ATP World Tour Finals 2019 Results: Rafael Nadal Beats Daniil Medvedev in Epic
Nov 13, 2019
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 13: Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates in his singles match against Daniil Medvedev of Russia during Day Four of the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals at The O2 Arena on November 13, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Rafael Nadal produced a stunning comeback to beat Daniil Medvedev on Wednesday at the ATP Tour Finals, saving a match point on his way to a 6-7 (3), 6-3, 7-6 (4) success.
After the players shared the first two sets, Nadal found himself 4-0 down and then saved a match point when trailing 5-1 in the decider. However, he produced a miraculous recovery to level the set up at 5-5 and then win an epic in the tiebreak.
Later in the day, Stefanos Tsitsipas booked his place in the semi-finals of the tournament with an emphatic 6-3, 6-2 win over Alexander Zverev.
Here are the results so far from Wednesday's play at the O2 Arena in London, as well as the schedule for Thursday's action.
ATP Tour Finals
Wednesday Results
(1) Rafael Nadal bt. (4) Daniil Medvedev: 6-7 (3), 6-3, 7-6 (4)
(6) Stefanos Tsitsipas bt. (7) Alexander Zverev: 6-3, 6-2
Nadal was a long way short of his best against Zverev and would have been intent on responding with a better performance on Wednesday in a repeat of this year's U.S. Open final.
Medvedev kept Nadal at arm's length in the opening stanza with some excellent serving. While the Spaniard didn't earn a break point in the first set, he was able to get to a tiebreak.
As he had been in the early stages of the match, Medvedev was the stronger player in the breaker and moved in front. Some of the angles the Russia was finding were puzzling Nadal:
The top seed did fight back, as Medvedev lost his edge on serve in the second set, allowing Nadal to break and negotiate the majority of the set.
After winning it 6-3, many would have anticipated the Spaniard to push on. However, it was Medvedev who found extra reserves and surged to a double-break lead.
Nadal avoided the ignominy of a bagel in the decider by getting on board at 4-1, and he ramped up the pressure on Medvedev after he broke back, moving to within a game of Medvedev at 5-4.
The tension was clearly inhibiting the Russian at this stage, and when Nadal broke again to square the third set at 5-5, the momentum had completely swung. George Bellshaw of Metro paid tribute to the legendary player's fighting spirit:
At this juncture, Medvedev did well to push the match into a tiebreak, thus giving himself some time to regroup at the changeover.
In the tiebreak, both men reproduced the standard of serving of the first set. However, when Nadal made it 6-4 and had his first match point, Medvedev missed a backhand and gave the Spaniard one of his most memorable wins of the year.
Tsitsipas and Zverev had the unenviable task of following that classic. It was the latter who settled the better of the two and took advantage.
The Greek was much the stronger player, showing off his thumping ground strokes and outmuscling Zverev with his hitting at times. Per Tumaini Carayol, Tsitsipas was also getting the better of his opponent at the net:
Another early break put Tsitsipas in complete control of the contest, before his second was consolidated at 5-1. Eventually, he clinched the set 6-2 as well as the match; on this evidence, the 21-year-old is someone to take seriously in the knockout stages.
Rafael Nadal Slams 'Bulls--t' Question About Marriage After ATP Finals Defeat
Nov 12, 2019
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 11: Rafael Nadal of Spain looks frustrated as he looks to his team during a change of ends during his match against Alexander Zverev of Germany during Day Two of the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals at The O2 Arena on November 11, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by TPN/Getty Images)
Rafael Nadal hit out at a "bulls--t" question from a journalist after his ATP World Tour Finals defeat to Alexander Zverev on Monday. The star was asked if his performance was due to being distracted after getting married.
Nadal, who tied the knot with longtime partner Xisca Perello in October, was beaten 6-2, 6-4 by the German.
Per Metro, during the English section of his post-match press conference, Italian journalist Ubaldo Scanagatta asked Nadal if getting married affected his "concentration on tennis life."
