Sports
Djokovic suffers earliest US Open exit, Medvedev, Pegula through
Novak Djokovic suffered his earliest Grand Slam exit in more than two decades Sunday, falling in the first round of the U.S. Open to unseeded Argentine Mariano Navone amid injury and illness.
The 39-year-old had arrived at Flushing Meadows with the aim of winning a fifth title and a record 25th major crown overall but crashed out 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 to send shockwaves through the final Grand Slam of the year.
Former champion Daniil Medvedev and highest-ranked American Jessica Pegula advanced with little fuss earlier in the day, as players began their campaigns to grab a slice of the record prize purse of $108 million up for grabs.
The last time Djokovic lost in the first round of a Grand Slam was at the Australian Open in 2006 and the Serb did not go down without a fight despite battling shoulder and back problems and vomiting midway through the match.
“I pretty much despised every moment I spent on the court for that,” Djokovic told reporters.
With world number one Jannik Sinner absent and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz returning after a lengthy spell out injured, Djokovic looked primed for a run at a record 25th Grand Slam.
But Navone had not read the script and completed the biggest win of his career against his idol at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“I was 0-3 down, feeling a bit nervous out of respect for the star I was up against,” the world No. 49 told ESPN.
“It’s tough to play against Novak, he’s an idol. He never looked particularly comfortable with his shots or physically, that’s the truth.
“In the fifth set he was a bit shaken. I had to focus on my game. You don’t get many chances to play an idol on a stage like this … it’s incredible what I’m feeling; it’s all so exciting. It’s mad.”
Medvedev, Pegula through
Russian Medvedev had crashed out in a chaotic first-round defeat a year ago but was all business on Sunday at Arthur Ashe Stadium, downing French qualifier Hugo Gaston 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 to quieten doubts after a frustrating run-up to the tournament.
“The last couple of weeks were not easy,” said Medvedev, who exited the Cincinnati and Montreal tournaments early. “I’m happy that today I managed to produce high-level tennis.”
Dozens of ticket holders were lined up long before the action kicked off and the home crowd was rewarded as world number three Pegula beat Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-3, 6-2 in the first match at the showpiece stadium.
The 2024 finalist next plays Sofia Kenin, who defeated fellow wild card Venus Williams 6-2, 7-6(6) in a contest that began at 12.13 a.m. on Arthur Ashe Stadium in the latest starting women’s match in U.S. Open history.
Twice Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova earlier became the first seeded player to exit the tournament, saving six match points before succumbing to Kamilla Rakhimova 7-6(4), 6-2 on the outer courts.
Italian Jasmine Paolini survived a scare to beat Slovenia’s Veronika Erjavec 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in the opener at Louis Armstrong Stadium to set up a meeting with compatriot Lucrezia Stefanini.
Czech Jiri Lehecka kicked off the action on the Grandstand with a 6-1, 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-2 win over Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta before Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk swatted aside Australian Storm Hunter 6-4, 6-1 at the same stadium.
Kostyuk was joined in the next round by compatriot Elina Svitolina, who eased past Solana Sierra 6-1, 6-2.
Former champion Marin Cilic and 2022 runner-up Casper Ruud pulled out due to injuries shortly after the tournament got underway.
Turkish giants Fenerbahçe produced their most complete performance of the new Süper Lig season Sunday, defeating hosts Samsunspor 2-0 behind early strikes in each half from Kosovar forward Vedat Muriqi and winger Oğuz Aydın.
The comfortable away victory provided Fenerbahçe with their first clean sheet of the domestic campaign and lifted the Istanbul club to six points through three matches, helping them build momentum following an erratic opening fortnight.
The Yellow Canaries wasted no time taking control in front of a partisan host crowd, opening the scoring in the third minute of play. Aydın spearheaded a swift attack down the flank before delivering a precise cross to Muriqi, who finished with composure to put the visiting side ahead 1-0.
The early breakthrough allowed the Istanbul-based team to dictate the tempo of the match and frustrate Samsunspor’s efforts to establish an offensive rhythm before the interval.
Fenerbahçe returned from halftime with equal sharpness, doubling their advantage four minutes into the second half. Aydın turned from provider to goalscorer in the 49th minute, finding space inside the penalty box to slot home his first goal of the new season and put the outcome out of reach.
Referee Yasin Kol, supported by assistant referees Anıl Usta and Bahtiyar Birinci, managed the rest of the physical contest as Fenerbahçe controlled possession and closed out the 2-0 win without facing any serious defensive pressure.
