Italians Errani and Vavassori win US Open mixed doubles title NEW YORK- - Italians Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori claimed a 7-6(0) 7-5 victory on Thursday to win the mixed doubles title at the U.S. Open and end unseeded all-American pair Taylor Townsend and Donald Young's storybook run.
The victory gave five-times women's doubles Grand Slam champion Errani and Vavassori their maiden Grand Slam mixed doubles title in only their third major tournament together after Wimbledon and the Paris Olympics. Vavassori and Errani drew first blood and took a 6-5 lead as Townsend drilled a backhand long, but the Americans broke straight back to force a tiebreaker. The third-seeded Italian duo blazed through the tiebreaker with ease, which appeared to fill them with confidence as they broke early in the second set to take a 3-1 lead. Townsend and Young showed great spirit to break back and level at 4-4, but in similar fashion to the first set, their resistance was short-lived and the Italians broke in the final game to clinch victory.
Defeat marked the end of a long partnership for Townsend and Young, who have known each other since childhood and reached the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows in 2014, with 35-year-old Young set to retire from tennis and switch to pickleball. It was more disappointment at the U.S. Open for Townsend, who also reached the semi-finals of the women's doubles alongside Katerina Siniakova, where they lost to Zhang Shuai and Kristina Mladenovic. Townsend and her Czech partner won the women's doubles title at Wimbledon this year.
Sint Maarten national team assistant coach Harry Kerssies is seen instructing his players during training in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico on Wednesday.
SCSA Eagles goalkeeper Chandro Wilkin poses with the St. Maarten Football Federation Super Cup Champion trophy in this file photo from 2023.
PHILIPSBURG—A slimmed down Sint Maarten national football team are currently in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico to prepare for their opening match against Aruba in the CONCACAF Nations League Group B on Friday, September 6.
BALTIMORE-- Gunnar Henderson homered in the first inning and the Baltimore Orioles later tore through Chicago's bullpen, winning 13-3 to hand the visiting White Sox their 11th straight loss Monday. Cedric Mullins had three hits, including a homer, and drove in three runs, Austin Slater added three hits and three RBIs and Henderson also knocked in three runs. Emmanuel Rivera, Ryan O'Hearn, Adley Rutschman, Colton Cowser and Jackson Holliday each had two hits for Baltimore, which has won three of its past four games. Orioles starter Corbin Burnes settled in after giving up two first-inning runs. He completed five innings, allowing six hits and striking out four, to secure his first victory in his past five starts. Keegan Akin and Cole Irvin, who notched a three-inning save, worked in relief for the Orioles. White Sox starter Chris Flexen (2-14) gave up three runs on seven hits in 3 1/3 innings. He has the most losses of any pitcher in the major leagues this year. The Orioles (80-59) opened a six-game homestand and hoped to get on a run after going only 5-5 in August home games. It was the first game for the White Sox (31-108) since losing 2-0 to the New York Mets on Sunday to break the single-season franchise record for losses. Gavin Sheets and Corey Julks each provided two of the team's eight hits. Chicago started strong against Burnes (13-7). The first two batters reached base and Andrew Benintendi drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly in the first inning. Sheets drove in the next run with a single. Henderson led off the bottom of the first with his 34th homer of the season. In the third inning, Anthony Santander drove in a run with a single and Slater had a run-scoring double to give the Orioles a 3-2 lead. Baltimore tacked on two runs in the fifth and six more in the sixth for an 11-2 lead. Slater's two-run single and Rivera's two-run triple were highlights in the sixth.
NETHERLANDS - Captain Virgil van Dijk has committed his future to the Netherlands until the 2026 World Cup at least, but the door is shut on Steven Bergwijn following the striker's transfer to Saudi Arabia, coach Ronald Koeman confirmed on Tuesday. Koeman, who led the Dutch to the Euro 2024 semi-finals before a loss to England, is preparing for a Nations League clash with Bosnia & Herzegovina in Eindhoven on Saturday and revealed he flew to Liverpool to have face-to-face talks with Van Dijk.