After clarifying with Scanagatta that the question was serious, Nadal said it was a "big surprise" to be asked that given he has been with Perello for 15 years, and added: "[It] Doesn't matter if you put a ring on your finger or not."
He then said: "We move to Spanish, because that's bulls--t."
Tennis writer Ricky Dimon shared the full exchange on Twitter (warning: contains profanity):
Per tennis broadcaster Ravi Ubha, it's not the first time Nadal and Scanagatta have had an interesting press conference exchange this year:
Another noteworthy moment between Nadal and Ubaldo came right at the start of the year, though that one was more light hearted: A smiling Nadal pointing out that Ubaldo was having a snooze during one of his press conferences in Melbourne. https://t.co/kA6cK0SsaK
Nadal and Perello got married on October 19, and the pair had a honeymoon for one day before the world No. 1 refocused on tennis to prepare for the Paris Masters and a charity match with Novak Djokovic in Kazakhstan.
The 33-year-old made it to the semi-finals in Paris but was forced to withdraw after suffering an abdominal injury in practice.
He said the injury was not responsible for his defeat to Zverev, though:
"We can find reasons or excuses, but at the end of the day what really matters is I need to play much better." @RafaelNadal on his injury and how he felt about his first-round loss against Zverev. #NittoATPFinalspic.twitter.com/uMSBgcgcAS
Nadal will take on Daniil Medvedev on Thursday before facing off against Stefanos Tsitsipas in his final match in Group Andre Agassi.
The Spaniard needs to finish in the top two in order to reach the semi-final, where he'll face one of Djokovic, Roger Federer, Dominic Thiem or Matteo Berrettini.
ATP World Tour Finals 2019 Results: Alexander Zverev Shocks Rafael Nadal
Nov 11, 2019
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 11: Alexander Zverev of Germany celebrates in his singles match against Rafael Nadal of Spain during Day Two of the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals at The O2 Arena on November 11, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
ATP Tour Finals champion Alexander Zverev started the defence of his title in style on Monday, when he beat top seed Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-4.
The German won four games in succession to clinch the first set before an early break in the second set him up for a memorable victory over the 19-time Grand Slam champion.
Earlier in the day, Stefanos Tsitsipas got his competition off to a strong start, as he edged two tight sets against Daniil Medvedev.
Here are the results from Monday's play and a recap of the action, as well as the schedule for Tuesday's matches.
Those in attendance at the O2 Arena in London would have anticipated a tight match between Nadal and Zverev, or perhaps for the former to ease to a comfortable win. However, it was the seventh seed who settled the better.
After sharing the first four games, the German moved through the gears and capitalised on some uncharacteristically sloppy play from his opponent. After grabbing a break to put daylight to Nadal, it was clear Zverev was full of confidence.
Per Tennis TV, the defending champion was able to absorb and respond to anything Nadal threw at him:
After clinching the set, Zverev kept his foot down at the start of the second, taking another early break and continuing his impressive sequence, per Jose Morgado of Record:
Hum.
Zverev with the moral bagel, six consecutive games.
At this point, Nadal had been knocked off his game and he was failing to establish any kind of rhythm against his opponent. Zverev continued to play solid tennis on his own serve and was constantly getting his own returns back into play.
It meant there was never any feeling that Nadal would claw his way into the match and Zverev, who has struggled closing out contests against elite players previously, would have been delighted with the ruthlessness with which he ended the tie.
Per Enrico Maria Riva, Nadal wasn't able to conjure a single break point in the match:
Earlier in the day, Tsitsipas showed little signs of nerves on his first-ever ATP Tour Finals appearance, as he was able to beat Medvedev in a tight encounter.
Both players served brilliantly in the opening set, with a tiebreak following. In it, it was the Greek who played the better tennis and he was able to nudge ahead.
In the second set, Tsitsipas was able to preserve his high standards and produced this excellent volley on his way to levelling the stanza at 2-2:
The Greek had to wait until the ninth game of the set to notch the only break of the match though, as he moved 5-4 in front. Given Medvedev had struggled to cope with his opponent's serve throughout the match, it was no shock to see Tsitsipas serve it out.
