The San Francisco 49ers believe they have two starting quarterbacks after making the decision to retain Jimmy Garoppolo on a reworked contract.
Garoppolo was expected to be released by San Francisco before Tuesday's deadline for teams to cut their rosters to 53 players ahead of the regular season.
Instead, the 49ers and Garoppolo agreed to a rengotiated one-year that, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, is worth $6.5million in base salary and $500,000 in roster bonuses. Garoppolo has incentives for playing time that could be worth up to $9m.
San Francisco had attempted to trade Garoppolo this offseason as part of the transition to Trey Lance as their starting quarterback. The 49ers traded three first-round picks to select Lance with the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
But an offseason shoulder surgery contributed to the 49ers' inability to find a trade partner, and Garoppolo – who worked out away from the team during training camp and preseason – will now serve as the backup to Lance.
The 49ers' decision has led to questions about a potentially awkward dynamic between Lance and a starting quarterback predecessor who has a 31-14 record as a starter with the team.
It is a move that has also prompted observers to talk up the prospect for locker room discord if Lance struggles on a team expected to compete to go deep into the playoffs once again, after reaching Super Bowl LIV and last season's NFC Championship Game with Garoppolo as the starter.
However, speaking in a conference call on Tuesday, head coach Kyle Shanahan dismissed the notion of possible disharmony in the quarterback room and the wider locker room.
"That was the only option," Shanahan said, when asked if it was made clear Garoppolo would be the backup. "And we told that to Trey also.
"Trey and Jimmy have a great relationship. Trey actually likes having Jimmy in the building, and Trey was very grateful to how Jimmy was to him last year. And we feel very strongly from the two people that Jimmy will give that back to Trey this year.
"Trey's our starting quarterback. This doesn't change anything. I just feel it makes us a much better team and doesn't hurt our cap like it would have.
"There aren't 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL. We believe we have two of them on our roster.
"We felt strongly giving the keys to Trey. I can't wait to get him started on our team Week 1. Having Jimmy as a backup makes us feel really good because we have a starting quarterback as a backup.
"The rest of the league had a chance to get him, and I feel so fortunate that they didn't. There's no way that's bad for our team."
Pressed on why Garoppolo practised away from the team if there was a chance of him staying, Shanahan said: "I think that was because the chances, to me, it seemed slim to none, just with the possibility of that happening.
"I remember the first week of training camp, me saying to Jimmy, 'Hey, if you don't like any of these opportunities, if you don't go to the place you want, you can't get the contract you want, we would love to have you here as a backup, in a backup role, and that deal. I want you to know we feel that way, but I also think there's no way you're not going to get something as this goes throughout training camp.'
"Jimmy agreed with that. And so we waited all throughout training camp. Then, I think as he saw other situations out there, and I think, to me, it just seemed like everyone was just waiting for us to cut him so they could see how much they could get him for.
"But once the last Saturday preseason game happened, and no one got injured, then Jimmy thought this was his best situation that he liked. And that's why we were so pumped because it's obviously a better situation for the Niners."
The Barbadian driving sensation Zane Maloney, buoyed by his dramatic Formula 3 feature race win in Belgium this past weekend, is targeting a strong finish to the 2022 FIA season.
The 18-year-old Maloney rallied from a scary crash during Saturday’s Sprint Race, to secure the feature race triumph at the Spa-Francorchamps on Sunday for his first victory in F3.
The win vaulted Maloney to seventh in the F3 Drivers’ championship standings heading into the last two races in this year’s campaign – Zandvoort in the Netherlands this weekend and the season finale in Monza, Italy from September 8-10.
“We have two more rounds, there’s still a chance at doing very well at the championship,” said Maloney, who drives for the champion Italian Team Trident.
After seven races in the season, Maloney is seventh on 74 points, 32 points off the lead held by the Frenchman Isack Hadjar (106). He is only six points off sixth-placed American Jak Crawford (80) and 22 behind current No.5 Roman Stanek (96) of the Czech Republic.
