
Irving had 11 points, five rebounds and two assists in 17 minutes of action.
Kevin Durant led the way for the Nets with 28 points but was stifled by the Bucks' physical defensive play which, at times, Nash felt went a step too far.
"[Tucker's] playing extremely physical. And made it difficult. That's his role on their team," Nash said. "I thought it was borderline non-basketball physical at times. But that's the playoffs."
Harden has not featured since suffering a hamstring injury in the early stages of Game 1. It remains unclear when the former MVP will return, though there are positive signs in his recovery.
"I asked him and he says he's feeling better, doing better," Nash said. "I asked the staff, they say, 'Yeah, it's getting better'.
"I think he's in that arena where he's got a little gap to make up. But he's getting closer, so it's been positive."
Antetokounmpo's 34-point haul helped Milwaukee make it two wins from two at home. He was helped out by 19 points from Khris Middleton, while P.J. Tucker added 13 to go along with his defensive work when tasked with slowing down Durant.
"We're very happy, but we've got to keep getting better, keep playing together and hopefully we can go into Brooklyn and take one," Antetokounmpo said.
Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer added: "At this stage, it's whatever it takes to win the game.
"It certainly helps to get more guys contributing, making shots. P.J. Tucker was phenomenal on both ends of the court."
Garrick Higgo overturned a huge deficit to break through for his first PGA Tour title courtesy of a one-shot victory at the Palmetto Championship at Congaree.
Higgo entered the final round trailing by six strokes but the unheralded South African produced a three-under-par 68 to claim his maiden trophy in his second career start on Sunday.
The 22-year-old, who holed an eagle, three birdies and two bogeys, registered the largest comeback on Tour since Bubba Watson in 2018 as he upstaged world number one Dustin Johnson and the chasing pack.
Higgo became the first player to win in one of his first two career PGA Tour starts since Jim Benepe won the 1988 BMW Championship on debut, while he is the youngest winner on Tour this season – aged 22 years, one month and one day.
"It's amazing," Higgo said after finishing 11 under through 72 holes. "I just stayed patient all week. I'm just happy I didn't have to play in a playoff."
Hudson Swafford (66), Doc Redman (67), Jhonattan Vegas (67), Tyrrell Hatton (68), Bo Van Pelt (68) and overnight leader Chesson Hadley (75) ended the inaugural tournament tied for second position.
Ryan Armour (64) and David Lipsky (67) were a stroke further back, while American star Johnson had to settle for a share of 10th place at eight under following his final-round 70 in Gillisonville, South Carolina.
South Carolina native Johnson – who got within one stroke of the lead on the back nine – shot a seven at the par-four 16th hole for his first triple-bogey or worse on the PGA Tour since the 2020 WGC-FedEx St Jude Invitational and the 50th of his career.
Stefanos Tsitsipas "could easily have cried" after seeing his French Open dream crushed by Novak Djokovic but insists there is "no reason" he cannot be a future champion.
In his first grand slam final, the 22-year-old looked to be cantering to victory when he moved two sets up against the world number one.
However, much as he did in his fourth-round win over Lorenzo Musetti, Djokovic left the court before the start of the third set and returned a different competitor, going on to win 6-7 (6-8) 2-6 6-3 6-2 6-4 after more than four hours on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Tsitsipas had little answer to the resurgent Djokovic, who became the first male player in the Open era to win every grand slam at least twice as he moved onto 19 in his career, one behind record-holders Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Tsitsipas struggled to answer why his game began to let him down in the final three sets as he cut a disconsolate figure when speaking to the media afterwards.
"I felt like my rhythm was off [after the second set]," he said. "I really don't know why. It was very strange considering that I started finding my rhythm, finding my shots, my movement on the court was perfect, and suddenly just felt cold and out of it.
"It was difficult to readjust. I felt like I kind of lost my game a little bit. I really wish I could understand why things like this happened and evolved. But I was trying to figure it out during my game. It was difficult to come up with something.
"It's very unfortunate, very sad in the same way because it was a good opportunity. I was playing good. I was feeling good. Yeah, I lost an opportunity to do something better today.
"What I learned today is that no matter what, in order for the match to be finished, you have to win three sets and not two. Two sets doesn't really mean anything. It's still one away [from] winning the entire match."
Tsitsipas admitted Djokovic seemed rejuvenated as the third set got underway, saying: "He left the court after two sets to love down, I don't know what happened there, but he came back to me like a different player suddenly.
"I don't know. I have no idea. He played really well. He gave me no space. [I] felt physically, anticipation maybe, just movement on the court, everything felt much more fresh and much better than before. I kind of felt like he could read my game a bit better suddenly. Good for him. He did well to get there."
Tsitsipas, who will move to number four in the world after reaching the final, is one of the prime contenders to lead the way when the so-called 'big three' finally call time on their careers.
The Greek beat Roger Federer at the 2019 Australian Open and Rafael Nadal in Melbourne this year, while he has twice beaten Djokovic at Masters 1000 events.
"I believe, yes, I'm able to play for titles like this," he added. "Despite my loss today, I have faith in my game. I very much believe I can get to that point very soon.
"I was close today. Every opponent is difficult. There's a small difference between the player I played today and the ones from before.
"But I think with the same attitude and the same... if I don't downgrade myself, I see no reason for me not to be holding that trophy one day.
"I played two good sets. I wouldn't call them incredible. I just played really well. It wasn't enough. It wasn't enough. That's a grand slam for you. It's the way it is.
"I don't think I have regrets. Could have easily cried, but I see no reason for me crying because I tried everything. I couldn't come up with anything better."
Novak Djokovic backed Stefanos Tsitsipas to bounce back from the French Open final defeat that left the Greek star shell-shocked.
As Djokovic inked more achievements into the tennis record books, he did so at the expense of a player who surely thought his grand slam moment had come when he led the world number one by two sets.
Just as the crowd inside Court Philippe Chatrier prepared for a new champion to be crowned, Djokovic dug in, scrambling, scurrying and showing incredible levels of energy to snatch a 6-7 (6-8) 2-6 6-3 6-2 6-4 victory from what was almost a lost cause.
Having come through an exhausting four-hour battle with Rafael Nadal, the greatest of all Roland Garros champions, on Friday, it was mesmerising to watch Djokovic pick apart another world-class opponent in a marathon contest.
This was a match featuring the third largest age gap between French Open men's singles finalists in the Open Era, with Djokovic, at 34, showing a freshness that 22-year-old Tsitsipas could only admire in the closing stages. It marked the first time in Djokovic's great career that he has won a slam final from a two-set deficit.
Tsitsipas will not forget his first slam final in a hurry, but he would surely want to.
"I would like to say a few words to Stefanos," Djokovic said in an on-court interview. "I can relate to what he's going through. I understand how difficult that is, losing in the final of a grand slam.
"These are the kind of matches, the kind of occasions, you learn from the most, I think.
"Knowing him and his team, he's going to come out much stronger from this match and I definitely believe he's going to win many grand slams in the future. So respect to you and your team."
Djokovic became the first man in the Open Era to rack up two or more titles at each of the four grand slams, and he has 19 such victories altogether now, just one behind the all-time record that is shared by Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
"It's truly a dream to be here and play a great match for one of the great trophies in our sport," Djokovic said.
"This is a tournament that gives me a lot of inspiration. I've needed the inspiration. I'm not as young as Stefanos. I have to search every day for new inspiration.
"It's sure that my great motivations are my children and my wife and all my team, who give me so much support and love. Without them it wouldn't be possible for me to be here. I'm proud and happy."
The body language of Tsitsipas showed he was obviously crestfallen and suffering, a post-match speech just a reminder of the pain he had been subjected to at the hands of the world number one.
"It was a big fight out there. I tried my best, I tried as much as I could but Novak played better," Tsitsipas said.
"It was my first time being here in the finals. I had a good run and I'm happy with myself, but let's give it to Novak. He's showed us in the last couple of years what a great champion he is, how consistent he has been.
"I would say I'm inspired by the things he has achieved so far and I hope one day I can maybe do half of what he has done so well."
From chump to champ, bonehead to figurehead. What a difference a year makes.
On this weekend in 2020, Novak Djokovic was partying like it was, well, 2019, after the first leg of the Adria Tour, limbo-dancing in a Belgrade cabaret club, mask-free, carefree, some might say cluelessly.
Within days, he had tested positive for COVID-19, as had Djokovic's wife Jelena, along with Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Goran Ivanisevic. The tournament that Djokovic had organised was in disarray and plans to take it to five Balkan cities were abandoned when the second event in Zadar was called off before its final.
Nick Kyrgios, incredulous at home in Australia, called it a "boneheaded" decision to play the events, and Djokovic made a grovelling apology, saying he was "so deeply sorry" for the harm that had been caused.
The main tennis tours had ground to a necessary halt, but Djokovic could not resist moving, cavorting.
He might feel like hitting up a Parisian nightclub after Sunday's breathtaking comeback against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the French Open final, the first time he has come from two sets down to win a grand slam final, but even if they were open, Djokovic has probably learnt his lesson. He taught Tsitsipas a thing or two in this Roland Garros epic, too, primarily this: however much a grand slam title match feels in your control, these major finals are not like any you have played before.
So now Djokovic has 19 major titles, one behind all-time leaders Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal heading into Wimbledon in two weeks' time. He is the first man in the Open Era to win two or more titles at each of the four grand slams.
When Tsitsipas followed a thrilling opening set here by breezing through the second against the world number one, establishing a two-set cushion, his maiden slam final was going as well as he could possibly have hoped. His serve was potent, his biggest shots were landing in, and he had the measure of Djokovic's delivery: the Serbian won just 35 per cent of points on his second serve over those opening two sets.