Afterward, Tsitsipas played down talk of animosity between the two players; that's after he labelled Medvedev's style "boring" at the Shanghai Masters last month:
Tsitsipas on Medvedev. "Our chemistry definetly is not the best that you can find on tour. (...) But it's not that I hate him. (...) I guess we will not go out to dinner together." pic.twitter.com/HqU4nAr5Sr
On Tuesday, Roger Federer will be under pressure to earn a result after his shock loss on Sunday but will be a big favourite against Matteo Berrettini.
Dominic Thiem, who beat Federer in that encounter, will continue his challenging start to the tournament against Novak Djokovic.
Novak Djokovic Beats Denis Shapovalov to Win 5th Paris Masters Title
Nov 3, 2019
Winner Serbia's Novak Djokovic (R) is congratulated by Canada's Denis Shapovalov after their men's singles final tennis match at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 - Rolex Paris Masters - indoor tennis tournament at The AccorHotels Arena in Paris on November 3, 2019. (Photo by CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT / AFP) (Photo by CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT/AFP via Getty Images)
Novak Djokovic beat Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 6-4 in the 2019 Paris Masters final on Sunday to become a five-time winner in this competition.
Djokovic, 32, gained redemption in this fixture after he lost to Karen Khachanov in the 2018 final, winning six matches in a row at the AccorHotels Arena in Paris, France, without dropping a single set.
An abdominal injury saw Rafael Nadal pull out prior to the semi-finals, per BBC Sport, while Roger Federer withdrew with one eye on the ATP Finals, which begin in London on November 10.
Djokovic won his first Paris Masters in 2009 and later won three titles in succession between 2013 and 2015.
The Serb looked slick during the early exchanges in Sunday's final, breaking Shapovalov at the first time of asking to quickly build a three-game lead:
Nerves at times looked to be getting the better of Shapovalov, who missed two routine forehands and a woeful volley attempt in the opening game of the match.
The first set always looked out of reach for the Canadian after such a slow start, but a change of ends at least gave Shapovalov the break he needed to get off the mark.
But Djokovic was imperious from the baseline—he won 85 percent of points on his first serve, perFlashScore.com—and served to love to win the first set 6-3, via the Tennis Channel (U.S. viewers only):
Shapovalov served to begin the first set and took full advantage of a rare chance to lead, bagging four aces in his first two service games—he managed only three throughout the entire opening set.
Two of those aces came under intense pressure in the opening game and saw the 20-year-old narrowly avoid another disappointing break, turningaround an almost nightmarish start to the second set.
Shapovalov was enjoying luck when he closed the net, though Djokovic was in position to punish the approach at times:
Coming into the net against @DjokerNole can be dangerous... 😬
The youngster began to grow in confidence and really started to enforce his serve as the set wore on, though the conundrum of stopping Djokovic on his serve remained as the scores were level at 3-3.
In fact, Djokovic appeared to be growing stronger on his serve as the set progressed, tying level at three games apiece with his third victory to love of the match.
The crucial crack appeared seven games in, when Shapovalov faulted a first serve not long before he hit into the net to trail for the first time in the second set (4-3), per Live Tennis:
#Djokovic breaks! #Shapovalov had been serving well, but all it takes is one poor service game, and the match could be gone.
The Canadian makes three successive forehand errors to give up his serve.
Djokovic appeared to do his utmost to allow Shapovalov back in on his next serve, committing a handful of unforced errors that one wouldn't expect to see from him in one match, never mind the same game. Shapovalov forced deuce for the first time on Djokovic's serve but hit a backhand wide left to give up what seemed to be his last lifeline to victory.
An eighth ace of the match saw Shapovalov win the ninth game and cut the deficit back to 5-4, but it was delaying the inevitable as Nole capped off the 65th and final event of the 2019 season in cool fashion.
It was again Shapovalov's errors that helped the favourite move clear of his foe, with Djokovic looking every bit the more experienced star as he sealed yet another straight-sets win (U.S. only):
Djokovic will lose his world No. 1 status to Nadal despite winning a fifth Paris Masters, but the victory nonetheless puts him in great stead ahead of the ATP Finals this month.
