The honours keep coming for A'ja Wilson.
The WNBA announced Sunday that the Las Vegas Aces star was unanimously chosen as the league's MVP.
This is the third time Wilson has won the award, after also being selected in 2020 and 2022, to become just the fourth player in league history to achieve the feat, joining Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson.
Wilson received all 67 first-place votes to join Cynthia Cooper in the league's inaugural 1997 season to win the award unanimously.
The MVP selection was the latest milestone for Wilson in the past few weeks.
She established the WNBA single-season scoring record on September 11, and four days later became the first player in league history to score 1,000 points in a season.
Wilson finished the regular season with 1,021 points, 451 rebounds and a league-high 98 blocks, for averages of 26.9 points, 11.8 boards and 2.6 blocks.
McLaren enjoyed a brilliant Singapore Grand Prix as Lando Norris closed the gap on Formula One drivers' championship leader Max Verstappen.
Norris led from pole position on Sunday, and never looked likely to let that lead slip as he controlled the race from the off in a statement victory - his third race win of the season.
The Briton, who did have a few brushes with the barriers, ultimately finished 20.94 seconds clear of second-place Verstappen, whose championship lead has now been cut to 52 points, though the Dutchman nevertheless remains the firm favourite to retain his crown.
Oscar Piastri, the victor in Baku last time out, completed a superb weekend for McLaren by finishing third ahead of Mercedes' George Russell, though Daniel Ricciardo did do Red Bull a favour.
In what could well prove to be the final grand prix of his career, Ricciardo - racing for Red Bull's second team - pitted at the end in order to come out on soft tyres and take the fastest lap, which Norris had held.
"Thank you, Daniel," Verstappen said on the team radio when he was informed of the Australian's effort.
Charles Leclerc, who is third in the championship, completed the top five, but it was a day that belonged firmly to Norris and McLaren, who nudged themselves further clear at the top of the constructor standings.
Lewis Hamilton, who had been in the hunt for a record-equalling fifth win in Singapore, crossed in sixth.
Data Debrief: Lights to flag
The driver occupying pole had only won two of the last five races in Singapore (Hamilton in 2018 and Carlos Sainz in 2023), but Norris was in a league of his own this time out.
Norris has now equalled Stirling Moss and John Surtees on 24 podiums, meaning David Coulthard (62) and Eddie Irvine (26) are the only Britons in F1 history to have secured more podium finishes without winning a world championship.
McLaren, meanwhile, have had at least one driver on the podium in the last 14 races, matching their second-best such streak, only behind a run of 19 they managed between Australia 2007 and Malaysia 2008.
Ricciardo did at least steal some of McLaren's thunder. Ten drivers have secured at least one fastest lap in 2024. The last season with at least 10 different drivers to record a fastest lap was 2012 (12).
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers'
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 331
2. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 279
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 245
Constructors'
1. McLaren - 516
2. Red Bull - 475
3. Ferrari - 441
Carlos Alcaraz slammed the congested schedule in elite-level tennis, with the world number three saying "they are going to kill us".
As a hectic season draws towards a close, Alcaraz is competing for Team Europe at the Laver Cup.
The 21-year-old, who won the French Open and Wimbledon earlier this year and also reached the final of the Paris Olympics, has played 50 matches on the ATP Tour last year.
And the Spaniard feels tournament organisers are not doing enough to protect player welfare.
"Probably they are going to kill us in some way," said Alcaraz, who beat Ben Shelton on Saturday.
"Right now a lot of good players are going to miss a lot of tournaments because of that [injury]."
Alcaraz also suggested he struggles when it comes to motivating himself when the schedule is so congested.
He added: "Sometimes, you don't want to go to a tournament.
"I'm not going to lie – I have felt this way a few times already.
"Sometimes I don't feel motivated at all. But as I've said many, many times, I play my best tennis when I smile and enjoy it on court. That's the best option to keep motivating [myself]."
Alcaraz was in doubles action alongside Casper Ruud on Sunday, before facing Taylor Fritz in the singles.
