Former US Open champion Marin Cilic has made history with his Hangzhou Open triumph, becoming the lowest-ranked player to win an ATP Tour title.
Ranked 777th at the start of the tournament, Cilic, who was given a wildcard to play in Hangzhou, beat home favourite Zhang Zhizhen 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-5) to lift the trophy on Tuesday.
The Croatian has struggled with a recurring knee injury over the last two years, limiting him to just two appearances in 2023 and four earlier this year.
Cilic, a former world number three, had not won on the ATP Tour for 22 months before this week but dropped just two sets on his way to clinching the title.
"Everybody at home has been with me in this difficult period, working day by day, believing and pushing me, giving me strength and spirit," Cilic said.
"I'm happy to make this victory, not just for me, but for them. For everyone, there is a small piece of this trophy."
It is the 21st title of Cilic's career, and he will rise 404 places in the rankings to 373rd next week.
“Unleash Your Power: Where Mental Strength Meets Physical Excellence,” is the theme of the third staging of the Mayberry, JOA Jamaica Bodybuilding and Fitness Association (JABBFA) National Bodybuilding Championships.
This year’s event is set for Saturday, September 28 at the AC Hotel in Kingston.
“We are excited at JABBFA to showcase Jamaica’s premier bodybuilding event where the country’s top athletes will compete for the prestigious titles of Mr. and Ms. Jamaica,” said Vice President of JABBFA, Kirk Frankson at the launch of the event held at the Jamaica Olympic Association on Tuesday morning.
“This competition marks a pivotal moment in our season of bodybuilding as we continue to celebrate not only physical excellence but also the discipline, commitment and mental strength that our sport cultivates. It is a platform where our athletes don’t just showcase their physical prowess, but also their mental resilience and dedication to drive them to become the best version of themselves,” he added.
Mayberry Investments Limited will serve as main sponsors for the championships for the third year in a row.
“Today marks a significant moment for bodybuilding and fitness Jamaica as we kick off another year of showcasing the incredible talent, dedication and discipline of our athletes,” said Stephanie Harrison, VP-Marketing at Mayberry Investments Limited.
“We are very happy and elated to have accommodated this third staging and we believe in the potential of our athletes and it’s a testament to the growing importance of fitness and wellness in Jamaica,” she added.
The competition will feature 56 athletes competing in a diverse range of categories: Men’s Physique, Bodybuilding, Bikini Fitness, Body Fitness and Women’s Physique.
The Men’s Physique category will be broken down into three smaller categories: Short, Tall and Muscular while the Bodybuilding category will be broken down into two: Open and Classic.
Bikini Fitness, similar to Men’s Physique, will see three sub-categories: Short, Tall and Wellness.
There are 23 competitors registered for the Men’s Physique category with Bodybuilding, Bikini Fitness, Body Fitness and Women’s Physique following with 15, 10, 4 and 4, respectively.
“Without the athletes, none of this would’ve been possible. With their hard work and dedication, going through the diet, it’s amazing,” said JABBFA President Audrey Allwood.
A large number of Gyms around the island will be represented on Saturday including the likes of Fit Farm Fitness, Island Body Fitness, Myers Fitness Center, Work That body Gym and recent additions to the fitness landscape like Shaddai Fitness Factory among many others.
“We could not have done this without the gym because, of course, the gyms make the bodies,” Allwood said.
Allwood also expressed gratitude to Mayberry for their contributions over the last three years, referring to that period as the association’s “best ever.”
As far as prizes go, for all competitive categories with more than three participants, the top three athletes will be awarded trophies and Mayberry tokens and sponsored gift baskets.
Category winners will also receive a cash prize of JA$20,000, while the overall champions will be rewarded with JA$50,000.
Other sponsors for this year’s edition include Caribbean Producers Jamaica, Lasco Financial Services, Lasco Distributors, Ayrtons Distributors, Gustazos Jamaica, VitaMalt, Nature Valley, Powerade, Vigorton 2 Iron and Vitamin Tonic, Cheffin’z with Jolly, Fitness Junkies, Express Fitness Jamaica and PUSH.
Aryna Sabalenka is targeting a return to the top of the world rankings to cap a stellar 2024.
Sabalenka won two grand slam titles this year, the Australian Open and the US Open, as well as clinching the top prize in Cincinnati as well.
She also reached the final in Madrid and Rome, losing out to world number one Iga Swiatek on both occasions.
The Belarusian currently sits over 2,000 points behind Swiatek in the women's rankings, but the Pole will not be defending her crown at the upcoming China Open.
Sabalenka is entering the tournament as the number one seed, and another victory would see her take a huge step towards closing the gap at the top.
"Of course that's one of my goals, to finish the season at world number one," Sabalenka said.
"I'm not trying to focus on that, I'm trying to focus on my game. There is only three tournaments left.
"I'm just trying to bring my best tennis on court. After the season, I'll see if it was enough to finish the year at number one or have to improve something else to get to number one.
"To be called the best player in the world, that means everything. It's good to know that you've been doing the right thing, all of that hours of training wasn't a waste of time."
