Coco Gauff joked that the thought of losing in front of Justin Bieber inspired her US Open comeback against Elise Mertens on Friday night.

Gauff produced a fine fightback to reach the US Open fourth round and keep alive her hopes of winning a first Grand Slam title. 

The 19-year-old dropped the first set but dug deep to turn the match around, winning 3-6 6-3 6-0 in front of a crowd that included pop star Bieber, his wife Hailey and NBA star Jimmy Butler.

After the match, Gauff said she was aware of the A-listers cheering her on. In fact, she said their presence drove her to win the last 10 games.

'I definitely saw who was there,' Gauff told ESPN. 'I was like: "Oh my goodness, Justin Bieber!" At that point it was 2-3 in the second set. I thought: "I cannot lose in front of Justin Bieber". I didn’t lose a game after I saw that!'

 

Coco Gauff's US Open opponent Laura Siegemund is reduced to tears

Djokovic survives a scare as he beats Djere in US Open third round

'I got a little tight when I first saw him, then I reminded myself that President Obama and Michelle Obama were at my first round match... I'm fan-girling right now.'

The Obamas watched her comeback against Laura Siegemund on opening night. She had to battle back in round one, too, and after reaching the last 16, Gauff admitted she was 'starstuck' by Bieber.

'"Never Say Never" was one of my favorite songs when I was a kid. And then "Baby, Oh Baby"... I could go through all his songs,' she said. 

'And then Hailey coming too - I guess it was a little date night for them which is really cool.'

 

Gauff came back after dropping the first set to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-0 in the third-round match

She added: 'Jimmy Butler has come to a couple of my matches so I wasn’t as surprised that he was there. But I’m still like: "This guy is busy. Why is he coming to watch me play?!" But it's a really cool experience.”

The 19-year-old also paid tribute to the crowd in New York. 'The energy today definitely helped me. I felt you guys,' said Gauff. 'I played every point my hardest.'

'When you lose the first set you know you have to show that you left all that energy in the first set and you're ready to play... after I lost the first set I told myself: there is still a lot of game left and a lot of the match to play.'

'Elise was playing well and I tried my best to win in three sets - give me some credit. The last couple of weeks I was winning in straight sets. So a win is a win - it doesn't matter how you get it and I'm just happy.'

[Dailymail]

Novak Djokovic came back from two sets down to survive a big scare from Laslo Djere as he reached the second week at the US Open.

The three-time champion lost the opening two sets but ultimately prevailed 4-6 4-6 6-1 6-1 6-3 against his compatriot in three hours and 48 minutes.

It means that Djokovic is into the second week of the US Open for a 15th consecutive time as the Serb will look to play better as the tournament goes on.

Speaking after the match Djokovic praised Djere but admitted he has to be playing better than he did, “I thought he played terrific. I mean, I honestly have never seen him play like this,” Djokovic told journalists after the match.

“He was feeling the ball extremely well. Everything was kind of in his striking zone. He was tactically prepared very well. I think he started off the match very, very good. He was far more comfortable than me. I was defending mostly in the first two sets.

“To be honest, I could have and should have played better, on a high level in these two sets, but huge credit to him for making me uncomfortable on the court and playing really some of the best tennis I’ve ever seen him play.

“Congrats to him. Tough luck to him. I told him at the net he should keep going because if he’s going to continue playing this way, he’s only going to work his way up in the rankings. He’s a terrific guy, works extremely hard.
Tonight he shows that he deserves to be ranked much higher than he is.”

A real test for Djokovic that shows he will need to raise his level as the tournament goes on ahead of a potential showdown in the final with Carlos Alcaraz.

Speaking of the rest of the field, Djokovic believes his five set thriller sends a message that he is able to go the full distance ahead of a intriguing second week, “Well, look, of course winning a match is always better than losing a match. It’s as simple as that,” Djokovic stated.

“I think the message is sent to the rest of the field that obviously I’m still able to play five sets deep at night. Coming from two sets down always sends a strong message to the future opponents.

“At the same time I’m not really wanting to be in this position, to be honest. I prefer a straight-set win. Hopefully I can get back on that track in the next match.”

