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#SportsReport: Djokovic Falls To Zverev At Olympics; Lakers To Acquire Russell Westbrook

Tokyo Olympics logo
wikipedia.org
Tokyo Olympics logo

There will be no Golden Slam for Novak Djokovic. The top-ranked Serb lost to Alexander Zverev of Germany 1-6, 3-6, 6-1 in the semifinals of the tennis tournament at the Tokyo Olympics. Djokovic was attempting to become the first man to win all four Grand Slam tournaments and Olympic gold in the same year. He won the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon this year and needed the Olympic and U.S. Open titles to complete the collection. Zverev’s opponent in the gold-medal match will be Karen Khachanov. The Russian beat Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain 6-3, 6-3. Djokovic will play Carreno Busta for bronze.

Also at the Olympics: 

U.S. swimmer Caeleb Dressel watched his Olympic record fall in the 100-meter butterfly, only to take it right back. Minutes after Hungary's Kristof Milak took down the mark in the first semifinal heat, Dressel went even faster with a time of 49.71 seconds in the second heat. Dressel will be a big favorite in Saturday morning's final, though he could get pushed by Milak.

South Africa's Tatjana Schoenmaker set the first individual swimming world record at the games, capturing the women's 200-meter breaststroke with a time of 2 minutes, 18.95 seconds. American Lilly King set a blistering pace early in the race and held on for a silver in 2:19.92. Teammate Annie Lazor grabbed bronze in 2:20.84.

American Ryan Murphy was second in the 200-meter backstroke with a time of 1:54.15. Russia's Evgeny Rylov set an Olympic record to win the event and complete a backstroke sweep.

Americans April Ross and Alix Klineman have moved on to the Olympic beach volleyball knockout round despite dropping the opening set against the Netherlands. They were down 22-20 and 12-9 before winning the second and third sets, 21-17 and 15-5.

Reigning BMX racing gold medalist Connor Fields of the United States was carried off on a stretcher after crashing in the third semifinal heat. Fields was fourth after his opening two heats and landed hard off a jump heading into the first turn in the third run. The 28-year-old from Las Vegas slammed into the turn and lay on the track as medical personnel rushed out to help him.

MLB

Luis Patino outpitched Gerrit Cole and the Rays exploded for 10 runs in the sixth inning of a laugher against the Yankees, 14-0. Brett Phillips launched a grand slam during the big sixth inning. Austin Meadows homered twice and had five RBIs as Tampa Bay avoided a three-game sweep.

In other major league action:

Austin Riley concluded his three-day assault on the Mets with a two-run homer and three RBIs, sending the Braves to a 6-3 win. Riley opened the scoring with a fourth-inning blast and added an RBI single in the fifth. He delivered four home runs and seven ribbies in the last three games of the five-game set, helping Atlanta win the series and get within four games of New York.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. crushed a three-run homer that landed on Lansdowne Street, among the Blue Jays' highlights in a 13-1 thrashing of the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Teoscar Hernandez collected three RBIs, including a two-run double. Hernandez and Reese McGuire each had three hits as Toronto cut Boston's lead in the AL East to 1 1/2 games over Tampa Bay.

Max Scherzer was sharp in what might have been his final start for Washington, allowing three runs over six innings of a 3-1 victory over Philadelphia in Game 1. Scherzer can become a free agent this fall and is the subject of rampant trade rumors with the deadline set for Friday. The split leaves the Phils 3 ½ games behind the NL East-lead Mets. Brad Miller's walk-off grand slam off Sam Clay in the bottom of the eighth allowed the Phillies to salvage the finale, 11-8. Washington led 7-0 in the nightcap before Rhys Hoskins, Andrew McCutchen and Alec Bohm all went deep. J.T. Realmuto tied the game with an RBI single in a-three-run seventh.

The Giants' lead in the NL West is back up to three games following a 5-0 win over the second-place Dodgers. Brandon Crawford doubled home two runs in his first at-bat since returning from a left oblique strain. Wilmer Flores, Austin Slater and LaMonte Wade Jr. also drove in runs for San Francisco, which took the rubber back of the three-game set. Winning pitcher Johnny Cueto earned his first win since June 25th, yielding four hits over 5 2/3s. The loss went to David Price, who was reached for three runs over 4 1/3.

Joe Musgrove struck out 11 over seven innings of the Padres' 3-0 shutout of the Rockies. Fernando Tatis Jr. provided a run-scoring double in the first and Jake Cronenworth added a two-run homer in the eighth. Padres closer Mark Melancon pitched a scoreless ninth for his major league-leading 32nd save.

Manny Piña homered twice and drove in a career-high five runs as the Brewers crushed the Pirates, 12-0. Piña's first home run capped a five-run sixth inning before he added a two-run homer in the eighth. The NL Central leaders outscored Pittsburgh 28-3 while sweeping the series and keeping a seven-game lead over Cincinnati.

Joey Votto set a Reds record by homering for the sixth straight game, slamming a two-run blast in the first inning to ignite a 7-4 downing of the Cubs. The 37-year-old Votto homered six times in the four-game series at Wrigley Field, and has eight home runs over his record stretch. Tucker Barnhart drove in two runs on a soft groundball single for a 4-3 lead.

The Royals blanked the White Sox, 5-0 as Carlos Hernandez limited the AL Central leaders to four hits over six innings. Salvador Perez opened the scoring with his 25th home run, a two-run shot off loser Carlos Rodon. Kansas City won three out of four games in the series that ended with a blistering matinee.

