The Chicago White Sox are now Major League Baseball's first team in 36 years to lose 20 consecutive games in a season following Sunday's 13-7 defeat to the Minnesota Twins.
Royce Lewis and Willi Castro each drove in three runs and helped the Twins build an early 8-0 lead en route to extending the White Sox's epic losing streak, which is now one game short of tying an American League record. The Baltimore Orioles own that dubious mark after dropping their first 21 games of the 1988 season.
Chicago, which last won on July 10 and owns the worst record in the majors at 27-87, next heads to Oakland for a three-game series beginning Monday. The Athletics have the second-worst record in the AL at 46-67.
Lewis had a three-run homer among his two hits and scored three times in Minnesota's fourth straight win. Castro and Jose Miranda each collected three hits as the Twins remained a half-game ahead of Kansas City for the AL's second wild-card spot. The Royals rallied for a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday.
The Twins quickly jumped ahead with two first-inning runs aided by an error by Chicago second baseman Brooks Baldwin, whose miscue allowed Byron Buxton to score with two out. Both Buxton and Lewis had reached base by drawing walks off White Sox starter Chris Flexen.
Miranda followed with a single that drove in Lewis for a 2-0 lead.
Flexen also walked Austin Martin to begin the bottom of the second, setting the stage for a six-run inning for Minnesota. Castro delivered a run-scoring double two batters later and scored on Trevor Larnach's single for a 4-0 advantage.
After Buxton doubled to send Larnach to third, Lewis launched his 13th homer of the season to pad the margin to 7-0. Miranda later singled and Matt Wallner followed with a triple to cap the big inning.
Flexen (2-11) lasted just 1 2/3 innings and was tagged for eight runs - six earned - on seven hits.
Andrew Vaughn doubled in Baldwin in the third to get the White Sox on the board, then scored on a Lenyn Sosa single for Chicago's second run. The White Sox got a bit closer in the fourth when Baldwin's run-scoring single cut the lead to 8-3.
Chicago trimmed its deficit further on Andrew Benintendi's two-run homer in the top of the seventh, but the Twins responded with a pair of runs in their half of the inning.
After loading the bases on a pair of walks and a single, Minnesota got a run back on a passed ball by White Sox catcher Korey Lee and another on Ryan Jeffers' sacrifice fly.
The White Sox did answer in the top of the eighth, as Luis Robert doubled in a run and crossed the plate on Vaughn's double to pull Chicago within 10-7. However, the Twins scored three times in the bottom of the inning to put the game out of reach.
A Lewis single and a Miranda double helped load the bases before Chicago reliever Steven Wilson forced in a run with a walk. Castro then knocked in Minnesota's final two runs with a single to center.
Wheeler, Phillies get back on track with shutout of Mariners
Zack Wheeler yielded just two hits over eight dominant innings and the Philadelphia Phillies socked four home runs to pull away for a 6-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners that halted the National League leaders' season-high six-game losing streak.
Kyle Schwarber led off the game with a home run and Bryce Harper, Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott all went deep during a five-run eighth inning to help Philadelphia avoid being swept in the three-game series.
Wheeler (11-5) recorded nine strikeouts and bounced back strongly from a rough previous start, a loss to the New York Yankees on Monday in which he permitted seven runs in five innings. The All-Star retired the final 15 hitters he faced after issuing a walk to Cal Raleigh to start the bottom of the fourth.
The right-hander's gem helped pin a tough-luck loss on AL All-Star Logan Gilbert (6-8), who surrendered just three hits following Schwarber's early homer and fanned seven over six innings.
Gilbert's effort helped keep Seattle close until the eighth, which Stott opened with a homer off Yimi Garcia to increase the Phillies' lead to 2-0. Garcia retired the next two hitters before walking Trea Turner and giving way to Taylor Saucedo, whom Harper greeted with a homer to right for a 4-0 advantage.
Bohm then sent Saucedo's next pitch into the left field stands to provide Wheeler with some further insurance.
The Mariners were able to keep their slim one-game lead over second-place Houston in the AL West after the Astros were dealt a 1-0 loss by the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday.
Henderson, Holliday homers help Orioles earn split with Guardians
Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holliday had home runs to help power a 15-hit attack that carried the Baltimore Orioles to a 9-5 win over the Cleveland Guardians in a clash of AL division leaders.
