Maria Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam singles champion, and the doubles team of brothers Mike and Bob Bryan are candidates for the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s class of 2025.
Daniel Nestor, a Canadian with 12 major doubles titles, is also back on the list that was released on Tuesday.
Sharapova is one of only 10 women who have won all four Grand Slam titles. She won her first major at Wimbledon in 2004 when she was 17.
The Russian player won the French Open twice, the U.S. Open in 2006, and the Australian Open in 2008. She reached No. 1 in the WTA rankings and stayed in the top 5 for 408 weeks.
Maria Sharapova of Russia celebrates after she won the women’s final match against Ana Ivanovic of Serbia during the Brisbane International tennis tournament
The Bryan brothers won 16 major doubles titles together, the Olympic gold medal in 2012, and were ranked No. 1 in doubles for a record 438 weeks.
Mike Bryan has the most Grand Slam doubles titles with 18, including two with Jack Sock when his twin brother was injured in 2018.
Nestor has eight doubles and four mixed doubles major titles and won the Olympic gold medal in 2000.
The new Hall of Fame class will be announced in October, and the enshrinement weekend is scheduled for August 21-23, 2025.
Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz have both won their matches to set up an all-American semifinal at the U.S. Open, ensuring that a U.S. player will be in the final for the first time in 18 years.
Tiafoe, ranked 20th, reached the final four at Flushing Meadows for the second time in three years after his opponent, Grigor Dimitrov, had to stop playing due to an injury in the fourth set.
Tiafoe was ahead 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 4-1 when Dimitrov retired, ending the match anticlimactic. “It’s not the way I want to get through,” Tiafoe said, “but happy to get through. Another semifinal here. Incredible.”
Earlier in the day, Fritz advanced with a more dramatic finish. He watched his opponent, No. 4 Alexander Zverev, make a final error, then dropped his neon-colored racket, pumped his fists, and shouted, “Come on!”
He celebrated with Zverev before stepping to the center of Arthur Ashe Stadium to shout, “Come on!” again.
Fritz, who has worked hard to climb the rankings and become the top American man in tennis, finally made it to a major semifinal by defeating Zverev 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3).
Taylor Fritz returns the ball
The 12th-seeded Taylor Fritz, a 26-year-old from California, had a record of 0-4 in Grand Slam quarterfinals before today. He is set to play against his longtime friend Frances Tiafoe, a 26-year-old from Maryland, in the semifinal on Friday.
Tiafoe had previously lost to Carlos Alcaraz, who went on to win the 2022 U.S. Open, in last year’s semifinals. Fritz leads their head-to-head record 6-1 as professionals.
“This is the biggest match of me and Taylor’s life. We’ve known each other for so long. I’ve been playing against him since (14-and-under tournaments),” Tiafoe said in an on-court interview. “So to be able to play him here … is going to be awesome. I know we’re two Americans, but I hope you’re all with me come Friday.”
The match between Fritz and Tiafoe is the first time two American men will face each other in a Grand Slam semifinal since 2005, when Andre Agassi defeated Robby Ginepri in New York.
No American man has won a Grand Slam singles title since Andy Roddick at the U.S. Open in 2003, and Roddick was the last American to reach a U.S. Open final, losing to Roger Federer in 2006.
Frances Tiafoe celebrates after winning a point
Grigor Dimitrov, the No. 9 seed, had played a five-set match in the fourth round and seemed to be struggling late in the third set against Tiafoe.
He was seen grabbing at his left hamstring, moving slowly between points, and serving much slower than earlier in the match. After the third set, Dimitrov was checked by a trainer and then went to the locker room for treatment.
He came back to play the fourth set but couldn’t move well and eventually had to retire. Dimitrov, a 33-year-old from Bulgaria who has reached three major semifinals, did not specify what the issue was, only mentioning it was a mix of problems.
“Just a disappointing moment for me,” Dimitrov said. “I need to reassess a couple of things.”
The other men’s quarterfinals will take place Wednesday: No. 1 Jannik Sinner vs. No. 5 Daniil Medvedev, and No. 10 Alex de Minaur vs. No. 25 Jack Draper.
In the women’s draw, No. 13 Emma Navarro from the U.S. reached her first Grand Slam semifinal by winning the last six games in a 6-2, 7-5 match against No. 26 Paula Badosa. Navarro will now play against No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka.
Fritz used his strong serving, winning 20 of 21 points when his first serves were in during the fourth set, along with powerful forehands. He was also effective at the net, winning 16 of 24 points when he moved forward and managed to get 10 breakpoints.
