With just five weeks until the open of the NFL season, the Carolina Panthers still do not know who their starting quarterback will be.
After both Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield took part in Saturday's scrimmage, head coach Matt Rhule said that the team will wait at least two more weeks before naming a starter.
Rhule pointed to the team’s joint practices and August 19 pre-season game with the New England Patriots as the next evaluation point.
"I'm not putting a timetable on the quarterback position until after we get back from the Patriots week," Rhule said Saturday. "The Patriots week is a true litmus test for us. That will really show us where guys are."
Neither Darnold—Carolina’s 2021 opening-starter—nor the freshly acquired Mayfield has yet to emerge as the favorite, and Rhule gave both players mixed reviews after the weekend scrimmage.
"The disappointing thing is each guy had an interception," Rhule said. "We’ve got to protect the football."
The Panthers open their regular season on Sept. 11 by hosting the Cleveland Browns, Mayfield’s former club.
The two signal-callers will be forever linked as the top two quarterbacks taken in the 2018 draft, with Mayfield going first overall and Darnold being chosen third.
Darnold spent three seasons with the New York Jets before being traded to the Panthers for draft picks last April. He won his first three starts with Carolina last season before finishing 4-7 with nine touchdown passes and 13 interceptions.
Mayfield started 59 career games for the Browns, and his efficient play in 2020 helped lead Cleveland to its first playoff victory since the 1994 season.
Mayfield’s injury-marred 2021 campaign was a letdown, however, and the Browns chose to pursue DeShaun Watson in the trade market.
MotoGP championship contender Aleix Espargaro could miss Sunday's British Grand Prix after admitting his pain is "getting worse".
The Aprilia rider was thrown from his bike in the opening minutes of final practice and taken away by a stretcher, though fractures were fortunately later ruled out at the medical centre.
Espargaro returned to the track for qualifying, where he finished sixth and secured a starting spot two places behind championship leader Fabio Quartararo, but Aprilia admitted it may not be possible for him to race.
"Aleix's condition will be assessed in the coming hours because if the pain increases, he may not be able to participate in the race tomorrow," the team admitted.
Handre Pollard stepped up to the plate in the absence of Faf de Klerk to kick South Africa to an opening 26-10 win over New Zealand in the 2022 Rugby Championship.
The Springboks saw their scrum-half taken off on a stretcher inside two minutes at Mbombela Stadium after a head knock to leave them light of one of their key creative forces.
But fly-half partner Pollard unfurled a judiciously managed game plan amid a raggedly entertaining encounter that saw the world champions get their campaign off to a victorious start.
Jacques Nienaber was left to sweat on what could have been a tough evening when De Klerk was forced from the field after he collided with the knee of winger Caleb Clarke.
Despite the loss of their influential half-back, an energised Springboks side still struck first, with Kurt-Lee Arendse and Lukhanyo Am's one-two combination off a box kick earning a breakaway try for the former.
A penalty against the All Blacks for coming off their feet allowed Pollard to add three more from the tee at the quarter-game mark, before Beauden Barrett responded with a kick in kind five minutes before the break.
The need to establish some equilibrium pressed at New Zealand after the interval, but they were unable to snatch at the chances afforded them by an open encounter, and Pollard was on hand to convert another penalty less than a quarter-hour into the second half.
Seven minutes later, the fly-half slotted a field goal in the pocket to stretch the hosts' lead well into double digits, and another from the tee with eight minutes left seemingly wrapped things up for the Springboks.
There was to be an unfortunate late incident to mar matters, as Arendse was shown a red card for taking Barrett out in the air, with the former carried off after the collision and the latter managing to leave on his own two feet.
The man advantage allowed a late breakaway try for Shannon Frizell to cut the deficit to single digits, but it was ultimately too little too late for the All Blacks as Willie Le Roux nabbed a response following a loss of possession inside their own 22-area at the final hooter.
MotoGP championship leader Fabio Quartararo believes he has the pace to win at Silverstone but accepts his long-lap penalty brings uncertainty.
