Rafael Nadal urged Carlos Alcaraz to reflect on his success and treasure his Olympic silver medal, despite a gut-wrenching defeat to Novak Djokovic on Sunday.
Djokovic overcame Alcaraz 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2) at Roland-Garros, securing the top prize at the Games on the clay courts in Paris.
The 21-year-old, who was denied the Olympic title to go with this year's French Open and Wimbledon crowns, was reduced to tears at the conclusion in the French capital.
Yet Nadal, who Alcaraz partnered in the men's doubles competition at the Olympics this year, says his fellow Spaniard will soon understand the feats of his achievement.
"Carlos, although I know that today is a difficult day, value a medal that is very important for the entire country and you will see, over time, that it is for you too," Nadal wrote on social media platform X.
"Thank you for this incredible week and for the medal that you [gave] to Spanish sport."
Djokovic is only the second player in the Open Era to win all four grand slams, the gold medal at the Olympics and the ATP Tour Finals, along with Andre Agassi.
At 37 years and 74 days, the Serbian is also the oldest player to secure gold in either the men's or women's singles at the Olympics, since the sport returned as an event at the 1988 Games.
This victory also somewhat exacted revenge after losing out to Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final last month, while sealing a long-awaited dream of gold at his fifth Games for Serbia.
Tommy Fleetwood put disappointment to one side after achieving an Olympics dream with a silver medal in Paris.
Great Britain's Fleetwood finished 18-under at the Games, one shot short of Scottie Scheffler, who secured the United States' second straight gold in this event.
Fleetwood fell out of the lead with a bogey from the rough on the 17th but got up and down for par on the final hole for a 66 to seal second place, ahead of Japan's bronze medallist Hideki Matsuyama.
"There's part of me that's disappointed, of course, but at the same time I never dreamt I would be an Olympic medallist," Fleetwood said after the conclusion on Sunday.
"I haven't been in the mix that much recently and being back there, playing well and feeling how that felt again, I enjoyed it so much and I'm unbelievably proud to be an Olympic medallist.
"It feels unbelievably special and I know I didn't win gold, a very good golfer did, but standing on that podium with a medal was one of the most amazing moments I've had as a golfer.
"I'll remember those times for the rest of my life."
Jon Rahm had led for large parts, with four shots over Fleetwood when he stepped up to the tee on the 11th, only for the Spaniard to collapse in remarkable fashion.
Scheffler charged to the front with four straight birdies down the stretch, making an 18-foot birdie putt to take the lead for the first time all day with just one hole remaining.
In doing so, victorious world number one Scheffler set an Olympic record for 72 holes with his 19-under 265 at Le Golf National.
Italy's Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani came from behind against Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider to snatch Olympic gold in the women's doubles.
Having lost the doubles final at the French Open in June, Paolini and Errani dug deep to win 2-6 6-1 10-7 on Court Philippe-Chatrier in one hour and 25 minutes to earn Italy's first Games gold medal in tennis.
Russia-born pair Andreeva and Shnaider – competing for the Individual Neutral Athletes – made a perfect start, with a three-game winning run in the first half putting them out of the Italians' reach.
Paolini and Errani successfully defended two break points to make it 4-2 and end that run, but they lost their serve to love in the final game to fall behind.
However, the Italian pair rallied brilliantly in the second set, earning a break in the first game to set the tone.
Andreeva and Shnaider managed to claw a game back to make it 2-1, but their opponents quickly shut down any hopes of a comeback.
The Italians won each of the next four games, holding their nerve at the end to get a third break of the set and force a tie-break.
Paolini and Errani remained in control for the decider, earning two more breaks as they stormed to a historic gold medal.
Data Debrief: Italians get the job done with historic gold
After coming agonisingly close at the French Open two months ago, Paolini and Errani finally got their hands on a big win.
Not only was it the first-ever gold medal for Italy in any of the tennis events at the Olympics, but the first medal of any colour for Italian women.
Errani has also completed the career golden slam in women's doubles, having won all four major titles in the paired grand slam competitions between 2012 and 2014, alongside Roberta Vinci.
Cindy Ngamba etched her name in history after guaranteeing a first medal for the Refugee Olympic Team in Paris.
