Coco Gauff prevailed in her opening match at the China Open, beating Clara Burel in straight sets on Friday to reach the third round.
Playing in her first match since her US Open fourth-round exit, Gauff held off the Frenchwoman's challenge, winning 7-5 6-3 in 102 minutes.
The pair traded breaks early in the contest before Burel pulled in front and looked sure to take the first set.
Gauff pushed back though, saving a set point at 5-4 before eventually edging in front with her fourth break of the set.
It was slightly more straightforward in the second, with Gauff's patience eventually rewarded as a three-game winning streak at the end of the match sealed the victory, setting up a meeting with Katie Boulter in the next round.
Data Debrief: Hard court advantage
With this victory, Gauff has now won 46 matches at WTA-1000 hard-court events, equalling Caroline Wozniacki for the most such wins before turning 21 since the format was introduced in 2009 (46).
It also marks Gauff's 30th straight win over a player ranked outside the top 50, with her last such defeat coming 15 months ago in the first round of Wimbledon 2023 against Sofia Kenin.
Naomi Osaka rallied to beat Yulia Putintseva in the second round of the China Open on Friday, ending a wait of over two years for a comeback victory.
Osaka came from a set down to win 3-6 6-4 6-2 and tee up a third-round meeting with Katie Volynets, extending her winning streak at the Beijing event to eight matches.
She had failed to win any of her previous 22 matches when going a set down, a streak she was mightily relieved to snap.
"I heard that stat from my agent," Osaka told reporters after her win.
"I wanted to break it really badly because I knew that I also had a stat about three-setters before I took my break, so that was really important to me.
"I also wanted to show myself that I could win a match and fight without playing as perfectly as I wanted to."
Data Debrief: Back-to-back for Osaka
This is the first time Osaka has won back-to-back matches since June at 's-Hertogenbosch, where she reached the quarter-finals before falling to Bianca Andreescu.
The last time she won from a set down, meanwhile, was in the Miami Open semi-finals in 2022, when she beat Belinda Bencic before losing to Iga Swiatek in the final.
World number 595 Zhang Shuai stunned US Open semi-finalist Emma Navarro at the China Open on Friday, just two days after ending a 603-day winless streak.
Zhang ended a 24-match losing run – which began after the Lyon Open in 2023 – by beating American McCartney Kessler 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-1) in her Beijing opener on Wednesday.
That long-awaited victory teed up a clash with world number eight Navarro, who Zhang beat 6-4 6-2 in a major upset in front of a jubilant crowd in the Chinese capital.
Zhang, who is the lowest-ranked player to ever compete in the main draw at the WTA 1000 event, got to the net on her second match point to smash a forehand winner past Navarro, teeing up a meeting with Belgium's Greet Minnen for Sunday.
Data Debrief: Beijing witnesses historic upset
Ranked a lowly 595th in the world, Zhang has become the lowest-ranked player to defeat a top-10 player at the China Open since the tournament's 2004 inception.
She had also won her most recent meeting with a top-10 player, beating Caroline Garcia in Tokyo back in 2022.
Carlos Alcaraz beat big-serving Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in straight sets to advance to the second round of the China Open on Friday.
Breaks in the opening games of each set put Alcaraz on course for a 6-4 6-4 win in his opening match at the ATP 500-level event in Beijing, where he was on court for 81 minutes.
Perricard won 81% of points behind his first serve, displaying impressive firepower after those early wobbles, but Alcaraz was never unduly threatened after surviving some early pressure on his own serve.
The Spaniard only dropped one point through his final three service games as he cruised to victory, teeing up a second-round match against Tallon Griekspoor.
Meanwhile, last year's runner-up Daniil Medvedev also made a confident start in the Chinese capital, downing Gael Monfils 6-3 6-4 in 92 minutes.
Medvedev converted five of his 10 opportunities to break, taking advantage of an inconsistent performance from Monfils as the Frenchman committed 46 unforced errors.
The Russian, who lost to Jannik Sinner in last year's China Open final, will face Adrian Mannarino in the second round.
Data Debrief: Medvedev's slow pace
Medvedev's victory over Monfils was his 40th in 56 matches in 2024. Only in 2018 (61 matches) did he require more outings to bring up his first 40 wins of a season.
But back at an event where he went agonisingly close to glory last year, Medvedev produced a composed performance, offering up just 22 unforced errors.