Nine winners to just two unforced errors from Tsitsipas in that second set showed who was in charge. Djokovic had taken an early fall in the match: was that a factor?
Yet in the fourth game of the third set, Djokovic landed a punch so loaded that it caused Tsitsipas to wobble for the next hour, saving three game points on the Greek's serve before snatching the break at his own fourth opportunity.
The 11-minute game evoked memories of how Djokovic took down Nadal in their magnificent semi-final, Tsitsipas flinging a despairing backhand just wide to slide 3-1 behind, his resistance broken, his momentum gone.
Djokovic has suffered in the past following marathon grand slam semi-finals, including in Paris last October when he battled past Tsitsipas in five and then won just seven games against Nadal.
Friday's four hours and 11 minutes of hard battle against Nadal was as draining as such matches come, so from where had Djokovic found this renewed energy? Tsitsipas, seeing the title slip away, needed a big sip from whatever well from which the Serbian was drinking.
An astonishing angled drop shot from Djokovic in the third game of the decider showed his scrambling, sprinting energy was only heightening in its intensity, and he backed up that effort with a break moments later.
Tsitsipas had largely rediscovered his game, but the prospect of a pair of first-time singles champions at Roland Garros, for the first time since the Gaston Gaudio-Anastasia Myskina double in 2004, was ebbing away. It was soon all over.
After the Adria Tour howler and his US Open disqualification clanger, Djokovic began his 2021 season on a positive note with a ninth Australian Open title. Now he has a second French Open, and we can seriously start to think about a calendar year sweep of the grand slams. He has won seven of his majors since turning 30, the most by anyone in the Open Era, and it feels safe to say there are more to come.
Twelve months ago, it was a case of 'how low can you go?' as Djokovic dipped under that limbo pole.
Suddenly we can start to ask: are there no limits to the heights this remarkable man might scale?
Novak Djokovic made history in sensational fashion by storming back from two sets down to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in a pulsating French Open final.
Tsitsipas looked to be on course to become the first Greek major champion, but legendary top seed Djokovic produced a stirring fightback to win a thriller 6-7 (6-8) 2-6 6-3 6-2 6-4 at Roland Garros on Sunday.
The indefatigable world number one etched his name in the record books on Court Philippe-Chatrier, becoming the first man in the Open Era - and only the third of all time - to triumph at each grand slam at least twice.
Djokovic had never won a major from two sets behind in a championship match but is just one shy of the record tally of 20 grand slam titles held by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who he beat in an epic semi-final on Friday.
Tsitsipas appeared to be increasingly hampered by a hip injury as he endured heartbreak in his first grand slam final.
The 2016 champion won three service games without losing a point in a strong start on a sunny afternoon in Paris and there was relief when he picked himself up following a fall at speed while running at full tilt trying to retrieve return a deft drop shot.
A sprightly Tsitsipas was feeding off the energy of the crowd and had a set point after Djokovic skewed a forehand wide, but the 34-year-old showed the mentality of an all-time great to get himself out of a hole and broke in the next game when a stray forehand from the fifth seed put him 6-5 down.
Djokovic was clearly struggling with the sun in his eyes as he failed to serve out the set and Tsitsipas charged into a 4-0 lead in a brilliant tie-break, which he eventually won after saving a set point with a majestic forehand winner down the line.
Tsitsipas maintained the momentum, breaking in the opening game of the second set when Djokovic sent a forehand beyond the baseline and continuing to show rapid pace over the court.
The 22-year-old was relentless, returning superbly and unleashing a serious of glorious winners as he went a double break up before serving out the set in ruthless fashion.
Yet Djokovic hit back like he has done so many times over the years in the third set, taking a 3-1 lead by grasping his fifth break-point opportunity of a marathon game in which he put his opponent under huge pressure with a string of searing, precise returns.
The Serbian's forehand was firing on all cylinders as he sealed the set, then broke in the first game of the fourth and again to lead 3-0 with a sublime drop shot.
Tsitsipas' unforced error count was rising rapidly and he was not moving as freely, with the wind in Djokovic's sails as he levelled the match.
World number five Tsitsipas held after saving a break point in the first game of the decider but Djokovic was not to be denied a 2-1 lead, forcing an error as he continued to show astonishing staying power along with finesse and power.
Tsitsipas showed great fight but Djokovic served out a match of such high drama to get his hands on La Coupe des Mousquetaires once again.
Marin Cilic cited his experience as the key to sealing a first ATP Tour title in three years against Felix Auger-Aliassime at the Stuttgart Open on Sunday.
The Croatian, who did not drop a set all week, hit seven aces on his way to a 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 win in one hour and 50 minutes.
