Gates Mills native defeated in U.S. Open

American wild card Sofia Kenin defeated 32ndseeded American Lauren Davis, 7-5, 7-5, in the opening day of the U.S. Open.

Davis, 23, is a Gates Mills native and resides in Boca Raton, Florida.

The 2008 state champion as a freshman at Gilmour won her first Women’s Tennis Association event on Jan. 7 at the ASB Classic.

Davis has played in five U.S. Opens.

Meanwhile, Venus Williams shook off a midmatch lapse to improve to 19-0 in the U.S. Open’s first round and stay in the hunt for the No. 1 ranking.

The No. 9-seeded Williams, at 37 the oldest woman in the field, picked up a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 victory over Viktoria Kuzmova, a 19-year-old qualifier from Slovakia who is ranked 135th.

Williams entered the U.S. Open as one of eight women with a chance to rise atop the WTA rankings by tournament’s end.

It was the first tour-level main draw match of Kuzmova’s career, the 967th for Williams, who won the title at Flushing Meadows in 2000 and 2001.

NBA

CAVS DISCONTINUE ARENA RENOVATION PLANS » The Cavaliers have scrapped plans for a $140 million renovation of Quicken Loans Arena.

The team had hoped to upgrade the 22-year-old downtown facility with more dining spaces and a glass exterior. However, following opposition from community groups opposed to tax money being used, the NBA franchise has backed away from the project.

Construction had been scheduled to start in June but was held up by a prospective referendum being placed on the ballot by groups arguing that the city’s neighborhoods weren’t benefiting by the arena’s makeover.

The Cavaliers were planning to fund half the project, with the other $70 million coming from public funding.

The team had hoped to host a future All-Star Game, and the league had warned that if construction didn’t start by next month, the bid wouldn’t be considered.

NFL

NFL SUSPENDS BENGALS’ BURFICT » The NFL has suspended the Cincinnati Bengals’ Vontaze Burfict for leveling a Chiefs running back in violation of its player safety rules, the latest in Burfict’s history of egregious hits that have drawn fines and suspensions.

Burfict hit running back Anthony Sherman in the chest this month during a pass play in which he was not the intended receiver, knocking him to the ground.

Burfict was suspended for his hit to Antonio Brown’s head on an incomplete pass during a first-round playoff game in the 2015 season. The resulting personal foul moved the Steelers into field goal range in the closing seconds for an 18-16 victory at Paul Brown Stadium.

The Bengals will open the season with Burfict and cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones suspended. The league suspended Jones one game for his latest arrest and misdemeanor conviction in the offseason.

CFL

BRILESOUTASCFLCOACH » Less than 11 hours after the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL announced the hiring of former Baylor coach Art Briles as an assistant coach, the league and the team backtracked in the face of public pressure and said he will not be joining the team after all.

The 61-year-old Briles was fired in May 2016 by Baylor after an investigation by a law firm found that over several years the school mishandled numerous sexual assault allegations, including some against football players. The Pepper Hamilton review also led to the departures of Baylor University President Kenneth Starr and athletic director Ian McCaw.

A little before noon eastern time Monday, Hamilton tweeted out a news release announcing Briles had been hired as assistant head coach of offense and celebrating his college record though making no mention of his departure from Baylor.

Former NHL star Theo Fleury, who was sexually abused by his junior coach, tweeted: “If you knew and didn’t say anything then you are just as much a part of rape as the people who committed rape. Shame on #CFL.”

By late afternoon, the CFL released a short statement saying Commissioner Randy Ambrosie was in discussions with the team regarding the hiring of Briles, and a few hours later, the league and the team released a joint statement and Briles was out of coaching again.