Update on the latest sports
APTENNIS-US OPEN
Djokovic and Zverev meet in another semifinal
NEW YORK (AP) — Novak Djokovic’s (NOH’-vak JOH’-kuh-vich-ehz) bid for an Olympic gold medal was stopped in the semifinals in Tokyo by Alexander Zverev. Now it’s Zverev again who can end the top-seeded Djokovic’s quest for the first calendar-year Grand Slam in men’s tennis since Rod Laver in 1969.
They meet in the second semifinal Friday, after No. 2 seed Daniil Medvedev faces No. 12 Felix Auger-Aliassime (OH’-zhay AL’-ee-ah-seem).
Zverev rallied from a set down to beat Djokovic in Tokyo, then went on to win the gold medal for Germany. Seeded fourth in Flushing Meadows, Zverev has won 16 straight matches since Auger-Aliassime beat him at Wimbledon.
Djokovic won the championship at Wimbledon for his 20th Grand Slam title, tying Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for most by a men’s player. With a victory Friday, Djokovic will tie another Federer record with his 31st appearance in a Grand Slam final.
The men’s doubles final and the women’s doubles semifinals are also on Friday’s schedule.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-BIG 12 EXPANSION
Big 12 invites BYU, UCF, Cincinnati and Houston to join
UNDATED (AP) — The Big 12 has extended membership invitations to BYU, UCF, Cincinnati and Houston to join the Power Five conference that will be losing Oklahoma and Texas to the Southeastern Conference. The eight continuing members of the Big 12 unanimously approved the applications of the four schools on Friday.
The moves come six weeks after the SEC invited Texas and Oklahoma to join its league in time for the 2025-26 season. There remains the possibility that could happen sooner, but the Big 12 is focused on its additions for now.
After identifying its primary expansion targets last week, the Big 12 moved quickly to make it happen. The four schools had previously been vetted and interviewed by the league in 2016 when it considered expansion before staying at 10 teams.
BYU said all its sports will begin Big 12 schedules in the 2023-24 athletic season. BYU is an independent in football, but competes in the West Coast Conference for basketball and its Olympic sports. UCF, Houston and Cincinnati are in the American Athletic Conference, which requires members to give 27 months’ notice if they plan to leave the league, though there could be negotiations between the schools and that league to reduce the time before beginning Big 12 play.
With the additions, the Big 12 will be spread across eight states and three time zones.
T25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL-KANSAS/COASTAL CAROLINA
No. 17 Coastal Carolina looks to keep rolling vs Kansas
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — No. 17 Coastal Carolina looks to continue its rise, this time with its first home game against a Power Five conference opponent. The Chanticleers, who have won 12 of their past 13 games, host Kansas Friday night.
Coastal Carolina has won both games against the Jayhawks the past two seasons, and both contests were played in Lawrence, Kansas. The school has called for fans to wear white for a “White-Out” this week. It’s hoping to set an attendance record at its 20,000-seat Brooks Stadium.
Coastal Carolina opened the season with a 52-14 victory over The Citadel.
NFL-JETS-CROWDER OUT
Jets’ Crowder still recovering from COVID, out vs Panthers
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — New York Jets wide receiver Jamison Crowder will miss the season opener at Carolina on Sunday while he continues to recover from COVID-19.
Crowder, who led the Jets in receptions the last two seasons, was placed on the COVID-19 list last Friday after testing positive for the coronavirus. Crowder is vaccinated, but is still working through symptoms.
Per NFL protocols, vaccinated players are allowed to return to the team if they have two negative tests 24 hours apart.
Coach Robert Saleh ruled Crowder out Friday for the game against the Panthers.
Fellow wide receiver Keelan Cole is uncertain to play after injuring a knee during practice Thursday.
MLB-RED SOX-SALE
Red Sox lefty Sale has COVID-19, scratched from Sunday start
CHICAGO (AP) — Chris Sale has tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss his next start.
A Red Sox spokesman confirmed the result on Friday morning, two days before the seven-time All-Star was to face the White Sox in Chicago.
The result is yet another setback for the 32-year-old left-hander, who missed all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery. Since returning Aug. 14, Sale is 3-0 with a 2.52 ERA.
It’s also a setback for the Red Sox, who entered Friday with a one-game lead over the New York Yankees for the AL’s top wild-card berth. Toronto was another half-game back as it tries to swipe the second wild-card spot from its AL East rivals.
MLB-SCHEDULE
Angels’ dual threat Ohtani starts at Astros
UNDATED (AP) — Big league home run leader Shohei Ohtani (SHOH’-hay oh-TAH’-nee) is unbeaten in his last 13 starts going into the Los Angeles Angels’ outing in Friday night against the AL West-leading Astros in Houston. Ohtani is 8-0 since his last loss.
Considered by many the leading candidate for AL MVP, he has struck out 135 and allowed just 79 hits in 112 innings. He’s also hit 43 homers and ranks among the MLB leaders with 23 stolen bases. Ohtani got a no-decision in a start at Houston on May 11, striking out 10 in seven innings. The only run he gave up in that game came on Kyle Tucker’s homer.
In other highlights of Friday’s schedule:
— Joey Votto and the Cincinnati Reds visit St. Louis for a big weekend series in the race for the second NL wild card. The Reds and Cardinals are trying to chase down San Diego. The Reds trail the Padres by one game, and the Cardinals are three games back. Tyler Mahle (MAH’-lee) starts the opener for Cincinnati against Jon Lester. The sputtering Reds have dropped eight of 11, and the Cardinals are coming off two straight wins against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
— Dodgers left-hander Julio Urías (oo-REE’-uhs) starts off a six-game homestand with the first of three against the San Diego Padres and right-hander Joe Musgrove. Urías is 2-1 with a 3.23 ERA in 10 career appearances against the Padres. The Padres are 7-6 against the World Series champions so far this year, with each team scoring 51 runs.
— Blue Jays lefty Robbie Ray leads the American League in ERA at 2.60 and innings at 166. He’ll pitch the opener of a series for wild card-chasing Toronto at Baltimore. Ray has struck out at least 10 batters in four consecutive starts, amassing 45 strikeouts and five walks over 28 2/3 innings. He recently reached 1,000 career innings with 1,241 strikeouts, surpassing Yu Darvish’s major league record of 1,222 for that point in a player’s career. Ray is the all-time MLB leader with an average of 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings.
— The Yankees visit the Mets for the second and final Subway Series of the season. The Yankees have struggled since their 13-game winning streak, hurting their playoff positioning. The Mets are trying to rally into a postseason spot. Jordan Montgomery pitches for the Yanks against Tylor Megill. The series opener also serves as a reunion for Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo and Mets infielder Javier Báez, who played together with the Cubs for years before they were traded in July.
