The 2026 US Open has set up an exciting men's singles final at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday. World No. 2 Alexander Zverev will face 23-year-old Ben Shelton for the final Grand Slam ****** le of the season.
However, after his semifinal win over Karen Khachanov, Zverev's on-court antics before the serve became a talking point, with Khachanov making it clear that some of them did not sit well with him.
Zverev's habit of bouncing the ball several times before serving has raised eyebrows during recent tournaments. Broadcasters have even started tracking how many times Zverev bounces the ball before serving, turning the habit into a running joke online.
However, it's not fun for the opponents who wait to receive. After the semifinal loss, Khachanov explained how Zverev's repeated ball bouncing can affect the other player's physical and mental preparation.
"His ball-bouncing before the serve bothers a lot of players," Khachanov said. "He takes a long time. You prepare yourself, then he bounces the ball another 12 times, so you have to prepare and split-step again almost every point."

#times #however #final #serve

Update morning 9/12: Ben Shelton outlasted fellow American Frances Tiafoe in the all-American semifinal to set up a dramatic men's final vs. top-seeded German Alexander Zverev on Sunday afternoon. Zverev has had quite an easy draw to the final, and he'll be the favorite to win his second major this year. Shelton's big serve will test him, and it will be on Shelton to hit competitive backhands to match strokes with Zverev, who also won the French Open. Meanwhile, the women's final between No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka vs. No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina should be a banger, and that kicks off in just a few hours.
Update late night 9/10: It will be No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka vs. No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina for the women's ****** le at the 2026 US Open on Saturday afternoon. The men take the spotlight on Friday with an all-American semifinal between Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe, plus No. 1 seed Alexander Zverev vs. unseeded Karen Khachanov.
The 2026 US Open is down to the Final Four, and both the men's and women's draws have produced some fantastic matchups. It's been 23 years since an American man won a tennis Grand Slam, but there are two U.S. natives facing off against each other in the semifinals — on the 25th anniversary of 9/11, no less. The women's draw went straight chalk with the top four seeds advancing to the semis, promising to bring fans the highest level of tennis possible.
The women's semifinals both take place on Thursday, September 10. Top-seeded masher Aryna Sabalenka takes on American No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula to open play at 7 p.m. ET at Arthur Ashe. Sabalenka looked to be on the brink of a meltdown in the quarterfinals against Wimbledon champ Linda Nosková, but she dug deep to win the match and stay alive. Sabalenka is the biggest hitter on tour, but she's been in a slump in 2026 without a major championship. She has already lost her world No. 1 ranking after the tournament, but she won't care if she can win her fifth major and third straight US Open ****** le. The 32-year-old Pegula is enjoying a late career peak, and she's still chasing her first Grand Slam. Pegula's steady nature could be an advantage against the more emotional Sabalenka.
Elena Rybakina faces American Coco Gauff in the night cap. Rybakina is the No. 2 seed in this tournament, but she will surpass Sabalenka for the world No. 1 ranking when it's over regardless of what happens. At 27, Rybakina is the second-oldest woman to ever ascend to world No. 1 in the rankings for the first time. Gauff will be the fan favorite. She was not at her top level in her quarterfinal victory over Mirra Andreeva, but she still got the job done to advance. Gauff beat Sabalenka in the 2023 US Open final and the 2025 French Open final. She's seeking her third major at age-22.

#final

Alexander Isak is excited to build an understanding with Bradley Barcola and has hailed the winger as a 'big signing' for Liverpool.
Barcola became Liverpool's latest marquee signing after arriving from Paris Saint-Germain for an initial £106m at the end of the summer transfer window.
The France international made his full debut during Liverpool's 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid in midweek, featuring for an hour at Anfield.
Barcola has won theChampions League in each of the last two seasons and Isak said there has been excitement in the squad at his arrival. Speaking to liverpoolfc.com, he said he was confident Barcola could have a big impact.
"Of course, it's a big signing for us and he's a great player that we all know very well from what he's done previously," said Isak.

