Alexander Zverev avoided a first-round upset at the Halle Open after battling past fellow German Oscar Otte on Tuesday.
The second seed managed to triumph in his first match since the French Open final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz, eventually winning 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-4.
Zverev has twice reached the show-piece at this event, in 2016 and 2017, though acknowledged challenges remain with adapting from the clay-court surfaces at Roland-Garros.
"A week ago, I was playing on clay still basically," Zverev said in his on-court interview. "He made it very tough for me, no rhythm at all.
"That's how grass-court tennis is sometimes and I'm just happy with the win.
"He did make it extremely difficult for me, so credit to him. I'm obviously happy that I won and hopefully, it's going to be a level above in the next match."
The world number four is now 35-10 for the season and will look to extend that record when he meets Italy's Lorenzo Sonego in the next round.
Zverev has won all three head-to-head meetings with Sonego, and will fancy his chances if he delivers another heavy-hitting performance next time out.
The 27-year-old smashed 54 winners, compared to his 40 unforced errors, to triumph in just over two hours under the OWL Arena roof.
Stefanos Tsitsipas also began his grass season with victory, defeating home hopeful Henri Squire 7-6 (9-7) 7-6 (7-2).
The Greek sixth seed will face Luciano Darderi or Jan-Lennard Struff in the second round.
Pep Guardiola's advice helped the Boston Celtics win the NBA Finals, so says Joe Mazzulla.
The Celtics clinched the NBA title with a 106-88 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 on Monday.
That sealed a 4-1 series win for Boston, who won their 18th Championship, and first since 2008.
And head coach Mazzulla revealed that Manchester City manager Guardiola, who was in attendance for Game 1 of the Finals, played a part in his team's success.
"Dallas has one of the smartest defenses," Mazzulla said.
"We had to be creative to counter them."
"Pep helped me in transitions and how to move guys."
Perhaps when he does eventually leave City, Guardiola might just try his hand in the NBA?
Andy Murray celebrated his 1,000th match on the ATP Tour with a battling victory over Alexei Popyrin at the Queen's Club Championships on Tuesday.
The 37-year-old became the fifth active male player to hit quadruple figures for tour-level matches, marking the milestone with a 6-3 3-6 6-3 victory to snap a four-match losing streak.
Murray holds the record for Queen's titles with five and will look to go deep in this tournament once more when he meets Australia's Jordan Thompson in the second round.
The two-time Wimbledon champion acknowledged the struggles of his lengthy career after this first-round triumph, though suggested he did not know about the landmark moment until just before play.
"I didn't realise, but my mum told me before the match that this was my 1000th match on the tour," Murray said in his on-court interview.
"A lot of matches and a lot of wear and tear in the body and it is not easy but I managed to push through."
Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Fernando Verdasco and Richard Gasquet are the other active men's players to hit the 1,000-match mark.
That longevity has served well for Murray, who won his first match at the tournament in 2005 and holds a 32-9 record at the ATP 500 grass-court event since.
"During the match, it is difficult but great reward at the end for the hard work and effort I put into the match," Murray added.
"I have not got too many wins this year, it has been a difficult season but did well to come through in the end. Held quite a few tight service games and managed to serve it out well."
Alex de Minaur overcame Murray at Queen's last year en route to the final before losing out to Carlos Alcaraz, who also secured the Wimbledon title after.
Yet De Minaur will not have the chance to make the showpiece of the Wimbledon warm-up this time around, after losing out to Lorenzo Musetti.
The Italian swept the second seed aside with a 1-6 6-4 6-2 victory, teeing up a second-round meeting with Brandon Nakashima.
Naomi Osaka bowed out of the Berlin Open after falling short in a three-set thriller against an inspired serving display from Zheng Qinwen.
The former world number one battled, but ultimately came up short for the second time in two weeks, enduring a 6-4 3-6 6-3 defeat.
The Japanese found herself a set down following a break point claimed in the fifth game by her opponent but rallied in the second to take the encounter to a deciding set.
However, Zheng, who served 10 aces in the final set, proved too powerful for Osaka to secure a second victory over the Japanese after two hours and 10 minutes at the Steffi Graf Stadium.
