As he prepares for the upcoming international window, the US head coach spoke about Folarin Balogun, the LA Olympics and dual national players

It’s been two months since the US men’s national team crashed out of the World Cup in disappointing fashion, and their head coach, Mauricio Pochettino, is back at work.

The former Tottenham and PSG manager was largely viewed as a short-term hire when he joined the US in 2024, brought on to help the team capitalize on their first home World Cup in more than three decades. Along the way, Pochettino and US Soccer warmed to the idea of a contract extension, one they finalized in August.

The US will play four friendlies in late September and early October against Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada, but that stretch of games pales in comparison to the larger task at hand. Pochettino must guide the US to qualification for the 2030 World Cup, of course, but the Argentinian – and the federation – have more ambitious goals that involve reshaping the structure of soccer in the United States.

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© Photograph: Abbie Parr/AP

© Photograph: Abbie Parr/AP

© Photograph: Abbie Parr/AP

Sur les réseaux sociaux, le nouveau maillot du Montpellier FC, club féminin de D1 Arkema, est plus que tendance. Racheté l'an dernier par le groupe Crux Football, une structure spécialisée dans le développement du football féminin, l'équipe française attire les investisseurs dont plusieurs anciennes sportives de haut niveau ou des stars de cinéma.

Porté par son statut de meilleur buteur de l'histoire de la Coupe du monde acquis cet été, Kylian Mbappé estime que l'année est "peut-être la bonne" pour décrocher son premier Ballon d'Or. À la veille du choc de Ligue des champions entre le Real Madrid et l'Inter Milan, le capitaine de l'équipe de France affiche son ambition et se pose en prétendant du trophée individuel dans une course particulièrement ouverte.

Will influencers and weed smokers bring down US Open?
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Back on Armstrong, we’re still level but at 4-4, Potapova playing with confidence and poise. She holds to 30, and Andreeva must now serve to stay in set one.

Zheng and Swiatek are out on court; Zheng, the Olympic champion, had to come through qualifying after missing time with an elbow injury, but two weeks of competition have brought her into the main event nicely loose. I’d be surprised if she finds a way to win here, but she did at those Olympics, so knows she can.

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© Photograph: Cristóbal Herrera/EPA

© Photograph: Cristóbal Herrera/EPA

© Photograph: Cristóbal Herrera/EPA

The contactless version of the Korean martial art is making its debut at this year’s Asian Games. Critics say it’s a glorified video game.

From home-run celebrations to tilted caps, players embracing joy continue to collide with an old guard devoted to Dust Bowl grimness

Over the last several years, simultaneously lauded and paralyzed by its ironclad traditions, baseball has undergone various forays into reinvention, trying to free itself from its unwritten rules of retaliation, its seeming aversion to joy, its demand that every generation of player of every culture and background play the game with the grimness of a Dust Bowl farmer.

The sport even attempted to change those customs by promoting a cultural shift with an industry-wide motto: Let the Kids Play. But in a time of intense division within the aggressive backdrop of Trumpism, the result is a racial clash that is actually a generational and cultural one that predates current politics by a century.

Howard Bryant is the author of 11 books, including Full Dissidence: Notes from an Uneven Playing Field, and Kings and Pawns: Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson in America. He writes at Substack.

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© Photograph: David Zalubowski/AP

© Photograph: David Zalubowski/AP

© Photograph: David Zalubowski/AP

Kate Scott, Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards discuss their oft-viral approach to covering soccer for a US audience

It takes something special for a sports broadcast to outshine the action on the field. Yet that is often what happens on CBS Sports, where the Champions League studio show has struck a rare chord with viewers, most often broadcast on streaming branch Paramount+.

The usual group (Kate Scott, Jamie Carragher, Thierry Henry, and Micah Richards), have become fixtures on the American TV circuit, thanks in large part to their on-air chemistry. Scott guides the show expertly – all with with a mass of banter and ribbing along the way.