#isak #Paris

One of Ben Shelton's humungous serves went viral during his US Open clash with Frances Tiafoe for breaking the all-time record. Here's a look at what actually happened.
Ben Shelton has made the first Grand Slam final of his career, in which he will be facing off against Alexander Zverev. Perhaps the most important aspect of his game that brought him this far is his serve.
Shelton took the match against Carlos Alcaraz with a monster ace. Against Frances Tiafoe in the semi-final, he was at it again.
One of his services was clocked at a whopping 158 mph (254 kmph) during the game, which would blow the Grand Slam record for fastest serve ever out of the water. However, there is a twist in the tale.
Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images

#shelton #grand

Ben Shelton has been handed a potential blow ahead of his US Open final against Alexander Zverev, with girlfriend Trinity Rodman unlikely to be in the stands because of a scheduling clash.
The American tennis star booked his place in his first Grand Slam final by beating Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 on Friday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Shelton now faces Zverev on Sunday with a chance to become the first American man to win a Grand Slam since Andy Roddick in 2003. However, he will have to overcome a difficult record against the German.
Photo by Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images
Rodman is scheduled to play for Washington Spirit against Boston Legacy FC in an NWSL away game on Sunday, with kick-off at 1pm local time.

#slam

Big-serving Ben Shelton overpowered American compatriot Frances Tiafoe in four sets to reach the first Grand Slam final of his career at the US Open on Friday.
Eighth-seeded Shelton blasted 20 aces on his way to a thrilling 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 victory on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court that sends the 23-year-old into Sunday's championship match against top-seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany.
A pulsating all-American semi-final had seen both players vying to reach a Grand Slam final for the first time.
Shelton -- who took down defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals -- will now have the chance to become the first American man to win a Grand Slam ****** le since 2003, when Andy Roddick triumphed at the US Open.
Tiafoe got off to a bright start, claiming the first set after breaking when Shelton uncharacteristically double-faulted to trail at 5-4.

#final #seeded

Alexander Zverev has performed better than any other ATP player at Grand Slams this year.
Men's tennis had been dominated by Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz over the past couple of years, with this year's Australian Open being the ninth consecutive major one of them had won.
This all changed at Roland Garros, where Zverev won his first major **** le after Sinner suffered a shock early exit.
Zverev has now reached the US Open final, his third consecutive Grand Slam final this year, and after his win over Karen Khachanov, he spoke about his impressive season at the major tournaments and how it compares to Sinner and Alcaraz.
Photo by Manuela Davies/USTA via Getty Images

#sinner #alcaraz #year #final

On the eve of their regular season debut, the Houston Texans have announced another significant injury. Rookie DT Kayden McDonald is apparently suffering from an ankle injury and will begin the regular season on injured reserve. Battle Red Blog's Nickschwager noted McDonald's appearance on the injury report yesterday, but a placement on IR is a new and rather sudden development.
The Texans have placed Kayden McDonald on IR & signed Jaden Crumedy to the 53 man roster in a corresponding move. pic.twitter.com/JoE7xhOz1y
McDonald will now be inactive for the first four games of the 2026 regular season: vs. Buffalo Bills, vs. Cincinnati Bengals, @ Indianapolis Colts, and vs. Dallas Cowboys. He will be eligible to return for Houston's match against the Tennessee ***** ans on October 11th. In the meantime, the Texans are signing DT Jaden Crumedy from the Green Bay Packers practice squad.
Panthers draft Miss St DL Jaden Crumedy

pic.twitter.com/YbiRio1op0
Houston Chronicle reporter Jonathan M. Alexander stated following the announcement, "McDonald suffered the injury in practice Wednesday, a league source said. He did not practice Thursday or Friday and wore a protective boot over his foot in the locker room"

#injury #jaden #kayden

Six years after an agonizing loss in the US Open final, Alexander Zverev says "everything is different" as he returns to the ***** le match in Flushing Meadows.
The top-seeded German held off a battling Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (8/6) on Friday to reach his third straight Grand Slam final.
Zverev admits his US Open near miss against Dominic Thiem in 2020 left scar tissue, but all the doubts have finally been dispelled with his maiden major at the French Open.
He followed that with a runner-up finish at Wimbledon, and even though he knows he'll be in hostile territory on Sunday -- taking on either American Ben Shelton or compatriot Frances Tiafoe -- he relishes the challenge.
"I think a lot has happened," he said. "I've played in a lot of other finals. I've played a lot of big matches since then.