Taylor Fritz reacts after winning the match
Although Fritz only converted two of those break points, he kept putting pressure on Zverev, a German who reached the U.S. Open finals in 2020 and the French Open finals this year.
Fritz’s previous quarterfinal losses were in July at Wimbledon against Lorenzo Musetti, and earlier against 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic and 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal.
One of those losses was at last year’s U.S. Open against Djokovic, who went on to win the title. Djokovic was knocked out in the third round this time, and Nadal did not compete in the tournament.
Fritz’s coach, Michael Russell, mentioned that they didn’t discuss past losses before this quarterfinal.
“It’s great to be in the semis, but I still feel like ‘the job’s not done,’” Fritz said. “People used to ask me every time I lost in the quarterfinals, ‘What’s it going to take to go further?’
And my answer was always: Just keep putting myself in these situations, and I’ll get more comfortable and improve. That’s definitely what has happened now. The quarterfinals don’t feel like such a big deal to me as they have in the past.”
On Tuesday, Taylor Townsend and Donald Young moved on to the U.S. Open mixed doubles final, keeping Townsend’s hopes alive for winning two doubles titles at the event.
Townsend and Young, who is retiring after this tournament, defeated the No. 8-seeded team of Aldila Sutjiadi and Rohan Bopanna with scores of 6-3, 6-4. They will face Italians Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, the No. 3 seeds, in Thursday’s final.
Earlier in the day, Townsend and Katerina Siniakova, who won the Wimbledon women’s doubles title, reached the semifinals at Flushing Meadows by beating the No. 8-seeded team of Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani 6-2, 6-3. Townsend and Siniakova, who are seeded third, will next play against the unseeded pair of Kristina Mladenovic and Zhang Shuai.
Katerina Siniakova, of the Czech Republic, and Taylor Townsend, of the United States, react during a second round match of the U.S. Open tennis championships
In the other women’s semifinal, No. 7 Lyudmyla Kichenok and Jelena Ostapenko will compete against No. 10 Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova.
For the men’s doubles semifinals, No. 7 Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson will play against No. 13 Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Winthrow, while No. 4 Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic face No. 10 Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz.
From the moment Taylor Townsend picked up a racket, Donald Young and his family have been part of her life.
She initially used her right hand but switched to her left after being inspired by Young, who also plays left-handed.
Young’s mother played doubles with Townsend’s mother, and his father was Townsend’s first coach. As a fellow Black tennis player from Chicago, Young helped Townsend believe that a professional tennis career was achievable.
That’s why it is so special that Townsend might help Young end his career with a Grand Slam title.
Young and Townsend have reached the U.S. Open mixed doubles final, which will be Young’s last match before he retires from tennis.
“This is the decision, I’m happy with it and hopefully go one more, and it’d be really a dream come true and kind of a storybook ending for me,” Young said.
Taylor Townsend reacts after scoring a point
They won against the No. 8-seed team of Aldila Sutjiadi and Rohan Bopanna 6-3, 6-4 in the semifinals on Tuesday night. Townsend, 28, expressed to the fans that she wouldn’t be on the court in front of them if not for Young’s influence.
Young was the top junior player in 2005, a year after he turned professional. He had become a rising star in American men’s tennis, and Townsend saw his successes up close.
“Him winning junior Wimbledon, junior Australian Open, going onto the tour, breaking out on tour and then coming home and being able to bring that accomplishment to us and being able to see that stuff, it was the closest that I ever had to being near anyone that was doing this at this level,” Townsend said.
Mauricio Pochettino instructs players from the sideline
U.S. players are waiting to find out if Mauricio Pochettino will be hired as their new coach as they get ready for friendlies against Canada and New Zealand.
All 24 players on the team practiced on Tuesday with interim coach Mikey Varas, who is an assistant to Gregg Berhalter and will lead the team for these matches. The U.S. Soccer Federation started talks with Pochettino three weeks ago but hasn’t made any public statements about the process.
“We know as much as everybody else,” defender Tim Ream said. “We were told a few weeks ago that the search was going well, and that’s where things stand right now.
We’re aware that when something is decided, we will find out quickly, but we haven’t been told that anything is final yet.”
Mauricio Pochettino, left, and Pep Guardiola gesture during the English FA Cup semifinal soccer match
Berhalter was let go on July 10, shortly after the U.S. was knocked out in the first round of Copa America. The new coach will have 21 months to prepare for the 2026 World Cup, which the U.S. will co-host with Canada and Mexico.
