Emma Raducanu cruised into the quarter-finals of the Nottingham Open with a straight-sets victory over Daria Snigur on Thursday.
After making her return from injury in the previous round, Raducanu made light work of the match, winning 6-2, 6-2 as her preparation for Wimbledon continued.
Despite a bright start from Snigur, which saw her break the Briton's serve in the opening game, she could not hold off Raducanu's challenge as she reeled off six games in a row to win the first set.
With her confidence back, Raducanu secured two breaks in the second set to ease through and will face Francesca Jones or Ashlyn Krueger in the next round.
Data Debrief: Raducanu easing back to full threat
After a slightly shaky first round against Ena Shibahara, Raducanu looked a confident figure on the court as she dispatched Snigur.
Her serve proved a highlight as she served 11 aces in the second set, and had a 70 per cent win rate on her first serve throughout the match.
Top seed Jessica Pegula bowed out of the Libema Open following a three-set defeat by Aleksandra Krunic in s'Hertogenbosch.
The world number five was ousted 7-6 (7-3) 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 by the 2018 winner of this event, who claimed the fifth top-10 victory of her career and advanced to the quarter-finals.
Now ranked 400th in the world, Krunic recovered from an earlier break in the opening set to force a tie-break, in which she won five straight points to draw first blood.
The Serbian also cancelled out a break before heading into another tie-break, but Pegula reeled off five points on the spin this time to level.
The American was appearing in her first tournament since April, having missed the European clay-court season with a rib injury.
However, she saw two break-point opportunities go begging in the opening game of the deciding set, and Krunic crucially broke in game three before holding out for an impressive victory.
Later on, Alex de Minaur booked his place in the quarter-finals of the competition after a straight-sets victory over Zizou Bergs.
The world number nine had to work for his victory over the Belgian, overcoming his opponent 7-5 6-4 to earn his first triumph on a grass court this year.
Bergs matched his opponent in the opening exchanges, but the Australian would eventually prevail, winning a break-point and following up without dropping a point in the final game.
De Minaur would again endure a difficult set to confirm the victory as Bergs threatened to level the encounter, but the number one seed again showed his class, finishing the contest in style.
De Minaur will face either Roberto Bautista Agut or Milos Raonic in the next round.
Data Debrief: Krunic rekindles special memories as de Minaur earns maiden grass win
Krunic will forever have an affinity with s-Hertogenbosch, where she won her only career WTA title six years ago.
And the 31-year-old claimed an impressive scalp here to reach her first WTA quarter-final since 2022 - and first on grass since that 2018 triumph.
De Minaur impressed once again, winning 86 per cent of his first serve points against the Belgian.
Their meeting in s-Hertogenbosch was the first between the pair, with De Minaur able to overcome his quarter-final defeat to Alexander Zverev at the French Open.
Rafael Nadal confirmed he will miss Wimbledon in order to focus on competing at his "last Olympics" in Paris.
The Royal Spanish Tennis Federation confirmed on Wednesday the 22-time major winner will feature in the men's singles and men's doubles events, which will be played on the clay courts of Roland-Garros.
Nadal, who will partner Carlos Alcaraz in the doubles, played what was expected to be his final French Open campaign last month, where he said he was unlikely to play at Wimbledon following his first-round exit to Alexander Zverev.
And the 38-year-old confirmed his decision on his social media channels, opting to continue his preparations on clay rather than switching from grass at the All England Club, where he is a two-time champion.
"It was announced yesterday that I will play at the Summer Olympics in Paris, my last Olympics," said Nadal, who will prepare for the Olympics by entering the ATP 250 event in Bastad earlier in July.
"With this goal, we believe that the best thing for my body is not to change surfaces, and to keep playing on clay until then. It's for this reason that I will miss playing at the Championships this year at Wimbledon.
"I am saddened not to be able to live this year the great atmosphere of that amazing event that will always be in my heart, and be with all the British fans that always gave me great support. I will miss you all."
Wimbledon have announced a record prize pot of £50million for the 2024 tournament, which begins next month.
Both singles champions will receive £2.7million each, after Carlos Alcaraz and Marketa Vondrousova pocketed £2.35million apiece after winning last year's events.
The total prize money is £5.3million higher than 12 months ago, while it has doubled from £25million in 2014.