#alexander

The Oregon Ducks' defense hasn't received much kudos this week after allowing the Boise State Broncos to score 27 points on them in Week 1, including multiple 70-plus yard scoring drives. While the standard wasn't met as a collective with blue-chippers lining every position, defensive tackle Bear Alexander's performance was a different story.
Facing an underrated Broncos rushing attack headed by Dylan Riley (1,125 yards, 10 touchdowns in 2025) and Sire Gaines (811 yards, eight touchdowns), the Ducks were going to be tested up front to begin the season. And, especially in the second half, there were moments where the Boise State run game was successful in churning out positive gains. But by game's end, they'd ran for just 93 yards on 26 carries, good for just 2.6 yards per pop.
Alexander answered the call, totaling eight tackles including a sack of quarterback Maddux Madsen. There were moments of the second-year Oregon starter simply discarding Boise State's center and guards before swallowing up Riley or Gaines near the line of scrimmage.
The performance of Alexander caught the eye of The Athletic NFL draft ***** yst Dane Brugler, who dove into the Week 1 tape and made a strong claim about the defensive tackle's draft stock.
"At 6-3 and 311 pounds with 34-inch arms and 10 1/8-inch hands, Alexander is a physical presence in the trenches who can shred blocks or hold his ground versus double teams," Brugler wrote. "A former top recruit, he had stops at Georgia and USC before transferring to Oregon, where he is realizing his potential. With his size and ability, Alexander started his senior season as a top-100 prospect and is competing to be in the top-50 conversation."

#boise #week #riley

Alexander Zverev beat Karen Khachanov at the US Open to reach a third Grand Slam final in a row and continue his bid for a second major of the year.
The top seed put in a commanding performance to beat the Russian 6-3 7-6 (9-7) 7-6 (8-6).
Germany's Zverev is the favourite in New York after ending his long wait for a Grand Slam ***** le with his French Open triumph in June.
He reached the Wimbledon final in July, losing in four sets to world number one Jannik Sinner.
The 29-year-old will play either eighth seed Ben Shelton or 11th seed Frances Tiafoe in Sunday's showpiece, with the two Americans set to meet in Friday's night session.

#slam

There's a new Sadio Mane on the scene, and he's incredible.
Liverpool fans will forever remember the memories of that incredible trio under Jurgen Klopp. Sadio Mane, Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino were unplayable on their day.
They could do whatever they wanted. Defenders were terrified of facing them.
It was a spectacular era. One of the best periods of many supporters' lives. Witnessing their magic at Anfield was truly an indelible experience.
Liverpool are now trying to recreate that with a new exciting trio. In Bradley Barcola and Alexander Isak they have two of the three attackers they need.

#sadio #trio #jurgen #roberto

Colman Domingo called on men to stand with women. The actor said he would die a "feminist" while appearing on a fundraiser red carpet. Domingo also shared his thoughts on women's access to resources.
While appearing on Caring for Women Dinner's red carpet on Thursday, Domingo said men should stand with women. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he said, "Anytime I've been in rooms like this, I've thought, 'Look at all these female leaders' — but hey, we're the men. Men should be locking arms to make sure women have what they need in access and information and support. I was raised a feminist, and I'll die a feminist."
The actor also shared that supporting such organizations is important for him. He added, "It's always been important to me to stand firm with these organizations — not only in support, but with my presence."
Domingo served as master of ceremonies at the fifth annual fundraiser. Caring for Women Dinner is organized by Kering, the luxury conglomerate, with luxury brands including Gucci, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Brioni, and others.
Many stars appeared on the red carpet to support the fundraiser. These included co-hosts Salma Hayek Pinault and her husband, François-Henri Pinault, Simone Biles, Pamela Anderson, Dakota Johnson, and Benicio Del Toro.

#feminist #caring #i 've

Courtney "Goldie" Jackson was one of 20 contestants on season one of Flavor of Love in 2006
In the years since, Jackson has remained in the public eye as a stand-up comedian
Jackson recently reflected on the 20 years since it aired
Courtney "Goldie" Jackson is looking back at her start in the spotlight.
Jackson shared a photo of the cast of season 1 of Flavor of Love, the 2006 VH1 reality series centered around Flavor Flav finding love. Jackson was one of 20 women vying for Flav's heart in a season that also included Tiffany "New York" Pollard and Nicole "Hoopz" Alexander.

