Carlos Alcaraz wins US Open for 1st Slam title, top ranking
NEW YORK (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz has defeated Casper Ruud 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (1), 6-3 in the U.S. Open final to earn his first Grand Slam title at age 19 and become the youngest man to move up to No. 1 in the rankings. Alcaraz is a Spaniard who was appearing in his eighth major tournament and second at Flushing Meadows. He only briefly showed any signs of fatigue Sunday after having to get through three consecutive five-setters to reach the title match. Ruud is a 23-year-old from Norway who is now 0-2 in Slam finals. He was the runner-up to Rafael Nadal at the French Open in June.
Brady, Bucs throttle Cowboys 19-3 as Prescott injures hand
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Tom Brady and Mike Evans connected on a punctuating touchdown, Leonard Fournette ran for 127 yards and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers dominated the Dallas Cowboys 19-3. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott suffered an injury to his throwing hand that owner Jerry Jones said will require surgery and force him to miss several weeks. Brady was in control throughout the first start for a 45-year-old quarterback in NFL history. He had a big assist from the defense in Todd Bowles’ debut as Tampa Bay’s coach following three seasons as defensive coordinator.
Dodgers 1st team to clinch a playoff spot, rout Padres 11-2
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Justin Turner hit a grand slam and a solo homer for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who emphatically became the first team to clinch a playoff spot this season with an 11-2 victory over the San Diego Padres. The Dodgers sealed a playoff berth for the 10th straight season. With thousands of their blue-clad fans cheering them on at Petco Park, the Dodgers also reduced to two their magic number for winning the NL West for the ninth time in 10 seasons. The Dodgers have the best record in the majors at 96-43. Max Muncy hit a go-ahead, two-run, bases-loaded single in the sixth inning and Chris Taylor and Trea Turner also homered for the Dodgers.
Wentz triumphant in Week 1 Revenge Tour; Wilson next?
LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Carson Wentz made clutch throws to erase big mistakes and pull out a victory that eluded Baker Mayfield and Joe Flacco. Russell Wilson is up next in the NFL’s Week 1 revenge tour. Wilson returns to Seattle on Monday night to play his first game for the Denver Broncos. Mayfield came up short Sunday against the Browns. Flacco had no chance against the Ravens. Wentz didn’t face his former team - he’ll play against the Eagles in two weeks and the Colts next month - but his first game for the Washington Commanders came against Doug Pederson, the coach who drafted and developed him into an MVP candidate by his second season before both were quickly run out of Philadelphia.
AP Top 25 Reality Check: Sun Belt gets slighted in rankings
The greatest weekend in the history of Sun Belt football was not enough to push any of the conference’s upstarts into The Associated Press poll. Marshall and Appalachian State were left at the top of the others receiving votes list in Sunday’s AP Top 25, the day after the Thundering Herd won at Notre Dame and the Mountaineers beat Texas A&M in College Station. Instead, A&M managed to stay in the rankings at 24 and Oregon slipped back in at No. 25. Reality Check would have preferred letting go of those preseason expectations and rewarding the Sun Belt surprises.
Braves' run reminiscent of '93 -- but stakes are different
Atlanta finally passed the New York Mets this past week. Then the Braves ran into their mirror image from the American League. That would be the Seattle Mariners. They took two of three from the Braves and are now 50-22 in their last 72 games. Atlanta has played at an even better clip. The Braves are 64-26 since the start of June. That helped them erase a 10 1/2-game deficit in the NL East. Atlanta moved a half-game ahead of New York when it won the opener of its series in Seattle on Friday night. But now the Braves trail by 1 1/2 games after losing the next two.
Pujols' 697th HR, moves into 4th, rallies Cards over Pirates
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Albert Pujols hit his 697th home run, moving past Alex Rodriguez into fourth place on the career list and doing it in dramatic fashion with a ninth-inning drive that rallied the St. Louis Cardinals over the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3. The NL Central-leading Cardinals trailed 2-1 when Pujols connected for a two-run drive. Pujols had tied Rodriguez with a home run Saturday night. Pujols trails Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714) on the all-time homer chart. The 42-year-old Pujols has 21 games left in his 22nd and final season in the big leagues. He’s hit 18 home runs this season.
Nebraska fires Frost; AD Alberts says 16-31 'not acceptable'
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska has fired football coach Scott Frost after a 1-2 start to the season. The situation was so dire that athletic director Trev Alberts made the move only three weeks before Frost's contract buyout would have been cut in half. The Cornhuskers lost 45-42 to Georgia Southern as a three-touchdown favorite at home on Saturday night. Frost was 16-31 three games into his fifth season. Associate head coach Mickey Joseph was named interim coach for the rest of the season. Alberts said there was no attempt to negotiate a lower buyout and that Frost would receive the $15 million owed to him.
Mahomes throws 5 TDs, Chiefs hammer Cardinals 44-21
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 360 yards and five touchdowns, lifting the Kansas City Chiefs to an impressive 44-21 road win over the Arizona Cardinals in the opener for both teams. The quarterback was playing his first NFL game against Kliff Kingsbury, who coached Mahomes in college at Texas Tech and now leads the Cardinals. Tight end Travis Kelce caught eight passes for 121 yards and a touchdown. It was his 30th career game with at least 100 yards receiving. Clyde Edwards-Helaire hauled in two touchdown passes.
McDaniel era starts with a win, Dolphins top Patriots 20-7
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Tua Tagovailoa passed for 270 yards and a touchdown, and the Miami Dolphins provided an early look at their ability to contend in the AFC East as they beat Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots 20-7 Sunday. Patriots second-year quarterback Mac Jones threw for 213 yards with a touchdown and interception. Tyreek Hill, making his Miami Dolphins debut after the team traded for him during the offseason, led Miami’s receivers with eight receptions for 94 yards. Running back Ty Montgomery caught the Patriots only touchdown of the game. Damien Harris led New England’s rushers with 48 yards on nine carries.
Former Major Leaguer dies in crash
A former Major League Baseball pitcher who retired in 2016 to become a police officer in the New York City area was killed in a car crash on his way to work at the Sept. 11 memorial ceremony. Police officials and his former teams said in statements that 37-year-old Anthony Varvaro died Sunday morning in the crash in New Jersey. He was an officer for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey since 2016. He played baseball at St. John’s University before a career in the majors as a relief pitcher with the Seattle Mariners, Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox.