McCartney Kessler has called an end to her 2026 season after the US Open.

Kessler is a former top 30 player and has won three WTA titles in her career, but has faced a more difficult season in 2026.

The 27-year-old has only won 16 of her 35 matches on the main tour this year, with Kessler failing to reach the semi-finals of any WTA event.

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After Kessler lost her last three matches, including in the first round of the US Open, she has announced that she will be taking a step back from the WTA Tour until 2027.

McCartney Kessler releases statement after ending her season

Kessler was beaten by Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round of the US Open, which is her only defeat in the opening round of any Grand Slam tournament this year.

The American has faced many physical struggles in 2026, perhaps most notably with Kessler suffering a back injury during USA’s Billie Jean King Cup defeat to Belgium.

Kessler has now taken to Instagram to confirm that she will be ending her season, despite stating that she did not want to make this decision.

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She wrote, “Grateful for the lessons this year taught me about trusting myself and listening to my body.

“That being said, this year has been physically demanding, and my team and I have decided it’s time to take a step back and let my body heal. It’s not what I wanted, but I know it’s what I need to give it my all on court. See you next year, healthier AND happier.”

Kessler’s post was liked by world number three Jessica Pegula, and she also received messages of support from the likes of Iva Jovic and Eva Lys.

While this is a decision Kessler did not want to make, she is not the only player who is currently taking a break from tennis, with Ajla Tomjlanovic, Lulu Sun, Marton Fucsovics and Beatriz Haddad Maia also announcing that they will be out for the rest of 2026.

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What will happen to McCartney Kessler’s ranking now?

As a result of Kessler’s struggle for form and fitness, she has dropped 42 places down from her ranking at the start of the season down to world number 73.

Kessler ending her season means that she will only drop further, having played four more tournaments in Asia in the latter stages of the 2025 season.

During the Asian swing last year, Kessler earned a total of 298 ranking points, which will now all drop from her ranking. This would currently place Kessler at world number 119 in the live WTA rankings.

This is significant for Kessler, as it means that she will not receive direct entry for the Australian Open next year and will have to compete in qualifying instead.

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The last time Kessler competed in the qualifying draw at a Grand Slam tournament was at Wimbledon in 2024, when she successfully advanced to the main draw.

Elsewhere in the sporting world, England are turning the page on the World Cup. Third at the last tournament, the Three Lions return to action with two big names left out this summer: Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Phil Foden, meanwhile, has not been recalled.

No international retirement for Cristiano Ronaldo. CR7 features in the squad named by new Portugal boss Jorge Jesus.

A first for Patrick Vieira. The 1998 World Cup winner, now in charge of Senegal, announced a 29-man squad on Friday for upcoming Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifiers against Ethiopia and Mozambique. Sadio Mané misses out through injury.

In Ligue 1, Monaco are the new leaders. ASM moved top after beating Lens 2-1 on Friday. In the Premier League, Chelsea were blown away at Brentford, suffering a 3-0 defeat. In Germany, Bayern Munich put on a show: a Michael Olise hat-trick and a Harry Kane brace inspired the Bavarians to a thumping 7-0 win over Union Berlin.

And finally, France are already up against it in the Davis Cup. Les Bleus trail Canada 2-0 after the opening day.

The most embarrassing playoff race in Major League Baseball history (Homer Simpson voice: “The most embarrassing playoff race in Major League Baseball history SO FAR”) is taking place in the American League, where half the field will be lucky to get to the postseason with a winning record.

But the greatest testament to MLB’s hubris is in the National League, where the expansion of the postseason has ensured there’s no wild card race at all.

Not only are the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres all tied for the three NL wild card berths at 85-69 entering play today, they are five games clear of the free-falling Arizona Diamondbacks, who have lost six of eight.

Barring a historical collapse by one of the three tri-leaders, the only suspense over the final eight days of the season will be about seeding and three-way tiebreaker scenarios, the latter of which I’m not going to worry about until at least next Thursday.

And while there’s certainly value in earning the fourth seed and home field in the wild card round as well as avoiding falling to the six seed and facing the Atlanta Braves in a best-of-three series, it’s not nearly as compelling as the Phillies, Cubs and Padres battling for one or two berths. 

Imagine the theatre and the scoreboard-watching around the country if at least one of the three NL wild card teams was going to have to head home for the potentially endless winter next Sunday.