Beatriz Haddad Maia clinched her first WTA title of the year by fighting back from a set and a break down to beat Daria Kasatkina 1-6 6-4 6-1 in the Korea Open final on Sunday.
Haddad Maia, who produced her second-best major run by reaching the US Open quarter-finals earlier this month, was a distant second-best as she lost the opener 6-1.
Top seed Kasatkina then broke in the first game of the second set but Haddad Maia rallied from there, hitting back in the sixth game then later winning set point against her opponent's serve.
The Brazilian was irrepressible in the decider, winning 100% of her first-serve points (10/10) and saving three break points in a row when Kasatkina did put the pressure on midway through the set.
Haddad Maia made that count by going two breaks up, then served out the contest to love to earn her first title since winning the WTA Elite Trophy in China last year.
Data Debrief: Haddad Maia goes one better
Haddad Maia reached the final of the Korea Open on her tournament debut in 2017, only to go down to Jelena Ostapenko in her first WTA showpiece match – and her last until she won the 2022 Nottingham Open.
A dominant performance on serve got her over the line on Sunday, after her early wobble.
Haddad Maia won 72% of first-serve points to Kasatkina's 63%, also converting four of the five break points she generated.
Argentina coach Felipe Contepomi hailed Los Pumas for combining "beautiful" attacking play with resolute defensive work as they kept their Rugby Championship hopes alive with a dramatic victory over South Africa.
Having won their first four games of the 2024 tournament, the Springboks knew a win in Santiago would have clinched their fifth Tri-Nations/Rugby Championship crown with a match to spare.
They raced into an early lead with tries from Aphelele Fassi and Jesse Kriel, only for Mateo Carreras, Pablo Matera, Joel Sclavi and Tomas Albornoz to go over in response for the hosts.
The visitors later re-established their lead in the second half, only for Albornoz's penalty to put Argentina 29-28 ahead, which remained the final score following a late penalty miss from South Africa's Manie Libbok.
After the win, which preserved Argentina's hopes of overhauling the Springboks in matchweek six, Contepomi said: "The victory could have been a defeat in the last minute.
"Beyond the result, which is obviously welcome, the important thing is what we were able to do at times, which is to impose our game.
"At times it came out and we shot ourselves in the foot, because we gave them an entrance into the game with penalties and unforced errors.
"South Africa are predictable, but it's not easy. You know what they are going to do, but they do it so well that it is very difficult to stop. Every centimetre counts.
"The attacking play is what is easiest to see, or the most beautiful, but I think a lot about our work on defence."
Argentina go to Mbombela for their final game next Saturday, sitting five points behind the world champions in the standings.
"We have many areas to correct," Contepomi said, looking ahead to that rematch. "There are small mistakes that allowed them into the game.
"It's about trying to minimise the ones you can control, the unforced errors. We are going to work on that to continue growing."
The Cleveland Guardians’ rally on the field may have come up short on Saturday night, but that didn’t stop the celebration afterwards.
The Guardians lost 6-5 to the St. Louis Cardinals but clinched their 12th AL Central title since 1995 after the Kansas City Royals were beaten by the San Francisco Giants.
“This is awesome just to see the joy,” Cleveland manager Steven Vogt told reporters after the game. “The result of tonight's game, it matters, but at the end of the day, we need to celebrate this. Any time you get the chance, you win the division, you've got to enjoy every second of it.”
The Guardians (90-66) have spent 170 days in first place this season, the most in the American League and trailing only the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 181 days in the majors.
Jose Ramirez starred in the losing effort on Saturday, hitting his 37th home run and 36th double this season.
Entering the eighth inning, Cleveland trailed 6-1 with their only run coming on a Bo Naylor solo shot.
Ramirez’s homer provided three runs in a fourth-run eighth inning, but the Guardians could never close the gap entirely.
Nick Sandlin gave up four runs in the seventh, but they were all unearned, coming after a Naylor fielding error.
