Santiago Espinal snapped a tie game with a two-run double in the ninth inning as the Cincinnati Reds ended the New York Mets' nine-game winning streak with a 3-1 victory on Sunday.

The Mets' first loss since Aug. 28 dropped them into a tie with Atlanta for the National League's final wild card spot after the Braves earned a 4-3, 11-inning win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.

Espinal's one-out double off Phil Maton in the top of the ninth drove in Spencer Steer and Ty France after both reached base to begin the inning with the score tied 1-1. Steer was hit by a pitch from Maton and France got on via an infield single.

The key hit also ended a streak of 80 consecutive innings in which the Mets had not trailed, the longest stretch in the majors this season.

New York starter Luis Severino did not factor in the decision despite allowing just one run and striking out eight over 6 2/3 innings.

Severino had held the Reds scoreless until the seventh, when Noelvi Marte drove in Jake Fraley with a two-out single to forge a 1-1 tie.

The Mets scored their lone run in the sixth on Starling Marte's two-out single that plated Pete Alonso, who reached on a walk and advanced to second on Jose Iglesias' infield single.

Julian Aguiar started for Cincinnati and tossed 4 2/3 scoreless innings while surrendering just two hits and two walks.

Smith leads Diamondbacks' rout of Astros with three homers, eight RBIs

Pavin Smith homered in his first three at-bats while driving in a career-high eight runs to power the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 12-6 win over the Houston Astros that prevented the reigning NL champions from being swept in the three-game series.

Smith opened the scoring with a three-run homer off Justin Verlander in the second inning, then delivered a grand slam off the three-time Cy Young Award winner during a five-run third that put Arizona up 8-0.

The outfielder/first baseman capped his huge night with a solo homer in the fifth.

Eugenio Suarez also homered while going 4 for 5 and driving in two runs to help the Diamondbacks halt a three-game losing streak. Jake McCarthy added two hits, including a run-scoring single.

Verlander (3-6) lasted just three innings while being tagged for eight runs and eight hits. The future Hall of Famer has now lost four straight starts since returning from a neck injury and has a 9.68 ERA during that stretch.

Arizona starter Ryne Nelson worked 4 2/3 innings and allowed five runs. Kevin Ginkel relieved the right-hander in the fifth and struck out the lone batter he faced to receive the win.

Alex Bregman had a two-run homer for Houston, which had its lead atop the American League West reduced to 4 1/2 games over second-place Seattle after the Mariners defeated the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.

Yainer Diaz and Chas McCormick each had three hits for the Astros, with Diaz driving in a pair of runs. 

Royals sweep Twins in crucial three-game series

The Kansas City Royals extended their lead over the Minnesota Twins in the AL wild card race with a 2-0 victory that completed a three-game series sweep.

Michael Wacha (12-7) allowed four hits over seven innings as the Royals increased their lead on the AL Central-rival Twins to 2 1/2 games in the standings. Minnesota still currently holds the third and final wild card spot by a 3 1/2-game margin over the Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners.

Kris Bubic and Lucas Erceg finished off the shutout, with Erceg earning his 11th save with a scoreless ninth.

The Royals scored both of their runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, which MJ Melendez began by drawing a walk off Minnesota starter Simeon Woods Richardson. Freddy Fermin and Maikel Garcia followed with back-to-back singles to load the bases with none out.

Garrett Hampson's sacrifice fly brought in Melendez for the game's first run, and Fermin later scored when Salvador Perez legged out an infield single.

Woods Richardson (5-4) was charged with both runs and gave up three hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings. 

Minnesota scored just two runs in the three-game series and has now dropped 10 of its last 14 contests.

Hours after making their franchise quarterback the highest-paid player in NFL history, the Dallas Cowboys opened defence of their NFC East title with an impressive 33-17 road win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. 

Dak Prescott threw for 179 yards and a touchdown in his first game since signing a record four-year, $240 million contract extension earlier in the day, and Dallas also got strong contributions on defence and special teams to easily handle a Browns team that won 11 games and reached the playoffs last season.

