Sports
Novak Djokovic returns to winning form in Shanghai
Aug 30, 2024; Flushing, NY, USA; Novak Djokovic (SRB) after losing to Alexei Popyrin (AUS) on day five of the 2024 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images Novak Djokovic notched his first victory since his shocking third-round exit at the U.S. Open, repeatedly having to battle back to ultimately defeat Alex Michelsen 7-6 (3), 7-6 (9) in their opening-round match at the Rolex Shanghai Masters in Shanghai, China, on Saturday.
After losing the opening three games, the fourth-seeded Djokovic came back to win the first set in a tiebreak. He led 4-1 in the second set before again having to battle back to win on a tiebreak.
The 37-year-old Serbian native and 24-time Grand Slam champion gave credit to his younger competitor, a 20-year-old American with a No. 43 world ranking. It was the first meeting between the two.
“He started terrifically. It was a very close encounter, and I also thought it was a quite a high level of tennis,” Djokovic said after the match.
Despite needing “time to get the rust off” after having played only one Davis Cup qualifying match since the U.S Open loss and playing with heavy tape on his right knee, Djokovic was able to take advantage of Michelsen’s mistakes for the win.
“I’m just glad to keep my calm when it mattered and glad to be really challenged by a young player,” he added. “Now I’m looking forward to the next one.”
Djokovic’s next opponent will be either Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka or Italian Flavio Cobolli, who will meet Sunday.
Meanwhile, some of the other top players had an easier time in their opening matches, with top seed Jannik Sinner of Italy and third-seeded Carlos Alcaraz of Spain breezing through.
Coming off a loss to Alcaraz at the China Open on Wednesday, Sinner rebounded with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Japan’s Taro Daniel, notching 12 aces and winning 84 percent of points off his first serve. The match took just one hour and 17 minutes.
Alcaraz needed one minute less to defeat China’s Juncheng Shang 6-2, 6-2 for his 10th consecutive win. He’s won four titles on the ATP Tour this year, giving him 16 for his career at just age 21.
“I’ve been playing really good tennis lately, so I want to just keep going and keep feeling it, keep feeling this good,” Alcaraz said after the match. “I just had one practice then was straight into this match, so to be able to show this level in the first match, I’m just really proud.”
In the next round, Alcaraz will meet unseeded Yibing Wu of China, while Sinner will face No. 31 Tomas Etcheverry of Argentina.
The tournament’s No. 2 seed, Germany’s Alexander Zverev, also secured a win, beating qualifier Mattia Bellucci 6-4 6-2 in one hour, 36 minutes.
It was the first win in Shanghai since 2019 for Zverev, who withdrew from the China Open last week due to pneumonia.
“I didn’t practice, I didn’t do anything really. So, of course, I am happy with the level,” Zverev said.
Russian Andrey Rublev, the sixth seed, fell to 19-year-old Czech Jakub Mensik, who came back from a 0-2 third-set deficit to win 6-7 (7), 6-4, 6-3.
Mensik’s countrymate, Jiri Lehecka, also claimed victory with a 7-6 (6), 6-4 win over Spain’s Jaume Munar.
No. 20 Alexei Popyrin of Australia advanced, while No. 32 Brandon Nakashima fell to Japan’s Yosuke Watanuki and No. 27 Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina lost to Kazakhstani Alexander Shevchenko, both in two sets.
Three matches on the outside courts — including those involving seventh-seed Taylor Fritz and ninth-seeded Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria — were suspended due to rain and will be resumed Sunday morning.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Nats' CJ Abrams, James Wood go deep twice to drop D-Backs
Apr 7, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder James Wood (29) celebrates scoring a run with shortstop CJ Abrams (5) against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images CJ Abrams and James Wood each homered twice as the Washington Nationals beat the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks 10-7 on Sunday to take the rubber game in the series between NL wild card contenders.
Abrams finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs to boost his numbers to seven homers and 14 RBIs in his last seven games. Wood became the fifth MLB player to reach the 30-homer mark this season.
Dylan Crews added three hits and Riley Cornelio (2-1) pitched two innings for the win. Brady House, recalled Sunday after the Nationals traded Curtis Mead to the Boston Red Sox for pitcher Connelly Early on Saturday, had two doubles and drove in a run.
Geraldo Perdomo and Ketel Marte homered for the D-backs and Gabriel Moreno had two doubles and a sacrifice fly.
The D-backs took a 1-0 lead in the first. Perdomo walked and came around when Moreno doubled down the left field line.
In the Washington second, House doubled and Jacob Young tied it with an RBI single.
Perdomo smacked an 0-1 pitch into the Nationals bullpen in right to make it 2-1 in the third.
Abrams tied it with a homer to center in the third, setting a record for homers by a Nationals shortstop with his 26th of the season.
Marte homered leading off the fourth and Arizona led 3-2.
Corbin Carroll doubled leading off the fifth and scored on a Moreno sacrifice fly.
