Draymond Green has been fined but avoided a suspension over an altercation with Jordan Poole that Steve Kerr described as "the biggest crisis" of his time as Golden State Warriors coach.
Footage emerged last week of the two team-mates pushing one another before Green escalated the incident by throwing a punch at Poole.
Green, a four-time NBA champion with the Warriors, has consequently been spending time away from the team and training in isolation ahead of the new season where Golden State are preparing to defend their championship.
The Warriors defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in preseason on Tuesday, after which head coach Kerr announced Green would return to the fold for their final warm-up against the Denver Nuggets on Friday, and their season-opener against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
Kerr confirmed the decision had been taken following extensive conversations among several parties, including general manager Bob Myers, superstar Steph Curry, and after talks between Green and Poole themselves.
"We feel like we have a great feel for our team. We've got a lot of continuity on this team, so Bob and I know our players extremely well," Kerr said.
"We feel like this is the best way after assessing everything for us to move forward. It's never easy no matter what decision you make in a situation like this. It's not going to be perfect. This is the biggest crisis that we've ever had since I've been coach here. It's really serious stuff.
"We have spent the last week in deep discussions with all of our key figures in the organisation, including Jordan and Draymond of course, Steph, all of our players, Bob, myself, and I can tell you there have been a lot of conversations, individual, one-on-one discussions, players-only discussions.
"Everything that you can think of, all the different combinations that are possible to have in a conversation, we've had them. It's been an exhaustive process."
Kerr noted all possibilities were "on the table" over the ugly incident, and confirmed investigations are taking place into how the footage was leaked to TMZ.
He also accepted the final decision may come under scrutiny but felt Green has earned a chance to atone for his actions.
"Any criticism that we face here is fair," Kerr added.
"He broke our trust with this incident but I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt because I think he's earned that, and I think our team feels the same way."
As well as his title wins, Green is a four-time NBA All-Star and was named Defensive Player of the Year in 2017.
Gerrit Cole pitched brilliantly and Anthony Rizzo cracked the game-sealing home run as the New York Yankees defeated the Cleveland Guardians 4-1 in the first game of the ALDS on Tuesday.
Starting on the mound, Cole pitching six-and-a-third innings, giving up just one run off four hits and one walk, courtesy of a Steven Kwan home run in the third frame.
Harrison Bader replied for the Yankees later in the first inning, becoming the only Yankee to ever hit their first home run for the franchise in a playoff game, after being acquired at the deadline and struggling to find his power down the stretch.
Bader's 406-foot shot was the longest hit of the game, but the one that sent the Yankees fans into raptures came in the sixth inning.
After Jose Trevino's sacrifice-fly gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead, Rizzo came through with a runner on base in the sixth, connecting on a two-run home run to give New York some breathing room.
The Yankees' bullpen was rock solid, not allowing a baserunner in the final two innings to see out the game unscathed.
Likely AL MVP Aaron Judge had a poor outing, finishing with one walk and three strikeouts from his four at-bats, and Josh Donaldson was the only Yankee to register multiple hits, going two-for-two with a walk.
Phillies hang on by the narrowest of margins
The Philadelphia Phillies would have felt great going into the final inning of their Game 1 against the Atlanta Braves leading 7-3, but barely hung on for a 7-6 win after plenty of late drama.
Three RBIs from three Nick Castellanos hits and a pair of RBIs for Alec Bohm helped build a 7-1 Philadelphia lead in the fifth inning, but a two-run double from Travis d'Arnaud later in the fifth and three-run homer for Matt Olson in the ninth cut that lead to one.
Zach Eflin was the man entrusted with closing things out on the mound for the Phillies, but despite giving up three runs with only one out, the Phillies stuck with him, and he delivered the final two outs.
Dodgers ride early runs to Game 1 win
The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 5-3 in Game 1 of the NLDS, but they did not score a run after the third inning.
It looked like it would be a high-scoring contest after Trea Turner hit a home run as the first Dodgers batter of the game, and RBIs to Gavin Lux, Will Smith and Max Muncy had them up 5-0 through three frames.
But once Padres starter Mike Clevinger was removed, their bullpen proved to be impressively stout, pitching six-and-a-third innings of shutout baseball.