The Cowboys intercepted Deshaun Watson, Cleveland's highly paid quarterback, twice while limiting the Browns to 230 total yards. Dallas' return game was in top form as well, with KaVontae Turpin taking a punt back 60 yards for a touchdown early in the second half.

Watson managed just 169 yards and a touchown on 24-of-45 passing in his first appearance since undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery in November.

Prescott showed his value on Dallas' second possession of the season, as he completed a 34-yard pass to star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb to put the Cowboys deep into Cleveland territory and later capped the drive with a 21-yard touchdown strike to Brandin Cooks for a 7-3 Dallas lead with 6:55 left in the first quarter.

The Browns had gone ahead early on Dustin Hopkins' 51-yard field goal that concluded their opening drive.

It was all Cowboys from that point on, though. 

Dallas increased its advantage to 14-3 with 5:15 left in the second quarter via an 11-play, 78-yard drive culminating in Ezekiel Elliott's 3-yard touchdown run, his first score since rejoining the Cowboys following a one-year stint with the New England Patriots.

The Cowboys then closed out the first half with field goals of 57 and 40 yards from Brandon Aubrey to build a 20-3 half-time lead.

Turpin's dazzling return touchdown just over two minutes into the second half put the Browns in a bigger hole, though Cleveland did respond with its best drive of the day.

Watson completed 6 of 9 passes on a 12-play, 75-yard march that he ended with a six-yard touchdown toss to Jerry Jeudy that got the Browns within 27-10 midway through the third quarter.

The offence turned it over on downs on its next two series, however, which led to two more Aubrey field goals that pushed Dallas' lead to 33-10 early in the fourth quarter.

Cleveland did get a late touchdown, a 2-yard run from Jerome Ford with 29 seconds left in the game that completed a 15-play drive.

Lions ruin Stafford's return again, edge Rams in overtime

David Montgomery capped the game's only overtime drive with a 1-yard touchdown run that gave the Detroit Lions a hard-fought 26-20 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in a rematch between teams that met in last season's NFC playoffs.

The Lions squeaked out a 24-23 win over Los Angeles in a post-season clash in January, the first game for Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford in Detroit since being traded by the Lions to Los Angeles in March 2021 in a deal that sent fellow signal-caller Jared Goff to the Motor City.

Detroit had to dig deep once again in this meeting, as it blew a 17-3 third-quarter lead before rallying to force overtime on Jake Bates' 32-yard field goal with 17 seconds left in regulation.

Stafford never had the chance to exact revenge in extra time, as the Lions never gave the ball back to the Rams by marching 70 yards to the end zone in nine plays.

Montgomery did much of the heavy lifting, as he churned out 45 yards on five carries during the possession and capped it by powering across the goal line to end the game.

The running back amassed 91 of the Lions' 163 rushing yards as one of Detroit's offensive stars along with wide receiver Jameson Williams, who caught a 52-yard touchdown pass from Goff in the third quarter and finished with a career-high 121 yards on five receptions.

Goff threw for 217 yards with one touchdown and one interception while completing 18 of 28 passes.

Stafford, who spent his first 12 seasons with Detroit, finished with 317 yards and a touchdown on 34-of-49 passing, but also threw a costly interception in the end zone late in the first half with the Rams in scoring range.

Cooper Kupp was on the other end of a slew of Stafford's throws, as he tied a career high with 14 catches totalling 110 yards with a touchdown. The Rams' other standout receiver, Puka Nacua, was forced out of the contest early in the second half with a knee injury.

Both teams managed just one field goal each for the majority of the first half until the Lions got untracked with a 10-play, 77-yard drive late in the second quarter.

Williams had a 36-yard catch and a 13-yard run on the series, which Jahmyr Gibbs capped with a 1-yard touchdown run that gave Detroit a 10-3 lead just past the two-minute warning.