Nunez walked leading off the bottom half and Wood ended starter Kohl Drake’s afternoon with a two-run bomb to straightaway center. Daylen Lile greeted Jonathan Loaisiga (2-3) with a single and, one out later, Abrams connected for his second homer of the game to make it 6-4.
House and Young added RBI doubles to make it 8-4 in the seventh, then another run scored on pitcher Brandyn Garcia’s throwing error.
Arizona’s Ildemaro Vargas hit a sacrifice fly in the eighth to make it 9-5, but Wood answered with a solo homer.
The Diamondbacks loaded the bases on walks with no outs in the ninth and got runs on a Ryan Waldschmidt’s single and Nolan Arenado’s groundout. With the bases loaded and the go-ahead run at the plate, Clayton Beeter retired Tyler Locklear on a grounder to second to pick up his 10th save.
Washington starter Miles Mikolas gave up three runs over four innings. Drake allowed four runs in four-plus innings in his second major league start.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tyrone Taylor cracks 3-run shot to spark Mets over Dodgers
Jul 26, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets center fielder Tyrone Taylor (28) reacts after hitting a three-run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the sixth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images Tyrone Taylor’s go-ahead three-run homer in the sixth inning propelled the New York Mets to an 8-3 victory on Sunday over the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers.
The veteran outfielder greeted reliever Evan Phillips with a 405-foot blast into the left field seats for his eighth homer of the season and fifth since July 4. It doubled as the Mets’ first hit since the first.
Marcus Semien, a defensive replacement in the seventh, added another three-run shot to cap a four-run seventh for the Mets as they snapped a three-game skid.
Four relievers combined to limit the Dodgers to three singles and one hit by pitch over the final five innings. Cionel Perez (4-3) pitched two perfect innings and struck out three.
Los Angeles’ bullpen did not match the Mets. Jack Dreyer walked two batters in the sixth and got only one out before being replaced by Phillips (0-2), who allowed a homer for the fourth time in his last five appearances. Will Klein gave up four runs in the seventh on two hits and two walks.
The first three Mets batters got hits off Dodgers starter Emmet Sheehan, with leadoff hitter A.J. Green doubling and scoring on Francisco Lindor’s single. Bo Bichette (2-for-4) followed with another base hit. After that, Sheehan allowed just two walks and one hit batsman while fanning five over five innings.
Los Angeles scored twice in the third off Mets starter Freddy Peralta. Eliezer Alfonzo hit a leadoff double. After an out and an Andy Pages walk, Freddy Freeman doubled home Alfonzo. Max Muncy’s groundout made it 2-1.
Freeman finished 2-for-4 for his fourth straight multi-hit game. Tommy Edman and Teoscar Hernandez also went 2-for-4.
Peralta needed 93 pitches to get through four innings. He gave up six hits, three runs (two earned) and two walks while striking out three.
The Dodgers, who saw their four-game winning streak end, loaded the bases off Luke Weaver with two out in the eighth. However, Weaver made a great play on a Hernandez dribbler between the mound and third base to end the threat.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Michael Massey's blast lifts Royals over Tigers
Jul 26, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Kansas City Royals center fielder Lane Thomas (15) hits a home run in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images Michael Massey hit a two-out, two-run homer in the eighth inning and the visiting Kansas City Royals hung on for a 5-4 win over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday.
Massey’s eighth homer made a winner of Nate Pearson (2-0), who was making his Royals debut after being acquired in a trade with Houston. Steven Cruz survived a ninth-inning jam to record his second save.
Lane Thomas had a solo homer and Luke Maile added an RBI double as the Royals salvaged a split of the four-game series.
Dillon Dingler had two hits and drove in two runs for Detroit.
Kansas City took a 2-0 lead in the first. Leadoff hitter Thomas hit a 3-2 pitch to the opposite field that just cleared the wall. The Royals then scratched out an unearned run. Nick Loftin singled and Salvador Perez was hit by a pitch. Valdez retired the next two batters before walking Isaac Collins to load the bases.
Second baseman Hao-Yu Lee then bobbled Tyler Tolbert’s grounder, allowing Loftin to score.
The Royals made it 3-0 in the fourth. Tolbert drew a one-out walk and Maile followed with a double down the left field line to knock him in.
Detroit took a 4-3 lead in the fifth. Lee led off with a double and Colt Keith walked. Kevin McGonigle singled to load the bases. After Gleyber Torres struck out, Avila was removed for Matt Strahm. Riley Greene hit a bouncer up the middle that got by second baseman Andrew Velazquez for an error. Two runs scored and Greene raced all the way to second. Dingler then knocked in McGonigle and Greene with a single up the middle.
Collins had a bloop single off Drew Sommers with one out in the eighth. Sommers (0-1) struck out the next batter but Massey took advantage of a hanging slider and deposited over the right field wall to give his club a 5-4 advantage.
Detroit had two runners on with no one out in the ninth as Lee walked and Keith singled. Cruz then recorded two strikeouts, sandwiching a popout, to end the contest.
–Field Level Media