Zheng will play Katerina Siniakova in the last 16 on Wednesday, with either Jessica Pegula or Donna Vekic awaiting should she progress.
Data Debrief: Acing it
The victory for Zheng saw her serve 23 aces against Osaka, the highest tally in a single WTA match since Rebecca Marino vs Caroline Garcia in Guadalajara in 2022 (24).
Her success with her serving saw Zheng win 88 per cent of her first serve points, winning 44 of 50 during the match.
Naomi Osaka bowed out of the Berlin Open after falling short in a three-set thriller against an inspired serving display from Zheng Qinwen.
The former world number one battled, but ultimately came up short for the second time in two weeks, enduring a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 defeat.
The Japanese found herself a set down following a break point claimed in the fifth game by her opponent but rallied in the second to take the encounter to a deciding set.
However, Qinwen, who served 10 aces in the final set, proved too powerful for Osaka to secure a second victory over Osaka after two hours and 10 minutes at the Steffi Graf Stadium.
Qinwen will play Katerina Siniakova in the last 16 of June 19, with either Jessica Pegula or Donna Vekic awaiting should she progress.
Data Debrief:
The victory for Zheng saw her serve 23 aces against Osaka, the highest tally in a single WTA match since Rebecca Marino vs Caroline Garcia in Guadalajara in 2022 (24).
Her success with her serving saw Zheng win 88 per cent of her first serve points, winning 44 of 50 during the match.
Carlos Alcaraz began his title defence at the Queen's Club Championships with a straight-sets victory over Francisco Cerundolo on Tuesday.
Playing his first match since winning the French Open earlier this month, Alcaraz recovered from a second-set slump to win 6-1 7-5.
The Spaniard started strongly in his first meeting with Cerundolo and breezed through the first set, committing just one unforced error.
He quickly found himself 2-5 down after a slow start to the second, but in an impressive turnaround, Alcaraz battled back, winning each of the next five games to ensure he would progress after 82 minutes.
He will meet either Jack Draper or Mariano Navone in the next round.
Data Debrief: Alcaraz makes winning return on grass
Alcaraz did not have it all his own way in London, but he ensured that he extended his winning run on grass to 13 matches.
He saved three set points on his way to levelling things at 5-5 in the second set, giving Cerundolo no way back in.
Jeff Van Gundy will finally make his NBA coaching return next season after reportedly agreeing to become Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue’s top assistant.
The 62-year-old Van Gundy spent this season as a senior consultant for the Boston Celtics, who won their 18th NBA title by beating the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 in Game 5 of the Finals on Monday.
Prior to working with the Celtics, Van Gundy was a television analyst for ESPN for 16 years after being the head coach of the New York Knicks and Houston Rockets.
Van Gundy took over the Knicks in March 1996 and resigned 19 games into the 2001-02 season, a stretch that saw New York reach the NBA Finals in the lockout shortened 1998-99 campaign.
Houston hired Van Gundy in June 2003 and fired him after a first-round playoff exit in 2007.
Van Gundy owns a career coaching record of 430-318 in the regular season and 44-44 in the playoffs.
The Clippers went 51-31 this season and won the Pacific Division title for the first time since 2013-14, but they were eliminated by the Mavericks in six games in the first round of the playoffs.
Los Angeles signed Lue, who coached the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA title in 2016, to a five-year, $70million extension last month.
Jannik Sinner came from a set down to ensure his debut as world number one did not end in an upset against Tallon Griekspoor at the Halle Open.
The Italian had to rally after a tough start in his first grass-court match of the season but prevailed 6-7 (8-10) 6-3 6-2.
Despite forcing a tie-break in the first set, Sinner threw away a 4-0 lead during it, unable to hold off Griekspoor's late charge.
Sinner soon found his footing in the second and got a vital break to swing momentum in his favour, holding onto it into the third to take the win in two hours, 22 minutes.
He will face Fabian Marozsan in the next round.
Data Debrief: Sinner comes good on debut
The ATP World No. 1 has won 93.1% of the grass court matches played in the last six years: Novak Djokovic 14-0, Carlos Alcaraz 7-0, Daniil Medvedev 5-2 and Sinner 1-0.
