Dairon Blanco homered twice and drove in a career-high seven runs to power the Kansas City Royals to a 13-1 rout of the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday night.

Blanco, who wielded a bat painted to look like a yellow crayon, hit a two-run homer deep to center field on the first pitch he saw from Reds starter Nick Lodolo in the second inning.

Then the 31-year-old Cuban cleared the loaded bases with a shot deep into the left-field seats in the third and drove in another run with a single in the fourth. He came into the game with just one homer and five RBIs this season.

Vinnie Pasquantino and Hunter Renfroe each added three hits for the Royals, who finished with 16 and won their third straight.

Michael Wacha benefited from the big offensive night. He limited the Reds to four hits over six scoreless innings with one walk and a season-high nine strikeouts.

Lodolo was roughed up for eight runs and eight hits in 2 1/3 innings.

Jeimer Candelario hit his 20th home run for the Reds, who had a four-game winning streak snapped.

Sale beats Angels for 14th win

Chris Sale struck out 10 over six innings to tie for the major league wins lead and Marcell Ozuna went 3 for 3 with an early three-run homer as the Atlanta Braves rolled to a 11-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels.

Sale allowed two runs and six hits with two walks to end a four-start winless streak. He leads the National League with 14 wins and tied Detroit’s Tarik Skubal for most in the majors.

Sale improved to 8-0 in 11 appearances against the Angels with a 1.24 ERA – his lowest versus any team he’s faced at least 10 times.

Michael Harris led off the game against Griffin Canning with a double and Austin Riley singled before Ozuna connected for his 36th home run and a 3-0 lead.

Atlanta broke the game open with a five-run fifth and knocked out Canning.

Whit Merrifield opened the inning with a homer and Travis d’Arnaud had a two-run double before Ramon Laureano’s two-run shot made it 9-0.

Severino goes distance for Mets

Luis Severino pitched his first complete game in over six years and was backed by home runs from Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso as the New York Mets defeated the last-place Miami Marlins, 4-0.

Severino allowed four hits with one walk and struck out eight to end a personal three-game losing streak. He threw a season-high 113 pitches and recorded his second career complete game and first since May 2, 2018, at Houston for the Yankees.

The shutout was the first by a Mets starter since Jacob deGrom blanked Washington on April 23, 2021.

Lindor led off the bottom of the first against Max Meyer with his 24th home run and Alonso did the same in the second, his 27th.

New York extended its lead in the third on Jesse Winker’s RBI single and Mark Vientos doubled home Lindor in the fourth.

The Mets scored once in each of the first four innings for the first time since May 26, 1995, against San Francisco.

Jannik Sinner reached the semi-finals of the Cincinnati Open with a hard-fought 4-6 7-5 6-4 victory over Andrey Rublev, avenging last week's defeat to the Russian in Montreal.

Sinner was eliminated from the Canadian Open by Rublev at his last tournament, having missed the Paris Olympic Games due to a bout of tonsillitis.

He fought back from a set down to avoid a repeat in blustery conditions in Ohio on Saturday, having looked to be in trouble when he faced two break points at a set down.

The world number one saved both of those points before recovering from an awkward fall to win a 26-shot rally at 4-4, ultimately serving out the second set at the second opportunity.

Sinner then held off something of a third-set resurgence from Rublev to seal a gruelling two-hour, 25-minute victory, before expressing pride at the way he responded to adversity.

"It took a lot of mental strength today," Sinner said after his win. "It was very tough conditions, very windy. 

"In the first set he started very well and I didn't play my best tennis but in the second set, I felt I had a lot of chances. I waited for my chance. I am very happy to make the semis."

Meanwhile, Aryna Sabalenka teed up a heavyweight semi-final clash with Iga Swiatek in the women's draw, easing to a 6-3 6-2 victory over Liudmila Samsonova.

Sabalenka needed just one hour and 19 minutes to seal her win, reeling off 10 of the last 13 games to level her all-time head-to-head record with Samsonova at 2-2.