The most memorable final day of a season in recent memory — Sept. 28, 2011 — was born out of the knowledge that either the Boston Red Sox or Tampa Bay Rays were not going to make the playoffs as the AL wild card team. The Red Sox were left out when they were walked off by the last-place Baltimore Orioles shortly before Dan Johnson hit the most memorable homer of his life to give the Rays a walk-off 11-inning win over the New York Yankees.

There will be none of that a week from Sunday, which will be another reminder one wild card per league was the perfect arrangement. But of course the playoffs had to be expanded because there was more money to be made, more devaluing of what was once the greatest regular season in sports and more randomness to infuse into the postseason.

Don’t worry, though. At some point following the impending never-ending lockout, Major League Baseball will expand to 32 teams, because what a sport with not enough pitching and too many billionaires crying poverty needs is MORE teams.

And when Major League Baseball goes to 32 teams, the playoffs will expand to 16 teams and there’ll be eight playoff teams in each league. And that will solve the lack of suspense in the NL wild card race!

If there was a 16-team format right now, the Diamondbacks and Pittsburgh Pirates (77-77) would be “leading” the race for the final two NL wild card spots, with the Miami Marlins (76-78) and St. Louis Cardinals (75-79) in something resembling hot pursuit. And thus some year soon, we’ll be pining for the good ol’ days of 2026, when only one league had playoff teams threatening to squeak in at .500 or worse.

A father and son who built their legacy in hammer throw shared one of the biggest moments of the Asian Games opening ceremony on Saturday.Japan’s Shigenobu Murofushi and his son Koji Murofushi jointly lit the cauldron at the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, bringing the torch relay to a memorable end.Both Shigenobu and Koji are former Asian Games champions in hammer throw. The duo climbed the stairs to the podium together before lighting the cauldron.The ceremony featured dance, music and fireworks as the Asian Games officially opened in Aichi-Nagoya.

From Olympic champion to father-son moment

The cauldron lighting was the final part of a relay involving some of Japan’s biggest sporting names.Women’s wrestler Fujinami Akari brought the torch into the stadium before passing it to four-time Olympic swimming champion Kitajima Kosuke.The torch then went to Ito Koji, a three-time gold medallist in athletics at the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games. Takahashi Ayaka, the 2016 Rio Olympics badminton women’s doubles champion, was next.

The torch was then handed to Koji Murofushi, the 2004 Athens Olympics hammer throw champion.The final torchbearer was his father, Shigenobu Murofushi, who won the Asian Games hammer throw title five times in a row.The two then came together to light the cauldron, which had a metallic design inspired by the shape of a heart.

Who is Shigenobu Murofushi?

Shigenobu Murofushi is one of Japan’s most successful hammer throwers. He competed at three Olympic Games — Munich 1972, Montreal 1976 and Los Angeles 1984.He also served as Japan’s flag-bearer at the 1984 Olympics.Murofushi initially tried sumo and shot put before taking up hammer throw. In 1984, he set a Japanese record of 75.96m. That mark remained the national record until his son Koji broke it in 1998.Shigenobu won the Asian Games hammer throw gold medal in 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982 and 1986. He also won silver in 1966.His Asian Games medal record includes five gold medals and one silver.He also won gold at the 1979 and 1981 Asian Championships.

Shigenobu’s Olympic journey

While Shigenobu dominated the Asian Games, an Olympic medal remained out of reach.He finished eighth at the 1972 Munich Olympics, 11th at Montreal 1976 and 15th at Los Angeles 1984.His son would later achieve what he could not at the Olympics.

Koji Murofushi followed his father’s footsteps

Koji started hammer throw at the age of 10 under the guidance of his father.He went on to become one of the leading hammer throwers in the world. Koji won the silver medal at the 2001 World Championships before claiming bronze in 2003.His biggest Olympic moment came at the 2004 Athens Games, where he won the hammer throw gold medal.He added an Olympic bronze at the 2012 London Games.Koji also became world champion in 2011 in Daegu.

Koji’s Asian Games medal record

Koji continued his family’s success at the Asian Games.He won gold in hammer throw at Bangkok in 1998 and Busan in 2002. He had earlier won silver at Hiroshima in 1994.His Asian Games record therefore includes two gold medals and one silver.Koji also won gold at the 2002 Asian Championships and three silver medals at the continental championships in 1993, 1995 and 1998.

A family legacy comes full circle

The Murofushis have now added another special chapter to their long sporting legacy.Shigenobu dominated the Asian Games in the 1970s and 1980s. Koji followed him into the event and later became an Olympic and world champion.On Saturday, the father and son stood together at the centre of the Asian Games opening ceremony — not to compete, but to light the flame that officially began the Games.