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© Photograph: Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

© Photograph: Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

© Photograph: Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

L'équipe de France féminine de basket-ball a obtenu son billet pour les quarts de finale du Mondial. Marseille a subi un deuxième revers d'affilée en s'inclinant 3-2 à domicile face au Paris FC, porté par un triplé de Lassine Sinayoko. L'Italien Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), qui s'était élancé en 19ᵉ position, a remporté le Grand Prix d'Italie de Formule 1 à l'issue d'une folle remontée.

This year, the noise at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center has officially become A Problem. But changing it would mean changing society

The first thing you notice while sitting in the upper tiers of Arthur Ashe Stadium is the noise. A persistent exterior hum filters up from ground level, fed by the massive ventilation and cooling units that sit outside the stadium, the clack of the Long Island Rail Road to the north, and the forklifts receiving goods from the refrigerator trucks that keep the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center flush with its essential supplies of Evian, champagne, and premium IPA. Overhead, planes descending toward LaGuardia airport ensure the auditory assault takes place by land and air simultaneously. In the lower rakes of the stadium, the babble of the spectators is incessant; it’s not unusual to overhear full-volume conversations on various non-tennis topics – work, family, romance, last night’s dinner – that continue without interruption for the duration of an entire match.

New York is famously noisy, and the US Open, as the most glamorous annual sporting event in town, has always been loud in sympathy with its environment. Indeed, the brashness of the American grand slam has historically been its major selling point, the signature that distinguishes it from the Australian Open (the “happy slam”), Wimbledon (strawberries and cream, all-white attire, the home of tennis), and the French Open (French). People have been complaining about the volume of the New York crowd for decades. But this year the noise at the US Open feels different. This year noise at the noisy slam has become A Problem.

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© Photograph: Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images

La liste des nominés au Ballon d'Or 2026 sera dévoilée mardi. La cérémonie aura lieu le lundi 26 octobre prochain à Londres. Y a-t-il un favori pour remporter le prestigieux trophée ?

Le Paris FC a battu l’Olympique de Marseille au stade Vélodrome (3-2) grâce à un triplé de Lassine Sinayoko. Alors que le Paris FC est deuxième au classement, l’OM reste englué à la dixième place.

L’ancien numéro un mondial affrontera le joueur américain Ben Shelton, huitième tête de série, mardi.

Malgré les critiques qui se multiplient à son encontre, le président contesté de l’instance mondiale se présentera aux élections de 2027.

Portés par les circuits de Vinnie Pasquantino et Salvador Pérez, les Royals ont dominé la formation torontoise, dimanche.

• USA edge into quarter’s with nervy 55-52 win

• Cecilia Zandalasini claims she was poked in eye

• Caitlin Clark shoots 0-6 from the field

Jackie Young had a big fourth quarter and Breanna Stewart made her only basket of the game to put ⁠the United States up for good, helping the Americans escape with a 55-52 win over Italy in the Fiba Women’s World ⁠Cup on Sunday.

The ​US (2-0), who clinched a quarter-final berth with the victory, led only 42-39 after three quarters and fell behind by two points on three occasions in the fourth. Stewart’s jumper, assisted by Young, gave the Americans a 51-50 lead with 3:20 to go, and Young hit a ⁠floater on their next possession. Chelsea Gray made a pull-up with 1:07 left for an ​important cushion, but Italy hit a quick ‌two-pointer in response to ‌cut it to 55-52. Gray missed a shot on the next US trip but Young ‌corralled the rebound to help her team bleed more clock.

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© Photograph: Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

• Reigning champion beats Tommy Paul in straight sets

• Sabalenka and Noskova to clash in last eight

The straightforward scoreline at the end of Carlos Alcaraz’s third-round win over Wu Yibing did not quite reflect the Spaniard’s slight irritation with one aspect of his game. Alcaraz felt he had missed a few too many forehands, and almost immediately after departing Arthur Ashe Stadium, he reappeared on the practice court pounding forehands in the afternoon heat.

Two days later, the extra care Alcaraz put into his game was reflected in a statement performance driven by his peerless forehand as he rose to the occasion in the biggest challenge of his comeback so far, dismantling the 20th seed Tommy Paul 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 to continue his title defence by returning to the quarter-finals of the US Open.