First-round singles losers will take home £60,000 - a £5,000 increase on 2023 - while the prize fund for wheelchair events increases to £1million.
There is also a 14.9 per cent increase in the qualifying competition for Wimbledon, which will run from July 1-14 at the All England Club.
The New England Patriots will retire the number 12 shirt and build a statue in honour of iconic quarterback Tom Brady.
Brady was inducted into the Patriots' Hall of Fame on Wednesday, having led them to six Super Bowl titles during his 20-year stint with the franchise.
The three-time MVP is the all-time regular-season leader in pass attempts (12,050), completions (7,753), passing yards (89,214) and touchdown passes (649) in the NFL.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft said the statue would be placed outside the franchise's Hall of Fame to recognise Brady "not as the greatest in franchise history, but as the greatest in all of NFL history".
"I am eternally grateful. I am Tom Brady. And I am a Patriot," Brady said at the ceremony at the Gilette Stadium.
Former Patriots coach Bill Belichick added: "Thank you for all that you've done for us. Thank you for all you've done for me. And thank you for the example and motto you've been for all of us on a daily basis for 20 years."
In a not-so surprising turn of events, Trinidadian netball sensation Samantha Wallace-Joseph has been released by the New South Wales Swifts, by mutual agreement, mere months after returning from a two-year hiatus due to knee surgery. The Suncorp Super League franchise announced the departure on Thursday, citing issues related to her behavior within the team environment.
Wallace-Joseph, a pivotal player for the Swifts, had missed multiple games recently, contributing to the team’s three-game losing streak. The Swifts, last year’s grand finalists, now find themselves in a three-way tie for fifth place on the ladder, a position far below their usual standards.
The Swifts confirmed the split in a statement, explaining that it was a mutual decision made after weeks of discussions with Wallace-Joseph and her management.
"For the past number of weeks, the club has been working with Samantha Wallace-Joseph and her management in relation to a matter which concerned her behaviour within the team environment,” the statement read. “For the wellbeing of all concerned the nature of the matter will remain confidential. However, it has been mutually agreed that parting ways is the best way forward for both Samantha and the club.”
This development comes after the Swifts had previously shown unwavering support for Wallace-Joseph during her recovery from a serious knee injury. Her comeback, however, was overshadowed by controversy following anti-transgender comments she made on social media, which stirred significant public backlash.
The Swifts emphasized the importance of maintaining high behavioral standards within their team, stating, “The behavioural standard expected of everyone in the Swifts environment – across players, coaches and staff – is team first and there are no exceptions to that.”
Wallace-Joseph, who joined the Swifts in 2017, has been a key figure in the team’s success, playing 84 games and securing Premierships in 2019 and 2021. Despite her departure under strained circumstances, the Swifts expressed their gratitude for her contributions, saying, “The Swifts thank Samantha for her service to the Club.”
As the netball community processes this shocking news, the Swifts have made it clear that they will not be making any further comments on the matter at this time.
Wallace-Joseph's departure marks a significant chapter in her career, and her next steps will be closely watched by fans and analysts alike. Meanwhile, the Swifts will need to regroup quickly as they aim to recover from their current slump and return to their winning ways.
Jaylen Brown said the Boston Celtics had learned from past mistakes after they took another step towards clinching the NBA championship with Wednesday's Game 3 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
Brown had 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists as the Celtics took a 3-0 lead in the series, holding off a late Dallas push to claim a 106-99 win.
They could now capture a record-breaking 18th NBA crown on Friday, when they are again on the road for Game 4 at American Airlines Center.
The Celtics were beaten NBA finalists against the Golden State Warriors two years ago and have also lost two Eastern Conference finals series in the last five seasons.
Brown thinks experiencing those near misses has made them stronger, saying: "Experience is the best teacher.
"All year long we've been hearing about the Celtics in the past, for the last six to eight months, all we've been hearing is all the different shortcomings we've had in the past.
"This is a new team, you know what I mean? We've learned from those experiences. In these moments, you can see that we learned from it. We stepped up to the plate, and we found a way to win."
None of the previous 156 teams to face a 3-0 deficit have rallied to win an NBA playoff series, in any round.
Dallas gave themselves a chance of making a series of it when a 22-2 spurt pulled them within one point with three minutes and 37 seconds left.