At 32, Cilic is the third-oldest Stuttgart champion in the Open Era (since April 1968) behind Roger Federer, 36, and Barry Phillips-Moore, 33.
It brought up his 19th ATP Tour title and he believes the knowledge he has amassed in his career was crucial to overcoming an opponent 12 years his junior.
"Experience plays a big part, especially on grass," he said in quotes reported on the ATP website.
"The conditions can be difficult; the court plays quite quickly. I felt this was a good chance for me to give it my all, keep my intensity.
"Even though some games were up and others down, that was a big part of my victory today.
"It was a very important win. I played two semi-finals and did not win a title since 2018, also on grass at Queen’s.
"Winning here brings out joy for me, good confidence and a good feeling.
"I felt like I was playing good tennis these last few weeks. Winning here is a great way for me to continue my form and it gives me a good sign for Queen's and Wimbledon.
"It is a joy to win my first title with my family here for the first time at any tournament."
Auger-Aliassime, who has now lost all eight ATP Tour finals he has contested, had no complaints with the result.
"Today, I am not facing a final, I am facing Marin Cilic; it is two different things," he said.
"There have been times when I have not played my best then I felt I was not playing well, but this time around, I felt like it was close.
"Overall, though, I think he was the better player."
Johanna Konta says she will not take her first WTA singles title in four years for granted after beating Zhang Shuai in Sunday's Nottingham Open final.
The top seed made it third time lucky by avenging her 2017 and 2018 final defeats to Donna Vekic and Ashleigh Barty with a straight-sets win against Zhang.
Konta prevailed 6-2 6-1 for her fourth singles title – and a first on grass – as she became the first British woman to win a WTA singles title on home soil since Sue Barker at the Daihatsu Challenge event in Brighton in 1981.
It is her first trophy since winning the Miami Open in 2017 and leaves the world number 20, who last week split with coach Dimitri Zavialoff, in good shape ahead of Wimbledon in two weeks' time.
"I didn't take this win for granted. I've lost quite a few finals and it's hard to win a tournament so I know how lucky and fortunate I am to be standing here winning trophies," she said in her post-match interview.
"I'm grateful I've been able to put five matches together and I'm proud of myself and my team. I'm enjoying my tennis and doing the best I can.
"I've not done a winning speech in a long time and it's very nice. I love Nottingham and this centre court is a beautiful court to play on."
Konta made light work of seeing off world number 46 Zhang in a little under an hour.
The British number one held her serve throughout the contest, faced just a single break point and finished with 25 winners to four unforced errors.
Konta has now won six of the pair's seven previous meetings, including the past five in a row.
Barbora Krejcikova became the first woman for 21 years to win both singles and doubles titles at the same French Open as the Czech completed her staggering fortnight in Paris.
"We will have a little glass of champagne," said Krejcikova, the breakout star of Roland Garros this year, after she and Katerina Siniakova fended off Iga Swiatek and Bethanie Mattek-Sands in Sunday's doubles final.
A 6-4 6-2 victory for the Czech duo gave them a third women's grand slam title as a pair, and a second in Paris after their 2018 triumph.
Krejcikova was already established as a world-class doubles player, but it has been as a singles player that she has emerged in recent times, having only entered the WTA top 100 rankings for the first time last October.
A three-set victory over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in Saturday's singles final gave the world number 33 a first major title without a team-mate at her side.
The doubles triumph means the French Open women's title double has been achieved for the first time since Mary Pierce cleaned up in 2000, when the Frenchwoman beat Conchita Martinez in singles and paired up with Martina Hingis to beat Paola Suarez and Virginia Ruano Pascual.
The 25-year-old Krejcikova becomes just the seventh woman to clinch the double, after Billie Jean King, Margaret Court, Chris Evert, Virginia Ruzici, Martina Navratilova and Pierce.
Pierce wrote on Twitter: "Well done @BKrejcikova! Welcome to a very special club."
Krejcikova said she had not slept well after her singles triumph, and she felt not only tired but complained of "having some pains in my leg" after the doubles.
It has been a strenuous fortnight, and she was determined to finally unwind on Sunday evening.
"I think we going to have a dinner together this evening. We will have a little glass of champagne," she said.
"I already said I don't really drink but I think it's a time to actually celebrate it. I think we going to really enjoy ourselves.
"The rest, I just want to go back home. I just really have to relax. I have to spend some time with my family. After that, just start to work again."
Krejcikova will be a marked player at Wimbledon after her rapid rise in the rankings was capped by the slam success.
"I hope I'm going to have some chances on the grass, but I don't really know because I'm not that experienced on it," she said. "We will see.
"I just know from now on I can really enjoy because I have pretty much achieved everything I really wanted.
"Now I can just improve, that's the only thing I can do, just improving. All the guys and the ladies are doing. That's what I think."
Paul George earned the praise of his coach Tyronn Lue as the Los Angeles Clippers hit back to beat the Utah Jazz in Game 3 of the Western Conference semi-finals.
