Lorenzo Musetti planned a pizza celebration after landing his second title of 2022 by seeing off Matteo Berrettini in an all-Italian final at the Napoli Cup.
The 20-year-old, who won his first ATP Tour trophy on clay in Hamburg in July, scored a 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 victory over an injury-hampered opponent.
After defying advice from his team to abandon his semi-final on Saturday, Berrettini, bothered by a foot problem, showed up for Sunday's title match and generally moved well but could not prevent Musetti getting his hands on the trophy.
Musetti's win at the hard court event saw him match Berrettini – twice a champion during the grass season – on two titles this year.
They are the only Italians with multiple ATP singles titles in 2022, with Musetti now increasingly close to joining compatriots Berrettini and Jannik Sinner inside the top 20.
This win nudges him a place to number 23 in the rankings, a new career-high position, and it made Musetti the ninth player on the men's tour to win a tournament this year without dropping a set at any point.
Speaking in an on-court ATP interview, Musetti said: "It was a really tough first set. Really long and we never broke.
"Matteo is a competitor; even if he was not 100 per cent physically, his capacity to stay until the end, to fight until the end, was a big problem for me to solve.
"Today I think I played not the best tennis, because I think we were both really emotional, really nervous and there was a lot of tension, but in the important moments I played better.
"It's really nice to be here with my family, with the crowd, and it's a really big win for me and an important moment for my career.
"I hope to enjoy and celebrate with great pizza. I will probably enjoy a Pizza Margherita for sure, like Napoletana."
Yannik Paul won his first title on the DP World Tour in dramatic circumstances on Sunday, claiming a "dream" victory on the final hole at the Mallorca Golf Open.
Paul took a share of the lead into the final round at Son Muntaner Golf Club, but fell behind Marcus Armitage after going two-over-par through the first 15 holes on Sunday.
However, Armitage slipped up over the next two holes to hand Paul a shot at his first title, with Paul Waring and Nicolai von Dellingshausen watching from the clubhouse after both finished 14-under.
Germany's Paul handled the pressure impressively, though, converting a 15-foot birdie attempt on the 18th to avoid a play-off with the duo and seal a one-shot win.
Speaking to Sky Sports after his victory, world number 190 Paul said: "It was tough today. My ball-striking was unbelievable all week.
"I hit it really close the first couple of holes and couldn't make any putts so that was really hard to stay in the moment.
"But luckily none of the other guys really made a lot of putts. I saw after nine holes I was in the lead, and I thought I hit a great shot on 15 but it went over the green.
"Unfortunately Marcus hit a couple of bad shots and then I couldn't have dreamed of a better ending. I'm over the moon.
"I had a lot of good chances the last couple of days that didn't go in and to finish like this is obviously a dream come true."
England's Dale Whitnell finished a shot back from Waring and Von Dellingshausen, with Ryan Fox – who began the day level with Paul – joining him in finishing 13-under.
Christian McCaffrey is expected to make his debut for the San Francisco 49ers against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Former All-Pro running back McCaffrey was traded to the 49ers from the Carolina Panthers on Thursday for second, third and fourth-round picks in 2023 and a fifth-rounder in 2024.
The tight turnaround initially made it look unlikely McCaffrey would be overly involved in a rematch of Super Bowl LIV from the 2019 season.
However, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, McCaffrey will play and the 49ers will have a package of plays ready for him.
The Chiefs will have a new lead runner in their backfield, with rookie Isaiah Pacheco set to get the bulk of the carries over 2020 first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
Kansas City's closest rivals in the AFC West, the 4-2 Los Angeles Chargers, face NFC West opponents themselves in the form of the Seattle Seahawks.
They had hoped to have wide receiver Keenan Allen back from a hamstring injury that has kept him out since Week 1, but his status was still up in the air heading into Sunday.
Star Seahawks wideout Tyler Lockett is set to play having been listed as questionable with a hamstring injury of his own.
The Baltimore Ravens, another prospective AFC contender, have been boosted with tight end Mark Andrews (ankle) and Rashod Bateman (knee) both active for their meeting with the Cleveland Browns.
The Dallas Cowboys will not have to defend D'Andre Swift in Dak Prescott's return to action. Detroit Lions running back Swift is once again inactive because of ankle and shoulder injuries.