The Britain-based boxer overcame French hope Davina Michel by a unanimous points decision to reach the 75kg semi-finals on Sunday.
With no third-place bouts at the Games, Ngamba is set for at least a bronze medal even if she loses to Panama's Atheyna Bylon on Thursday.
Having led the Refugee Team as the flagbearer at the opening ceremony just over a week ago, Ngamba secured another piece of history here – though the Cameroon-born fighter is intent on not finishing just yet.
"It means the world to me, to be the first ever refugee to win a medal," Ngamba said.
"I'm just a human, just like any other refugee, athlete and refugee all around the world. But I hope I can change the medal in my next fight.
"I was fighting a very tough opponent today. A lot of people were not cheering for me. But I listened to my team, I listened to my coaches and I listened to myself.
"I stuck to the tactics and I stayed calm and composed. I'm happy that I got the job done. Hopefully, in the next one, I will also get the job done. No, not hopefully. I will get it done."
Ngamba became the first refugee athlete to make the Olympics boxing tournament in May, and the first in any sport to earn a place in the Games by qualification rather than selection.
The 25-year-old was born in Cameroon but moved to England in 2009, though is unable to return to her homeland because she is homosexual, which remains a criminal offence in the country.
Team GB have supported her citizenship application but to no avail, leading Ngamba to represent the International Olympic Committee's refugee team in the French capital.
United States head coach Steve Kerr is expecting a tough game against underdogs Brazil when the sides meet in the quarter-finals of the Olympic Games on Monday.
The USA qualified for the knockout round as the top seed after staying perfect in the group stage, rounding it off with a 104-83 victory over Puerto Rico on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Brazil are the underdogs in the competition and squeezed into the last eight thanks to a tiebreaker and some excellent 3-point shooting to see off Japan in what turned out to be the deciding game.
While the USA are on the opposite side of the draw to the powerhouses of Canada, France and Germany, Kerr is not letting the four-time reigning Olympic champions rest on their laurels.
"They're very physical. I think they're the number one offensive rebounding team in the tournament," Kerr said.
"They've got a lot of really good shooters, and they just play hard. They compete play after play, so we'll have to be ready for their physicality and their shooting, and we need to be on edge and ready for them because they're not going to back down.
"In the spirit of the Olympics and the marathon/sprint metaphor that I've used, now that we've been through it, I would call it the 800 meters," Kerr said. "We're running really hard, but it's not the 100 meters."
In the opening three games, Brazil had six different players averaging eight points or more in the Olympics, while the team averaged 13 offensive rebounds per game.
The USA have already given up 16 more offensive rebounds than they have got, one of the few weak spots in the team challenging for a fifth consecutive gold medal.
Kerr's team face Brazil on Monday, with a place in the semi-finals against either Serbia or Australia at stake.
Scottie Scheffler carded a record-tying nine-under 62 to win gold at the Paris Olympics, earning the United States' second consecutive golf title.
Scheffler, who started four shots behind co-leaders Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele heading into the final round, shot 29 on the back nine to confirm the triumph.
But the world number one was pushed all the way by Great Britain's Tommy Fleetwood, who shot 66 to finish one shot behind to claim a silver medal at Le Golf National.
Fleetwood had the opportunity to force a play-off heading into the 18th but drifted his approach long and left, sending his chip close to save par under pressure.
Hideki Matsuyama had been at the top of the leaderboard for much of the weekend and took home the bronze medal.
Matsuyama made amends for his play-off defeat at his home Games in Tokyo three years ago, shooting 65 to finish 17 under and claim the final podium place.
Scottie Scheffler brings home the gold
The United States is victorious once again @OlympicGolf! pic.twitter.com/hLIq0D13Xr
Home favourite Victor Perez shot an inspired eight-under 63 to finish a shot outside the top three, while Rahm bogeyed the last to finish 15 under, dropping out of contention after struggling on the back nine.
Rory McIlroy finished joint-fifth alongside the Spaniard, with Schauffele dropping to joint-ninth after enduring a difficult round, shooting two over.
Scottie Scheffler carded a record-tying nine-under 62 to win gold at the Paris Olympics, earning the United States' second consecutive golf title.
Scheffler, who started four shots behind co-leaders Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele heading into the final round, shot 29 on the back nine to confirm the triumph.