The Frenchman will start on the second row for Sunday's race, finishing in P4 behind Jack Miller, Maverick Vinales and pole sitter Johann Zarco, clocking in at 0.171 seconds behind the leader.
Quartararo's strong pace means he is well in the fight for round 12 of the season, but having been issued a penalty for colliding with Aleix Espargaro last time out in the Netherlands, he knows it could cost him a win that would extend his championship lead.
"Johann has really strong pace, I think he is the fastest. But I think our pace is to fight for the victory," he told Autosport.
"Okay, long-lap penalty, we don't know which position we will finish, but at least our pace is top."
Quartararo added that he could not have offered anything more during qualifying, stating he was at the "maximum", but was pleased with his lap time.
"Well, it is what it is. I mean, I made one of the best laps of qualifying this year, I feel I have nothing more. We want to put more power in sometimes, but we are already on the maximum," he said.
"I feel happy about my pace also in FP4. Okay, with the crash of Aleix and [Takaaki] Nakagami I could not finish the lap because of the yellow flag, but I think all of our laps was on [1m] 59 and this is something really positive.
"The track is much better than last year and our consistency as well is much better."
Quartararo currently leads Espargaro by 21 points in the standings.
The Green Bay Packers will be hoping that a hamstring injury sustained by Darnell Savage in practice on Friday does not prove too serious.
Savage, the Packers' starting safety heading into the 2022 season, suffered the injury to his right hamstring during one-on-one matchups between receivers and defensive backs at the team's traditional "family night" at Lambeau Field.
The 25-year-old was covering Amari Rodgers, but had to watch the rest of the session from the sideline.
A first-round draft pick three years ago, Savage also had ice wrapped around his leg.
However, he was confident it was only a minor issue.
"I don't think it's a concern," Savage said, as reported by ESPN.
"It's a fast-people injury. Some of those things you can't avoid. I'll just handle it the right way and listen to those guys back there and I'll be all right."
Kyle Shanahan praised the aggression of his San Francisco 49ers, but warned they must channel it appropriately after stopping practice earlier in the week due to fighting.
Tuesday's practice was reportedly halted by a scuffle between linebacker Fred Warner and receiver Brandon Aiyuk, with punches thrown.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Shanahan said he wanted to see his players push one another, metaphorically, but that it goes too far when they could potentially cause each other injuries.
"I want everyone challenging each other," Shanahan said. "I don't care how much crap each other talks; I don't care how close they get to fighting.
"They can do whatever they want to get themselves to be as intense as they want and bring the best out of each other, which happens a lot that way. And it's the same on the field.
"But once you throw a punch, you get ejected or you get a penalty... I want people to be irritants, I want people to get as close as they can to all that stuff. I want people to get right on the line where they're about to black out, but you can't black out on the football field or you cost your team."
The disagreement between Warner and Aiyuk reportedly erupted after the former hit receiver Marcus Johnson late, which put Johnson in concussion protocol.
"I love the intensity of it," Shanahan added. "I don't think you have to fight to be intense, though. Scuffles are scuffles but then they lead to other stuff.
"I think that's why we've got a guy in protocol, because he took an unnecessary shot on someone, which led to the big fight and then we had a bunch of haymakers and stuff thrown in there, which only break hands.
"I think our team is pretty tough. I think we're pretty physical. Most probably [we would be] voted the most physical team on tape last year, I think we'd win most of that, and we didn't get in one fight last year. So, I don't think that totally pertains to toughness."
Miguel Cabrera has clarified previous comments that began rumours of his retirement, saying: "No way am I going to quit."
Cabrera has had a difficult year with the Detroit Tigers, playing through knee pain in recent weeks and seeing his stats suffer as a result, with just three extra-base hits in his past 21 games.
The 39-year-old set tongues wagging on Thursday when he seemed to indicate his future was uncertain, telling reporters: "I don't think about next year. I'm thinking about trying to finish healthy this year."
However, speaking to The Detroit News, Cabrera made it clear he did not mean he was about to call it a day, insisting he intends to play through to the end of the 2023 season.