However, a Brown putback was followed by a Derrick White 3-pointer and a Tatum dunk as the Celtics rediscovered their composure to pull clear once more.
Tatum is refusing to take his eye off the ball despite Boston now having four chances to clinch the title, saying: "Last year, when we were down 0-3 in the conference finals, we really felt like we were going to come back.
"We almost did. You know, we were my sprained ankle away from having a real shot, so we are not relaxing or anything like that.
"You know, we're not even focusing on winning or Friday or whatever. However long it takes, that's our motto. That's what it's going to take, and nobody is trying to relax at all."
Junior golfers Mattea Issa and Ryan Lue emerged as the top performers at the Jamaica Golf Association’s national senior trials. The event, which concluded on Sunday at the prestigious Half Moon Golf Course in Montego Bay, saw both youngsters outplay their senior counterparts to claim the top spots on the leaderboard.
Issa, a rising star in Jamaican golf, led the women's division from start to finish across the three-day event. She finished with a total score of 10 over par 226, with daily scores of 76, 73, and 77. This secured her a four-stroke victory over Emily Mayne, the 2022 winner and reigning national female golf champion. Mayne concluded the trials with scores of 81, 76, and 73, totaling 14 over par 230.
Issa's triumph was particularly commendable given the challenges she faced, including adverse weather conditions and a personal mishap. Reflecting on her performance, Issa said, “The conditions on the weekend were very tough. There was a lot of wind and rain and there was even a lightning delay on the second day.
“On the third day, while warming up, I had a little incident where I was hit in the face with one of my training aids and had to visit the emergency room before my tee time. Despite these challenges, I’m proud of my performance and happy to win back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024.”
In the men's division, Lue finished with a total score of six over par 222 after rounds of 79, 75, and an exceptional four under par 68 on the final day. This final round score, possibly his best on local soil, secured him a four-stroke victory over Jack Stein, who posted a total of 226 after a one under par 71 in the last round.
Lue expressed his satisfaction with his performance, stating, “I feel like the trials went well. I am very happy with my performance, especially with my final round score. Winning the trials and the opportunity to represent Jamaica this summer in the Dominican Republic is very exciting.”
Several other golfers also made notable contributions, particularly on the final day. Rocco Lopez, who led on day one, finished joint third with Zandre Roye, both scoring 227.
Roye, the current national golf champion, recovered from a challenging second round to post a one under par 71 on the final day. William Knibbs, the 2023 national champion, and Oshae Haye, the 2022 champion, also showed strong performances, finishing fifth and joint sixth, respectively.
Both Issa and Lue are now set to represent Jamaica at the Caribbean Junior Amateur Golf Championship, scheduled to be held in Jamaica in early July. They will also participate in the Caribbean Amateur Golf Championship later in July in the Dominican Republic, where their recent performances will have set high expectations.
Late replacement Colton Cowser belted a tiebreaking two-run homer in the eighth inning to lift the Baltimore Orioles to their season-best sixth straight win, 4-2 over the struggling Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night.
Cower entered as a defensive replacement in the top of the eighth and, in his first at-bat of the night, drilled a shot over the wall in right-center field to score Ryan Mountcastle, who singled. Michael Harris II nearly made a leaping catch at the wall with the ball just touching his glove.
The Orioles have outscored opponents 33-9 during the six-game streak, outhomering foes 11-3.
Cade Povich was masterful in his second career start, allowing five hits over six scoreless innings with no walks and six strikeouts.
Craig Kimbrel worked a perfect ninth for his 16th save in 19 chances. He has given up just one earned run and two hits in his last 12 appearances, spanning 11 innings.
Keegan Akin surrendered Matt Olson’s two-run homer in the top of the eighth, but those were the only runs for the Braves, who have lost five in a row for the first time since 2017.
Atlanta is 0 for 15 with runners in scoring position and has left 18 runners on in the first two games of this series.
Seager homers in return as Rangers hold on
Corey Seager hit a go-ahead, three-run homer against his former team in his return to the lineup and the Texas Rangers held on for a 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Shohei Ohtani’s home run in the first inning off Jon Gray stood as the game’s only run until the fifth, when Leody Taveras singled with one out, stole second and Marcus Semien reached on an error by third baseman Cavan Biggio.