Detroit's division rivals the Green Bay Packers are looking to end a two-game losing run and get their offense back on track against the Washington Commanders.
Yet they will be without oft-injured left tackle David Bakhtiari because of a flare-up in his knee. The Packers have remodelled a struggling offensive line, shifting Elgton Jenkins from right tackle to left guard. Yosh Nijman takes over at right tackle, with rookie Zac Tom filling in for Bakhtiari.
Wide receiver Sammy Watkins will return from a knee injury as Aaron Rodgers desperately searches for targets he can trust.
Holger Rune surprised top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas with a straight-sets victory in Sunday's Stockholm Open final to land his second ATP title.
Still just 19, Rune added to his maiden crown in Munich five months ago with a 6-4 6-4 triumph over world number five Tsitsipas in a match lasting 95 minutes.
Tsitsipas, who was seeking a 10th ATP title and a third this season, had not dropped a set in his previous three matches en route to the final.
However, he was broken in the third game of both sets against Rune, who is the second teenager after Carlos Alcaraz to win multiple ATP titles in 2022.
Rune fired 20 winners and saved the only break point he faced – that coming in the sixth game of the second set – on his way to becoming the first Danish champion in this event.
"It was an unbelievable match from my side," Rune said in his on-court interview. "I knew it was going to be difficult, but I just tried to stick to the game plan.
"I had to play my best tennis today, and it was good that I could find the level. I am super happy. It was very close to perfection.
"I was making a lot of returns and playing pretty well behind my serve. Stefanos is an amazing player, who always makes it difficult. It was a super fun match to play."
Felix Auger-Aliassime clinched the European Open title by beating Sebastian Korda in straight sets in Antwerp, replicating last week's Firenze Open triumph to maintain his strong run of form.
Auger-Aliassime swept aside J. J. Wolf to emerge victorious in Italy a week ago, and was in control from the start on Sunday as he beat another American to win his third ATP title of the year.
The Canadian seized the initiative when he broke Korda's serve to go 4-2 up in the opener, before saving two break points early in the second set.
Korda failed to conjure up another opportunity to break as Auger-Aliassime wrapped up a routine 6-3 6-4 win by holding to love.
Auger-Aliassime has responded brilliantly to his first-round exit at the Astana Open earlier this month, winning eight consecutive matches – six of them in straight sets.
Meanwhile, the 22-year-old has now won three of his past four ATP Tour finals, failing to drop a set in any of those victories after losing each of his first eight final appearances.
Auger-Aliassime's victory also represented a major boost to his hopes of reaching next month's ATP Finals in Turin, strengthening his grip on the final qualification spot for the tournament.
Tyson Fury's co-promoter Bob Arum has revealed talks over a heavyweight unification fight with Oleksandr Usyk will begin next week.
Usyk claimed the WBA Super, IBF, WBO, IBO and The Ring heavyweight belts by beating Anthony Joshua in London last year, before retaining them in August's rematch in Saudi Arabia.
The Ukrainian's second win over Joshua led to speculation he would face WBC heavyweight champion Fury in a unification bout, but he quickly ruled making out a return to the ring in 2022.
Fury will face Derek Chisora for a third time in December, but all the signs point to him meeting Usyk next year.
Arum – who promotes Fury alongside Frank Warren – told Sky Sports he would meet with Usyk and his manager Egis Klimas to discuss the bout in the coming days.
"I'll be having dinner with them without any question, probably on the Thursday night [October 27]," Arum said.
"I'll have a very long discussion with them about what their plans are and when it could be in their best interests to get the fight on.
"I know from previous conversations with both of them that they want that fight against Tyson Fury."
Fury has won 32 of his 33 professional fights, with a draw against Deontay Wilder in 2018 the only blot on his record, but Arum feels Usyk would provide the Gypsy King with a serious test.
"If there's anybody around who really has a good, good chance with Tyson Fury, it's Oleksandr Usyk," Arum added.
Meanwhile, Arum also believes Fury's meeting with Chisora will serve as perfect preparation for facing Usyk, who was taken the distance by the 38-year-old in October 2020.
"Chisora wasn't selected by Frank Warren and myself for Tyson just out of the blue," Arum said.
"Yes, Chisora lost twice early on to Tyson, but remember his fight with Usyk where he gave Usyk life and death. A lot thought that he might have eked out a victory.