Ultimately, the early advantage proved to be enough, as the Padres grabbed three runs back in the fifth inning, but could not make any impression late as Chris Martin and Alex Vesia shut things down out of the Dodgers bullpen.
Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez became the first player in MLB postseason history to hit a walk-off home run while his team trailed by multiple runs as he electrified his home fans in Tuesday's 8-7 win against the Seattle Mariners.
Alvarez, 25, established himself as arguably the best left-handed hitter in the sport this season as he hit 37 home runs while slashing .306/406/613, and with one swing of the bat on Tuesday he wrote his name into the MLB history books.
The Astros were trailing 7-3 after Eugenio Suarez hit the Mariners' second home run of the game in the seventh inning, with J.P Crawford also going deep in the fourth frame. It followed an early-inning onslaught from Seattle, who rode RBI hits from Julio Rodriguez, Cal Raleigh and Ty France to a 4-0 lead through two innings.
In the eighth, Alex Bregman's two-run homer cut the margin to 7-5, and they were able to get two men on base in the ninth inning to bring Alvarez to the plate with two outs and the game on his bat.
After fouling off a dead-center fastball with the first pitch, Alvarez made no mistake on the second, connecting on a game-winning, 438-foot no-doubter into the second deck at right-field after the Mariners unsuccessfully brought in ace starting pitcher Robbie Ray to get the final out.
Alvarez finished the game three-for-five at the plate with five RBIs, after also hitting a two-run double in the third inning.
The series will remain in Houston for Game 2, before heading to Seattle for Game 3 and Game 4 in the best-of-five battle.
Andy Murray recovered from a break down in the first set to surge into the second round of the Gijon Open with victory over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
The three-time grand slam champion trailed 4-2 and 30-40 in the opener, but he saved break point with a brilliant volley before going on to hold and take command.
Murray won 10 of the next 13 games thereafter to claim a 7-5 6-2 win, and the former world number one felt Davidovich Fokina's frustration played a key role in the turnaround.
"In the first set, he was playing much better than me," said Murray, seeking his first ATP Tour title since prevailing in Antwerp in 2019.
"He had a lot of chances to get the second break of serve, and I managed to stay tough in those moments. At the 4-3 game, he played a bad game to give me the break back, and after that I started to play a little bit better.
"I think he was a bit frustrated, and then in the second set his level dropped a little bit, but the end of the first set was very important because he was playing very well and it was a difficult first set."
Murray will face either Pedro Cachin or qualifier Alexey Vatutin in the second round. Davidovich Fokina's fellow Spaniards Feliciano Lopez and Albert Ramos-Vinolas lost to Ilya Ivashka and Marcos Giron respectively. There was victory for one home hope, though, as Nicolas Alvarez Varona moved into round two.
At the Firenze Open, Alexander Bublik secured his 100th Tour-level win with a straight-sets victory over Cristian Garin, while Mikael Ymer thrashed Tim van Rijthoven 6-1 6-2.
Oscar Otte and Brandon Nakashima were also victors in Florence on Tuesday.
Anhelina Kalinina progressed to round two of the Transylvania Open after opponent Eugenie Bouchard retired injured in Cluj.
Ukrainian world number 45 Kalinina took the opening set 6-3 before a hip injury prevented Bouchard from continuing.
The Canadian revealed she had retired as a precaution having undergone an MRI on Monday, and did not wish to aggravate the issue any further.
"I'm just disappointed to have ended my tournament in Romania this way because I really loved being here in Cluj," she said. "I pulled my hip flexor a few days in practice. I tried everything to be ready for this match.
"I got an MRI yesterday, and didn't show anything too bad, so I thought I could play. But it was getting worse as the match went on. To avoid a big injury, I figured it would be best to retire.
"I absolutely hate retiring, I wish I could've done better here, but I hope to be back."
Fourth seed Anastasia Potapova beat Ann Li 6-2 7-6 (7-5) to set up a clash with Viktorija Golubic, who overcame Diane Parry in straight sets.
Seventh seed Xiyu Wang advanced in straight sets against home favourite Jaqueline Cristian, while Harriet Dart required just 64 minutes to wrap up a commanding 6-2 6-0 victory over Oceane Dodin.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Baker Mayfield will not require surgery on the high ankle sprain he suffered in the defeat to the San Francisco 49ers, which means he will not be placed on injured reserve.