Next for Djokovic will be talented Croatian qualifier Borna Gojo, who defeated Jiri Vesely in straight sets.

Sunday’s meeting will be the first meeting between the two players.

[ubitennis]

Liverpool have rejected a £150m offer for Mohamed Salah from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad.

The bid for the 31-year-old forward was for in excess of £100m, with add-ons taking it up to £150m.

Liverpool remained insistent that the Egyptian international was not for sale, and that was final as far as the club was concerned.

Salah, who joined the Reds from Italian side Roma in 2017, signed a new three-year contract last summer.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said last week that Salah was “100% committed” to the Anfield cause, and on Friday, he reiterated the club’s stance that the player was not for sale.

“The position remains the same. Absolutely no doubt about that. That’s how it is. Nothing else to say,” said Klopp.

Liverpool would have little time to react to Salah’s potential departure, with the transfer window closing at 23:00 BST on Friday for incoming deals involving Premier League teams.

However, Al-Ittihad will still be able to sign players as the Saudi Pro League transfer window is set to close on September 7.

Union Berlin technical director, Michael Parensen acknowledged Victor Osimhen is a “very good player” but claimed his team is not afraid of the Napoli striker.

The Capital club, who are making their maiden appearance in the UEFA Champions League, have been paired with 14-time champions, Real Madrid, Scudetto winners Napoli and Sporting Braga of Portugal in Group C.

Osimhen is expected to be one of the difficult opponents for the Bundesliga side in the group.

Parensen insisted that his players will do their best to stop Osimhen when they confront the Nigerian in the competition.

“Not scared. I think, of course, he’s a very good player who has scored a lot of goals and we’re not scared of him. We will try to do our best to stop him,” Parensen told Omaports.com.

“To stop him will be hard. We know this, but we will try.”

The 2023/24 UEFA Champions League will commence on September 19.

[DailyPost]

Cristiano Ronaldo has been named in Portugal’s squad on Friday for upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Slovakia and Luxembourg.

“A player with 200 appearances, that’s something unique,” said Portugal coach Roberto Martinez of Ronaldo, who has scored five goals in four qualifying games so far.

“I can tell you I’m very happy to have Cristiano Ronaldo in my team.”

The 38-year-old Ronaldo, who now plies his trade in Saudi Arabia, celebrated his 200th international appearance with the winner in a 1-0 victory over Iceland last time out for Portugal in June.

Martinez also included Saudi-based midfielders Otavio and Ruben Neves in his squad and called up uncapped Wolves full-back Toti.

Portugal sits top of Group J in qualifying for next year’s finals in Germany.

They face Slovakia in Bratislava next Friday before hosting Luxembourg three days later.

Portugal squad:

Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (Porto/POR), Jose Sa (Wolves/ENG), Rui Patricio (Roma/ITA)

Defenders: Diogo Dalot (Manchester United/ENG), Nelson Semedo (Wolves/ENG), Joao Cancelo (Manchester City/ENG), Danilo Pereira (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Ruben Dias (Manchester City/ENG), Antonio Silva (Benfica), Goncalo Inacio (Sporting Lisbon), Toti (Wolves/ENG).

Midfielders (6): Joao Palhinha (Fulham/ENG), Ruben Neves (Al-Hilal/KSA), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United/ENG), Otavio (Al-Nassr/KSA), Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City/ENG).

Forwards (7): Ricardo Horta (Braga), Rafael Leao (AC Milan/ITA), Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr/KSA), Pedro Neto (Wolves/ENG), Goncalo Ramos (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Diogo Jota (Liverpool/ENG)

Manchester City have completed the signing of midfielder Matheus Nunes from Wolves for £53m.

The Portugal international, who has 11 caps for his country, has signed a five-year contract with City.

"I'm so happy to be joining Manchester City, the champions of Europe and a club I've admired for a long time," said Nunes.

City had a previous bid for Nunes rejected, with Wolves holding out for a fee closer to their asking price of over £60m.

Nunes had been absent from training for the Molineux club recently after making it clear he wanted to join Pep Guardiola's side.

"The opportunity to work under Pep Guardiola, one of the greatest managers ever, and alongside some of the best players in the world was something I simply couldn't turn down," added Nunes.

