Spanish international footballer Rodri poses with a jersey bearing his name during his official presentation as FC Barcelona’s new player on August 18, 2026 in Barcelona. Barcelona announced the signing of Rodri from Manchester City until 2030, AFP reports on August 18, 2026. (Photo by Lluis GENE / AFP)
Spain’s World Cup-winning captain Rodri said he was ready to “feel that excitement again” after completing his move to Barcelona from Premier League side Manchester City on Tuesday.
In a statement on their website, the La Liga champions said the 30-year-old has signed a deal that will run until 2030, bringing an end to one of the longest-running transfer sagas of the summer.
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After two failed bids, Barca and Man City reached a deal on Sunday, which a source from the English club told AFP would go up to 76.5 million euros ($88.6 million), including bonuses.
Rodri then arrived in the Catalan capital the following day to thresh out personal terms with his new club.
“I’m very happy and excited about this new stage in my career,” Rodri said during his unveiling on Tuesday.
“It’s a fresh challenge, a chance to experience new things and feel that excitement again.”
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After seven trophy-laden years at Man City, the former Atletico Madrid and Villarreal player was reported to be close to joining Real Madrid, before finally opting for their arch-rivals.
The midfielder has struggled with injuries over the past two seasons but shone as Spain won their second World Cup in North America last month.
Despite Barca’s recent dominance of La Liga, they have failed to lift European club football’s biggest trophy since 2015, when the club’s star-studded attack of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez fired them to their fifth Champions League title.
“It’s a pleasure to be at Barca. I’ll give 100 percent of everything I have,” Rodri said.
“I’m here to compete for everything, for big things like the Champions League.
“I’ve come to a hugely ambitious club that really suits my personality, so I’ll try to help in every way I can to achieve our objectives this season.”
To help him achieve these goals is a Camp Nou dressing room replete with familiar faces from Rodri’s Euro 2024 and World Cup successes with Spain, including Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Dani Olmo.
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He will also join up with new teammates, widemen Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi, after the pair joined Barcelona earlier in the close season.
One of Pep Guardiola’s most trusted lieutenants at City, Rodri said he believed his new coach at Barcelona, Hansi Flick, would “bring a lot to my career”.
“(Flick has) a style that I think is somewhat different from what I’ve experienced before, so it will be enriching and help me grow as a player,” he added.
Rodri was a vital figure for Guardiola during their time together at the Etihad Stadium, leading City to the 2023 Champions League and four Premier League titles among 12 major trophies.
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“I am leaving the club with a huge sense of pride about what we have achieved and gratitude too for so many amazing memories,” Rodri said in a statement on City’s website.
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“What we have done together in these years is something both very special and unforgettable.”
And for two minutes on Friday. Harry Higgs talked.
It’s been that kind of season for the popular pro. And that kind of career. He’s mostly struggled this year while dividing his time between the PGA Tour (three cuts made in 11 events) and the circuit below it, the Korn Ferry Tour (five cuts made in 11 events). And he’ll likely finish his 12th year as a playing pro without a PGA Tour victory.
Then again, he’ll complete a dozen years. Along the way, he’s cashed $5.7 million in PGA Tour checks. He’s played in major championships. Competed in ’em, too; this year, he was tied for seventh after two rounds at the U.S. Open.
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He’s been a pro golfer, and many golfers would give you far more than their pitching wedge for that job.
But you have to do more than play, of course. Higgs’ scores this year have left him in a funky spot. He’s ranked 184th in the PGA Tour’s season-long points race, which awards full status to the top 100, and on the Korn Ferry, he’s ranked 141st, and the top 60 receive full cards. He’ll likely play somewhere. And play well.
Or not. It’s a grind. His wife is at home. A newborn boy is there, too.
So Friday, tireless PGA Tour communications staffer Kevin Prise asked Higgs a five-word question. Higgs had just shot a seven-under 65 to reach the weekend at the Korn Ferry’s AdventHealth Championship.
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And for two minutes on Friday, Higgs talked. The video of it is below. Below that are some thoughts.
“I don’t think I’m nearing the end, but I’m coming to grips with … I’ll be OK, too.