Seager sent Walker Buehler’s 3-2 pitch over the wall in right field for a 3-1 lead in his first game back at Dodger Stadium since leaving to sign a 10-year contract with the Rangers in December 2021.
Seager missed the past four games with a left hamstring injury.
The Dodgers nearly tied it in the ninth but Andy Pages ran through a stop sign and was thrown out at home as the potential tying run for the final out on Jason Heyward’s RBI double.
Biggio made his Dodgers debut after he was acquired from Toronto on Wednesday.
Abrams lifts streaking Nationals over Tigers
CJ Abrams homered and doubled and the Washington Nationals held on for their fifth consecutive win, 7-5 over the Detroit Tigers.
The Nationals have their first five-game winning streak since June 19-24, 2021. They haven’t won six in a row since an eight-game run from Sept. 23-29, 2019 – the year they won the World Series.
Jake Irvin allowed one run and six hits over six innings with one walk and five strikeouts. Kyle Finnegan gave up Riley Greene’s solo homer in the ninth but finished for his 19th save.
Matt Vierling also homered for the Tigers, who have lost five of six.
Jayson Tatum scored 31 points and Jaylen Brown added 30 as the Boston Celtics fended off the Dallas Mavericks’ furious rally for a 106-99 victory for a 3-0 lead in the NBA Finals on Wednesday night.
Brown finished with eight rebounds and eight assists and Derrick White had 16 points as Boston extended its franchise record with a 10th consecutive playoff win and moved to 7-0 on the road this postseason.
The Celtics can wrap up the series and win their 18th title to break a tie with the Lakers for most NBA championships with a victory Friday night in Dallas.
None of the previous 156 teams to face a 3-0 deficit has rallied to win an NBA playoff series.
Kristaps Porzingis was ruled out about two hours before the game because of a rare tendon injury in his lower left leg sustained in Game 2. But the Celtics improved to 10-1 in these playoffs without the 7-foot-2 Latvian.
Kyrie Irving scored 35 points for Dallas and Luka Dončić added 27 before he fouled out with 4:12 remaining.
The Celtics opened a 91-70 lead at the end of a 20-5 run early in the fourth quarter, but the Mavs answered with a 22-2 spurt to pull within 93-92 on Irving’s jumper with 3:37 left.
Brown made a layup and White hit a 3-pointer before Irving sank a pair of free throws. Tatum dunked and Brown drilled a long jumper sandwiched around Dereck Lively II’s dunk to put Boston up 102-98.
PJ Washington and Irving both missed 3s and Tatum’s two free throws with 15 seconds left sealed the win.
Irving’s personal losing streak against the Celtics – his former team – reached 13 games.
The Boston Celtics won't have Kristaps Porzingis for Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday because of a rare injury to his left leg.
The Celtics announced Tuesday that Porzingis suffered a torn medial retinaculum allowing dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon.
The team described the injury as being rare, and said it is unrelated to a right calf strain that side-lined Porzingis for 10 games earlier in the play-offs.
The injury occurred with 3:27 to play in the third quarter of Sunday's 105-98 win over the Mavericks, which gave Boston a 2-0 lead.
Porzingis helped spark the Celtics in Thursday's 107-89 win in Game 1, tallying 11 points and two blocks in the first quarter in his first game since April 29.
He finished with 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting and six rebounds before recording 12 points and four boards in Game 2.
Porzingis spent 2 1/2 seasons with the Mavericks from 2019-22, and with this latest injury, still hasn't played a game in Dallas since being traded to the Washington Wizards in February 2022.
World golf remains split on the divide between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, yet United States Golf Association chief executive Mike Whan hopes to create a pathway for the breakaway players at the U.S. Open.
No permanent deal appears on the cards in the near future as the PGA and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), which funds the LIV circuit, held further talks last week.
Tiger Woods described the meeting as "productive" but just 12 LIV players will be in action when the U.S. Open starts on Thursday at Pinehurst.
Jon Rahm would have been the 13th if not for his withdrawal due to a troublesome foot injury as LIV representation remains sparse at golf's major events.
Whan wants to change the dynamic between the two competitions, however.
"I think we are serious about that," USGA chief Whan said when asked about creating a link between LIV and the U.S. Open.
