Defending champion Alexei Popyrin advances to the National Bank Open quarterfinals
Popyrin, seeded 18th, will face the winner of the late match between top-seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany and No. 14 Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina.
Zverev, ranked third in the world, ended up the top seed with top-ranked Jannik Sinner — the 2023 winner — and No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz skipping the hard-court event that ends Thursday. No. 5 Jack Draper and No. 6 Novak Djokovic also sat out.
Alex Michelsen reached the quarterfinals in the afternoon, topping fellow American Learner Tien 6-3, 6-3. Michelsen will face 11th-seeded Karen Khachanov of Russia, a 6-4, 7-5 winner over eighth-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway.
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
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New York Times
36 minutes ago
- New York Times
Blue Jays takeaways: A skid, a potential Max Scherzer playoff start and deadline additions
TORONTO — The results speak for themselves. With a 7-4 extra-innings loss Sunday, the Toronto Blue Jays lost their sixth game in the last eight contests. Sandwiched around deadline chaos and sweltering Baltimore heat, this marks the team's worst stretch since April. But Toronto's skid has been more than the losses. It was a weeklong departure from the play that vaulted the Jays to the top of the American League. The slick defence stumbled. The base running sagged. The pitching missed the zone and got hit. Advertisement 'We just need to be better,' Kevin Gausman said. 'We need to play better and kind of have a little bit more focus. I think some of the things that we were really good at in our stretch when we were winning a ton of games, we kind of haven't been as sharp in those areas.' Saturday's victory, the lone win during Toronto's brief three-game homestand against the Kansas City Royals, was a return to the team's 'brand of baseball,' manager John Schneider said — grinding at-bats, error-free defence and manufactured runs. The other seven games haven't been as clean. Over the last eight contests, the Jays committed seven errors — 12 percent of the team's total errors in the span of a week. They don't have a single sacrifice fly in that stretch and have dipped slightly back below average in base-running metrics. They've scored an average of 4.25 runs per game and allowed 8.25. The concussion-induced absences of George Springer, who could return Tuesday, and Alejandro Kirk, who rejoined the Jays on Sunday, certainly hurt. The slog of games in Detroit and Baltimore amid a week with roster overhaul and trade deadline stress played a factor — but neither exclusively impacted Toronto. The Jays still sit three games up in the division. Every team has these skids, even the good ones. Now Toronto's task is ending the run. Here are three other takeaways from Toronto's weekend series and trade deadline additions: It wasn't clear if Scherzer would even get back on a big-league mound at times this year. The thumb issue that's nagged for years flared once again, requiring multiple injections and many weeks off. Now, Scherzer is pitching himself into a potential October start. Since returning to Toronto's rotation in June, Scherzer has the third-lowest ERA in the rotation (4.26), behind José Berríos and Eric Lauer. His FIP (4.02) is second-lowest and strikeout-to-walk rate (23 percent) is best of the bunch. In his last two outings, the righty earned 16 strikeouts, no walks and allowed four runs on just two home runs. Advertisement 'When you get that level of competitiveness and experience,' Schneider said. 'And his stuff back to where it should be, he could be a difference-maker down the stretch.' In acquiring Shane Bieber, the Jays hoped to add playoff-calibre upside to a rotation built on reliability. Scherzer, with questions still lingering around his thumb health, remains a similar gamble. The fear of an IL stint remains, but at his best, Scherzer is an October starter. Lately, the Jays have seen that best. Schneider isn't allowing himself to think about a playoff start from the likely Hall of Famer just yet, though — at least not out loud. 'You worry about his next outing on the road,' Schneider said. 'He's already proven and showed what he can do, on the biggest stage. I think the first step is trying to get there and having him be a big part of it.' In a way, Varland's 2025 ascendance is easy to explain. He's a full-time reliever now. In shorter stints, he's throwing 3 mph harder and has honed in on his two best pitches — the fastball and knuckle curve. 'It's easier to get three outs,' Varland said. 