Data Debrief: Sabalenka joins exclusive club

Sabalenka is into her fourth semi-final at the Cincinnati Open, a joint-record at the competition among WTA players in the Open Era.

Jelena Jankovic, Serena Williams and Simona Halep are the only other women to achieve that feat.

Joe Schmidt said he cannot recall ever being involved in a more "bizarre" Test as his Australia side were downed 30-12 by South Africa in the Rugby Championship.

Malcolm Marx touched down twice for the Springboks in rainy Perth to make it two from two in the tournament but the Wallabies were hit by a swathe of injuries.

Front-row pair Allan Alaalatoa and Angus Bell were unable to return for the second half and scrums went uncontested after replacement prop James Slipper failed a head injury assessment.

The Wallabies even went down to 14 briefly when hooker Josh Nasser went off injured, though they did return to a full 15.

Reflecting on the unfortunate series of events, head coach Schmidt told Stan Sport: "It's probably one of the most bizarre games I've ever been involved in.

"In over 100 Test matches that I've been involved in I've never had a situation like that before. It happened so early in the game as well. When Slips got a head knock right after half-time.

"And then we were straight down. And then we played with 14 for a period of time before the officials worked out that we were still entitled to have a full pack because of the HIA.

"But I still am proud of the way that the guys fought their way through that second half. And the way that they stayed in the fight in the first half. It could have been, and I know it could have been as easy to say, but it could have been 12-11 at half-time and that would have been a massive lift for the boys."

Australia are winless through their first two matches, both against the Springboks, and will next face Argentina in La Plata on August 31.

Iga Swiatek booked her place in the Cincinnati Open semi-finals after coming from behind to deny Mirra Andreeva on Saturday.

The world number one recovered from losing the opening set to prevail 4-6 6-3 7-5 after two-and-a-half hours, setting up a mouth-watering last-four clash with Aryna Sabalenka.

In the first ever meeting between the players, Andreeva made a positive start as she broke her opponent in the third game, while saving two break points in the sixth and 10th to draw first blood.

That sparked Swiatek into life; a break in the opening game of the second set proved enough for the four-time French Open champion to level the contest.

The Pole broke again in the decider and, after Andreeva squandered the opportunity to break back at 6-5 by sending a backhand long, she won the next two points to advance to the semi-finals. 

Data Debrief: A perfect 10 from 10 for stubborn Swiatek

Matching her performance from last year in Cincinnati, where she was beaten in the last four by Coco Gauff, Swiatek will hope to go the extra steps this time around.

The Pole maintained her perfect quarter-final record in 2024, having now won all 10 such matches, and is now 16-1 at this stage in WTA 1000 events, with her only defeat coming against Elena Rybakina by retirement in Rome last year.

With her 30th main-draw victory at a WTA 1000 this season, she becomes only the second player after Serena Williams (36 in 2013) to reach that tally in a single year.

And Swiatek has now reached the highest percentage of semi-finals since the format's introduction in 2009 (17 from 31, 54.8%).

Marketa Vondrousova will miss this month's US Open with a hand injury keeping the former Wimbledon champion sidelined.

The Czech, who withdrew from the Paris Olympics with the same issue, has not played since her SW19 title defence was ended by Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the first round at the All England Club.

Vondrousova is also going to be absent from Flushing Meadows, where she reached the quarter-finals last year.

Meanwhile, there will be no Cameron Norrie in New York, with the Briton yet to recover from the forearm injury that also saw him miss out on the Games.

"I have been working hard to get my body to full health," he wrote on Instagram. "Unfortunately, my forearm injury is not recovering as soon as I would have hoped.

"I'll take some rest and recharge. Can't wait to get back to competing like a dog."

Carlos Alcaraz admitted he played "the worst match of his career" as he suffered a shock defeat to Gael Monfils in the Cincinnati Open on Friday.

The Spaniard started well, racing through the first set before rain delayed proceedings with the second set level at 6-6.