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© Photograph: Cristóbal Herrera/EPA

© Photograph: Cristóbal Herrera/EPA

© Photograph: Cristóbal Herrera/EPA

Gianni Infantino a confirmé dimanche se présenter à la présidentielle de la Fifa en mars 2027 malgré la polémique survenue cet été. Le dirigeant du football mondial avait proposer d'ouvrir la Coupe du monde aux investisseurs privés après la Coupe du monde de football.

Le pilote de 20 ans a fait un grand pas vers le titre de plus jeune champion de l’histoire de la Formule 1, dimanche.

• NFL owners approve deal for league commissioner

• Revenues and team values have soared under leadership

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has agreed on a four-year contract extension that runs through the 2030 league season, ending on 31 March 2031.

In a memo sent to NFL owners on Sunday, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said: “We believe we are very fortunate to have Roger at the helm for the next four years.”

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© Photograph: Richard Drew/AP

© Photograph: Richard Drew/AP

© Photograph: Richard Drew/AP

• Teenager welcomes LeBron to 76ers

• Vincent Janssen scores Timbers’ first MLS hat-trick

• Embolo scores, Messi assists in charged match

Philadelphia Union midfielder Cavan Sullivan became the youngest player in MLS history ⁠to record a five-match goal contribution streak on Saturday.

At 16 years and 342 ⁠days old, ⁠Sullivan ​scored in his third consecutive MLS match on Saturday when he tallied in the ⁠75th minute of the Union’s 2-0 victory over CF Montreal. He has three goals and ⁠three assists during his past five league matches.

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© Photograph: Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images

© Photograph: Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images

© Photograph: Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images

Francis Tiafoe and Carlos Alcaraz progressed with straight-set victories against Daniil Medvedev and Tommy Paul respectively

We’re 4-4 in the doubles and knocking up on Ashe. Thinking more about the match, I’d expect Townsend to use top spin to hit cross at Sabalenka’s backhand, taking her outside the lines if possible. She’ll also try and slow the game down, I think, and frustrate the champ, who doesn’t enjoy the wind-ups.

Townsend comes out wearing a coat that wouldn’t be out of place in the Night’s Watch, photo to follow but, in the meantime:

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© Photograph: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

© Photograph: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

© Photograph: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Dimanche soir, Arsenal accueille Chelsea pour reprendre la tête du championnat en cas de victoire. Mikel Arteta et Xabi Alonso, amis depuis l'enfance, s'affronteront pour la première fois en tant qu'entraîneurs de Premier League.

The final of the prestigious “Diamond League” track and field series for the 2026 season took place in Brussels, Belgium.

• Underwood throws for for 47-yard winning score

• Officials put one second back on clock after review

• No 16 Wolverines survive in Whittingham debut

Given an unlikely second chance at a game-ending Hail Mary, Bryce Underwood connected with JJ Buchanan for a 47-yard touchdown pass that lifted No 16 Michigan over Western Michigan 13-12 on Saturday night.

The Wolverines were 27-and-a-hakf-point favorites in coach Kyle Whittingham’s debut. The Broncos thought they’d secured a historic upset when Underwood’s first Hail Mary sailed out of bounds with the clock expired.

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© Photograph: Jacob Hamilton/Ann Arbor News/AP

© Photograph: Jacob Hamilton/Ann Arbor News/AP

© Photograph: Jacob Hamilton/Ann Arbor News/AP

• Argentinian beats No 9 seed 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4

• Fritz had three break points for chance to serve for match

As his last, desperate backhand soared far past the baseline inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, Taylor Fritz instantly held his face in his hands, unable to hide the agony of squandering such a great opportunity.

For much of his afternoon, Fritz was cruising. He had established a two set against Francisco Cerúndolo before breaking serve in the opening game of the third. One unfocused service game was enough to shift the momentum and once Fritz had lost control, he spent another two hours failing to retrieve it. His US Open ended with an excruciating 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 third-round defeat by a courageous Cerúndolo.

