AP Sports Summary for September 9th, 2023.
Daniil Medvedev ousts US Open defending champion Carlos Alcaraz to reach the final. Djokovic awaits
NEW YORK (AP) — Daniil Medvedev ended Carlos Alcaraz's reign as the U.S. Open champion by eliminating him in the semifinals 7-6 (3), 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 to set up a rematch in the final against Novak Djokovic. The No. 3-seeded Medvedev won his lone major title at Flushing Meadows in 2021 by defeating Djokovic in that year's final. That prevented Djokovic from completing what would have been the first calendar-year Grand Slam in men's tennis since 1969. Djokovic advanced Friday by defeating unseeded American Ben Shelton 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (4) in the semifinals as he pursues what would be a 24th Grand Slam trophy.
US Open finalist Coco Gauff is starting to believe. She faces Aryna Sabalenka for the title
NEW YORK (AP) — Coco Gauff will try to win her first Grand Slam title when she meets Aryna Sabalenka in the U.S. Open final. Sabalenka won the Australian Open this year and is assured of moving up to No. 1 in the WTA rankings next week no matter what happens on Saturday in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Gauff is a 19-year-old from Florida who is on an 11-match winning streak and says she is starting to believe in her abilities as much as everyone else has for years. Sabalenka is a 25-year-old from Belarus and is well aware that most of the 23,000 or so spectators at the final will be cheering for Gauff.
Neymar breaks Pele's Brazil goal-scoring record in 5-1 win in South American World Cup qualifying
SAO PAULO (AP) — Neymar has become the top goal scorer for Brazil's national team after surpassing the total of three-time World Cup winner Pelé. The goal that put the 31-year-old Neymar on the top of Brazil's scoring mark with 78 came in the 61st minute in a World Cup qualifying match against Bolivia in the Amazon city of Belém. It was Brazil's fourth goal of the match in a 5-1 win, with the last goal of the match also being scored by Neymar during injury time.
Griner's WNBA return not a fairytale, but there were still plenty of joyful moments
PHOENIX (AP) — Brittney Griner's return to the WNBA after nearly 10 months in a Russian prison hasn't always been the smoothest ride. There have been injuries. There was a break for mental health. The Phoenix Mercury haven't been very good, and the coach was fired less than halfway through the season. But there have also been many moments of joy. She was welcomed by adoring crowds at nearly every WNBA arena. Individually, she played well, and was selected to play in another All-Star game. It's all added up to a unique journey for the 6-foot-9 Griner, who played her final home game of the season on Friday night.
Analysis: For USA Basketball, the defense rested. And that means there's no World Cup title
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A week ago, USA Basketball's men's senior national program held an all-time record of 97-0 when scoring 100 points in games at the Olympics or the World Cup. The record in the past week: 1-2. There's the story. Win or lose the bronze-medal game against Canada on Sunday, this U.S. World Cup team will fly home in a couple days lamenting how it just couldn't get stops when it needed them most. And there will be no defense for having no defense. If scoring 100 points in a 40-minute game isn't enough to win, that's a problem no matter which NBA players are or aren't on the U.S. roster.
Browns defensive star Myles Garrett chasing greatness, hoping for picture perfect season
BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Myles Garrett is chasing quarterbacks and greatness. As he heads into his seventh NFL season with the Cleveland Browns, Garrett ranks among the some of the best pass rushers in league history. However, his personal success has not translated into wins as the Browns have consistently underachieved. Cleveland upgraded its defensive line during the offseason, giving Garrett more help than he has ever had. The 27-year-old had 16 sacks in 2022, when his season was marked by a single-car crash as he flipped his Porsche following practice. Garrett and the Browns open the 2023 season on Sunday against Cincinnati.
Spanish prosecutors accuse Rubiales of sexual assault and coercion for kissing a player at World Cup
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spanish state prosecutors have accused Luis Rubiales of sexual assault and coercion for kissing a player on the lips without her consent after the Women's World Cup final. The now-suspended president of the Spanish soccer federation kissed Jenni Hermoso during the awards ceremony after Spain beat England to win the title on Aug. 20 in Sydney. Prosecutors presented their case for potential criminal charges against Rubiales to Spain's National Court in Madrid two days after Hermoso formally accused him of sexual assault. Rubiales could face a fine or a prison sentence of one to four years if found guilty of sexual assault.
OSU, WSU ask court to prevent departing Pac-12 schools from standing in way of rebuilding conference
Oregon State and Washington State have filed a complaint in Washington state court against the Pac-12 and Commissioner George Kliavkoff. It seeks a court order preventing 10 departing members from standing in the way of the two schools' efforts to rebuild the conference. The Pac-12 currently has 12 members, but 10 of them are leaving next year. Southern California, UCLA, Washington and Oregon are leaving for the Big Ten; Stanford and Cal are leaving for the Atlantic Coast Conference; and Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah are leaving for the Big 12.