Before getting the vital break, Sinner went on a run of five consecutive points to dig himself out of a whole at 0-40 down on his own serve during the fifth game of the second set, sending him on his way to the win.
Kyrie Irving is confident the Dallas Mavericks can be regular championship contenders after their NBA Finals loss to the Boston Celtics came as a "bitter" ending to a "really positive journey".
Jayson Tatum delivered a magnificent performance in Game 5 with 31 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists, as the Celtics capped a dominant season by cruising to a 106-88 victory over the Mavericks on Monday to capture their first league championship since 2008.
It was a difficult night for Irving at TD Garden. Boston's All-Star forward and Finals MVP Jaylen Brown compiled 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists and played lock-down defence on the Mavericks star, who was held to under 39 per cent shooting in three of Dallas' four losses.
Irving, who spent two seasons with Boston before signing with the Brooklyn Nets in 2019, went just 5 of 16 from the field while managing 15 points, the third time in the series he produced 16 points or fewer.
But Irving was looking at the positives despite the 4-1 series loss and hopes Dallas will be back to go one better in the years ahead.
"We answered a lot of questions this year on what we were capable of doing and now it is just about being consistent," Irving said, per ESPN.
"I said that I wanted to be remembered as one of the best teams of this era and our last few champions have been a new one each and every year.
"So, I see an opportunity for us to really build our future in a positive manner where this is almost like a regular thing for us, and we are competing for championships.
"From a spiritual standpoint, I think I enjoyed this journey more than any other season, just because of the redemption arc and being able to learn as much as I did about myself and my teammates and the organization and the people that I'm around."
After Dallas substituted its starters in the closing stages, Irving and Doncic exchanged an embrace and a few words on the sideline as the final seconds of the Celtics' victory ticked away.
"We said, 'We'll fight together next season, and we are just going to believe'," revealed Doncic.
Doncic battled injuries during the postseason and it remains uncertain if he will be able to represent Slovenia at the Olympic Games.
"I don't want to talk about what's next, man," Doncic said. "I have some decisions to make. I'm just trying to get a little bit healthier.
"It doesn't matter if I was hurt, how much was I hurt. I was out there. I tried to play but I didn't do enough."
With Doncic on the team, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd is optimistic there will be more NBA Finals appearances to come for Dallas.
He said: "For [Doncic] at the age of 25 to get to the Finals, to be playing his basketball at the level that he's playing...
"Now it's just being consistent. When you have one of the best players in the world, you should be always fighting for a championship."
Jayson Tatum says the Boston Celtics' 18th NBA title is a "night I will remember for the rest of my life".
The Celtics capped a dominant season by cruising to a 106-88 victory over the Mavericks in Game 5 of the NBA finals on Monday, capturing their first league championship since 2008.
After recording the league's best regular-season record at 64-18, Boston continued that fine form in the post-season, going 16-3 to earn their record-breaking 18th title, moving them above the Los Angeles Lakers.
After losing Game 4 on the road, the Celtics responded in style, with Tatum the standout performer, getting 31 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists.
"I mean, this is going to be a night that I will remember for the rest of my life, from the game, the celebration, these moments," Tatum said.
"Over the last couple years, we had some tough losses at home in the playoffs. We've lost the NBA championship at home in front of our fans. We had a chance to beat Miami in Game 6 a few years ago and lost that one.
"So, to have a big win - the biggest win that you could have in front of your home crowd - I felt like that was really important to go out there and do everything in my power to make sure we won this game tonight."
"It means the world," Tatum said on stage. "It's been a long time. And I'm grateful."
Kristaps Porzingis missed Games 3 and 4 with a leg injury but managed 16 minutes off the bench to help his team to victory in the decider.
He confirmed after the game that he would need surgery on the injury but did not want to miss out on the occasion.
"I think something could have happened, for sure, especially compensating now on the other leg now, which I just came back from," Porzingis told ESPN.
"There was definitely some added risk, but I didn't care. I was like, 'I want to give everything I can and then fix it after if I need to.'"
"Since last game, I've been thinking ... 'How can I get my body ready for next game?'. Like, no matter how it is. And today I was like, 'I'm going to try everything possible to get out there.'
"And, man, it feels great to be a champion."