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© Photograph: Brian Hirschfeld/EPA

© Photograph: Brian Hirschfeld/EPA

© Photograph: Brian Hirschfeld/EPA

• Fiery Diamond League comments partially walked back

• On Hocker: ‘Cole and I talked it through after the race’

The double Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen has issued a part-apology for calling his rivals “losers” and a “bunch of cowards” after a spicy men’s 1500m Diamond League final on Friday.

However, Ingebrigtsen has continued to maintain that he was still right to accuse the Olympic 1500m champion Cole Hocker of cowardice – because he asked for a strong pace and swapped in his own pacemaker only to then hide behind others in the race.

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© Photograph: Olivier Hoslet/EPA

© Photograph: Olivier Hoslet/EPA

© Photograph: Olivier Hoslet/EPA

Teddy Riner ne participera pas aux Championnats du monde de judo le mois prochain en Azerbaïdjan, a annoncé samedi la fédération française de judo. À nouveau blessé à l'épaule, le judoka n'a pas participé à une compétition depuis deux ans alors que l'objectif des jeux de 2028 se rapproche.

L’Ontarienne Gabriela Dabrowski est la dernière en lice parmi la délégation canadienne qui s’était présentée à New York.

Taylor Fritz and Flavio Cobolli lost from winning positions, Madison Keys collapsed from 5-0 up in the final set, but Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek and Mirra Andreeva reached the last 16

Last night Serena and Venus Williams – with their combined age of 456 - blew a five-point lead in the deciding tie-break as their return to the grand slam doubles stage ended in defeat, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (7) against Chan Hao-ching and Maya Joint. Serena must be sick of the sight of Joint – given her singles comeback was also halted by the Australian in the Wimbledon first round this summer – but having come so close to victory in both matches, she may well be encouraged enough to continue. Serena and Venus chose not to do a post-match media conference last night – so it’s not clear what their next plans are.

A big cheer on Grandstand – despite the fact Zheng is facing an American – as she holds at the start of the second set. Anisimova is still a break down, 3-2, against Potapova, while Taylor Fritz – the pick of the American men in the first week - is warming up on Arthur Ashe against Francisco Cerundolo, the 24th seed from Argentina.

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© Photograph: Eduardo Muñoz/Reuters

© Photograph: Eduardo Muñoz/Reuters

© Photograph: Eduardo Muñoz/Reuters

Le cycliste ratera donc les Championnats du monde de cyclisme sur route de l’UCI, à la fin de septembre à Montréal.

A new study offers more evidence that America’s biggest sport produces life-altering head trauma. The NFL will never turn itself off, so it’s on fans to do so

As a new NFL season begins this Wednesday, the danger of America’s most-watched sport has never been more clear.

A new and widely circulated study published in the British Medical Journal examined the donated brains of former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 and compared them with the overall number of players who died during that period. Of the 235 donated brains in that period, 215 had evidence of the degenerative brain condition chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). That group of 215 comprised 24.5% of the former players who died during that period in total. Given the finding, the study’s authors estimate that the prevalence of CTE among players who died in that period was at minimum 24.5% to a maximum of 97.7%, with the actual rate likely somewhere in between.

Nathan Kalman-Lamb is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of New Brunswick. Derek Silva is Associate Professor of Sociology and Criminology at King’s University College at Western University.

In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org

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© Photograph: John Amis/AP

© Photograph: John Amis/AP

© Photograph: John Amis/AP

Pour sa première de la saison à domicile, le Paris Saint-Germain s'est incliné contre Monaco, qui a enchaîné un troisième succès de suite et reprend la tête du championnat. Les Parisiens restent sans victoire depuis quatre matchs.

• Knyba wins unanimous decision after dropping Ruiz

• Former champion struggles badly after 762-day layoff

• Ruiz, 36, insists another title run remains possible

Andy Ruiz Jr’s comeback bid was left in tatters on Friday night after the former unified heavyweight champion was knocked down and picked apart in a sobering unanimous-decision defeat to Damian Knyba in Newark, New Jersey.

