Author: Shekari Philemon

Ben Shelton ended Carlos Alcaraz’s US Open title reign in the latest-finishing match in the tournament’s history, pulling out a 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) victory at 3.33 a.m. Eastern time Wednesday, 4 hours and 28 minutes after the match began just after 11 p.m. The No. 8 seed ended Alcaraz’s 18-match Grand Slam winning streak and became the first American to defeat him at a major, the first left-handed player to do so, and the first American to beat a defending US Open champion in five sets since 18-year-old Peter Sampras defeated Mats Wilander in 1989. The…

Coco Gauff is back in the US Open quarterfinals for the first time since winning the US Open in 2023, beating No. 14 seed Iva Jovic 6-1, 6-4 on Monday night to extend her winning streak to 10 matches and her straight-sets streak to nine, the longest of her career. Gauff said the first set was at a high level for her and that Jovic raised her game in the second, creating some early-break opportunities she did not convert. Gauff said she is happy with how she closed out the final game from behind on serve and acknowledged she did…

Both Nick Bosa and George Kittle are expected to play for the San Francisco 49ers in Thursday’s season opener against the Los Angeles Rams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, with the coaching staff offering strong signals ahead of the NFL’s first game in Australia. Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris was unequivocal about Bosa. He said Bosa is going out there and that there is nothing to hide. He is recovering from a torn ACL in his right knee suffered in Week 3 last season. His return through training camp was more uncertain than his teammate’s, as he began camp with individual…

Christian Gonzalez and the New England Patriots agreed to a four-year, $135 million Patriots extension Monday night, making the 24-year-old the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history, with $102 million guaranteed. The deal surpasses the four-year, $132 million extension Devon Witherspoon received from the Seattle Seahawks last month, which had included more than $101 million guaranteed. Both Gonzalez and Witherspoon share the same agent. The agreement was reached less than 48 hours before Wednesday’s regular-season opener, a Super Bowl LX rematch between the Patriots and the Seahawks in Seattle. Gonzalez posted a brief message of gratitude on Instagram after the deal…

Bernie Ecclestone, the 95-year-old former Formula 1 chief executive, said he was stopped by police at an airport in Portugal after landing with a shotgun he intended to use in a clay pigeon shooting competition, surrendering the weapon after it emerged the proper documentation was missing. Ecclestone told the Press Association that he was not arrested and that the police were cooperative throughout, but that he had to give up the gun after customs officers determined he needed to either pay duty and apply for a temporary import license or leave it in custody. The incident took place Monday after…

Max Verstappen will race 100 drivers simultaneously at Silverstone on Sept. 16, starting from the back of the grid in a go-kart challenge and attempting to overtake as many competitors as possible, with the event airing live on Disney+. The four-time Formula 1 world champion will be returning to the karting roots that defined his path to the top, taking on a field of content creators and athletes rather than professional racing drivers. Verstappen said when asked what he is most looking forward to that he just wants to see the carnage unfold in front of him. His rivals offered…

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur warned Sunday that the first-lap collision between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at the Italian Grand Prix was not good for the team, as the aftermath of a costly incident at Ferrari’s home race left Hamilton’s championship hopes all but extinguished. They clashed at the opening corner at Monza, with Hamilton accusing his teammate of pushing him off the track and losing six positions as a result. The stewards took no action. Leclerc crashed out on the following lap. Hamilton finished sixth. He disputed Leclerc’s characterization that both drivers shared fault, saying there was no…

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has agreed to a four-season NFL contract extension that will keep him through the 2030 season, with the contract expiring on March 31, 2031, the league announced Sunday. This is his fifth extension since taking over for Paul Tagliabue on Sept. 1, 2006. His previous extensions came in 2009, 2012, 2017 and 2023. At the end of the new deal, he will be nearly 72 and will have served as commissioner for 24 years. Financial terms were not immediately disclosed. He reportedly earned $63.9 million across the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. The league is no longer…

Tua Tagovailoa will start at quarterback for Atlanta in Sunday’s season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team announced Monday, ending a months-long competition with Michael Penix Jr. and giving the Falcons their sixth different Week 1 starter in as many seasons. Atlanta signed Tagovailoa to a one-year, $1.3 million contract in the offseason after the Miami Dolphins released him in March. Miami absorbed a record $99.2 million in dead cap to part ways with the six-year veteran. Penix tore his ACL last November and underwent surgery. He was not cleared for 11-on-11 team periods until the final week of…

Five U.S. men reached the round of 16 at the US Open for the first time since 1995, and three are now in the quarterfinals, setting up a genuine opportunity to end a drought that has lasted more than two decades since Andy Roddick won the last U.S. men’s Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows in 2003. Frances Tiafoe and Alex Michelsen will meet in one quarterfinal. Ben Shelton will face defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the other quarterfinal, a matchup Shelton said he has been looking forward to. Learner Tien has a chance to add a fourth American to…