'Rather than 18, as a starter.' But Varland made a move to a relief role late last season and posted a 9.87 ERA in nine appearances. Only this year has it really come together for the bullpen bulldog. Varland credits his 2025 dominance to deception, as much as the short-burst outings or focus on a fiery fastball. His heater averages 98 mph and can touch 100. But that's not entirely foreign to hitters anymore — 70 pitchers have thrown a pitch over 100 mph this year. You have to make that heat hard to pick up, and Varland suspects he wasn't doing enough of that in 2024. 'I had some theories,' Varland said. 'For sure.' This year, the righty tweaked his pre-pitch coil. His front shoulder is more closed off, the glove is tucked behind his ear and he's ditched a double-clutch before pushing home. He wanted the ball to be less identifiable when his right hand broke away from his glove. In combination, Varland feels opposing batters can't pick his pitches up as easily. The result — a 2.12 ERA in 51 innings — seems to agree. Advertisement The Blue Jays' coaching staff — especially the hitting group — often throws around a simple phrase: 'Own what you're good at.' It's shown in Myles Straw's many bunts, Ernie Clement's contact dominance and Addison Barger's unleashed aggression. The Jays are taking the same approach to new first baseman France. The 31-year-old hasn't been an above-average big-league hitter since 2023, though expected statistics suggest he may deserve to be in 2025. France was excited to work with Toronto hitting coach David Popkins, he said, hearing rave reviews from the Minnesota Twins teammates who worked with Popkins from 2022 through 2024. When France talked with Toronto's hitting coaches hours after his trade to Toronto, the veteran was open to suggestions. The Jays had them. Toronto felt France was attempting to cover his weaknesses more than embracing his strengths — adjusting his swing to better combat the sinkers that plagued him in the past. Before this season, France had a career .263 average against breaking balls. This year, it's down to .224. At his best, France's flat swing and good eye allow the right-hander to punish those mistake secondary offerings in the zone and fastballs up. It's what France did best when he made an All-Star team in 2022 with the Mariners. It's what Toronto hopes he can return to. Barring injury, France won't be an everyday player on this Blue Jays roster. He'll spell Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first base and work in against lefties. If Andrés Giménez or Anthony Santander return, France could find himself on the wrong side of a late-season roster crunch. But the Blue Jays have turned perceived depth players into regular hitters plenty this season, maximizing offensive upside across the roster. They hope to do the same with France. (Top photo of Max Scherzer: Kevin Sousa / Imagn Images)
New York Times
36 minutes ago
- New York Times
Why Jordan Smith, the No. 2 player in 2026, isn't the typical 5-star guard
This is what is expected in grassroots basketball from a guard with a five-star rating: shots. Lots of them. Bordering on chucking. The inverse of this makes Jordan Smith Jr. stand out. Smith, the second-ranked player in the 2026 class, does not care about numbers or shots. 'I really just want to win,' he said. 'I feel like if you win, you get anything you want … all the offers, all the gear, all the accolades.' Advertisement Smith, a 6-foot-2 guard from Washington, D.C., is the Class of 2026 player college coaches would most like to coach, a winner in our recent poll of 35 coaches at Peach Jam. Every coach has some version of the same answer. 'Winner.' 'Impacts winning at the highest level of anyone.' 'Toughest player I've ever seen play the game.' This is why Smith's floor is so high as a college player. At worst, he is an elite role player who guards, rebounds, wins 50-50 balls and makes the simple play. He is a guy a coach can trust, which he proved at a high level this summer playing for the under-19 United States team that won gold at the World Cup. The 17-year-old was among four prep players to make the team, playing up in age division, and he was the only one of the four to start every game. He finished eighth on the team in scoring (8.4) but was near the top in the hustle categories — second in steals (2.0 per game) and third in blocked shots (0.7 per game). On his Nike EYBL team, Team Takeover, he took on more of a scoring role, averaging 19.2 points per game, but his usage was lower than every other five-star on the Nike circuit but one. 'Man, there's something different about that guy,' Team Takeover teammate Carter Meadows said. 