Henderson and Eloy Jimenez each finished with three hits, while Adley Rutschman went 2 for 4 and drove in three runs as the Orioles earned a split of this key four-game series. The Orioles also remained tied with the New York Yankees, who defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in 10 innings Sunday, for first place in the AL East.
Colton Cowser added two hits and scored three times to extend his hitting streak to 17 games, tied for the longest by a rookie in Orioles history.
Josh Naylor had a three-run homer for the Guardians, but Cleveland starter Gavin Williams was rocked for six runs and eight hits despite registering eight strikeouts in four innings.
Henderson got his day started with a first-inning single before scoring on Ryan O'Hearn's double that gave Baltimore an early 1-0 lead.
The Orioles extended the margin in the third after loading the bases when Williams (1-4) walked Cowser and Henderson in between an Anthony Santander double. Rutschman followed with a sacrifice fly and Jimenez then drove in Santander with a single for a 3-0 advantage.
Cleveland did answer with a pair of runs off Corbin Burnes in their half of the third. Daniel Schneemann singled, stole second and scored on a Steven Kwan single to get the Guardians on the board, and a throwing error by Burnes on Jose Ramirez's infield single later enabled Kwan to cross the plate and trim the Orioles' lead to one.
Holliday's second career homer, a solo shot in the fourth, gave Baltimore some breathing room, and Henderson launched his 29th homer of the season with Cowser aboard later in the inning to put the Orioles up 6-2.
The Guardians again battled back courtesy of Naylor's homer off Burnes in the fifth, which came after both Kwan and Ramirez had reached base on singles.
Burnes (12-4) allowed five runs - four earned - in five innings but was able to obtain his 12th win of the season thanks to the Baltimore bullpen, which held Cleveland scoreless over the final four innings while using five relievers.
The Orioles' offence continued to produce, however, as Cowser and Henderson each singled in the sixth in front of Ryan Mountcastle's run-scoring base hit that stretched the lead to 7-5. Rutschman then brought in Henderson with a double to give Baltimore a three-run cushion.
Rutschman drove in another run in the eighth with a single that plated Santander.
Barbados and Jamaica emerged as the champions in the boys' and girls' divisions, respectively, as the curtains came down on the 2024 CAZOVA U19 Boys and Girls Zonal Championships at the GC Foster College in St. Catherine, Jamaica, on Sunday.
In a thrilling boys' final, Barbados demonstrated remarkable resilience by coming from two sets down to defeat Trinidad and Tobago. The Barbadian boys showcased their fighting spirit and strategic prowess, eventually securing the championship with a 20-25, 24-26, 25-21, 25-22, 15-12 victory. Barbados earned their place in the final by overcoming the hosts, Jamaica, in straight sets (25-20, 25-21, 25-13) in the semi-finals.
On the girls' side, hosts Jamaica claimed the championship title with an impressive performance against Trinidad and Tobago. The Jamaican girls won the final in four sets, 25-21, 25-23, 24-26, 25-14, showcasing their dominance and skill throughout the tournament.
Jamaica’s boys finished fourth after a hard-fought match against the US Virgin Islands (USVI) in the playoff for third place. In an enthralling encounter, USVI edged out Jamaica 19-25, 25-23, 22-25, 25-16, 15-9. However, the USVI girls' team was not as fortunate, as they were defeated by Barbados in straight sets (25-19, 25-22, 25-23) in a keenly contested match.
An emotional Scottie Scheffler says he will remember his gold medal win "for a long time" having come from behind with a record-equalling final round to win at the Olympics.
The American started four strokes behind co-leaders Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele on Sunday but produced a superb nine-under 62 to pip Great Britain's Tommy Fleetwood to the top of the leaderboard by one stroke as he finished on 19 under at Le Golf National.
It has been a banner year for the world number one, who won his second Masters title in April before claiming a first-ever medal at the Olympics.
Scheffler was emotional on the podium and expressed his pride at being able to add another gold medal to the United States' medal tally at the Paris Games.
"I get emotional in general. Usually, I have a bit more time after a tournament to kind of reflect and compose myself, but with this one, you kind of go from one thing to the next," Scheffler told NBC.