The 2018 No.1 overall pick is set to be sidelined for this weekend's matchup with the Los Angeles Rams but, having avoided IR status, will be available to return within the next four games.
Mayfield, signed in a trade from the Cleveland Browns in July, suffered the injury in the loss to the 49ers, leaving the Panthers with a 1-4 record for the season, but was given a verdict of 'no major damage' after receiving second opinions on the injury, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
His absence is a blow to the Panthers, who are yet to find full flow with their new cornerstone franchise QB; Mayfield having 962 passing yards, four touchdown throws and a pass completion of 54.9 per cent – which ranks as the lowest across the entirety of the NFL in 2022.
P.J. Walker is set to take over as the Panthers' starting QB while Mayfield is absent, having totalled 60 yards and an 83.3 per cent completion rate following his introduction against the 49ers in Week 4.
Across his three-year career in the NFL, Walker has played in 10 matches, twice as a starter, accumulating 790 passing yards and two touchdown throws.
The Panthers' trip to LA will be the first under the guidance of interim head coach Steve Wilks, following the dismissal of Matt Rhule on Monday.
Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett remains "clueless" regarding the controversial roughing the passer call which followed his hit on Tom Brady on Sunday.
Brady equalled the NFL record for most victories by a quarterback against a specific opponent without defeat (11) as he led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 21-15 win over the Falcons.
However, Atlanta looked set to get a chance to complete a memorable comeback when Jarrett sacked Brady on third down with three minutes remaining.
But referee Jerome Boger called roughing the passer against the 29-year-old, later explaining the decision was made due to Jarrett unnecessarily throwing Brady to the ground.
The call has been met with controversy, with subsequent reports suggesting the NFL's competition committee will discuss amendments to roughing penalties after this season.
Jarrett is yet to come to terms with the decision two days later, saying: "Looking back on it, I'm still kind of left clueless on what I'm expected to do in that situation."
Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones was on the receiving end of a similar call against the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday, leading Jarrett to call for change.
"I did see Chris' sack last night, and that was questionable as well," Jarrett said. "All these other things that we can review… I'm not saying that it cost us the game, but it cost us an opportunity to win the game.
"If it's costing people games, it's going to cost people livelihoods. It's going to cost people opportunities. You never know who is going to go down and make a crazy play.
"Obviously this happened to us, the Falcons, but forget all that, it's about the sport. When people watch us to be entertained, to see some game-winning drives and then when you do it right, the right way, that's what makes it so frustrating.
"So let's give the game what the game is owed, and that's the best product we can put on the field."
Speaking on SiriusXM's Let's Go! Podcast on Monday, Brady described the incident as an "unwelcome hug" from Garrett and steered clear of discussing the decision.
"It was a long hug, a long unwelcome hug from Grady," Brady said. "And he was in the backfield all day. So as I said after the games, I don't throw flags.
"What I do throw is tablets, and I didn't have one accessible at that time. He had a hell of a game. I'll leave it at that.
"I woke up this morning, I was looking around the corner everywhere for Grady Jarrett jumping out and hitting me again.
"He played such a good game against us yesterday and I had nightmares last night thinking about him. But I'm glad we're through with that game. I'm glad we won."
The France 2023 Rugby World Cup chief executive Claude Atcher has been dismissed after an investigation into workplace malpractice.
Atcher, who also helped previously secure hosting rights for the 2007 edition, was suspended in August following allegations made over his management style in a L'Equipe article in June.
According to the report, Atcher's approach led to some employees suffering panic attacks.
An investigation by the French Labour Inspectorate has since concluded, with the decision made by the varying bodies behind the France 2023 bid to dismiss Atcher.
"Following this Board meeting, Mr Claude Atcher’s suspension was unanimously ratified by France 2023's founding members: the Fédération Française de Rugby (FFR), the French State, and the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF)," read an official statement issued on Tuesday.
"Taking note of the report's conclusions, France 2023's Board of Directors has decided to terminate the contract of its CEO, Mr Claude Atcher."
Julien Collette, Atcher's former deputy general director, has been appointed as his replacement.
France will kick off next year's tournament on September 8 against New Zealand, with Les Bleus out to claim their first title after reaching the final on three previous occasions, most recently in 2011.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said Monday's 30-29 win over the Las Vegas Raiders was a result that would "build the true character" of the team.