“If it’s not golf, I’ll figure it out. But I really do think I can achieve some pretty good things in this game.”@HarryHiggs1991 shot a second-round 65 @AHChampGolf1 to make the cut in his… pic.twitter.com/4fjFB3ZdtC
“Yeah, I love the pursuit,” Higgs started. “And I’m focusing much too much — which is not how you should say that — but much too much on the result of everything. And that’s just the way the business is, right? The better the results are, the less you’ve — the more self-belief, the less doubt, you’re usually happier. I’m trying to come up with ways to not worry about the result and just worry about the pursuit.
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“This year has been a lot of enjoying it more Monday through Wednesday instead of the Thursday through Sunday because I’m just not being super nice to myself. And just getting down — it wasn’t even that bad of shot or I really wasn’t that far off. Or I wasn’t really ready, which is something I can control. That pisses me off.”
Loving the pursuit can be a challenge; Scottie Scheffler’s press conference a year ago at the Open Championship dealt with that. But results, or lack thereof, can make it all feel exhausting.
Higgs continued.
“But I do love it,” he said. “I wouldn’t say that I’m — I don’t think I’m nearing the end. But I think I’m coming to grips with like, yeah, this is, golf is cool — and it is really cool, being able to do this, and the every day, almost every hour, pursuit of trying to get better at this thing is a lot of fun. I need to kick the results, who cares, which is impossible to do completely and totally, and enjoy the competition a little bit more. That’s definitely going to kind of be the goal as I finish this year out, which is going to be a stressful finish. You know, how do I set up, what’s going to be next year, all this stuff.
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“But yeah, if I finish playing in the next handful of years or who knows, I’ve come to grips with I’ll be OK, too. I’ve got a great family, and I’m enjoying being here and playing that dad role and cleaning up after everybody and trying to do my part. But if it’s not golf, I’ll figure it out, but I’m certainly looking forward to making this conversation a blip on the radar and going from there.”
What’s going to be next year? Higgs appears to have options. Good ones.
He continued.
“And I really do think I can achieve some pretty great things in the game still,” he said. “I just got to keep that belief for the five hours as we walk around. And when it gets hard. You know, when I’m not feeling my best or swinging my best or whatever.
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“Keep that belief and go from there.”
Higgs plays his final round at the AdventHealth Championship on Sunday.
Good Good, a YouTube content outlet, apologized Saturday for a since-deleted video showing a man shoving a woman to the ground as part of an ad for a Callaway Golf golf club.
“We posted a video to our channels that ultimately depicted actions that are not aligned with our values as a brand,” the Good Good statement said. “We have since taken that content down. And sincerely apologize. Good Good has always stood for making the game of golf more inclusive to all, and we will continue to ensure that is our mission moving forward.”
A few hours later, a Callaway spokesperson shared the following statement with GOLF.com:
“We are disappointed by the content that was posted, and are appreciative of Good Good for addressing this. We look forward to working together to ensure a more inclusive space in golf.”
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The ad promoted a driver developed between Good Good and Callaway Golf. In the 15-second video, Good Good’s Garrett Clark runs toward a woman after she reaches for the club, and he pushes her. The woman then screams before Clark stands over her and says: “Do not touch my new driver.”
The video was heavily criticized on social media, and while it’s not on Good Good and Callaway platforms, it continues to be circulated.
On Saturday afternoon, Callaway’s and Good Good’s websites were selling a pair of drivers developed together, along with golf balls. Promotions of the clubs and balls could also be seen on the their social media accounts.
Good Good has long been a major player in the fast-growing YouTube golf space. The brand has more than 2 million YouTube subscribers, and come November the PGA Tour will debut the Good Good Championship, a partnership event that’s a part of the FedExCup Fall season, at Omni Barton Creek in Texas.
Wyndham Clark has a commanding lead at the BMW Championship, but he still has 18 more holes to go to hold everyone off. Here’s what you need to know for Sunday.
Clark holds 54-hole lead at BMW Championship
Clark, the two-time U.S. Open winner, is cruising at the BMW Championship. Clark already led to start the day and then pulled further away from the field, shooting 65 Saturday at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis to get to 17 under and lead Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay (12 under) by five.
Also in the mix are Chris Gotterup and Gary Woodland, both at 11 under, and Collin Morikawa, at 10 under. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, the runaway winner of last week’s St. Jude, is among a large group of pros tied for 15th at five under.