Ivan Herrera and Jordan Walker went deep for the Cardinals. Miles Mikolas gave up one run and four hits in six innings to earn the win.
White Sox on brink of losses record
The Chicago White Sox took one more step toward infamy, tying the American League record with their 119th loss of the season.
Xander Bogaerts, David Peralta and Elias Diaz hit home runs and the San Diego Padres beat the Chicago White Sox 6-2 as the Padres moved closer to securing a post-season berth.
Chicago (36-119) fell into a tie with the 2003 Detroit Tigers (43-119) for the worst season in AL history. The expansion 1962 New York Mets lost 120 games, the most in baseball’s modern era.
San Diego picked up a game in the NL West standings on the Los Angeles Dodgers and now trail by three with seven games to play.
The Padres are currently slotted as the NL’s top wild card team with a three-game lead over the final wild card spot.
San Diego have won seven of their last eight games and have baseball’s best record since the All-Star break at 38-17.
Mets top Phils to stay alive in NL East
Sean Manaea had another strong outing, Brandon Nimmo sparked a three-run seventh inning and the New York Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-3, denying Philly a division-clinching win.
Francisco Alvarez and Luisangel Acuña hit solo home runs early, and Alvarez added a two-run double in the seventh as the Mets collected their 17th win in 22 games.
Manaea won his fourth consecutive decision, allowing three hits and three runs in seven innings’ work. Edwin Diaz got the last four outs for his 19th save of the season.
New York (86-69) remained two games ahead of the Atlanta Braves for the NL’s final wild card spot.
Philadelphia (92-63), who clinched a playoff berth on Friday, needed one more win over the Mets to secure their first NL East title since 2011 but will have another chance on Sunday.
Kyle Schwarber extended his MLB record by hitting his 15th leadoff home run of the season, his 36th homer overall. Nick Castellanos also went deep, but Philadelphia managed just four hits.
The Phillies’ staff issued seven walks in the game, while the Mets’ staff issued none.
Anthony Joshua is likely to call for a rematch against Daniel Dubois, having conceded he "came up short" after he "rolled the dice" in Saturday's bout at Wembley Stadium.
In front of a record-breaking, 96,000 crowd that had been further geed up by a performance from Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, it was Dubois who turned in a supersonic display on Saturday.
Joshua saw his hopes of clinching the IBF heavyweight title slide away as Dubois dominated from the off, before delivering the knockout blow in round five.
Some pundits suggested this should be the end for Joshua, though the 34-year-old insisted he is not planning on stopping any time soon.
"Credit to him and his team. We rolled the dice of success, but we came up short," he told DAZN.
"You know I'm ready to kick off in the ring, but I'm going to keep my cool, keep very professional, and give respect to my opponent.
"I'm always saying to myself I'm a fighter for life... We keep rolling the dice.
"I had a sharp opponent, a fast opponent and a lot of mistakes from my end, but that's the game."
Promoter Eddie Hearn, meanwhile, claimed Joshua would likely take up the option of a rematch.
"I'm sure he'll exercise that rematch clause, it's a given, it's a dangerous fight because he's growing in confidence all the time but he'll believe he can beat him," Hearn told DAZN.
Dubois, though, will likely want to turn his attention to facing the victor out of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, with their rematch set to take place in December in Saudi Arabia.
Daniel Dubois does not want his "redemption story" to stop after dominating Anthony Joshua to reclaim his IBF heavyweight title.
Oleksandr Usyk vacated his IBF belt, labelling it as a present for the fight between Joshua and Dubois, the latter taking the title by default.
Dubois left no doubts over the merit of his belt on Saturday, though, delivering a brutal fifth-round knockout blow to Joshua in front of a record-breaking crowd for the all-British clash at Wembley Stadium.
Speaking on DAZN after an impressive triumph, Dubois addressed the record-breaking crowd: "I've only got a few things to say, are you not entertained?!
"It's been a journey and I'm grateful to be in this position. I'm a gladiator, I'm a warrior until the bitter end. I want to get to the top of this sport and reach my full potential.