“Hopefully I’ll have a good two rounds and I will keep pushing as hard as I can,” he said.
Maloney had been forced to retire from Saturday’s Sprint after being involved in a massive two-car crash that triggered a red flag to stall the race.
The dreadful crash involving 17-year-old team Campos driver Oliver Goethe and Maloney, saw both junior F3 stars collide as they came out of a bend at high-speed. Maloney had been trying to power his way up the inside but miscalculated and failed to make the bend. The collision flung Maloney and Goethe off the track and into the safety barrier. To return the following day for his maiden F3 win was an immense coup for the Barbadian teenager and his team.
“An amazing feeling. The team did a great job to get the car back ready, everything was new. Fourteen hours of work, zero sleep. I am very sore today but it was well worth it,” Maloney said after Sunday’s victory. “I feel privileged to hear the national anthem and see the flag on the top step of the podium, and yes that’s my goal all the time to represent Barbados,” he added.
His F3 season, already highlighted by the fastest lap in Bahrain in March and achieving pole position at Imola in April, ends in mid-September and he is now targeting a top-five finish in the championship standings.
Before this year’s F3 campaign, Maloney had contested the Formula Regional European Championship in 2021, securing podium finishes including a victory in Monaco from pole position.
The Miami Dolphins will be without starting cornerback Byron Jones for at least the first four games of the season after placing him on the reserve/physically unable to perform list on Tuesday.
Jones sat out Miami's entire training camp after having surgery on his left Achilles tendon in March, but the team was hoping he'd be able to take the field for the season opener against the visiting New England Patriots on September 11.
On Sunday, first-year Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said he was not sure what would happen with Jones before Miami had to trim its roster to 53 players by Tuesday's deadline.
"There's like so many things going on, especially when you have a competitive roster like we do," McDaniel said. “So we've kind of had it pinpointed, but it's a fluid situation that has to do with him and a lot of other players."
Jones signed with the Dolphins in March 2020 after spending his first five seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. The 27th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft has played in 109 career games with 103 starts, totalling 421 tackles (326 solo), four interceptions, 57 passes defensed and five forced fumbles.
Jones earned second-team All-Pro honors and was a Pro Bowl selection in 2018.
Australian Cameron Smith said joining LIV Golf was a "business decision" that will also enable him to spend more time in his homeland.
The Open champion was on Tuesday among six new recruits announced by the Saudi-backed breakaway tour and will make his debut in Boston this week.
Smith is reported to have agreed a deal worth over $100million to turn his back on the PGA Tour and sign up for LIV.
The world number two admitted he was lured by a huge payday, but the money was not the only aspect that appealed to him.
He told Golf Digest: “[Money] was definitely a factor in making that decision, I won't ignore that or say that wasn't a reason.
"It was obviously a business decision for one and an offer I couldn't ignore."
America-based Smith added: "I've lived over here seven years now, and I love living in the US, but just little things like missing friends' weddings, birthday parties and seeing your mates having a great time at rugby league games has been tough.
"The biggest thing for me joining is [LIV's] schedule is really appealing. I'll be able to spend more time at home in Australia and maybe have an event down there, as well. I haven't been able to do that, and to get that part of my life back was really appealing."
Smith's compatriot Marc Leishman, along with Joaquin Niemann, Harold Varner III, Cameron Tringale and Anirban Lahiri, will also make their LIV Golf debuts in Boston, in the three-day tournament that starts on Friday.
Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson will also make his LIV bow this week as a non-playing captain.
Remco Evenepoel produced an individual time-trial masterclass on stage 10 to increase his overall lead in the Vuelta a Espana.
The 22-year-old Belgian completed the 30.9-kilometre course in a blistering 33 minutes and 18 seconds in Alicante on Tuesday, making a big statement following a rest day.
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl rider Evenepoel extended his general classification advantage to two minutes and 41 seconds over defending champion Primoz Roglic, who moved above Enric Mas into second place.
