Author: Shekari Philemon

Coco Gauff opened her defense of the US Open with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Zeynep Sonmez on Tuesday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium, defeating a tough opponent in 1 hour and 20 minutes in her second-shortest opening-round match at Flushing Meadows. Gauff, 22 and seeded fourth, had been pushed to three sets in five of her previous seven first-round matches at the tournament. Sonmez played well enough at stretches that Gauff applauded her opponent on a couple of occasions, including a tracked-down ball in the corner hit down the line on the run and a volley with unusual spin…

Victor Oladipo published an open letter seeking another chance in the NBA, writing with clarity about what the past several years of injury and recovery have cost him and what his daughter has given him as a reason to keep trying. The former Indiana Pacers All-Star and No. 2 overall pick ruptured his quadriceps tendon in his right knee in 2019 and has not played more than 42 games in a season since. He played 26 games last season in the G League with the Wisconsin Herd, averaging 13.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists. Oladipo also conducted a private…

The Philadelphia 76ers signed three players to Exhibit 10 contracts Tuesday ahead of Sixers training camp, adding 7-foot-6 center Tacko Fall, guard Jameer Nelson Jr. and forward Saint Thomas to the roster group that will report to Camden, New Jersey later this month. All three are training camp roster additions rather than guaranteed contracts. Exhibit 10 deals provide a path to the G League affiliate if the player does not make the final roster. Tacko Fall, 29, has not played in the NBA since the 2021-22 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Before that he spent two seasons with the Boston…

Broncos outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper pleaded not guilty Monday in Douglas County, Colorado, to multiple domestic violence charges, with a jury trial date set for Nov. 10 and a pretrial hearing scheduled for Oct. 30. He was arrested twice in a seven-day span in June on domestic violence charges, including one felony. Cooper was placed on the NFL commissioner exempt list Sunday, which removes a player from participation in games and practices while the league reviews potential violations of its personal conduct policy. He can attend team meetings, receive medical treatment and use the team complex for workouts while on…

The star defensive tackle did not practice Monday as the Los Angeles Rams continue to manage his return from a two-year retirement, with Rams coach Sean McVay declining to commit to whether he will even travel to Melbourne for the team’s Sept. 10 Rams season opener against San Francisco. McVay said the rest day was part of the plan all along following his individual drill work Sunday in his first practice back. He said the staff is still working out the ramp-up schedule and that the team has not yet done 11-on-11 football with him. He acknowledged that if Aaron…

Ben Shelton recovered from a disastrous opening set to defeat Tallon Griekspoor 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (3), 6-2 in the first round of the US Open on Monday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium, saving his tournament after losing six consecutive games at the start of the match. Shelton, the highest-seeded American man in the draw at No. 8, was broken three times in a first set that lasted 28 minutes. He won just one game, tied for the fewest in a major opening set of his career. He acknowledged being nervous at the start and said he found his rhythm at…

Naomi Osaka walked onto Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday night in a long white skirt and a gray, hooded robe covered in newspaper clippings about her, removed the hood to reveal cornrows under a headband and a black outfit unmistakably styled after Allen Iverson’s look during his Philadelphia 76ers MVP era, then won her first-round US Open match 7-6 (6), 7-6 (3). The former NBA MVP posted on Instagram after the match expressing that it was a huge honor, calling himself a big fan and saying he cannot wait to meet her. Osaka said the cornrow tribute was her way…

Carlos Alcaraz returned from a four-month absence with a clean 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 US Open victory over Roman Safiullin on Monday, showing no signs of the right wrist injury that forced him to miss the French Open and Wimbledon and declaring himself pain-free heading into his title defense. The 23-year-old Spaniard stepped back into Grand Slam and US Open tennis without a warmup tournament, skipping the entire clay and grass seasons, and said he felt as if he was hitting normally and playing his style. He said everything felt great. He acknowledged being more nervous than usual heading into the…

Novak Djokovic lost in the first round of the US Open for the first time in his career Sunday, falling to Argentina’s Mariano Navone 7-6 (5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 in a 4-hour, 36-minute match that left the 39-year-old vomiting, cramping and grimacing through the final sets before the match ended just before midnight. It was the earliest exit of a Grand Slam in Djokovic’s career in two decades, his last first-round loss at a major dating to the 2006 Australian Open. He had been 19-0 in US Open first-round matches entering Sunday night. The defeat snaps a 78-match win…

Venus Williams lost to American wild card Sofia Kenin 6-2, 7-6 (6) in the first round of the US Open, closing out just after 2 a.m. Monday in what could be the final Grand Slam singles match of her career. The match did not begin until 12.13 a.m., the latest start in US Open history, delayed by Novak Djokovic’s 4-hour, 36-minute first-round loss to Mariano Navone on Arthur Ashe Stadium. The 2.01 a.m. finish is the latest ever for a first-round match in the tournament’s history and the third-latest for any women’s match at any stage. Williams, 46, has now…