Ream knows Pochettino from their time in the Premier League, where he played for Fulham against Tottenham and Chelsea, both managed by Pochettino.
“His teams are always tough to play against,” Ream said. “He’s a high-quality manager. His teams are well organized and very strong in attack.”
If hired, Pochettino would be the U.S.’s 10th coach in the past 14 years, including four interim coaches and Berhalter during two separate terms. Players are used to adapting quickly when a new coach comes in.
Cole Palmer, Ollie Watkins, and Phil Foden will not be available for England’s upcoming UEFA Nations League games against Ireland and Finland.
England is set to play in Dublin on Saturday and then host Finland at Wembley three days later. This will be the first time England competes under interim manager Lee Carsley since finishing as the Euro 2024 runner-up.
England was moved down from the top-tier Nations League group in 2022. This will be the first competitive match between England and Ireland since 1991.
Phil Foden celebrates after a goal
Gareth Southgate resigned as manager after the European Championship, and Carsley has been named as the temporary manager.
“The Three Lions squad reported to St. George’s Park on Tuesday but, following assessment, both Palmer and Watkins returned to their clubs to continue rehabilitation for ongoing issues,” the Football Association said in a statement.
“Foden did not report due to illness and is ruled out of the matches against Republic of Ireland and Finland.”
Kelsey Mitchell has become an ideal partner for Caitlin Clark in the backcourt, and together they have helped the Indiana Fever make a strong comeback since the Olympic break. This performance has put Indiana into the playoffs.
The Fever have won six out of their last seven games and are now above .500 for the first time since June 13, 2019. Their recent victory over Dallas brought their record to 17-16.
Before this, the Fever had set a WNBA record by going 189 games without a winning record, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Indiana secured its first playoff spot since 2016 when Chicago and Atlanta both lost on Tuesday night. The Fever are currently sixth in the standings.
Mitchell, who has been with the Fever since 2018, is one of the few remaining players from the team’s tough years. She hadn’t won more than 13 games in any season until now.
“I know what the bottom feels like, and I don’t want to be there no more,” Mitchell said.
Since the break for the Paris Games, Mitchell has scored more than 20 points in all seven games and is averaging 28.3 points per game, which is the second highest in the league after A’ja Wilson.
Kelsey Mitchell tries to make a basket
Mitchell is having her best scoring season, averaging 19 points per game. She was the leading scorer for Indiana last season with an average of 18.2 points.
“I think Kelsey has been playing really good basketball. She only makes my life easier when you have that 1-2 combo in the backcourt,” Clark said. “It’s lot of fun for myself to play that way. I think we’re just playing up-tempo.”
Mitchell enjoys playing alongside Clark, who leads the league in assists with 8.4 per game.
“I think that me and Caitlin, as well as our group, I think we just found a way,” Mitchell said. “I think our pace is kind of setting us apart from a lot of different teams.
Because you like to get the ball up and down the court at such a high pace. And I think the way that we play, it just makes our games thrive even more.”
The Fever will play six consecutive home games starting Wednesday against the last-place Los Angeles Sparks, leading up to their regular-season finale at Washington.
A’ja Wilson scored 30 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, while Chelsea Gray added 13 points and 10 assists, leading the Las Vegas Aces to a 90-71 victory over the Chicago Sky on Tuesday night. This win marked the Sky’s seventh consecutive loss.
With Chicago’s defeat and Atlanta’s loss in Phoenix, the Mercury and the Indiana Fever, who were idle, secured their spots in the playoffs.
Tiffany Hayes, who started in place of Kelsey Plum due to Plum’s sore ankle, scored 20 points for the Aces (21-12). Jackie Young also contributed 15 points.
Wilson’s performance, which included three blocks, three assists, and two steals without any fouls, was her eighth game this season with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds.
This effort helped Las Vegas maintain a one-game lead over Seattle for the fourth playoff spot and homecourt advantage in the first round.
Angel Reese tries to shoot over A’ja Wilson in the 2nd half
She has now scored 139 points in her last four games, tying Maya Moore for the most points in a four-game WNBA stretch. Moore set this record for Minnesota 10 years ago.
The game was held at T-Mobile Arena instead of the Aces’ usual Mandalay Bay venue, attracting 18,394 fans, the second-highest home attendance in franchise history.
For Chicago, Michaela Onyenwere led with 15 points, while Kamilla Cardoso added 14, Dana Evans had 13 points off the bench, and Angel Reese set a rookie record with her 25th double-double, scoring 12 points and pulling down 16 rebounds.