Muriqi keep scoring
Muriqi’s early strike underscored a remarkable run of individual form for the Kosovar international. The veteran forward has now scored in three consecutive official matches for Fenerbahçe across all competitions, having found the net in back-to-back Süper Lig fixtures as well as a recent UEFA Champions League play-off round match. Over those three appearances, Muriqi has recorded three goals and an assist, establishing himself as the primary centerpiece of Fenerbahçe’s frontline.
Aydın was equally influential on the wing, delivering a breakout two-point performance. The 25-year-old set the tone with his third-minute assist to Muriqi before securing the victory with his second-half goal, providing Fenerbahçe with both width and creative sharpness throughout the evening.
Meanwhile, the defensive display marked a significant turnaround for Fenerbahçe, who had struggled to contain opposing attacks during the opening two weeks of the season.
After dropping their campaign opener 2-1 to newly promoted Gençlerbirliği and surrendering two goals in a wild 4-2 win over Konyaspor in Gameweek 2, Fenerbahçe finally held an opponent scoreless Sunday.
The result also extended Fenerbahçe’s long-standing head-to-head dominance over Samsunspor. They are now unbeaten in last nine meetings against the Black Sea club, a streak that includes five wins and four draws.
Across those nine matches, Fenerbahçe have outscored Samsunspor by a 15-5 aggregate scoreline. Samsunspor have not defeated their Istanbul counterpart since 2012, when they claimed a 3-1 home-ground victory.
Speaking to reporters after the match, Fenerbahçe head coach İsmail Kartal commended his players’ performance while addressing questions regarding potential roster moves before the close of the summer transfer window.
Kartal said that while the senior squad is currently at capacity, club executives are actively evaluating opportunities to add young talent under special roster guidelines.
“Transfers can happen at any moment,” Kartal said during his post-match press conference. “Ultimately, if we can do an under-23 transfer, we can make one transfer. Other than that, our squad is already full. Under normal conditions, we cannot transfer a player. However, if we can, we might make an under-23 transfer. Our management and president are working on this.”
With six points secured from their opening three league fixtures, Fenerbahçe now turn their attention to one of the most high-stakes matchups on the Turkish football calendar. They are scheduled to host cross-town rivals Beşiktaş in a blockbuster Week 4 Istanbul derby Saturday, Sept. 5.
Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. local time, offering Kartal’s side a major test as they look to remain within touching distance of the top of the Süper Lig standings.
Turkish star Hakan Çalhanoğlu’s early strike helped Inter Milan stay perfect in its Serie A title defense with a 1-0 win at Cagliari Sunday, while Como beat Napoli 2-1 to spoil Massimiliano Allegri’s home debut.
Çalhanoğlu guided home a first-time strike from the edge of the box after nine minutes to make it two goals in two games and set the tone for a first half dominated by the champions in Sardinia.
A combination of wayward finishing and fine goalkeeping from Elia Caprile kept the scoreline close at halftime, and Inter’s profligacy continued after the break as Lautaro Martinez, Francesco Pio Esposito and Alessandro Bastoni squandered good chances.
England international Curtis Jones made his debut from the bench in the second half, but Inter’s lack of composure in front of goal almost came back to bite them as Cagliari threatened a shock equalizer with a flurry of late chances.
Cristian Chivu’s side ended the game with 29 shots on the board and only one goal to show for them, but it was enough to send them top of the table after two games, ahead of AC Milan, Juventus and Lazio on goal difference.
“These are your classic games where if you don’t close them out, you can run into trouble,” Chivu told Sky Italia.
“In the last few minutes, we fell apart, getting confused and panicking.
“But we held firm, and we created a lot. If there is one regret, it is not finishing off the many chances we had.”
Gennaro Gattuso’s Lazio also made it two wins from two by beating Genoa 1-0 in Rome thanks to a second match-winning strike in a row from summer signing Davide Frattesi.
Fabregas hopes for striker
Earlier, Como pulled off their latest feat of Serie A giant-killing as a win at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona ruined Napoli coach Allegri’s home bow.
Martin Baturina fired Cesc Fabregas’s enterprising side into a deserved lead in the 17th minute as chances fell at both ends in soaring temperatures in Naples.
Rasmus Hojlund’s brilliant strike drew the hosts level on the half-hour mark, but his good work was quickly undone when a defensive mix-up led to Anastasios Douvikas scoring for the second game in a row.