The Rams got to Detroit's 8-yard line on the ensuing possession, but came away empty when Stafford's pass into traffic was picked off by Kerby Joseph in the end zone.

Goff found Willams open down the left sideline for a 52-yard touchdown that put Detroit up 17-3 early in the third quarter, but the Rams responded with 17 straight points to move ahead.

Los Angeles answered Williams' score with a 14-play, 61-yard drive ending in Kyren Williams' 2-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter. A 63-yard pass from Stafford to Tyler Johnson on the Rams' next possession led to Joshua Karty's 26-yard field goal that trimmed the lead to 17-13 with 12:32 to go in regulation.

Goff was then intercepted on Detroit's next series, and Stafford went 8 for 8 the next time Los Angeles had the ball. The veteran hit Kupp for a 9-yard touchdown to give the Rams a 20-17 edge with 4:30 left in the fourth quarter.

Following an exchange of punts, the Lions got the ball back with 2:11 to go and moved within range for Bates' game-tying field goal in the final stages of regulation.

Fields steps in, Boswell boots six field goals to help Steelers get past Falcons

Justin Fields filled in for an injured Russell Wilson and won his Pittsburgh Steelers debut - with a little help from kicker Chris Boswell and his new team's rugged defence.

Boswell accounted for all of Pittsburgh's points with six field goals, while the Steelers intercepted Kirk Cousins twice in a season-opening 18-10 road victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

The game had been billed as a clash of veteran quarterbacks playing their first game with new teams, and remained so with a twist as Wilson was ruled inactive due to a calf injury he aggravated in practise during the week.

Fields, acquired from the Chicago Bears in the offseason, stepped in to complete 17 of 23 passes for 156 yards while adding 57 yards on 14 rush attempts.

Cousins' first outing since bolting the Minnesota Vikings in March to sign a four-year, $180 million contract with the Falcons didn't go as smoothly. The four-time Pro Bowler did throw a touchdown pass to Kyle Pitts, but managed just 155 yards on 16-of-26 passing while under constant pressure throughout.

Atlanta's new-look offence was held scoreless over the final two quarters and committed two second-half turnovers, the first a botched shotgun exchange that resulted in a fumble recovered by Pittsburgh's T.J. Watt early in the third quarter. The miscue led to Boswell's fourth field goal of the day, a 56-yard kick that gave the Steelers a 12-10 lead.

Boswell converted again on Pittsburgh's next possession, with his 40-yard field goal with 29 seconds left in the third quarter set up by a 40-yard completion from Fields to George Pickens.

The Steelers' defence continued to dominate in the fourth, and any Atlanta comeback hopes were dashed when Donte Jackson picked off Cousins with 2:34 remaining and returned the interception 47 yards to the Falcons' 18.

After Boswell ended the drive with a 25-yard field goal with 31 seconds left to extend the lead to 18-10, Watt sealed the win by sacking Cousins as time expired.

Cousins' first interception, a throw into traffic that was snared by Steelers' safety DeShon Elliott, came after both teams capped their opening drives with field goals. The turnover was turned into Boswell's 51-yard field goal that gave Pittsburgh a 6-3 edge early in the second quarter.

Cousins was sharp on a nine-play, 90-yard drive that he concluded with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Pitts that put Atlanta up 10-6 with 32 seconds left in the first half. Fields quickly answered, however, by connecting with Pickens on a 33-yard pass that set up Boswell's 44-yard field goal that brought the Steelers within a point at half-time.

No. 1 pick Williams struggles but wins Bears debut

Caleb Williams' NFL debut was one to remember, even if his final stat line was something to forget.

The 2024 No. 1 overall pick mustered just 93 passing yards in his first career game, but Williams' Chicago Bears teammates picked up the rookie by scoring touchdowns on defence and special teams in a 24-17 win over the Tennessee Titans.

Tyrique Stevenson put the Bears ahead for good with a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown with 7:43 left to play, and Chicago also received a 21-yard touchdown return from Jonathan Owens on a blocked punt in the third quarter to overcome a 17-0 first-half deficit.