The Aces were ahead 47-31 at halftime, but the Sky made a push, with Evans hitting a 3-pointer to close the gap to 78-68 with 3:58 remaining. Wilson then scored six consecutive points to help the Aces pull away.
Las Vegas led 17-13 after the first quarter and went on a 13-point run to start the second, with Gray scoring seven points and assisting on the other three baskets. The Aces extended their lead to 68-51 by the start of the fourth quarter, with Young contributing four points to an 8-2 closing run.
Raheim Sanders is tackled by Jahron Manning in the 1st half of the game
South Carolina needs to quickly improve its offense. The Gamecocks focused on starting faster this offseason and expected some challenges without key players like quarterback Spencer Rattler and receiver Xavier Legette.
However, their performance last week in a 23-19 win was disappointing, as the offense struggled to get going.
“No one’s happy in this building with the offensive performance at all,” coach Shane Beamer said on Tuesday.
This frustration comes after Old Dominion, a team from the Sun Belt Conference, limited South Carolina to 288 total yards and only 114 passing yards. The Gamecocks had several long drives stopped inside Old Dominion’s 30-yard line, and there were missed connections between first-time starter LaNorris Sellers and his receivers.
“We all need to be better,” Beamer said. “Starting with me.”
The situation won’t improve easily as the Gamecocks (1-0) begin Southeastern Conference play against Kentucky (1-0) — their first conference game of the season and the only one on Saturday.
Even with Rattler, who threw for 3,186 yards, and Legette, who had 1,255 yards and was the second-highest receiver, the Gamecocks were 12th out of 14 SEC teams in offense last season.
Shane Beamer checks the scoreboard after a touchdown
The lack of experience was evident. Coastal Carolina transfer receiver Jared Brown dropped a guaranteed touchdown pass from Sellers, a second-year freshman who learned under Rattler last season.
Sellers, normally reliable, fumbled and was sacked four times.
Arkansas transfer Rocket Sanders, brought in to boost the running game, showed some potential with 88 yards on 24 carries, though the offensive line was inconsistent.
South Carolina’s defense was the standout, making key plays such as forcing an Old Dominion fumble near the goal line, which Sellers then ran 6 yards for the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter.
Georgia Tech transfer Kyle Kennard and South Carolina freshman defensive end Dylan Stewart were named co-SEC linemen of the week.
Together, they managed four sacks against the Monarchs, with Stewart also forcing two fumbles, including one in the fourth quarter that led to the Gamecocks’ final touchdown.
“That’s the hallmark of what our team’s going to be,” Kennard said. “There are going to be games where we need to pick it up and our offense is going to walk on ahead. We were able to do that for them this season.”
Sellers admitted he might have been overwhelmed by his first start in front of around 78,000 fans. He felt nervous, rushed some decisions, and didn’t use the solid technique he had shown in practice.
Mario Eastely runs with the ball in the first half of the game
“It wasn’t the best,” Sellers said. “I was tentative a little bit, kind of nervous, scared of making a mistake. I’ve just got to play like myself.”
After the game, Beamer, offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains, and offensive analyst Mike Shula talked with Sellers about staying positive and playing confidently.
Beamer told him before the game, “he didn’t need to be Superman. We’re better with the talent around him than were around Spencer last year.”
Beamer was pleased with his offensive line, which included Josiah Thompson, a 6-7, 300-pound freshman, at left tackle.
“We played really, really hard on the offensive line,” Beamer said.
The offensive line will need to step up this week against Kentucky, whose defense features a 6-6, 345-pound tackle named Deone Walker.
Walker “can wreck your entire game plan, not just mess up a play,” Beamer said admiringly. Sellers is confident that he and the Gamecocks’ offense will fix their issues and play up to their potential.
“I think it was just a first-game thing, with 80,000 people,” Sellers said. “Now that I got that out of the way, I think I’ll be good from now on.”
A year ago, Deion Sanders turned his matchup with coach Matt Rhule and Nebraska into something personal.
This season, he’s full of praise.
The Colorado coach spoke highly of his rival just days before the Buffaloes head to Lincoln, Nebraska, for their last game against the Cornhuskers for the foreseeable future.
Sanders feels that he and Rhule are part of the same coaching group since they both started around the same time and were both given the job of improving struggling programs.
Both coaches faced challenges in their first year—Sanders and the Buffaloes ended up with a 4-8 record, while Rhule and the Cornhuskers finished 5-7.
“I have a ton of respect for Matt Rhule,” Sanders said on Tuesday during his regular news conference. “He’s in, I call it, our class of coaches. … So I root for that class of head coaches that came in that year.