It was a maiden Grand Tour stage victory for Evenepoel, who powered along the route to strengthen his grip on La Roja.
Jumbo-Visma's Roglic crossed the line 48 seconds slower than the leader, while Evenepoel's team-mate Remi Cavagna was a full minute off the pace in third place.
INEOS Grenadiers duo Carlos Rodriguez and Pavel Sivakov finished fourth and fifth respectively.
Sam Bennett, a contender to win the sprint jersey, was unable to take to the ramp to start stage 10 due to a positive COVID-19 test that ended his participation in the race.
Evenepoel's time-trial triumph ends long Belgium wait
Not since 1979 had a Belgian rider won an individual time trial at the Vuelta, with Fons De Wolf the man to set the pace all those years ago in Valladolid.
This was a special day for Evenepoel as he took the top step of the podium and gave himself further breathing space, knowing there is plenty of work still to be done.
STAGE RESULT
1. Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 33:18
2. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) +0.48
3. Remi Cavagna (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) +1:00
4. Carlos Rodriguez (INEOS Grenadiers) +1:22
5. Pavel Sivakov (INEOS Grenadiers) +1:27
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 34:35:50
2. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) +2:41
3. Enric Mas (Movistar) +3:03
Points Classification
1. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) 147
2. Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 85
3. Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) 81
King of the Mountains
1. Jay Vine (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 40
2. Robert Stannard (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 21
3. Jimmy Janssens (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 17
World number one Iga Swiatek cruised through her first test at the US Open by swatting away Jasmine Paolini 6-3 6-0 at Flushing Meadows.
The Polish star is chasing a third grand slam title, and her second of the year after triumphing at the French Open in June.
Having held top spot in the rankings since April in the wake of Ash Barty's retirement, the 21-year-old is chasing her best result yet in New York, having reached the fourth round last year.
Against the unseeded Paolini, she made an impressive start to her quest at Louis Armstrong Stadium, with a near-flawless performance that saw her break her opponent seven times.
Swiatek showcased her ruthless streak barely a handful of minutes into the first set, rifling home three unanswered points on her first serve before promptly breaking the Italian for the first time.
Another break followed, before Paolini hit back to make matters 4-2, the only time she looked to seriously threaten the Pole's dominance.
Swiatek responded with her third break in a row, before bouncing back from another lost service game to seal the first set.
With momentum on her side, the Roland Garros victor bulldozed her opponent across the second set – and though Paolini was able to save match point once, there was never any doubt who was heading through to round two.
Data Slam: Swiatek's youthful spirit powers on
Having failed to live up to expectations to an extent when her 37-match winning streak came to an end at Wimbledon against Alize Cornet, and struggled for consistency on tour since, Swiatek responded in impressive fashion.
With 45 grand slam match wins under her belt now, she is the youngest woman to reach that number since Caroline Wozniacki did so at the 2011 Australian Open.
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Swiatek– 14/18
Paolini – 5/18
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Swiatek– 1/0
Paolini – 1/3
BREAK POINTS WON
Swiatek– 7/9
Paolini - 2/3
Chauncey Gardner-Johnson entered training camp seeking a new contract. He enters the 2022 season with a new team instead.
The New Orleans Saints shipped Gardner-Johnson to the Philadelphia Eagles in a surprising cutdown day trade on Tuesday.
NFL Network was the first to report the trade and it has yet to be confirmed what the Eagles are giving the Saints in return.
A fourth-round pick in 2019 by New Orleans, Gardner-Johnson is entering the final year of his rookie contract and slated to earn a base salary of $2.54million in 2022.
He was working on a contract extension with the Saints but, after negotiations stalled, the team explored a possible trade.
Able to play multiple positions in the secondary, the versatile Gardner-Johnson intercepted three passes last season to tie for the Saints team lead.
In 43 games over three seasons with New Orleans, Gardner-Johnson amassed 157 tackles, five interceptions and 28 passes defended in 31 starts.