"If you're getting ready to fight Usyk, fight a guy who went in with him and carried him into deep waters.
"Chisora is not just a walkover. Chisora has demonstrated tremendous punching power and if you lose concentration and he hits you in the right place on the chin, it's dangerous."
Simona Halep's former coach Darren Cahill has jumped to the Romanian's defence after the former Wimbledon and French Open champion failed a drug test.
Cahill said Halep's "integrity is faultless" and insisted there was "no chance" she would have deliberately or wittingly taken a banned substance.
It was made public on Friday that 31-year-old Halep tested positive for roxadustat while competing at the US Open in August.
Halep, who has been provisionally suspended, said she felt "confused and betrayed" by the news. She has not explained why, or by whom, she senses a betrayal.
She now risks a ban from tennis and faces a battle to clear her name, which she has said she is determined to achieve.
Cahill was Halep's coach when she landed her first grand slam title at Roland Garros in 2018, and he pointed to his experience of an athlete who was meticulous about checking anything she ingested.
He wrote in a statement posted on Instagram: "Firstly, and most importantly, there is NO chance Simona knowingly or purposely took any substance on the banned list. None. Zero.
"She is an athlete that stressed about anything prescribed to her by a medical professional [which was rarely], or about any supplement that she used or considered. Simona wore out the words 'please double check this, triple check this to make sure it’s legal, safe and permitted. If you are not sure, I'm not taking it.'"
Australian Cahill has also worked with players including Lleyton Hewitt, Ana Ivanovic, Andy Murray and Andre Agassi. He rates Halep as a player and person of the highest order.
When they stopped working together in September 2021, Halep thanked Cahill "for making me a better tennis player and a better person".
Cahill wrote on Sunday: "Simona's integrity is faultless, she respects her peers, she loves the game and she always has her feet firmly planted on the ground as a humble, approachable champion.
"Honesty has always been her greatest strength and her biggest weakness. We would often laugh about the fact that she can't act and can't tell a little white lie.
"She wears her mood on her shoulder for the world to see, for good and for bad. That is Simo. What you see is what you get. She built an amazing career and legacy by doing things the hard way. The right way.
"Due process will now follow to reveal answers to many questions. As Simona said, the hardest match of her life starts now. I believe in her. I always have and can honestly say never more than right now on this particular issue. I stand with Simo."
Francesco Bagnaia reflected on "the best-ever start to a race in my life" after he roared from ninth on the grid to victory in the Malaysian Grand Prix.
The Ducati rider moved 23 points clear at the MotoGP title race summit with just one race to go, meaning he needs to only finish 14th to claim the championship next month in Valencia.
The Italian looked to have a fight on his hands to figure in the fight for the podium, though with rival Fabio Quartararo starting in 12th, both appeared to be out of the running before the lights went out in Sepang.
But a superb move down the inside of the first corner lifted Bagnaia to second, before race leader Jorge Martin's crash effectively helped hand him a major win - one that he could not contain his delight with afterwards.
"I want to say I had the best-ever start to a race in my life," he stated. "It was perfect. Following Jorge was a bit too much for the rear tyre and I was starting to stress.
"But then he crashed, unfortunately, and we did a really good job in terms of the championship. We can be very happy."
Quartararo, who finished third behind Enea Bastianini after also coming through the pack, raced with a fractured finger on his left hand, but still feels he has a chance of an upset in a fortnight in the final race of the season.
"The start was the key point, the first lap," he added. "We changed the strategy a little bit compared to Australia, where we wanted to keep the tyre fresh for the end.
"Even if now we are super far away [in the standings], I'm not giving up, and I want to finish in a good way in Valencia."
Paul George said he turned his "aggression up" after becoming frustrated with a lack of fouls being called, leading to him scoring 40 points as the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Sacramento Kings on Saturday.
George also recorded six rebounds and six assists, with the Clippers edging a tight contest 111-109 at Golden 1 Center.
The recently returned Kawhi Leonard was rested by coach Ty Lue, putting more emphasis on George to step up.
The 32-year-old only managed four points in the first quarter, but after feeling he was being fouled and was then called for a technical foul for his complaints, George used the lit fire to punish the Kings on the scoreboard, scoring a further 36 in the final three quarters.
"I knew I had to be aggressive from the jump already," George said after the win. "If anything, it [was] just after being angry about that. It definitely turned my aggression up.