"Exactly what that looks like, I'm not just being coy, we haven't done that yet.
"I also think, if I'm being perfectly honest with you, we've always felt like for the last year and a half that we're always three months away from kind of understanding what the new structure is going to look like.
"So before we kind of react, what is LIV going to be, what's the PGA Tour? We always felt like we were just about to know that answer, so let's figure that out.
"Now, I think the reason we're being more vocal about looking at that [pathway] for next year is maybe this is the new world order, and if that's the case we wanted to take a look at that.
"I think it's feasible. I don't think it's a huge pathway, but we do offer other pathways through DP World Tour or Korn Ferry Tour, so we know that there's an option to get there."
Past U.S. Open champions Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Martin Kaymer are among the LIV golfers to feature at this week's major.
LIV rookies Dean Burmester, David Puig and Eugenio Chacarra all made the field through final qualifying, while veteran Sergio Garcia was added to the list of players on Monday.
Step aside Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, tennis has a new world number one on the block in Jannik Sinner.
The 22-year-old, born in San Candido, ended a 51-year wait for Italy to boast the ATP's best player in the world rankings after moving to top spot this month.
Sinner overtook Djokovic at the summit of the men's game after his French Open performance, reaching the Roland-Garros final before falling in a five-set thriller to the battling Alcaraz.
Having already secured his first major at the Australian Open earlier this year, Sinner's remarkable rise continued in Paris – but how has the Italian managed to do so?
Here, we unpack the best of the Opta data to delve into Sinner's surge to world number one.
Major champion in Australia
Sinner was crowned a grand slam champion for the first time in his career back in January, defeating Daniil Medvedev in the final after overcoming a two-set deficit in Melbourne.
Sweeping aside Djokovic in the last four and Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals, his route to glory was far from straightforward, too.
Aged 22 years and 165 days at the time of his Melbourne Park triumph, Sinner became the youngest-ever player to achieve successive ATP top-five wins in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final of a major, surpassing Michael Stich – 22 years and 262 days at Wimbledon in 1991.
That Medvedev victory, at the time, also marked Sinner's fourth top-five scalp of 2024.
Since 1973, Sinner is the only fourth player aged under 23 to claim four such wins in the opening three months of a season, after Bjorn Borg (1978-79), Miloslav Mecir (1987) and Andy Murray (2007 and 2009).
Special 2023 sets tone for this year's success
Sinner enjoyed a remarkable campaign last year, winning his first Masters 1000 title at the Canadian Open and finishing the season by reaching the showpiece of the ATP Finals.
He finished with a win-loss record of 64-15 in 2023, breaking the Open Era record previously held by Corrado Barazzutti (55, 1978) for most ATP match wins by an Italian in a calendar year.
En route to the Indian Wells semi-final defeat to Alcaraz, Sinner also claimed a 19th consecutive ATP match win after overcoming Jiri Lehecka, breaking Adriano Panatta's record for the longest winning streak at ATP level of any Italian in the Open Era.
It is hard to argue with his position at the top, too.
Sinner became only the fifth player before turning 23 to defeat the men's world number three times in a calendar year, having overcome Alcaraz and Djokovic (twice) in a remarkable 2023 season.
The Italian also helped his country lift the Davis Cup, though major individual honours were always around the corner for the excellent right-hander.
The best in the world
Australian Open successes and a fine 2023 campaign brought Sinner to his crowning moment in June as he became the first Italian to reach world number one since the ATP rankings started in 1973.
Sinner is one of four players in the past two decades to hold the ATP's number-one ranking before the age of 23, along with Roger Federer, Nadal and Alcaraz.
Since 2000, Sinner is also just the third male player taller than 188 centimetres to reach the summit of tennis before turning 23, along with Andy Roddick and Marat Safin.
Naomi Osaka will play Bianca Andreescu in the Libema Open quarter-finals after a commanding straight-sets victory over Suzan Lamens.
The four-time major winner took just 54 minutes to wrap up a 6-2 6-2 win over her Dutch opponent in t'Hertogenbosch.
Osaka looked sharp as she sought her second WTA quarter-final appearance of the season, having also reached that stage in Doha four months ago.
The Japanese hit 21 winners to 13 unforced errors, while converting four out of five break points against the world number 140.