The women's singles tournament in China begins on Wednesday, with the final to be held on October 6.
The Jamaica Boxing Association staged its long awaited first fight card for 2024 with four fights and an exhibition bout on Saturday at the Stanley Couch Gym in Kingston. It was an all amateur fight card under the banner Gloves Over Guns Futures Programme.
Three of the four fights went to the Jamaica Defense Force (JDF) whose boxers looked well prepared and physically fitter than their opponents. Arguably the fight of the night was the final (elite) bout between Delano McLaughlin of the JDF and Kirk-Patrick Heron of the Port Antonio Gym in a light heavyweight match-up. Both fighters were very determined while going all three rounds of three minutes each. At times they traded blow for blow while taking some big punches but in the end McLaughlin landed more hits and was adjudged the winner.
The first JDF boxer to enter the ring was Gervin Garrison in a light heavyweight matchup with Sadeki Harris of GC Foster Gym. Both boxers got busy immediately but Garrison soon showed that he was the better fighter with cleaner punches and was more agile around the ring. Harris took a lot of punishment and showed a lot of heart to stay toe to toe with Garrison but just did not have the strength to throw some winning punches as Garrison came out the clear winner.
That fight gave way to another JDF match-up between with Shawn Morgan in a lop-sided super heavyweight face off with Vernando McKenzie of Funrobics Gym. McKenzie entered the ring confidently but could not handle the force and speed of Morgan. He faced referee Wayne Roberts count more than once in the less than two rounds that he was in the ring, as Roberts eventually stopped the fight midway in the second round.
The only boxer out of the blue corner to record a win on the night was Mark-Andre Mendez of Control Strike Gym against Hammid Gordon of Funrobics Gym. They put on a spirited light middleweight show for the crowd but Mendez sent down more punches and was definitely under less pressure in the ring.
The opening action on the night was an entertaining exhibition bout which went to Alex Grant of Suga Gym over Crishaun McPherson of Funrobics Gym. They were the youngest boxers on show at just fourteen years old.
Stephen Bomber Jones, president of the Jamaica Boxing Association was pleased with the response from the boxing community. “I am very encouraged. I am extremely encouraged by what I saw. I am more encouraged also by the response by the boxers, the gyms and the managers themselves because tonight represents what they have been asking for, at least an answer, one of the answers for what they have been asking for. They have had their boxers training without being able to showcase their skills so this gives a platform to answer that so I am very happy.”
He also said ‘the last Saturday of every month we intend to have the same show but going forward it won’t just be amateurs. We want this platform to be from the most novice boxer which is our grassroot boxers – children, the elite amateurs – those that will over the next couple of years give the activities so that they can represent us internationally and also those boxers who want to turn pro, we give them this platform to have monthly bouts so that they can build a professional record so that they can be the choice of boxers that we carry around the island. The public deserves the best boxers when we do the Fight Night Series so this will be kind of be a feeder programme into the Series. The best boxers, the best amateurs and the best professionals that come out of this we will showcase around the island.”
The fight card was sponsored by Pepsi, S&G Road Surfacing, Vere Events, Locker room Sports and Creative Sports
The San Francisco 49ers' selection woes show no signs of easing with defensive tackle Javon Hargrave suffering a potentially season-ending injury and Christian McCaffrey needing specialist treatment on an Achilles issue.
The 49ers have made a 1-2 start to the 2024 season after winning the NFC championship for the eighth time last campaign, with injuries hampering them early on.
McCaffrey, the NFL's reigning Offensive Player of the Year, was placed on injured reserve last week after missing the entirety of preseason with what was later diagnosed as Achilles tendonitis.
Wide receiver Deebo Samuel and tight end George Kittle also missed Sunday's 27-24 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams, during which Hargrave partially tore his right triceps.
That injury will require surgery and will likely bring his 2024 season to a premature end.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said: "It's a big loss. I thought he had his best game. I thought he was a huge factor, really affected the quarterback in that game.
"He's one of our better players. He was definitely going in the right direction and was going to have a big year."
McCaffrey, meanwhile, has flown to Germany to see a specialist regarding his Achilles issue.
He must miss four games after being placed on IR. Having missed two thus far, he cannot return until after the 49ers' October 6 meeting with the Arizona Cardinals at the earliest.
Shanahan also revealed quarterback Brock Purdy had complained of back soreness after the Rams game and would be evaluated daily, though an MRI scan came back all-clear.
Red Bull would be "foolish" not to consider an approach for George Russell when his Mercedes contract expires next year, says team principal Christian Horner.
While three-time world champion Max Verstappen is under contract with Red Bull until 2028, the poor form of team-mate Sergio Perez has cast doubt on their lineup.
Perez started 2024 with four podium finishes in his first five races, but he has since endured a run of 13 outings without a top-three finish to slip to eighth in the drivers' championship.
Russell is set to become Mercedes' lead driver for 2025 when Lewis Hamilton joins Ferrari, but with the Silver Arrows' team principal Toto Wolff repeatedly talking up the possibility of moving for Verstappen, his long-term future is in doubt.
With Russell's contract expiring after next season, Horner says Red Bull could swoop for him to fill a "gap" between their current drivers and those coming through their academy.