Cairo Santos made all three of his field goal attempts to also help offset Williams' struggles. The former Heisman Trophy winner completed just 14 of his 29 passes.

Will Levis also had a rough day for Tennessee, however, as the second-year quarterback threw for just 127 yards and a touchdown on 19-of-32 passing and was intercepted twice in the fourth quarter.

The first of those picks was an ill-advised throw under pressure that Stevenson snared out of the air and raced untouched down the sideline to give Chicago a 22-17 lead. Williams then successfully converted the ensuing two-point try with a pass to DeAndre Swift that increased the margin to seven points.

Levis got the Titans to near midfield in the final minutes, but was intercepted by Jaylon Johnson with 1:05 left before the Bears ran out the clock.

Chicago mustered a mere 50 yards of offence in the first half and trailed 17-3 at intermission, but got the spark it needed from its special teams early in the third quarter.

Daniel Hardy blocked Tennessee punter Ryan Stonehouse's attempt, with Owens promptly scooping up the loose ball and running into the end zone to score the Bears' first touchdown of the season and change the game's momentum with 9:07 remaining in the third.

Chicago's defence then forced the Titans to go three-and-out on their next two possessions, and Williams led an 11-play, 44-yard drive capped by Santos' 50-yard field goal that cut the lead to 17-13 early in the fourth quarter.

The Bears' defence came up big again on Tennessee's next drive, as Levis was sacked by Darrell Taylor to force a fumble recovered by Chicago linebacker T.J. Edwards. The turnover set up Santos' 48-yard field goal that made it a one-point game with 9:52 left.

Tennessee scored on three consecutive drives in the first half to build an early 17-0 advantage, with Tony Pollard opening the scoring with a 26-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter.

The Bears then fumbled the ball away on the ensuing kickoff, leading to Nick Folk's 40-yard field goal 54 seconds into the second quarter.

Tennessee extended the margin with a massive 14-play, 73-yard drive culminating in Levis' 17-yard touchdown pass to Chig Okonkwo with 3:44 left in the first half. Chicago's DeAndre Carter returned the following kickoff 67 yards into Titans' territory, however, before Santos booted home a 24-yard field goal just before halftime.

Pollard rushed for 82 yards on 16 carries in his Titans' debut. The Memphis native signed with Tennessee in March following a five-year stint with the Dallas Cowboys. 

Chargers pull away from Raiders, win Harbaugh's NFL return

J.K. Dobbins' 135 rushing yards and a touchdown helped make Jim Harbaugh's return to the NFL coaching ranks a winning one as the Los Angeles Chargers pulled away for a 22-10 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Justin Herbert added a late touchdown pass to rookie Ladd McConkey in Harbaugh's first game on an NFL sideline since leaving the San Francisco 49ers following the 2014 season for the University of Michigan, where he led his alma mater to a 2023 national championship before resurfacing with the Chargers.

Los Angeles stalled on offence for the first three quarters in Harbaugh's comeback game, but got untracked in the fourth with a pair of touchdown drives to extend a slim 9-7 lead entering the final period.

Dobbins made a triumphant return as well while playing his first game since rupturing his Achilles tendon in the 2023 season opener while then a member of the Baltimore Ravens. The running back ripped off a 46-yard run in the third quarter that set up Cameron Dicker's third field goal of the game, a 24-yard kick that put Los Angeles up 9-7 near the midway mark of the period.

The Chargers later increased the margin with a six-play, 61-yard drive that Dobbins ended with a 12-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter.

A 33-yard pass from Gardner Minshew to Jakobi Meyers got the Raiders in range for Daniel Carlson's 32-yard field goal that trimmed the lead to 16-10 with 10:30 left. Las Vegas went three-and-out on its next possession, however, and Dobbins broke loose for a 61-yard run shortly afterward to put the Chargers deep into Raiders' territory.

Three plays later, McConkey caught a short pass from Herbert and side-stepped a defender for a 10-yard touchdown which helped seal the outcome with 3:40 remaining.