"The [Kings] players were holding on to me. I was trying to make my case that, 'what do you want me to do? Their hands are on me', and I was trying to get their hands off me."
George shot 16 from 31 field-goal attempts, and three from 10 from beyond the arc.
Lue explained after the game that his player does not need to feel like he is number two behind Leonard for the Clippers, and George embraced whatever his role needs to be.
"For me, I just pride myself on being that guy that enjoys doing everything," George said. "I enjoy being that glue guy, and whatever the team or whatever that game needs of me, I'm going to do.
"I just didn't want nothing going into this year where people are saying this and saying that. If I'm the two, I'm fine being the two.
"But I know what I'm capable of. I know I'm able to be a number one option on nights and a number one option on possessions. I'm very aware and very confident in my ability... I'm going to go out and do my job regardless."
Max Verstappen led tributes to late Red Bull co-owner Dietrich Mateschitz following his death at the age of 78 on the eve of the United States Grand Prix this weekend.
The Austrian, who co-founded the energy drink company and helped form its Formula One team in the mid-2000s, was confirmed to have passed away shortly before qualifying in Austin on Saturday.
Mateschitz, a sports fanatic whose company also purchased football clubs around the globe, helped establish their motorsport division as one of the leaders within F1.
Verstappen, who claimed a second successive drivers' championship this season and Red Bull's sixth in all, qualified second behind Ferrari's Carlos Sainz following the news, and paid his respects to Mateschitz.
"It has been hard news, I think, for everyone," he said. "What he meant [to] Red Bull, but also [for] the sport, and especially what he has done for me in terms of my career so far and my life, it is really tough.
"It has been a very tough day. Unfortunately, we missed out by a little [in qualifying] but there is still a race ahead and hopefully, we will make him proud."
Mercedes principal Toto Wolff - who began his own racing career with Red Bull - also paid tribute to Mateschitz.
"I was in a car that was sponsored by Red Bull, but I was proud to wear those colours as a junior driver or a GT driver back in the day," he added
"Being a Red Bull driver was something prestigious, and I was proud wearing the overalls and the team kit.
"What he has done in Austria for football, for ice-hockey, the racing programme - it's incredible. It's probably the biggest contribution in F1 of any single individual."
Lewis Hamilton is praying Mercedes can cling on to the coattails of Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen at the United States Grand Prix.
Hamilton will start third with Silver Arrows team-mate George Russell fourth after they were both promoted up the grid due to penalties for Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez.
The pair had originally qualified fifth and sixth, each over half a second adrift of Ferrari pole-sitter Sainz.
While Hamilton does believe the Mercedes has better race pace compared to qualifying, he feels it is unlikely it will be enough for them to stay in touch with Sainz and the Red Bull of world champion Verstappen.
"I’m praying it's going to be better tomorrow [Sunday]," Hamilton said.
"I'm really just hopeful that… If we can hold onto the guys [ahead], at least keep them in [viewing] distance, that would be awesome, because then strategy can come into play. But I think they're too quick."
Russell appeared to offer a more optimistic assessment, envisioning plenty of chances for Mercedes to improve on their performance in qualifying.
"It's sort of rare that as a driver you go into the weekend more excited about the race than qualifying, because qualifying is where the car is alive and you're going [at your] fastest," added Russell.
"But [I'm] definitely really excited, because I think there's going to be a lot of opportunities, lots of pit stops and a lot of unknowns – that's good news for us."
Bryce Harper believes the Philadelphia Phillies have a team built for the postseason, but insisted their job is far from over after moving one win away from the World Series.
The Phillies took a 3-1 lead over the San Diego Padres in the National League Championship Series by coming from 4-0 down to claim a 10-6 win in Game 4 on Saturday at Citizens Bank Park.
Philadelphia will have the chance to finish the job on Sunday in Game 5, with Harper in position to realise the ambition he had when he left the Washington Nationals for the Phillies in a blockbuster move in 2019.
"Anywhere you sign, you want the opportunity to get into the postseason, play late into October," Harper said when asked what his expectations were upon his arrival in 2019.
"I said it in my first Spring Training. It's going to take us a couple years to get there, right? It's going to take us a couple years to build this thing. It's going to take a couple years to understand what our identity is and who we are and what we can do.