"We've got a gap now but we just want to take time to consider what those options look like for the future," Horner told Sky Sports F1.
"And we're not afraid to go out of the pool. You know, George Russell is out of contract at the end of next year. It would be foolish not to take that into consideration.
"There are other talented drivers that could well be out of contract as well."
Russell claimed his second F1 race win in Austria earlier this year and currently sits seventh in the drivers' standings, 11 points ahead of Perez.
Horner's comments on Russell were put to Mercedes boss Wolff, who accused his counterpart of "stirring".
"He is always stirring s*** up on his part," Wolff said. "It's part of the game.
"George is a Mercedes driver, has been forever and hopefully will be forever. He has a long contract with the team."
The Silver Arrows endured a frustrating outing at last weekend's Singapore Grand Prix, Hamilton finishing fourth and Russell sixth after early difficulties with the team's split strategy.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow said making the NFL Playoffs was the "furthest thing" from his mind after the Washington Commanders dropped them to 0-3 on Monday.
Despite Burrow returning to fitness after a wrist injury ended his 2023 season prematurely, the Bengals have endured a dismal start to 2024.
Defeats to the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs were followed by Monday's 38-33 loss to Washington, as visiting rookie quarterback Jaylen Daniels took centre-stage.
Daniels completed 21 of 23 attempts for 254 yards and threw the first two touchdown passes of his NFL career as Washington improved to 2-1.
Burrow, meanwhile, finished with 324 yards on 29-of-38 passing and threw two touchdowns to Ja'Marr Chase, but a porous Cincinnati defense was unable to keep Washington quiet.
This is Cincinnati's worst start to a campaign since before Burrows' arrival in 2019, leading him to push thoughts of a playoff charge to the back of his mind.
"We're by no means out of it, but playoffs and winning the division is the furthest thing from my mind," Burrow said.
"That'll be some critical thinking that I'll have to do. See what kind of leader I want to be going forward, what I feel like the team needs from me going forward."
Daniels, meanwhile, was hailed by his Washington team-mates after setting a new NFL single-game record for pass completion by a rookie quarterback (91.3%).
Defensive tackle Jon Allen said of Daniels, the No. 2 overall pick of this year's draft: "He is the answer."
Washington scored on 14 consecutive drives, excluding taking a knee at the end of each half, and receiver Terry McLaurin – the recipient of Daniels' second touchdown pass while he was being hit by a rushing defender – praised his maturity.
"I think he grew up tonight," McLaurin said. "I'm so excited for him because now as a rookie, once you see those throws, you get more confidence.
"His confidence is just going through the roof right now. When we needed it most, Jayden did a great job of taking a hit. Those are big-time throws for a rookie to make."
Josh Allen had a historic performance as the Buffalo Bills crushed the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday, but he said stats were not important to a team where "everybody eats".
The Bills rolled to a 3-0 start by routing the winless Jaguars 47-10 in New York, with Allen maintaining his best start to an NFL season with a brilliant display.
Allen became the first quarterback in NFL history to complete 75% of his passes (23-of-30), throw four touchdown passes, have no turnovers or sacks and lead his team in rushing yards (44) in the same game.
It is the first time he has not thrown a pick through three games of a season, while he also has the highest total QBR (92.6), completion rate (75%) and yards per dropback (8.2) through three games in his NFL career.
However, Allen says he and his team-mates are not focused on individual stats, with the collective being the most important thing.
"I think it's paying dividends from what we've worked on throughout the entire offseason and through training camp, the 'everybody eats' mentality," Allen said.
"It could be your play this play, you never know when it's going to happen, and that's the beauty of it, when guys get to buy into this.
"It's a fun and wonderful thing when you've got a bunch of guys that don't care about the stats, they don't care about the touchdowns.
"I think throughout practice we just had this mindset of, 'let's just do things the right way and find ways to win football games'. That's what we're doing right now."
The Jaguars, meanwhile, are 0-3 for the season and have lost eight of their last nine games in a run dating back to last year, having made a flying 8-3 start to the 2023 campaign.
Their offense has toiled since the first half of their 20-17 defeat to the Miami Dolphins in Week 1, scoring just 23 points and converting five of 27 third-down attempts in their last 10 quarters.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence – who signed a huge $275million contract extension during the offseason – has completed just 47.5% of his passes in that time, being sacked 10 times.
The Bills defense got to him four times on Monday as he suffered his eighth straight loss as a starter, leading coach Doug Pederson to give a non-committal answer when asked whether Lawrence's place in the lineup could be at risk.
"You say everything is on the table, we've got to take a look at injuries," Pederson said.
"Tonight, we had some guys injured. Things could be moved that way, it could be performance. They're all things we have to evaluate as we move forward.
"This is who we are right now and it's not very good. We have to be honest with ourselves and I've got to be honest with myself and just keep plugging away."
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow said making the NFL Playoffs was the "furthest thing" from his mind after the Washington Commanders dropped them to 0-3 on Monday.
Despite Burrow returning to fitness after a wrist injury ended his 2023 season prematurely, the Bengals have endured a dismal start to 2024.