But the world number one was pushed all the way by Great Britain's Tommy Fleetwood, who shot 66 to finish one shot behind to claim a silver medal at Le Golf National.
Fleetwood had the opportunity to force a play-off heading into the 18th but drifted his approach long and left, sending his chip close to save par under pressure.
Hideki Matsuyama had been at the top of the leaderboard for much of the weekend and took home the bronze medal.
Matsuyama made amends for his play-off defeat at his home Games in Tokyo three years ago, shooting 65 to finish 17 under and claim the final podium place.
Scottie Scheffler brings home the gold
The United States is victorious once again @OlympicGolf! pic.twitter.com/hLIq0D13Xr
Home favourite Victor Perez shot an inspired eight-under 63 to finish a shot outside the top three, while Rahm bogeyed the last to finish 15 under, dropping out of contention after struggling on the back nine.
Rory McIlroy finished joint-fifth alongside the Spaniard, with Schauffele dropping to joint-ninth after enduring a difficult round, shooting two over.
Novak Djokovic cut an emotional figure after putting "everything on the line" to secure gold at the Paris Olympics on Sunday.
The 24-time major champion overcame Carlos Alcaraz 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2) at Roland-Garros, securing the top prize at the Games for the first time in his career.
Djokovic is only the second player in the Open Era to win all four grand slams, the gold medal at the Olympics and the ATP Tour Finals, along with Andre Agassi.
At 37 years and 74 days, the Serbian is also the oldest player to secure gold in either the men's or women's singles at the Olympics, since the sport returned as an event at the 1988 Games.
Having settled for bronze in Beijing 16 years ago, Djokovic could not believe he had finally sealed a long-awaited dream.
"We almost played three hours in two sets. It was an incredible battle," the 37-year-old said after avenging his Wimbledon final defeat to Alcaraz last month.
"I believed that I could win, but to actually win it; it's unbelievable. He keeps on coming back and keeps on asking me to play my best tennis.
"My first set I started well, I had chances, he had chances as well. It was probably fair to end both sets in a tiebreak. When it mattered I came up with big shots and big moments.
"I put my heart, my body, my soul, my family, my everything on the line here to win the Olympic gold at the age of 37.
"The pride to play for Serbia. Carlos and Rafa [Nadal] love to play for Spain, Andy [Murray] for Britain, Roger [Federer] for Switzerland. You just see the reactions when they win. It's special. It's different."
Alcaraz battled past Djokovic in the Wimbledon final, having also secured French Open glory at the same venue earlier this year.
However, a final stretch proved too far for the Spaniard.
"The truth is it was a very complicated game. Three hours of phenomenal fighting," a downbeat Alcaraz said.
"It's never easy. There were tough moments for me in the tiebreak and I just couldn't get my level up. It's very painful to lose today."
Novak Djokovic finally got his hands on an Olympic gold medal as he came through two tie-breaks to beat Carlos Alcaraz at Roland-Garros.
In a match that lasted almost three hours, the 24-time grand slam champion edged a thrilling contest 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2) in the French capital.
In a repeat of their Wimbledon showdown last month, the pair traded blows in the opening games as they tried to gain the early advantage.
Alcaraz would be the first to blink, handing Djokovic three chances to break in the third game, but the Serb was unable to grasp that opportunity.
The 21-year-old would then miss three chances to take the lead himself in the following game as the gripping contest continued to ebb and flow on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
In the ninth game, Djokovic saved five break points, to gain the momentum heading into the first-set tie-break where he would emerge the victor.
The second set told a similar story to the first, with Alcaraz squandering a break of serve in the third game, with both holding their serves.
And as he did in the first, Djokovic showcased all of his experience, claiming the triumph with a powerful forehand.
Djokovic finally achieves the full set
Having claimed bronze at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, Djokovic now has that gold medal that has proved elusive over the past 16 years.
The Serb showed in the first set his powers of recovery to save all eight of the break points he faced, finally getting one over his recent kryptonite on the court.
At 37 years and 74 days, Djokovic is the oldest player to secure a gold medal in either the men's or women's singles at the Olympics.