The AFC West outfit edged a thriller against their divisional rivals at Arrowhead Stadium to move to 4-1 for this NFL season, fighting back from a 17-point deficit midway through the second quarter.
Four touchdowns for tight end Travis Kelce saw the hosts complete a remarkable comeback, while the Raiders fluffed a two-point attempt to win the match in the closing minutes.
The result came amid another controversial roughing call, when Chris Jones was penalised amid a strip on Derek Carr, and Mahomes suggested his side's frustration helped fire them on to another victory.
"Sometimes, these games are the ones that build the true character of the team," he said. "How you respond, go back and fight, that was good to see from this team.
"It wasn't the greatest call in the world. You have to find a way to bounce back and we did."
Official Carl Cheffers was lambasted by Chiefs coach Andy Reid following the call, and as the teams headed into the half-time interval, but the latter stated he had said his piece when pressed post-game.
"I got it off my chest," Reid said. "I said what I needed to say."
The Chiefs will welcome the Buffalo Bills to face them on Sunday as they look to keep their hand atop AFC West, while the Raiders will cool their heels for a fortnight before facing the Houston Texans.
Josh McDaniels admitted the Las Vegas Raiders have already "lost the sprint" as he held out hope they could be marathon specialists instead, following another painful defeat.
The Raiders went down 30-29 on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday, missing a late chance to pinch the game.
Davante Adams got on the end of his second deep touchdown of the game after a 48-yard bomb from Derek Carr, but instead of kicking the extra point to tie, the Raiders opted to go for two and were stopped short.
Last season saw the Raiders finish with a 10-7 record under interim coach Rich Bisaccia, but they are 1-4 so far in this campaign, McDaniels' first at the helm.
"This is a marathon. If it was a sprint, we lost the sprint," McDaniels said. "Fortunately for us, it's a marathon. We understand what these games mean and they each matter. They're each significant at the end of your season, we know that. They add up.
"But I think the thing we have to focus on is take the positives and then also try to learn from the things that we're not quite doing well enough.
"That's our job. That's what we're going to continue to do. That's what we've done after we've won, that's what we've done after we lost, and we're going to continue to do that. There's progress we've made and that's a good football team out there."
The Raiders have only lost by single-digit margins so far, therefore McDaniels sees the scope for them turning around those tight games.
Quarterback Carr completed 19 of 30 for 241 yards and two touchdowns, passing 200 career passing touchdowns, a landmark for which he said he was "thankful".
McDaniels said the Raiders "gave ourselves an opportunity, and we just didn't make one or two plays at the end to finish it".
As the Chiefs improved to 4-1 with their win, Raiders coach McDaniels added: "Hopefully we'll learn from this and be better."
In a first-round clash between two of the world's top-20, Danielle Collins eliminated Caroline Garcia 6-2 7-6 (7-4) from the San Diego Open on Monday.
Garcia, the world number 10, entered the contest off back-to-back losses for the first time since March, and Collins made it three in a row as she was just a little too good with both her serving and return game.
Collins won 63 per cent of her service points, with Garcia at 52 per cent, and she ended up securing five breaks in the match.
She will play Martina Trevisan in the second round after the Italian defeated Colombian qualifier Camila Osorio 6-3 6-4.
Neither player had an ace in the match, but the big differentiating factor was Trevisan's ability to win points off her second serve, converting 50 per cent of her chances while Osorio won only one of nine (11 per cent).
The only qualifier of the day to get a win was Louisa Chirico, who beat fellow American Alison Riske-Amritraj 1-6 7-5 7-6 (7-5).
Chirico, the world number 196, will be rewarded for her win with a showdown against world number four Paula Badosa.
Madison Keys had no issues dealing with Australian qualifier Ellen Perez 6-1 6-4 in just over an hour, and Coco Vandeweghe defeated Sofia Kenin 6-1 1-6 6-4.
In the last match of the night, Canada's Bianca Andreescu won a two-hour-and-40-minute battle against Russia's Liudmila Samsonova 7-6 (7-1) 4-6 6-2.
Las Vegas Raiders superstar Davante Adams has taken to Twitter to apologise to the person he was caught on video shoving to the ground immediately after his side lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 30-29 on Monday night.