"I believe our team is built for October, I really do. I think we have three starters that are really, really good, and I think we have a great bullpen.
"Eighth and ninth inning, those two guys down there can go two innings plus for us. Just our lineup one through nine.
"I think our young guys have been really good for us this year. They stepped up, and our veterans as well."
"This is what we play for. This is what you work for each offseason and going into Spring Training, this is what you want to do."
What a win, boys pic.twitter.com/SeBAc7iMoP
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 23, 2022The Phillies will face a tough test on Sunday against Padres ace Yu Darvish, who allowed only three hits over seven innings in Game 1, though the two homers he surrendered proved decisive in a 2-0 defeat for San Diego.
"I think we're all just excited for the opportunity. I know I keep saying kind of the same thing, but we're all just so grateful for the opportunity to be here," added Harper.
"I don't think any of us are in shock, but to stand here and say that we're grateful and understand that this opportunity is huge. We're one of the last teams playing right now, and it's really cool to see that.
"When you look at the scoreboard and you see two more, and you look at the scoreboard and nobody's playing that day, just you, you're grateful for the opportunity to be here.
"I think all of us, or myself, I wake up, and I'm just excited. I'm excited, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to come to the ballpark each day. I'm grateful for these fans, them showing out for us and how cool it is, how much fun it is.
"The job's not done. We have a lot ahead of us. We have a really tough matchup tomorrow with Yu. We're excited for that matchup. We're excited for the opportunity, and just ready to get back tomorrow ready to go."
Jayson Tatum did not play down his NBA MVP ambitions after delivering a standout performance to guide the Boston Celtics to a 126-120 victory over the Orlando Magic on Saturday.
The 24-year-old posted 40 points and eight rebounds in a magnificent solo turn, with a late 12-point combination with Derrick White in the fourth quarter helping his team over the line.
Such rich early term form, to take the Celtics to 3-0 through their first three games of the season following wins over the Philadelphia 76ers and the Miami Heat, has already stoked talk of solo accolades for Tatum.
Speaking afterwards, the small forward was quick to caution that the season remains in its infant stages, but acknowledged such an honour is part of why he plays the game.
"I mean, it's early but [the MVP] has always been a goal of mine," he stated. "When I was a kid, getting into the NBA wasn't all I wanted to do.
"I wanted to be a champion, reach all those accolades and accomplishments, and MVP is obviously at the top of that list."
Joel Embiid says he must "play better" despite an excellent solo performance in the Philadelphia 76ers' 114-105 loss to the San Antonio Spurs at home on Saturday.
The 28-year-old posted 40 points and 13 rebounds in a superb individual performance but his efforts were in vain as the Sixers slipped to a third successive loss to start the campaign.
With a talented squad expected pre-season to be among the league's strongest this term, a 0-3 return so far has been a shock to the system for the 76ers.
Embiid, who has been struggling with a foot issue following a plantar fasciitis injury sustained before the team's lead-in training camp, says he is still heading back to full fitness, but stresses he can do more in spite of that.
"Obviously, I'm not playing at my best," he stated. "We're not winning. Tonight was a start, but we got to find ways to win, so I need to play better.
"I'm still trying to work my way back. Coming into training camp, I hadn't done anything in like two months.
"So, it really slowed me down, but [I'm] still trying to work my way back. Hopefully, everything goes back to normal."
The Sixers will hope to dodge an 0-4 record when they welcome the Indiana Pacers to face them on Monday.
Francesco Bagnaia triumphed in a hard-fought Malaysian Grand Prix as Fabio Quartararo ensured the MotoGP world championship would go down to the wire by finishing third on Sunday.
Ducati rider Bagnaia, who only moved ahead of his Yamaha rival last week, needed to outscore Quartararo by 11 points to secure the riders' title.
But Frenchman Quartararo recovered from 12th on the grid to make sure the title would still be undecided heading into the final race of the season for only the fifth time in the MotoGP era.
Still, with a 23-point gap in the standings Bagnaia is in a mightily strong position heading to Valencia in a fortnight.
Bagnaia himself had to fight his way through the grid having started ninth and was involved in a taut tussle for the win with fellow Italian Enea Bastianini at the top of the pack.
The pair took advantage of original race leader Jorge Martin crashing out on the seventh lap, following a blistering pole on Saturday, and exchanged the lead multiple times throughout their close-fought battle.
