Nearly one year to the day when he sustained a torn pectoral muscle against World No. 1 Jannik Sinner on Centre Court, Grigor Dimitrov pulled off a huge upset, upending No. 15 seed Jakub Mensik 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 at Wimbledon in London on Thursday.

Dimitrov, ranked No. 146 in the world, was emotional in his post-match TV interview, pausing a few times to collect himself after advancing to the third round.

“I honestly don’t have much to say other than I’m so happy to be back and play tennis in front of you guys,” the 35-year-old Bulgarian said, gesturing to the cheering crowd after the three-hour, 13-minute match. “For me, I’m very emotional, overwhelmed a little bit at the moment.”

Last July 7, Dimitrov was leading Sinner by two sets when the injury occurred, forcing Dimitrov to retire and denying him a chance at one of the biggest victories of his career. Six days later, he watched as his friend and Monte Carlo neighbor Sinner hoisted the trophy.

On Thursday, Dimitrov saved all seven break points en route to winning the first set, then bounced back after Mensik pulled even in the second set to win 21 of 25 points on his first serve to take a 2-1 lead. In the fourth set, the former World No. 3 induced 10 unforced errors from his Czech Republic foe, breaking him twice to clinch the hard-fought victory.

“A great match today, all I wanted to do was come out and fight,” Dimitrov said after saving 13 of 15 break points and surviving 31 aces from Mensik. “That was my goal. I didn’t think about winning or losing. … You guys (the fans) helped me a lot. The atmosphere was spectacular as usual.”

Up next for Dimitrov is unseeded Italian Matteo Berrettini, who took down No. 20 seed Arthur Fils of France 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3.

“If nothing else, it’ll be a pretty match,” Dimitrov said with a laugh. “I’m looking forward to it.”

The remainder of the ranked field advanced to the third round, including No. 2 Alexander Zverev, who cruised through two sets before putting away unseeded Frenchman Valentin Royer 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 (3).

“For two and a half sets I played an almost perfect match,” Zverev said in his on-court interview. “Then I lost a bit of focus and he used it very well. He made it very interesting in the end, but definitely happy to be through in straight sets and not have to play another set, even though I love to play here at Wimbledon! It’s nice to win easier at the beginning of the week.”

No. 5 Alex de Minaur of Australia, No. 6 Taylor Fritz, No. 10 Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan, No. 13 Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic and No. 19 Karen Khachanov of Russia all won in straight sets, while No. 9 Flavio Cobolli of Italy and No. 17 Frances Tiafoe prevailed in four sets.

No. 23 Rafael Jodar of Spain prevailed in five sets while No. 28 Brandon Nakashima was eliminated in five sets.

–Field Level Media

Former NFL running back Chris Johnson announced Monday on “Good Morning America” that he is battling ALS. Two days after that interview with former New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan, Johnson followed up by requesting that supporters revive a viral trend that has been on ice since 2014.

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge swept the nation in summer 2014, raising $115 million for the ALS Association, according to the organization’s website.

“Years ago, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge united millions of people around one cause and helped change the fight against this disease,” Johnson wrote in his post. “Today, I’m asking you to help me do it again.”

Three men with ALS, Anthony Senerchia, Pete Frates and Pat Quinn, launched the 2014 campaign that inspired 17 million people to dump ice water on their heads and donate to an ALS charity. In addition to the monetary achievement, the campaign raised awareness of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Funds were invested in research and care for people living with the disease.

In the post, Johnson thanked fans for their support and explained that his idea to revive the Ice Bucket Challenge was inspired by Hunter Mecum, a former Utah basketball player. Mecum posted a video of himself doing the challenge in honor of Johnson, then nominated the “2,000 active NFL players” to follow his lead and take on the challenge, a reference to Johnson’s 2,000-yard rushing season.

Johnson has nominated former NFL players LenDale White, Marshawn Lynch and Adam “Pacman” Jones to take part in the challenge. White was Johnson’s backfield mate in Tennessee.

Johnson also posted a video of himself completing the challenge and requesting that donations be made to Massachusetts General Hospital’s Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS. As of Thursday, more than $33,000 has been raised by Johnson’s campaign.

Lynch and White have each responded by posting videos of themselves completing the challenge. White subsequently nominated Deion Sanders, Vince Young and Mike Sims-Walker.

Johnson’s daughter has also joined in the cause and nominated her brothers and LeBron James to take part.

Johnson was the 24th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. In his second season in 2009, he became the sixth running back in NFL history to run for 2,000 yards in a season, rushing for 2,006 yards on 358 carries. The achievement earned him the nickname CJ2K.

He had 2,163 carries for 9,651 yards and 55 touchdowns during his 10-year NFL career for the Tennessee Titans, New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals.

The ALS Association website explains that the disease causes “a person’s brain (to lose) connection with the muscles, slowly taking away their ability to walk, talk, eat and eventually breathe. Although there is still no cure or treatment that halts progression, new treatments are helping to slow and ease symptoms.”

–Field Level Media

Veteran right-handed pitchers Joe Ross and Chris Paddack and outfielder Jarred Kelenic all rejected outright assignments by the Texas Rangers and became free agents on Thursday.

Paddack spent less than four days with the club. He signed on Monday and appeared that night in a bulk relief role against the Cleveland Guardians. After spreading two runs and seven hits over four innings, Paddack was designated for assignment the next day before passing through waivers.

Paddack, 30, has already spent time with the Miami Marlins, Cincinnati Reds and Rangers this season. He is 0-7 with a 6.79 ERA in 14 games (nine starts).

Ross, 33, got into five games for Texas and allowed four earned runs over eight innings (4.50 ERA) with one loss. He started the season with the Arizona Diamondbacks and has a 9.26 ERA in eight total relief appearances (11 2/3 innings).

Kelenic, 26, also didn’t last long with his second team of the season and the fourth of his MLB career. A former top prospect for the New York Mets and Seattle Mariners, Kelenic began this year with the Chicago White Sox and was granted free agency at the end of May. He soon signed with Texas and only played in seven games, batting 1-for-8.

In other moves, the Rangers selected the contract of right-hander Ben Peoples from Triple-A Round Rock, optioned right-hander Winston Santos to Round Rock and transferred left-hander Jordan Montgomery’s rehab assignment from Double-A Frisco to Triple-A.

The Rangers acquired Peoples, 25, from the White Sox for catcher Ben Hartl this week and could make his major league debut with Texas. He was 5-1 with a 2.39 ERA in 29 relief appearances for Triple-A Charlotte, striking out 45 with 21 walks.

Santos, 24, made his MLB debut Wednesday and allowed two runs on two hits in two innings of relief in a 9-4 loss at Cleveland.

–Field Level Media