Dak Prescott has called on the Dallas Cowboys to remain grounded following Thursday's victory over the New York Giants, saying their offense can improve after a poor second half.
The Cowboys were under pressure ahead of their trip to MetLife Stadium after back-to-back losses to the New Orleans Saints and Baltimore Ravens, but they got back to winning ways.
Two touchdown passes from Prescott in the first two quarters set them on their way to a 20-15 success, with the Dallas quarterback finishing 22 of 27 for 221 passing yards.
CeeDee Lamb and Rico Dowdle took in touchdown passes from Prescott, who has now won on 13 successive starts against the Giants.
But with another tough test awaiting Dallas next time out versus the 3-0 Pittsburgh Steelers, Prescott is refusing to get carried away.
"At the end of the day, as I said even after those two losses the past two weeks, it's a process," Prescott said.
"So, we're not going to get complacent, we're not going to get overexcited about what we've done tonight.
"It's about building and it's about figuring out what we can do better in all phases, but it's a lot easier to do that after a win."
A pair of Brandon Aubrey field goals were the only points the Cowboys managed after halftime, with Amani Oruwariye intercepting a Daniel Jones pass to seal the victory in the fourth quarter.
The Cowboys' average of 330.8 yards per game this season is only the 11th-best figure in the league, while seven teams have bettered their 24.3 points per game.
Prescott was frustrated that the Dallas offense was unable to see things out in comfort, saying: "It didn't finish the way we wanted to, not to our standard.
"We left it in the hands of our defense. Credit to those guys for finishing getting it done, not allowing any touchdowns.
"But we're an offense that can finish better and score more touchdowns than we did tonight. So, we've got to look at ourselves in the mirror and go get that done."
Meanwhile, the Cowboys saw rusher Micah Parsons exit the game with an ankle injury in the closing stages, and he will now undergo an MRI to ascertain the full extent of the problem.
"Right now, I just iced it," Parsons said, sitting in the locker room after the win. "I know very little. I've got an MRI Friday, and I'm going to try to get back next week."
South Africa had the chance to clinch their first Rugby Championship title since 2019 last Saturday, only to be edged out by Argentina, setting up a grandstand finish.
Rassie Erasmus' side had a perfect record to that point, but that narrow 29-28 defeat now means the Pumas have a slim chance of getting their hands on the trophy for the first time.
Argentina will be backing themselves for another upset after impressing in the tournament, and they will look to overturn the odds with one more big win.
Meanwhile, Australia will be aiming to finish their underwhelming tournament on a high, though they face another stern test against the All Blacks.
Ahead of the final round of fixtures, we look at the best Opta facts and figures to preview both games.
NEW ZEALAND V AUSTRALIA
After succumbing to the record-breaking 67-27 defeat against Argentina in the fourth round, Australia failed to turn their luck around despite a spirited fightback against New Zealand last time out.
Joe Schmidt will endeavour to finish the tournament on a high after seeing his side struggle for much of it, though they face an uphill task having won only one of their last 13 Tests against the All Blacks (D1 L11).
The Wallabies have also won only one of their last five Test matches (L4), and have lost their last two, though they have scored more points in those defeats (55) than they managed in the three Tests prior (39 – W1 D2).
New Zealand will still feel fairly confident though, having won their last eight matches against Australia, although their last two victories in that run have come by a three-point margin.
In Wellington, the All Blacks are undefeated in five Tests against their hosts (W4 D1), conceding only 10.8 points per game in that streak.
However, overall, they have won just one of their last seven trips to the city (D2 L4), beating France 26-13 in June 2018, going winless in their last five Tests since in Wellington (D2 L3).
It is likely that Australia will need to take advantage of any opportunity they get, with their success of stealing opposition line-outs an obvious strength.
They have won the joint-most of any team in the tournament so far (nine, level with New Zealand), though they will need to improve on the one they managed against Scott Robertson's side in the last match.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
New Zealand – Rieko Ioane
Rieko Ioane has made dominant contact on 64% of his 35 carries (18/35) in the Rugby Championship – the best rate of any player in the tournament (min. 10 carries).
He has made three line breaks across his last three Test matches, more than he logged in his seven games prior for the All Blacks (two).
Australia – Hunter Paisami
Hunter Paisami has scored three tries in his last four Test matches, including one against New Zealand last time out.