Defeats to the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs were followed by Monday's 38-33 loss to Washington, as visiting rookie quarterback Jaylen Daniels took centre-stage.
Daniels completed 21 of 23 attempts for 254 yards and threw the first two touchdown passes of his NFL career as Washington improved to 2-1.
Burrow, meanwhile, finished with 324 yards on 29-of-38 passing and threw two touchdowns to Ja'Marr Chase, but a porous Cincinnati defense was unable to keep Washington quiet.
This is Cincinnati's worst start to a campaign since before Burrows' arrival in 2019, leading him to push thoughts of a playoff charge to the back of his mind.
"We're by no means out of it, but playoffs and winning the division is the furthest thing from my mind," Burrow said.
"That'll be some critical thinking that I'll have to do. See what kind of leader I want to be going forward, what I feel like the team needs from me going forward."
Daniels, meanwhile, was hailed by his Washington team-mates after setting a new NFL single-game record for pass completion by a rookie quarterback (91.3%).
Defensive tackle Jon Allen said of Daniels, the No. 2 overall pick of this year's draft: "He is the answer."
Washington scored on 14 consecutive drives, excluding taking a knee at the end of each half, and receiver Terry McLaurin – the recipient of Daniels' second touchdown pass while he was being hit by a rushing defender – praised his maturity.
"I think he grew up tonight," McLaurin said. "I'm so excited for him because now as a rookie, once you see those throws, you get more confidence.
"His confidence is just going through the roof right now. When we needed it most, Jayden did a great job of taking a hit. Those are big-time throws for a rookie to make."
Home runs from J.T. Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber backed six solid innings from Aaron Nola as the Philadelphia Phillies clinched their first National League East title since 2011 with Monday's 6-2 win over the Chicago Cubs.
The Phillies also received a run-scoring single from Nick Castellanos to enhance their chances of earning one of the NL's top two seeds and a first-round bye for the upcoming playoffs. Philadelphia (93-64) now trails the Los Angeles Dodgers by a half-game for the majors' best record with less than a week remaining in the regular season.
Nola (13-8) scattered seven hits and struck out seven while allowing just two runs. The steady veteran pitcher held the Cubs scoreless through the first six innings of play as the Phillies gradually built a 6-0 lead.
Realmuto opened the scoring with his 14th homer of the season, a two-run shot off Caleb Kilian in the second inning. Schwarber made it 3-0 an inning later with a lead-off homer that gave him 100 runs batted in for a second straight season.
The Phillies added another run off Kilian in the third when Trea Turner followed Schwarber's blast with a double and later scored on Castellanos' single.
Bryce Harper led off the bottom of the fifth with a double and eventually crossed the plate on an error by Chicago second baseman Nico Hoerner to increase the margin to 5-0. The Phillies scored again in the sixth when Brandon Marsh drew a walk, advanced to third on Johan Rojas' single and came home on a double-play grounder off the bat of Schwarber.
Nola was removed after surrendering back-to-back doubles by Isaac Paredes and Hoerner that got the Cubs on the board. Hoerner later scored on a groundout for the game's final run.
Kilian (0-1) allowed all six Philadelphia runs - five earned - and eight hits across 5 2/3 innings.
Mariners put Astros' AL West title plans on hold
The Seattle Mariners got seven scoreless innings from Bryce Miller and two runs batted in from Julio Rodriguez to prevent the Houston Astros from clinching the American League West with Monday's 6-1 win.
Rodriguez went 3 for 5 to lead a 13-hit attack that closed Seattle within 1 1/2 games of the co-holders of the AL's final two wild-card spots, the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers.
The Mariners still have a faint chance of winning the AL West, though Houston needs to win just one of this series' two remaining games to claim its fourth straight division title.
Miller (12-8) continued a strong finish to his season by yielding just two hits and a pair of walks. The right-hander is now 2-0 with a 0.72 ERA over his last four starts.
Hunter Brown (11-9) allowed just one run while striking out eight over six innings for Houston, but issued two walks in the third inning that led to Seattle taking a 1-0 lead on Cal Raleigh's single that plated Victor Robles.
The Mariners added on in the seventh after loading the bases on singles by Justin Turner and J.P. Crawford and a walk to Dylan Moore. Two batters later, Rodriguez singled to center to drive in Turner for a 2-0 advantage.
Seattle loaded the bases again in the eighth on three consecutive singles before Turner brought in Raleigh with a sacrifice fly. Jorge Polanco followed with a run-scoring double to stretch the margin to 4-0.
Jason Heyward finally got Houston on the board with a solo home run in the eighth, but the Mariners scored twice more in the ninth to put the game out of reach.
Back-to-back doubles by Robles and Rodriguez increased the lead to 5-1 before Rodriguez scored on Randy Arozarena's double.
Giants drop Diamondbacks back in NL wild card standings
The San Francisco Giants hit three home runs, including an inside-the-park shot from Matt Chapman, to come through with a 6-3 win over Arizona that knocked the Diamondbacks out of a tie for the NL's second wild card.