"I'm not going to retire," he said. "Not until after next year when my contract is done. They didn't understand what I said. No way am I going to quit."
Cabrera in April became only the seventh player in the history of the major leagues with at least 500 home runs and 3,000 hits, and will be owed $32million in 2023, the final fully guaranteed year of his contract.
"Next year is going to go way better," he added. "Next year I'm going to be right there."
Dave Rennie says captain Michael Hooper has shown "true courage" by withdrawing from Australia's Rugby Championship opener against Argentina.
The flanker opted against facing the Pumas at Estadio Malvinas Argentinas on Saturday, as he is not in the right frame of mind to play.
James Slipper will step in to lead the Wallabies in Mendonza, with Hooper heading home and Fraser McReight getting a late call to take the number seven shirt.
Australia head coach Rennie praised Hooper for making such a brave decision.
"Michael's one of the most professional and impressive men I've coached I know this has been a difficult decision for him," he said.
"He's shown true courage by acknowledging where he is at and acting on it.
"We will support him in any way we can and I know the team will be focused on getting the job done tomorrow."
Hooper said: "While this decision did not come easily I know it is the right one for me and the team at this point in time.
"My whole career I’ve looked to put the team first and I don't feel I am able to fulfil my responsibilities at the moment in my current mindset."
Rugby Australia CEO Andy Marinos says Hooper will be given all the support he needs.
He said: "Michael is an incredible leader, it takes a brave man to identify where he’s at and come forward whilst having the best interests of the team at heart.
"His wellbeing is and remains the highest priority right now where Rugby Australia and the Australian Rugby community will do everything to support him and his family."
Nick Kyrgios started his Friday by finishing off his third-round win against Reilly Opelka, and his business was not finished until after 1am local time when he defeated Frances Tiafoe 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (14-12) 6-2 in the quarter-final.
Due to length rain delays on Thursday, Kyrgios was one of five players forced to abandon their matches and return to finish them first thing on Friday, with Kyrgios and Russia's Andrey Rublev the only two to successfully navigate both.
Tiafoe defeated Botic van de Zandschulp 4-6 6-2 6-3 in the morning, but Kyrgios' ability to keep his service games short was a decisive factor, winning the ace count 35-14 and not conceding a single break all match.
Rublev had to deal with Maxime Cressy in the morning, winning 6-4 7-6 (10-8), setting up a quarter-final later at night against J.J. Wolf after the American defeated Holger Rune 7-5 4-6 6-3.
Rublev made his second match look far easier, cruising through 6-2 6-3 to earn a semi-final against Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka after he needed over three-and-a-half hours to beat Daniel Evans 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 7-5.
In an all-unseeded semi-final, Kyrgios will play Sweden's Mikael Ymer, who fought his way past Sebastian Korda 6-2 5-7 6-3 after the American beat Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov 4-6 6-1 6-2 earlier in the day.
Meanwhile, down in Mexico at the Los Cabos Open, Daniil Medvedev earned his spot in the final by defeating Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic 7-6 (7-0) 6-1.
Medvedev will play England's Cameron Norrie for the title after he prevailed in arguably the match of the tournament against top-10 talent Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4 3-6 6-3.
Despite being ranked fourth in the world, Paula Badosa came into her quarter-final showdown with the red-hot Coco Gauff as the underdog, but she played like a favourite en route to a 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 victory.
Usually one of her stronger weapons, Gauff's serve was a liability on Friday, with six double faults in the first set alone to drop the opening frame despite breaking Badosa twice.
In the second set, while Badosa was converting 92 per cent (11-of-12) of her accurate first serves into points, Gauff's figure was down at 53 per cent (eight-of-15) as the Spaniard's return game was at its best.
Badosa will meet seventh seed Daria Kasatkina in the semi-final after the Russian beat Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka 4-6 7-5 6-0. The longer the match went, the less effective Sabalenka became with her ability to return serve.