Minshew completed 25 of 33 passes with one interception in his first game since signing with Las Vegas as a free agent in the offseason. The veteran quarterback also threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Alexander Mattison late in the first quarter that gave the Raiders a 7-3 advantage.

Los Angeles had scored the game's first points on Dicker's 53-yard field goal with 4:22 left in the opening quarter.

Minshew also had a costly fumble late in the first half that was scooped up by the Chargers' Khalil Mack and returned 22 yards to Las Vegas' 12-yard line. The turnover led to Dicker's 25-yard field goal that pulled the Chargers within 7-6.

Dolphins rally to top Jaguars on Sanders' 52-yard field goal

The Miami Dolphins escaped to beat the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars 20-17 on Jason Sanders’ 52-yard field goal as time expired.

Sanders connected on a pair of late field goals for the Dolphins, who rallied from a 17-7 half-time deficit to win a fourth consecutive season opener.

Tua Tagovailoa threw for 338 yards, and his 80-yard touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill with just over two minutes remaining in the third quarter started the comeback and brought Miami within three points.

The Dolphins tied the score on Sanders’ 37-yard field goal with 4:22 to play in the fourth quarter. Miami’s defence then forced a three-and-out, sacking Trevor Lawrence on both second and third down.

The offence got the ball back at its own 35-yard line with just over two minutes remaining and Tagovailoa drove the Dolphins 31 yards to set up the winning kick.

Hill finished with seven receptions for 130 yards in an eventful day, which began with him being handcuffed and placed facedown on a street by police officers after being stopped for a traffic violation near the Dolphins’ stadium.

The Miami-Dade police department opened an investigation into the events that led to Hill being handcuffed, with one of the officers involved in the incident put on administrative leave.

Miami also got 109 yards on five receptions from Jaylen Waddle, while Devon Achane had a rushing touchdown while compiling 100 yards from scrimmage.

Lawrence threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to rookie Brian Thomas that gave the Jaguars a 14-0 lead in the second quarter, but got little going after half-time as Jacksonville was held scoreless over the final two quarters. The former No. 1 overall pick finished with 162 yards while completing 12 of 21 attempts. 

Taylor Fritz said he was "sorry" he could not provide home victory in the US Open after losing in straight sets to world number one Jannik Sinner in the final.

It has been 21 years since an American claimed the US Open title when Andy Roddick won in straight sets in 2003 against Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Fritz became the first American to reach the final since Roddick lost to Roger Federer in 2006, after beating Frances Tiafoe in the semi-finals.

He also registered impressive victories against Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud on his route to the final.

Yet he came up short against the reigning Australian Open champion, losing 6-3 6-4 7-5 in the final in front of a home crowd at Flushing Meadows.

"Thanks to the fans. Being an American at the US Open is incredible, feeling the love all week," said Fritz after the final.

"I know we've been waiting for a champion for a long time, so I'm sorry I couldn't get it done this time, but I'm going to keep working and, hopefully, the next time."

Fritz became the second-oldest American (26 years and 313 days) in the Open era to reach a maiden men's singles final at a grand slam.

"It's been an amazing two weeks and congrats to Jannik, he played a great match. It was really impressive, he was too good," he added.

Jannik Sinner is proud of his "incredible year" but is still targeting improvements despite picking up his second grand slam win at the US Open.

The Italian edged a tight contest in straight sets, claiming his maiden title at Flushing Meadows with a 6-3 6-4 7-5 victory over home favourite Taylor Fritz on Sunday.

In the process, the world number one became just the third player to win the title at the US Open men's singles after dropping his opening set at the event in the past five decades, after John McEnroe (1981) and Patrick Rafter (1998).

Sinner fell behind in the final set and had to dig deep to overcome Fritz's late fight, and said that his self-belief ultimately carried him over the line.

"I just went day by day. Believing in yourself is the most important," Sinner said in his on-court interview.