Kevin De Bruyne, who inspired Napoli to an opening win over Genoa with a goal and assist from the bench, was unable to turn the tide after coming on early in the second half.
Como survived late pressure to hold on as Stanislav Lobotka’s stoppage-time strike was ruled out for offside.
“It is a very valuable win … the first half was very good and in the second we understood that we were facing champions, and we held out,” Fabregas told broadcasters DAZN.
Fabregas’s side upset the established order in Italian football last season by qualifying for the Champions League for the first time, where they were drawn against the likes of holders Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and Manchester United.
But the Spanish coach admitted that he is hoping for more new signings before the transfer window closes on Sept. 1, to help cope with a busy schedule.
“Obviously, I’m expecting a striker,” Fabregas said.
“Douvikas can’t play both the league and the cups. We suffered a lot with (Alvaro) Morata last year, for months he was out injured.
“Playing every three days at this level isn’t easy.”
Como, who were held by Udinese in their opener, moved up to four points, while last season’s runners-up Napoli remained on three points.
The second round of the Serie A season concludes on Monday when Roma travel to Lecce before Atalanta host Bologna.
Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid continued their perfect start to the season with Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe and Arda Güler all entering the scoresheet in a 4-0 drubbing of Malaga Sunday.
Los Blancos scored three times in just over 10 minutes in the first half to open up a comfortable lead over the Andalusian visitors to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Sandwiched between Bellingham and Mbappe’s strikes was an own goal by Malaga goalkeeper Alfonso Herrero, while Güler tapped in a fourth late on.
“I’ve got the freedom to go higher or lower if we need, I’m enjoying myself a lot,” Bellingham told Real Madrid TV of his attacking midfield role under Mourinho.
The former Birmingham and Borussia Dortmund star was given a standing ovation from the fans when he was substituted in the second half.
“It’s an honor to play for this club and in front of these fans and the ovation was very nice,” added Bellingham.
After two victories in their opening two games and with superstar trio Mbappe, Bellingham and Vinicius Junior starting the season well, Madrid’s confidence was high.
Mourinho rotated, making five changes to the team that started their opening matches, giving Trent Alexander-Arnold and Marc Cucurella among others their first starts this season.
Bellingham opened the scoring after 19 minutes with an excellent solo goal, beating two defenders before drilling through Herrero’s legs.
Bellingham forced the second goal seven minutes later, after Herrero denied Mbappe.
The England international headed the rebound towards goal and defender Carlos Puga desperately tried to clear off the line, with the ball bouncing in off the unfortunate stopper Herrero.
Mbappe rattled home the third with a volley from Alexander-Arnold’s cross for his fourth goal of the campaign, leaving him top of Spain’s scoring charts.
Promoted side Malaga threatened just before half-time, with Rafa Rodriguez striking the post after a corner was played to him, and Chupe hitting the side netting.
Clean sheet banked
Madrid cruised through the second half, with Bellingham hitting the outside of the post as they occasionally threatened to extend their lead.
They only managed to get a fourth late on, when Vinicius teed up substitute Güler to finish from point-blank range.
“The second half was more about managing the game, at a lower tempo,” Mourinho told Real Madrid TV.
“Malaga were calmer on the ball, but every time we stepped up the pace, it always felt like we could score one or two more.
“One of our objectives was to keep a clean sheet.”
Madrid managed to do that for the first time this season and Mourinho said it was important for Los Blancos.
“Football isn’t just about having fun with the beauty of the goals – it’s also about going home thinking that we’re a solid unit,” added the Portuguese veteran.
Deportivo La Coruna secured their first win of the season with a 3-1 victory over Valencia.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang netted his third goal of the campaign for the Galician side, who also benefitted from own goals by Cesar Tarrega and Mouctar Diakhaby.
Edin Terzic’s Athletic Bilbao also claimed their first win, 2-0 at Celta Vigo, with goals from Alex Berenguer and Robert Navarro.
On Monday, champions Barcelona host Rayo Vallecano in their third match of the campaign, having comfortably won their opening games.
Ducati’s Marc Marquez won the Aragon Grand Prix for the third consecutive year Sunday, closing the gap on championship leader Jorge Martin and further cementing his dominance on anti-clockwise circuits.
Marquez’s eighth triumph at MotorLand came after an intense battle with Aprilia’s polesitter Marco Bezzecchi, whom he overtook in spectacular fashion on lap six as they went side-by-side at over 300 kph (186.41 mph).
KTM’s Pedro Acosta finished second, extending his wait for a maiden MotoGP victory despite claiming his 14th podium finish, while Bezzecchi rounded out the top three and Alex Marquez finished fourth.