In the first set, which Sabalenka won, she was successful in 53 per cent (19-of-36) of the points against Kasatkina's serve, and that number plummeted to 14 per cent (two-of-14) in the decider.
Third seed and Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur was eliminated by ninth seed Veronika Kudermetova 7-6 (7-5) 6-2, and she will meet unseeded American Shelby Rogers in the second semi-final after she defeated Amanda Anisimova 6-4 6-4.
Meanwhile, in Washington at the Citi Open, Emma Raducanu felt the effects of her gruelling match 24 hours prior as she went down 7-6 (8-6) 6-1 to Liudmila Samsonova.
On Thursday, Raducanu played in the longest two-set match of the WTA season as she eventually made her way through two tiebreakers against Camila Osorio in two hours and 49 minutes, and she ran out of steam after another tough tie-break against Samsonova.
Samsonova will play China's Xiyu Wang in the semi-final after another upset, knocking out fourth seed Victoria Azarenka in convincing fashion 6-1 6-3.
Estonia's Kaia Kanepi booked her place in the second semi-final after a 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 6-3 win against Anna Kalinskaya, where she will meet Daria Saville after the Australian got the better of Canada's Rebecca Marino 6-1 7-5.
The Houston Astros received a big boost from new recruit Trey Mancini as he blasted a pair of home runs, punctuated by a grand slam, in his side's 9-3 away win against the Cleveland Guardians on Friday.
Mancini, who was acquired from the Baltimore Orioles this past week, has now hit a home run in each of his two starts for his new club. In doing so, he became the first player in the modern era to hit a home run in his first two starts for his first two teams, after also accomplishing the feat back when he began with the O's.
He struck first in the second inning, tying the game at 1-1 after Amed Rosario hit his own home run to begin the game for the Guardians, and Mancini's second home run of the game came with bases loaded in the third frame for the first grand slam of his career.
Arguably the best hitter in baseball this season Yordan Alvarez went two-for-five and notched his 73rd RBI for the season – the seventh most in the league – and his future Hall-of-Fame teammate Jose Altuve tallied one RBI from his three hits.
On the mound, Framber Valdez secured his 18th consecutive 'quality start' – defined by a pitcher going at least six innings while conceding three or fewer runs – finishing with three earned runs from seven hits and three walks in his six-and-a-third innings.
He now leads the league with 19 quality starts, and his streak of 18 consecutive is the longest since Jacob deGrom rattled off 26 in a row beginning in May 2018.
The win moves the Astros' record to 70-38 – one game behind the New York Yankees for the best record in the American League.
Yankees, Holmes blow late lead
The New York Yankees led nearly the entire game before eventually falling 4-3 to the St Louis Cardinals, courtesy of a blown save from All-Star reliever Clay Holmes.
Josh Donaldson drove in a pair of runs for the Yankees, while AL MVP favourite Aaron Judge collected two hits and came home to score twice, giving their side a 3-2 lead heading into the eighth inning.
Determined to take no risks, the Yankees brought in Holmes an inning early to try and get to the ninth inning with their lead still in tact, but it was not to be as Holmes conceded a walk and two hits, the second being a two-run double from Paul deJong to steal the lead.
Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley made no such mistakes, closing the door and collecting the save.
Gibson produces near-perfect start for the Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Kyle Gibson had a perfect game through six innings in his side's 7-2 win against the Washington Nationals.
Gibson retired the first 18 batters he faced, striking out three as he relied on strong fielding behind him to accumulate quick outs. His bid for a perfect game was eventually broken up by a hit-by-pitch to begin the seventh frame, and a single from the next batter ended the no-hitter.
He finished with one earned run from two hits and one walk in eight complete innings, while Kyle Schwarber hit his 34th home run of the season to help on the offensive side of the ball. Only Judge has more home runs this season than Schwarber.
A poor second round from John Huh opened the door at the Wyndham Championship, with Brandon Wu, Kim Joo-hyung and Ryan Moore capitalising to claim a share of the lead at nine under heading into the weekend.