"You don't really reflect until you're standing up there on the podium. That was a pretty special moment I'll remember for a long time: standing up there on the podium with the gold medal around my neck.
"It's been a long week. It's been a challenging week. I played some great golf today, and I'm proud to be going home with a medal."
Despite his impressive score, it did not always look like Scheffler would have a chance of finishing on the podium, with Rahm pulling ahead, only to suffer a collapse on the back nine to slip out of contention.
The 28-year-old made six birdies on the back nine, including four in a row after a slightly slow start on the first half of the course.
"I felt good most of the day," Scheffler added. "I felt like I was doing a lot of good things, and the front nine, I hit a bit of a cold stretch on 4 through 9 where I wasn't able to make any birdies; and I felt like I had what was a lot of good putts and felt like what I felt was good putts and didn't go in.
"[Caddie] Teddy [Scott] did a really good job of helping me stay patient out there, and did a good job of reading the greens, as well, and we were able to get hot there on the back nine and move our way up the leaderboard."
Carlos Alcaraz says the pressure got to him in the Olympic Games final as he lost out on the gold medal to Novak Djokovic.
In a hard-fought battle, Djokovic claimed his first-ever gold medal with a 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2) victory at Roland-Garros, avenging his Wimbledon final defeat to the Spaniard last month.
Alcaraz, playing in the Olympics for the first time, was chasing the top prize to add to this year's trophy haul, having already won the French Open and Wimbledon.
The 21-year-old was the second-youngest men's singles finalist at the Olympics in tennis history, after Robert LeRoy in St. Louis in 1904, but missed the chance to become the youngest-ever champion in the competition.
And Alcaraz admitted the pressure of playing for his country weighed on him, causing him to falter at key moments.
"It was a different type of pressure," Alcaraz said. "Everyone in Spain wanted me to win the gold, and I wanted to win the gold as well.
"In those difficult moments I usually raise my level, but I wasn't able to do that today. Probably, I felt the pressure in those situations. You play four grand slams every year, the Olympics is only once every four years.
"Obviously, this week, this tournament has been really special for me. I'm going to take it for the rest of my life, for the rest of my career, for sure. Playing with Rafa [Nadal in the men's doubles], getting my first Olympics medal - hopefully not the last one - it's been a special one."
Rory McIlroy says the Olympic Games show "what's important" about sport after a tightly contested four days in Paris.
The Northern Irishman had played himself into contention after a much-improved performance on the third day of the competition, and he was one shot off the lead going into the 15th hole on Sunday.
However, his chances of taking a medal ended when he found the water on his approach and he eventually finished tied for fifth with Jon Rahm, four strokes behind gold medal winner Scottie Scheffler.
McIlroy, who also narrowly missed out on a medal in Tokyo three years ago, says it is refreshing to play in the Olympics after some turbulent years in the sport due to controversy surrounding the Saudi-backed breakaway LIV circuit.
"I still think that the Ryder Cup is the best tournament that we have in our game, pure competition, and I think this has the potential to be right up there with it," said the four-time major winner.
"I think with how much of a s*** show the game of golf is right now, and you think about the two tournaments that might be the purest form of competition in our sport, we don't play for money in it.
"So, it speaks volumes for what's important in sport and what's important. I think every single player this week has had an amazing experience."
On the final day, some of the biggest names were still in contention for the gold, which Scheffler won after a record-equalling round of 62.
Tommy Fleetwood and Hideki Matsuyama took silver and bronze respectively, with Rahm squandering a four-stroke lead after a poor back nine.
McIlroy enjoyed a streak of five birdies in the back nine on the final day at Le Golf National but lamented the double bogey on the 15th that effectively ended his medal challenge.
"Missed my spot by nearly three or four yards and that ended up costing me a medal," he added.
"I had a wedge in my hand on 15, and you birdie that and get to 18-under and tied for the lead, yeah, absolutely [I was thinking about the gold medal].
"Any medal is possible at that point."
Rafael Nadal urged Carlos Alcaraz to reflect on his success and treasure his Olympic silver medal, despite a gut-wrenching defeat to Novak Djokovic on Sunday.
Djokovic overcame Alcaraz 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2) at Roland-Garros, securing the top prize at the Games on the clay courts in Paris.