Next up for Osaka is a showdown with 2019 US Open champion Andreescu in the last eight.
Data Debrief: Osaka storms into first grass-court quarter-final in six years
It was a dominant display by Osaka, who hit nine aces and won 15 of her 17 points on first serve (88.2 per cent).
The four-time major winner subsequently advanced to her first WTA quarter-final on grass since the 2018 Nottingham Open.
Jerry West, a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee as a professional player, Olympian and executive and the inspiration behind the NBA's iconic logo, died Wednesday at the age of 86.
The Los Angeles Clippers announced West's death in a statement. The basketball legend had been with the team as a board member and consultant since 2017.
"Jerry West, the personification of basketball excellence and a friend to all who knew him, passed away this morning at the age of 86," the Clippers said Wednesday. "His wife, Karen, was by his side."
The third major of the year is upon us, and one man in particular will be hoping it goes more smoothly than the second.
World number one Scottie Scheffler saw his bid for a first PGA Championship crown unravel at Valhalla Golf Course, with Xander Schauffele ultimately edging out Bryson DeChambeau and Viktor Hovland for his first major crown.
Many expect the duo – currently the top two in golf's world rankings – to battle it out for glory on Course No. 2 at Pinehurst Resort this week, as the U.S. Open heads back to North Carolina.
Rory McIlroy could have something to say about that, with last year's second-place finish at the U.S. Open the closest he has come to ending his decade-long major drought.
Ahead of the 124th edition of the tournament, which features the largest purse of any major at $20million, we run through the likely contenders, the storylines to keep an eye on and what to expect from the course.
The course
Pinehurst No. 2 is hosting the U.S. Open for the fourth time, having previously been used for the 1999, 2005 and 2014 editions.
Since it first welcomed the event, the course has been home to the tournament more times than any other venue.
The course, which was renovated in 2011, is known for rewarding putting accuracy over driving excellence, and it has not always favoured home players in the past.
While Pinehurst No. 2's first staging of the U.S. Open produced a United States-born victor in Payne Stewart, New Zealand's Michael Campbell triumphed in 2005 and Germany's Martin Kaymer won by eight strokes in 2014.
That was the second-largest margin of victory recorded at the U.S. Open since the World War II after Tiger Woods triumphed by 15 shots at Pebble Beach in 2000.
Expect four gruelling days. Indeed, across the previous four editions of the U.S. Open to be played at Pinehurst No. 2, only Kaymer in 2014 (-9) finished with a score better than one under par for the week.
The contenders
Fresh off the back of his first major success, Schauffele will expect to be in the running again. He is one of four players to finish inside the top 10 at both of this year's majors to date, having ranked eighth at the Masters. The others to do so are Scheffler, DeChambeau and Collin Morikawa.
Five players have previous won both the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open in the same year – Gene Sarazen (1922), Ben Hogan (1948), Jack Nicklaus (1980), Woods (2000) and Brooks Koepka (2018).
The clear favourite once again, though, is Scheffler.
He was arrested and charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals from an officer after attempting to pass an incident outside Valhalla ahead of his second round last month.
He finished the tournament in a share of eighth – an admirable effort, given the disruption – and saw his charges dismissed just 12 days after his arrest.
The incident has not done much to affect his form. Scheffler claimed his fifth title of the year at the PGA Tour's Memorial Tournament last week, becoming just the second player – alongside Woods – to win the Players Championship, Masters and Memorial in the same year.
He has won five of his eight tournaments on the PGA Tour since March, finishing T2 twice and T8 once in the other three.
Reflecting on the way he responded to his arrest at Valhalla, Scheffler said: "I call it compartmentalising parts of my life.
"So I have my off-course life and then I have my on-course life, when I'm out here practicing and playing tournaments. I don't show up to these tournaments just to play. I'm here to do my best and compete."
Besides Scheffler and Schauffele, McIlroy will be hoping to go one better after finishing one stroke behind champion Wyndham Clark at last year's U.S. Open.
Having fallen short at the year's first two majors, the Northern Irishman hopes the firm conditions expected in North Carolina will play into his hands.
"After the Open Championship in 2019 I'd had a disappointing run in the majors, and I tried to change my mindset," he told The Telegraph.