Rafael Nadal Withdraws from 2019 Paris Masters with Abdominal Injury
Nov 2, 2019
PARIS, FRANCE - NOVEMBER 2: Rafael Nadal of Spain - who retired before his semi-final due to an abdominal injury - answers to the media during day 6 of the Rolex Paris Masters 2019, an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 at AccorHotels Arena on November 2, 2019 in Paris, France. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the semi-finals of the 2019 Paris Masters with an abdominal injury.
ESPN relayed the news, with the Spaniard having suffered the injury during his practice session on Saturday morning ahead of his clash with Denis Shapovalov.
Shapovalov will advance to the final, where he'll face Novak Djokovic.
In a press conference after his withdrawal, Nadal revealed a scan showed he has suffered a small strain:
Nadal's attention is now on that tournament, which begins in London on November 10.
"That's the biggest goal right now," he said. "We can call it unlucky, we can call it different things, but it happened today. And when things happen, the only thing that you can do is accept it. And even if it's a tough situation for me, I need to stay positive."
The injury is also a blow to his chances of remaining the world No. 1 by the end of the year.
Had Nadal won the Paris Masters, he'd have been guaranteed to retain the ranking until 2020. World No. 2 Djokovic is 1,040 points behind Nadal, so he can close the gap if he wins the ATP Masters 1000 event on Sunday.
Paris Masters 2019: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal Advance to Semifinals
Nov 1, 2019
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal progressed to the semi-finals of the 2019 Rolex Paris Masters on Friday.
Djokovic cruised through in straight sets, dropping just three games in the quarter-finals to Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Nadal suffered a tougher time in his match with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, but after a gruelling opener, the Spaniard powered through.
The remaining quarter-finals saw Grigor Dimitrov defeat Cristian Garin in straight sets, while Denis Shapovalov defeated Gael Monfils in under an hour.
(2) Rafael Nadal bt. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga: 7-6 (4), 6-1
Saturday Schedule
(1) Djokovic vs. Dimitrov: 2 p.m. local, 1 p.m. GMT, 9 a.m. ET
Shapovalov vs. (2) Nadal: 4:30 p.m. local, 3:30 p.m. GMT, 11:30 a.m. ET
Friday Recap
Djokovic was in no mood to hang around in his match against Tsitsipas, and the No. 1 seed put his foot down on the accelerator.
The world No. 7 has previously performed well against the Serb, but Djokovic was at his supreme best on court in Paris.
The 32-year-old won five consecutive games in the opening set, with his opponent unable to respond to his best shots.
Tsitsipas won his first game to make it 5-1, but Djokovic was in total control and collected the set.
The second set was a repeat performance, allowing Djokovic a passage to the last four with no fuss.
Tsitsipas held his serve in the opening game but was then twice broken in quick succession, and the 21-year-old could do nothing to stop a rampant Djokovic, who won 79 per cent of his first-serve points.
Nadal was tested to the limit by Tsonga in their opening set, but the Spaniard prevailed to take the lead.
Both players were imperious during their serve, and neither man could gain a break when it appeared they might.
Tied at 6-6, Nadal proved to be the stronger of the two in a tiebreak, and Tsonga lost three service points as he fell 7-4.
Capturing the opening set energised Nadal. The No. 2 seed quickly gained a break to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the second.
Tsonga had nothing left in the tank, and Nadal won the set 6-1 to claim progress to the semi-finals.
Nadal will take on Shapovalov on Saturday, and Djokovic will play Dimitrov.
Paris Masters 2019: Djokovic, Nadal Wins Highlight Thursday's Results
Oct 31, 2019
Novak Djokovic brushed past Kyle Edmund in straight sets at the 2019 Paris Masters on Thursday, setting up a quarter-final tie with Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Rafael Nadal also won in straight sets and made it through after dominating Stan Wawrinka. Nadal has earned a meeting with mercurial talent Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the last eight on Friday.