Adams, who caught two long touchdowns in the game to finish with 124 yards from three catches, was making his way from the field when he alleges someone holding a tripod ran in front of him as he tried to head down the tunnel.
The receiver pushed the worker to the ground before heading into the locker room.
Minutes later, after the footage circulated widely online, Adams tweeted out an apology, saying "that's not me".
"Sorry to the guy I pushed over after the game," it said. "Obviously very frustrated at the way the game ended and when he ran in front of me as I exited that was my reaction and I felt horrible immediately.
"That's not me… my apologies man hope you see this."
Star tight end Travis Kelce pulled down four touchdown catches to carry the Kansas City Chiefs to a 30-29 home win against the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday night.
Kelce became the first player in NFL history with four touchdown catches of fewer than 10 yards in a single game, finishing with just 25 yards from his seven catches as he was used heavily near the goal-line.
While it was the Chiefs who came out on top, it was the Raiders who started on fire, jumping out to a 17-0 lead one minute into the second quarter after Josh Jacobs' one-yard touchdown run followed a big 58-yard touchdown catch from Davante Adams, arguably the best receiver in the league.
Kelce would catch a one-yard touchdown in the second quarter, before securing a four-yard score and an eight-yard score on back-to-back drives in the third term. He would cap off his day with another one-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to put his side up 30-23 with seven minutes remaining.
In response, Adams got on the end of his second deep touchdown of the game as he got behind the defense on a 48-yard bomb from Derek Carr, but instead of kicking the extra point to tie the game, they opted to go for two, and were stopped short.
That decision came back to haunt the Raiders, as they never got back into field goal range.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed 29 of 43 passes for 292 yards and four touchdowns, while Carr completed 19 of 30 for 241 yards and two touchdowns. Neither quarterback committed a turnover.
Adams and Jacobs both had massive games for the Raiders, with Adams finishing with 124 yards and two touchdowns from just three catches, while Jacobs rushed 21 times for 154 yards and a score.
Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said it is too early to decide on a starting quarterback for their Week 6 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
The Dolphins currently have both starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater recovering from concussions, with third-string rookie Skylar Thompson being forced to play nearly the entire 40-17 loss to the New York Jets this past Sunday.
There is concern Tagovailoa actually suffered two concussions less than a week apart after being allowed to return to the Dolphins' Week 3 win against the Buffalo Bills despite showing symptoms, prompting the league to update their concussion protocol.
With the uncertain nature of concussions and their recovery period, McDaniel told reporters on Tuesday that they will wait until later in the week to decide who will start at the sport's most important position.
"It's too soon for me to really pinpoint [the starter]," he said. "I kind of have to wait and assess the whole situation, which I do not have in scope.
"What I do know is that Skylar will be practicing on Wednesday and hopefully Wednesday I'll have a better feel of the direction that we should go that's best for the football team.
"Being a backup quarterback in this league is not easy, and what people don't understand is you have a finite amount of reps during the week because you can't deplete your athletes and you can't have endless amount of reps.
"So typically, starters get anywhere from 80 to 100 per cent of the practice reps. So a backup quarterback, especially a rookie, it's a tremendous challenge because you have to own the whole game plan, visualize it, be able to call it, be able to line people up and then execute appropriately."
The inclination from McDaniel could be that the team will look for outside help at the position to avoid having to start their seventh-round draft pick, however teaching the playbook to a new signing in time for Week 6 is likely too unrealistic.
Things have gone from bad to worse for the Baltimore Ravens’ embattled defensive secondary.
Free safety Marcus Williams, the team’s top free agent acquisition of the offseason, will go on injured reserve after suffering a dislocated wrist.
While Williams is expected to return at some point this season, Ravens coach Jon Harbaugh told reporters Monday that Williams will miss "a significant amount of time."
Williams is thought to have injured his wrist early in Baltimore’s 19-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday night but attempted to play through it.
"He gutted it out," Harbaugh said. "He didn't really say too much about it, so I don't think anybody realised how serious it was until they got inside and took a look at it."
Williams, who spent the first five years of his career with the New Orleans Saints, has three interceptions and five pass breakups this season – a rare bright spot for a secondary that is allowing a league-worst 305.8 passing yards per game.
Young players like Geno Stone and 2022 first-round pick Kyle Hamilton will be forced into larger roles for the Ravens’ defense.