The 21-year-old, who was denied the Olympic title to go with this year's French Open and Wimbledon crowns, was reduced to tears at the conclusion in the French capital.
Yet Nadal, who Alcaraz partnered in the men's doubles competition at the Olympics this year, says his fellow Spaniard will soon understand the feats of his achievement.
"Carlos, although I know that today is a difficult day, value a medal that is very important for the entire country and you will see, over time, that it is for you too," Nadal wrote on social media platform X.
"Thank you for this incredible week and for the medal that you [gave] to Spanish sport."
Djokovic is only the second player in the Open Era to win all four grand slams, the gold medal at the Olympics and the ATP Tour Finals, along with Andre Agassi.
At 37 years and 74 days, the Serbian is also the oldest player to secure gold in either the men's or women's singles at the Olympics, since the sport returned as an event at the 1988 Games.
This victory also somewhat exacted revenge after losing out to Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final last month, while sealing a long-awaited dream of gold at his fifth Games for Serbia.
Tommy Fleetwood put disappointment to one side after achieving an Olympics dream with a silver medal in Paris.
Great Britain's Fleetwood finished 18-under at the Games, one shot short of Scottie Scheffler, who secured the United States' second straight gold in this event.
Fleetwood fell out of the lead with a bogey from the rough on the 17th but got up and down for par on the final hole for a 66 to seal second place, ahead of Japan's bronze medallist Hideki Matsuyama.
"There's part of me that's disappointed, of course, but at the same time I never dreamt I would be an Olympic medallist," Fleetwood said after the conclusion on Sunday.
"I haven't been in the mix that much recently and being back there, playing well and feeling how that felt again, I enjoyed it so much and I'm unbelievably proud to be an Olympic medallist.
"It feels unbelievably special and I know I didn't win gold, a very good golfer did, but standing on that podium with a medal was one of the most amazing moments I've had as a golfer.
"I'll remember those times for the rest of my life."
Jon Rahm had led for large parts, with four shots over Fleetwood when he stepped up to the tee on the 11th, only for the Spaniard to collapse in remarkable fashion.
Scheffler charged to the front with four straight birdies down the stretch, making an 18-foot birdie putt to take the lead for the first time all day with just one hole remaining.
In doing so, victorious world number one Scheffler set an Olympic record for 72 holes with his 19-under 265 at Le Golf National.
Italy's Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani came from behind against Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider to snatch Olympic gold in the women's doubles.
Having lost the doubles final at the French Open in June, Paolini and Errani dug deep to win 2-6 6-1 10-7 on Court Philippe-Chatrier in one hour and 25 minutes to earn Italy's first Games gold medal in tennis.
Russia-born pair Andreeva and Shnaider – competing for the Individual Neutral Athletes – made a perfect start, with a three-game winning run in the first half putting them out of the Italians' reach.
Paolini and Errani successfully defended two break points to make it 4-2 and end that run, but they lost their serve to love in the final game to fall behind.
However, the Italian pair rallied brilliantly in the second set, earning a break in the first game to set the tone.
Andreeva and Shnaider managed to claw a game back to make it 2-1, but their opponents quickly shut down any hopes of a comeback.
The Italians won each of the next four games, holding their nerve at the end to get a third break of the set and force a tie-break.
Paolini and Errani remained in control for the decider, earning two more breaks as they stormed to a historic gold medal.
Data Debrief: Italians get the job done with historic gold
After coming agonisingly close at the French Open two months ago, Paolini and Errani finally got their hands on a big win.
Not only was it the first-ever gold medal for Italy in any of the tennis events at the Olympics, but the first medal of any colour for Italian women.
Errani has also completed the career golden slam in women's doubles, having won all four major titles in the paired grand slam competitions between 2012 and 2014, alongside Roberta Vinci.
Cindy Ngamba etched her name in history after guaranteeing a first medal for the Refugee Olympic Team in Paris.
The Britain-based boxer overcame French hope Davina Michel by a unanimous points decision to reach the 75kg semi-finals on Sunday.
With no third-place bouts at the Games, Ngamba is set for at least a bronze medal even if she loses to Panama's Atheyna Bylon on Thursday.