Having lost the opening two games in Utah – with George, the subject of vitriol from the Jazz supporters, struggling to find his best form, although he did score 27 points in Game 2 – the Clippers struck back on their home court on Saturday in a 132-106 victory.
George was decisive, scoring 31 points, converting six three-pointers, while tallying five assists and three rebounds.
His 20 points in the first half set the standard for the Clippers, who also had fellow talisman Kawhi Leonard firing on all cylinders, putting up 34 points in 38 minutes.
"Oh, we're a different team," Lue said when asked to explain the impact of George getting into his stride early on.
"We know that. It's been like that all season long. He's been great. You know, he had one bad game, whatever, but people are going to have bad games."
The Clippers will aim to level the series in Game 4 on Monday, which again takes place at Staples Center, and with Leonard and George at their best, Lue was in a bullish mood.
"With our two guys, we know that they are two of the best in the league," Lue said.
"I don't go to Mastro's [restaurant] to order the ketchup. I go to order the steak. And tonight, our guys were steak. That's what we need."
While the Clippers' stars thrived, Utah guard Donovan Mitchell endured a difficult game, with an apparent recurrence of an ankle injury that kept him out for the final 16 games of the regular season forcing an early exit from the court, though he expects to be fighting fit for Game 4.
The Philadelphia Phillies keep finding ways to win, taking victory in their final at-bat for the third consecutive game with an 8-7 triumph over the New York Yankees.
It did not appear late heroics would be necessary in MLB on Saturday as the Phillies earned a commanding 7-2 lead against the visiting Yankees after five innings to back a solid start by Vince Velasquez.
But the Yankees scored a run in the sixth inning and another in the eighth before tying the game on DJ LeMahieu's three-run homer off Hector Neris in the ninth.
After Archie Bradley held the Yankees scoreless in the 10th, Jean Segura hit a ground ball to third to score Ronald Torreyes from third base with the winning run as Gio Urshela's throw home was off the mark.
It was the second successive walk-off hit for Segura after his two-run 10th-inning single beat rivals the Atlanta Braves on Thursday.
Philadelphia last had three consecutive walk-off wins from August 21-23 in 2013.
Rangers hammer Dodgers to snap skid
In one of the more unexpected results, the lowly Texas Rangers pounded the Los Angeles Dodgers 12-1, with the visitors limiting the World Series champions to six hits and beating up on Trevor Bauer and their bullpen. The victory snapped a 16-game road losing streak for the Rangers.
Marcus Stroman and the New York Mets shut down the San Diego Padres' attack in a 4-1 win at Citi Field as Francisco Lindor and Jonathan Villar homered.
The Cincinnati Reds crushed the Colorado Rockies 10-3 to improve to 31-31 for the season after nine wins in their last 12 games.
Brian Goodwin made a memorable first impression after driving in five runs in the Chicago White Sox's 15-2 rout of the Detroit Tigers. In his debut, Goodwin doubled in a run and hit a homer in his first two at-bats. In 357 games with the Washington Nationals, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels and Reds, he never had a five-plus RBI game. According to Stats Perform, the only other player with that many career games to have his first five-RBI game in his team debut was Todd Cruz in 1983.
White Sox crush Urena, Tigers
Tigers starter Jose Urena did not make it out of the second inning against the high-flying White Sox, allowing eight runs (seven earned) among the 15 batters he faced. The game got so bad the Tigers used catcher Jake Rogers and infielder Harold Castro to pitch the final two innings.
The Seattle Mariners took a 4-1 lead into the ninth inning against the Cleveland Indians, then saw the latter tie it up and eventually win it in the 10th on a throwing error by pitcher Paul Sewald.
Vladdy, Blue Jays rough up Red Sox
The Toronto Blue Jays bashed five home runs, including the MLB-leading 20th of the season for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and a career-long 468-foot shot for Bo Bichette, in a 7-2 rout of the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.
Saturday's results
Chicago Cubs 7-2 St Louis Cardinals
Washington Nationals 2-0 San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants 2-1 Washington Nationals
Philadelphia Phillies 8-7 New York Yankees
Toronto Blue Jays 7-2 Boston Red Sox
Cincinnati Reds 10-3 Colorado Rockies
Tampa Bay Rays 5-4 Baltimore Orioles
Miami Marlins 4-2 Atlanta Braves
Chicago White Sox 15-2 Detroit Tigers
New York Mets 4-1 San Diego Padres
Cleveland Indians 5-4 Seattle Mariners
Milwaukee Brewers 7-4 Pittsburgh Pirates
Minnesota Twins 5-2 Houston Astros
Los Angeles Angels 8-7 Arizona Diamondbacks
Oakland Athletics 11-2 Kansas City Royals
Texas Rangers 12-1 Los Angeles Dodgers
Padres at Mets
The Padres (37-29) will send Chris Paddack to the mound as they try to avoid being swept by the Mets (32-24) on Sunday.