There’s also another battle to monitor at the BMW, which is around the top-30 cutoff. The top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings following Sunday’s conclusion of the BMW get a ticket to next week’s Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta, where the winner gets $10 million.
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You can watch Sunday’s final round from 12-2 p.m. ET on Golf Channel and 2-6 p.m. ET on CBS. Clark and McIlroy tee off in the final pairing at 1:50 p.m. ET on Sunday. You can see complete tee times below.
2026 BMW Championship tee times for Sunday: Round 4 (ET)
9:06 a.m. – Jake Knapp, Nico Echavarria 9:17 a.m. – Ryan Fox, Tommy Fleetwood 9:28 a.m. – Sahith Theegala, Min Woo Lee 9:39 a.m. – Bud Cauley, Hideki Matsuyama 9:50 a.m. – Alex Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose 10:06 a.m. – Rickie Fowler, Si Woo Kim 10:17 a.m. – Tom Kim, J.T. Poston 10:28 a.m. – Nicolai Hojgaard, Ben Griffin 10:39 a.m. – Kurt Kitayama, Kristoffer Reitan 10:50 a.m. – Xander Schauffle, Michael Thorbjornsen 11:06 a.m. – Matt McCarty, Adam Scott 11:17 a.m. – Viktor Hovland, Alex Smalley 11:28 a.m. – Sam Burns, Matt Fitzpatrick 11:39 a.m. – Sepp Straka, Aaron Rai 11:50 a.m. – Akshay Bhatia, Justin Thomas 12:06 p.m. – Ludvig Aberg, Ryan Gerard 12:17 p.m. – Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Young 12:28 p.m. – Alex Noren, Robert MacIntyre 12:39 p.m. – Russell Henley, Jacob Bridgeman 12:50 p.m. – J.J. Spaun, Michael Brennan 1:06 p.m. – Ryo Hisatsune, Maverick McNealy 1:17 p.m. – Sungjae Im, Eric Cole 1:28 p.m. – Gary Woodland, Collin Morikawa 1:39 p.m. – Patrick Cantlay, Chris Gotterup 1:50 p.m. – Wyndham Clark, Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy pulled himself back into contention at the BMW Championship with a strong finish for a five-under-par third round in St Louis, leaving him five behind leader Wyndham Clark.
McIlroy has been looking for a response after labouring to an eight-over finish at last week’s St Jude Championship, and shot a fine six-under opening round for a share of the lead, before following that up with a 69 on Friday.
The back-to-back Masters champion again appeared in steady form during the front nine on Saturday, turning at one under after a birdie on the par-three second before another on 11.
World number two McIlroy then stepped things up with a run of four birdies from the 13th, sandwiched by a bogey at the 14th.
The Northern Irishman found both bunkers with his opening two shots on the 18th, but then almost chipped in with a fine recovery effort before saving par.
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McIlroy finished the day at 12 under, looking to keep pace with Clark, who dropped his first shots of the tournament with a double bogey on the opening hole before an eagle at the eighth and a strong back nine saw him finish with a 65, having failed to save par on the last.
“I think I needed to be patient the last three days, because my game has been good in parts, but then it has been a struggle in other ways,” McIlroy told reporters.
“I didn’t hit my first fairway today until the 10th hole, playing this golf course from the rough isn’t fun, but I hung in there, my short game saved me a couple of times and I got some momentum coming in.
Wyndham Clark again set the pace at the top of the leaderboard(Jeff Roberson/AP) (AP)
“I am in a good spot going into tomorrow in terms of where I am at on the leaderboard, but it’s going to take a heroic effort from one of us to catch Wyndham.”
Patrick Cantlay is alongside McIlroy at 12 under, with Chris Gotterup a shot further back alongside Gary Woodland, who dropped back after a 70.
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JJ Spaun also saw his challenge fade after a two-over round.
World number one Scottie Scheffler – who had coasted to an impressive victory at last week’s St Jude Championship, but was two over after a first-round 72 – sits in a group on five under after his 68.
Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz will team up in mixed doubles at the US Open, creating one of the most exciting pairings of the tournament.
The two tennis stars will compete together in the US Open mixed doubles championship, bringing together Williams’ legendary experience and Alcaraz’s explosive modern game.