Having led the Refugee Team as the flagbearer at the opening ceremony just over a week ago, Ngamba secured another piece of history here – though the Cameroon-born fighter is intent on not finishing just yet.
"It means the world to me, to be the first ever refugee to win a medal," Ngamba said.
"I'm just a human, just like any other refugee, athlete and refugee all around the world. But I hope I can change the medal in my next fight.
"I was fighting a very tough opponent today. A lot of people were not cheering for me. But I listened to my team, I listened to my coaches and I listened to myself.
"I stuck to the tactics and I stayed calm and composed. I'm happy that I got the job done. Hopefully, in the next one, I will also get the job done. No, not hopefully. I will get it done."
Ngamba became the first refugee athlete to make the Olympics boxing tournament in May, and the first in any sport to earn a place in the Games by qualification rather than selection.
The 25-year-old was born in Cameroon but moved to England in 2009, though is unable to return to her homeland because she is homosexual, which remains a criminal offence in the country.
Team GB have supported her citizenship application but to no avail, leading Ngamba to represent the International Olympic Committee's refugee team in the French capital.
United States head coach Steve Kerr is expecting a tough game against underdogs Brazil when the sides meet in the quarter-finals of the Olympic Games on Monday.
The USA qualified for the knockout round as the top seed after staying perfect in the group stage, rounding it off with a 104-83 victory over Puerto Rico on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Brazil are the underdogs in the competition and squeezed into the last eight thanks to a tiebreaker and some excellent 3-point shooting to see off Japan in what turned out to be the deciding game.
While the USA are on the opposite side of the draw to the powerhouses of Canada, France and Germany, Kerr is not letting the four-time reigning Olympic champions rest on their laurels.
"They're very physical. I think they're the number one offensive rebounding team in the tournament," Kerr said.
"They've got a lot of really good shooters, and they just play hard. They compete play after play, so we'll have to be ready for their physicality and their shooting, and we need to be on edge and ready for them because they're not going to back down.
"In the spirit of the Olympics and the marathon/sprint metaphor that I've used, now that we've been through it, I would call it the 800 meters," Kerr said. "We're running really hard, but it's not the 100 meters."
In the opening three games, Brazil had six different players averaging eight points or more in the Olympics, while the team averaged 13 offensive rebounds per game.
The USA have already given up 16 more offensive rebounds than they have got, one of the few weak spots in the team challenging for a fifth consecutive gold medal.
Kerr's team face Brazil on Monday, with a place in the semi-finals against either Serbia or Australia at stake.
Scottie Scheffler carded a record-tying nine-under 62 to win gold at the Paris Olympics, earning the United States' second consecutive golf title.
Scheffler, who started four shots behind co-leaders Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele heading into the final round, shot 29 on the back nine to confirm the triumph.
But the world number one was pushed all the way by Great Britain's Tommy Fleetwood, who shot 66 to finish one shot behind to claim a silver medal at Le Golf National.
Fleetwood had the opportunity to force a play-off heading into the 18th but drifted his approach long and left, sending his chip close to save par under pressure.
Hideki Matsuyama had been at the top of the leaderboard for much of the weekend and took home the bronze medal.
Matsuyama made amends for his play-off defeat at his home Games in Tokyo three years ago, shooting 65 to finish 17 under and claim the final podium place.
Scottie Scheffler brings home the gold
The United States is victorious once again @OlympicGolf! pic.twitter.com/hLIq0D13Xr
Home favourite Victor Perez shot an inspired eight-under 63 to finish a shot outside the top three, while Rahm bogeyed the last to finish 15 under, dropping out of contention after struggling on the back nine.
Rory McIlroy finished joint-fifth alongside the Spaniard, with Schauffele dropping to joint-ninth after enduring a difficult round, shooting two over.
Scottie Scheffler carded a record-tying nine-under 62 to win gold at the Paris Olympics, earning the United States' second consecutive golf title.
Scheffler, who started four shots behind co-leaders Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele heading into the final round, shot 29 on the back nine to confirm the triumph.
But the world number one was pushed all the way by Great Britain's Tommy Fleetwood, who shot 66 to finish one shot behind to claim a silver medal at Le Golf National.
Fleetwood had the opportunity to force a play-off heading into the 18th but drifted his approach long and left, sending his chip close to save par under pressure.