Casey Schmitt and Michael Conforto also homered to help the Giants to a fourth straight win. Chapman finished 2 for 3 and drove in three runs, while San Francisco starter Hayden Birdsong (5-5) struck out six while holding the Diamondbacks to two runs in five innings.
Arizona fell a half-game behind the New York Mets in the standings and now holds a 1 1/2-game lead on the Atlanta Braves for the final NL wild card. The Braves and Mets begin a pivotal three-game series in Atlanta on Tuesday.
The Diamondbacks had an early 1-0 lead after consecutive doubles by Geraldo Perdomo and Joc Pederson in the first inning, but the Giants went ahead with three runs in the third off Eduardo Rodriguez.
After Heliot Ramos singled and scored on Jerar Encarnacion's double, Chapman drove a pitch off the center field wall and sprinted around the bases for the first inside-the-park homer by a Giants' player since Denard Span in 2017.
Christian Walker drove in Corbin Carroll with a double in the bottom of the third to pull Arizona within 3-2, but Schmitt's solo homer in the fourth restored the Giants' two-run advantage.
Conforto went deep an inning later to increase the lead to 5-2, then doubled in the seventh before crossing the plate on a Chapman triple.
Arizona got a run back in its half of the seventh when Jose Herrera doubled and scored on Perdomo's single. The Diamondbacks failed to score thereafter, though, with Ryan Walker throwing a perfect ninth for San Francisco to record his 10th save.
Rodriguez (3-4) struck out eight in 4 2/3 innings but was tagged for five runs on seven hits.
Jayden Daniels delivered a nearly perfect Monday Night Football debut that carried the upstart Washington Commanders to a 38-33 victory over the scuffling Cincinnati Bengals.
The No. 2 overall pick of this year's draft completed 21 of 23 attempts for 254 yards and threw the first two touchdown passes of his young career, leading Washington (2-1) to a second straight win following a season-opening loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that began first-year head coach Dan Quinn's tenure. Daniels' completion percentage of 91.3 set an NFL single-game record for a rookie.
Washington scored on every one of its possessions, save for kneel-downs to end the first half and the game, to overcome Joe Burrow's three touchdown passes and drop Cincinnati to 0-3.
Daniels added a rushing touchdown while Terry McLaurin recorded 100 yards and a touchdown on four catches for the Commanders.
Jayden Daniels was dealing. pic.twitter.com/h89iQbd7KF
— NFL (@NFL) September 24, 2024Burrow finished with 324 yards on 29-of-38 passing and threw two touchdowns to Ja'Marr Chase as the star wide receiver totalled 118 yards on six catches.
The Bengals piled up 436 total yards for the game, but their defence never had an answer for Daniels as Washington matched every score Cincinnati offered while leading from the second quarter on.
Cincinnati started strong as Chase got behind the Washington secondary to haul in a 41-yard touchdown pass from Burrow on the game's opening drive.
The Commanders responded by going 70 yards on 10 plays to tie the game at 7-7 on Brian Robinson's 1-yard touchdown run, a play set up by Daniels' 30-yard completion to Luke McCaffrey on 4th-and-2.
After Cincinnati's Evan McPherson missed a 48-yard field goal on the next possession, Washington marched back into Bengals' territory before Austin Ekeler broke loose for a 24-yard touchdown run and a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter.
The Bengals moved inside Washington's 10-yard line on their next series, but settled for McPherson's 28-yard field goal that the Commanders countered with another touchdown.
Daniels hit McLaurin on a deep pass for a 55-yard gain to the Bengals' 4-yard line, then ran untouched into the end zone on the following play for a 21-10 advantage with 2:04 left before half-time.
McPherson's 31-yard field goal brought Cincinnati within 21-13 at the half, but Ekeler took the second-half kick-off 62 yards deep into Bengals' territory to quickly get Washington in scoring range again.
Daniels finished that drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to reserve offensive lineman Trent Scott on a trick play to extend the lead to 28-13.
Burrow kept the Bengals in it by hitting Andrei Iosivas for a 2-yard touchdown on the subsequent possession, and the defence was able to hold Washington to a field goal on its next drive as the Commanders went up 31-20 with 11:30 to go.
Cincinnati again answered, as Burrow completed all four of his passes on a 70-yard drive that Chase finished with a 31-yard touchdown grab with 9:42 left. Burrow's pass for Tee Higgins on the 2-point attempt was broken up, however, to keep Washington's lead at 31-26.
Daniels converted a 4th-and-4 with a 9-yard pass to Zach Ertz on the following possession, however, and McLaurin came down with a diving 27-yard touchdown catch shortly afterward to again give Washington a two-score lead with 2:10 remaining.
Burrow led the Bengals down the field once again in the waning moments as Cincinnati closed within 38-33 on Zack Moss' 1-yard run with 40 seconds left. Washington then recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock.
Bills move to 3-0 with 47-10 rout of spiralling Jaguars
Josh Allen threw four first-half touchdown passes to lead a dominant performance by the Buffalo Bills, who remained unbeaten with a 47-10 thrashing of the still-winless Jacksonville Jaguars.