'He's special. If you ask any of our teammates, they'll all say the same thing: Jordan is the biggest competitor we know.' The sport's heavy hitters are after him. Smith has offers from a long list of schools that includes Duke, Kentucky, Louisville and North Carolina. And the reason he's near the top of their wish list? A stat that is a point of pride for his father. 'Nobody,' Jordan Smith Sr. said, 'at the top of the class ever beat him.' Smith's style of play is rooted in his upbringing. He grew up in the talent-rich DMV area, watching his dad play in pickup games and street ball tournaments. His dad didn't play beyond high school, but he played a similar brand of ball where he excelled on the defensive end and was a team-first guy. To his son, he always preached that defense wins. Advertisement Smith spent many weekends following his dad to the Joy Evans Therapeutic Recreation Center, where Smith Sr. works with special needs children and adults. It was there in pickup games at the gym open to the public that young Jordan started developing an edge to his game, playing against inner-city competition. 'They're not as good, but they're physical,' Smith Sr. said, 'like it's 'no blood, no foul' type of games.' Smith started playing for the Team Takeover program in the second grade, and it became apparent that he was one of the best players in his age group when his father got a call from USA Basketball when Smith was in the eighth grade. His dad hung up on the first call. 'I thought it was a joke,' he said. Smith, coming off a wrist injury in the summer of 2023, failed to make the U.S. under-16 team. He immediately called his trainer when he got home and got in the gym. 'It shaped me to be who I am now,' said Smith, who would win gold the next summer on the under-17 team and follow it up with another gold this summer at the U-19 level. Motivated by getting cut initially, Smith worked on his weaknesses, mainly his jump shot. Smith has a lot of lift on his jumper and a high release, a technique that doesn't always translate to success beyond the arc. He struggled this summer from 3, shooting only 28.2 percent between the EYBL circuit and the World Cup, but his mid-range pull-up and turnaround have become reliable weapons. Smith made 51.7 percent of his mid-range jumpers on the EYBL circuit, according to Synergy. 'I think he has NBA athleticism, as everybody knows,' his trainer, Ibn Muhammad, said. 'He defends at a very high level, as everyone knows. Everybody just wants to see if he can do this (motions shooting a ball) consistently.' Smith is elite as a slasher as well, with the speed to get to the rim and the ability to finish with touch at full speed. The focus this summer has been his playmaking, as he moved to point guard for Team Takeover after playing off the ball on the under-17 team last year next to North Carolina signee Derek Dixon. Smith is more of a combo guard — he played off the ball for Team USA — but proved he can play on the ball for Team Takeover with better than a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. His hope is to play point guard in college, but Smith is the type that will likely embrace whatever role he's given. Advertisement 'He is the ultimate team player and leader,' said Meadows, his Team Takeover teammate. He's so encouraging. It feels a lot better playing with him, that's for sure. He does it the right way, too. He's not cocky, but he's confident. 'His intensity and the way he plays the game, when he goes all out, it makes everyone else move a little faster, play a little harder, just cause we're trying to keep up with him. He is 100 miles per hour for 32 minutes straight, no rest.' Where Smith separates himself from his peers is his defensive tenacity and technical skills on that end. He rarely fouls (1.9 per game in EYBL play) because his fundamentals are near perfect, almost always closing out with the proper hand, keeping his chest in front of the ball, and usually only reaching for steals when he can do so without fouling. 'Some of it is innate talent and timing,' Team Takeover coach Jamill Jones said. 'He's strong. He's physical. He wants to touch you and he wants to make guys uncomfortable, right? We teach certain principles: high hand, high foot, don't run through the passing lanes. He buys into that. But I think the biggest thing is him embracing his identity. He doesn't run from who he is. A lot of guys in his position, all they wanna do is show I can make shots and I can score. No, I got the best matchup every night, and I'm okay with it.' Smith projects as a defensive stopper at the college and NBA levels because he also has the tools. He makes up for his standing height with a long wingspan (6-9) and big, strong hands. During Peach Jam, he was the only player to finish in the top 10 in both steals (fifth at 2.4 per game) and blocks (seventh at 1.8). 'At 6-2, the impact he's having out there, you're not supposed to do that at that size,' Jones said. 