"Behind the scenes, the work with my dad. I've been on a rollercoaster run, this is my time, this is my redemption story. I'm not going to stop until I reach my full potential."
Tyson Fury and Usyk are set for a Riyadh rematch in December, though Dubois will be waiting in the wings for a shot at the heavyweight pair.
Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn immediately suggested his fighter will seek to activate a rematch clause with Dubois, however.
Whether Joshua can recover from this defeat remains to be seen, having been sent spiralling to the canvas multiple times, including in the opening round.
Joshua appeared to have found a way back into the bout in the fifth, only for Dubois to land a crucial right-hand finisher, much to his understandable delight.
"I am the man," he added to Sky Sports. "A mix of emotions. I can't say too much right now. I'm fighting to get all the glory. To me, I'm the hunter and I need to hunt."
As for his next fight, Dubois is dreaming big, adding: "All of the best, maybe Usyk [for] a big shot at my redemption. Anyone can get it."
Frank Warren echoed Dubois' sentiment, with the Queensbury promoter eyeing another shot at Usyk for Dubois, who lost to the Ukrainian in August last year.
"It was a phenomenal fight and I always felt it would be a [Marvin] Hagler versus [Thomas] Hearns situation," Warren told DAZN. "AJ showed his heart right until the end. It was a brilliant fight.
"I always felt Dubois would do it and he has. It's not a turnaround, it was there. He was a young man and had double fractures in his eyes, he couldn't fight. He hurt him [Usyk], I'd like to see him fight him now but he has to fight Tyson now.
"Everyone here has seen a champion's performance. He's done everything you could ask for. AJ caught him with a shot over there and I was worried. He's a young man and on top of his game, he can improve."
WBO interim heavyweight champion Joseph Parker also put his name into the hat to face Dubois, with Fury and Usyk not set to meet until later this year, which would keep any challenger waiting.
"If he [Dubois] wants to get it on then let's go," Parker said on DAZN immediately after the result.
Francis Tiafoe enjoyed an important Laver Cup victory over Daniil Medvedev on Saturday, with the American thriving on confidence after feeling "like Roger Federer".
American Tiafoe rallied past Team Europe's Medvedev 3-6 6-4 10-5 to send Team World into a 4-2 lead, at least temporarily.
Carlos Alcaraz soon levelled the team series in Berlin with an impressive 6-4 6-4 victory over Tiafoe's fellow American Ben Shelton.
Swiss great Federer was in the crowd to watch Tiafoe's performance, much to the delight of the 26-year-old.
"Honestly I just started having fun. Laughing with my team, laughing with my team over there and here. Just having a bit of fun and started really finding my rhythm," Tiafoe said.
"The courts are obviously much slower than I'm used to playing on, so it's tough playing Daniil on this court. But after the second set, midway into the second and in the tie-break, I felt like I was Roger Federer, honestly."
Tiafoe had lost all five previous ATP Tour meetings with Medvedev but continued his fine form after reaching the US Open semi-finals for the first time, along with making the final in Cincinnati.
"I just have a lot more confidence in myself. I'm having a lot of fun playing the game at the moment," Tiafoe added.
"I'm just trying to play the right way and compete as hard as I can, let the chips fall where they may. I respect everyone, but I'm just not fearing anyone at the moment.
"I'm just going out there, taking it to guys and seeing what happens."
Alcaraz fell on his Laver Cup debut in the doubles alongside Alexander Zverev but responded with a near-perfect singles performance against Shelton.
"I'm really happy to be part of Team Europe in the Laver Cup for the first time," Alcaraz said after his first win in the competition.
"I'm trying to be as [good] a partner as I can, as [good] a player as I can to help my team. I played against Ben, a really powerful player, a really tough one.
"I'm pretty happy because I played a really solid match from the beginning until the end of the match."
Taylor Fritz subsequently restored Team World's lead with a 6-4 7-5 victory over Germany's Zverev, before doubles success followed for Shelton and Alejandro Tabilo.