Brandon Nimmo drove in four runs and had three of the New York Mets' season-high 22 hits as Major League Baseball's hottest team rolled to a 14-2 victory over the Texas Rangers on Monday.
Francisco Lindor went 4 for 4 and knocked in two runs as the Mets won their sixth consecutive contest while collecting their most hits in a game since recording 23 against the Atlanta Braves on Aug. 15, 2019.
Nimmo had a two-run homer among his three hits and DJ Stewart added a three-run blast as New York battered Texas starter Jon Gray for nine runs and 11 hits in just three-plus innings.
Pete Alonso, Mark Vientos and Francisco Alvarez also had three hits each to support a solid start from David Peterson, who allowed two runs and struck out six over six innings to move to 3-0.
After Lindor singled to open the game and later scored on Alonso's base hit to put the Mets up early, New York broke open the game with six runs in the second.
Lindor's single brought in Vientos for a 2-0 lead and Nimmo followed with a run-scoring hit of his own to extend the margin. Alonso made it 4-0 with his second RBI single of the night before Stewart launched Gray's pitch into the right field seats to cap the big inning.
Peterson served up Robbie Grossman's two-run homer in the third inning that got the Rangers on the board, but Nimmo followed Lindor's single in the fourth with his eighth home run of the season to give New York a 9-2 advantage.
The Mets struck two more times in the fifth as Lindor doubled in a run and Nimmo added another RBI single. Stewart singled in the sixth and later crossed the plate on Alvarez's hit to increase the lead to 12-2.
Alvarez had another run-scoring hit in the eighth as the Mets scored twice more during the inning.
The defending World Series champion Rangers lost their fourth in a row and dropped six games below .500 at 33-39.
Pirates' rookie Skenes bests Reds to stay unbeaten
Paul Skenes continued an outstanding start to his MLB career by throwing six sharp innings and leading the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 4-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds to open a three-game series.
Skenes improved to 4-0 by yielding just one run on six hits and striking out seven. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft now sports a 2.29 ERA through his first seven major league starts.
The heralded rookie's lone run allowed came in the top of the first inning, when Jeimer Candelario singled and scored on a double by Spencer Steer.
Pittsburgh countered with three runs off Carson Spiers in their half of the first, which began with a walk to Andrew McCutchen and Bryan Reynolds' ground-rule double.
Oneil Cruz then drove both runners home with a single and later moved to third on Rowdy Tellez's double before crossing the plate on Ke'Bryan Hayes' groundout.
The Pirates extended their advantage to 4-1 in the second inning on consecutive doubles by McCutchen and Reynolds, who finished with two hits along with Tellez.
Spiers (0-1) made his first start of the season for Cincinnati, which has now lost three straight. The right-hander worked six innings while permitting all four Pittsburgh runs.
Schwarber's two homers help Phillies extend Padres' road woes
Kyle Schwarber belted a pair of two-run homers to lead the way as the Philadelphia Phillies extended the San Diego Padres' road losing streak to eight games with Monday's 9-2 rout.
Alec Bohm added a three-run homer and went 3 for 5 to help the National League leaders bounce back after losing two of three games to the Baltimore Orioles over the weekend. Rafael Marchan finished 4 for 4 with two RBIs, while Trea Turner had a pair of hits in the Philadelphia shortstop's return from a hamstring injury that had sidelined him since early May.
The Phillies also received a strong start from Cristopher Sanchez (4-3), who held struggling San Diego to two runs - one earned - in seven innings.
San Diego entered Citizens Bank Park off three straight road losses to the New York Mets over the weekend, and fell behind 2-0 when Schwarber followed Marchan's third-inning single with a blast into the seats off Randy Vasquez.
Vasquez (1-4) walked Brandon Marsh to lead off the bottom of the fourth, which led to another run when the outfielder took second on a wild pitch and scored on Marchan's single.
An error by Marsh led to a run in the top of the fifth that got the Padres on the board, though the Phillies answered in their half when Bohm took Vasquez deep with Turner and Bryce Harper aboard.
Schwarber struck again in the sixth with a homer off Adrian Morejon that extended the lead to 8-2 and once again scored Marchan, who had reached on a single.