Novak Djokovic will face Daniil Medvedev in the US Open final. It's a rematch from 2021
NEW YORK (AP) — Novak Djokovic is back in the U.S. Open final for a record-tying 10th time after a 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (4) victory over unseeded American Ben Shelton. Djokovic's opponent in Sunday's title match will be 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev, who ended Carlos Alcaraz's title defense by eliminating him in four sets Friday. Medvedev beat Djokovic in the U.S. Open final two years ago. Djokovic is a 23-time Grand Slam champion but he missed the U.S. Open last year because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19. The 36-year-old from Serbia will seek a fourth trophy from Flushing Meadows on Sunday. He would be the oldest man to win the event in the Open era.
World Cup medals at stake, with Serbia-Germany for gold, US-Canada for bronze
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Serbia has a chance for its biggest win in 21 years. Canada is seeking its first medal at a major global tournament in 87 years. Germany is one win away from its biggest basketball accomplishment, ever. And then there's the U.S., playing for bronze. The Basketball World Cup was a 32-team odyssey that played out in three countries over the last 2½ weeks. It ends in Manila on Sunday with the medal games. It's an all-European final with Germany facing Serbia for gold, and an all-North American matchup with Canada playing the U.S. for the bronze.
AP-Scorecard
Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:
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INTERLEAGUE
Final Milwaukee 8 N.Y. Yankees 2
Final Minnesota 5 N.Y. Mets 2
Final San Diego 11 Houston 2
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AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Chicago White Sox 6 Detroit 0
Final Tampa Bay 7 Seattle 4
Final Baltimore 11 Boston 2
Final Toronto 5 Kansas City 4
Final Oakland 6 Texas 3
Final Cleveland 6 L.A. Angels 3
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Arizona 1 Chicago Cubs 0
Final Atlanta 8 Pittsburgh 2
Final Miami 3 Philadelphia 2
Final St. Louis 9 Cincinnati 4
Final L.A. Dodgers 8 Washington 5
Final San Francisco 9 Colorado 8
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WOMEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Connecticut 76 Indiana 59
Final Atlanta 80 Washington 75
Final Chicago 92 Minnesota 87
Final Dallas 106 Seattle 91
Final Las Vegas 94 Phoenix 73
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TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
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INTERLEAGUE
Milwaukee at N-Y Yankees 2:05 p.m.
N-Y Mets at Minnesota 2:10 p.m.
San Diego at Houston 7:10 p.m.
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AMERICAN LEAGUE
Kansas City at Toronto 3:07 p.m.
Seattle at Tampa Bay 4:05 p.m.
Baltimore at Boston 4:10 p.m.
Chi White Sox at Detroit 6:10 p.m.
Oakland at Texas 7:05 p.m.
Cleveland at L-A Angels 9:07 p.m.
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
Arizona at Chi Cubs 2:20 p.m.
L-A Dodgers at Washington 4:05 p.m.
Miami at Philadelphia 6:05 p.m.
St. Louis at Cincinnati 6:40 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Atlanta 7:20 p.m.
Colorado at San Francisco 9:05 p.m.
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TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
(11)Texas at (3)Alabama 7 p.m.
(20)Mississippi at (24)Tulane 3:30 p.m.
Troy at (15)Kansas St. 12 p.m.
Nebraska at (22)Colorado 12 p.m.
(10)Notre Dame at NC State 12 p.m.
(12)Utah at Baylor 12 p.m.
Ball St. at (1)Georgia 12 p.m.
Delaware at (7)Penn St. 12 p.m.
Youngstown St. at (5)Ohio St. 12 p.m.
Charleston Southern at (25)Clemson 2:15 p.m.
UNLV at (2)Michigan 3:30 p.m.
(23)Texas A&M at Miami 3:30 p.m.
Tulsa at (8)Washington 5 p.m.
Austin Peay at (9)Tennessee 5 p.m.
Appalachian St. at (17)North Carolina 5:15 p.m.
SMU at (18)Oklahoma 6 p.m.
Lafayette at (21)Duke 6 p.m.
(13)Oregon at Texas Tech 7 p.m.
Grambling St. at (14)LSU 7:30 p.m.
(19)Wisconsin at Washington St. 7:30 p.m.
Southern Miss. at (4)Florida St. 8:30 p.m.
UC Davis at (16)Oregon St. 9 p.m.
Stanford at (6)Southern Cal 10:30 p.m.
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MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
San Jose at D.C. United 7:30 p.m.
Sporting Kansas City at Miami 7:30 p.m.
New England at Minnesota 8:30 p.m.
Los Angeles FC at Portland 10:30 p.m.
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