"I thought it was so important to go to him to see and feel with him: are you going to give it your all for another two years at the highest level and do you still see a future for yourself? And he does. And I do the same with him. All doubt is gone, he just goes on," Koeman told reporters. "He admitted he did not reach the level you would expect from him as a player at the European Championship. As captain, I think he did a great job. But perhaps as a result, he put too much energy into others rather than into himself." Koeman confirmed he had not considered Bergwijn for selection after a poor start to the season at Ajax Amsterdam and his move to Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia.
"The book is basically close to him. He knows what I think about this," Koeman said. "When you are 26 (years old), your main ambition should be sporting, not financial. These are choices that players make. "I have never been in that situation, because I could go to Barcelona. He could have stayed at Ajax, that's not bad, is it? You have to respect that choice, but personally I wouldn't (have moved)." Koeman also confirmed that it was unlikely midfielders Marten de Roon and Georginio Wijnaldum will have a place in his squads in the future as he looks at other options. Daley Blind has already announced his retirement from the national team.
Koeman also failed to call up lead forward Memphis Depay, who is currently without a club after leaving Atletico Madrid, though it has been reported he is in talks with Sevilla. "It's primarily because he doesn't have a club. That means you don't play football and you can't be with the national team. Memphis is 30, let's hope he gets a club and gets fit. Then he is still an option for me." The Dutch will also host Germany in Amsterdam next Tuesday.
NEW YORK- Defending champion Coco Gauff became the latest big-name casualty to exit the U.S. Open when Emma Navarro won their fourth round match 6-3 4-6 6-3 to down her stunned American compatriot for the second time in a Grand Slam this year. Gauff had been looking to avenge her defeat by Navarro at Wimbledon, where she lost in the fourth round, but the 13th seed stunned the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium with an aggressive and dominant all-round display that had Gauff searching for answers.
Gauff was her own worst enemy, however, especially on serve where the 20-year-old third seed struggled and had 19 double faults -- as many as she had in her first three matches combined -- while she also made 60 unforced errors. Navarro's victory moved her into a second Grand Slam quarter-final where she will play Spain's 26th seed Paula Badosa, while defeat for Gauff will see her drop out of the top five in the world rankings. "I lost in the first round (in the) last two years and now to be making quarter-finals is pretty insane," Navarro said.
"This is the city I was born in and it feels so special to be playing here. "Coco's an amazing player and I have a ton of respect for her. I know she's going to come back here and win this thing again one year." Gauff started poorly, serving three double faults in her opening service game as a hush descended in the crowd before she recovered, saving four break points to level the first set at 1-1. From then on it was mainly the self-assured Navarro dictating rallies with poise while Gauff made errors playing on the defensive, handing her fellow American a 4-2 lead when she double-faulted yet again, this time on a break point.
Gauff let out a triumphant scream when she saved a set point on serve but Navarro was almost unstoppable on her own serve, taking it to love to seal the opening set. IN CONTROL The second set went with serve but while Navarro was well in control, Gauff was struggling and Navarro duly broke at 3-3 with a passing shot after a mad scramble to the net. That was just the wake-up call Gauff needed as the holder suddenly switched gears and broke twice to win three games in a row and force a decider. Gauff's celebratory roar whipped the crowd into a frenzy but their enthusiasm quickly faded and turned into groans of disappointment when she served two consecutive double faults to give Navarro a break. Gauff nearly threw it away at 4-2 with four double faults in one game. Two more double faults while serving to stay in the match proved to be her undoing as Navarro sealed her progress when the champion's return on match point went long. "It was tough losing the second set," Navarro said.
"I had chances. I was up 30-love at 4-3 and then had a little bit of a lull there. "But I was able to regroup after the second set and just come into the third set with a fresh mindset. I wanted to play aggressive tennis and I think I was able to do that."