Djokovic and Nadal will be joined in the next round by Grigor Dimitrov, who proved too good for fifth seed Dominic Thiem in the French capital. Thiem wasn't the only notable player condemned to an early exit, with sixth seed Alexander Zverev also sent packing by Denis Shapovalov.
Wednesday Scores
Cristian Garin bt. (Q) Jeremy Chardy: 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(6)
(7) Stefanos Tsitsipas bt. Alex de Minaur: 6-3, 6-4
Denis Shapovalov bt. (6) Alexander Zverev: 6-2, 5-7, 6-2
Friday Schedule (Starts at 2 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET)
Cristian Garin vs. Grigor Dimitrov
(1) Novak Djokovic vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas
Denis Shapovalov vs. Gael Monfils
(WC) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. Rafael Nadal
Djokovic put on a clinic in how to attack serve against Edmund. He earned three break points and kept his opponent guessing with a mix of backhands and sliced returns.
Edmund struggled to keep pace after keeping things close during the opening set. Djokovic edged the tiebreak before dominating the second and offering emphatic proof for why he's in the best form of anybody left in the bracket:
Not wanting to be outdone, Nadal set a fast pace against Wawrinka and hit 18 winners on his return. The Spaniard thrived in every phase of the court, rarely being shy about attacking the net, while also covering ground quickly across the baseline.
His movement skills were on point, but Nadal also excelled by manufacturing some remarkable shots:
Nadal will need to keep his game varied against Tsonga, who stayed strong on serve through three sets against Jan-Lennard Struff. Tsonga boomed 10 aces and saved five break points.
If Nadal can disrupt Tsonga's ability to hold, the Frenchman will be overwhelmed early:
Shapovalov broke serve five times but still had to stand firm after Zverev rallied to take the second set. However, the German struggled to avoid mistakes, being guilty of five double faults.
By contrast, Shapovalov made more of his shots count:
Dimitrov produced a key break point to seize early control of the second set. The Bulgarian bossed most of the notable rallies against an out-of-sorts Thiem:
A match against Chilean player Cristian Garin, who has performed above expectations so far, will present an intriguing challenge for Dimitrov. Yet most of the attention on Friday will be on how Nadal and Djokovic fare, with each producing some superb tennis as the tournament progresses.
Paris Masters 2019: Nadal, Djokovic Wins Highlight Wednesday's Results
Oct 30, 2019
PARIS, FRANCE - OCTOBER 30: Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns a backhand in his match against Corentin Moutet of France on day 3 of the Rolex Paris Masters, part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 held at the at AccorHotels Arena on October 30, 2019 in Paris, France. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal were both tested on Wednesday at the 2019 Paris Masters, but the pair advanced after victories.
Djokovic was made to answer questions by Corentin Moutet, and Nadal finished strongly to beat Adrian Mannarino. Both players went through in straight sets.
The seeds tumbled on Day 5, with five big names departing the competition.
John Isner of the United States crashed out after a straight-sets defeat to Cristian Garin, and David Goffin also exited in straight sets against Grigor Dimitrov.
Fabio Fognini and Roberto Bautista Agut were eliminated by Denis Shapovalov and Alex de Minaur, respectively.
Kyle Edmund advanced at the expense of No. 14 seed Diego Schwartzman.
Thursday's Schedule (Starts at 11 a.m. GMT, 7 a.m. ET)
Chardy vs. Garin
Dimitrov vs. (5) Thiem
(1) Djokovic vs. Edmund
Jan-Lennard Struff vs. Tsonga
(16) Wawrinka vs. (2) Nadal
(13) Monfils vs. Radu Albot
De Minaur vs. (7) Tsitsipas
(6) Zverev vs. Shapovalov
Wednesday Recap
Djokovic was handed a good workout by Moutet, but the No. 1 seed found a way to win in the face of resistance.
The lucky loser took his opportunity to produce a fight against the best, and he only just came up short.
PARIS, FRANCE - OCTOBER 30: Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns a forehand in his match against Corentin Moutet of France on day 3 of the Rolex Paris Masters, part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 held at the at AccorHotels Arena on October 30, 2019 in Pa
The first set was an entertaining encounter. The Paris-born player broke Djokovic's serve at 3-3 to gain an advantage, but the Serb returned the favour moments later to make it 5-5.