Both teams scratched home a run in the seventh inning, as San Diego's Donovan Solano brought in Jurickson Profar with a double and Marsh doubled and later scored on Marchan's fourth hit of the game.
Vasquez lasted just 4 1/3 innings and was lit up for six runs on 12 hits.
Jayson Tatum delivered a magnificent performance in Game 5 of the NBA Finals with 31 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists, and the Boston Celtics capped a dominant season by cruising to a 106-88 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday to capture their first league championship since 2008.
Returning home off a 38-point Game 4 loss that extended the series, the Celtics bounced back with authority by leading the clincher from start-to-finish to put the finishing touches on an unquestionably title-worthy 2023-24 campaign.
After recording the league's best regular-season record at 64-18, Boston went 16-3 in the post-season to earn the 18th NBA title in franchise history, breaking a tie with the Lakers for the most by any team.
Jaylen Brown compiled 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists in Game 5 and was named Finals MVP. The All-Star forward averaged 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and five assists per game for the series in addition to playing lock-down defence on Mavericks star Kyrie Irving, who was held under 39 per cent shooting in three of Dallas' four losses.
Rory McIlroy intends to take a break from golf after his US Open collapse as the Northern Irishman bemoaned the toughest day of his career following further major disappointment at Pinehurst.
The four-time major champion has not triumphed in one of golf's top events since 2014 at the PGA Championship.
McIlroy came within touching distance of ending that decade-long wait on Sunday but fell short in disappointing circumstances as Bryson DeChambeau claimed the US Open title by a shot in North Carolina.
The 35-year-old McIlroy managed to bogey three of his final four holes in the last round at Pinehurst's No.2 course, including a woeful miss from a short putting distance on the 18th.
DeChambeau was left to save par with an impressive up-and-down from the near-side bunker, leaving McIlroy to rue another missed opportunity on the major stage.
"Yesterday was a tough day, probably the toughest I've had in my nearly 17 years as a professional golfer," McIlroy wrote on social media.
"Firstly, I'd like to congratulate Bryson. He is a worthy champion and exactly what professional golf needs right now. I think we can all agree on that.
"As I reflect on my week, I'll rue a few things over the course of the tournament, mostly the two missed putts on 16 and 18 on the final day.
"But, as I always try to do, I'll look at the positives of the week that far outweigh the negatives. As I said at the start of the tournament, I feel closer to winning my next major championship than I ever have.
"The one word that I would describe my career as is resilient. I've shown my resilience over and over again in the last 17 years and I will again."
McIlroy was expected to play in this week's Travelers Championship in Connecticut.
However, the world number two confirmed he will not feature as McIlroy prepares for a break after suffering a brutal blow to his major hopes.
"I'm going to take a few weeks away from the game to process everything and build myself back up for my defence of the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open at Royal Troon," he concluded.
The Scottish Open does not start until July 11, leaving McIlroy with almost a month to recover from this setback.
Carlos Alcaraz is not wanting to dwell on his French Open triumph as the Spaniard prepares for Wimbledon by featuring at the Queen's Club Championships this week.
The 21-year-old secured his third major title this month after overcoming Alexander Zverev in a five-set final thriller at Roland-Garros.
Alcaraz is the youngest player in the Open Era to win the singles title at three different grand slams, with the Australian Open the only one missing from the set.
The world number two has one thing on his mind, however, as Alcaraz turns his focus to the grass-court challenge awaiting at Queen's, and subsequently the next major Wimbledon.
"We have to be focused on the tournament that we are playing right now," Alcaraz said. "Roland-Garros was a fantastic two weeks for me, a dream come true lifting the trophy.
"But right now my mind has to be here on the grass to be ready. As soon as I can to play good tennis and to get ready for Wimbledon.
"Right now my focus is on the grass and then after that, my mind will be on clay again to be at my best for the Olympics."
Just a year ago, Alcaraz headed to Queen's with only four ATP wins on grass.
A year later, the big-hitting youngster is getting ready to defend his title in the Wimbledon warm-up tournament before attempting to go back-to-back at the next major.
"I have more matches in my bank on grass and now with the great run I had last year at Queen's and Wimbledon, I know a little bit on how to play and understand the game a little bit on grass," he added.