Israel Adesanya successfully defended his middleweight title once again, beating Marvin Vettori by unanimous decision in their rematch at UFC 263 in Arizona.
UFC star Adesanya – who defeated Vettori by split decision in April 2018 – navigated five rounds with minimal difficulty, prevailing 50-45 on all three judges' scorecards in his third title defence since taking the belt with a knockout of Robert Whittaker in October 2019.
Adesanya's only potential trouble spot came early in the third round on Saturday when Vettori knocked down the Nigeria-born New Zealander, but he weathered that challenge and handled everything else the Italian threw at him.
A rematch with Whittaker seems on the cards as Adesanya (21-0) called out the Australian following his win, demanding a showdown in Auckland, New Zealand.
"You don't get to decide -- I get to decide," Adesanya said. "Because I'm the mother****** king, b****!"
Whittaker responded with a tweet that read "rest up, see you soon."
Moreno first Mexican-born champ
In the co-headline bout, Brandon Moreno dominated Deiveson Figueiredo to take the Brazilian's flyweight strap and become the first Mexican-born UFC champion.
Saturday's fight was in sharp contrast to the pair's draw at UFC 256 in December, as Moreno (19-5-2) had his way with the titleholder from the beginning.
The 27-year-old from Tijuana submitted Figueiredo with a rear naked choke at 2:26 of the third round and exulted in his victory.
"UFC released me," Moreno said. "I wasn't that proud of my life but watch me holding this belt. I feel so amazing."
Figueiredo (20-2-1) was gracious in defeat, saying Moreno was "the better man tonight."
Edwards holds off late Diaz flurry
Leon Edwards and Nate Diaz made UFC history with the first non-main event, non-title bout to be scheduled for five rounds, and Diaz nearly made the extended term pay off.
Edwards had his way for most of the fight but had to survive a furious flurry from the bloodied 36-year-old American in the fifth to win by unanimous decision, 49-46 on all cards.
The pair had been scheduled to face off at UFC 262 last month, but the bout was pushed back when Diaz got cut in training.
Utah Jazz All-Star Donovan Mitchell insisted he will be "fine" for Game 4 after exiting the team's loss to the Los Angeles Clippers due to ankle pain.
Mitchell left Saturday's 132-106 defeat against the Clippers because of pain in his right ankle as the top-seeded Jazz had their lead reduced to 2-1 in the Western Conference semi-finals.
Jazz star Mitchell finished with 30 points in Game 3 on the road in Los Angeles, where he exited with less than eight minutes remaining and did not return.
Mitchell missed the final 16 games of the NBA's regular season and Utah's playoff opener due to an ankle sprain, but he allayed concerns afterwards.
"I feel like I was able to go back, but no need to risk it down 16, 18 at that point," Mitchell said. "I'll be fine."
"It's when I land," Mitchell said. "It's been just trying to manage it. I don't really know what else to tell you; I don't want to say too much.
"It was just the landing, but I'm good. I'll be ready for Game 4."
Prior to Saturday's matchup, Mitchell scored 37 points in Game 2 and was averaging 1.00 points per minute this postseason (32.7 per game in 32.7 minutes per game). In his career, the Jazz guard has averaged 0.78 points per minute in the playoffs, just behind the all-time record of 0.80 by Michael Jordan (minimum 1000 minutes).
Mitchell added: "Obviously, it's not going to be 100 per cent, but you go out there and you try to compete. Things like this are going to happen.
"You just got to find ways to manage it and get out there and get ready. It's not going to be perfect, but it is what it is."
"He's in good shape," Jazz head coach Quin Snyder said. "He could have gone back in the game, but at that point, the lead had stretched. In fact, while we were talking, I think [Clippers star] Kawhi [Leonard] hit a 3.
"That was my decision not to put him back in at that point. The game had gotten away from us at that point, but he's fine."
According to Stats Perform, the Clippers became the first team to score 130-plus points in a Game 3 win after trailing a series 2-0 since the Jazz in the 1985 Western Conference semis.
Shakur Stevenson remains unbeaten as a professional boxer, defeating Jeremiah Nakathila by unanimous decision but even the victor was unhappy with the quality of the fight.
Stevenson – the 2016 Olympic silver medallist – improved to 16-0 after the American claimed the WBO interim junior lightweight title in Las Vegas on Saturday.
A former WBO featherweight champion, Stevenson won 120-107 on all three judges' scorecards, though he acknowledged he was far from his best.
"I apologise to all my fans I didn’t feel good tonight but I did what I had to do to win," Stevenson – who scored a knockdown of Nakathila (21-2) in the fourth round – tweeted after the bout.
"Thank you for all da support I promise better for further fights to come."