Djokovic's victory also saw him become the fourth player to defeat multiple grand slam champions on route to winning the gold medal in the men's singles at the Olympics, after Nicolas Massu (2004), Rafael Nadal (2008) and Andy Murray (2012).
He is now only the second player in the Open Era to have won all four grand slams, the gold medal at the Olympics and the ATP Tour Finals, along with Andre Agassi.
Alcaraz down, but certainly not out
For Alcaraz, it was yet another impressive showing, but even he was unable to stand in the way of Djokovic claiming the prize he craved the most.
Having levelled the second-set tie-break at 3-3, the Spaniard looked the favourite to go on and take it to a decider, but you can never count out a man who has 24 grand slam titles to his name.
Alcaraz missed the opportunity to become only the second player to defeat Djokovic in ATP-level event finals on grass and clay courts, with many hoping to see another battle between two of tennis' brightest stars in the future.
Despite the defeat, he is still the only player to claim multiple ATP top-five wins on each of clay, grass and hard court in consecutive years. John McEnroe (1984) is the only other player to achieve the feat in a single season.
Cristina Bucsa and Sara Sorribes Tormo claimed bronze in the women's doubles at the Paris Olympics, beating the Czech Republic's Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova.
The Spaniards dominated proceedings from start to finish, coming through in straight sets 6-2 6-2 in an hour and 13 minutes at Roland-Garros.
Bucsa and Sorribes showed their intent from the start, breaking the Czech's serve in the opening game to claim the early advantage.
While Muchova and Noskova improved, the Spanish pairing were able to find another break to take the encounter to 5-2, going on to claim the first set at a canter.
The Czechs missed two opportunities to take the opening game of the second, but allowed their opponents to break their serve once again and race into a 3-0 lead.
From then on, Bucsa and Sorribes never looked back, winning the final three games in a row to claim Spain's first medal of the day, with Carlos Alcaraz in action against Novak Djokovic in the men's singles final.
The women's doubles gold medal match will see Italy's Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani face Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider, who are competing as Individual Neutral Athletes.
Data Debrief: Spain off to a fine start in the days tennis
With Alcaraz guaranteed to bring home a medal for Spain, Bucsa and Sorribes ensured there was double delight for the nation in the French capital.
In a one-sided affair, the Spaniards converted five of the nine break points they had, while also winning seven of their service games compared to the Czechs' two.
Marie Bouzkova produced an unlikely upset against top seed Aryna Sabalenka to reach the final of the Washington Open in an encounter affected by weather delays.
After being 2-1 down in the third set before lightning and rain stopped play for three and a half hours, Bouzkova rallied to win 6-4 3-6 6-3 in the American capital.
A double break in the first set from Bouzkova saw the Czech hold the early advantage, only for her opponent to respond, serving three of her eight aces to take the second.
But upon returning to the court after the delay, Bouzkova broke Sabalenka's serve in the first game before breaking again to take a 5-3 lead.
The world number 29 closed out the victory against the Australian Open champion with a love game, setting up a meeting with Paula Badosa, who won in straight sets against home hopeful Caroline Dolehide.
Aaron Judge hit his MLB-leading 41st home run of the season, Carlos Rodon had a solid outing and the New York Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-3 on Saturday.
Judge, who hit his 40th homer on Friday night, hit a two-run shot in the first inning off Jose Berrios as he continued his torrid pace. Judge finished 2 for 3 with two walks and two runs scored. He also added his 102nd and 103rd RBIs of the year.
Anthony Volpe also homered for the second straight day, and Trent Grisham also went deep off Berrios, who allowed seven hits and six runs – five earned – in five innings.
Rodon allowed three hits and three runs over 5 1/3 innings with eight strikeouts, improving to 12-7 on the year. The veteran lefty had lost five straight decisions from June 15-July 9 but is since 3-0 with a 3.18 ERA over four starts.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had three hits, including a double and a first-inning solo home run.
White Sox lose again as skid approaches 20 games
The Chicago White Sox had their franchise-record losing streak extended to 19 games with a 6-2 loss to the Minnesota Twins.
Max Kepler delivered a tie-breaking home run in the seventh inning and Willi Castro had a two-run single in a three-run eighth as the Twins improved to 11-1 against the White Sox this season.