Joan Mir has signed a two-year deal to become compatriot Marc Marquez's Repsol Honda team-mate.
Suzuki Ecstar rider Mir will join Marquez at Honda for the 2023 and 2024 MotoGP seasons.
The 24-year-old agreed to make the move after Suzuki confirmed this will be their last season competing in the premier class.
Mir, the 2020 MotoGP world champion, follows his team-mate Alex Rins in switching from Suzuki to Honda.
The Spaniard is relishing his next challenge and is determined to finishing this season strongly when he has recovered from an ankle injury that will keep him out of the San Marino Grand Prix this weekend.
He said: "I'm very excited to officially announce that I will join the Repsol Honda Team next year.
"Thanks to HRC for trusting me and giving me the opportunity to defend these historic colours, which are full of history and world titles.
"We will take advantage of all my experience accumulated over the years in MotoGP with Suzuki to contribute as much as possible to the project and to fight together to become world champions again.
"Now it's time to continue focused on my recovery to return to the circuits as soon as possible and have a great end of the season with Team Suzuki Ecstar."
Meanwhile, Aprilia Racing and RNF on Tuesday confirmed that Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Raul Fernandez (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) will be racing RS-GPs next season in the Noale factory's new Independent Team.
Cameron Smith has been announced as one of the latest players to sign with LIV Golf.
The world number two has been linked with the controversial Saudi-backed series for a while, and was finally confirmed on Tuesday as one of six new players ahead of this week's event in Boston.
Smith, who won his first major, The Open, at St Andrews in July, becomes the highest-ranked player to join LIV Golf, led by fellow Australian Greg Norman.
LIV Golf also announced the additions of another Australian in Marc Leishman, as well as Joaquin Niemann, Cameron Tringale, Harold Varner III and Anirban Lahiri.
Beauden Barrett is fit to return for New Zealand when they go in search of revenge against Argentina on Saturday.
Barrett missed the Pumas' first-ever away victory over the All Blacks last weekend due to a neck injury, but he is back in contention for the Rugby Championship clash at FMG Stadium Waikato.
The two-time World Rugby Player of the Year said: "I'm feeling really good, sun's on the back, beautiful Hamilton day, and good to get a full training under my belt, too."
He quipped: "I've realised that I've got to get a neck like a front rower to be able to handle these knocks, so I've been working hard on it in the gym with Pete [All Blacks physio Pete Gallagher].
"A few more shoulder-on tackles, and I'd say I'm just about ready to go."
The All Blacks have lost four out of six Tests this year and are third in the Rugby Championship table after their historic loss to Michael Cheika's men in round three.
Barrett says the All Blacks will stick with their principles but are prepared to adapt.
"We don’t want to be like other teams," he added. "We've still got to be the expressive All Blacks that we know we can be.
"When the pressure comes on, we want to run the ball, keep it in hand, it's just what feels so natural to us.
"We've identified that in games that we’ve lost, we may need to kick the ball a little bit more, it seems unnatural, but it's just being aware of that.
"And looking to attack in different ways – everyone on our feet, chasing kicks, getting those 50-50 bounces or flooding rucks and looking for turnovers that way. We are figuring out the way that we want to play."
Nick Kyrgios hopes he never has to face Thanasi Kokkinakis again after eliminating his close friend and doubles partner in the opening round of the US Open.
The Wimbledon runner-up began his latest quest for a maiden singles grand slam crown with a routine 6-4 6-4 7-6 (7-4) victory at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday.
It marked the first time the pair, who won the doubles event on home soil at the Australian Open in January, have met in a tour-level match.
Kyrgios will also partner Kokkinakis in the US Open doubles, and the 27-year-old did not enjoy facing his compatriot in singles competition.
"When we both saw the draw, it was a nightmare, honestly," Kyrgios said. "We never want to play each other.
"I've just got so much respect for him. I can't wait to get out there and play doubles with him on the right side of the net.
"We just know each other's games like the back of our hand. We've played together since we were about nine years old.