He had not crossed the try line in his 26 career appearances for the Wallabies prior to that run.
SOUTH AFRICA V ARGENTINA
South Africa had one hand on the trophy last weekend, and though they have opened the door for Argentina, they still have a great chance of winning the trophy.
The Springboks will be confident they can bounce back from that loss, having won 17 of their 18 Test matches against Argentina on home soil (L1), with their only such defeat coming back in August 2015 in Durban.
Their record in Nelspruit is even stronger, winning all four of their Tests in the city, overcoming half-time deficits in three of those victories. South Africa defeated New Zealand 26-10 in their last match there, which is their largest margin of victory at Mbombela Stadium.
However, Argentina's confidence will be sky-high after snapping an eight-match losing streak against South Africa – they have never won back-to-back games against them before.
The Pumas have also won their last two Tests against Tier One opposition, as many as they managed in their seven such fixtures before that (W2 L5). If they can beat South Africa again, they will register their longest such winning streak since the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
And Felipe Contepomi will be urging his side to maintain their high discipline level as they aim to overturn the odds.
Argentina are the only team yet to receive a red or yellow card in the tournament and have conceded the fewest penalties (50) of any team in the campaign. In fact, they have not received a red or yellow card across their last 12 Test matches.
Only a win by a bonus point, without South Africa picking up one of their own, will be enough to hand Argentina their first title, but they have scored 96 points in their last two outings, so they cannot be overlooked.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
South Africa – Ruan Nortje
Ruan Nortje has won 31 lineouts (including two steals) in the Rugby Championship – seven more than any other in the tournament.
In addition, he has been the first to arrive at 63 of the Springboks' rucks, the second most of any player for a team in the campaign (Carlo Tizzano – 64 for Australia).
Argentina – Mateo Carreras
Mateo Carreras has been directly involved in six tries in his last six Test matches (five tries, one try assist), including two tries and a try assist in his last two Tests.
He has scored a try in each of his two career appearances against South Africa, as well as a try assist in his most recent meeting against the Springboks.
The New York Yankees won the AL East title for a first-round bye in the playoffs, rolling to a 10-1 rout of the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday night behind Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Gerrit Cole.
Judge hit his major league-leading 58th homer, going deep for the fifth straight game and increasing his RBIs total to 144, the most in the big leagues since Ryan Howard's 146 in 2008. Stanton hit his 27th homer and had four RBIs, and Cole pitched 6 2/3 innings of two-hit ball.
Judge and Stanton homered in the same game for the 14th time this year, tying Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris in 1961 for the most in Yankees history.
When Cedric Mullins hit a game-ending groundout to shortstop Anthony Volpe, the Yankees came out of the dugout and formed a brief jumping huddle between the mound and second base.
New York improved to 93-66 and will open its 59th postseason at home Oct. 5 in a best-of-five Division Series against a winner of next week's wild-card round. The Yankees will have five days off following Sunday's regular-season finale.
Orioles ace Corbin Burnes allowed two hits in five innings with one walk and nine strikeouts. He came out after 69 pitches and is likely to start Baltimore’s postseason opener on Tuesday. Burnes had a 1.20 ERA in five September starts.
The Orioles, who failed to sweep the three-game series, hold a three-game lead in the race for the top wild card.
Trying to hold off AL Central champion Cleveland for home-field advantage throughout the AL playoffs, the Yankees have a one-game lead and hold the tiebreaker over the Guardians.
Dodgers rally past Padres to secure NL West
Will Smith hit a tying, two-run homer and the Los Angeles Dodgers scored three more runs in the seventh to beat the San Diego Padres 7-2 and clinch the NL West title.
The rally was dampened by an apparent injury to All-Star slugger Freddie Freeman, who left the game after awkwardly colliding with Luis Arráez and the first base bag trying to avoid being tagged for the second out of the inning. Freeman grabbed at his lower right leg before hobbling off the field.
The Dodgers (95-64) had not clinched at home since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, when cardboard cutouts replaced fans. The last time fans were on hand for a clincher at home was 2018.
A sellout crowd of 52,433 packed Dodger Stadium for the finale of the crucial series between the top two teams in the NL West. Both teams had already clinched postseason berths.
The Padres led 2-0 as Joe Musgrove pitched six shutout innings.