Hideki Matsuyama had been at the top of the leaderboard for much of the weekend and took home the bronze medal.
Matsuyama made amends for his play-off defeat at his home Games in Tokyo three years ago, shooting 65 to finish 17 under and claim the final podium place.
Scottie Scheffler brings home the gold
The United States is victorious once again @OlympicGolf! pic.twitter.com/hLIq0D13Xr
Home favourite Victor Perez shot an inspired eight-under 63 to finish a shot outside the top three, while Rahm bogeyed the last to finish 15 under, dropping out of contention after struggling on the back nine.
Rory McIlroy finished joint-fifth alongside the Spaniard, with Schauffele dropping to joint-ninth after enduring a difficult round, shooting two over.
Novak Djokovic cut an emotional figure after putting "everything on the line" to secure gold at the Paris Olympics on Sunday.
The 24-time major champion overcame Carlos Alcaraz 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2) at Roland-Garros, securing the top prize at the Games for the first time in his career.
Djokovic is only the second player in the Open Era to win all four grand slams, the gold medal at the Olympics and the ATP Tour Finals, along with Andre Agassi.
At 37 years and 74 days, the Serbian is also the oldest player to secure gold in either the men's or women's singles at the Olympics, since the sport returned as an event at the 1988 Games.
Having settled for bronze in Beijing 16 years ago, Djokovic could not believe he had finally sealed a long-awaited dream.
"We almost played three hours in two sets. It was an incredible battle," the 37-year-old said after avenging his Wimbledon final defeat to Alcaraz last month.
"I believed that I could win, but to actually win it; it's unbelievable. He keeps on coming back and keeps on asking me to play my best tennis.
"My first set I started well, I had chances, he had chances as well. It was probably fair to end both sets in a tiebreak. When it mattered I came up with big shots and big moments.
"I put my heart, my body, my soul, my family, my everything on the line here to win the Olympic gold at the age of 37.
"The pride to play for Serbia. Carlos and Rafa [Nadal] love to play for Spain, Andy [Murray] for Britain, Roger [Federer] for Switzerland. You just see the reactions when they win. It's special. It's different."
Alcaraz battled past Djokovic in the Wimbledon final, having also secured French Open glory at the same venue earlier this year.
However, a final stretch proved too far for the Spaniard.
"The truth is it was a very complicated game. Three hours of phenomenal fighting," a downbeat Alcaraz said.
"It's never easy. There were tough moments for me in the tiebreak and I just couldn't get my level up. It's very painful to lose today."
Novak Djokovic finally got his hands on an Olympic gold medal as he came through two tie-breaks to beat Carlos Alcaraz at Roland-Garros.
In a match that lasted almost three hours, the 24-time grand slam champion edged a thrilling contest 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2) in the French capital.
In a repeat of their Wimbledon showdown last month, the pair traded blows in the opening games as they tried to gain the early advantage.
Alcaraz would be the first to blink, handing Djokovic three chances to break in the third game, but the Serb was unable to grasp that opportunity.
The 21-year-old would then miss three chances to take the lead himself in the following game as the gripping contest continued to ebb and flow on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
In the ninth game, Djokovic saved five break points, to gain the momentum heading into the first-set tie-break where he would emerge the victor.
The second set told a similar story to the first, with Alcaraz squandering a break of serve in the third game, with both holding their serves.
And as he did in the first, Djokovic showcased all of his experience, claiming the triumph with a powerful forehand.
Djokovic finally achieves the full set
Having claimed bronze at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, Djokovic now has that gold medal that has proved elusive over the past 16 years.
The Serb showed in the first set his powers of recovery to save all eight of the break points he faced, finally getting one over his recent kryptonite on the court.
At 37 years and 74 days, Djokovic is the oldest player to secure a gold medal in either the men's or women's singles at the Olympics.
Djokovic's victory also saw him become the fourth player to defeat multiple grand slam champions on route to winning the gold medal in the men's singles at the Olympics, after Nicolas Massu (2004), Rafael Nadal (2008) and Andy Murray (2012).
He is now only the second player in the Open Era to have won all four grand slams, the gold medal at the Olympics and the ATP Tour Finals, along with Andre Agassi.