"He knows my game well. I know his game extremely well. I just played the bigger points well early on. We're going to play each other, hopefully, never again."
Kyrgios will now take on Benjamin Bonzi, who beat fellow Frenchman Ugo Humbert in five sets to advance at Flushing Meadows.
Despite suggesting this year's US Open will be her final tournament before retirement, Serena Williams said "you never know" after her first round victory against Danka Kovinic.
The 23-time grand slam winner was made to work for the win, but strong support from the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium helped Williams over the line in a 6-3 6-3 success on Monday.
In a recent interview with Vogue Magazine, Williams indicated she was ready to move on to the next stage of her life, signalling an intent to bring her decorated career to an end after the event at Flushing Meadows.
Asked about her intentions during the post-match press conference, Williams said while smiling: "Yeah, I've been pretty vague about [retirement], right? I'm going to stay vague because you never know."
Williams credited the atmosphere, admitting it meant a lot to her to have such a strong following against her Montenegrin opponent.
"I think when I walked out, the reception was really overwhelming. It was loud and I could feel it in my chest. It was a really good feeling. It's a feeling I'll never forget, so... yeah, that meant a lot to me," she said.
"I was just thinking, like, 'Is this for real? Really?' At the same time, I'm also thinking 'I still have a match to play and I want to be able to play up to this reception almost.'
"It was so loud. I just was overwhelmed, in a good way. But at the same time it's like you have to be focused, you have to be laser-focused. That's what I needed to do and that's what I tried to do."
The 40-year-old plays number two seed Anett Kontaveit in the second round on Wednesday, and she did go on to seemingly confirm she intends to hang up her racquet once her tournament is over.
"The more tournaments I play, I feel like the more I can belong out there," she added. "That's a tough feeling to have, and to leave knowing the more you do it, the more you can shine.
"But it's time for me, you know, to evolve to the next thing. I think it's important because there's so many other things that I want to do."
Ukrainian qualifier Daria Snigur dedicated her shock victory over Simona Halep in the opening round of the US Open to the people in her war-torn country.
The world number 124 marked her debut in the main draw of a major with a 6-2 0-6 6-4 win at Flushing Meadows on Monday.
Snigur is the lowest-ranked player to win a grand slam match against Halep – one of the favourites for the title – since Maria Sharapova at the same tournament in 2017.
She is also the first female qualifier to win a US Open match against a top-10 seed since Johanna Konta eliminated Garbine Muguruza seven years ago.
Making Snigur's achievement all the more incredible is that the 20-year-old's training base in Kyiv was bombed by Russia, forcing her to instead prepare for the event in Riga.
Reflecting on the biggest win of her burgeoning career, a tearful Snigur said: "This is a victory for Ukraine, for all Ukrainian people, for my family, for my team.
"The situation is bad, of course. I try to do the best for Ukraine, I try to support my country.
"It's not so easy because the war is continuing. Sometimes it's impossible to play but I try to do my best because I want to live in Ukraine.
"I have to say thanks to Simona for this incredible match. I want to thank all the fans who watched our match today."
Two-time major champion Halep has lost just three of her past 19 first-round matches in grand slams, though each of those have come at the US Open.
Snigur will now face Rebecca Marino, who defeated Magdalena Frech in straight sets to advance to the second round.
RJ Barrett is close to signing a four-year extension with the New York Knicks worth up to $120million, according to reports.
The 22-year-old guard will become the youngest player in Knicks history to earn over $100m from a deal.
However, the news may indicate an end to the franchise's pursuit of Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz.
It had been expected that Barrett would be part of those negotiations, but according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the player's agent Bill Duffy of BDA Sports and WME Sports has advised his client is penning an extension in New York.
Barrett made 70 appearances for the Knicks last season, averaging 20 points per game, as well as 5.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists.
The number three pick from the 2019 NBA Draft recorded 3,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 200 three-pointers before he turned 22, joining an elite group of five to have done so along with Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Luka Doncic.