"I understood, especially in this tournament, how important the mental part is in sport.

"It's been an incredible year. So many big wins, starting off in Australia which gave me confidence until now.

"The work never stops. I know I can still improve. I can't wait for my continued process.

"I love tennis. I practice a lot for this kind of stage. I know how much work Taylor puts in. He's doing an amazing job and congrats to you and the whole team.

"It's so nice to see you on big stages like this, and I'm quite sure there will be many more. I wish you the best of luck for the future."

Just before the start of the US Open, Sinner was cleared following an investigation, having twice tested positive for a banned substance in March.

The 23-year-old was inadvertently contaminated by a low level of a metabolite of clostebol – a steroid that can be used to build muscle mass – by his physiotherapist, who had used an over-the-counter spray for a cut on his own hand before treating the player.

With many worried about how that would affect Sinner's focus in New York, he credited his team for helping him get through the tough period.

"This title for me means so much because the last period of my career was really not easy," Sinner added.

"My team and the people who are close to me have supported me every day. I'm very happy and proud to share this moment with my team."

Russell Wilson's injured calf will keep him out of Sunday's season opener against the Atlanta Falcons, making Justin Fields the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Steelers had named Wilson the team's starting quarterback but the 12-year NFL veteran aggravated a calf injury this past week that had side-lined him earlier in training camp.

He had tried to warmup up before Pittsburgh's game at Atlanta before the team ultimately decided to make him the emergency quarterback.

As the emergency QB, he can only take the field if Fields and backup Kyle Allen both get injured.

The Steelers acquired Fields from the Chicago Bears in March for a conditional draft pick. 

The pick will be a sixth-rounder unless Fields plays 51 percent of the snaps this season for Pittsburgh, then it will become a fourth-rounder.

Fields made 38 starts and appeared in 40 games for Chicago since he was selected with the 11th overall pick in the 2021 draft. He completed 60.3 percent of his passes with 40 touchdowns and 30 interceptions and added 14 rushing scores.

The 35-year-old Wilson, a Super Bowl XLVIII champion with the Seattle Seahawks, joined the Steelers a week before they made the trade for Fields after two disappointing seasons with the Denver Broncos.

John McEnroe says "you never want to count Novak Djokovic out" despite his failure to win a grand slam in 2024.

Djokovic's last major triumph came at Flushing Meadows last year as he won his third grand slam of 2023, levelling Margaret Court's record of 24 titles.

And it looked like he would overtake that record this year, but he has struggled with injuries and a lack of form, meaning he will end a calendar year without a major title for the first time since 2017.

While he ended his wait for a gold medal at the Paris Olympics last month, he only reached one grand slam final, losing in straight sets to Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon.

He then suffered a shock early exit to Alexei Popyrin in the third round in New York, but McEnroe is convinced the Serb has what it takes to prove everybody wrong.

"You never want to count him out," McEnroe told Eurosport.

"This would certainly be the first time where you could say with some seriousness that you start to wonder if he's going to win again.

"How long can this guy keep motivated? Then he won the Olympic gold. I'm amazed that he's kept it [motivation] for this long.

"I'm sure to be surprised either way. If he doesn't win [a major], you would be like wow – he won three of the four last year. And now we're saying he'll never win it again. And then I would sort of be surprised in a way if he did, because of his age.

"That's what he's facing right now. It will be interesting to see if he's able to pull it off. But I do think he'll try to find that motivation to get number 25."

Dak Prescott is set to sign a record-breaking, $240million contract with the Dallas Cowboys, according to reports.

Prescott's future has been up in the air but, just hours out from their season opener against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, it appears the Cowboys have struck a deal with their quarterback.

The deal includes a guaranteed $231m and an $80m signing bonus.

With an annual salary of $60m, Prescott will become the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history.

This is the second extension the 31-year-old has penned with Dallas, where he will remain through the 2028 season.

Prescott led the NFL for completions (410) and touchdowns (36) last season.

Aryna Sabalenka's US Open triumph is proof you should "never give up on your dream".