Having won Saturday’s sprint, Marquez claimed maximum points over the weekend to move up to 237, leapfrogging Bezzecchi (232) to climb to second behind Aprilia’s Martin (256), who finished fifth.
Bezzecchi had snatched pole position with a lap record but Marquez pounced on turn one to win the sprint, with the Spaniard attempting the same move in the race, only to see the Aprilia rider retake the lead at the next turn.
‘Huge mistake’
“The key point was the first corner. I did it again but I did a huge mistake today because I forgot the rear (ride-height) device and when I got from turn one to turn two, the rear device was activated and loaded again,” Marquez said.
“I was super slow on that fast turn two and three, two riders overtook me. Then, it was more difficult but from that point, I just built the pace.”
Marquez had to go on the offensive to reel in Bezzecchi, setting fastest laps as he set his sights on the Aprilia in front of him while Acosta stayed glued to his rear wheel in third.
The reigning champion pounced on lap six, going alongside Bezzecchi on the back straight, riding mere inches apart and nearly making contact before overtaking the Aprilia.
“I heard his bike on turn 15 so I tried to cross the line, but when we were close, the slipstream was pushing each other very much and it was strange,” Bezzecchi said.
“Marc, with the experience that he has and the speed that he has, today he was unbeatable.”
Delight for home fans
Acosta also took the opportunity to move up to second at the next turn to hunt down Marquez, with the home fans roaring in delight as the two Spaniards then battled for the lead.
But Marquez’s consistency in setting fastest laps allowed him to put distance between him and Acosta, breaking the younger rider’s resolve as the lead grew to over a second while Bezzecchi was nearly three seconds behind.
Riding the wave of another Aragon triumph, Marquez hopped off his bike on the victory lap and hitched a ride to the stand named after him, sinking to his knees amid the deafening acclaim of supporters dressed in Ducati red.
Emiliano Martinez, Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning goalkeeper, joined Chelsea from fellow Premier League club Aston Villa, the London club announced Sunday.
The 33-year-old signed a three-year contract with Chelsea for a reported 7.5 million pounds ($10 million), according to British media.
“I’m all passion and I play with my heart. I will give 100 percent every game, every training session to make the club, my teammates and the supporters proud,” Martinez said in a statement on Chelsea’s website.
Martinez returns to London, where he began his professional career with Arsenal but never became a first-team regular.
After a series of loan spells away from Arsenal, Martinez joined Villa in 2020 and made more than 250 appearances. He was a key player in Unai Emery’s Europa League-winning squad last season.
New manager Xabi Alonso hopes Martinez’s arrival will solve Chelsea’s recent difficulties at goalkeeper.
Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez again faced criticism following Monday’s 3-2 victory over rival Fulham to open the Premier League campaign.
Martinez is the second player to move between Chelsea and Villa this summer after striker Nicolas Jackson moved from Chelsea to Villa on Friday.
His departure follows those of other Villa players, including Lucas Digne, Ezri Konsa, Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins.
Martinez’s departure, however, was anticipated after 24-year-old Japanese goalkeeper Zion Suzuki joined the club earlier in the transfer window.
Portugal forward Rafael Leao, whose dip in form coincided with AC Milan’s struggles in recent seasons, joined Galatasaray Sunday, the Istanbul club announced.
The four-time reigning Turkish champions, who have qualified for the Champions League, said they had paid 38 million euros ($44mn) for the 27-year-old attacker, who was also being courted by Aston Villa.
Galatasaray said he signed a four-year contract worth 10 million euros a year.
The Portuguese international had been welcomed by a crowd of supporters when he arrived in Istanbul Saturday.
About “20% of the profit made on the player’s next transfer will be paid to AC Milan,” the Turkish club added in its statement.
The Sporting Lisbon academy graduate will play alongside Nigerian Victor Osimhen, the Turks’ star striker and former Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane.
After arriving for a club-record 49.5 million euros from Lille in 2019, Leao scored 80 goals in 291 games for Milan.
He was a key figure in their 2021-22 Serie A triumph, but concerns over his commitment and declining production clouded the end of his time at the club.
Earlier this summer, Milan broke their club record when they paid 74 million euros to acquire another Portuguese attacker, Goncalo Ramos, from Paris Saint-Grrmain.
“It’s a tough moment saying goodbye to my teammates after seven years,” Leao said Friday after watching Milan beat visiting Venezia 2-0.
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