Good Morning! Here’s what happened in the world of sports on Tuesday, September 3rd.

TENNIS

Three Americans took the court on day one of the US Open quarterfinals. And three Americans were victorious. Here’s how they did it:

• Emma Navarro won 24 of the last 28 points to take down Paula Badosa 6-2, 7-5. The 23-year old is a former NCAA champion at Virginia. She continues to impress on the pro level– just watch her calm demeanor after a nasty drop shot winner on match point.

• Taylor Fritz continues his rise to the top of men’s tennis, beating Alexander Zverev 7-6, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 in a supremely competitive match. You can see how much it means to the California native to make his first career Grand Slam semifinal.

• Last but not least, the crowd favorite won yet another night match at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Francis Tiafoe fought hard to establish a 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 lead, before his opponent Grigor Dimitrov lost his form and eventually retired due to injury. It’s been a difficult year on tour for Big Foe, but he’s found his game at the perfect time here in New York. The stage is now set for the first American man to appear in a US Open final since 2006. TRIVIA QUESTION: who was that guy?

Also, Aryna Sabalenka continued her impressive play and moved onto another semifinal in New York. I’d be doing us all a disservice if I ignored one of the most talented, engaging, and entertaining players on tour.

MLB

Finally, a lighter schedule of games gives us a minute to focus on baseball. First, some highlights from yesterday’s action:

• Kyle Schwarber may have had the best day of anyone on the planet. The Phillies slugger went 5-6 with three home runs, none bigger than a three-run blast in the ninth. With Schwarber leading the way, Philly won 10-9 over the Blue Jays.

• Down 4-3 with one out in the ninth inning, Texas Rangers rookie Wyatt Langford faced a full count… he demolished a walk-off grand slam. A great win over the Yankees for Langford and the Rangers.

• Shohei Ohtani returned to Angel Stadium for the first time since joining the Dodgers this season. There were no big tributes or special moments to mark this notable occasion– just an RBI triple from Ohtani in the third inning and a three-run homer from Mookie Betts in the 10th. The Dodgers won 6-3, although Angels reliever Ben Joyce threw a pitch 105.5 MPH, the fastest pitch thrown in baseball this year.

And now, a quick look at the standings, with less than a month before the playoffs (skipping past the Milwaukee Brewers (81-58), who hold a 10 game lead in the NL Central. Only teams with records above .500 are listed in the wild card race)

NOTEWORTHY NEWS

After losing the Stanley Cup this past season, questions swirled around the Edmonton Oilers and their quest for redemption. Edmonton answered one of the biggest questions with authority, agreeing to an eight-year $122 million extension with star forward Leon Draisaitl. It’s the highest average annual salary paid to an NHL player in the salary cap era. The deal also makes you wonder– when his current deal expires in two years, how much are they going to pay Connor McDavid?

The players for the upcoming President’s Cup have been picked, with star-studded rosters for both the US and International teams. Although US captain Jim Furyk picked the highest ranking players as his six “captain selections”, many in the golf community have criticized his choices. We’ll see how the red, white, and blue fare when competition kicks off later this month.

PLAY MUSICAL OF THE DAY

Bookmark this section for later today, when you have ten minutes and need a laugh. From Omaha Productions, it’s the ManningCast Musical:

You can thank me later.

TODAY’S BIG GAMES (all times Eastern)

WNBA: Sparks @ Fever, 7 PM on CBS Sports

• After an up-and-down start to the season, Indiana has secured a playoff berth. With Caitlin Clark leading the way, the Fever are running at 102 degrees right now– can they keep up the hot streak against LA?

MLB: Tigers @ Padres, 9:40 PM

• A big night for the Padres, who welcome back Yu Darvish after a lengthy absence. The addition of a dominant Darvish makes San Diego very, very dangerous in the playoffs– all eyes will be on Petco Park to see how the ace looks in his return.

TENNIS: US Open quarterfinals, on ABC/ESPN

• Karolina Muchova vs Beatriz Haddad Maia at Noon

• Jack Draper vs Alex de Minaur (following the previous match)

• Iga Swiatek vs Jessica Pegula at 7 PM

• Jannik Sinner vs Daniil Medvedev (following the previous match)

  • Iga, Sinner, Medvedev, and Pegula? This is an absolutely stacked night session– prepare for a looong night of high-level tennis.

TRIVIA ANSWER: The last American man to appear in a US Open final was Andy Roddick. He’s also the last American man to win a Grand Slam, when he won in New York in 2003.

“Pressure is a privilege” -Billie Jean King