Huh was two strokes clear after his opening round nine-under 61, but he was 10 shots worse on his second trip around Sedgefield Country Club, shooting a one-over 71 to sit one off the lead.
Of the three leaders, Kim had the best round with his 64, posting seven birdies and one bogey, with Moore shooting a 66, and Wu getting around in 67. All three posted top-five putting days according to Data Golf's strokes gained stats, with Kim leading the field (4.61 strokes gained), Moore third (3.31) and Wu fifth (3.06).
One stroke off the lead along with Huh is American Russell Henley and South Korea's Im Sung-jae, with India's Anirban Lahiri part of the next group at seven under.
Japan's Satoshi Kodaira and Australia's Brett Drewitt are in the group tied for 10th at six under, England's Tyrrell Hatton is at five under, and Sweden's Henrik Norlander rode the second-best putting performance of the day to reach the weekend at four under.
Will Zalatoris responded to a poor opening round with a 66 to sneak one stroke inside the cut-line, Adam Scott and Michael Gligic are right on the cut-line at two under, and pre-tournament favourites Shane Lowry and Corey Conners missed out by one stroke.
Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw has landed on the injured list, one day after he left his start at San Francisco with lower-back pain.
Kershaw, who missed a month earlier this season with inflammation in a pelvic joint, has spent time on the injured list for back-related issues in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020.
He walked off the mound after throwing a few warmup pitches before the bottom of the fifth inning in Thursday’s 5-3 win over the Giants.
"I just felt something kind of lock up there in the fifth and couldn’t really throw after that. Something in my back again," Kershaw said. "Just more back stuff."
The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner and nine-time All-Star is 7-3 with a 2.64 ERA in 15 starts with 88 strikeouts in 85 1/3 innings this season.
Chun In-gee heads into the weekend with the lead at the Women's Open after a super round of 66 propelled her to the top of the leaderboard ahead of Ashleigh Buhai and Madelene Sagstrom who finished day two seven under.
Hinako Shibuno had led overnight but struggled on day two, plummeting down the standings after carding a two-over 73, now one of three players to sit four under par in a tie for seventh.
Chun was out in front at eight under following her 66, even if Buhai was perhaps the star of the day.
Her 65 included an eagle at the fifth, and she could even have been better placed, sitting a stroke back after failing to putt from 10 feet at the 17th and then finishing with a bogey at the last.
Buhai was alongside Sagstrom, who also shot a six-under round after eight birdies.
Jessica Korda, second overnight, saw her charge stumble with four consecutive bogeys on the back nine that saw her finish three over for the day, now two under for the week.
The cut was set at three over, and Anna Nordqvist became the third consecutive defending Women's Open champion to miss the cut after finishing at four over.
World number one Ko Jin-young also departed at the halfway stage, failing to recover from her opening 76 with an even-par round on day two.
Cleveland Browns guard Wyatt Teller has discussed the uncertainty around quarterback Deshaun Watson, saying he and his team-mates "want to know what is going on and be done with it".
Watson was set to be issued a six-game suspension on Monday following a disciplinary hearing conducted by former US district judge Sue L. Robinson.
The NFL has since formally appealed that suspension in order to seek a harsher penalty for Watson, who had been facing 24 separate civil lawsuits filed by female massage therapists alleging sexual misconduct between 2020 and 2021 during his time with the Houston Texans.
Watson settled 20 of 24 lawsuits in June, with a further three settlements reported on Monday ahead of the hearing verdict.
He has not played since the 2020 season and was traded to the Browns in March, signing a fully guaranteed five-year $230million contract.
While the league appeals the decision, the Browns do not know if Watson will be their starting QB in Week 1, as any ban could be delayed.
Asked about how the developments were distracting from the team's preparations, Pro Bowler Teller told reporters: "It is only a distraction if you turn on the TV and you are listening to it and everything like that.
"It has been pretty quiet in my household at least, but I know that it is the talk of the town and there has to be something to talk about. Obviously, it is big, but we are focused so much on what we are doing.
"Obviously, we want to know what is going on and be done with it. I think that if any team was in that situation, that is what they would want."