Djokovic's superior experience shone as he won the tie-break 7-2, placing one foot in the next round.
Moutet continued to show good form, but the second set followed the expected script. Djokovic twice broke the Parisian's serve, and despite Moutet breaking the top seed's serve once more, the four-time champion closed out the match.
Djokovic won 68 per cent on his first serve, but Moutet topped this by earning a 71 per cent success rate on his first serve, underlining his excellent performance.
Nadal was also tested on Wednesday, but the Spaniard found a way to surpass Mannarino.
The Frenchman stayed with his illustrious opponent in the opening set, and with the score at 6-5, Nadal was finally able to gain a break of serve.
It was a cruel end to the set for Mannarino, who had dealt with everything Nadal had produced up until that point.
Spain's Rafael Nadal returns the ball to France's Adrian Mannarino during their men's singles tennis match on day three of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 - Rolex Paris Masters - indoor tennis tournament at The AccorHotels Arena in Paris on October 30, 20
The second set followed a similar theme, and Nadal found it difficult to break Mannarino's resolve.
The No. 2 seed once again found a magic moment towards the end of the set, and closed out the second 6-4.
Nadal will now play No. 16 seed Wawrinka on Thursday, and Djokovic will face Edmund.
Report: Real Madrid President Wants Rafael Nadal-Roger Federer Match at Bernabeu
Sep 12, 2019
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is reportedly making plans to stage a tennis match between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer at the Santiago Bernabeu.
According to ABC (h/t Football Espana), Perez has told some of the club's hierarchy of his plans, and Madrid fan Nadal is "open to playing in such an occasion."
The report added Perez wants to set an all-time record attendance for tennis at Real's 81,044-seater stadium in the Spanish capital.
The current record is the 35,681 who watched an exhibition match between Kim Clijsters and Serena Williams in Brussels in 2010.
Nadal and Federer, though, are already part of a plan to beat that mark on February 7, 2020, at the Cape Town Stadium in South Africa, which holds 55,000 spectators, per Reuters.
Arguably the two greatest players to ever wield a racket, Nadal moved to within one of Federer's all-time Grand Slam record when he won the U.S. Open last weekend:
The 33-year-old Spaniard beat Russia's Daniil Medvedev 7-5, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4 at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.
He will have the chance to join Federer, 38, on 20 Grand Slam titles at the 2020 Australian Open, which starts in January.
Nadal's only previous triumph in Melbourne was in 2009, making it his least productive Grand Slam tournament, as he has won Wimbledon twice, the U.S. Open four times and the French Open a record 12 times.
By contrast, Federer is a six-time Australian Open champion, and he will likely be viewing 2020's opening Grand Slam as a good opportunity to further open the gap between him and Nadal.
Monday Night Football, MLB Postseason Races, FIBA World Cup and More to Watch
Sep 9, 2019
Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson warms up before a preseason NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
A double dose of Monday Night Football kicks off this sports week, which features more of the chase for a playoff spot in Major League Baseball and the start of the postseason in the WNBA. Additionally, Team USA is in action on the pitch and on the court, with the latter squad three wins away from a world championship.
Must Watch: Monday Night Football
Week 1 in the NFL concludes with a doubleheader on ESPN, beginning with the Houston Texans at New Orleans Saints at 7:10 p.m. ET, followed by the Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders at 10:20 p.m.
The quarterback matchup in New Orleans will be a treat with Deshaun Watson and Drew Brees going head-to-head to start their seasons. And they both have plenty of weapons, led by the Texans' DeAndre Hopkins and Saints' Alvin Kamara. Expect a fun one in the Bayou.
The second game of the night will feature the now-former team of Antonio Brown, whom the Raiders released over the weekend and signed with the New England Patriots. That finally brought an end to one of the most bizarre tenures a player has had on a team without ever playing in a game. Head coach Jon Gruden will have his work cut out to have his team completely ready to play after all the distractions of the last few weeks.