'Basketball says you're not, and he's challenging all of those things.' Last month at Peach Jam, Junior County, a 6-foot-4 four-star guard, drove past his man and Smith was at the right block waiting for him. Flat-footed, Smith jumped and blocked County's shot, grabbed the ball with three of the Utah Prospects ahead of him. Smith, ball in hand, raced past two of the three and had the third on his left hip running straight down the lane line. Dean Rueckert, a 6-foot-6 small forward, ran straight into Smith's left shoulder and hip, which would knock most players off their path. Smith continued straight down the line, finishing a wrong-footed running shot off the glass for an and-one. Advertisement One of Smith's coaches this summer at the U-19s, watching the game from the sideline, told a truth that seems like a fib: Smith has never lifted weights. With Smith's body and athleticism, he looks like a player who could also dominate on a football field — he played running back, wide receiver and defensive end through the sixth grade. He looks like he's been chiseled by a strength coach, which is reason to bet on his upside once he's enrolled in college. Everything has seemed to move quickly for Smith. He said it doesn't seem that long ago when he was watching some of the DMV's best players, like John Wall and Kevin Durant, play in the local Goodman League, or when he was at Peach Jam cheering on a Team Takeover group that was led by Hunter Dickinson and Jeremy Roach. Now Smith has played in both. 'They looked big, they looked stronger, they just looked better. I was like, I hope I get there one and then time flew and now I'm here,' Smith said. 'My mom says I'm taking her places that she never would have thought she would have been before.' What's refreshing to everyone around Smith is he hasn't changed his game to fit any sort of prototype. 'Jordan's the most selfless kid you're gonna meet,' said Jones, a former college assistant who coached at Florida Gulf Coast, VCU, UCF and Wake Forest. 'To have that ranking next to his name, you would never know it. He bleeds whatever jersey he puts on. That's why I know wherever he goes to school, he's gonna give them an identity.'
CNN
36 minutes ago
- CNN
Noah Lyles pushed by rival Kenny Bednarek as pair clash after 200m US championships final
It all got a little tense after Noah Lyles got the better of rival Kenny Bednarek in the 200m final at the USA Track and Field Championships on Sunday. On this occasion, Lyles beat Bednarek after reeling in his opponent on the final stretch, finishing in 19.63 seconds. Bednarek finished 0.04 seconds behind but was clearly annoyed by Lyles' decision to look across at his lane in the final meters – something sprinters usually do to gloat. As a result, Bednarek shoved Lyles in the back after crossing the finishing line, a flashpoint which triggered some choice words between the two. 'I expect my apology,' Lyles could be heard saying, after appearing to initially refuse Bednarek's attempts at a handshake following a stare down. The pair's argument then bled into NBC's winner's interview, with both sprinters eventually agreeing to talk off track. Speaking to reporters after the race, Bednarek explained what had gone on between the two. 'Noah is going to be Noah,' Bednarek said. 'What he said didn't matter, it's just what he did. Unsportsmanlike sh*t and I don't deal with that. 'It's a respect factor. At the end of the day, he's fresh. Last time we lined it up, I beat him, that's all I can say. Next time we line up, I'm going to win.' He added: 'The grand summary is: don't do that to me. I don't do any of that stuff. I think it's not good character right there. That's pretty much it. At the end of the day, he won the race, so I've got to give him his props. He was the better man today.' Bednarek has beaten Lyles in both of the last two Olympic 200m finals, winning silver on both occasions. Lyles, though, is the fastest American to ever run the 200m and is a three-time world champion over the distance. The pair will have the opportunity to meet again at the World Championships in Tokyo next month, a potential final which will now attract far more attention. After Sunday's race, Lyles refused to speak about the feud with Bednarek, saying 'no comment' when asked about it by reporters. Meanwhile, Bednarek said the pair have some figuring out to do, pointing toward an ongoing feud between the two. It's not clear what the disagreement is about. 'It's just some personal stuff that we gotta handle. He's got my number, if he wants to call me, he has every chance to do it, but he wants to come out and do that. I think that's funny,' Bednarek told reporters. 'At the end of the day, he can call me whenever, we can discuss it and we should be good.'