Aaron Judge blasted his 50th home run of the season, but Shohei Ohtani had the decisive say as the Los Angeles Angels beat the New York Yankees 4-3 on Monday.
With scores locked at 2-2 at the bottom of the fifth inning, Ohtani delivered a two-run blast down right-center field from a Frankie Montas splitter in the zone.
The 398-foot home run was Ohtani's 29th of the season, boosting the two-way star's American League (AL) MVP case, with Judge likely to be his strongest opposition.
Judge produced his 434-foot solo shot over left-center field at the top of the eighth inning to halve the deficit and bring up his 50th home run for the season.
The slugger became just the seventh player to hit 50 home runs before September in AL or National League (NL) history.
Judge also became only the 10th player in MLB history to register multiple 50-home run seasons. Only three Yankees have achieved that feat; Judge, Babe Ruth (four) and Mickey Mantle (two).
"It's just another number," Judge said. "It's great, but I'm kind of upset about the loss."
The defeat leaves the Yankees with a 78-51 record having lost their last three games.
Pujols edges past Bonds all-time milestone
Albert Pujols moved a step closer to 700 career home runs and surpassed the record held by Barry Bonds in the St Louis Cardinals' 13-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds.
Pujols' two-run blast came in the third inning from Reds left-hander Ross Detwiler, bringing up his 694th-career home run.
The blast also tagged his major league record for the 450th different pitcher for a home run, breaking the all-time mark that had been tied with Bonds .
Padres overcome delays for key NL win
The San Diego Padres boosted their NL Wild Card aspirations with a hard-fought 6-5 win over the San Francisco Giants in a game full of delays, including an injury to home plate umpire Marvin Hudson as well as stadium lighting issues.
Brandon Drury's two-run first-inning home run set the Padres on their way before the delays, with three eighth-inning runs keeping the Giants alive, before Nick Martinez closed it out.
The Padres improved to 71-59 to firm up the third NL Wild Card spot, with the Giants back at 61-66. The Milwaukee Brewers, who beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-5 on Monday, split the pair at 68-59.
Serena Williams joined elite company in the final tournament of her playing career becoming the fourth player in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam match in her teens, 20s, 30s and 40s.
Williams joined 18-time Grand Slam champion Martina Navratilova, former world number four and three-time major semi-finalist Kimiko Date Krumm and six-time major winner and sister Venus Williams in achieving the feat.
The American's 6-3 6-3 win over Danka Kovinic in the US Open first round on Monday comes ahead of her 41st birthday next month, with Williams aged 40 years and 337 days.
The 40-year-old has been lauded for her decorated playing career, highlighted by 23 Grand Slam titles, but none of that is possible without endurability.
Williams's career spans 27 years, having turned professional in 1995 and having first played in a major in 1998 at the Australian Open. She played in that year's US Open too and has won every first-round match at Flushing Meadows in her career (21).
The ceremony and pomp after Monday's win was bigger than ever, with words from Oprah Winfrey and Billie Jean King along with an extended interview conducted by Gayle King with Williams, followed by a crowd display of signs reading "We love Serena".
It all offered a level of finality, despite Williams still being live in the tournament, albeit with a tougher test against second seed Anett Kontaveit to come on Wednesday.
Despite all that Williams, who has steered clear of the word retirement instead using "evolution", teased reporters when she replied to a question about the US Open definitively being her final tournament with a smile: "Yeah, I've been pretty vague about it, right? I'm going to stay vague because you never know."
Stefanos Tsitsipas had a shot at rising to the number one ranking at the 2022 US Open but instead he is out in the first round following a four-set loss to Daniel Galan on Monday.
The world number 94 stunned recent Western and Southern Open finalist Tsitsipas in the first two sets by winning the first 11 games of the match, before the Greek rallied but Galan would triumph 6-0 6-1 3-6 7-5 in two hours and 48 minutes.
World number five Tsitsipas, who has never gone beyond the third round at Flushing Meadows, did need treatment for a forearm tightness but admitted he was simply "dominated" by Galan who eventually prevailed on his ninth match point.
