(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Monday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE Cincinnati Reds 6, Toronto Blue Jays 3 NY Mets 4, Baltimore Orioles 3 Texas Rangers 4, Pittsburgh Pirates 3 San Diego Padres 5, Minnesota Twins 3 Chicago White Sox 3, San Francisco Giants 5 Seattle Mariners 0, LA Dodgers 3
AMERICAN LEAGUE Houston Astros 5, Boston Red Sox 4 Kansas City Royals 5, LA Angels Tampa Bay Rays 0, Oakland Athletics 3
NATIONAL LEAGUE Arizona Diamondbacks 9, Miami Marlins 6
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Monday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE Cleveland Guardians 9, Chicago Cubs 8
AMERICAN LEAGUE Toronto Blue Jays 4, LA Angels 2 Houston Astros 6, Tampa Bay Rays 1 Boston Red Sox 5, Texas Rangers 4 Minnesota Twins 8, Kansas City Royals 3 Chicago White Sox 12, NY Yankees 2
NATIONAL LEAGUE Arizona Diamondbacks 5, Colorado Rockies 4 San Diego Padres 2, Pittsburgh Pirates 1 Atlanta Braves 1, San Francisco Giants 0 Cincinnati Reds 6, St. Louis Cardinals 1 LA Dodgers 5, Milwaukee Brewers 2
Jannik Sinner of Italy celebrates a point against Taylor Fritz of the United States during their Men’s Singles Final match on Day 14 of the 2024 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 08, 2024. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Italian Jannik Sinner defeated American Taylor Fritz in straight sets in the U.S. Open men’s final on Sunday.
It was the first time Sinner, the world’s No. 1, has won the title, and the first time an Italian man has won the U.S. Open.
Sinner defeated the California native in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5. This was the first time either player made it to the finals of the U.S. Open.
Sunday’s win is also Sinner’s second Grand Slam title this year after winning the Australian Open in January.
Sinner’s road to victory had been marred by a doping scandal that resulted in points and prize money deductions rather than a ban. It was disclosed late this summer that Sinner had tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid Clostebol, which he claims he encountered after his fitness trainer treated an injury on Sinner’s physiotherapist, who later worked on the player, leading to the trace amount in a test result.
The revelation all but cast a cloud over a banner year in which he won five singles titles, including the first Grand Slam title of the year.
Sinner told ABC News after the match that he was comfortable on the court despite facing criticism leading into the tournament.
“I was just happy to compete,” Sinner said while holding the championship trophy.
Sinner called the saga a very tough moment for his team but maintained, “They know what, what happened and what I’ve done, which is I haven’t done anything wrong.”
Despite the criticism from some players, Sinner said he could sense the enthusiasm from the packed Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd.
Sinner found support from fans who flocked to see the final in the most well-attended U.S. Open in history. According to the United States Tennis Association, more than one million people attended the U.S. Open throughout its three-week run.
“They gave me so much energy, especially in moments where I was struggling and also today, this final, you know, playing against American and it was such a fair crowd,” the 23-year-old Italian said.
The audience was also peppered with celebrities, including Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, Olympian Noah Lyles, Martha Stewart and Bad Bunny.
For Fritz, Sunday’s tournament came on the heels of an all-American semifinal on Friday, where he beat American Frances Tiafoe. Fritz walked on court to Sunday’s final as the first American man to see a Grand Slam final since Wimbledon 2009, where Andy Roddick competed. Roddick was also the last American man to win the U.S. Open title in 2003.
In his post-match press conference, Fritz reflected on what he described as a “really tough match.”
“I didn’t, definitely didn’t hit the ball as well as I expected to,” Fritz said, adding, “That’s just kind of how it goes when you’re playing, you know, he’s the best player in the world right now.”
The 26-year-old got choked up as he described the pressure leading into Sunday night’s match.
“I feel like the fans, obviously, American fans, [have] been wanting a men’s champion for a long time, and I just, I don’t know, I’m pretty upset with how I played. I feel like, I don’t know, I feel like I almost let a lot of people down,” Fritz said.
Fritz said his body had rested since the five-set match against fellow countryman Tiafoe. “I didn’t feel anywhere near as nervous going into this match as I did in the semis. So I thought emotionally, you know, it’s obviously the U.S. Open final, I want to win it, it’s a really big moment. But I felt like emotionally I was going to be OK,” he said.
Italy’s Giorgia Villa competes in the uneven bars event of the artistic gymnastics women’s team final during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Bercy Arena in Paris, on July 30, 2024. (Loic Venance/AFP via Getty Images)
(LONDON) — Giorgia Villa might be the most “grateful” athlete on the face of the planet.
And no, it isn’t just because the newly minted Italian silver medalist helped Team Italy score their first Olympic team medal in gymnastics since 1928. Villa is sponsored by cheese.
Having also won the bronze at the 2019 World Championships as well as being on gold-winning teams at the 2022 Mediterranean Games and the 2022 European Championships, she has actually been sponsored by Parmagiano Reggiano since 2021, a three-year period where she has matured as an athlete to become one of the best gymnasts in the world.
“A new face is added, as a testimonial, to the prestigious team of Parmigiano Reggiano: The young gymnast Giorgia Villa, 2018 champion of the Youth Games and one of the most promising athletes in her specialty at an international level,” Impresa e Sport, an Italian marketing agency said in 2021 when they first announced the sponsorship deal.
“The very young athlete, spearhead of the national rhythmic gymnastics team, has in fact become the brand’s new ambassador, with all the enthusiasm and freshness of her splendid age. Tenacious, determined, smiling, Giorgia proudly underlined this new role as well as once again confirming how the combination of Parmigiano Reggiano and the world of sport is indissoluble in terms of authenticity, quality and energetic value, both in sporting activity and in correct nutrition,” the statement read.
Villa first started in gymnastics at the age of 3 when her mother signed her up for gymnastics lessons due to her high energy and activity level.
“I had just started nursery school, but I immediately understood that I would love that sport with all my being,” said Villa. “I left school and, still wearing my pink apron, I couldn’t wait to enter that gym and jump and run feeling free and happy.”
Now 21, Villa has been training at the Italian Gymnastics Federation’s International Academy of Brescia, Italy, since she was just 11 years old.
“Every single day has been a personal achievement. There have been many sacrifices that I have had to face, but I have received a lot of satisfaction which time after time has given me the energy needed to face future challenges that lay ahead of me,” said Villa during an interview in 2022. “I am a person who loves to show what she can do, and then achieving important results is incomparable to any sacrifice.”
“I love gymnastics so much because it allows me to always be in motion,” Villa continued. “It is also a wonderful method to let off steam and release all the energy I have in my body, to always be in a group and in company even if gymnastics is fundamentally still an individual sport. I also love the fact that it pushes me to try to overcome my limits by improving every single skill.”
Fast forward to 2024 and Villa can be seen across social media taking pictures with the massive wheels of cheese that are produced exclusively in the provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna to the west of the Reno river, and Mantua to the east of the Po river, according to the cheesemaker.
“Since I was a child I have always loved this fantastic product, a symbol of Italian excellence and culture, and from today being able to collaborate with them makes me extremely proud and charged to face future challenges,” Villa said at the time of her sponsorship announcement.
While the cheese sponsorship might be a bonus, Villa has always been honest about her goals within the sport of gymnastics and, when asked whether the Olympic Games were always her goal and if she considered quitting during difficult moments in her career, Villa was firm in her opinion and didn’t crumble.
“The biggest objective is the Olympics, for me and I think all of us. This (medal) paid (us) back for the injuries and hard moments that we lived over the years,” she said.