Chicago’s losing streak is the longest since the Baltimore Orioles lost 19 in a row in 2021.
The last time a major league team lost 20 straight was the 1969 Montreal Expos. The 1961 Philadelphia Phillies hold the dubious record with 23 consecutive losses.
After their latest loss, the White Sox fell to 27-86 and are on pace to finish 39-123, which would be the worst record of baseball’s modern era.
The Twins, however, won their third straight and improved to 61-48. Bailey Ober allowed two hits and two runs in seven strong innings, improving to 11-5.
Flaherty wins Dodgers debut, Ohtani gets 30-30
Jack Flaherty pitched six strong innings in his debut with his new team, Shohei Ohtani hit a milestone with three stolen bases and the Los Angeles Dodgers routed the Oakland Athletics 10-0 to snap a three-game losing streak.
Flaherty, who was acquired at the trade deadline from the Detroit Tigers, allowed five hits and one walk across his six shutout innings while striking out seven.
Ohtani set a career high with three stolen bases in the game and added to his career high of 31 steals this season. Last year’s AL MVP, who has 33 home runs, joined the 30-30 club for the first time in his career.
Despite the final scoreline, the game was close throughout, with Gavin Lux putting the Dodgers in the lead with a two-run single in the third inning.
Los Angeles blew the game open with six runs in the ninth. With the game well in hand, third baseman Kike Hernandez pitched the bottom of the ninth for the Dodgers.
The youthful Jamaican team that represented the island at the 67th Caribbean Amateur Golf Championship at the Iberostar Golf Course in Bavaro, Dominican Republic gave a good account of themselves after ending in the runner up spot for two of the three trophies on offer and third in the other one.
The country trophy or the Arthur Ziadie trophy went to perennial winner Puerto Rico while Jamaica copped the runner-up trophy. They also retained the Ladies trophy or the George Teale trophy ahead of Jamaica who bagged the runner-up trophy while Bahamas came third. Puerto Rico also won the Hoerman Cup or the trophy for the male golfers. Host country the Dominican Republic came second and Jamaica improved its position from last year to land the third spot.
Emily Mayne was tied for second in the ladies category with scores of even par 72, one under par 71 and five over par 77 for a three-day total of four over par 220. Kierra Williams ended in fourth place with scores of 72, 71 and 75 which totalled 221 or just one shot behind second place Mayne. Mattea Issa who had two days of 73 each, had a rough last day after posting nine over pay 81 to close the championship on 227, tied for 7th place. The fourth female player, Kingston Burke totaled 248 for the three days with scores of 85, 82 and 81 for 15th place.
The overall ladies winner was Arabella Lopez of Puerto Rico. She topped the leaderboard on all three days with scores of six under par 66, one under par 71 and another one under par 71 for the final round, for an eight under 208 total score.
On the men side Rocco Lopez was the best placed player after closing the championship tied for fifth place. His scores were 72, 71 and 72 for one under par 215. Former national champion was further back in 12th place with a combined total of 222 (71, 76, 70). The youngest male player on tour was Ryan Lue and he occupied the 20th spot with scores of 76, 72 and 80 for a total score of 228. Two players Jack Stein and Aman Dhiman were tied for 25th place with a three day total of 232. The sixth and final player and current national champion Zandre Roye had a rough championship after posting scores of nine over par 81 for the first two days and seven over par 79 on the final day for a combined score of 241.
Team manager Sebert Walker summed up the team’s performance which was commendable based on the proliferation of young and new players who were representing at the senior level for the first time.
“After 54 holes of golf in the Dominican Republic our 2024 male and female team comprised of ten, came out with our female team finishing second and our male team third of course our combined team finishing second overall.
Tyreek Hill has proven to be one of the NFL's top wide receivers, and the Miami Dolphins have rewarded him with a new contract.
The Dolphins signed Hill to a three-year, $90million contract restructure on Saturday, according multiple sources.
As part of the deal, Hill will receive $65million in guaranteed money, bringing his four-year fully guaranteed money to $106.5million - the most for a wide receiving in NFL history.
The contract restructure does not include any additional years, so he will remain under contract through the 2026 season.
In 16 games last season, Hill led the NFL with 1,799 receiving yards on 119 receptions and also had 13 touchdown catches to earn All-Pro honours for the fifth time.