Bagnaia was boosted by a sensational start that saw him split Martin and Bastianini to move immediately into second on the first corner.
From there, he looked in comfortable command and when Martin took a tumble the lead opened up in front of him.
Bastianini refused to go quietly on his heels, however, taking the lead on the 11th lap around Turn 4, only for Bagnaia to wrestle back control three laps later, where he held on for an emphatic finish.
Last week's race winner Alex Rins came home in fifth, while Mooney VR46's Marco Bezzecchi's fourth-place finish put a third Italian into the top four in Sepang.
TOP 10
1. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) 40:14:332
2. Enea Bastianini (Gresini) +0.270
3. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) +2.773
4. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46) +5.446
5. Alex Rins (Suzuki Ecstar) +11.923
6. Jack Miller (Ducati) +13.472
7. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) +14.304
8. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) +16.805
9. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) +18.358
10. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) +21.591
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Riders
1. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) 258
2. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) 235
3. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) 212
4. Enea Bastianini (Gresini) 211
5. Jack Miller (Ducati) 189
Teams
1. Ducati 447
2. Aprilia Racing 334
3. Red Bull KTM 306
4. Pramac Racing 302
5. Monster Energy Yamaha 271
Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls ended the Americas Netball World Cup Qualifiers with a perfect record, following a 69-47 victory over previously unbeaten Trinidad and Tobago, at the National Indoor Sports Centre on Saturday.
Both teams had already secured their spot in next year’s tournament but ended the tournament with a lively affair. The inexperienced Jamaica squad, led by star goal shooter and captain Jhaniele Fowler, still had enough firepower to dominate.
Led by Fowler’s overall 56 from 60, the Jamaicans led from start to finish, pulling out to a 21-11 lead in the first quarter and never really looking back. Despite losing the encounter, Trinidad and Tobago captain Shaquanda Greene-Noel was proud of the team’s performance.
“I’m very proud of the work the girls put in today. We know it’s a battle going up against the number three team in the world but we said to ourselves ‘this is the start of our World Cup campaign’ and I think you learn more from a loss than a win,” Greene-Noel said following the encounter.
In the days other matches, Barbados secured their spot at Netball World Cup with a dominant 68-29 win over Antigua and Barbuda. St Vincent and the Grenadines also secured a victory after beating Grenada 69-50 earlier in the day.
World number five Jessica Pegula clinched a berth in her second WTA final of the year with a straight-sets victory over Victoria Azarenka at the Guadalajara Open on a rainy Saturday.
Pegula defeated the former world number one Belarussian 7-6 (7-3) 6-1 in one hour and 29 minutes, having fought back from a 4-1 first-set deficit.
The American will need to wait until Sunday to learn her opponent, with rain forcing Maria Sakkari and Marie Bouzkova's semi-final to be suspended and eventually postponed with the Greek leading 7-5.
Pegula's triumph was her 40th win of the season, becoming the 10th American woman to achieve that feat.
The victory also made it four successive Grand Slam winners that Pegula has overcome to reach the final in Guadalajara, knocking off Sloane Stephens, Bianca Andreescu and Elena Rybakina along with Azarenka.
Pegula converted three of eight break points, while Azarenka took her only break point of the match to help her open up the 4-1 first-set lead.
The American proved better on her second serve, while she managed to win 15 of 26 points on Azarenka's second serve.
Sakkari and Bouzkova's semi-final will resume at 1pm local time on Sunday, with the fourth seed leading 7-5 after an epic first set that lasted 84 minutes.
The Greek showed off her grit after fluffing an early 3-1 lead by taking her eighth set point, winning a 22-shot rally - the longest of the first set - to break Bouzkova in the 12th game.
The final is due to commence no earlier than 6pm local time on Sunday, meaning it will be a physical test for the victor.
Joel Embiid scored 40 points but it was not enough to prevent the Philadelphia 76ers from slumping to a 0-3 start to the new NBA season after a 114-105 home loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.
James Harden had minimal impact in the second half as Spurs small forward Doug McDermott took control with an eight-point burst, capping his 14 points, which all came in the second half.
The 76ers, who had been beaten by contenders, the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks, to open their season, squandered Embiid's huge game where he shot 14-of-25 from the field and hauled down 13 rebounds with two blocks.