Glittering opening ceremony

The 20th Asian Games officially began in Nagoya with a two-hour opening ceremony at the Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium. Japan’s Emperor Naruhito officially declared the Games open. Empress Masako, members of the Japanese imperial family, Olympic Council of Asia president Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani and International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry were also present at the ceremony.The event started with the Japanese national anthem and the raising of the national flag. Nine members of the Japanese Self-Defence Forces carried the flag to the stage before it was hoisted.The stadium was then turned dark, with a spotlight focused on the Japanese flag.The ceremony was followed by the parade of athletes. Teams from 45 nations and regions took part, along with the OCA Refugee Team, taking the total number of participating delegations to 46.

After a strong offseason and training camp, the Baltimore Ravens will be without rookie star wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane in the coming weeks. According to CBS Sports, Lane is expected to undergo surgery to repair a fractured wrist.

Lane could reportedly undergo surgery as early as Wednesday and is expected to miss nearly a month of action. While the Ravens have not yet assigned an official injury designation, placing him on injured reserve has yet to be ruled out.

Injuries to both Lane and Zay Flowers (hamstring) have quickly tested Baltimore’s revamped receiving depth. As the Ravens prepare for Sunday’s matchup against the New Orleans Saints, Rashod Bateman, Chris Moore, and Elijah Sarratt are next in line on the depth chart at wide receiver. 

Lane had lined up as a running mate with Flowers in Week 1, lining up at the Z position. With his 6-foot-4 frame, he was set to become a prime red zone target for quarterback Lamar Jackson.

The 21-year-old receiver arrived in Baltimore as a third-round pick out of USC, where he was one of the youngest prospects in his draft class. Lane built an impressive three-season résumé with the Trojans, hauling in 99 receptions for 1,363 yards and 18 touchdowns,

Lane’s debut was cut short in Week 1 against the Indianapolis Colts, exiting with a wrist injury after catching one of three targets for 11 yards. Following high expectations for his rookie season, all eyes now shift toward his timeline to get back on the field.

A one-month timeline could force Lane to miss games against the Saints, Dallas Cowboys, Tennessee Titans and Atlanta Falcons. 

England vs Sri Lanka, 3rd T20I Live Score: England won the toss and elected to field first in the third and final T20I against Sri Lanka in Manchester, with the hosts already having secured the series 2-0. England captain Harry Brook said his side were comfortable chasing on a surface that looked good for batting, while expecting the strong wind and unusual ground dimensions to play a role.

“We’re going to have a bowl tonight. We fancy a chase. It looks like a good surface, and hopefully we can restrict them to a low score,” Brook said.

Brook also stressed the importance of adapting to the conditions, saying England would look to make the wind work in their favour while trying to take early wickets. The visitors, meanwhile, made one change, with Nuwan Thushara coming in for the rested Dushmantha Chameera.

Asalanka said he would also have opted to bowl first had he won the toss. He identified batting as an area Sri Lanka needed to improve, particularly by building on their strong powerplay in the second T20I and avoiding wickets at regular intervals.

For Sri Lanka, adapting quickly remains a major challenge at a venue with different dimensions and conditions. England, meanwhile, are aiming to finish the series with another win after dominating the first two matches.