Sabalenka, who lost to Coco Gauff in last year's US Open final, got the monkey off her back when she defeated Jessica Pegula at Flushing Meadows on Saturday.

The Belarusian prevailed 7-5 7-5 from a thrilling encounter on Arthur Ashe Stadium, with Pegula having reeled off five straight games to take a 5-3 lead in the second set before Sabalenka turned the tables back in her favour.

After becoming just the fifth woman to win both hard-court grand slam titles in the same season, Sabalenka said: "Everything I'm thinking, I remember all those tough losses in the past here and it's going to sound easy but never give up on your dream and just keep trying, keep working hard.

"If you're really working hard sacrificing everything for your dream, you're going to get it one day.

"I'm just super proud of myself. I never say that but I'm super proud of myself, I'm super proud of my team that no matter what, which situation we were facing this season and in the past, we were able to go through it and get all those beautiful trophies.

"It's also very special place here, the US Open. That's why it's very special, because no matter what, every time I was coming back stronger, and I was learning, I never gave up on this dream, and it means a lot."

Sabalenka is the sixth defending runner-up to win the US Open title in the Open Era, after Chris Evert (1980), Martina Navratilova (1986), Steffi Graf (1988 and 1995), Justine Henin (2007) and Serena Williams (2002 and 2012).

And though Pegula was the home favourite, there was still plenty of support from the crowd for Sabalenka.

She added: "That's everything, let's be honest without them it wouldn't be me and I wouldn't exist and as I always say without me you guys wouldn't exist too so you're welcome!

"No, no, I love you guys. Your support is everything and you're my family and I cannot imagine my tennis life and my personal life without you. I love you guys, I don't say it often but I will say it loud, thank you for being you."

Australia suffered their biggest-ever Test defeat on Saturday, as Argentina came from behind to win 67-27 in the Rugby Championship.

And Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt said his team simply "fell off a cliff" after taking a 17-point lead.

Having snapped an eight-game winless run in the Rugby Championship with their last-gasp victory over Argentina last week, Australia were looking to keep the momentum going.

And they looked well set to do just that as tries from Carlo Tizzano and Andrew Kellaway propelled them into a 20-3 lead.

But Mateo Carreras and Julian Montoya, who was playing for Argentina for the 100th time, dragged Argentina back into it and paved the way for Australia's capitulation after the break.

Juan Martin Gonzalez, Joaquin Oviedo, Juan Cruz Mallia and Lucio Cinti all crossed for the Pumas in the second half, with Santiago Carreras' conversion condemning Australia to their record defeat.

"To lead a Test match 20-3 and get run down in the manner which we did is really disappointing," said Schmidt.

"We cannot let a game get away from us like it did and fall off a cliff.

"We lost connection in our defensive line. We were forever chasing them.

"We didn't put enough pressure on at the breakdown, so they were operating off a lightning-quick ball, and it's just too difficult to keep chasing a team on a hot day when they’ve got the ball and going forward."

Australia's previous record Test defeat had come against South Africa in 1997.

Matters do not get any easier for the Wallabies, who now face two matches against Schmidt's native New Zealand as they aim to avoid finishing bottom of the pile.

Second-place Argentina, meanwhile, will tussle it out with Rugby Championship leaders South Africa.

Jose Quintana pitched into the seventh inning for his 100th career victory and J.D. Martinez capped a four-run seventh with a two-run double as the New York Mets won their ninth straight game, 4-0 over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday.

Quintana allowed five hits over 6 2/3 innings with two walks and six strikeouts. He became the 19th active pitcher with 100 wins.

Adam Ottavino, Danny Young and Edwin Díaz completed the six-hitter for New York's seventh shutout this season - all since July 11.

A slumping Harrison Bader homered to spark the big sixth for the Mets, who have won nine straight games for the first time since April 2018. New York hasn’t trailed in its last 72 innings since Aug. 30 - the longest streak in the majors this season.

