Update on the latest sports
APTENNIS-FRENCH OPEN
Djokovic-Berrettini in Wimbledon rematch
NEW YORK (AP) — The man Novak Djokovic (NOH’-vak JOH’-kuh-vich) beat to win Wimbledon is his next opponent at the U.S. Open. The No. 1 seed faces No. 6 Matteo Berrettini in the quarterfinals Wednesday night.
It’s the third straight Grand Slam tournament in which the two are meeting. Djokovic beat Berrettini in the quarterfinals of the French Open in June, then came back after dropping the first set to top the Italian again at the All England Club in July. That gave Djokovic his 20th major title, tying Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for the most among men. It also kept him on pace to be the first man to win all four Grand Slams trophies in the same year since 1969, which he would do with three more victories.
Meanwhile, Olympic gold medalist Alexander Zverev has made it back to the semifinals a year after finishing as the U.S. Open runner-up. The 24-year-old from Germany saved a set point in the opener and wound up beating unseeded Lloyd Harris 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-4 in the quarterfinals. Zverev will take a 16-match winning streak into his contest against the winner of the Djokovic-Berrettini match. Zverev lost to Dominic Thiem (teem) in a fifth-set tiebreaker in last year’s championship match at Flushing Meadows after taking the first two sets.
On the women’s side, Emma Raducanu (rah-doo-KA’-noo) has become the second teenager in two days to reach the semifinals. The 18-year-old qualifier from Britain upset Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic (BEN’-chich) 6-3, 6-4 in the quarterfinals. Raducanu joins Leylah Fernandez of Canada, who earned her semifinal spot a day after her 19th birthday.
The 150th-ranked Raducanu followed Billie Jean King in 1979 and 2009 champion Kim Clijsters (KLY’-sturz) as the only women outside the top 100 of the rankings to reach the U.S. Open semifinals. Raducanu will play No. 4 Karolina Pliskova (PLIHSH’-koh-vah) or 17th-seeded Maria Sakkari (SA’-ka-ree) in the semifinals.
NFL-NEWS
Vikings sign RT Brian O’Neill to contract extension
UNDATED (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings have signed right tackle Brian O’Neill to a contract extension, securing their most reliable blocker for the long term. Financial details of the deal weren’t immediately available.
O’Neill was drafted in the second round out of Pittsburgh in 2018 and would have been eligible for free agency next year. He cracked the lineup as a rookie and has started 42 games in his first three seasons. During his span as a starter, the Vikings have the third-most rushing yards in the NFL.
The Vikings have drafted an offensive lineman in the first or second round for four straight years. O’Neill is the oldest and most accomplished from that group.
In other NFL news:
— The Baltimore Ravens have signed Le’Veon (LEH’-vee-ahn) Bell to their practice squad, adding another backfield option in the aftermath of J.K. Dobbins’ season-ending injury. Bell was cut early last season by the New York Jets, then rushed for 328 yards in 11 games with Kansas City. He did not play in the Super Bowl for the Chiefs. Bell rushed for more than 1,000 yards three times in five seasons for Pittsburgh. He then sat out the whole 2018 season in a contract dispute. He signed with the Jets and rushed for 789 yards in 2019.
— The Houston Texans will be without kicker Kaʻimi Fairbairn because of an injury Sunday when they open the season against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Fairbairn missed the final preseason game Aug. 28 against Tampa Bay with what the team called a minor pulled muscle in his leg, and coach David Culley said Wednesday that the injury would keep him out of the opener.
GOLF-NEWS
Stricker fills out US team with 4 more Ryder Cup rookies
UNDATED (AP) — Steve Stricker has filled out his U.S. Ryder Cup team with six captain’s picks.
The list does not include Patrick Reed, who has a 7-3-2 record.
Stricker added Tony Finau (FEE’-now), Xander Schauffele (ZAN’-dur SHOW’-flee), Jordan Spieth (speeth) and Harris English. That was expected. They were next in line in the standings.
He also added Daniel Berger and Scottie Scheffler. That gives the Americans six rookies, the most for a Ryder Cup since 2008.
Scheffler is the first player since Rickie Fowler in 2010 to be picked for his first Ryder Cup without having won on the PGA Tour.
In other golf news:
— The British Open is heading back to Royal Portrush. The R&A says the world’s oldest major championship will return to the Northern Irish venue in 2025 after a successful staging of the British Open there in 2019 when Irish player Shane Lowry won by six shots. That marked the first time Royal Portrush had hosted the event since 1951. Some 237,750 spectators attended the four days of the 2019 Open and that was a record attendance in the championship’s 161-year history. A record 61,000 spectators attended practice days.
SPORTS BETTING
Half of US offers legal sports betting as NFL season begins
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — More than half of the United States now offers legal sports betting, just three years after it was allowed by the U.S. Supreme Court.
When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys kick off the NFL season Thursday night, gamblers in 26 states plus the District of Columbia are expected to be able to wager on it legally, according to the American Gaming Association, with as many as five additional states offering such bets before the season ends in February with the Super Bowl.
That’s up from 18 states with legal sports betting at the start of last year’s football season. And some of the biggest markets in the U.S., including California and Florida, are moving toward legalization, with New York planning to adopt mobile sports betting at some point.
The explosive growth of the industry comes as more and more companies join the fray, making it more challenging to gain and hold onto market share and profits. And it is making things worse for some people with gambling problems, as the industry is coming up with new ways to bet on sports, including live micro-betting on the outcome of things like the next possession in a football game.
NHL-PANTHERS-NIL DEAL
NHL’s Panthers offer deals to 200 FAU female athletes
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Panthers were seeking a female athlete from Florida Atlantic University to be the next college student they sign to an endorsement deal. Unable to choose one, they’re making the offer to more than 200 of them.
The NHL team said Wednesday that it will sign any interested and eligible FAU female athlete to a deal under the new rules that allow college players to capitalize on their name, image and likeness for endorsement opportunities. The offer covers athletes from all 10 FAU women’s programs.
No other major sports franchise is known to have made such an offer. It comes after the Panthers became the first pro team to sign a college athlete as an endorser when they struck a deal with Miami quarterback D’Eriq (dee-EH’-rihk) King earlier this summer.
BEIJING OLYMPICS-BROADCASTER PRESSURE
Broadcasters urged to cancel plans to cover Beijing Olympics
TOKYO (AP) — Some of the world’s largest broadcasters, including NBC, are being asked by human rights groups to cancel plans to cover the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing.
The request comes in an open letter from rights groups representing minorities in China including Uyghurs (WEE’-gurz), Tibetans, Hong Kong residents and others. The open letter was sent to NBC Universal chief executive officer Jeff Shell and other broadcast executives.
NBC has paid $7.75 billion for the rights to the next six Olympics. Those payments are estimated to account for about 40% of the International Olympic Committee’s income. The letter says broadcasters risk “being complicit” in the “worsening human rights abuses” in China.
The Winter Games are set to open on Feb. 4.