Knyba won by scores of 117-110 and 114-113 twice, handing Ruiz the third defeat of his professional career and dealing a devastating blow to his hopes of becoming a two-time champion in boxing’s prestige division. The baffling pair of 114-113 cards flattered Ruiz considerably and bore little relation to the mostly one-way traffic that unfolded. (The Guardian had it 117-110.)

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© Photograph: Ed Mulholland/Getty Images

© Photograph: Ed Mulholland/Getty Images

© Photograph: Ed Mulholland/Getty Images

• American duo lose 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-6(7) to Maya Joint and Chan Hao-ching

• Serena and Venus crash out of women’s doubles in first round

In the end, after so much toil and admirable fight, defeat came swiftly for one of the greatest doubles teams to ever share a tennis court. Upon their return to prime time in New York, Venus and Serena Williams fought desperately to overturn the various deficits they found themselves in over three hours inside a thunderous Arthur Ashe Stadium.

They came close. The Williams sisters had clawed their way back into the match after trailing a 1-4 in their final set against Chan Hao-ching and Maya Joint, and they established a 5-0 lead in the third set tie-break. Just as they appeared to be on the verge of victory, they were brushed aside, losing 6-3, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (7) in the first round of the US Open.

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© Photograph: Julian Finney/Getty Images

© Photograph: Julian Finney/Getty Images

© Photograph: Julian Finney/Getty Images

«Mon jeu est à un niveau au-delà de ce que j’espérais», a déclaré l’Espagnol après le match.

• Australian returns on AU$4.9m contract after season on sidelines

• Former No 1 pick hopes to reignite basketball career with fourth club

Australian former No 1 overall draft pick Ben Simmons has taken a significant step towards resurrecting his NBA career, agreeing a one-year deal with the Sacramento Kings.

The Melbourne-born guard returns on a US$3.5m (AU$4.9m) contract after sitting ‌out the entire 2025-26 campaign while rehabilitating back and leg injuries that have hampered him in recent years.

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© Photograph: Adam Hunger/AP

© Photograph: Adam Hunger/AP

© Photograph: Adam Hunger/AP

Une forte odeur de cannabis a d’ailleurs ennuyé la Biélorusse durant son match.

Amazon arrive comme «un cheval de Troie» dans le décor, selon un expert.

La Lavalloise de 23 ans avait pourtant connu un départ fulgurant au stade Arthur Ashe.

• New pact includes terms for first-division USL Premier

• Base pay for Championship grows from $31k to $42k

• Agreement runs through the 2030 season

The United Soccer League and USL Players Association announced the ratification of a new collective bargaining agreement for two levels of the organization’s pyramid on Friday, with fresh terms taking effect immediately and running through 2030. The new pact include a second agreement for the second-division USL Championship as well as the first set of terms for the upcoming USL Premier, a first-division sanctioned league scheduled to lauch in 2028.

Among the headline items of the deals is the introduction of 12-month contracts for players, a codified first in the US lower divisions. The first USL CBAs worked to standardize 10-month contracts; before then, clubs varied in their commitments to players. Championship players will earn a base compensation (which includes housing) of $42,000 in 2026 – up from $31,000 – with that floor increasing annually over the term of the agreement. The USL Premier will also launch with 12-month contracts and a compensation floor of $67,500 in 2028 with annual increases worked into the CBA.

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© Photograph: Doug Zimmerman/ISI Photos/Getty Images

© Photograph: Doug Zimmerman/ISI Photos/Getty Images

© Photograph: Doug Zimmerman/ISI Photos/Getty Images

• ‘It’s tricky to handle when you’re trying to compete’

• Alcaraz into fourth round after straight sets victory

Aryna Sabalenka briefly stopped her match at the US Open to complain about the strong smell of cannabis on her court as she comfortably reached the fourth round in New York.

Sabalenka, the two-time defending champion, continued her attempts to rebuild her form as she overcame a challenging test from Kamilla Rakhimova before winning 6-3, 6-4.

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© Photograph: Eduardo Muñoz/Reuters

© Photograph: Eduardo Muñoz/Reuters

© Photograph: Eduardo Muñoz/Reuters

• Seven-year tenure included both growth and tumult

• Internal and external candidates are on league’s radar

• Analysis: Cathy Engelbert’s defining wins and losses

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert is retiring at the end of the year, bringing to a close her seven-plus years at the helm of the league and a stewardship that has been transformative and at times tumultuous.