Alcaraz down, but certainly not out
For Alcaraz, it was yet another impressive showing, but even he was unable to stand in the way of Djokovic claiming the prize he craved the most.
Having levelled the second-set tie-break at 3-3, the Spaniard looked the favourite to go on and take it to a decider, but you can never count out a man who has 24 grand slam titles to his name.
Alcaraz missed the opportunity to become only the second player to defeat Djokovic in ATP-level event finals on grass and clay courts, with many hoping to see another battle between two of tennis' brightest stars in the future.
Despite the defeat, he is still the only player to claim multiple ATP top-five wins on each of clay, grass and hard court in consecutive years. John McEnroe (1984) is the only other player to achieve the feat in a single season.
Cristina Bucsa and Sara Sorribes Tormo claimed bronze in the women's doubles at the Paris Olympics, beating the Czech Republic's Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova.
The Spaniards dominated proceedings from start to finish, coming through in straight sets 6-2 6-2 in an hour and 13 minutes at Roland-Garros.
Bucsa and Sorribes showed their intent from the start, breaking the Czech's serve in the opening game to claim the early advantage.
While Muchova and Noskova improved, the Spanish pairing were able to find another break to take the encounter to 5-2, going on to claim the first set at a canter.
The Czechs missed two opportunities to take the opening game of the second, but allowed their opponents to break their serve once again and race into a 3-0 lead.
From then on, Bucsa and Sorribes never looked back, winning the final three games in a row to claim Spain's first medal of the day, with Carlos Alcaraz in action against Novak Djokovic in the men's singles final.
The women's doubles gold medal match will see Italy's Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani face Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider, who are competing as Individual Neutral Athletes.
Data Debrief: Spain off to a fine start in the days tennis
With Alcaraz guaranteed to bring home a medal for Spain, Bucsa and Sorribes ensured there was double delight for the nation in the French capital.
In a one-sided affair, the Spaniards converted five of the nine break points they had, while also winning seven of their service games compared to the Czechs' two.
Marie Bouzkova produced an unlikely upset against top seed Aryna Sabalenka to reach the final of the Washington Open in an encounter affected by weather delays.
After being 2-1 down in the third set before lightning and rain stopped play for three and a half hours, Bouzkova rallied to win 6-4 3-6 6-3 in the American capital.
A double break in the first set from Bouzkova saw the Czech hold the early advantage, only for her opponent to respond, serving three of her eight aces to take the second.
But upon returning to the court after the delay, Bouzkova broke Sabalenka's serve in the first game before breaking again to take a 5-3 lead.
The world number 29 closed out the victory against the Australian Open champion with a love game, setting up a meeting with Paula Badosa, who won in straight sets against home hopeful Caroline Dolehide.
Aaron Judge hit his MLB-leading 41st home run of the season, Carlos Rodon had a solid outing and the New York Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-3 on Saturday.
Judge, who hit his 40th homer on Friday night, hit a two-run shot in the first inning off Jose Berrios as he continued his torrid pace. Judge finished 2 for 3 with two walks and two runs scored. He also added his 102nd and 103rd RBIs of the year.
Anthony Volpe also homered for the second straight day, and Trent Grisham also went deep off Berrios, who allowed seven hits and six runs – five earned – in five innings.
Rodon allowed three hits and three runs over 5 1/3 innings with eight strikeouts, improving to 12-7 on the year. The veteran lefty had lost five straight decisions from June 15-July 9 but is since 3-0 with a 3.18 ERA over four starts.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had three hits, including a double and a first-inning solo home run.
White Sox lose again as skid approaches 20 games
The Chicago White Sox had their franchise-record losing streak extended to 19 games with a 6-2 loss to the Minnesota Twins.
Max Kepler delivered a tie-breaking home run in the seventh inning and Willi Castro had a two-run single in a three-run eighth as the Twins improved to 11-1 against the White Sox this season.
Chicago’s losing streak is the longest since the Baltimore Orioles lost 19 in a row in 2021.
The last time a major league team lost 20 straight was the 1969 Montreal Expos. The 1961 Philadelphia Phillies hold the dubious record with 23 consecutive losses.
After their latest loss, the White Sox fell to 27-86 and are on pace to finish 39-123, which would be the worst record of baseball’s modern era.