For Williams, the event marks a highly anticipated return to the US Open, while Alcaraz will have the opportunity to share the court with one of the greatest players in tennis history.
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The partnership has already generated huge excitement among tennis fans, with the combination of Williams and Alcaraz expected to be one of the biggest attractions of the mixed doubles competition.
With two generations of tennis greatness joining forces, all eyes will be on the pair when they take the court in New York.
Oct 19, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz (11) runs the ball during the second half against the Philadelphia Eagles at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images
Lately, Carson Wentz has been earning praise. The wily veteran is second-to-none in his toughness even if he’s not the athlete he once was.
“You never know what tomorrow brings for anybody.” That was a key sentiment coming from the chat with Carson Wentz.
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I wanted to know about what he has observed in J.J. McCarthy getting bumped down to QB2. “I think he’s handled it well,” the veteran began. “It’s a tough business. It’s a tough league, tough business, tough with media, the pressure, all the things that come with it.” Wentz then hastened to add that “the story is far from written for him, for Kyler, for myself.”
“I think he’s gotten better since I got here, I’ve seen it firsthand,” Wentz explained. Partnering improvement with a player’s readiness and the NFL’s unpredictability means that the young lad shouldn’t be discounted.
Oct 19, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz (11) warms up before the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images
Pivoting off that, I asked Wentz about how he understands his own role on the team.
His answer in full: “Great question. It’s help the team however I can. Stay ready, whatever that looks like. Yeah, at the end of the day it’s why I signed here is to, if my number gets called, I’m confident in what I can do and what I can bring to the table within this system especially. So we’ll see how it all shakes out.”
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In 2025, Carson Wentz went 2-3 as the Vikings’ starter. He completed a very healthy 65.1% of his passes for 1,216 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. Part of the reason for not seeing more promising production was due to injury.
Wentz could have signed somewhere else. He liked the chance to do good things with the Vikings. “It’s just somewhere I thought if my number did get called,” Wentz explained, “I’d feel that I have success.” Shortly thereafter, Wentz lamented his injury, calling it a “bummer” while wondering aloud where things would have gone without getting hurt.
As it relates to joint practices, Wentz indicated that mixing things up in practice was refreshing. Essentially every player says as much but that’s likely because it’s true. Going against different players who play within a different scheme is refreshing.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz (11) and wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) head toward the locker room at halftime on Sep 21, 2025 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The veteran quarterback and star receiver remained central figures as Minnesota evaluated its offensive direction during a season filled with transition. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images.
The Minnesota Vikings want to proceed through the 2026 season with Carson Wentz as the QB3. Seeing that become a reality will mean that some key things have happened.
First, Kyler Murray and/or J.J. McCarthy have been healthy enough to shoulder the burden of starting. Neither could be described as being the NFL’s version of Cal Ripken. Fingers crossed that both remain healthy but that’s far from a guarantee.
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Second, Kyler Murray and/or J.J. McCarthy played well enough to remain as the starting QB. Minnesota is desperate for a franchise passer. The current plan is to let Murray prove he’s that guy but McCarthy would be the next man up.
Having Wentz on the roster means boasting a passer with great size and better athleticism than a lot of mid-30s QBs. He has demonstrated a good connection with Justin Jefferson and will inspire belief in his teammates. The Vikings could win with him.
Aug 15, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray (1) and quarterback Carson Wentz (11) warms up before the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images – Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
In the 2016 NFL Draft, Carson Wentz was chosen at No. 2 by the Philadelphia Eagles. He has since played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, and Minnesota Vikings.
The Cleveland Browns got a poor performance out of Deshaun Watson on Saturday, and a former player is blunt about what it should mean.
Against the Buffalo Bills, the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback had a putrid performance in relief of Shedeur Sanders in the second half, covering only 36 yards on 5-of-12 passing and being intercepted once by Te’Cory Couch en route to a 7-31 loss:
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In the aftermath of that game, Robert Griffin III, who played with the Browns in 2016, gave this blunt takeaway for head coach Todd Monken:
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“The Browns should start Shedeur Sanders.”
The Browns should start Shedeur Sanders.
He then added shortly after:
“The Browns absolutely screwed their QB competition up.”