#flavor #season

Alexander Zverev is enjoying a historic 2026 season, having won his maiden Grand Slam ****** le at Roland-Garros and recently reaching the US Open semifinals. The German top seed showed no signs of fatigue as he reached all four Grand Slam semifinals in a single season for the first time in his career.
Zverev will now face Russia's Karen Khachanov, who advanced to the semifinals after Alexander Blockx retired while trailing 6-2, 7-5, 3-2. As the two will battle for a place in the final, let's take a look at their biggest support system: their family, including their kids.
Zverev has kept his personal life, especially his kids, largely private. He welcomed his daughter, Mayla, in March 2021 with his former girlfriend, Brenda Patea. Following an out-of-court settlement in 2024 that ended their highly publicized legal dispute regarding domestic abuse, the two now share joint custody and focus on co-parenting.
Despite his fame, Zverev makes a conscious effort to keep Mayla away from the public eye. "I want her to be a normal child, growing up with a normal life," Zverev said of his approach. "I try to keep her out of social media, all the Instagrammie stuff."

#slam #mayla #season #life

Alexander Zverev is preparing for a huge opportunity at the US Open as he braces for his semi-final against Karen Khachanov, with a place in the final on the line.
Away from the court, the German tennis star has been in a long-term relationship with Sophia Thomalla, who has regularly been seen supporting him during his matches.
Photo by Thomas F. Starke/Getty Images
Zverev has been dating Sophia Thomalla since 2020, with the couple now having been together for almost six years.
Thomalla has frequently been spotted in the stands at Zverev's matches and has remained a familiar presence throughout his tennis career.

#karen

Russian tennis star Karen Khachanov is still looking for his first Grand Slam ******* le in a career where he's gotten close -- he's made the semifinals of the Australian Open back in 2023 and has made the semis at the U.S. Open twice, including 2026 when he'll meet No. 1 seed Alexander Zverev.
And if you're here, you might be wondering: Who is Khachanov's wife? We have an answer: It's Veronika Shkliaeva. They got married back in 2016 and have a sons together named David and Mikael. You can see photos of his family that he's posted over the years on Instagram:

#back #karen #khachanov

You can watch a US Open semifinal match for about the price of the Honey Deuce.
The get-in price for Session 24 of the US Open—the semifinal match at 2 p.m. ET between Alexander Zverev and Karen Khachanov—dropped as low as $28, down from about $300 at the start of the main draw two weeks ago, according to TicketData. It's a 91% dip compared to just three days ago.
The price dip is likely due to the lack of star power between the two players, even though Zverev is the tournament's No. 1 seed.
TicketData listed its final pre-match average as $40 two hours before the match; pairs of tickets were available on resale sites for $33 shortly after.
The night session match between Americans Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton still has a $300 get-in price. It has dipped by 27% over the last three days—ticket prices often drop on the day of the event—but it's still above the tournament average of $296 at the start of the main draw on Aug. 30.

#session

It started with yelling about toilets. Steve Ballmer was so serious about turning the Los Angeles Clippers into a serious franchise for the first time in their existence that he wanted to make sure no fan ever waited in a long line to use the bathroom when the team opened its new arena. Ballmer's drive to win eventually led the Clippers to courting Kawhi Leonard in free agency, fresh off leading the Toronto Raptors to a 2019 NBA championship. Leonard wanted to live in Los Angeles, yes, but he also wanted Paul George as his running mate, so the Clippers shipped out a boatload of draft picks and future two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to get him.
Leonard's people also made it known that their client wanted the type of big endorsement deals his off-putting, robotic personality couldn't land legitimately. Leonard's now infamous Uncle Dennis Robertson never tried to be subtle about his desire to secure similar off-court bags to the ones Kawhi's contemporaries like LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant were landing on their own accord, and leaks of his demands circulated as soon as Leonard hit free agency.
The Clippers became so entangled in pleasing Leonard that it led to blatant salary cap circumvention, first reported by investigative journalist Pablo Torre. The NBA found enough evidence supporting Torre's claims that it hammered the Clippers with the most severe penalty in league history, stripping five future first-round draft picks, suspending executives including Ballmer, and more. That figured to be the end of the story, with the Clippers spending the next decade trying to climb out of the abyss. Torre continued to hint that there was another shoe to drop, and now that it's here, the Clippers might be in much bigger trouble than anyone first believed.
The Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into the Clippers, according to the New York Times, and it's already issued one subpoena. While the scope of the investigation is unclear for now, the fact that the feds are watching the Clippers for under-the-table dealings potentially makes this a much bigger deal than simply breaking NBA rules.
How does breaking NBA rules amount to a federal crime by the Clippers? While there's a lot left to come out, the main idea is that the Clippers committed some level of fraud. Daktronics was a publicly traded company, the only one of the four tied up in the Leonard scandal to fit that description, while Aspiration, Lockton Insurance, and Boingo Wireless were not. Publicly traded companies have a fiduciary duty to their shareholders to disclose big investments, and it sure feels like that never happened when dealing with Leonard.