Buffalo scored touchdowns on all five of its first-half drives to build a commanding 34-3 half-time lead en route to its first 3-0 start since 2020. Allen finished with 263 yards while completing 23 of 30 passes before being removed early in the fourth quarter with the outcome already decided.
The Jaguars dropped to 0-3 and were never competitive as their free-fall continued. Jacksonville has now lost eight of nine games dating back to last season following an 8-3 start to the 2023 campaign.
Trevor Lawrence's struggles were extended as well as the former No. 1 overall draft pick threw for just 178 yards and one touchdown on 21 of 38 passing. Jacksonville's expected franchise quarterback was also sacked four times and threw an interception to Damar Hamlin, the first pick of the inspirational safety's career.
Allen and the Bills set the tone from the get-go, as the star quarterback connected on 6 of 7 passes while orchestrating a 10-play, 70-yard opening drive capped by James Cook's 6-yard touchdown run less than 5 1/2 minutes in.
Tyler Bass' extra-point attempt was blocked, about the only thing that went wrong for Buffalo over the first two quarters.
Following a three-and-out from Jacksonville, the Bills marched 65 yards in 11 plays to take a 13-0 lead on Allen's 6-yard touchdown pass to Dalton Kincaid on 3rd-and-goal with 3:25 left in the first quarter.
The Jaguars answered with Cam Little's 41-yard field goal early in the second quarter, but Allen hit Keon Coleman for a 24-yard score on the following possession - the rookie's first career touchdown - to extend Buffalo's advantage to 20-3.
Hamlin then intercepted Lawrence's overthrown pass on the next drive to put the Bills back into Jacksonville territory. Five plays later, Khalil Shakir caught a short pass from Allen and broke a tackle before racing 27 yards for a touchdown that put the Jaguars in a further hole late in the first half.
The Bills got the ball back with 1:12 remaining before the half and needed just 53 seconds to find the end zone again, as Allen hit running back Ty Johnson for a 16-yard score for his fourth TD pass of the evening.
Jacksonville's offence did show some life to start the second half, as Lawrence went 4 for 5 for 53 yards on an 8-play drive that he finished with a 6-yard touchdown strike to Brenton Strange to cut the lead to 34-10.
The Jaguars faltered from there on, however. After two Bass field goals got the Bills to the 40-point mark, Jacksonville backup quarterback Mac Jones fumbled when sacked by Javon Solomon and Buffalo recovered at the Jaguars' 21-yard line with 6:21 left.
Four plays later, rookie Ray Davis scored his first NFL touchdown with a 3-yard run to finish off the rout.
Mercedes duo George Russell and Lewis Hamilton endured a "frustrating" Singapore Grand Prix having failed to build on their impressive showing in qualifying.
Hamilton started one place ahead of his team-mate in third, but the Silver Arrows' split strategy proved costly during the gruelling 62-lap race.
The seven-time world champion gambled by starting on the soft tyres but was unable to get away with the runaway front two of Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.
Russell, however, elected to start on the favoured medium tyre, but Hamilton's decision arguably held up his Mercedes team-mate in the opening stint.
The pair finished fourth and sixth respectively, with Hamilton overtaking the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc late on to move to 174 points in the drivers' championship.
“After a very difficult Friday, we would have likely taken P4 in the Grand Prix,” Russell said.
“Our pace in qualifying, however, made us believe we could achieve more.
"Today was no doubt a difficult race for us, both challenging in terms of our pace but also physically.
“The McLarens were very impressive and in another league to us, whilst Max [Verstappen] had the legs on us.
We were able to hold off the Ferrari of Charles [Leclerc] in the closing stages, so it was very much an evening of damage limitation.
"Given the pace of the car, that was the very best we could have achieved.”
Hamilton further relayed his frustrations about the race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit but is confident the Silver Arrows can bounce back in Austin next month.
“It is hard to describe the range of emotions you feel when we have a difficult race like that,” Hamilton said.
“This year continues to be a testing one for everyone, but we are all pushing as hard as we can.
"We don’t always get things right and that was the case today with our strategy.
“We have lost some form to the leaders in the past few races and we’re working hard to figure out why that is.”
Mercedes had won three of the last four races before the summer break but have since managed just one podium since after Russell benefitted from Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez's crash on the penultimate lap of proceedings.
But up next is a track Hamilton has relished over the years, with the Briton winning the American Grand Prix in Austin more times than anyone else (five), though he has not prevailed around the Texas circuit since 2017.
Rafael Nadal has been included in Spain's squad for the Davis Cup Final Eight in November, which could well be his farewell event.
Nadal, who has not featured on court since the Paris Olympics, has previously suggested the current season could be the last of his glittering career.
The Spaniard withdrew from the US Open in August and also pulled out of Bjorn Borg's Team World squad for the Laver Cup in Berlin last week.
World number three Alcaraz is also in the Spain team named by captain David Ferrer, alongside Roberto Bautista Agut, Pablo Carreno and Marcel Granollers.
Alcaraz starred for Team World at the Laver Cup, winning eight points for his team, which is the most any player has managed in the competition.
Six-time champions Spain, whose most recent success came in 2019, face Netherlands in the quarter-finals, starting on November 19.