As and when Watson does miss games, Jacoby Brissett will be the man to start under center for the Browns.
And Teller is confident the team can still have a productive offense led by the former Miami Dolphins QB, adding: "He is a talented quarterback, and I am excited to see what he has.
"He has been here the whole time. He is studying the playbook. He has been learning."
South Africa are favourites to inflict a third consecutive defeat on New Zealand for the first time since 1998 when they meet in a huge Rugby Championship battle on Saturday.
All Blacks head coach Ian Foster is under pressure after New Zealand lost a home series to Ireland for the first time last month.
A trip to face the world champions twice at the start of the Rugby Championship would appear to be make or break for Foster, who needs his side to step up in the first game of the tournament at Mbombela Stadium.
New Zealand won the title last year, but have lost their way just 13 months before the Rugby World Cup starts in France.
Meanwhile, Argentina do battle with Australia at Estadio Malvinas Argentinas on the opening day, with the Wallabies having been so short of success away from home as Michael Cheika looks to mastermind a victory over his former team.
Stats Perform preview the Tests in Nelspruit and Mendoza with the use of Opta facts.
SOUTH AFRICA V NEW ZEALAND
FORM
South Africa start the Rugby Championship on the back of a 2-1 series win over Wales and have been victorious in six of their past seven Tests on home soil, conceding 20 points or more in just one of those matches.
It is just one win in five Tests for the out-of-sorts All Blacks, who last lost three in a row 24 years ago. They were beaten in five consecutive matches from July to August 1998, with the Springboks winning two of those contests.
New Zealand have a strong record in South Africa, though, having won their past four away Tests against the Springboks.
ONES TO WATCH
Damian Willemse caught the eye against Wales, ranking in the top five for both metres gained (190m – third) and line breaks (three – joint-fourth) among players from Tier One nations in the July Tests. The All Blacks will have to prevent the in-form full-back from doing further damage.
Number eight Ardie Savea is among the senior figures who Foster will be counting on to have a big influence. Savea was the only player to score three tries versus a Tier One nation last month, striving in vain to prevent Ireland from making history.
ARGENTINA V AUSTRALIA
FORM
Argentina have a spring in their step after a 2-1 series victory over Scotland and have their sights on back-to-back wins for the first time since November 2020 as Cheika finds himself in the strange position of plotting Australia's downfall.
The Wallabies are smarting from a series loss to England on home soil and have won only one of their past nine Tests outside of Australia – versus Japan last October.
Australia have become accustomed to getting the better of the Pumas, though, winning four and drawing two of the previous six encounters. Six of the past seven Tests between the two nations in Argentina have gone the way of the touring side.
ONES TO WATCH
Argentina's dramatic series win over Scotland came courtesy of a last-gasp try from Emiliano Boffelli, who also scored 14 points with the boot and provided an assist.
Quade Cooper returns from injury to start at fly-half for Australia. Wallabies head coach Dave Rennie will expect the number 10 and scrum-half Nic White to dictate the tempo.
Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the Canadian Open as the Spaniard has not fully recovered from an abdominal tear.
Nadal's bid to complete a rare clean sweep of the grand slams ended when he suffered an injury setback at Wimbledon last month.
The 22-time major champion pulled out ahead of a semi-final against Nick Kyrgios, who received a walkover and lost to Novak Djokovic in the championship match.
Nadal was due to return in Montreal next week, but on Friday revealed he will not travel to Canada to play in a tournament he has won five times.
The world number three wrote on Twitter: "From the vacation days and my subsequent return to training, everything has gone well these weeks. Four days ago I also started training the service and yesterday after training, I had a little discomfort that was still there today.
"We have decided not to travel to Montreal and continue with the training sessions without forcing ourselves. I sincerely thank the tournament director, Eugene [Lapierre], and his entire team for the understanding and support they have always shown me and today was no exception.
"I hope to play again in Montreal, a tournament that I love and that I have won five times in front of an audience that has always welcomed me with great affection.