"Since then I've come to love it when it is fast and firm. If you look at my results in the U.S. Open and some of the toughest tests from 2019 until now, I would say the U.S. Open has arguably been my best major in the last few years."
Morikawa should also be there or thereabouts, having been narrowly edged out by Scheffler on his most recent outing at the Memorial.
Alongside Ludvig Aberg, he has the most top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour this year without a victory (six). Might his luck turn this week?
The legends
The U.S. Open will also feature a couple of players attempting to recapture past glories, with Woods the one most fans are looking forward to seeing.
He missed the cut at the PGA Championship after carding scores of 72 and 77, subsequently admitting improvements are needed in all areas if he is to fare better on his first U.S. Open appearance since 2020.
"I need to clean up my rounds," Woods said after the PGA Championship. "Physically, yes, I am better than I was a month ago.
"I still have more ways to go, lots of improvement to do physically, and hopefully my team and I can get that done pre-Pinehurst."
Only four players – Willie Anderson, Bobby Jones, Hogan and Nicklaus (four apiece) – have bettered Woods' three U.S. Open triumphs, and his most recent victory at the event was the last to be decided by a playoff, seeing off Rocco Mediate in 2008.
While Woods has enjoyed plenty of success at the U.S. Open, the same cannot be said for Phil Mickelson.
It is the only major he has not won in his 32 attempts, 30 as a professional and two as an amateur, and his six second-place finishes at the U.S. Open are more than any other player.
The first of those came 25 years ago, at Pinehurst No. 2.
The history
For all the big names on show, the U.S. Open does have a tendency to throw up surprise victors.
Indeed, since Woods triumphed at Torrey Pines in 2018, 12 of the next 15 U.S. Opens have produced a first-time major champion. That includes the last five editions, with Gary Woodland, DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Matt Fitzpatrick triumphing before Clark.
Clark could become just the fourth player since World War II to retain the U.S. Open title, after Hogan (1950 and 1951), Curtis Strange (1988 and 1989) and Koepka (2017 and 2018).
Last year's victory at Los Angeles Country Club remains his only top-30 finish at a major – he missed the cut at this year's Masters and PGA Championship.
The U.S. Open was formerly known as a real test of endurance, but things have changed somewhat in recent years.
From 2005 to 2013, six of nine editions produced an even/over-par winning score, but nine of the last 10 have been won with an under-par score, the exception being Koepka's 2018 victory at Shinnecock Hills (+1).
What kind of score will be required this time out? If Scheffler maintains his outstanding form, he will take some beating.
Scottie Scheffler has insisted that he does not feel there is a target on his back as he aims to capture his third major championship victory in this week's US Open at Pinehurst.
Scheffler's victory at the Memorial Tournament last week saw him become only the fourth PGA Tour player in the past 60 seasons to win five times before the end of June.
It was the American's fifth win in eight PGA Tour starts, having also won the Arnold Palmer Invitational, The Players, The Masters and RBC Heritage, last missing a cut in August 2022.
"I try not to think about the past too much, and I try not to think about the future too much," Scheffler told the media.
"I just try and live in the present. Sometimes it's easier and sometimes it's a bit harder.
"I feel like coming off of last week, I was really excited and celebrated for a few minutes there, but my mind kind of just goes on to the next thing. I was getting ready, trying to get out of there and trying to prep for next week.
"I'm not thinking about my wins anymore. All I'm focused on is this week and getting ready to play. Just because I won last week doesn't give me any shots against the field this week.
"We all start even par, and the field is level again starting on Thursday. Last week doesn't really matter. I still don't feel like there's much of a target on my back. It's not like anybody is out there playing defence."
Scheffler will tee off with PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele and four-time major champion Rory McIlroy in Thursday's first round, the players closest to him in the world rankings.
"When I play with Xander and Rory here Thursday and Friday, they're not going to be saying weird stuff to me out on the golf course or trying to block my putt from going in the hole," Scheffler added.
"As far as a target on my back, even if there was, there's really not much we can do in the game of golf. Most of it is against the golf course and playing against yourself."
Scheffler would be the first golfer to win on tour and capture a major the following week since McIlroy at the 2014 PGA Championship.
Kyrie Irving accepted the blame for the Dallas Mavericks being 2-0 down to the Boston Celtics and vowed to do "whatever it takes" to turn things around.