Defending champions Italy, led by world number one Jannik Sinner, take on Argentina, aiming to become the first team to retain the title since 2013.
The United States, whose squad includes Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul, face Australia and Germany will meet Canada.
Andrea Stella believes "the mission is on" for McLaren in their quest for both championships this year after Lando Norris' dominant showing at the Singapore Grand Prix.
Norris claimed his third career win on Sunday, finishing 20 seconds clear of title rival Max Verstappen to move within 52 points of the Dutchman in the drivers' standings.
The Briton's emphatic triumph, coupled with Oscar Piastri's third-place finish, also saw McLaren extend their lead over Red Bull in the constructors’ championship.
Norris led the race from start to finish, becoming the 60th different driver to do so in a Grand Prix, having struggled off the mark in recent races when starting on pole.
With six races and three sprint sessions remaining in the season, the momentum is very much in the cockpit of the McLaren driver, though Verstappen can finish second to Norris in every event left and still win the title.
However, team principal Stella believes that despite Verstappen's sizeable margin in the drivers' championship, that both titles are still up for grabs this season.
"It’s not always going to be that easy in the next few races," Stella said.
"But it’s very promising, and it is also promising that Oscar [Piastri] found a way to beat the two Mercedes today, got back on the podium.
"Many points for the championship and definitely the drivers’ championship is still on, the mission is on.
But with Verstappen finishing second despite struggling in Friday's practice sessions, McLaren have a difficult task in trying to outscore the Dutchman in the final six races of the season.
The next leg of the Formula One season takes place in Austin on October 20, a race that Verstappen has won for three consecutive seasons, with his trio of victories a total only bettered by Lewis Hamilton (five) around the Texas circuit.
"Hopefully we’ll have a few more [wins] in the next six races. Yeah, fully deserved by Lando. In fairness, he’s been very quick throughout the weekend," Stella continued.
"I think yesterday, he was very conscious in his Q3 lap.
"We thought that by pushing 100% we could have gone even faster, so everything just came together this weekend.”
Brock Purdy insisted the San Francisco 49ers' stellar 2023 season "means nothing" after they went down 27-24 to their NFC West rivals, the Los Angeles Rams, on Sunday.
The Rams trailed 21-7 late in the third quarter and 24-14 in the fourth before scoring 13 points to deal a depleted 49ers team a second defeat of the campaign.
San Francisco were without three of their offensive stars, with Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve and both wide receiver Deebo Samuel and tight end George Kittle also missing out.
But the Rams were also missing some of their key men, with their top two receivers, Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, sidelined due to injury.
After starting last season 5-0 on their way to the NFC Championship, San Francisco have failed to build on their Week 1 triumph against the New York Jets this year.
At 1-2, the Niners are well aware that there is plenty of the season left, but they also know missing opportunities like Sunday's may come back to haunt them.
"That's just part of the NFL and being a professional in a professional sport, everybody's really good," Purdy said. "Last year means absolutely nothing.
"And every time you show up on Sunday, you're going to get everybody's best shot. It's the NFL, and we all have to be real with that.
"We have to have the mindset of going and taking it every Sunday and nothing's ever going to be given to us."
The Niners still had the chance to win the encounter, with wide receiver Jauan Jennings delivering a career-best 11 catches for 175 yards and three touchdowns.
In doing so, Jennings became the fourth player in franchise history to have 175 receiving yards and three scores in the same game.
Purdy, meanwhile, didn't miss a beat without his usual weapons, finishing 22-of-30 for 292 passing yards and three touchdowns with a 137.1 passer rating.
However, Purdy didn't get much help from his targets, most notably Ronnie Bell, who dropped a catch in the final quarter to spurn a golden game-winning opportunity.
The loss made Purdy the third 49ers signal caller (alongside Joe Montana and Steve Young) to lose a game in which he completed at least 70% of his passes and threw for three or more touchdowns.
It also dropped the Niners below the .500 mark for the first time with Purdy as their starter, with head coach Kyle Shanahan left furious at the conclusion of proceedings.
"You've got to take their hope away," Shanahan said.
"You give [Rams quarterback Matthew] Stafford too much hope [and] you put a ball in his hands at the end, it's not a situation you want to be in."
Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh described Lamar Jackson's performance as "phenomenal" after his team held off the Dallas Cowboys for their first win of the season.
Having achieved the NFL's best regular-season record in 2023 before falling to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game, Baltimore made a slow start to the new campaign.
A marginal out-of-bounds call against Isiah Likely denied them a potential game-winning touchdown as they lost to the Chiefs in Week 1, before the Las Vegas Raiders produced a stunning upset to beat them 26-23 in Week 2.
On Sunday, the Ravens put up a much-improved display in Dallas, racing into a 22-point fourth-quarter lead, though they almost let that advantage slip.
The Cowboys outscored their visitors 19-0 in the fourth but were ultimately unable to level things, with Jackson taking charge late on.
The reigning NFL MVP completed a 9-yard pass to Zay Flowers on 3rd-and-6 to prevent Dallas regaining possession at the death, ensuring the Ravens avoided the second 0-3 start in their history.