"I have no choice but to be prudent at this point and think about health."
Nadal's withdrawal comes just over three weeks before the US Open gets under way at Flushing Meadows.
Djokovic has also withdrawn from the Montreal event, having been ineligible to enter Canada due to being unvaccinated against the COVID-19 virus.
Daniil Medvedev showed on Thursday why he is the top overall seed at the Los Cabos Open, comfortably handling the challenge of Ricardas Berankis in a 6-2 6-2 win.
The world number one gave Berankis no avenues into the match, winning 48 per cent (27-of-56) of his total return points, while also converting 88 per cent (21-of-24) of his own successful first serves into points.
Medvedev will meet Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic in the semi-final after he pulled off an impressive 6-2 6-4 victory against American Brandon Nakashima.
Kecmanovic's ability to serve his way out of trouble was the deciding factor, saving four of five break-point opportunities, while Nakashima could only save six out of 10.
Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime booked his spot in the second semi-final after defeating America's Steve Johnson 6-4 7-6 (7-3).
The 22-year-old winner – who now sits ninth in the world rankings – served up 17 aces in the contest, while Johnson, who is usually known for his serve, could only muster four.
Cameron Norrie was a straights-sets winner over Radu Albot, although he needed a second-set tie-break to get the job done in a 6-3 7-6 (7-4) triumph.
Meanwhile, Norrie's British compatriot Daniel Evans won a war of attrition against American Taylor Fritz at the Washington Open, pulling ahead 3-6 7-6 (8-6) 4-1 before the heavy favourite retired due to the oppressive conditions.
With rising temperatures, combined with spots of rain, the humidity threatened to claim a number of scalps as multiple players in Thursday's action took extended medical timeouts, before a serious downpour halted the rest of play.
The only other matches to reach their conclusion were Yoshihito Nishioka's 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-1) win against Karen Khachanov, and a 6-3 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 triumph for Sweden's Mikael Ymer against Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori.
When play resumes, Nick Kyrgios will look to finish off Reilly Opelka after reaching the rain with a 7-6 (7-1) 2-1 lead, and Grigor Dimitrov won his first set 6-4 against Sebastian Korda.
Botic van de Zandschulp was the beneficiary of the break against Frances Tiafoe, winning the first set 6-4 before slowing down in a big way to drop the second 6-2, but he will get a chance to recharge his batteries before the decider.
Coco Gauff was too sharp with her return game for Naomi Osaka in the second round of the Silicon Valley Classic on Thursday, coming away with a 6-4 6-4 win.
Gauff – the world number 11 and tournament's sixth seed – created 12 break point opportunities in the match, while only allowing one for Osaka, despite eight double-faults.
Ultimately, Gauff won 41 per cent (29-of-71) of the points off Osaka's serve, while converting 85 per cent (28-of-33) of her successful first serves into points.
Earlier in the day in a major upset, top seed Maria Sakkari was eliminated in straight sets 6-1 6-3 by American Shelby Rogers.
The world number three struggled with her serve throughout, landing only 45 per cent of her first serves, and winning just 52 per cent (12-of-23) of those points.
World number six Aryna Sabalenka needed three sets to defeat unseeded American Carolina Dolehide 5-7 6-1 7-5, and Russia's Veronika Kudermetova had less trouble dispatching Claire Liu 6-2 7-5 to set up an exciting match with Ons Jabeur in the quarter-final.
Meanwhile, in Washington at the Citi Open, Emma Raducanu played in the longest two-set match of the WTA season, defeating Camila Osorio 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-4) in two hours and 49 minutes.
Both women created at least a dozen break point opportunities, with four total breaks each as the young British star battled blisters on her hands.
Raducanu will play Liudmila Samsonova after the Russian eliminated Australia's Ajla Tomljanovich 4-6 6-3 6-2.
In the last match of the day, China's Xiyu Wang got the better of Croatia's Donna Vekic 4-6 7-5 6-1, and she will meet the winner between Tereza Martincova and Victoria Azarenka in the quarter-final.
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