But the Dodgers got to him in the seventh. Musgrove gave up a leadoff walk to Max Muncy. Smith followed with a 426-foot blast to center, tying the game at 2-2. It was the Dodgers’ first home run of the three-game series.
Pinch-hitter Kiké Hernández singled and took second when Andy Pages reached on catcher’s interference by Kyle Higashioka. Shohei Ohtani singled and Hernández scored on an error, while Ohtani was safe at second on Fernando Tatis Jr.'s throwing error.
Pages and Ohtani scored on Mookie Betts’ single, making it 5-2, and Pages added a two-run, two-strike, two-out homer in the eighth.
Athletics win final game in Oakland
JJ Bleday hit an RBI single and made a highlight-reel catch in center field, Shea Langeliers had a sacrifice fly, and the Oakland Athletics went out winning in their final scheduled game at the Coliseum by beating the Texas Rangers 3-2 on Thursday.
¶Bleday and Zack Gelof delivered defensive gems to delight a sellout crowd of 46,889 under a cloudless blue September sky. Fans alternated chants of “Sell the team!” and “Let's go Oakland!” amid the mixed emotions and nostalgia at the Coliseum, where the A's have played since 1968 and enjoyed so many memorable moments.
The ninth inning featured two fans jumping the fences to run onto the grass, bottles being thrown into center field and smoke bombs set off and tossed into right. Toilet paper and other debris also came down before manager Mark Kotsay took the microphone after the game with a heartfelt thank you to the fans and one last round of “Let's go Oakland!"
The A’s plan to play the next three years in Sacramento with hopes of opening a new ballpark in Las Vegas ahead of the 2028 season.
Green “SELL” banners hung from the outfield railings as fans were treated to a trip down memory lane. Former left-hander Barry Zito sang the national anthem to huge applause, while Rickey Henderson and Dave Stewart tossed out ceremonial first pitches.
The current A's entertained, too.
Bleday made a diving catch on his right side to rob Carson Kelly of a hit on his line drive in the seventh. And the hometown fans got one more chance to see flame-throwing closer Mason Miller on the mound.
A’s starter J.T. Ginn left to a loud standing ovation after allowing two runs on five hits over 5 1/3 innings, and the pitcher then applauded right back by clapping his glove.
Oakland's bullpen followed him with 3 2/3 scoreless innings, with Miller recording the final four outs for his 28th save, which leads all major league rookies. He has converted his last 16 opportunities dating to June 18.
Dak Prescott threw one of his two touchdown passes to CeeDee Lamb and the Dallas Cowboys held on for a 20-15 victory to continue their mastery of the rival New York Giants on Thursday night.
Dallas has won seven straight and 14 of the past 15 meetings with New York.
Prescott, who has won his last 13 starts against the Giants, hit running back Rico Dowdle on a 15-yard screen pass for a touchdown to put Dallas ahead in the first quarter. He then found Lamb for a 55-yard catch-and-run TD on a play that ended with the receiver being called for taunting.
Lamb slipped past two defenders and trotted into the end zone. He then fired the ball in their direction and flexed his muscles, drawing an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty.
Prescott finished 22 of 27 for 221 yards, while Lamb had seven catches for 98 yards.
Brandon Aubrey kicked field goals of 60 and 40 yards for Dallas (2-2), which came into the game with major concerns after being thoroughly beaten at home by New Orleans and Baltimore. A new issue for the Cowboys is an apparent leg injury to star pass rusher Micah Parsons, who was carted off the field in the fourth quarter.
Greg Joseph kicked field goals of 52, 41, 38, 22 and 42 for the Giants (1-3), who controlled the ball for 35:37 but failed to score a touchdown at home for the second straight game.
Daniel Jones completed 29 of 40 passes for 281 yards, finding sensational rookie Malik Nabers 12 times for 115 yards and Wan'Dale Robinson 11 times for 71 yards.
Coco Gauff says her main focus is on improving her serve after adding Matt Daly to her coaching team ahead of the China Open.
Daly, who has previously coached former Wimbledon semi-finalist Denis Shapovalov, has linked up with Gauff and her long-term mentor Jean-Christophe Faurel, following her split with Brad Gilbert earlier this month.
The world number six is gearing up for her first tournament since her US Open title defence ended at the hands of Emma Navarro in round four at Flushing Meadows.