Thursday Night Football
Three days later, two NFC South teams who both lost at home on Sunday face a quick turnaround in what becomes an important early division matchup. Jameis Winston and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers travel to Charlotte, North Carolina, to face Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers at 8:20 p.m. on NFL Network. Before we get to the football part of the matchup, let's do a fit check on Cam in Week 1:
Cam looks like an old woman in a fable who puts a curse on a young prince in order to teach him a lesson about empathy pic.twitter.com/qehb0dAtoW
We know he'll come with something special again for the only game of the night on Thursday. He'll also need to come with some scoring production, as he didn't throw or run for a touchdown but did throw an interception in Carolina's loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Winston had an even more forgettable start to the season, throwing three picks and only one touchdown in a loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Keep your eyes glued to the Panthers' Christian McCaffrey, who had 29 touches for 209 total yards and a touchdown Sunday.
NFC Championship Game Rematch
The pass-interference flags and reviews will be ready as the Saints and Rams run it back after last season's NFC title game (Sunday at 4:25 p.m. on Fox). A missed PI call helped the Rams come back and win to reach the Super Bowl and prompted the NFL to make such penalty calls challengeable this season.
September playoff races in Major League Baseball continue to bring significant matchups this week, as division leaders and wild-card contenders battle in the season's final month.
The Atlanta Braves lead the Washington Nationals and Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East, both of whom are still very alive in the wild-card race. So are the Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Mets, who play each other this week. In the American League, the Houston Astros continue to fight for the best record. The Oakland Athletics occupy one of the wild-card spots, and the Minnesota Twins narrowly lead the AL Central. Take a look at the latest standings here. But even playoff intensity can't take away the childlike fun that is baseball.
Here's the schedule for those teams this week (all times ET, with all MLB.TV games also televised locally):
Braves at Phillies, four games, Monday-Thursday
Mike Foltynewicz (ATL) vs. Aaron Nola (PHI), 7:05 p.m. on MLB.TV
Max Fried vs. Jason Vargas, 7:05 p.m. on MLB Network
Dallas Keuchel vs. Zach Eflin, 7 p.m. on ESPN
Julio Teheran vs. Drew Smyly, 7:15 p.m. on Fox
Diamondbacks at Mets, four games, Monday-Thursday
Merrill Kelly (ARI) vs. Jacob deGrom (NYM), 7:10 p.m. on MLB.TV
Zac Gallen vs. Zach Wheeler, 7:10 p.m. on MLB.TV
Robbie Ray vs. Steven Matz, 7:p.m. on MLB.TV and ESPN+
Alex Young vs. Marcus Stroman, 1:10 p.m. on MLB.TV
Nationals at Twins, three games, Tuesday-Thursday
Anibal Sanchez (WAS) vs. Jose Berrios (MIN), 7:40 p.m. on MLB.TV
Stephen Strasburg vs. Martin Perez, 7:40 p.m. on MLB.TV
Patrick Corbin vs. Kyle Gibson, 7:40 p.m. on MLB.TV
A's at Astros, four games, Monday-Thursday
Mike Fiers (OAK) vs. Zack Greinke (HOU), 8:10 p.m. on MLB.TV
Tanner Roark vs. Wade Miley, 8:10 p.m. on MLB.TV
Brett Anderson vs. Frambler Valdez, 8:10 p.m. on MLB.TV
Homer Bailey vs. Justin Verlander, 8:10 p.m. on MLB.TV
More To Watch
1. College Football Saturday
There are no games between ranked teams this week, but that doesn't mean we're short of any storylines in entering the third week of college football, especially with a rivalry game and as more conference matchups begin. ESPN's College GameDay will be in Ames, Iowa, on Saturday for the first time ever, previewing No. 19 Iowa at Iowa State (4 p.m. on FS1) in what is bound to be an electric atmosphere.
AMESDAY IT IS!
For the first time ever, we're coming to Iowa State!
Other notable things to watch around the country this week are:
No. 21 Maryland at Temple, 12 p.m. on CBSSN: How many points will the Terps score this week after tallying 142 points in their first two games?