Engelbert is the second-longest tenured WNBA president or commissioner, and she helped negotiate a lucrative collective bargaining agreement this past spring that resulted in the league’s first set of million-dollar player salaries.

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© Photograph: Nam Y Huh/AP

© Photograph: Nam Y Huh/AP

© Photograph: Nam Y Huh/AP

Jeering and heckling are increasingly commonplace, even at grand slams, as spectators try to influence matches

Midway through the first week of the US Open a couple of years ago, Jiri Lehecka’s attempts to find his form were disrupted by incessant taunting from a spectator close by. “There was a guy who sat just behind my bench on a smaller court, court four, and he was talking to me basically for the first three sets, like non-stop,” Lehecka says. “He was talking to me like: ‘You can’t do it. You are tired. He’s better than you are.’”

Lehecka maintained his composure and closed out the match, but even as he focused on navigating the intense stress of competition, he believed he understood this spectator’s motivations. The spectator, he thinks, was not there just to cheer for his favourite player: he was a bettor who had put money on Lehecka to lose. He had entered court four solely to influence the outcome of the match.

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© Photograph: Al Bello/Getty Images

© Photograph: Al Bello/Getty Images

© Photograph: Al Bello/Getty Images

Defending champions Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka progressed alongside other top seeds in Friday’s third-round matches

Leylah Fernandez has broken Pegula early, taking a 2-0 lead in the first. You might recall that Fernandez was Emma Raducanu’s opponent in the 2021 US Open final; since losing that match, the Canadian has only gone past the third round at a slam once (the 2022 French Open, where she made the quarter-finals) but has won five WTA Tour titles and is a consistent presence in the world’s top 30. So which career path would you prefer: hers or Raducanu’s?

Sabalenka takes the first set 6-3, remaining dominant against an opponent who is playing decent stuff. Marta Kostyuk also claims the first set 6-3 over Alexandrova, while Sorana Cirstea has claimed the opener against Paolini by the same score. That feels like an upset, even though Cirstea is seeded higher – No 16 to Paolini’s 19.

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© Photograph: Robert Deutsch/IMAGN IMAGES/Reuters

© Photograph: Robert Deutsch/IMAGN IMAGES/Reuters

© Photograph: Robert Deutsch/IMAGN IMAGES/Reuters

Recruiting ex-pros. Inflaming Ukraine-Russia tensions. Suing the SEC and being sued back. The school is adapting to a new reality – and also creating a new one

In 1893, a chemistry professor named Charles Coates arrived at Louisiana State University and wrote that, to his surprise, “there was practically no athletics in the student body: no football, no tennis, and only very little baseball in the spring.” A broad program of sports struck him as the kind of thing a school should have, particularly as US universities were beginning to tout intercollegiate athletics as critical to a balanced higher-ed experience and another way to justify the cost of entry. But 133 years on, sports aren’t merely the main attraction at LSU. They’re the school’s raison d’être, the blinkered obsession that consumes the university and its most prominent ambassadors.

Any doubt that the business of educating college students is just a nettlesome distraction from the business of college sports in Baton Rouge has been emphatically dispelled over the past 10 months. On the football side, the school has spent or committed roughly $162m to its last three head coaches: Ed Orgeron, the folksy national champion in 2019 who received a $17m buyout when he was fired two years later; Brian Kelly, the unloved underachiever who received a $54m buyout after being fired last October; and Lane Kiffin, the Kelly replacement whom it signed to a $91m deal a month later. Clemson, the opponent for LSU’s season opener at home on Saturday, are about to find out what all that money buys.

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© Composite: Photos by Gus Stark/LSU/University Images via Getty Images; Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images; AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

© Composite: Photos by Gus Stark/LSU/University Images via Getty Images; Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images; AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

© Composite: Photos by Gus Stark/LSU/University Images via Getty Images; Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images; AP Photo/Gerald Herbert