The Mavs lost 107-89 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals and followed that up with a 105-98 defeat on Sunday to leave themselves with a mountain to climb.
Luka Doncic felt his performance cost his side in the most recent of those encounters, despite finishing with 32 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
By comparison, fellow superstar Irving registered 16 points, two rebounds and six assists in almost the exact same number of minutes on the court.
And Irving admits it is now on him to step up in Game 3 at American Airlines Center on Wednesday if the Mavs are to drag themselves back into the series.
Asked about a conversation he was seen having with Doncic, Irving said: "It started with me just telling my [brother] I got to play better for him, alongside him.
"In order for us to accomplish our goal, we both have to be playing well and we both have to be doing the little things, doing whatever it takes to win.
"It was an easy conversation. But it started with me reaching out, just letting him know it's my fault, taking accountability for not playing particularly well."
Irving has so far averaged 14 points in the two games with the Celtics, which is down on the 22.8 points he averaged per game in the playoffs.
"First thing of that is just accepting that I haven't played well or up to my standards, as well as I would have liked," Irving said.
"Being back in Boston, there's such a level of desire that I have inside of me to play well. I wanted to be there for my teammates. As a competitor, it's frustrating.
"But I don't want to let that seep in or spill over to any other decisions I have to make there as a player."
Irving has lost 12 straight games against the Celtics, whom he left in 2019, but Boston coach Joe Mazzulla is aware of what the eight-time NBA All-Star is capable of.
"It's not about shutting him down," Mazzulla said ahead of Game 3. "It's about making it difficult for him because of his ability to impact plays. We just have to fight for that.
"He's got some good looks. I think we have to guard him better. I think he's definitely going to be more aggressive."
Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 25th home run and Austin Wells had a three-run shot as the New York Yankees cruised to a 10-1 rout of the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night.
Giancarlo Stanton also homered for the AL-best Yankees, who have won seven straight on the road and 11 of 13 overall.
Back in the lineup after he was rested in Monday’s series opener, Judge had a run-scoring single in the first inning and his 446-foot home run in the seventh – a two-run shot - gave him 62 RBIs, tied with Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez for the major league lead.
Since the beginning of May, Judge is 51 for 127 (.402) with 19 home runs, 44 RBIs and 40 runs in 37 games for a 1.506 OPS.
The Yankees improved to 39-4 when Judge and Stanton homer in the same game, including playoffs, and are 16-1 against the AL Central this season.
Marcus Stroman pitched four-hit ball over 5 2/3 scoreless innings to win his fourth consecutive decision.
Freddy Fermin homered for the Royals, who dropped their third in a row and are 3-12 in their last 15 meetings with New York.
Mateo lifts surging Orioles over Braves
Jorge Mateo hit a three-run homer in his return to the lineup and Albert Suarez worked into the sixth inning to lead the Baltimore Orioles to their fifth straight victory, 4-0 over the Atlanta Braves.
Mateo, reinstated from the concussion injured list before the game, hit a drive into the Baltimore bullpen in the second inning off Max Fried after Anthony Santander walked, and Austin Hays singled for one of his three hits.
Suarez allowed four hits over 5 1/3 innings with three walks and four strikeouts. Four relievers finished up the five-hitter with Dillon Tate fanning two in the ninth.
Baltimore matched its longest winning streak of the season and sent Atlanta to its season high-tying fourth consecutive loss.
The Braves went 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position and left 11 runners on base.
Dodgers hit 4 home runs in one inning in rout
Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez and Jason Heyward all homered during a seven-run sixth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers pounded the Texas Rangers, 15-2.
Mookie Betts’ three-run double in the fourth gave the Dodgers a 6-1 lead and Gavin Lux’s RBI single an inning later made it 7-1.
Ohtani hit his 16th home run with one out in the sixth after Betts walked and Freeman followed with his ninth of the season. After Will Smith singled, Hernandez connected for his fifth home run in five games. Andy Pages singled after Grant Anderson got the second out and Heyward’s blast pushed the lead to 14-1.
Rangers catcher Andrew Knizner pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
Smith had a three-run homer in the first inning and finished with three hits for the Dodgers, who last had four home runs in an inning on Sept. 29, 2021, against San Diego.
Defending World Series champion Texas lost its fifth in seven games.
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