When play resumed 24 hours later, Monfils picked up where he left off, winning the tie-break and the final set, to book a place in the last 16 at Alcaraz's expense.

After struggling to find his footing, Alcaraz says he found it hard to adapt while playing on Centre Court.

"It was really, really tough for me. I felt like it was the worst match that I've ever played in my career. Couldn't play, honestly," Alcaraz said.

"I've been practising really well here in this tournament. The previous days, I was feeling great, hitting the ball clear, you know, moving well.

"Probably I felt like it was another sport playing on the Centre Court [than] on the other courts. The balls were faster on the Centre Court bounced much, much, more than other courts.

"I don't know how I felt like this way, but, honestly, I couldn't control myself. I couldn't be better. So, this match it was impossible to win, and that's all."

Alcaraz's frustration was clear to see as he smashed his racquet on the court four times midway through the third set.

"I felt sometimes that I wanted to break the racquet," Alcaraz added. "It never happened before, because I could control myself in those situations, in those feelings, and most of the time I could control myself, and it could go better in the matches or in the situation that I've been feeling before.

"[This time] I couldn't control myself because, as I said, I was feeling that I was not playing any kind of tennis. So, it was really frustrating for me.

"There is some point that I want to leave the court. I don't want to be on the court anymore.

"So, it was really hurtful moment for me, and that's it. I think some players or a lot of players during their careers and during some certain moments, they can't control themselves, and it was one of those moments for me."

Alcaraz will be chasing his third grand slam title of the year at the US Open, which starts on August 26 in New York. 

Malcolm Marx scored two tries in the second half to lead South Africa to a 30-12 victory over Australia in rainy Perth.

After a tight first half, the Springboks asserted their dominance to make it two wins from two in the Rugby Championship ahead of their meeting with New Zealand next week.

Noah Lolesio's penalty gave Australia the early lead, but they could not hold onto it for long as Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu equalised moments before Aphelele Fassi latched onto a long kick to touch down the first try.

Lolesio slotted in two more kicks only to miss another on the stroke of half-time that would have given the Wallabies the lead.

They were punished for it after the break as Marco van Staden and Malcolm Marx twice touched down to maintain South Africa's perfect start.

Though it was a marked improvement for the Wallabies from their opening-day performance in Brisbane, Joe Schmidt still has work to do to get them ready for Argentina next weekend. 

Data Debrief: Springboks extend Australian run

South Africa have now won each of their last three Test matches against the Wallabies in Australia. The last time they recorded a longer such winning run was a four-match span from July 1971 to July 1993.

Though Australia have suffered back-to-back defeats, they showed more of a fight. Last week, it took them 75 minutes to score, compared to just three this time around. 

New Zealand exacted revenge on Argentina following their shock defeat to the Pumas last week, winning 42-10 on Saturday to extend their unbeaten run at Eden Park to 50 tests. 

The All Blacks responded in ruthless fashion, scoring six tries as Scott Robertson's side now await world champions South Africa in Johannesburg next week. 

New Zealand got off to the perfect start when Damian McKenzie latched on to Jordie Barrett's chip for the first try in the sixth minute, with captain Ardie Savea adding a second 11 minutes later. 

Caleb Clarke, Will Jordan and Beauden Barrett all crossed to give the All Blacks a 35-3 lead at half-time in challenging conditions at the Auckland fortress. 

Jordan notched his second try of the encounter shortly after the restart, but Argentina were able to halt the constant New Zealand pressure for much of the second half. 

The Pumas would score their first and only try eight minutes from time, with Juan Cruz Mallia going over to take some of the shine off an otherwise dominant display. 

Fly-half McKenzie converted all six All Blacks tries, with New Zealand captain Savea happy with his side's response to the defeat in Wellington seven days ago. 

"Very happy to get the win and respond the way we did," said Savea.

"We're the All Blacks, we've got to bring that every week and not rely on a loss to get that response from us."

Data Debrief: 50 not out at Eden Park

The All Blacks responded in some style to their 38-30 defeat against Argentina last week, getting their Rugby Championship title defence back on track. 