Since his 2016 rookie season, he ranks first among all players with 10,139 receiving yards, third in touchdown grabs with 76 and fourth in receptions with 717. He has been named to the Pro Bowl in each of his eight seasons in the NFL.
Hill becomes the latest Miami star to get a new deal this off-season, joining fellow receiver Jaylen Waddle and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
The teams that will battle for the 2024 CAZOVA Zonal Under-19 Men’s and Women’s Championships were decided in the semifinals of the tournament at the GC Foster College in Spanish Town on Friday.
Trinidad & Tobago and Barbados will do battle for the men’s crown after convincing semifinal straight set victories over the US Virgin Islands and Jamaica, respectively.
Despite finishing in three sets, the match between T&T and USVI was about as competitive as you can get.
Trinidad & Tobago won the first set 25-23 before taking the next two 25-21 and 25-22, respectively.
The match between Jamaica and Barbados was competitive for two of the three sets. Barbados won the first 25-20 before winning the second 25-21. The third set was the least competitive, with the Bajans winning 25-13.
On the women’s side, hosts Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago made it to the final after five set wins over USVI and Barbados, respectively.
Jamaica won the first set 25-20 before USVI levelled proceedings with a 25-19 second set win.
Jamaica were back to their dominant best with a 25-15 third set victory before, once again, USVI showed grit and determination to tie things up a 2-2 with a 25-23 win in the fourth set.
The fifth set was also close, with the hosts eventually winning 15-10.
Trinidad & Tobago showed grit and determination of their own in different circumstances. They played an excellent first two sets, winning them 25-21 and 25-16 to go 2-0 up. Barbados battled back, however, with a 25-23 win in the third set and 25-22 win in the fourth to set up a deciding fifth.
In the end, only two points separated them with T&T winning the final set 15-13 to secure a spot in the final.
The finals are scheduled for Monday, August 5.
Reigning Olympic champion Xander Schauffele was the joint leader heading into the final round of the Paris Games, with Jon Rahm level with him in top spot.
The pair are tied at 14 under after three rounds of action at Le Golf National, with Rahm producing a five-under 66 to jump up the leaderboard from fourth.
Schauffele enjoyed another mostly error-free round, carding a three-under 68 with the hopes of retaining the crown he claimed in Tokyo three years ago.
Britain's Tommy Fleetwood remains just a shot behind after another fine round.
He sent a putt on 18 narrowly short for what would have been a three-way tie for the lead.
Hideki Matsuyama, who was tied for the lead going into the third round, dropped to joint-fourth after two bogeys in his first four holes, missing the opportunity on 18 to go within two shots of the lead.
Meanwhile, world number one Scottie Scheffler shot himself into contention for a medal after carding a four-under 67, leaving him level with Rory McIlroy and Joo-Hyung Kim in T6.
Denmark's Nicolai Hojgaard produced the best round of the day, shooting a course record-tying 62 to move him 26 places up the leaderboard.
It was another masterful display from Jamaican trio Shamera Sterling-Humphrey, Latanya Wilson, and Romelda Aiken-George that ensured Adelaide Thunderbirds retained their Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) League title as they edged Melbourne Vixens 59-57 in extra-time of a pulsating final at a sold-out Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Saturday.
The relentless efforts of dynamic defensive duo Sterling-Humphrey and Wilson, coupled with the shooting prowess of the towering Aiken-George, not only underscored their immense class and quality, but more importantly, spurred the Thunderbirds to back-to-back premiership glory, a feat that only one other club has ever achieved in the SSN era.
Aiken-George, who joined the franchise at the top of the season, was named Finals MVP for her 41 goals from 51 attempts. She was supported by Lauren Frew, who scored a perfect 10 goals from as many attempts, while Georgie Horjus scored seven goals from eight attempts.
Meanwhile, Sophie Garbin scored 22 goals from 24 attempts, and Kiera Austin scored 21 goals from 24 attempts and seven two-goal Supershot efforts from as many attempts.
Romelda Aiken-George was named Finals MVP.
The Thunderbirds, like they have done all season, showed grit and determination, as Sterling-Humphrey and Wilson did what they do best. While they didn't reach their usual heights on the stat sheet, the dynamic duo wore down their Melbourne-based opponent’s attack, which started in red-hot form.
