A string of matches finishing after 2 a.m. at this year's US Open has players and fans pushing back against the tournament's late-night schedule. Alexander Zverev finished a first-round match in the early morning to rows of empty seats, then told reporters everyone was tired and wanted to go to sleep. Venus Williams' first-round loss to Sofia Kenin at Arthur Ashe Stadium also ended beyond 2 a.m., with few spectators left to watch what may have been her final singles match. Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka said late finishes shift players' entire schedules and can mess up their recovery. The debate has already led Wimbledon and the US Open to raise prize money and create a players' advisory council.
Defending champions Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz powered into the US Open quarterfinals on Sunday with straight-set wins in New York. Top-ranked Sabalenka overcame early trouble on her serve to beat American Taylor Townsend 6-4, 6-3, while Alcaraz defeated Tommy Paul 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in the second match at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Sabalenka has not dropped a set in the tournament. American men also surged into the last eight, with Frances Tiafoe beating Daniil Medvedev and Alex Michelsen also advancing, as US men chase their first Grand Slam title in years. The quarterfinals begin later this week at Flushing Meadows, where Sabalenka is set to face Czech teenager Linda Noskova.
Lionel Messi announced Monday that he is retiring from Argentina's national team, ending an international career that produced 125 goals in 207 appearances, both national records. In a statement on Instagram, the 39-year-old said he had given everything to the side and had nothing left to give, adding that the decision "hurts me deeply." Messi captained Argentina to the 2021 Copa América title and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the crowning achievement of a career that began with four straight final losses. His last tournament ended in defeat, with Spain beating Argentina in the World Cup final on July 19 in New Jersey. Messi is expected to keep playing club football for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer.
Group play at the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup in Berlin reaches its deciding day on Sunday when the United States faces Italy and China meets Czechia in Group D. The Americans opened the tournament with a 94-61 win over China, while Italy beat Czechia 63-54, leaving the United States and Italy at 1-0 and China and Czechia at 0-1. Sunday's results will set the group order and shape the quarterfinal bracket. The 16-team field is the largest since 2018, with 36 games across two Berlin arenas through September 13. The champion earns a direct place in women's basketball at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where the United States already holds a spot as host nation.
The United States opened the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup with a 94-61 win over China on Friday in Berlin. Caitlin Clark finished with 14 points and 11 assists for her first double-double with the senior national team at a World Cup, and Rhyne Howard led the scoring as the US built a 30-point lead. The Americans shot 45 percent from the field and forced 16 turnovers while committing eight. China played without Dallas Wings center Li Yueru, whose lost passport kept her from traveling to Berlin. The win starts the US bid for a fifth consecutive FIBA Women's World Cup gold medal.
Tiger Woods pleaded no contest to reckless driving charges in a Florida court on Sept. 2 and will lose his driver's license for five years, closing a case that began with his March rollover crash on Jupiter Island. Prosecutors reduced the original DUI charge to willful and wanton reckless driving, and a judge also imposed about $1,500 in fines. Judge Darren Steele warned that Woods would go straight to jail if he drives at all. The 50-year-old golfer attended the hearing with his girlfriend, Vanessa Trump. The suspensions on the two charges run at the same time and do not stop him from competing in tournaments.
Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from Argentina's national team, ending an international career that began in 2005 and delivered the country's first World Cup title in 36 years. The 39-year-old, who won the World Cup in 2022 and two Copa America titles, wrote his farewell statement two days after Argentina lost this summer's World Cup final. He said the death of his father, Jorge, last month confirmed the time had come to publish it. "It was a decision that hurt, and still hurts deep down, but I understand that the time has come," he wrote. "I always gave it my all." Messi finishes with 207 appearances for his country, having been a World Cup runner-up in 2014 and again this year, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players football has produced.
Novak Djokovic's US Open ended in tears as Mariano Navone pulled off a stunning upset in the first round at Flushing Meadows. The Argentine qualifier, ranked well outside the top 50, won in four sets and left the tennis world stunned, raising fresh questions about Djokovic's future at age 39. Navone said the win was the biggest of his career and credited his aggressive play and calm nerves. For Djokovic, the loss adds to a difficult season in which he has struggled to match his past dominance. He has won the US Open four times, making this early exit his worst result at the tournament in years. Fans and analysts now wonder whether the Serbian great can add another major title. Navone will face a higher-ranked opponent in the second round.
Scottie Scheffler won the Tour Championship on Sunday, capturing his second FedEx Cup and passing Tiger Woods as the PGA Tour's all-time career earnings leader. The $10 million winner's purse pushed his career total to $130,390,661, eclipsing Woods' mark that had stood for nearly 26 years. Scheffler, 30, came from behind on the final day at East Lake, finishing at 16-under to beat Viktor Hovland. It was his third PGA Tour win of the year and extended his run as the Tour's top earner to five straight seasons.
The US Open kicked off with a field that feels genuinely open for the first time in years. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner is out of the tournament, while Carlos Alcaraz has just returned from injury. Aryna Sabalenka, the defending champion on the women's side, is struggling with form. The opening day featured debuts by teenage stars and emotional appearances by veterans including Serena Williams and Roger Federer. With so much uncertainty at the top, the tournament could deliver surprise champions. Players ranked well outside the top ten believe they have a real chance, and the draw is full of potential upsets. The first round runs through the week as the year's final Grand Slam plays out in New York.