Gauff, who hit 19 double-faults during that defeat, has failed to progress beyond the last 16 in any of her last five events, having previously reached three successive semi-finals at the Italian Open, French Open and Berlin Open.
But the 20-year-old is looking forward to a fresh start, and is already seeing the benefits of her work with Daly, ahead of facing Clara Burel in Beijing on Friday.
"There are other parts of my game that I want to work on, too, but the focus right now is the serve," she told the WTA Insider.
"When I serve well, I play pretty well. For me, that's the basis for my game. Already, the little bit we've done has made a drastic improvement to where I was three weeks ago.
"At this point, there's not a crazy amount, like going through a technique change or resetting everything. It's just subtle things that, doing it for a week now, will help me.
"I'm super excited about a new change and, hopefully, to improve other parts of my game.
"Working with Brad was really great and, obviously, we had a great partnership. It was just time to do a reset, a refresh and add some things in my game that I felt like I need to do to have a better season next year."
After registering an historic win in an overtime thriller against Poland, the US Virgin Islands registered another as they edged Jamaica 19-18 in a pulsating Caribbean derby for consolation placement at the World Lacrosse Box Championship in Utica, New York, on Wednesday.
The US Virgin Islands, appearing in its first World Lacrosse championship of any kind, proved that they possess some quality with the overtime win over their more experienced Jamaican counterparts, thanks to a late hat-trick from Phillip Melecio.
Melecio’s three goals came 49 seconds into overtime of what was an emotionally charged contest that featured a lengthy injury delay, as Jamaica’s Isaac Newland suffered a nasty collision.
However, the player took to social media to let family and friends know he was in good spirits.
“I want to thank my teammates, family, doctors, and medical staff for all the prayers. I will be OK. This is Ocho, and I do my own stunts. I love the Lacrosse community, so see you all in the field soon,” Newland’s post read.
The two teams traded runs all game, and the final five minutes and 15 seconds were no exception. Jamaica netted three unanswered goals to take a 17-16 lead with just over four minutes left in regulation.
USVI later responded with two goals to regain the lead, before Tanner Sims fired in an equaliser for Jamaica with under 30 seconds left to send the contest into overtime.
Dante Poli influenced the game for the USVI with five goals and four assists. Melecio and Matt Williams each added hat-tricks, and Ryan Cochran finished with two goals and four assists. In net, Patrick Crosby saved 28 shots.
For the Jamaicans, Sims tallied seven goals and an assist, and Damon Edwards recorded five assists to go with a hat-trick. Seven other Jamaican players scored goals, including two from Jemar Pottinger. Jacob Thompson made 28 saves.
USVI will face Scotland on Thursday in placement play, while Jamaica will take on Hungary.
Daniel Ricciardo will leave RB with Liam Lawson replacing him for the remainder of the Formula One season.
Speculation surrounding Ricciardo's future has been confirmed as the Australian's second F1 stint was brought to an end after he lost his seat at RB.
Ricciardo is 14th in the drivers' championship standings, while he recorded the fastest lap during last weekend's Singapore Grand Prix - the 258th and final race of his F1 career.
The 35-year-old has chalked up eight wins and 32 podiums along the way, notably finishing third in the drivers' championship in 2014 and 2016.
Lawson, who deputised for the injured Ricciardo in five races last season, will step up from his reserve role to partner Yuki Tsunoda for the final six races of the 2024 campaign, starting at next month's United States Grand Prix in Austin.
The 22-year-old recorded an impressive ninth-place finish in Singapore during his short stint, and RB boss Laurent Mekies feels it will be "a natural transition" for him.
"Everyone would like to thank Daniel for his hard work across the last two seasons with us," Mekies said.
"He has brought a lot of experience and talent to the team with a fantastic attitude, which has helped everyone to develop and foster a tight team spirit.
"Daniel has been a true gentleman both on and off the track, and never without that smile. He will be missed, but will always hold a special place within the Red Bull family.
"I'd also like to take this opportunity to welcome Liam. He already knows the team well. He drove for us last season, and coped well under difficult circumstances, so it'll be a natural transition.
"It's great to see young talent from within the Red Bull family make the next step. We're looking forward to getting our heads down and focusing on the rest of the season together."
JJ Redick says the Los Angeles Lakers are mulling plans for the first time LeBron James and son Bronny James share the court together this season.