The Team World pair dispatched Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-1 6-2, securing a 8-4 lead for their side heading into the third day of action.
Daniel Dubois claimed an eye-catching victory over Anthony Joshua with a fifth-round knockout in an all-British clash for the IBF heavyweight title.
Joshua was tipped as the pre-fight favourite, aiming to become a three-time heavyweight champion in front of a record-breaking 96,000 crowd at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
Yet Dubois came out on the top, dominating from the off before catching Joshua with a brutal right-hand blow.
His reward will likely prove to be a clash with Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk, who face off in their December rematch in Riyadh.
With Fury and Usyk watching on, Dubois came flying out the blocks, landing back-to-back jabs before downing Joshua in the first round with a bruising overhand right.
Challenger Joshua survived the count and was saved by the bell, before a further onslaught followed by Dubois resulted in a similar conclusion in the third just as the round ended.
Dubois floored Joshua once more just seconds into the fourth, with brief confusion as the referee waved for a knockdown rather than knockout as the one-sided bout continued.
Joshua appeared to have recovered, landing a few shots in the fifth before overcommitting as Dubois delivered the decisive blow to settle any talk over his IBF title, which was initially handed over by Usyk.
Carlos Sainz acknowledged his crash in Q3 at the Singapore Grand Prix left Ferrari facing an uphill battle, with team-mate Charles Leclerc also seeing his time ruled out.
Sainz crashed at the final corner, losing control of his car before he started a flying lap, while Leclerc exceeded track limits at Turn 2 in a one-lap decider on Saturday.
Leclerc and Sainz will start in P9 and P10 respectively in Singapore on Sunday, with Ferrari currently third in the competitive constructors' championship standings.
Both drivers attributed their poor performance to tyre temperature.
"When we get out of the garage with front tyres that are too cold, then you arrive in the first corner and you lock up, so I don't know what's gone on," said Leclerc.
"I don't have the answer yet, the team don't have the answer yet, but we need to look into it because we paid the price today."
Sainz echoed a similar sentiment as he apologised to the Ferrari team for his crash.
"A very strange one. I clearly underestimated, or overestimated in this case, the grip that I would get from a very cold tyre. I had to do a lot of back off in the last sector to let some cars by," Sainz said.
"I had a big moment. At one point I thought I could save it but then it snapped on me and it was a very unfortunate, very bad accident. Apologies for the team and for everyone, because it's not the way you want to finish qualifying.
"At the same time, this weekend we've been struggling a lot with temperatures, with getting the tyres in the right window, and today was just one of those bad ones."
Rory McIlroy was pleased with a 'solid' bogey-free round of 66 as he sits joint-second on 15 under par, three shots off leader Matteo Manassero, ahead of the final day of the BMW PGA Championship.
McIlroy carded a six-under round with four birdies and one eagle on the fourth, only bettered by leader Manassero's 63 and Billy Horschel's 65, which included a run of seven straight birdies and put him in a tie for second alongside the Northern Irishman.
The 35-year-old, who won the event in 2014, was happy enough with his third round, despite finding the water on 18 and scrambling a par on the scoreable final hole.
He said to Sky Sports: "I had a few chances that I let slip there on the back nine, but I got going out there on moving day, shooting six under par, trying to keep up with Matteo.
"It was another solid day, my lowest score of the week and no bogeys. I know I'm going to need another low one tomorrow to try to catch him.
"I love it here. It would be amazing to get my name on the trophy again."
Manassero, who also tasted success at Wentworth in 2013, was delighted with his round, coming towards the end of a season in which he has returned from the wilderness to play some of his very best golf.
"I have to be honest, one of the best rounds I've ever played," the Italian said afterwards.
"Thinking of the difficult years, to be standing here right now in the lead - it feels amazing."
"My perspective has changed. I'm going to go out and enjoy tomorrow."
Lando Norris "had faith" that McLaren were quick and was rewarded with pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix.