He was a professional, did a phenomenal job, maybe not the job that he aspired to do, but he has a ton of experience, and I love what he’s accomplished in his college coaching career.”
Matt Rhule tales with the reporters in an NCAA news conference
This is quite different from last season when the Buffaloes’ theme for the Nebraska game was “This is personal.” This reflected the rivalry’s history and the Buffaloes’ reaction to some critical remarks from Lincoln that spring.
Particularly upsetting to the Buffaloes was Rhule’s comments about being excited to work with the players he inherited while others were more focused on players coming in through the transfer portal.
Tensions flared early last September when Shedeur Sanders led Colorado to a 36-14 victory over Nebraska.
Before the game, Shedeur Sanders was upset when Rhule’s team huddled on the Buffaloes’ midfield logo during pregame warmups. Sanders went over and broke up the huddle.
On Monday, Rhule avoided answering whether this game was a clash of cultures.
“I think they’re a competitive culture,” Rhule said, referring to his team’s 40-7 win over UTEP with a standout performance by prized recruit Dylan Raiola.
“They go recruit and get the best players they can get. They do well in school. They don’t get in trouble off the field and they compete. I respect that with what they do.”
The highlight of Week 2 in college football kicks off early on Saturday.
No. 3 Texas will visit No. 10 Michigan, the defending national champion, in the only top-10 matchup of the day. This game is part of Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff and happens 20 years after the Longhorns won their only previous encounter in a memorable Rose Bowl.
Last season, the Longhorns were in the College Football Playoff but lost to Washington, the team that Michigan defeated in the championship game.
Another notable game features No. 14 Tennessee against No. 24 North Carolina State, which is the only other Top 25 matchup. Watch for Tennessee’s talented Nico Iamaleava to challenge the Wolfpack defense in Charlotte.
The rest of the schedule has its own excitement.
Boise State and standout running back Ashton Jeanty will face No. 7 Oregon, which struggled last week with FCS Idaho. Dillon Gabriel had good numbers against Idaho but was sacked three times, and the Ducks had eight penalties.
Avery Johnson runs with the ball
Boise State, a strong contender for the Group of Five spot in the College Football Playoff, will be a tough opponent despite being underdogs by nearly three touchdowns.
Deion Sanders will lead his Colorado Buffaloes to Nebraska for a matchup between former Big Eight-Big 12 rivals looking to get back on track.
The focus will be on the quarterbacks: Colorado’s dynamic Shadeur Sanders and highly-rated freshman Dylan Raiola.
Arkansas, fresh off a 70-0 win against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, will have a tougher challenge when it travels to No. 16 Oklahoma State.
Iowa State will visit No. 21 Iowa for the annual CyHawk Game, and South Carolina will head to Kentucky for the first Southeastern Conference game of the season.
Southern California wide receiver Kyron Hudson pulls in a pass between LSU linebacker West Weeks and safety Major Burns during the first half of an NCAA college football game
Even after making what might be the best catch of the college football season—a spectacular one-handed grab where he pulled the ball to his chest while twisting to the ground—Southern California wide receiver Kyron Hudson hasn’t seen much change in his life.
“I guess followers (on social media) is up,” Hudson said. “Besides that, nothing’s been different. I kind of just been moving the same way I’ve been moving, keep my head up straight, and ready for the next game.”
Hudson’s steady approach has paid off during his four years with the currently 13th-ranked Trojans. It helped him make two crucial catches in their 27-20 victory over then-No. 13 LSU in Las Vegas on Sunday.
Besides his spectacular 24-yard catch in the second quarter, Hudson also helped set up the game-winning touchdown run by Woody Marks with a 20-yard reception along the sideline.
Hudson held onto the ball despite a helmet-to-helmet hit from Tigers safety Jardin Gilbert, who was penalized for targeting.
Ismael Benigno stadium in Brazil
Hudson thought the second catch was even harder.
“I think many people would probably say the first, but the second really isn’t an easy catch, catching it like that and taking a hit like that,” he said. “Definitely the second.”
Hudson was aware of the hit from Gilbert coming.
“From there, you either embrace the contact or you just be ready for it,” Hudson said. “I think the ball is the most important thing.”
But it was the incredible catch earlier in the game that left Hudson’s teammates amazed.
“I live with him, and I still don’t believe it,” receiver Kyle Ford said. “I think I told him like five times last night that I still didn’t believe that he caught it. I’m just so proud of him, honestly. It was a really cool moment for him.”