It was in the summer of 1996 that Leander Paes won a historic medal at the Atlanta Olympics, ending India’s 44-year wait for an individual Olympic medal. Paes, then 23, battled through a wrist injury, coming back from a set down to beat Brazil’s Fernando Meligeni in the bronze-medal play-off clash.That day, Aug 3, 1996, the effervescent Kolkatan wrote himself into history, providing the punctuation that ended India’s dismal streak at the quadrennial Games.Thirty years later, he is looking to deliver another winner. As he runs for the office of president of the All India Tennis Association, elections for which is stated to be held later this year, Paes wants to turn around a sports body that has been in the news for playing truant.In New York for the US Open, he spoke to TOI about his plans and goals for Indian tennis.Excerpts…When did you decide to run for AITA presidency?I was always interested in a conversation looking at the betterment of Indian tennis, focussing on greater access for players, access to tournaments and professional coaching, building grassroots programs, infrastructure development across states. I’ve given serious thought to reciprocal programs, using my profile and identity across the tennis world, to give our players exposure to coaching systems in countries that have already done the groundwork.What got me thinking was noticing a certain trend, if you can call it that, over the last 15-20 years. It was our tradition of winning Grand Slams, four of us have won Grand Slams in India — Sania (Mirza), Mahesh (Bhupathi), Rohan (Bopanna) and myself. Between us India has won 38 Grand Slam titles, and also held the No.1 ranking in doubles. Besides, Somdev Devvarman, Sania and now Sumit Nagal is doing inspirational stuff in singles, giving us great results at the Tour-level, Olympics, Davis and Billie Jean King cups, but as I see it, in the last couple of decades, there hasn’t been a maximisation of these results.We have had success, so I ask, what did we do with it? Did we capitalise on it? I feel strongly that the players have not been supported, not those who achieved the results nor those who are trying to forge career paths now.Why did you throw yourself in the race?Over the years, in the last decade or so, I have been approached by different people, be it players, well-wishers of Indian tennis or office bearers of state associations, coming up to me and saying, why don’t you do something for tennis in India? What has been talked about the most is financial transparency, or sadly, the complete lack of it.While I was playing tennis, I was focussed on my career. Most of the last eight years have gone in looking after my parents, who have both passed away in the last one year. Something like this needs time, needs personal investment.So, besides wanting to bring in a professional system to tennis, grassroot programs, access to all, a clear and clean development pathway, and all of this done with transparency, where everything is open and known to all, I want to put players at the heart of tennis. At the end of the day, results speak louder than anything else.I’m happy to use my personal equity, my name, in attracting corporate and government investment to take this dream of all tennis lovers forward.Did you ever speak to your dad, Dr Vece Paes, about running tennis in the country?Dad and I have had many conversations about governance of sport in India, especially AITA. Every time we had these conversations, he would say, you are in a tough position. His argument was, if you don’t take that position, how can you make a difference? But if you do take the position, all your friends, all those who respect and love you for all that you achieved and stood by, will wonder… Also, the minute you take that position, all that you achieved may take a back seat and all the trophies and medals you have worked hard to win may cease to matter because this is a different race, and you might ask yourself, to what end?But, he always said, if you get in, you have to run it as a professional, just like the way you played the sport. Most importantly, you’ve got to bring the best team together, and you’ve got to involve the players.You have to make AITA a professional organization, you have to start by professionalizing it, state by state. To help the game grow, getting hands on involved in the development is not an option.I have so much respect for all our fellow players who struggled, worked hard, and spent their own or family money to stay on tour, pay for their hotel, pay for flights, pay for coaching. Some of them travel with companions or partners, but most of our singles and doubles players are doing all this with zero support.What is your vision for tennis in India for the next 10 years?I’m looking at rounded growth while laying out a business plan for tennis. The sport is played round the year, well almost, globally. I want India to have a full calendar too, men, women and juniors. In the last 10-15 years, we in Asia, and those in the global fraternity, have seen what China has done. In Europe you have seen what Italy, Spain and France have done. We need to have tournaments for players. That’s the ground rule, they shouldn’t have to travel abroad for the bulk of their points.At the end of the day, we are in a system where ranking is king, depending on their ranking a player gets into tournaments, that’s their livelihood. For someone playing World Tennis (ITF) junior events, it is like going to school, exposure at every grade of competition is mandatory, it is the foundation they lay for when they turn pro. I want to focus on a tournament structure that allows players to play a bulk of their tournaments at home, and some in Asia where it is easier to travel. This at the developmental stage, once a player has points, it is easier to get into main draws.The goal is to get approximately 15 singles players into Grand Slams – men and women, get multiple teams into the Grand Slam doubles and mixed doubles.Look at China today, 20 years ago people were saying China is building these tennis schools, all these great stadiums across the country, China is looking at investing millions and millions of dollars into player development, in getting international coaching. I look at the US Open draw now and I see Chinese players across the board. A lot of work has already been done.The other goal I have is to get the administration of AITA to such a level that it sets the standard for other sports associations in the country. I want our past players to get involved in different levels of the game, for example coaching, like Sania and Rohan are already doing. Sport and event management like Mahesh and Vijay have dabbled with, and I have dabbled with.Even get the current players involved, so when we are done we can hand it over to the next generation. There has to be investment by the past, present, and future players, just like there has to be investment by corporate India and investment by the government.How do you plan to go about getting the players together?We begin by having conversations, the players need to come together and work together, this is our sport, we must take ownership of it. Just because we have had differences of opinion, or people live in different countries that doesn’t mean he or she is forgotten. We have to find a way to work together and I’m willing to lead the way, I’m interested in governance, not politics.