The Brit was quickest in a dramatic qualifying session, crossing the line 0.203 seconds quicker than Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who will start in second.
After tough practice sessions, Mercedes pair Lewis Hamilton and George Russell improved on their performances to finish third and fourth respectively, with Oscar Piastri in fifth.
The times came from a one-lap shootout after Carlos Sainz forced the third session to be stopped as he crashed into the barriers on the final corner of his first lap.]
And Ferrari's day got worse as Charles Leclerc had his lap time deleted for a track limits breach at turn two.
Norris admitted it was a tough qualification session but was pleased to come out on top as he attempts to close the gap to Verstappen in the divers' championship.
"It was tough, especially through qualifying. I was finding it a little difficult to progress much and gain a lot of lap time," Norris said.
"And all of the guys around seemed to get quicker and quicker, so it put me under a bit more pressure, especially with just one lap at the end.
"I had faith we were quick, so I didn't have to over-push and I could just do what I've been doing the whole weekend.
"It was good enough for pole, and I'm happy with that, especially here in Singapore. A good feeling. I've felt good all weekend, I've felt confident, maybe not so much in qualy but we got the job done."
Asked how he felt about the one-lap shootout, he added: "I like it. It gets your heart rate going and it's good fun. My lap wasn't as good as my lap previous to the red flag, so there's always just that little bit more in it.
"But the car's been feeling good and when you have a good feeling car, and you're confident, you can go out and push and get the lap time, so I did the job I had to do today and excited to see what we can do tomorrow."
Verstappen struggled in the second practice session, finishing 15th on the timesheet, but he improved on Saturday to ensure he would start on the front row with Norris.
The Dutchman had been unhappy with his car’s performance on Friday but was feeling more optimistic about his chances on Sunday after qualifying.
"The whole of qualifying went quite well. We managed to improve the car run after run," Verstappen said.
"I'm happy to be on the front row if you look at where we came from yesterday.
"Q3 was tough. Your lap gets, of course, cancelled with the double-waved yellow, then everyone only has one run to do the lap, so you don't want to overdo it. You want to stay within the limit. I'll take second - I'm happy with that.
"Tomorrow is a bit difficult to say. In Singapore, a lot of things can happen, but at least we have a shot at it like this."
Qualifying results
1. Lando Norris (McLaren)
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
3. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
4. George Russell (Mercedes)
5. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
6. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)
7. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
8. Yuki Tsunoda (RB)
9. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
10. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
World number one Iga Swiatek has withdrawn from the upcoming China Open due to personal reasons.
Swiatek won her sixth WTA 1000 title on her tournament debut in Beijing last year, only dropping one set in the competition and beating Liudmila Samsonova in the final.
She fell to Jessica Pegula at the quarter-final stage of the US Open last time out, and she will surrender her China Open crown after being forced to back out of the competition.
"Due to personal matters, I'm forced to withdraw from the China Open in Beijing," Swiatek announced on Friday.
"I'm very sorry as I had an amazing time playing and winning this tournament last year and was really looking forward to being back there.
"I know that the fans will experience great tennis there and I'm sorry I won’t be a part of it this time."
The women's singles tournament in China begins next Friday, with the final to be held on October 6.
Sergio Perez expressed his concerns about Red Bull's potential at the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend after citing a lack of balance during Friday's practice sessions.
Lando Norris set the pace, finishing 0.058 seconds clear of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, with the Perez's team-mate Max Verstappen 1.294secs off the pace in 15th.
Perez managed a eighth place finish, just behind the Mercedes of George Russell and the RB of Daniel Ricciardo.
The Mexican will be hopeful of a better outcome in this weekend's race after crashing out on the penultimate lap in Baku last week after an incident with Carlos Sainz.
There is no driver in this season who has not finished a Grand Prix on more occasions than Perez (three level with Alex Albon and Yuki Tsunoda).
He has now gone 11 races without finishing in four seasons for Red Bull, his highest number of retirements with a team, surpassing the 10 in five years for Force India.