The 24-year-old had some form after reaching the final in Cincinnati earlier this month, losing to Borna Coric, and felt it was a missed opportunity, in the absence of Novak Djokovic, to press his case for the top rank across the next fortnight.
"I was very motivated and pumped before the US Open started because I knew I could use this tournament to get closer to the number one spot," Tsitsipas said.
"It would be very weird and very unusual if it didn’t cross my mind, because this is something I wanted since I was a kid and I know this is my chance now to step it up.
"It just didn’t go as planned. Sometimes you just need to let it go, you don’t need to overthink it, you don’t need to push yourself too hard but at the same time it’s difficult because there’s this open opportunity right in front of you, you don’t want to mess it up, you don’t want to waste it."
"My chances are a bit smaller. The margin is not as thin as it used to be now after the US Open but I’m still going to try and add points to my ranking, as much as I can until the end of the year, I really want to perhaps finish in the top three… more opportunities ahead."
Tsitsipas, who only won seven points in the opening set, hit 57 unforced errors for the match compared to Galan's 36.
The Greek only managed 28 winners, with Galan hitting 41, while the Colombian also had the better of the all the key serve categories, winning 74 per cent on his first serve.
"He dominated the match," Tsitsipas said. "I just couldn't get into it."
The Los Angeles Rams were boosted at Monday practice by the returns of running backs Darrell Henderson and Cam Akers after soft tissue injuries.
Rams head coach Sean McVay revealed they were "just being smart" with the pair who had injuries during their Super Bowl-winning campaign last season.
Akers was part of the Rams' Super Bowl triumph after missing most of the season due to an Achilles tear in July last year, while Henderson had a four-game layoff with an MCL sprain.
McVay said the pair were full participants during practice.
"They looked good," McVay told reporters. "They got a few reps and so, it was a good thing.
"Like I mentioned, Darrell was able to get a bunch of full-speed work the other day. Cam looked good today. So I expect all hands on deck."
Henderson led the Rams' running backs for touchdowns last season with five from 10 starts. He had 149 rushing attempts for 688 yards, along with 29 receptions for 176 yards and three TDs.
Serena Williams says the "crazy" crowd support she received in Monday's US Open first-round clash with Danka Kovinic helped will her over the line for a hard-fought victory.
The 40-year-old, who will end her decorated playing career after this year's US Open, triumphed in one hour and 39 minutes with a 6-3 6-3 win amid raucous scenes at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
It was a star-studded turnout at the stadium to watch what could have been Williams' last singles' match, but the six-time US Open winner proved too good, extending her farewell campaign.
Despite staying live in the tournament, Williams was honoured with a lengthy post-match ceremony including addresses from Oprah Winfrey and Billie Jean King and an extended interview with Gayle King, followed by a pre-organised crowd display where letters on cards showed the words "We Love Serena".
The 23-time Grand Slam champion appeared nervy early, including two double faults in the first game, and letting a 2-0 lead slip to trail by a break at 2-3 in the first set.
Williams won the next four games to clinch the opening frame and was decisive in the second set.
"The crowd was crazy," Williams said. "It really helped pull me through… I was really calm. Yes, I got this."
The triumph marked the first step on Williams' farewell tour at the US Open, although she has a sterner test next in the second round against second seed Anett Kontaveit on Wednesday which will likely attract another wild crowd.
"Just keep coming out and supporting me as long as I'm here, and know that I love you so much and I'm so excited to be here," Williams said.
Williams was asked about her decision to move on from playing tennis, which she described as her "evolution" rather than retirement in an essay in Vogue.
"It's been a very hard decision," she said.
"I think when you're passionate about something and you love something so much, it's always hard to walk away.
"Sometimes I think it's harder to walk away than to not. That's been the case for me. I've been trying to decide for a little while what to do.
"I think now's the time. I just have a family. There's other chapters in life. I call it evolution."
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