The Twins, however, won their third straight and improved to 61-48. Bailey Ober allowed two hits and two runs in seven strong innings, improving to 11-5.
Flaherty wins Dodgers debut, Ohtani gets 30-30
Jack Flaherty pitched six strong innings in his debut with his new team, Shohei Ohtani hit a milestone with three stolen bases and the Los Angeles Dodgers routed the Oakland Athletics 10-0 to snap a three-game losing streak.
Flaherty, who was acquired at the trade deadline from the Detroit Tigers, allowed five hits and one walk across his six shutout innings while striking out seven.
Ohtani set a career high with three stolen bases in the game and added to his career high of 31 steals this season. Last year’s AL MVP, who has 33 home runs, joined the 30-30 club for the first time in his career.
Despite the final scoreline, the game was close throughout, with Gavin Lux putting the Dodgers in the lead with a two-run single in the third inning.
Los Angeles blew the game open with six runs in the ninth. With the game well in hand, third baseman Kike Hernandez pitched the bottom of the ninth for the Dodgers.
The youthful Jamaican team that represented the island at the 67th Caribbean Amateur Golf Championship at the Iberostar Golf Course in Bavaro, Dominican Republic gave a good account of themselves after ending in the runner up spot for two of the three trophies on offer and third in the other one.
The country trophy or the Arthur Ziadie trophy went to perennial winner Puerto Rico while Jamaica copped the runner-up trophy. They also retained the Ladies trophy or the George Teale trophy ahead of Jamaica who bagged the runner-up trophy while Bahamas came third. Puerto Rico also won the Hoerman Cup or the trophy for the male golfers. Host country the Dominican Republic came second and Jamaica improved its position from last year to land the third spot.
Emily Mayne was tied for second in the ladies category with scores of even par 72, one under par 71 and five over par 77 for a three-day total of four over par 220. Kierra Williams ended in fourth place with scores of 72, 71 and 75 which totalled 221 or just one shot behind second place Mayne. Mattea Issa who had two days of 73 each, had a rough last day after posting nine over pay 81 to close the championship on 227, tied for 7th place. The fourth female player, Kingston Burke totaled 248 for the three days with scores of 85, 82 and 81 for 15th place.
The overall ladies winner was Arabella Lopez of Puerto Rico. She topped the leaderboard on all three days with scores of six under par 66, one under par 71 and another one under par 71 for the final round, for an eight under 208 total score.
On the men side Rocco Lopez was the best placed player after closing the championship tied for fifth place. His scores were 72, 71 and 72 for one under par 215. Former national champion was further back in 12th place with a combined total of 222 (71, 76, 70). The youngest male player on tour was Ryan Lue and he occupied the 20th spot with scores of 76, 72 and 80 for a total score of 228. Two players Jack Stein and Aman Dhiman were tied for 25th place with a three day total of 232. The sixth and final player and current national champion Zandre Roye had a rough championship after posting scores of nine over par 81 for the first two days and seven over par 79 on the final day for a combined score of 241.
Team manager Sebert Walker summed up the team’s performance which was commendable based on the proliferation of young and new players who were representing at the senior level for the first time.
“After 54 holes of golf in the Dominican Republic our 2024 male and female team comprised of ten, came out with our female team finishing second and our male team third of course our combined team finishing second overall.
Tyreek Hill has proven to be one of the NFL's top wide receivers, and the Miami Dolphins have rewarded him with a new contract.
The Dolphins signed Hill to a three-year, $90million contract restructure on Saturday, according multiple sources.
As part of the deal, Hill will receive $65million in guaranteed money, bringing his four-year fully guaranteed money to $106.5million - the most for a wide receiving in NFL history.
The contract restructure does not include any additional years, so he will remain under contract through the 2026 season.
In 16 games last season, Hill led the NFL with 1,799 receiving yards on 119 receptions and also had 13 touchdown catches to earn All-Pro honours for the fifth time.
Since his 2016 rookie season, he ranks first among all players with 10,139 receiving yards, third in touchdown grabs with 76 and fourth in receptions with 717. He has been named to the Pro Bowl in each of his eight seasons in the NFL.
Hill becomes the latest Miami star to get a new deal this off-season, joining fellow receiver Jaylen Waddle and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
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