Bronny is gearing up for his first NBA season with the Lakers, who drafted the 19-year-old in the second round after he played a single campaign at USC.
He and LeBron - a four-time MVP - will become the first father-son duo in NBA history when they take to the court during the upcoming season, which begins against the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 22.
And Redick says plans for how to commemorate the historic moment are still in the air, but insists both players will be involved in the decision-making process.
"We obviously have talked about it as a staff, and we've gotten into some specifics of what that might look like," Redick told reporters during a press conference on Wednesday.
"But we haven't committed to anything. And obviously, there's a discussion to be had once we're all together with Bronny and LeBron, too. They should be a part of that discussion as well."
Redick is embarking on his first venture in the NBA, having been appointed the Lakers' 29th head coach in June.
Along with managing the James duo, the 40-year-old will be looking to improve on the franchise's first-round playoff exit last term, but is not fazed by the prospect.
"I don't look at it as a challenge," he said. "It's unique from any other challenge of coaching a player or coaching a relationship.
"Bronny, I feel very fortunate that I get to coach him because he's young, and he's hungry, and he's got a lot of inherent skill sets that we can really mould into a really good NBA player.
"On top of that, he's a fantastic kid. He's extremely coachable. He's got the right spirit and energy every single day."
Former No. 1 draft pick and NBA MVP Derrick Rose announced his retirement on Thursday following a 16-year career in the league.
Rose was selected first overall by his hometown Chicago Bulls and went on to win NBA Rookie of the Year honours in 2008-09 before becoming the youngest MVP in league history at 22 years old in 2011.
He earned his third All-Star appearance in 2011-12, but Rose sustained a major knee injury during the 2012 playoffs that led to him sitting out almost all of the next two seasons.
That was the beginning of Rose battling knee and ankle injuries throughout his career.
Rose thanked the game of basketball on Instagram on Thursday, calling it “My First Love.”
“You believed in me through the highs and lows, my constant when everything else seemed uncertain,” Rose posted.
“You gave me a gift, our time together, one that I will cherish for the rest of my days.
“You told me it’s okay to say goodbye, reassuring me that you’ll always be a part of me, no matter where life takes me.”
Rose averaged 17.4 points, 5.2 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 723 career regular-season games with the Bulls, New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons and Memphis Grizzlies.
Ben Shelton is confident he can retain his Japan Open crown after kickstarting his title defence with a victory over fellow American Reilly Opelka in three sets.
Shelton, who captured his maiden tour-level trophy a year ago in Tokyo, came from a set down to win 3-6 6-1 6-4 in an hour and 47 minutes on Thursday.
He came into the competition off the back of a victory over Daniil Medvedev at the Laver Cup, though Team World went on to lose the tournament in Berlin.
However, with consecutive wins under his belt, the 21-year-old American believes his previous success in Tokyo will stand him in good stead this time around.
"I have a lot of love for this tournament and this city," Shelton said. "I have a lot of confidence. Being here and knowing the situations I have come through in this exact stadium, in the most important moments."
"I think it was a tough start. I felt like I was struggling a little bit and getting rhythm. I am happy with the way I competed. Breaking serve multiple times gives me a lot of confidence."
Former Japan Open champion Taylor Fritz, though, suffered a shock first-round exit in three sets to Frenchman Arthur Fils.
Fils produced a classy performance on his tournament debut in Tokyo, handing the recent US Open finalist a 6-4 6-3 6-3 defeat.
Stefanos Tsitsipas was another big name to suffer a shock defeat, as he lost 4-6 6-1 6-2 to Alex Michelsen.
Holger Rune, however, booked his place in the next round, but was pushed all the way by Alejandro Tabilo, eventually prevailing 6-2 5-7 6-4 in the decider.
Up next for the Dane is wildcard Yoshihito Nishioka.
Diana Taurasi has been hailed as one of the greatest players in the history of the WNBA.
Taurasi, who is the WNBA's all-time scoring leader, has eluded that the curtain may have closed on her glittering 20-year stint in the sport.
It means she may have played her last game in the Phoenix Mercury's 101-88 loss to the Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday.
The 42-year-old has had a storied basketball career at all levels that she has competed at, winning three NCAA National Championships at UConn early in her career.
She then triumphed in three WNBA Championships with the Mercury and earned six Olympic gold medals, winning at every Games since 2004 in Athens.