"I am more mature playing on this surface. The first practice I have done here, my movement wasn't as good as last year but it is a slow process, so I have to be really focused in every practice and every match."
Alcaraz took the fewest main draw appearances of any player in the Open Era to win titles on grass, clay and hard courts.
He celebrated that French Open glory with a tattoo of Paris' Eiffel Tower on his left ankle, before jetting off for further toasts to his success.
Asked on his plans after Paris, Alcaraz said: "I had a few days off. I went to Ibiza with a group of friends. I had fun. It was a great time celebrating Roland Garros and I just had fun.
"For me as a player, I need this kind of thing. Every player is different but for me to reach my best tennis I have to separate the professional part from the personal part.
"I have some days off to forget a little bit that I am a professional player. Being with my friends and family means I can rest a little bit."
Daniil Medvedev secured his spot in the next round of the Halle Open after fending off a valiant Nuno Borges in straight sets.
The world number five prevailed 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 on Monday to bounce back from his round-of-16 exit to Alex de Minaur at Roland-Garros.
Medvedev found himself behind early on as Borges won an early break point, but the Russian roared back to win the tiebreak 7-4.
Borges continued to match his opponent in the second set, but the former world number one showcased his endurance and class, finishing the contest in style to secure his place in the round of 16.
Medvedev will now face Zhizhen Zhang after his win over Sebastian Ofner earlier in the day.
Data Debrief: Med goes two for two
This duo first met at this year's Australian Open, with Medvedev winning on that occasion too.
It was a tight encounter this time around, as Medvedev was forced to save five break points, while also striking nine aces, but he made it two straight wins against Borges.
A difficult spell for Holger Rune continued as the Dane was beaten by Jordan Thompson in the first round of the Queen's Club Championships on Monday.
Rune has fallen from a high of four down to number 15 in the ATP rankings and was unable to hold on to a lead in his match with Thompson in London.
Australian Thompson fought back to prevail 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 in an entertaining encounter against the seventh seed.
Rune made the semi-finals at Queen's and the quarter-finals of Wimbledon last year, but is now seriously lacking momentum as the third grand slam of 2024 fast approaches.
Elsewhere at the ATP 500 event, third seed Grigor Dimitrov is safely through after cruising past Adrian Mannarino 6-1 6-2 in only 63 minutes.
Dimitrov will face either Sebastian Korda or Karen Khachanov in the last 16.
Top seed and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz starts his campaign against Argentine Francisco Cerundolo on Tuesday.
That is also when Thompson’s compatriot and last year’s runner-up Alex de Minaur begins his tournament with what could be a testing clash against Italian Lorenzo Musetti.
Data Debrief: Thompson's serve sees off Rune
In the first career meeting between the two players, both Rune and Thompson were strong on serve. The three sets only produced two breaks – one from each player – in a battle that topped the two-hour mark.
Thompson came into the tournament on a five-match losing streak, but has often impressed on grass, with this being his 64th career win on the surface.
He had eight aces to just one double fault and crucially won 69 per cent (20/29) of his second-serve points, affording Rune just one break-point opportunity across the whole match.
Thompson added 27 winners and could face home hope Andy Murray next round if the Briton can defeat Alexei Popyrin.
As for Dimitrov, he recorded 28 winners and only five unforced errors in his impressive win over Mannarino. Having made the quarter-finals at the French Open, the Bulgarian looks poised to enter Wimbledon in good form.
Bryson DeChambeau is looking forward to more final-round battles with Rory McIlroy following his second U.S. Open triumph at Pinehurst on Sunday.
DeChambeau headed into the final round in North Carolina with a three-shot lead over the field, but soon found himself two behind the Northern Irishman three holes into the back nine.
A birdie at the 13th regained the American's composure, with McIlroy making bogey in three of the last four holes, including an agonising miss on18 to hand DeChambeau the victory.
The fifth major title continues to elude McIlroy, last winning at the 2014 PGA Championship, but DeChambeau labelled the world number two as one of the best to play the game and is excited for future tussles on the golf course.
"Rory is one of the best to ever play," DeChambeau said. "Being able to fight against a great like that is pretty special. I'd love to have a lot more battles with him.
