TENNIS

Coco Gauff will move on to the Finals at the U.S. Open after beating #10 Karolina Muchova in straight sets. The match was stopped for 49 minutes after four environmental protestors caused disruption and then a long delay when one of them glued himself to the cement floor. Coco will play #2 seed Aryna Sabalenka.

FOOTBALL

In the first NFL game of the season, the Detroit Lions defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 21-20. The Lions showed they are a team to take seriously this year, but the Chiefs, without injured superstar Travis Kelce, fought hard.

In other football news, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is now the highest-paid player in NFL history. He agreed to a five-year, $275 million deal ($219 of which is guaranteed).

BASKETBALL

There are rumors spreading that the LA Lakers’ LeBron James (who was recently seen in Saudi Arabia) is considering a $1 billion contract to play for the Gulf nation.

SOCCER

In the midst of ongoing World Cup drama, the coach of Spain’s women’s national team, Jorge Vilda, has been fired. In August when Spain defeated England to win its first women’s World Cup, federation president Luis Rubiales gave one of the players an unwanted kiss during the celebration. The controversial incident was widely condemned, but Vilda (who has been the recipient of complaints of sexism), initially supported Rubiales. The new coach, Montse Tomé, will be the first women’s coach the team has ever had.

TENNIS

Ben Shelton captivated the crowd at the U.S. Open by winning his quarterfinal match against Frances Tiafoe and becoming the youngest (at 20 years old) American man in over 30 years to reach the semifinals. Shelton will take on superstar Novak Djokovic on Friday.

On the women’s side, 19-year-old Coco Gauff will play Karolina Machova in the semifinals on Thursday.

FORMULA ONE

Max Verstappen won again….his record-breaking 10th straight Formula One victory. With his Italian Grand Prix win, Verstappen has 12 wins this season and has amassed a significant lead in the standings.

FOOTBALL

Deion Sanders’s new team in Boulder, CO did not disappoint in its first game of the season. Sanders went on a recruiting frenzy in the off-season (for a team that traditionally ranked at the bottom of its conference) and assembled an incredible group of players and assistant coaches. His experiment paid off, as his University of Colorado (three touchdown underdogs) beat #17 ranked TCU 45-44. Sanders’s son Shedeur threw a school record 510 yards, and former #1 recruit Travis Hunter had a spectacular offensive and defensive showing.

College realignment is continuing with Stanford, Cal, and SMU heading to the ACC for the 2024-5 season. The Pac-12 is now down to just two schools, Washington State and Oregon State.