"Both [Stone and Hamilton] have their own styles, and I think they're going to both play well for us," Harbaugh said. "So I'm looking forward to all those guys, as a team [and] as a group, kind of filling in for Marcus and not losing a step on that."
The Ravens lead the AFC North at 3-2 and visit the 4-1 New York Giants this Sunday.
Through five weeks of the 2022 season, the San Francisco 49ers have the best defense in the NFL.
The Niners have given up just 4.01 yards per play so far this year, the fewest in the league, while only they and the Dallas Cowboys have conceded fewer than 20 points in every game.
San Francisco's points totals allowed in 2022 – 19, 7, 11, 9, 15 – tell a tale of dominance, with Christian McCaffrey's rushing touchdown against the 49ers only the second the defense has conceded since giving up three in a rainstorm in their season opener to the Chicago Bears.
The 49ers' average of 12.2 points allowed is tied with that of the Buffalo Bills for the league's best. They have given up just 12 points in the first half, while no other team has conceded fewer than 35.
No defense has allowed fewer explosive plays of 10 yards or more than the 49ers (45), and San Francisco have forced a league-leading 44 negative plays from opposing offenses.
The Niners have given up four yards or more on only 42.9 per cent of first downs, the best ratio in the NFL, and they have allowed a conversion on just 30 per cent of the third-down attempts they have faced. The Tennessee Titans (27.1) and New Orleans Saints (29.9) are the only two defenses who can claim to have fared better in that regard.
Simply put, the 49ers' defense is dominating in every facet. The Niners do not give up explosive plays with regularity, excel at putting opponents behind the eight-ball by creating negative plays and limiting yardage on first down, and have little difficulty getting off the field on third down.
DeMeco Ryans' defense was already among the NFL's elite last year, but what has catapulted it to championship-calibre unit that has the potential to be the foundation of a deep San Francisco playoff run?
The perennial star of the show for the 49er defense is the front, which is teeming with depth at edge rusher and boasts several players who can thrive rushing from that position and from the interior.No team has registered more quarterback sacks than San Francisco (21) and the 49ers' 91 pressures trail only the Cowboys (95) and Philadelphia Eagles (92).
The athleticism of linebacker Fred Warner, who displays extraordinary precision in zone coverage and can run with wide receivers downfield, is also critical to San Francisco's defensive success.
Talanoa Hufanga's breakout second season has deservedly attracted substantial attention, the former fifth-round pick quickly becoming a walking highlight reel at the safety position, recording five tackles for loss, five pass breakups, one sack and two interceptions, including a game-clinching pick-six against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 4.
Hufanga has demanded attention with his enthralling hard-hitting and all-action brand of football, but just as crucial to the Niners and deserving of similar acclaim has been the play of cornerback Charvarius 'Mooney' Ward.
The 49ers' big-ticket free-agent acquisition in the offseason, San Francisco gave Ward a three-year, $40.5million contract with a view to him becoming the missing piece for a frequently maligned cornerback group.
Ward has unquestionably delivered to this point with his performances, combined with the emergence of Hufanga, helping transform the 49ers' secondary from an area of concern to a clear strength.
Arguably no 49er defender has done more to prevent big plays than Ward, who has been burnt – which is when a receiver wins his matchup on a play where he is targeted – on 10 of his 29 targets for a burn rate of 34.5 per cent. That is the fifth-best among corners targeted at least 20 times.
His big play rate, which tracks burns for 20 yards-plus or burns for touchdowns, of 18 per cent is 13th for his position. When wideouts have got in a position to catch the ball when going against his coverage, they have frequently seen it knocked away from them. Trevon Diggs (nine) is the sole defender to have produced more pass breakups than Ward's eight.
Through his strength in coverage and his proficiency for making plays on the ball, Ward has given the 49ers a lockdown corner they can rely on who offers a defense defined by its diversity even more flexibility.
Indeed, Ward's ability to consistently shut down wide receivers in man coverage is an asset to the Niners when they want to be more aggressive on defense, with San Francisco thriving through such an approach in the 24-9 beatdown of the Rams, in which they blitzed Matthew Stafford and an injury-hit Los Angeles offensive line on 30.4 per cent of dropbacks and were rewarded with seven sacks and 21 pressures.