Jackson threw for 182 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 87 yards and a score on the ground, but it was his leadership that most impressed Harbaugh.
"I thought Lamar was just phenomenal throughout the game and then he took over the last drive," Harbaugh told reporters.
"The big throw at the end... the big catches at the end; Zay made that huge catch, and Rashod Bateman had a big catch. We had some big runs at the end, too.
"We ran the ball well at the end, and to finish out that way was really important, to win the game on offense, that's how they got it done. I didn't really want it to get to that situation, but it did, and they came through."
Jackson was not the only Raven to have a big game on the ground, with Derrick Henry rushing for 151 yards and two touchdowns as they moved to 1-2 ahead of their Week 4 clash with the Buffalo Bills.
Harbaugh added: "We consider every game a must-win, but if you don't win a game, your season is not over. There’s a lot of football to be played.
"Last week doesn't matter, next week doesn't matter, it's this week that we're focused on. Lamar preaches it to the guys all the time; I'm proud of those guys."
Dallas are also 1-2 and have struggled to defend the run all season, with their average of 5.4 yards allowed per carry being the worst figure on record through three games of an NFL campaign since 1979.
Their eight rushing touchdowns conceded, meanwhile, is the most in their history through three games, leading edge rusher Micah Parsons to slam their defensive efforts.
"Now we've got people trying to be Superman," he said. "People have just got to do their jobs, bro.
"We don't need everyone to be Superman. We don't know Superman at all. We just need 11 guys playing together, and right now it's just not in unison."
Emma Raducanu has confirmed she will not play at this week's China Open after sustaining a foot injury.
Raducanu was forced to withdraw from her Korea Open quarter-final match against Daria Kasatkina after needing a medical timeout in the opening set.
The Briton was initially included in the draw for the Beijing event, but confirmation of her withdrawal was revealed soon afterwards.
The world number 54 was due to face a qualifier in the first round, with Olympic gold medallist Zheng Qinwen potentially waiting in the next round.
"I sprained some ligaments in my foot which unfortunately need some more time to heal," Raducanu wrote on X.
"It means I can't play in Beijing but I hope to be back competing as soon as I can."
Raducanu has again struggled with injuries during the 2024 season but has managed to rise up the rankings, playing 33 matches on the WTA Tour this term.
She suffered a lower back injury during the Miami Open in March and was also hampered by a stomach bug at the Australian Open in the first major of the year.
The Briton also sat out the French Open but managed to reach the last 16 at Wimbledon, though an untimely slip against Lulu Sun saw her bow out in three sets.
The Korea Open was her first tournament since losing in the first round of the US Open, and she is next scheduled to play in Wuhan, China next month.
Iga Swiatek has passed Ashleigh Barty to go seventh in the all-time charts for most weeks spent as the WTA's world number one.
Swiatek won her fifth career grand slam title at the French Open in June, though she did suffer third-round exits from the Australian Open and Wimbledon before going out in the last eight at the US Open earlier this month.
However, Swiatek still sits over 2,000 points clear of her closest rival, Flushing Meadows champion Aryna Sabalenka, at the top of the women's world rankings.
She has now spent a total of 122 weeks at the top of the rankings, moving clear of Barty, who spent 121 weeks as the world's top-ranked female player.
Only Steffi Graf (377 weeks), Martina Navratilova (332), Serena Williams (319), Chris Evert (260), Martina Hingis (209) and Monica Seles (178) have now spent more time as world number one than Swiatek since the rankings were introduced in 1975.
Patrick Mahomes feels he has not played his best football in the early stages of the season, despite the Kansas City Chiefs being 3-0 after Sunday's victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
The Chiefs – who are targeting a historic Super Bowl three-peat this term – opened their campaign with dramatic victories over the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals.
They were handed another stern test by the Falcons in Sunday's late game, relying on their defense to produce two big fourth-down stops in the closing minutes of a 22-17 win.
The Falcons, who impressively dispatched the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2, had multiple chances to score a go-ahead touchdown, only for Kirk Cousins to throw a pair of incompletions in the end zone with just over four minutes to play.
Mahomes threw for 217 yards including touchdown passes to Rashee Rice and JuJu Smith-Schuster, though he also threw a pick to Justin Simmons, who now has six career interceptions against the three-time Super Bowl champion.
"I feel like I haven't played very well and that's not a stats thing," Mahomes said after the game.
"I just feel like I'm missing opportunities whenever they're out there and not throwing the ball in the exact spot I want it to be at.
"I'm not playing my best football and we're still getting wins, so I've got to get better to make the offense better."
Mahomes' 659 passing yards for the season ranks 10th among all quarterbacks, while his passer rating of 89.9 is just the 17th-best in the league.
Ahead of a challenging Week 4 visit to the Los Angeles Chargers, Mahomes is determined to step things up.
"It's about me getting back to my fundamentals, putting our guys in the right positions, and then we've got to execute at a higher level offensively," he said.
"If teams are going to make us drive the field, we have to prove that we're able to do that, and I'm sure we'll get a lot of the same this next week with the Chargers."
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