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday extended his best wishes to the Indian contingent as the 20th Asian Games officially opened in Aichi-Nagoya, urging the athletes to give their best and shine as India begins its medal campaign in earnest from Sunday.“As the Asian Games commence in Aichi-Nagoya, my best wishes to the Indian contingent. Each athlete has worked incredibly hard and shown remarkable dedication and determination. India is proud of them,” PM Modi said in a post on X.“May they give their best, play well and shine!” he added.The message came as the continental sporting extravaganza formally got underway at the Paloma Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya, with Japan’s Emperor Naruhito declaring the Games open. The Asian Games will continue until October 4, with around 11,000 athletes from 45 nations competing across 43 sports.

Bhaker, Sehrawat lead India at opening ceremony

For India, Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker and kabaddi star Pawan Sehrawat led the contingent into the stadium, carrying the Tricolour at the opening ceremony.Bhaker, a double Olympic medallist from Paris 2024, will compete in the women’s 10m air pistol, 25m pistol and 10m air pistol mixed team events. Sehrawat was part of India’s gold-medal-winning men’s kabaddi side at the previous Asian Games.Reflecting on her selection as flag-bearer, Bhaker spoke about the emotions triggered by the honour and how it reminded her of her journey in sport.“Honestly, when I found out yesterday, I had all these flashback memories of my earlier days. And, you know, when I started, I never thought that this was where I could reach one day in my sport. So, it is definitely a very heartwarming feeling. I feel really proud, really honoured, and really, really happy to be chosen as the flag bearer for my country. I just want to say thank you to God and thank you to everyone for all the love and support,” she said.

India begins medal charge from Sunday

With the ceremonial opening now complete, the focus turns to competition, with Indian athletes beginning their push for medals from Sunday.India will look to build on its record medal haul at the previous edition in Hangzhou, where it won 106 medals, including 28 gold, 38 silver and 40 bronze.Several established names will headline India’s campaign, including PV Sindhu in badminton, Mirabai Chanu in weightlifting, Lovlina Borgohain in boxing and Aman Sehrawat in wrestling. In athletics, Gulveer Singh, Tejaswin Shankar, Murali Sreeshankar, Jyothi Yarraji and Parul Chaudhary are among the leading contenders, while Tajinderpal Singh Toor will seek a third successive Asian Games gold in the men’s shot put.India are also defending champions in men’s and women’s cricket and kabaddi, while the men’s hockey side will look to retain its title.

Angel Reese fans criticized the Golden State Valkyries‘ official account on Friday after a promotional graphic ranked Veronica Burton first in the league in Defensive Win Shares because Reese leads the WNBA in Defensive Win Shares (DWS) with 3.05, per Basketball-Reference.

Golden State shared the graphic right after beating the Portland Fire 82-66 to reach a 30-11 record. In that game, Burton scored 4 points and recorded a game-high 6 steals in 26 minutes.

In the post, they nominated Burton, Gabby Williams, and Kiah Stokes for the WNBA All-Defensive Team. That graphic also highlighted Williams’ 25 defensive net points and Stokes’ 96.5 defensive rating. It also listed Burton with a “.202 Defensive Win Shares” mark, labeled as first in the league.

Many on X then didn’t waste time accusing Golden State of using incorrect data to boost Burton’s Defensive Player of the Year campaign.

“Lying in your post as official account is sad,” one user wrote.

More reactions followed.

Golden State’s official graphic concluded by citing Sports Illustrated’s Dan Falkenheim, who wrote, “Simply put: Burton is one of the three wardens of Valkatraz, alongside Gabby Williams and Kiah Stokes.”

Read more: “Good Riddance to Trash”: Fans Erupt After OutKick Hires Former Seattle Times Columnist Who Quit Over Trans Athletes Think Piece Being Shelved

Angel Reese sets the tone for Dream after World Cup gold

Returning from the World Cup break against the Connecticut Sun, Angel Reese hit 30 points after making a free throw with 5:38 left. Moments later, she grabbed her 10th rebound to secure her WNBA-record 30th double-double of the season. The win improved the Atlanta Dream to 27-14.

Beyond breaking records, Reese wanted to show everyone what she and her team could do in the playoffs. She said,

“I was ready to get back. Being back home, being with Atlanta, being with my team. I gotta leave a taste in everybody mouth about what the playoffs are gonna look like, so it was only right for me to come out and set the tone.”

Angel Reese added that she had to leave a taste in everyone’s mouth about what the playoffs would look like, so it was only right for her to come out and set the tone.

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