Ben Shelton beats Frances Tiafoe and will play Alexander Zverev for the US Open title
NEW YORK (AP) — Ben Shelton won the all-American duel with Frances Tiafoe and now he’s the one who can end his country’s long wait for another men’s Grand Slam champion. Shelton pulled out a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 victory on Friday and will play No. 1 seed Alexander Zverev on Sunday for the U.S. Open title. The No. 8-seeded Shelton had plenty of energy left after ousting defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in a quarterfinal match that ended Wednesday at 3:33 a.m., the latest finish ever at the U.S. Open. Now he can give the host nation its first men’s major winner since Andy Roddick at the 2003 U.S. Open.
Daughter of 9/11 victim throws out first pitch as Yankees mark 25th anniversary of attacks
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Yankees marked the 25th anniversary of 9/11 with a ceremony including former players and a special first pitch. Brielle Saracini threw out the ceremonial pitch alongside her husband, Sean McGuire. Both lost their fathers on 9/11, and they met at a camp for kids whose parents died in the attacks. After losing her father at age 10, Saracini wrote a letter to then-Yankees captain Derek Jeter and the two formed a lifelong friendship. Saracini says her first meeting with Jeter allowed her to feel like a normal kid for a day.
Garrett Mitchell hits grand slam and MLB-best Brewers pound Reds 20-0 to clinch playoff spot
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Garrett Mitchell hit the Brewers’ first grand slam of the season, one of four homers for Milwaukee in a 20-0 rout of the Cincinnati Reds that clinched a playoff spot for the majors’ best team. William Contreras, Bryce Turang and Jake Bauers also went deep for the Brewers, who have a commanding lead in the NL Central but for now are assured of at least a wild-card spot. They lead second-place Chicago by 10 games in the division, and their magic number to clinch that title is four. Dustin May and Garrett Stallings combined on a two-hitter while Milwaukee pounded out a season-high 23 hits.
Woodyard’s 2 second-half takeaways swing Border War as No. 23 Missouri beats Kansas 38-21
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Austin Simmons threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns as No. 23 Missouri beat Kansas 38-21 in the latest edition of the Border War on Friday night. Robert Woodyard Jr. helped the Tigers take control with back-to-back second-half turnovers. Jamal Roberts ran for 120 yards and a touchdown, while Donovan Olugbode and Cayden Lee caught TD passes. The game was tied 14-all early in the second half when Woodyard recovered a fumble, leading to a go-ahead touchdown. Kansas quarterback Isaiah Marshall finished with 168 yards passing, two touchdowns, and two interceptions, including one by Woodyard that set up another TD for the Tigers. It was the fifth straight win for Missouri over its biggest rival. The Jayhawks haven’t beaten Missouri since 2008.
Rams say travel isn’t to blame for their Melbourne debacle. If so, that suggests bigger problems
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Before Sean McVay jumped on his second 15-hour flight in less than two days, he insisted the Los Angeles Rams’ unorthodox travel plan for Australia wasn’t the reason his Super Bowl-contending team took a thrashing from the San Francisco 49ers in its season opener. If the coach is right, that’s actually more dismaying and concerning than the other scenario. That means the Rams were completely unprepared to face their most familiar foe. That means their high-priced, star-studded roster couldn’t even keep it close with the Niners, a strong team still considered to be only third best in the NFC West.
Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina to meet in a US Open final between the world’s top 2 players
NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. Open women’s final is a matchup of the top-ranked player in the world for almost the past two years against her successor at No. 1. Aryna Sabalenka faces Elena Rybakina for third time in a Grand Slam final and 18th overall. Sabalenka has been atop the rankings for 99 weeks. Her reign ends Monday when Rybakina is set to take over, regardless of who wins Saturday. Sabalenka cruised past Jessica Pegula to get to this point, while Rybakina rallied to beat Coco Gauff in the other semifinal.
A.J. Brown heading to injured reserve, will miss at least 4 weeks with ankle injury, AP source says
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown will be sidelined for a minimum of four weeks because he’s being placed on injured reserve with a right ankle injury. That’s according to a person with knowledge of the move. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team hasn’t announced Brown’s status. Brown was injured in the second half of New England’s season-opening 13-10 loss at Seattle on Wednesday night.
D-backs’ hard-throwing Justin Martinez records immaculate inning vs. the Rangers
PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Justin Martinez records an immaculate inning against the Texas Rangers. He strikes out three batters on nine pitches in the sixth inning. Martinez, 25, quickly dispatches Wyatt Langford, Evan Carter, and Jake Burger with a mix of called and swinging strikes. His fastball reaches 102.6 mph. Martinez missed much of the last two seasons due to Tommy John surgery but recently returned from the injured list. He hasn’t allowed an earned run over eight outings this year. This marks the fifth immaculate inning in Arizona’s history since 1998.
Duplantis, Russell, Ingebrigtsen among those cashing in for $150K at Ultimate Championship
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — At the first-of-its-kind Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Jakob Ingebrigtsen has got the latest laugh in a battle of distance runners and hurdler Masai Russell wrapped up an undefeated, record-setting season. They both won $150,000 for finishing first in the track meet that awards cash instead of medals. Ukraine’s best high jumper, Olympic gold medalist Yaroslava Mahuchikh, has won the ultimate title in the same stadium where she broke through three years ago for the world championship. The U.S. mixed relay team, anchored by Kayla White, has also taken first along with German hammer thrower Merlin Hummel.
A golf ball found in the World Trade Center rubble became a symbol of incomprehensible loss
NEW YORK (AP) — Standing amid the rubble that was what was left of the World Trade Center hours after the attacks of Set. 11, 2001, passing buckets of debris down a line of volunteers and first responders, a little white object poking out of the gray ash caught my attention. Scuffed and dirty, it was unmistakably a golf ball. And in that moment, a symbol of incomprehensible loss. Golf is a mostly frustrating game for duffers, but it’s also about aspiration, friendship and camaraderie. And that is why finding a ball in the smoldering rubble still resonates 25 years later.