Reviewing the two practice sessions, and whether any progress was made between FP1 and FP2, Perez said: “I think we improved a little bit, but still we are lacking quite a lot of balance.
"It’s quite difficult out there to put a lap together, [so] it’s not looking great at the moment."
Perez went on to comment that the level of Red Bull’s struggles “took us by surprise” despite the problems they faced at the Marina Bay street circuit last season.
“Definitely we’ve got some work to do overnight because we are quite far [behind],” said the Mexican, who was 0.871s down on pace-setting McLaren rival Norris.
“We are nearly a second off the pace, so we need quite a big change to be able to come through. We’ll see what we’re able to do.”
New Zealand maintained their grip on the Bledisloe Cup with a 31-28 victory over Australia, but only after withstanding a spirited fightback from the Wallabies.
The All Blacks scored four first-half tries at the Accor Stadium, as they bounced back from their narrow defeat by South Africa last time out.
New Zealand came flying out of the blocks and were 21-0 to the good inside the opening 16 minutes, with Will Jordan, Rieko Ioane and Caleb Clarke all crossing.
Fraser McReight got Australia on the scoreboard, while Matt Faessler also went over, but Ardie Savea's converted try kept New Zealand in control at half-time at 28-14.
Damian McKenzie kicked the visitors further in front early in the second half, but Scott Robertson's side were made to cling on towards the end.
With Clarke and Anton Lienert-Brown sin-binned inside the final quarter of an hour, the Wallabies launched a late rally.
Hunter Paisami reduced the deficit, and the hosts closed the gap to a single score when Tom Wright went over in the final minute, but it proved too little too late for Joe Schmidt's side.
Data Debrief: Slipper out on his own as Savea surpasses McCaw
It was an historic day for Slipper, with the veteran prop becoming Australia's most-capped player when he ran on for his 140th Test early in the second half.
Ultimately, it proved a bittersweet day as he was forced off with a head injury just 21 minutes later, but he now stands alone on the Wallabies' all-time list.
However, the match belonged to New Zealand, who retained the Bledisloe Cup as they have done every year since 2003.
Savea created his own piece of history when he scored his 28th international try, surpassing the great Richie McCaw as the most by any All Blacks forward.
Emma Raducanu was forced to retire from her Korea Open quarter-final against Daria Kasatkina with a foot injury.
Raducanu, who beat Peyton Stearns and Yue Yuan on her way to a last-eight showdown with the top seed, withdrew from the contest after losing the opening set 6-1.
The 21-year-old was looking to make her second WTA Tour semi-final this year, but struggled against the Russian who had beaten her in straight sets in both previous encounters.
Raducanu found herself immediately on the back foot after losing her opening game on serve, but got her first point on the board in the third game.
Kasatkina then took control, racing into a comfortable lead as Raducanu required a medical timeout after the fifth game, having been broken to love.
Despite a spirited showing in the final game that saw Raducanu handed a break point opportunity, Kasatkina held firm before seeing her British opponent retire.
The world number 13 will face compatriot Diana Shnaider in the semi-finals, with a potential showpiece match against Beatriz Haddad Maia or Veronika Kudermetova awaiting her.
Alec Bohm went 4 for 4 with a home run and four RBIs to lead a 17-hit attack that powered the Philadelphia Phillies to a playoff-clinching 12-2 rout of the New York Mets on Friday.
Bohm's three-run homer capped a big fourth inning in which the Phillies scored six times to break a 2-2 tie, and J.T. Realmuto added a two-run shot in the eighth to secure Philadelphia's place in the National League playoffs for the third consecutive year.
Philadelphia, which entered the day tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL's best record, can wrap up its first NL East title since 2011 by winning one of its two remaining games with the Mets this weekend.
The Phillies also received three hits and two RBIs from Nick Castellanos, while Johan Rojas had a two-run double among his two hits.
Jose Iglesias went 2 for 4 with a solo homer for New York, which had a four-game winning streak snapped. The Mets dropped a game back of Arizona for the NL's second wild card after the Diamondbacks earned a 7-4 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.
Iglesias led off the bottom of the first inning with a home run and Starling Marte followed with a single before later crossing the plate for a 2-0 New York lead against Philadelphia starter Cristopher Sanchez.
Sanchez (11-9) allowed just one more hit over his five-inning stint while finishing with seven strikeouts, and the Phillies scored single runs in the second and third before breaking things open in the fourth.
Rojas' two-run double in the fourth put Philadelphia ahead 4-2, and Bohm later delivered his 15th homer of the season to extend the margin to 8-2.
David Peterson (9-3) lasted just 3 2/3 innings for New York and was tagged for five runs - four earned - on eight hits.
Ohtani follows historic night with encore performance
Shohei Ohtani followed Thursday’s unforgettable performance with another record-breaking outing, and the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Colorado Rockies 6-4.
On Thursday, Ohtani became the first player in MLB history with 50 home runs and 50 steals in the same season, reaching the milestone by going 6 for 6 with three home runs, 10 RBIs and two stolen bases.
Ohtani finished Friday 3 for 4, launched his 52nd home run of the season and stole his 52nd base. It was the 14th time this season that he hit a home run and stole a base in the same game, an MLB record.
Teoscar Hernandez and Andy Pages also went deep for the Dodgers (92-62), whose magic number to clinch the NL West over the San Diego Padres was reduced to four.
The Dodgers opted for a bullpen day, with eight pitchers combining to allow just five hits and strike out 15 batters.
The Rockies squandered home runs from Charlie Blackmon, Michael Toglia and Sam Hilliard.
Kyle Freeland, who allowed four runs and seven hits in six innings, was saddled with the loss.
Orioles cool off Tigers to pad AL wild card lead
The Baltimore Orioles belted five home runs, including two each from Colton Cowser and James McCann, to increase their lead atop the American League wild card standings with a 7-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers.
Anthony Santander also homered for Baltimore, which got all its runs via the long ball to back seven scoreless innings from Corbin Burnes to move five games up on Kansas City for the AL's top wild card. The slumping Royals were dealt a 2-1 loss by the San Francisco Giants for their fifth straight defeat.
Detroit, which entered this key three-game series having won four straight, dropped one game behind Minnesota for the third and final wild card after the Twins posted a 4-2, 12-inning win over the Boston Red Sox.
Burnes (15-8) yielded just three hits and struck out eight to beat the Tigers for the second time in less than a week. The Baltimore ace also tossed seven scoreless innings in a 4-2 win at Detroit on Saturday.
Santander's two-run homer off Tyler Holton in the first inning staked the Orioles to an early lead, and Cowser made it 3-0 an inning later with a solo blast off Keider Montero.
McCann added a two-run shot in the fourth, and he and Cowser came through with solo homers off Montero in the sixth to increase the margin to 7-0.
The Tigers' lone run came on Trey Sweeney's RBI single in the ninth. Sweeney finished with two of Detroit's seven hits.
Carlos Alcaraz suffered defeat on his Laver Cup debut, as he was beaten in straight sets alongside Alexander Zverev in doubles by Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton.
Team Europe put up a strong fight but struggled to match Fritz and Shelton, who won 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 in one hour and 37 minutes.
Alcaraz and Zverev made a slow start to the match, losing their serve in the fourth game as the Americans went on a three-game winning streak, but they pulled it back to level the tie, only to lose the tie-break.
Team Europe looked to have found their groove in the second set but failed to convert four break points in the fourth game as Fritz and Shelton levelled the score at 2-2.
A three-game winning run at the end of the set, including one more break, was enough to get Team World over the line, pulling them back to 2-2 at the end of day one.
Francisco Cerundolo had originally given Team World the lead with a shock win over Casper Ruud before Stefanos Tsitsipas and Grigor Dimitrov's wins had put Team Europe 2-1 up.
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