Ward has also elevated the play of those around him in the cornerback room. Fellow starter Emmanuel Moseley has the third-best burn rate (31.8 per cent) among cornerbacks and nickel Deommodore Lenoir has given up a big play on 15 per cent of his targets, a rate bettered by just four corners.
The 49ers will now have to do some reshuffling in the secondary, however, after Moseley saw his season ended by a torn ACL suffered in Sunday's 37-15 rout of the Carolina Panthers.
Moseley's injury will mean either Lenoir shifting to the outside or one of Jason Verrett, Ambry Thomas or rookie Samuel Womack taking over at the spot across from Ward.
Without Moseley, the opposite side of the field to Ward may be viewed as a potential vulnerability in a defense that has presented none this campaign.
But San Francisco's defensive backfield is better equipped to deal with a serious injury than it was a year ago. The 49ers' misfortune may have robbed them of the top-tier starting cornerback duo Ward and Moseley looked like becoming, but their astute investment in the former has ensured the Niners' secondary is now one opposing offenses have significantly less hope of succeeding against.
Seeds Ana Bogdan and Marta Kostyuk crashed out of the Transylvania Open in the first round.
Home hope Bogdan, seeded third in Cluj-Napoca, was beaten in straight sets by Jule Niemeier, who showed the quality that helped her reach the last eight of Wimbledon in a 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 win.
Ukrainian Kostyuk, meanwhile, lost in three sets to Jasmine Paolini.
The sixth seed took a tight first set but Paolini broke Kostyuk five times thereafter en route to a 5-7 6-3 6-4 triumph.
Eighth seed Anna Bondar enjoyed a better day, prevailing 6-4 6-2 over Elina Avanesyan, while there were also wins for Dayana Yastremska, Anna Blinkova and Ysaline Bonaventure.
Tyson Fury's promoter Frank Warren revealed the 'Gypsy King' is set to face Derek Chisora for a third time in December after talks over a bout with Anthony Joshua broke down.
Fury U-turned on a decision to retire following April's win over Dillian Whyte and appeared set to meet Joshua after offering him the chance for a WBC heavyweight championship fight last month.
Warren said that fight was "90 per cent" finalised in mid-September, but talks have since broken down, with Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn declaring he would not "play a game" with Fury last week.
With Oleksandr Usyk prepared to wait until 2023 for his next fight, Fury now appears set for a trilogy bout with Chisora, whom he defeated in July 2011 and November 2014.
Asked about the breakdown in talks with Joshua's camp, Warren told iFL TV: "Obviously that caused a big problem, it went on for three or four weeks and we've been struggling to get an opponent.
"We've got the highest-ranked opponent now, which is Derek Chisora. That's where we'll be going and that will be on December 3.
"What it's all about is, Tyson will have had one fight in one year, and we were expecting the fight in December would be Usyk, but Usyk wasn't available.
"Now that looks like – I hope – going on at some time in February, so Tyson wants a fight before then and wants to get out, that's where we're at. If he fights Chisora and comes through that, then he's got the big one.
"Tyson's head and shoulders above them all anyway. Derek might give him more of a fight than Anthony Joshua – I'm not being disrespectful, I just think he [AJ] is more vulnerable."
While the fight is yet to be formally agreed, Fury has long desired another meeting with Chisora, saying in August: "I'd always said I'd fight Derek Chisora at the end of my career, and here we are, breaking all records again, setting precedents."
Dominic Thiem produced a dominant display to cruise past Joao Sousa in the duo's first-round clash at the Gijon Open, only dropping two games for just the second time in his career.
The 2020 US Open winner did not face a single break point in his one-sided 6-2 6-0 victory on Monday, reaching the last 16 after 62 minutes.
It is just the second time in the Austrian's career he has lost as few as two games in a completed ATP-level match, having previously done so against Jaroslav Pospisil in 2013 (in a 6-1 6-1 win).
"Especially with the forehand, it was really good for basically the first time [since my injury]," Thiem said afterwards. "I'm very happy about it. This way is right, the direction is right."
Meanwhile, Argentina's Sebastian Baez was forced to retire when a set down to France's Constant Lestienne, and fifth seed Tommy Paul eased past 16-year-old home hope Martin Landaluce in straight sets.
Only one seed was in action at the Firenze Open on Monday, with Aslan Karatsev advancing courtesy of a walkover following an injury to Tallon Griekspoor.
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