Chattanooga at Tennessee, 12 p.m. on SEC Network: The Vols started their season with back-to-back home losses to Georgia State and BYU. They can't possibly hit the trifecta with another one against a team from their own state...can they?
No. 9 Florida at Kentucky, 7 p.m. on ESPN: A very important early test for two teams hoping to contend in the SEC East this season.
No. 1 Clemson at Syracuse, 7:30 p.m. on ABC: The Orange were one of the teams Maryland absolutely boat-raced (63-20), so this one may get out of hand against Trevor Lawrence and Co. But last time the Tigers went to the Carrier Dome in 2017, they lost. And they nearly fell at home to Cuse last year. So, on the other hand, this one may not get out of hand.
2. FIBA World Cup Quarterfinals
Team USA defeated Brazil 89-73 Monday morning to finish second-round play undefeated and enter the quarterfinals just three wins away from a World Cup title. Kemba Walker and Myles Turner paced the Americans with 16 points each. Jaylen Brown added 11, punctuated by this monster dunk in the fourth quarter.
The U.S. will play its quarterfinal on Wednesday against France at 7 a.m. ET from Dongguan Basketball Center in China. With a win, the American squad will face the winner of the second quarterfinal that morning, which matches up Australia and Czech Republic and tips off at 9. The other two quarterfinals will be played on Tuesday, with Argentina vs. Serbia at 7 a.m. and Spain vs. Poland at 9 a.m. You can watch every FIBA World Cup quarterfinal on ESPN+.
3. International Break Rolls On
Friendlies
The U.S. men's national team looks to bounce back from a rout against Mexico on Friday in its second of two friendlies during this window against Uruguay at 8 p.m. Tuesday on FS1. The American squad will look to end on a positive note with a good performance in St. Louis against one of the best teams in all of the Americas.
Not the result we wanted, but congrats to Sergiño Dest and @_MilesRobinson_ on earning their first caps with the #USMNT.
Speaking of the Americas, there is another big-time friendly Tuesday, featuring two of top teams on this side of the globe.
Mexico faces Argentina in San Antonio (10 p.m. on Univision/TUDN USA). The match will be the first time Mexico manager Tata Martino has faced Argentina, the team he used to coach, in his new position. A matchup to watch could be between Serie A counterparts with Mexico and Napoli forward Hirving Lozano going for goal on one side and Argentina and Juventus midfielder Paulo Dybala on the other.
Euro 2020 Qualifying
For a little bit more meaningful soccer this week, turn your attention to qualifying for next summer's Euro 2020 on Tuesday as teams work to solidify their standings at the top of their groups.
The WNBA does not waste any time raising the stakes as two elimination games start the playoffs this Wednesday. Four teams play win-or-go-home games in the first round this week, with the two winners advancing to play another set of single-elimination games this weekend against teams that had byes into the second round. Those winners advance to the best-of-five WNBA semifinals. Learn more about the playoff format here.
Phoenix Mercury at Chicago Sky, 8 p.m.: Since the new playoff format went into effect in 2016, the Mercury have not lost an elimination game (6-0), reaching the semifinals each season.
Minnesota Lynx at Seattle Storm, 10 p.m.: A matchup of the last two WNBA champions (the Storm in 2018 and Lynx in 2017).
Quick Catchup
1. U.S. Open Champions
Two weeks in Flushing Meadows, New York, culminated with two epic U.S. Open finals over the weekend. On Saturday, 19-year-old Bianca Andreescu overcame Serena Williams and her loud home-crowd support to win the title in straight sets, making tennis history.
On Sunday, Rafael Nadal needed nearly five hours and five grueling sets to put away Daniil Medvedev, who showed his enormous potential and fighting spirit against one of sport's best ever. The title is Nadal's fourth at the U.S. Open and 19th Grand Slam major all-time, leaving him only one behind Roger Federer at the top of the list.
After a crazy few days of the AB news cycle, the NFL finally got back to football on Sunday, and here are some of the top highlights and moments from Week 1:
