Nadal to skip U.S. Open, end year
Rafael Nadal announced he is calling a halt to his 2021 season to address a lingering left foot injury, taking himself out of the U.S. Open for a second consecutive year.
Nadal, 35, a four-time U.S. Open champion, joins fivetime champion Roger Federer and defending champion Dominic Thiem in withdrawing from the season’s final Grand Slam event, which gets underway Aug. 30 in New York.
Nadal shared the news early Friday via social media in his native Spanish, and also posted a lengthy video in English, in which he shed further light on the long-standing injury, explained his decision and voiced full faith in his recovery.
More tennis
Top-ranked Ash Barty defeated Barbora Krejcikova, 6-2, 6-4, to reach the semifinals of the Western & Southern Open in Mason, Ohio. Barty next will face two-time Cincinnati finalist Angelique Kerber, who won her quarterfinal when two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova retired in the second set because of a stomach problem. Kerber won the first set, 6-4, and was tied, 3-3, in the second.
Baseball
Oregon scored five runs in the fourth inning and went on to beat Pennsylvania, 8-2. Ellis Bayne, Chase Kelly, Ben Robertson and Ethan Uecker each had RBIs in the big inning. Jalen Bowman was the loser for Pennsylvania.
• South Dakota threw a combined no-hitter as Gavin Weir continued his dominance by striking out 15 in 5⅔ innings in a 2-0 victory vs. Louisiana. Cason Mediger threw one-third of an inning in relief to earn the save. Brekken Biteler led South Dakota with two hits in three at-bats.
• Michigan defeated Florida, 8-0, as three pitchers combined to throw a shutout. Ethan Van Belle led Michigan’s staff, striking out six and allowing only four hits in the four innings he pitched. Michigan scored five runs in the fifth inning.
• Myles McCarty was credited with the victory as Texas defeated Washington, 6-0. McCarty lasted three innings, allowing one hit and no runs while striking out two. Landry Pate threw one inning in relief out of the bullpen for Texas.
• Ryan Hennen’s threw his first career shutout in a dominant performance in the series opener in Avon, and the Washington Wild Things (40-35) defeated the Lake Erie Crushers (34-31) for the third time this season by a final of 1-0 and clinched the season series.
Hockey
Henrik Lundqvist, one of the greatest goaltenders of his generation, announced his retirement less than nine months after heart surgery. “It’s time,” Lundqvist, 39, wrote in a social media post. “For the last 30 years, I have devoted my life to the game of hockey and now it’s time to walk away from the game I love and begin a new chapter.” Lundqvist also told the Göteborgs-Posten newspaper he needs a new heart procedure.
College basketball
Texas A&M men’s coach Buzz Williams was suspended for two games and the team has been placed on two years of probation for multiple NCAA rules violations, the NCAA announced. The violations include Williams having impermissible contact in July 2019 with a prospect.
Women’s basketball
Jewell Loyd scored 29 points and Breanna Stewart added 19 to help the visiting Seattle Storm (17-7) rout the New York Liberty (11-13), 9983.
• The Indiana Fever (5-18) pulled out a close 83-81 win against the Dallas Wings (1014). Danielle Robinson scored 18 points and Emma Cannon added 16 in the victory.
Golf
Sebastian Söderberg birdied the final hole to shoot an 8-under 64 and take a onestroke lead after the rain-hit second round of the Czech Masters in Vysoky Ujezd. The Swede recorded the lowest score of the day — including an eagle on No. 12 and seven birdies — to equal the course record at the Albatross Golf Resort near Prague for a total of 10-under 134.