New Zealand's emphatic triumph saw them extend their unbeaten run at Auckland's Eden Park to 50 matches, last losing in 1994 against France. 

Aaron Civale pitched six stellar innings and Willy Adames hit a three-run homer in the first inning as the Milwaukee Brewers ended the Cleveland Guardians’ five-game winning streak with a 5-3 victory in a matchup of division leaders on Friday night.

Civale, who began his career with Cleveland in 2019, gave up four hits with one walk and four strikeouts.

After going 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA in his first five appearances with Milwaukee, he’s 2-0 with a 1.46 ERA over his last two starts.

The Brewers jumped on Gavin Williams for three runs in the first.

Ty Black reached on a fielder’s choice with one out and William Conteras walked before Adames sent a 431-foot drive over the wall in right-center.

It was Adames’ franchise record 10th three-run homer – the most in the majors this season.

Jose Ramirez and David Fry homered in the eighth to draw the Guardians within 5-3, but Joel Payamps retired the side in order in the ninth for his sixth save with regular closer Devin Williams unavailable.

Lowly White Sox end Astros’ win streak

Luis Robert Jr. had two home runs among his four hits and drove in four runs as the major league-worst Chicago White Sox snapped the Houston Astros’ eight-game winning streak with a 5-4 victory.

Robert hit a two-run homer in the third and added a solo shot in the fifth as the White Sox built a 4-1 lead. It’s the seventh career two-homer game for Robert and his first since March 30 against Detroit.

Jake Meyers and Jon Singleton homered for the Astros, who struck out a season-high 16 times in their first loss since Aug. 5.

The White Sox (30-93) are 3-5 in their last eight games following 21 consecutive losses.

Garrett Crochet allowed one run on four hits over four innings with nine strikeouts. Chad Kuhl gave up Singleton’s homer in the ninth but fanned Jose Altuve for his first save of the season.

Witt continues surge as Royals win

Bobby Witt Jr. homered, doubled and singled to raise his major league-leading average to .352 and Michael Lorenzen pitched into the sixth inning to lift the Kansas City Royals to a 7-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

Witt hit a four-seam fastball from Nick Martinez 430 feet into the upper deck for his 25th homer in the fourth inning. He doubled and scored on a fielder’s choice in the sixth and had an infield single in the seventh.

The Reds intentionally walked him with two outs in the ninth, just before he scored on Vinnie Pasquantino's 18th homer.

Witt is batting .422 (27 for 64) with seven homers and 19 RBIs in his last 16 games. He became the third Royals player to hit 25 homers and steal 25 bases in consecutive seasons.

Lorenzen, acquired by the Royals from Texas on July 29, allowed a run and two hits in 5 2/3 innings and left after 83 pitches.

Salvador Perez, Adam Frazier and Freddie Fermin also drove in runs for Kansas City, helping snap Cincinnati's four-game win streak.

Aryna Sabalenka has reached the Cincinnati Open quarter-finals for the fourth time after rallying to a straight-sets victory over Elina Svitolina.

The Belarusian took just 79 minutes to seal the victory, seeing off her opponent 7-5 6-2 on Friday.

Sabalenka made a quick start, earning a break in the first game, but was pushed all the way in the opening set, as Svitolina fought back to tie them level at 5-5.

Another break then set the number three seed up to take the set before she asserted her dominance by winning the final four games in a row to advance to the last eight.

She will face Liudmila Samsonova as she attempts to reach the semi-finals of the tournament for the third straight year.

Data Debrief: Four is the magic number

Only Jelena Jankovic (seven), Simona Halep (six) and Serena Williams (five) have made more quarter-finals than Sabalenka (four) in Cincinnati in the Open Era.

The 26-year-old now boasts 22 career WTA 1000 quarter-finals, tied for most among active players with Karolina Pliskova.

Throughout Friday's match, Sabalenka saved four of the five break points she faced in the match while going 4-for-4 on her own break points against Svitolina's serve.