Miguel Cabrera is three home runs shy of 500 for his career after slamming two more in the Tigers' 6-2 verdict over the Orioles. Casey Mize held the Orioles scoreless until they pushed across an unearned run in the seventh, the only run he allowed.

Frankie Montas struck out 10 over seven scoreless innings of the Athletics' 4-0 blanking of the Angels. The A's scored three times in the opening inning with just one hit. Starling Marte made his Oakland debut and went 1 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

In MLB news: 

The New York Yankees have added sluggers Joey Gallo and Anthony Rizzo in less than 24 hours as the trade deadline nears. Gallo's trade to New York from the Rangers has been completed, giving the heavily right-handed Yankees a much-needed powerful lefty bat. The Yanks acquired Gallo, left-hander Joely Rodriguez and cash from the Rangers for minor league right-hander Glenn Otto and infielders Ezequiel Duran, Trevor Hauver and Josh Smith. The 27-year-old Gallo is hitting .223 with 25 homers, 55 RBIs and a major league-leading 74 walks. The Cubs sent Rizzo to the Yankees in a trade for prospects. That's according to a person familiar with the deal. Rizzo is batting .248 with 14 home runs and 40 RBIs this season and can become a free agent in November.

Trying not to be outdone, the Yankees' top rival came away with a slugger. The Red Sox got All-Star slugger Kyle Schwarber from the Nationals for a minor league pitcher. Schwarber had just finished a historic homer barrage when he strained his right hamstring on July 2. The left-handed hitter could be playing again within a couple weeks. Schwarber was off to a smashing start in his first season with Washington, hitting 25 home runs with 53 RBIs in 72 games.

Cleveland manager Terry Francona is stepping down for the remainder of this season to undergo hip replacement surgery. The 62-year-old Francona has been wearing a boot on his right foot all season after undergoing toe surgery for a staph infection in February. The toe issue has exasperated the hip problem.

The Blue Jays have picked up closer Brad Hand from Washington for catcher Riley Adams.

The new-look Nationals jettisoned reliever Daniel Hudson to the Padres for right-hander Mason Thompson and shortstop Jordy Barley. Hudson is 4-1 with a 2.20 ERA over 31 outings and 32 2/3 innings.

The Mariners quickly found a replacement for the back end of their bullpen, acquiring right-hander Diego Castillo from the Rays for reliever JT Chargois and a minor league infielder.

NBA

The Detroit Pistons are hoping Cade Cunningham will be a key component to their rebuilding program. The Pistons have used the first pick in the NBA Draft to take Cunningham, who a first-team Associated Press All-American as a freshman this past season. The 6-foot-8, 220-pound point guard averaged 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists for Oklahoma State. He possesses a game that allows him to hit from 3-point range, score off the dribble or find teammates out of traps. 

There was a blockbuster trade during the draft, as the Lakers acquired All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook from the Wizards for three players and this year's first-round draft pick. According to two people with knowledge of the deal, the Lakers are trading Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Montrezl Harrell to Washington for Westbrook, who is a Los Angeles native and helped lead UCLA to a pair of Final Four appearances.

In other NBA news, Los Angeles police say New Orleans Pelicans center Jaxson Hayes was arrested on suspicion of resisting arrest after a struggle with officers responding to a report of a domestic dispute. A police statement Thursday says officers found Hayes in the front yard of a home early Wednesday and ordered him to stay outside but he repeatedly tried to get in and a struggle ensued. Officers used a Taser and other force before handcuffing him.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

The Southeastern Conference is preparing to expand by the middle of the decade. SEC university presidents have voted to invite Big 12 members Texas and Oklahoma to the league and create a 16-team powerhouse on the field and at the bank. The vote comes two days after the Longhorns and Sooners requested to join the SEC in 2025, when the schools' media rights agreement with the Big 12 expires. Texas and Oklahoma both have board of regents meetings schedule for Friday with conference affiliation on the agenda. There is the possibility the Longhorns and Sooners will join the SEC earlier that 2025. That's provided they can negotiate a buyout with the Big 12 and ESPN, which has the broadcast rights to the conference games.

NFL

The New York Jets have signed their latest quarterback of the future. Jets have worked out contract terms with Zach Wilson, the second overall selection in this year's NFL draft. Wilson received a fully guaranteed four-year, $35.15 million rookie contract that includes a signing bonus of $22.9 million and a fifth-year team option. He missed the first two practices of training camp as contract terms were being hammered out.

Elsewhere in the NFL:

The Falcons have placed defensive end-outside linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Coach Arthur Smith would not say whether Fowler tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Browns center and NFLPA President JC Tretter feels the NFL is trying to shame players by urging teams to require vaccinated and unvaccinated players to wear different colored wristbands. Tretter said it's easy to identify who isn't vaccinated because those choosing not to get the shots are required to wear masks and follow other protocols. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said he didn't want to divide his team with the wristbands.

Washington Football President Jason Wright tells The Associated Press the organization has substantially narrowed the list of potential names for the team. The unveiling is expected before the 2022 NFL draft.

NHL

The St. Louis Blues have signed forward Brandon Saad to a five-year, $22.5 million contract. The 28-year-old Saad is a five-time 20-goal scorer, including 31 for the Blue Jackets in 2015-16. He had 15 goals and 24 points in 44 games for Colorado this past season. Saad won the Stanley Cup with Chicago in 2013 and 2015 and is heading to his fifth NHL organization.

Elsewhere in the NHL:

The Stars have signed two more free agents: defenseman Jani Hakanpaa and veteran forward Michael Raffl.

The two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning have signed veteran winger Corey Perry to a $2 million, two-year contract.

© The Associated Press 2021. All Rights Reserved.