The crowd in Las Vegas showered the fighters in boos in the 11th round as the 23-year-old Stevenson and his Namibian opponent Nakathila wrapped up an uninspiring affair.
"To be honest, I didn't really like my performance. I felt I could've performed a lot better," Stevenson said. "You had an awkward fighter throwing hard punches, and he knows how to grab and get away. He was a real awkward fighter.
"I tried to get him out of there a little bit, but I started getting hit with some solid shots. I ain't really like it, but next time I'm going to work on moving my head a little bit more and step it up a little more."
Stevenson is now set to face fellow WBO junior lightweight champion Jamel Herring (23-2) later this year.
"If I had the choice, I'd take Oscar Valdez, but if I have to beat up Jamel to get to it, I'll do that, too," Stevenson said. "Jamel can't beat me. He knows what it is."
The Los Angeles Clippers' stars came through on their return home to drive a needed 132-106 win over the Utah Jazz in Game 3 of the Western Conference semi-finals on Saturday.
Paul George posted 20 points in the first half and finished with 31, while Kawhi Leonard top-scored with 34 of his own as the Clippers led throughout and cut Utah's series lead to 2-1 in the NBA playoffs.
Donovan Mitchell had 30 points on 11-of-24 shooting from the field to lead the top-seeded Jazz, but by the time he found his offensive rhythm the game was largely out of hand in Los Angeles.
Mitchell did not score his first point until almost halfway through the second quarter. The last time he went scoreless in any quarter of a playoff game was April 14, 2019 against the Houston Rockets – a 32-point Utah loss.
Utah kept this one a bit closer, cutting the Clippers' lead to eight points late in the third quarter, but George answered with a three-pointer and the Jazz could not get the margin below 10 from that point on.
Among the key issues for Utah was Bojan Bogdanovic's worst performance in months. The Croatian made just two of 10 shots from the field and had nine points in the game – the first time he has been held to single digits since scoring seven in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on April 26.
Meanwhile, the Clippers' supporting cast turned in an impressive showing, with Nicolas Batum and Reggie Jackson combining to make nine of their 12 three-point attempts and scoring 17 points each.
Game 4 is scheduled for Monday in Los Angeles.
Nets at Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks can level their Eastern Conference semi-final series with the star-studded Brooklyn Nets in Game 4 on Sunday.
Philadelphia 76ers veteran Danny Green will miss at least the rest of the Eastern Conference semi-final series against the Atlanta Hawks with a calf injury.
An MRI exam confirmed a right calf strain and Green will be re-evaluated in two weeks, the top-seeded 76ers said on Saturday.
Green left the court early in the first quarter of Friday's 127-111 victory over the Hawks, which gave the Sixers a 2-1 lead in the second-round series.
The 33-year-old has started all eight playoff games for Philadelphia and is averaging 7.0 points in 24.9 minutes per game in the postseason.
Green has played for the NBA champions the last two seasons, winning the title with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020 and the Toronto Raptors in 2019.
He spent the first eight seasons of his NBA career with the San Antonio Spurs, who he helped take the championship in 2014.
While the timetable announced by the team leaves open a potential return should the Sixers advance, Philadelphia will have to a find a way to do so without one of their leaders in pursuit of a first champion since 1983.
"The next guy has to step up," head coach Doc Rivers said Friday. "Not sure who that is going to be yet."
The 76ers face the Hawks in Atlanta in Game 4 on Monday.
Marin Cilic is relishing the chance to win a 19th career title when he takes on Felix Auger-Aliassime in Sunday's Stuttgart Open final.
The world number 47 was 6-3 1-0 up against Jurij Rodionov in Saturday's semi-final when his opponent retired due to injury.
Cilic eliminated top seed Denis Shapovalov in the quarter-finals and now faces a tough test against world number 21 Auger-Aliassime, who beat Sam Querrey in the other semi.
"I'm feeling really good and very excited to be in the final after a period that I didn't reach a final," said Cilic, who lost to Roger Federer in the second round of the French Open.
"I think this has been a very positive week. I have played good tennis and served really well.
"Considering it is a shorter season, with one week less, for me, it was great to play this week. Losing in Paris to Roger Federer gave me more time to prepare for the grass."
The former Wimbledon runner-up and 2014 US Open champion added: "I haven't enjoyed being at a tournament this much in a long period of time, because it is the first time my son, wife and I are together at one tournament.
"The set-up in Stuttgart is really nice. There is a lot of grass and open space around the hotel for my son to play and it is so much fun having them around."
Auger-Aliassime did not face a single break point and hit seven aces in his 6-4 7-5 victory over Querrey, which lasted an hour and 19 minutes.
The Canadian third seed won 16 of his 18 first-service points in the second set and has yet to drop a set in this week's tournament.
It is the second time Auger-Aliassime has reached the Stuttgart final, having finished runner-up to Matteo Berrettini two years ago.