#ballmer

By Alexander Cornwell and Rami Amichay
TEL AVIV/PSAGOT, West Bank, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Israel has given Britain 30 days to close its East Jerusalem consulate in response to sanctions on goods from settlements, a measure Britain's leader said on Wednesday was needed to "stand against injustice" in the occupied West Bank.
In the West ‌Bank, where Israeli settlements have eaten into territory Palestinians seek for a state, settler business owners said the sanctions — announced on Tuesday by Britain, France and Canada — ‌would dent their revenues and at least one said they could force him to close his date farm.
The sanctions are among the strongest collective actions taken by Western countries that Israel once counted as close allies, highlighting its growing isolation over the war in Gaza and expansion of settlements in occupied territory.
ISRAEL SETS DEADLINE FOR BRITAIN TO CLOSE CONSULATE

#britain #sanctions #settlements

Although he still gets a good chuckle over the mistake that EA Sports' "College Football 27″ made in July when it depicted him as being of a different race, BYU's Cannon DeVries hopes he will now be known more for his plays on the football field than a botched likeness on a video game.
The sophomore defensive back from North Ogden and Weber High made that a possibility last Saturday. DeVries returned two punts for a combined 73 yards and a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown in BYU's 63-7 win over Utah Tech.
The big returns helped him earn Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week honors, but, more importantly, gave him a healthy dose of confidence as he enters his second season in Provo.
"Yeah, it meant a lot. That is something that I had the goal to reach and to get, so to get it the first week was pretty special for me," DeVries said after BYU's practice Wednesday. "As a young kid, I always believed that I could do special things on the field, so being able to go out and do them was definitely a dream come true."
DeVries also got the start in the defensive backfield from his nickel position and recorded a tackle. He was just as thrilled that secondary mates Tre Alexander, Evan Johnson and Matthias Leach recorded interceptions in the opener.

#special #defensive #recorded #although

The Los Angeles Clippers are still reeling in the aftermath of a cap circumvention scandal. For their part in helping Kawhi Leonard secure millions in off-the-court, "no-show" endorsement deals, the franchise had to give up five first-round picks and $30 million, culminating in one of the most severe penalties in NBA history.
Through it all, Kawhi escaped the scandal relatively unscathed. Besides a $700K fine, he didn't face any major consequences, and even his trade to the Toronto Raptors remains completely untouched. And yet, even now, the Clippers have yet to finalize the trade, leading some executives to suspect they are considering some sort of revenge against Leonard for how he's turned his back on the team.
"The Raptors, I'm told, are eager to consummate the trade after initially placing it on hold July 9 (to guard against a Leonard suspension or the outright voiding of his contract) and still firmly believe that the deal will happen as agreed upon and intended. Ditto for Leonard and his camp," wrote NBA insider Marc Stein. "Yet the delay has naturally led some league observers to wonder aloud whether the Clippers are holding off — or considering something even more drastic — to spite Leonard for so readily accepting the league's punishment rather than invoking his right to pursue an appeal. Any formal appeal within the NBA's auspices in such matters, remember, must be initiated by the player in question rather than the team according to league by-laws."
The Clippers have given up everything for Kawhi, and they set themselves back 10 years just to make him happy. From his very arrival, Kawhi was making outlandish requests and even forced the Clippers to give up five first-round picks (along with future MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) in a deal for Paul George. By the end, the total cost of Leonard's services amounts to 10 first-round picks (not counting SGA), and it was all for a team that never made the Finals.
So when the Clippers were caught holding the bag in the cap circumvention scandal, they naturally expected some level of cooperation from Leonard, someone they moved heaven and earth to appease. Instead, he settled with the NBA right away, avoiding more severe penalties while stripping the Clippers of any power to fight back.