The Browns absolutely screwed their QB competition up.
Sharing his sentiment was Ben Axelrod, writer for Front Office Sports:
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I mean, the Browns simply cannot name Deshaun Watson the starting quarterback after this.
Watson was also the subject of heavy boos during the game, but he insinuated that they were not related to his play during the post-game press conference:
“I didn’t have no reaction. I think the whole world knows it has nothing to do about the performance. It’s a little bit [more] personal than that. I think that’s a disrespectful thing. I’m gonna keep whatever I feel with me and my family internally with how I feel about that and move on.”
Shedeur Sanders rues Browns fans booing Deshaun Watson during rout vs. Bills
Speaking of the boos Deshaun Watson received from Browns fans, he received a defense from a surprising source.
Shedeur Sanders, who started the game against the Bills, finished with nine completions for 74 yards and a touchdown to Luke Floriea against an interception to Damar Hamlin. After the game, he expressed disappointment in how the fans reacted to the game from the stands:
“Regardless of competition, we’re all human beings. I think we all need to understand that. In this room too, we’re all humans. I don’t do things to humans that I wouldn’t want done to me. I don’t like making people feel uncomfortable in different spaces, and that’s why, even in daily things I do, I try to make sure everybody’s comfortable.”
He continued:
“However you feel about the situation with Deshaun and everything, I think it’s more about a bigger purpose and it’s respect. It’s a respect thing that I feel should be there, because we’re all out there trying to do our best and serve the franchise the best way possible. We’re going out there to win games, doing everything we can.”
The Browns end their preseason this coming Thursday against the New England Patriots. Kickoff is at 8 p.m. ET.
When Cheteshwar Pujara watches India and Sri Lanka walk out at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo on Sunday, one of his first memories of the venue is likely to be his unbeaten 145 in 2015.Pujara carried his bat through India’s first innings on a surprisingly seaming track, helping them beat Sri Lanka by 117 runs and win the series 2-1.“I’ve got fond memories of playing at SSC but in 2015, it was a different situation. We were playing on a surprisingly seaming track in Sri Lanka, which you hardly get to see there,” Pujara said in an interaction.As a former India No. 3, Pujara was impressed by Devdutt Padikkal’s performance in the first Test. But he believes Padikkal needs to sustain that form before being considered a long-term solution at No. 3.“Devdutt was ready for this opportunity, looking at the way he has been performing in domestic cricket and the IPL. We’ve seen that he has worked on his game and improved his technique,” Pujara said.“I would agree that India should go ahead with Padikkal at No. 3 for some time. But you can’t leave someone like Sai Sudharsan out of India’s Test squad. I’m not saying he should bat at No. 3, but he should be there in the scheme of things.“If Padikkal performs consistently at No. 3 in New Zealand and against Australia at home, then he will cement his spot. Let’s not put too much pressure on him,” he said.
It’s a weird state of the sport when the following sentence is true: One of the most important commitments of the college basketball offseason has transpired in late August.
On Saturday night, Mark Mitchell, who previously played at Duke and Missouri, committed to play for Kentucky this season. In industry circles, Mitchell had been widely rumored as Lexington-bound in the past week and a half. On Friday morning, he received a temporary restraining order — via a Jefferson Circuit Court ruling in Kentucky — to pursue a fifth season of college basketball. He officially entered his name into the transfer portal (with a do-not-contact tag) hours later.
And a little more than 24 hours after that, Mitchell made his intentions public. The pick confirmed the whispers that had grown to a rumble in the day leading up to the decision. In picking Kentucky, Mitchell provides a proven producer in the frontcourt at the power forward position and gives Mark Pope one more piece (if Mitchell’s legal pursuit keeps him eligible all of this upcoming season) that validates some Final Four dreams for Big Blue Nation in 2026-27.
Dramatic offseason perhaps ending on a high note
It seems so far away now, but there was a point a few weeks removed from Kentucky’s season when Pope was feeling severe heat for missing out on a variety of high-profile prospects, including the No. 1 high school player in 2026, Tyran Stokes.
That’s now all in the past, as it could easily be argued that Pope wound up landing two of the four or five most important transfers of 2026. The first was Milan Momcilovic, who picked Kentucky over Louisville in what was one of the more expensive bidding endeavors of the spring. Momcilovic is a stretchy 3-man who hopes to again be one of the best long distance shooters in the country.