Bader was mired in skids of 0 for 15 and 2 for 43 before connecting off Sam Moll in the sixth. It was Bader's 11th home run of the year, and first to the opposite field.

Pete Alonso hit a one-out RBI single before Martinez’s double capped the outburst.

Francisco Lindor’s career-high 16-game hitting streak ended as he went 0 for 3, but his sixth-inning walk pushed his on-base streak to 35 games, the longest active run in the majors and the longest single-season streak in Mets history.

Royals rally past Twins

Bobby Witt Jr. highlighted a four-run eighth inning with a tiebreaking single, and the Kansas City Royals defeated Minnesota 4-2 to open a 1 1/2-game lead over the Twins for the second AL wild card.

Held to one hit over seven innings by Bailey Ober, the Royals rallied against Jhoan Durán and Griffin Jax, winning their third straight following a season-high, seven-game losing streak.

Kansas City is second behind Cleveland in the AL Central and Minnesota is third after losing four of five.

Duran entered with a 2-0 lead and gave up a one-out single to Freddy Fermin, then hit Robbie Grossman with a pitch. Kyle Isbel hit an RBI single and Jax relieved, trying for a five-out save.

Tommy Pham hit a slow four-hopper to Brooks Lee and reached on an infield hit as the shortstop barehanded the ball and bounced his throw past first. Pinch-runner Dairon Blanco, who had been on second, scored on the error.

Witt looped a single into short center as Isbel scored for a 3-2 lead. MJ Melendez drove in Pham with a two-out single off Jax, who blew a save for the fifth time in 13 chances.

Yankees shut out Cubs again

Clarke Schmidt and Nestor Cortes combined on a four-hitter, and the New York Yankees clinched their 32nd straight winning season by blanking the Chicago Cubs 2-0.

Schmidt pitched 4 2/3 innings of four-hit ball in his first big league game since May 26 and Cortes closed it out in his first relief appearance since 2021.

Coupled with Baltimore's 7-1 loss to Tampa Bay, New York moved back into first in the AL East. The Yankees lead the Orioles by a half-game.

New York posted its second straight shutout to secure its first series win since it took two of three against Colorado from Aug. 23-25. The 32 straight seasons with a winning record is the second-longest such period in major league history, trailing a run of 39 consecutive seasons for the Yankees from 1926-64.

Chicago has lost four of five on a crucial homestand as it tries to rally in the race for the third NL wild card. It beat Pittsburgh 12-0 on Wednesday, but has managed a total of three other runs in its last five games, getting shut out three times.

Jessica Pegula looked back on an "incredible month" after losing 7-5 7-5 to Aryna Sabalenka in the US Open final.

Pegula, the oldest American woman to reach her maiden grand slam final, fought back bravely in the second set on Saturday.

Ultimately, though, Sabalenka had too much, reeling off three straight games to win her third major title.

Pegula, who lost to Sabalenka in the final of the Cincinnati Open after winning the Canadian Open, could nevertheless look back on her achievements with pride.

She said: "It has been an incredible month for me.

"I had a tough start to the year but managed to turn it around. I didn't expect to be standing here and I'm grateful for the last few months of tennis and some incredible matches."

Pegula is the fifth player in the past decade to defeat three former women's major finalists en route to the US Open final. Each of the previous four went on to win the event – Flavia Pennetta (2015), Angelique Kerber (2016), Sloane Stephens (2017) and Coco Gauff (2023), however.

But Sabalenka proved just too strong, as the Belarusian became the fifth player during the Open Era to win both hard-court grand slams, after Monica Seles (1991,92), Steffi Graf (1988,89), Kerber (2016) and Martina Hingis (1997).

"I wish she would have at least let me get one set," quipped Pegula, who won five straight games to go from 3-0 down in the second set to 5-3 up.

"We had a tough match in Cincinnati a few weeks ago and she's one of the best in the world.

"She's super powerful and isn't going to give you anything, she can take the racquet out of your hand.

"I'm just glad I was able to stay in there and keep taking opportunities."