The 20-year-old has lost all seven of his ATP Tour singles finals to date so is longing to be a champion for the first time, even as he tries to stay cool about the prospect.
"You have to be focused all the time," Auger-Aliassime said. "Things can turn around quickly but I was able to do well today.
"There are no expectations. There will be the final tomorrow and other tournaments are coming up and I will try to keep my level as much as I can."
Johanna Konta has returned to the Nottingham Open final, where she will aim to finally earn a first grass-court WTA Tour title against Zhang Shuai.
Home hopeful Konta has twice previously lost the final of this event, beaten by Donna Vekic in 2017 and Ash Barty in 2018.
But she will hope it is third time lucky after scraping past Nina Stojanovic 6-2 6-7 (2-7) 7-5 in the last four.
Konta last played a final in May 2019, losing on clay at the Italian Open. That was a fourth straight final defeat as her three prior titles have all come on hard courts.
"It's a final and it's a privilege to play one," said Konta, who failed to make the most of a match point in the second set.
"But it is just another tennis match and my job is to just go out there and win. I'm just going to enjoy it."
Zhang was slightly more comfortable as she defeated Lauren Davis 6-4 6-3.
Konta has won five of the pair's six previous meetings, including the past four in a row.
A look to the sky, a wide smile, and a kiss. I did it, Jana. We did it.
Barbora Krejcikova is a grand slam singles champion, barely eight months after she first cracked the world's top 100, and the first instinct is to suggest this will be a one-off.
Ladies and gentlemen, a pandemic champion, an asterisk champion.
Jana Novotna, her former coach and mentor, who died in November 2017, won just one singles slam too, but she was a long-time force in the women's game. Indeed, Krejcikova left no doubt about her influence on Saturday's success.
But for those doubting Krejcikova's credentials, a little pause for thought.
Novotna won 14 of her 16 grand slam doubles titles before landing that elusive singles crown in 1998 at Wimbledon, and Krejcikova landed five doubles majors ahead of her own remarkable singles breakthrough.
Martina Navratilova, who handed Krejcikova the trophy, also won doubles titles at the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open before she ever landed a singles major.
This is, to some extent, a well-worn path by Czech players. So there is more nuance here. And stuff first instincts. Perhaps, like Novotna and Navratilova before her, this Czech player might he here to stay at the highest level.
The 25-year-old from Brno has joined the ranks of those few champions who have won grand slam singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles, and she will be up to 15th in the WTA rankings on Monday.
Krejcikova might be back at number one in the doubles rankings too, as she and partner Katerina Siniakova have a Roland Garros final on Sunday against Iga Swiatek – last year's singles champion – and Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
Win that, and Krejcikova will be on top of the world once more in the discipline where she has honed the tools that brought her glory at Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova's expense in what proved a thoroughly absorbing singles final.
The slices, the drop shots, the lobs and the net approaches, and the double-handed backhand that flits between being weapon and weakness: all those shots were honed in doubles, mostly alongside Siniakova.
Krejcikova spoke at the trophy presentation of her giddy amazement that Justine Henin, the four-time French Open winner, knew who she was when they bumped into each other behind the scenes in Paris.
Navratilova chipped in.
"In 2014, when you found out Jana moved back to Brno, you had the courage to go knock on her door and ask her for help. What gave you that courage?" asked the player who won 59 majors, including 18 singles slams.
Krejcikova's reply? "My mum."
Bravo Mrs Krejcikova.
Krejcikova has spoken often about Novotna but here she opened up to explain how she had spent so much time with the great champion before her death.
Novotna had kept news of her cancer out of the public consciousness, but Krejcikova not only knew, she felt she owed her driving force to stay by her side throughout the illness.
"I was going through a really hard time when Jana was passing away," Krejcikova told the crowd.
"I was most of the time with her and I really wanted to experience this, because I thought this was going to make me really strong.
"And pretty much her last words were just, 'Enjoy and just try to win a grand slam'.
"I know that from somewhere she's looking after me and all of this, this two weeks, is pretty much because she's looking after me from up there.
"I just want to thank her. It was amazing I had a chance to meet her and she was such an inspiration to me. I just really miss her. I hope she's happy right now. I'm extremely happy."
Three mixed doubles titles – one with Nikola Mektic and two with Rajeev Ram – plus two women's doubles with Siniakova, and now a singles triumph.
Except we know Krejcikova does not feel alone on the court. She senses Novotna's guiding hand. This is a doubles partnership dressed up as a singles player.
Novotna, weeks after winning Wimbledon, her destiny ever since she wept on the shoulder of the Duchess of Kent after losing to Steffi Graf in the 1993 final, shed some light on what it meant for her.
"I felt enormous relief and I felt that now it seems like this would be a new beginning for me," Novotna said.
This is a new beginning for Krejcikova too. Never a factor in singles previously, she has properly arrived now. Like you always had to with Novotna, watch out for her at Wimbledon.
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