So long as Mitchell’s eligibility case doesn’t hit a road block, Momcilovic will have a good contrast with Mitchell in the frontcourt. The 6-9, 230-pound big averaged 18.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists in the SEC last season and was one of the 10 best players in the conference across the past two seasons. Those two will start alongside center/sophomore Malachi Moreno, who bypassed being a potential top-40 pick in order to improve with a healthy payday in Year 2 under Pope.
The in-state rivals, coincidentally enough, are regarded by many coaches across college hoops as the two biggest spenders of this 2026 offseason. Kentucky’s other portal commits include former Furman point guard Alex Wilkins, former Washington point guard Zoom Diallo and his teammate who also played at UW last season, Frank Kepnang, a center.
No fan base has endured more highs and lows in the past five months than Kentucky’s.
Kentucky the latest to benefit from the legal route
Mitchell is the latest proven college player to double back to school after having a cup of coffee in Summer League — a trend that CBS Sports first reported in more than a month ago. Mitchell played with the Denver Nuggets, but with no certainty of making an NBA roster this fall, he and his representation took to the courts to sue for a fifth year. Former Michigan State forward Jaxon Kohler also took this route, committing to BYU after getting some runs in with the Utah Jazz for about a month.
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These two will not be the last, either.
The NCAA is enduring a nationwide legal battle at the moment, as the organization voted in late June to allow all Division I athletes moving forward eligibility for five seasons in a five-year span. But players whose eligibility expired this past spring did not apply to that rule change.
So now there are more than a hundred former Division I men’s basketball players (and others) trying to sue for what they believe is an unjust rule change right at the start of the summer. The NCAA has had two minor but critical wins so far: injunctions in Colorado (which was federal in scope) and Ohio (which was under a different framing) have been stayed, which is to say the courts ruling in favor of the players’ eligibility has been paused.
Mitchell’s case was in Kentucky and seen as favorable. The NCAA will still try to get the case overturned there as well, but predicting which lawsuits in which states will go which way is impossible at this stage. For now, Mitchell is like so many others across the country: hoping that a local judge will give him more leniency than the NCAA in order to keep playing college sports, make significant money in the process — and potentially change the competitive dynamic of college basketball in the process.
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You won’t find many Kentucky fans objecting to the process now that they’ve got what’s clearly one of the 15 best rosters heading into November … so long as Mitchell remains eligible.
MASON, OHIO—Frances Tiafoe and Brandon Nakashima won quarterfinal matches Friday night to set up one all-American men’s semifinal at the Cincinnati Open. Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula also advanced to make it four US players in the semis.
“It’s insane, I think we’re all doing so well,” Gauff said. “Hopefully, you know, we can have a double title win. Obviously there are more matches to be played for that to happen. We definitely root for each other.”
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Tiafoe beat Italian Lorenzo Musetti, 7-6 (2), 7-5, and Nakashima beat fellow American Taylor Fritz, 7-6, 4-6, 6-3, marking the first time two Americans have reached the men’s semifinals in Cincinnati since Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish in 2010.
Nakashima is the first American man to reach the semifinals in Canada and Cincinnati in the same season since Fish in 2011. Nakashima is coached by Tiafoe’s former coach, Wayne Ferreira.
“It’s a guy who knows me pretty well in Wayne,” Tiafoe said. “I expect some good serving and all the best from him. Happy where I’ve been mentally more than anything. This has been a great week.”
Tiafoe reached the Cincinnati finals in 2024, losing to Jannik Sinner.
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The other men’s semifinal Saturday features Italy’s Flavio Cobolli against Frenchman Arthur Fils.
Gauff beat Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk, 6-2, 6-2. Gauff will face surprise entrant 20-year-old Czech Sara Bejlek at 7:30 a.m. Sunday in Manila.
Bejlek outlasted 2019 champion Madison Keys, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5), on Friday. She upset No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets in the Round of 16.
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“Sara is a great player,” Gauff said. “I watched her a lot in Abu Dhabi [in February] this year when she won that title. So I think it’s going to be a tough match. I’m looking forward to it.” —AP
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