Sterling-Humphrey and Wilson combined for six gains but didn’t have everything their way in the early exchanges, as Austin’s smarts in the circle and Vixens' quick ball movement proved a challenge for the world-class Thunderbirds defenders.
After trailing by five, the Thunderbirds were forced to call a timeout to reset, which worked to some extent as they reduced the deficit to trail by three, 13-16, at the end of the opening quarter.
With Matilda Garrett, Sterling-Humphrey, and Wilson quiet at that point, Thunderbirds Head coach Tania Obst was forced to make some changes.
Jamaica's Wilson (second left) and Sterling-Humphrey (second right) celebrate with teammates.
Wilson was moved into goal defence, Tayla Williams into wing defence and skipper Hannah Petty was injected into centre to steady the ship.
And it worked.
From there, the Thunderbirds forced the Vixens into a number of errors to claw back the margin, outscoring their opponents 15-12 as they went into the half-time interval 28-28.
Sterling-Humphrey worked herself into the game in the second half, with Wilson by her side, wearing Austin like a glove down the court.
At the other end, Simone McKinnis handed Emily Mannix the job of quelling Aiken-George, but it proved futile given the height miss-match as the Thunderbirds took a one-goal lead at 42-41 to end the third quarter.
As anticipated, the Thunderbirds, spurred by the electric home crowd, rattled the Vixens in the final quarter and raced to a six-goal lead at one point.
Kiera Austin was the standout Vixens performer.
However, Austin, who enjoyed superb form on the night, cut the deficit with her hot hand from the Supershot range.
In fact, a late turnover from Laura Scherian gave the Melbourne team a sniff of victory with less than two minutes to go, but Sophie Garbin missed a crucial Supershot in the dying moments and so it took extra time to decide a winner.
Aryna Sabalenka expressed her delight at overcoming a "tough" match with Victoria Azarenka to advance to the semi-finals of the Washington Open in straight sets.
World number three Sabalenka needed an hour and 45 minutes to get past her fellow compatriot, prevailing 6-4 6-4 to progress to the next round.
The two-time grand slam champion served eight aces compared to Azarenka's one, and although the encounter looked one-sided, it was anything but for Sabalenka.
"Always tough battles against her," Sabalenka said. "She always brings the best fight she can.
"I always enjoy playing against her. Just super happy to get through this tough match.
"I feel like with every set, I play better and better. Hopefully I can just (keep) building my level and by the US Open, I'll be 100 percent ready."
Sabalenka claimed her second Australian Open title earlier this year, but was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon with a shoulder problem.
However, the Belarusian showed no signs of injuries in the American capital and is confident of maintaining her recent form.
"I'm super happy. I'm doing really great so far. Fingers crossed, the injury's in the past. I feel really good," Sabalenka said.
"We're doing everything we can with my team to keep my shoulder strong and make sure (such an injury) will never happen again."
Top seed Sabalenka advanced to Saturday's semi-final where she will meet Marie Bouzkova, who beat 19-year-old American Robin Montgomery in straight sets.
San Francisco Giants left-hander Blake Snell threw his first career no-hitter in a 3-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday.
The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner threw 78 of his 114 pitches for strikes, striking out 11 batters and allowing three walks.
Snell also recorded the first complete game of his career, pitching into the ninth inning for the first time in his 202 career starts, and his first win in a Giants uniform.
Tyler Fitzgerald and Casey Schmitt each homered for San Francisco, who have won six of their last seven.
Snell’s no-hitter was the 18th in Giants franchise history, with the most recent coming in 2015 from Chris Heston.
Snell threw the third no-no in the major leagues this season, joining Ronel Blanco of the Houston Astros and Dylan Cease of the San Diego Padres.
Snell was one of the most celebrated off-season moves when he signed a two-year, $62million deal with San Francisco, but he made just his 11th start of the season on Friday due to two stints on the injured list.
Snell’s first three starts with the Giants were a disaster, saddling him with an 0-3 record and an 11.57 ERA. Since returning from his most recent IL stint, however, he has allowed just 2 runs in 33 innings, and batters are hitting .078 against him over that five-game stretch.
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