"I have nothing but respect for how he plays the game of golf... to be honest, when he was climbing up the leaderboard, I was like, 'Uh-oh', but luckily things went my way today.
"For him to miss that putt [on the 18th], I'd never wish it on anybody.
"I'm sure it will fuel Rory's fire even more. He's a strong-minded individual. He'll win multiple more major championships, there's no doubt."
McIlroy's missed putt at 18 opened the door for DeChambeau to capitalise, but a wayward drive left him hunched under a tree, forcing him to punch out to a greenside bunker to set up a nervy finish.
However, the American would produce a moment of magic to place the ball within four feet of the hole, going on to say it was the shot of his life.
"That bunker shot was the shot of my life," DeChambeau reflected.
"I knew where Rory was. After my tee shot, I was up there going, 'Man, if he makes par, I don't know how I'm going to beat him'. I just really didn't know.
"Then I heard the moans. It was like a shot of adrenaline got in me. I said, 'Okay, you can do this'. I'm so happy I got that shot up-and-down."
Rory McIlroy's shocking misses at the U.S. Open could haunt him for the rest of his career, believes six-time major champion Nick Faldo.
McIlroy looked to be in pole position to end his 10-year major drought on the final day of play at Pinehurst on Sunday, as four birdies in a five-hole stretch gave him a two-shot lead over Bryson DeChambeau.
However, things unravelled for the Northern Irishman in spectacular fashion, as he missed a putt from less than three yards to save par on the 15th.
Despite following that up with a bogey on the 16th, McIlroy still shared the lead with DeChambeau as he approached the final hole.
He then missed another four-foot putt to hand the initiative to DeChambeau, who produced a brilliant bunker shot then made no mistake for his own close-range par, clinching his second major title by a single shot.
McIlroy left Pinehurst without speaking to the media as DeChambeau celebrated his second U.S. Open crown in the last five editions, and Faldo believes he may never fully get over his misses.
"That's going to haunt Rory for the rest of his life, those two misses," Faldo said in his role of co-commentator for Sky Sports.
"It was an unbelievable finish. That was a four of all fours to finish from Bryson and the celebration of all celebrations!
"Rory will be broken-hearted, so I feel for him. He's going to be gutted, absolutely gutted."
Bryson DeChambeau described his second U.S. Open triumph as the highlight of his life after edging out Rory McIlroy in a dramatic finish to Sunday's final round at Pinehurst.
DeChambeau, who won the 2020 edition of the event in Mamaroneck, went into the fourth and final round with a three-shot lead over McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay and Matthieu Pavon.
As Pavon carded a one-over 70 and Cantlay shot par on Sunday, it came down to a thrilling head-to-head battle between DeChambeau and McIlroy.
McIlroy moved two shots clear by sinking a terrific 27-foot putt on the 13th, managing four birdies in his first 14 holes, but he inexplicably missed two putts to save par from inside four feet on the closing stretch, putting DeChambeau in pole position.
The American looked to be in trouble when he missed the green with his second shot on the par-four last, but a stunning pitch from the sand teed him up for a four-foot putt to seal the title.
"I felt like I was hitting the driver the way I wanted today," DeChambeau said during the trophy presentation.
"I just kept staying the course, focused on trying as many fairways as I could."
Reflecting on the final hole, he said: "I got myself out of trouble really well but I can't believe that up and down, it was probably the best shot of my life.
"I was just trying to land it pretty much where I landed it. I knew that was huge to get up and down to win this huge prestigious championship. It's the highlight of my life."
McIlroy will now be left to rue those missed putts as he failed to end his 10-year major drought, finishing one shot behind the champion for a second straight edition of the U.S. Open.
The open nature of the course at Pinehurst No. 2 allowed DeChambeau a clear view of McIlroy's play down the final straight, and he says their battle made his win more enjoyable.
"I even saw on 10 where he made birdie," DeChambeau said. "I'm like, 'oh, man, he's gunning, he's going for it'. I had to put my foot on the pedal and push down pretty hard.
"I could hear 'Rory, Rory' chants. That was fun because it gave me the knowledge of what I had to do. There was also a lot of, 'go USA, go Europe'. It was a fun battle between us."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
