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Rybakina overpowers Osaka, will face Zheng in US Open quarterfinals

National Sports

NEW YORK — Elena Rybakina overpowered Naomi Osaka at the U.S. Open and is a win away from the No. 1 ranking in women’s tennis. She just has to beat Zheng Qinwen, which won’t be easy. Even when Zheng goes down — way, way down — she refuses to stay there. Rybakina advanced to the quarterfinals Monday with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Osaka in a matchup of power-hitting Grand Slam champions. The No. 2-seeded Rybakina is guaranteed to replace Aryna Sabalenka atop the WTA rankings if she reaches the semifinals in Flushing Meadows. “Of course I want it, I don’t know anyone who ...

QB recruits facing new reality as landscape changes

National Sports

MADISON, Wis. — Even though he was nearly 2,000 miles from where he’d grown up, Ryan Hopkins felt right at home as a quarterback prospect visiting Wisconsin. “I felt the energy from the city,” said Hopkins, a former three-star recruit from Mater Dei in Santa Ana, California. “I felt the energy from the coaches.” But there was a complication that went beyond the distance factor. Hopkins had to deal with the dilemma facing just about every high school quarterback prospect since most Bowl Subdivision programs now overwhemingly rely on transfers at that position: About 65% of ...

Rutschman’s 3-run HR off Pesky Pole carries Red Sox

National Sports

BOSTON — Adley Rutschman hit a three-run homer off the Pesky Pole in right field, Brayan Bello pitched five scoreless innings in his first start since early June and the Boston Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Angels 5-2 on Monday for their fifth straight victory. Jarren Duran hit his 20th homer, a solo shot, to spark a four-run second inning for Boston, which improved to an MLB-best 34-17 since the All-Star break and closed to two games behind the Yankees for the AL’s top-wild card spot. New York owns the tiebreaker by winning the season series. Moises Ballesteros hit a solo homer ...

Veteran coaches surprised that stadium clock was not official in Michigan win

National Sports

Longtime coach Kyle Whittingham was unaware the stadium clock he watched Saturday night at Michigan might not reflect the official game time. Purdue coach Barry Odom also was caught off guard as he watched on television more than 250 miles away. The two Big Ten coaches acknowledged Monday they did not know there could be a discrepancy between what everyone was seeing on television and inside the stadium and the conference’s tracking system. But that’s how conference officials explained the dramatic finish in Whittingham’s debut for No. 16 Michigan. After time appeared to expire ...

Amid another distraction, UNC’s Belichick says program focused on ‘doing things properly’

National Sports

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — North Carolina coach Bill Belichick said Monday he believes his program “totally” has an atmosphere of following rules amid a school investigation into conduct within his football program. “Obviously everybody’s responsible, including me, for doing things properly,” Belichick said. “And we intend to do that.” Later Monday, a school spokesman issued a statement backing the 74-year-old Belichick, who won six Super Bowl titles with the NFL’s New England Patriots. “The University continues to support Bill Belichick and the Carolina football ...

Ring of Famer Jim Tressel reflects on time with Buckeyes

Local Sports

When Jim Tressel left Youngstown State to take over at Ohio State in 2001, he was just hoping to restore the Buckeyes as a national contender. He did that and much more. Tressel joined Paul Brown and Woody Hayes Saturday as the third OSU coach enshrined in Ohio Stadium’s Ring of Honor. ...