#clippers #leonard #first

All four of the top women's seeds are into the semi-finals of the US Open for the first time since the 1975 edition of the tournament.
All of two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, new world No 1 Elena Rybakina, former finalist Jessica Pegula and 2023 winner Coco Gauff survived three-set thrillers to make the last four, with Kazakhstan's Rybakina usurping Sabalenka at the top of the world rankings as a result.
The men's tournament has stood in sharp contrast: top seed Alexander Zverev has now reached the semi-finals of all four grand slams this year, but many of the other big names crashed out early.
The shocks started in the first round as 23-time grand slam champion and fourth seed Novak Djokovic suffered his earliest exit at a major in 20 years, with third seed and last year's semi-finalist Felix Auger-Aliassime and 2024 runner-up Taylor Fritz falling in the third round.
Carlos Alcaraz made a fine run to the quarter-finals on his return from a nearly five-month injury layoff but lost to Ben Shelton in a deciding set tiebreak, with an American finalist guaranteed as the eighth seed faces Frances Tiafoe. The men's semis are completed by 2022 semi-finalist Karen Khachanov.

#tournament

Top-seeded Alexander Zverev is the only Grand Slam champion still standing as the US Open men's singles hit the semi-final stage on Friday, when all eyes will be on the all-American matchup between eighth-seeded Ben Shelton and 11th seed Frances Tiafoe.
Shelton vanquished defending champion and seven-time major-winner Carlos Alcaraz in a gripping quarter-final that kept even Zverev watching until after 3:30 in the morning.
"I did not go to bed," the German said, predicting a "fun semi-final between two Americans."
Tiafoe also came through a dramatic five sets to reach the last four, rallying from two sets down to hand young compatriot Alex Michelsen a heartbreaking defeat.
Now he and Shelton will battle to become the first US man to reach the US Open final since Taylor Fritz in 2024 and have a chance to end the American men's 23-year Grand Slam ****** le drought -- stretching back to Andy Roddick's 2003 US Open triumph.

#open #slam #champion

OFFICIAL LINE-UPS
REAL MADRID (4-3-3): 1 Courtois; 24 Dumfries, 16 Konaté, 4 Huijsen, 17 Cucurella; 12 Alexander-Arnold, 8 Valverde, 5 Bellingham; 21 Diaz, 10 Mbappé, 7 Vinicius.
Substitutes: 13 Lunin, 26 Sergio Mestre, 9 Endrick, 14 Tchouameni, 18 Carreras, 19 Carlos Espi, 22 Rudiger, 25 Diomandé, 27 Thiago Pitarch, 29 Jorge Cestero, 33 Mario Rivas.
Coach: José Mourinho.
INTER (3-5-2): 1 J. Martinez; 28 Pavard, 31 Bisseck, 95 Bastoni; 17 Diouf, 23 Barella, 20 Calhanoglu, 21 Jones, 30 Carlos Augusto; 9 Thuram, 10 Lautaro.

#konat #huijsen

Elena Rybakina is one win away from the world number one ranking, but the Kazakh star says her main goal in her US Open quarter-final clash with Zheng Qinwen on Wednesday is to advance toward a third Grand Slam ******* le.
"Number one ranking is, of course, one of the goals," Rybakina says. "But I think the main focus for me is to win the ******* les, and then the ranking will follow up."
Rybakina arrived at Flushing Meadows as one of four women with a chance to supplant Aryna Sabalenka atop the rankings, and the only one with her fate in her own hands. Reaching the semis will send her to the summit for the first time, and she could even get there if she loses -- if Sabalenka, world number three Jessica Pegula and fourth-ranked Coco Gauff all fail to lift the trophy.
Rybakina, who has shown no sign of the foot injury that hindered her US Open preparations, will be out to halt the remarkable run of Zheng -- the Paris Olympics gold medallist who had to come through qualifying thanks to a rankings plunge in the wake of elbow surgery last year.
Gauff, in the quarters for the first time since she won the US Open ******* le in 2023, will take on fifth-seeded French Open champion Mirra Andreeva for a place in the semis while men's top seed Alexander Zverev faces Dutch veteran Botic van de Zandschulp.