Harden only added 12 points on four-of-18 shooting, making one-of-six three-point attempts. The former MVP provided 12 assists with nine rebounds and two blocks, but was inconspicuous in the second half with the game up for grabs, with the Spurs defense denying him good looks.
Tyrese Maxey contributed 25 points for the 76ers, including three triples, but Philadelphia slumped to their first 0-3 start since 2016-17.
Devin Vassell (22 points with nine-of-14 field shooting, including four three-pointers) and Keldon Johnson (21 points with eight rebounds) were San Antonio's most productive offensive players.
Mitchell betters LeBron start for Cavs
Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points as he claimed his first win as a Cleveland Cavaliers player in their 128-96 victory over the Chicago Bulls in their home season opener.
Mitchell achieved a feat that not even LeBron James could, becoming the first Cavs player with back-to-back 30-point games to open a season.
The All-Star, who made a high-profile trade from the Utah Jazz to the Cavs in the off-season, landed four-of-six from beyond the arc with nine rebounds and eight assists.
Zach LaVine returned after off-season knee surgery that forced him to miss Chicago's opening two games to top score for the Bulls with 23 points.
Giannis powers Bucks past Rockets
Giannis Antetokounmpo only needed 28 minutes to put on an MVP-like display as the Milwaukee Bucks routed the Houston Rockets 125-105 in their home opener at Fiserv Forum.
Antetokounmpo scored 44 points, shooting 17-of-21 from the field with two three-pointers, along with 12 rebounds and three assists.
The Greek forward became Milwaukee's all-time free throws leader, shooting eight-of-13 from the stripe to exceed Sidney Moncrief's 3,505 record, before sitting out with 8:08 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Jayson Tatum also scored 40 points to lead the 3-0 Boston Celtics past the 0-3 Orlando Magic 126-120, while Paul George had 40 in the Los Angeles Clippers' 111-109 win over the Sacramento Kings.
The Philadelphia Phillies are one win away from the World Series after tying a franchise record for their largest comeback in postseason history with a 10-6 Game 4 win over the San Diego Padres in the NLCS on Saturday.
The Padres raced ahead 4-0 in the first inning, but the Phillies responded to square the game by the fourth inning, before pulling away thanks to four home runs at Citizens Bank Park to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Rhys Hoskins played a key role in the comeback, blasting two two-run homers, the second tying the game up at 6-6 in the fifth inning, before a go-ahead single from Bryce Harper, who went two-for-four with two RBIs.
Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto both launched solo home runs in the sixth and seventh innings to add insurance.
The Padres were two out in the first inning before Manny Machado led their early charge with a solo blast followed by Brandon Drury's two-run double and Kim Ha-seong's RBI.
Hoskins commenced an immediate response with his third home run of the postseason, before Harper's RBI cut the margin to one after the first inning.
Phillies shortstop Bryson Stott's base hit to left squared it up at 4-4 in the fourth inning before Juan Soto launched his first postseason homer, a two-run shot, to open up a 6-4 Padres' lead.
Hoskins blasted Sean Manaea over left-center field to tie it up, before Harper drove Realmuto home to take the lead.
The Phillies host the Padres again on Sunday, knowing only 14 of 91 teams have overcome a 3-1 deficit in a League Championship Series or a World Series to win.
Astros open up 3-0 lead with Yankees domination
The Houston Astros are also on the brink of clinching their fourth World Series berth in six seasons after a dominant 5-0 victory over the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.
The Astros' pitching staff did the damage, with starter Cristian Javier allowing only one hit with five strikeouts across five-and-one-third innings. Javier had led the Astros' combined no-hitter at Yankee Stadium earlier this season in June.
The victory improved the Astros' postseason record to 6-0, having swept the Seattle Mariners in the ALDS, while it was their second shutout of the postseason too.
Chas McCormick blasted a two-run homer in the second inning after Harrison Bader and Aaron Judge's outfield mix-up allowed Christian Vazquez on base from a sky-high pop-out with two out.
The Astros loaded the bases in the fifth inning, leading to Gerrit Cole's removal despite seven K's, before Trey Mancini's sacrifice fly and Vazquez's two-run single from reliever Lou Trivino to capitalise.
Astros catcher Vazquez's brilliant game included a spectacular throw to second base to out Bader when trying to steal with the game poised at 2-0 at the top of the fifth inning.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