Taurasi has also racked up several records along the way for points (10,646), free throws made (2,517), field goals made (3,341) and three-pointers made (1,447) in a career.
After she fouled out of Wednesday's contest, Taurasi, who finished with 10 points, left the court to a standing ovation.
A potential departure from the sport saw her teammates laud her impact in the WNBA, with Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts thankful for his time with her.
"We'll see what she decides to do," Tibbetts said.
"It's kind of been her approach the whole way, but personally, I'd just like to thank her [as] a new coach coming into a new league.
"The way that she welcomed me and helped me through this season. What an opportunity for me to coach the greatest ever, and I'm super thankful for that."
Taurasi still proved that age is just a number, becoming the first player in WNBA history to score 20-plus in a playoff game after the age of 40 in Game 1.
"I've never seen somebody come in, day in, day out, do the exact same thing and add to it so she can stay on this court," Mercury’s Brittney Griner said.
"I've always said I credit a lot of my game to the way I read it, the way I can see things developing on the court, to [Taurasi].
"But I'm also lucky to take away life lessons from [Taurasi], too."
Natasha Cloud added: "[Taurasi] is one of the GOATs of this game. She will forever go down as one of the greatest to ever touch this ball."
Defending champion Jannik Sinner came from a set down to advance to the last 16 of the China Open, beating Chilean Nicolas Jarry in three sets on Thursday.
Sinner needed an hour and 55 minutes to edge past the world number 28, eventually prevailing 4-6 6-3 6-1 in Beijing.
Despite starting the contest with a love game, the Italian was broken in the seventh, with Jarry able to hold his serve to take a surprise lead.
However, the world number one responded emphatically to take the encounter the distance, despite facing four aces from his opponent.
Sinner continued his momentum in the decider, racing into an early lead after a break of serve before Jarry sent a ball long to seal the Italian's progression.
Up next for Sinner is either Roman Safiullin or Stan Wawrinka, who face each other on Friday.
Data Debrief: Sinner fights back again
Sinner is now 8-2 at on the ATP Tour in 2024 after losing the first set, with one loss coming to Stefanos Tsitsipas in Monte Carlo, who went on to win the tournament, and the other against Andrey Rublev in Montreal.
But the Italian faced a stern test from Jarry. The Chilean served 12 aces compared to Sinner's one, though the latter did ultimately save four of the five break points he faced to drag himself over the line.
Caitlin Clark believes she is only "scratching the surface" after the Indiana Fever lost 87-81 to Connecticut Sun to end her hopes of finishing her rookie year with a WNBA Championship title.
In the season-ending loss to the Sun, Clark scored 25 points, adding nine assists and six rebounds, becoming the first rookie to have pulled off a 25-5-5 game in the postseason.
However, she was powerless to stop the Sun from clinching the best-of-three contest 2-0, despite the Fever leading the contest in the final quarter.
But led by 19 points and 13 assists from Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut retook the lead late on to seal their progression to the semi-finals.
Clark set regular-season records throughout the year for assists (337), points by a rookie (769) and three-pointers by a rookie (122) in her debut campaign.
Despite the season ending in disappointment, Clark has vowed to return even stronger next season.
"The fun part is I feel like I'm just scratching the surface, and I'm one that's nit-picking every single thing I do," said Clark.
"I know I want to help this franchise get even better, help my team-mates get even better, and I know there's a lot of room for me to continue to improve.
"I feel like I could continue to get a lot better, and before we know it, I'm sure we'll all be back here and ready for the next year."
The Sun will face the Minnesota Lynx in the play-off semi-finals while Clark will begin her off-season.
Shohei Ohtani singled in the go-ahead run before stealing his 56th base of the season in the sixth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 4-3 on Wednesday night to move within a victory of clinching the NL West.
The Dodgers increased their lead over the second-place Padres to three games with four to play and reduced their magic number to two. Los Angeles needs a win in Thursday's series finale to earn its 11th division title 12 years.
The Padres' five-game winning streak ended a night after they celebrated making the postseason with a game-ending triple play on their biggest rival's field.
Ohtani's two-strike, two-out single to center off Adrián Morejón scored Will Smith, who drew a leadoff walk, and made it 4-3. Ohtani stole second, but Mookie Betts followed with a popup to end the inning.
With two outs in the ninth, Michael Kopech walked Jake Cronenworth to put the tying run aboard, but Donovan Solano struck out.
Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a 448-foot homer – the longest by a Padres player this season – to tie the game at 3 in the fifth.
Tigers defeat Rays to stay red hot
Parker Meadows and Spencer Torkelson homered, and the surging Detroit Tigers strengthened their bid for an AL wild card with a 7-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Detroit moved 10 games over .500 with its fourth consecutive victory. It is tied with Kansas City (84-74) for second in the wild-card standings behind Baltimore.
The Tigers play the Rays on Thursday before finishing the season with three home games against the lowly Chicago White Sox.
Detroit is 29-11 since Aug. 10, thanks to ace Tarik Skubal, one of the favourites for the AL Cy Young Award, and a cast of young pitchers. On Wednesday, rookie Keider Montero pitched 2 2/3 innings of one-run ball before five relievers combined for 6 1/3 scoreless innings.
Jackson Jobe, Detroit's best pitching prospect, worked the ninth in his major league debut.
Orioles hold off Yankees as Judge homers again
Gunnar Henderson had three of Baltimore's 12 hits in the first four innings, and the Orioles again prevented the New York Yankees from clinching the AL East title by holding on for a 9-7 victory despite another home run from Aaron Judge.
Colton Cowser drove in three runs for the playoff-bound Orioles, who tagged substitute starter Marcus Stroman early and improved to 8-4 against New York with one matchup left in their season series.
Judge went deep for the fourth game in a row, connecting on his major league-leading 57th homer in a four-run ninth inning. The three-run shot off Matt Bowman upped Judge's total to 142 RBIs, also most in the majors, and shaved New York's deficit to 9-7.
Keegan Akin entered and retired the next two batters for his third career save and first this year.
Juan Soto also homered and knocked in three runs for New York, which could have wrapped up the AL East race with a victory over the Orioles either of the past two nights.
Baltimore moved within four games of the Yankees in the division with four remaining as it tries to lock down the top AL wild card. Cedric Mullins went 3 for 4 with a walk, three runs scored and two stolen bases.
Stroman was a late replacement for injured left-hander Nestor Cortes and gave up six straight singles to begin the game as the Orioles grabbed a 3-0 lead.
The Phoenix Mercury’s season ended Wednesday night with a 101-88 loss to the Minnesota Lynx in Game 2 of a first-round WNBA play-off series.
The loss may have also ended the illustrious career of Diana Taurasi.
The 42-year-old hasn’t officially said she will retire, but she alluded to retirement while addressing Mercury fans after the team’s regular-season finale last Thursday.
“If it is the last time, it felt like the first time,” she said from centre court.
If this was her final game, it caps one of the most decorated careers by an American basketball player.
As the winner of an incredible six Olympic gold medals, Taurasi secured her first gold at the 2000 Athens Games and her most recent at this summer’s Paris Games.
She also won three straight American collegiate national championships at UConn in 2002, 2003 and 2004, another three WNBA titles in 2007, 2009 and 2014, and six Euroleague championships.
Her entire WNBA career was spent with Phoenix after being selected first overall in the 2004 draft.
She made an immediate impact, winning rookie of the year honours in 2004 and was named league MVP for the 2009 season.
A 10-time all-WNBA first-team selection, Taurasi was named to her 11th WNBA All-Star Game this past season and would have almost certainly been chosen to more, but there were no All-Star Games in 2004, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2016 or 2020.
She’s the WNBA’s all-time leader in points scored – about 3,000 more than the next-closest player in Tina Charles – the top scorer in the WNBA play-offs, and is the league’s all-time record holder in 3-pointers made.
Despite concluding her 20th season in the WNBA, she is still playing at a high level.
She averaged 14.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists in the regular season before scoring 21 points on 5-of-10 shooting from 3-point range in Monday’s 102-95 loss in Game 1.
Taurasi had 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting with four rebounds and three assists before fouling out with 2:34 remaining in Game 2.
She left to a standing ovation from the Minnesota crowd before Napheesa Collier, who tied a WNBA playoff record with 42 points for the Lynx, came over to the Mercury bench for a brief handshake with her fellow UConn star.
If Taurasi ultimately decides to call it a career, she’ll be remembered as one of the greatest women’s basketball players in history.
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