#open

Queen Máxima of the Netherlands didn't just show up at a cattle farm in Veenhuizen this week — she turned it into a runway. Joining King Willem-Alexander for a visit to a dairy operation in the province of Drenthe, Máxima swapped her usual ****** nal of bold colors, oversized volumes and unexpected jewelry for something different: a distinctly autumnal palette. The effect landed somewhere between countryside and cinema — a queen in brown and burgundy, topped with a dramatically tilted wide-brimmed hat and tasseled earrings, standing among cows and calves.
Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima visit the Riedstra-Hoving Dairy Farm in Veenhuizen (@ ANP/AFP via Getty Images)
In true Máxima fashion, there was room for a laugh amid the pageantry. One of the farm's calves had been born just minutes before the royal couple arrived, and Máxima was given the honor of naming it. Her options: Wilhelmina or Máxima. "Then, Máxima," she said, laughing.
The queen's midi-length brown dress leaned into a silhouette tailor-made for the shift into fall weather. A round neckline left room for a subtle, elegant hint of décolletage, while the sleeves — constructed in small cape-like layers — gave the whole look a sense of movement with every step.
The most flattering detail sat at the waist, where gentle gathering pulled the fabric in just enough to define her shape before letting the skirt fall freely. The dress needed no further embellishment: between the sleeve volume and the cape's motion, it carried plenty of presence on its own.

#farm #brown

Liverpool's Champions League campaign begins at Anfield on Wednesday, with Atletico Madrid providing an immediate test for Andoni Iraola and a squad still adjusting to life under their new head coach.
Iraola arrives at his first European fixture with some momentum. Liverpool's 2-0 victory over Ipswich Town on Friday ended a run of two successive 2-2 draws, with Alexander Isak scoring twice and Cody Gakpo supplying both ****** ists. It was the sort of result that gives a new manager some breathing room, although Atletico Madrid will represent a very different proposition.
Alexis Mac Allister was the first Liverpool player to face the media at the AXA Training Centre on Tuesday, and inevitably, his future was one of the main talking points.
The Argentina international confirmed there had been a genuine possibility of leaving Liverpool during the summer, following uncertainty over a new contract.
"There was a chance, of course," Mac Allister said. "I received the news that the club wasn't in a position to offer me a new contract, which made me sad."

#atletico #allister #Liverpool

Liverpool have finally got a win on the board under Andoni Iraola, beating Ipswich 2-0 at Portman Road with Alexander Isak scoring both goals. Useful, professional, no drama. Now attention shifts to availability, because the fixture list does not slow down and Liverpool's squad still has too many names in the treatment room.
The headline is straightforward. Joe Gomez is the closest of the current absentees to coming back, and that matters. He offers depth, experience and flexibility across the back line, which becomes important very quickly once European games begin.
X: AnfieldAgenda
Gomez lasted fewer than 10 minutes in Liverpool's first pre-season friendly before suffering a muscle injury. At the time, Iraola said: "He will be some weeks off. It's a muscle injury and [with] muscle injuries it is difficult to say one day, but normally I always put [it] as one month."
The situation has improved. Ahead of the trip to Ipswich, Iraola gave a more encouraging update: "Joe will probably start training with us next week, and it has gone normally. The recovery from a muscle injury – more or less, we were expecting the time on this. I hope we can have him before the break, let's say.'"

#ipswich #normally

Top seed Alexander Zverev has reached the quarter-finals of the US Open to become the only man to reach the last eight at all four Grand Slams this year.
The French Open winner advanced after a 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) win over Italy's Luciano Darderi on Monday evening.
Zverev opened his US Open campaign with back-to-back five-set wins, but has now claimed two consecutive straight set wins.
"I thought my level was very consistent," Zverev said in his on-court interview.
"He started playing incredibly well in the third set. I barely saw anyone hit the ball as hard as he did, consistently for an entire set, so credit to him. He made it very difficult for me, but I'm happy to be in the quarter-finals and happy to be playing this way."

#open #happy #grand