"I learned so much during my season at Wolves and I'm excited to continue improving in the Premier League, a division which brings the best out of me. I'm really excited to get going, meet the fans and hopefully be a part of plenty more success at City."

Wolves signed Nunes on a five-year contract last summer, paying a club-record £38m to Sporting Lisbon.

He was a key figure during the second half of last season as Wolves successfully avoided relegation, finishing 13th in the table.

[BBC]

AZ Alkmaar defender Pantelis Hatzidiakos has now confirmed that he will not be joining Leeds United after the Championship outfit reportedly agreed personal terms at the start of August. 

According to Greek publication SportTime, Hatzidiakos ‘accepted’ Leeds United’s offer almost a month ago. The talented centre-half would have arrived at Elland Road for somewhere in the region of £3.5 million, while reinforcing a backline which had lost Liam Cooper to a long-term injury during a 2-2 draw with Cardiff City earlier on that very same day. 

But after Leeds turned their attention to Joe Rodon – the Tottenham Hotspur loanee bringing Championship experience to West Yorkshire due to his Swansea City past – Hatzidiakos is instead packing his bags and dusting off his Italian dictionary. 

The 27-time Greek international confirmed after AZ Alkmaar beat Brann on penalties in their UEFA Conference League qualifier that Cagliari will be his destination, rather than Leeds. 

Pantelis Hatzidiakos will not be joining Leeds

“This is my farewell,” Hatzidiakos sighs, his voice trembling with emotion after 12 long years in Alkmaar (Voetbal Primeur).

“I had wonderful years here. My dream was to play for the AZ first-team with a full stadium and in European football. I am very proud of that, and I want to thank everyone for that. I cannot wish for a nicer farewell.

“From tomorrow (Friday), I will be a Cagliari player.” 

Hatzidiakos becomes the third AZ player to join a Serie A club this summer alone. Midfield maestro Tijjani Reinders joined AC Milan, while defender Sam Beukema and enigmatic winger Jesper Karlsson ended up at Brighton.

[hitc]

Birmingham City have signed Leeds United's England Under-21 defender Cody Drameh on a season-long loan.

Drameh spent the second half of last season on loan at Luton, helping the Hatters go up to the Premier League.

A product of the Fulham youth system, Drameh joined Leeds in 2021 and has also spent time on loan at Cardiff.

"It is a project. It is very exciting right now with the new owners and everything. Everybody has a good buzz around them, it seems like a family sort of vibe - that made me want to come here," Drameh said.

As the footballing world is ensnared in the enthralling drama of the transfer window’s last breaths, Tottenham’s ambitions pierce through.

Johnson: A Star in the Making

Tucked away in Nottingham Forest, Brennan Johnson, with fire in his eyes and ambition pulsating through his veins, visualises himself donning the famous white of Spurs. “I expect to be a Tottenham player by the end of deadline day”, a sentiment echoed by insiders at Football Insider.

Johnson’s affinity for the City Ground is undeniable. But the pull of the London giants is palpable, pushing him to put Spurs atop the pedestal, overlooking other admirers.

Haggling Over the Forest Gem

The intrigue deepens. Spurs’ liaison with Forest revolves around the deal’s blueprint and the down payment’s magnitude. The numbers tossed around? A hefty £45-50 million, potentially an unprecedented exit sum for the stalwarts of the Midlands. And while the two sides wrestle over terms, optimism brews over an impending agreement.

Postecoglou’s Vision

Anchoring Johnson’s lean towards Spurs is Ange Postecoglou’s blueprint for the youngster. Immersed in the Australian’s doctrine, Johnson sees a pathway to metamorphose into a footballing colossus. Although this season witnesses a goal and assist drought in his four games, the previous term’s 10 goals and three assists in 44 appearances for Forest, tell a different tale.

Johnson’s ties to Forest are robust, his contract stretching till June 2026. But could the allure of Tottenham, still licking their wounds from Harry Kane’s departure and a mixed summer performance, sway the decision?

Verdict

As the clock dwindles and fans wait with bated breath, Johnson’s potential move could be the storyline that dominates the headlines. Only time will unveil where this tale leads.

[eplindex]