Alejandro Tabilo of Chile upset World No. 1 Novak Djokovic 6-2, 6-3 to move to the fourth round of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome on Sunday.
Djokovic, who has won six times in Rome, had just 14 winners against 12 unforced errors in the 68-minute match. Eight of those winners came on aces, and he also had five double faults and his serve broken four times.
It was the first time Tabilo, the 29th seed in Rome, had played the top-seeded Serbian. He didn't face a break point.
"It's incredible," the 26-year-old Tabilo said. "I came on court just looking around, just trying to soak it all in and trying to process everything. I'm just trying to wake up right now."
Tabilo became the first Chilean to defeat a World No. 1 since 2007 when Fernando Gonzalez beat Roger Federer at the 2007 Nitto ATP Finals round robin.
"I was just trying to keep my nerves in, trying to keep swinging," Tabilo said. "Obviously every time you feel like you are closer to the end, your arms start to get a little tighter and you start to swing shorter, so I was just trying to not think about it and take it point by point. It's crazy. I can't believe what just happened."
Tabilo took control of the match at the outset, breaking Djokovic twice to jump to a 4-0 lead. In the second set, Djokovic double faulted twice in the opening game to give Tabilo an early break point that he never relinquished.
Tabilo's fourth-round opponent will be Russia's Karen Khachanov, the 16th seed, who ousted 20th-seeded Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina 6-2, 6-4.
Also moving to the fourth round of the clay-court event was eighth-seeded Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria, who defeated qualifier Terence Atmane of France 7-6 (3), 6-3 in one hour, 44 minutes. Dimitrov will be making his fourth appearance in the fourth round but first since 2020.
"It was a very difficult match. Probably one of the most difficult matches this year," Dimitrov said. "The conditions were so difficult. I rolled my ankle on one side, there was not much clay left."
He had 19 winners against 18 unforced errors.
"You have to adapt and today that is what I did. I played an OK game and that was enough but at the same time I am not happy with where my game is at. But I keep winning matches like this and that is what counts."
Next up for Dimitrov will be 11th-seeded Taylor Fritz, who knocked out 24th-seeded Sebastian Korda 6-3, 6-4 in an All-American clash.
Other winners were Thiago Monteiro of Brazil, who beat Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia in three sets. Nuno Borges of Portugal also posted a three-set win over Francesco Passaro of Italy.
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One of NASCAR's brightest young stars in Connor Zilisch could miss time after falling in Victory Lane following his victory in the Aug. 9 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Watkins Glen. Zilisch slipped on the door of his No. 88 Chevrolet before suffering a hard fall in Victory Lane and breaking his collarbone. He underwent successful surgery on Tuesday, with a timetable for his return yet to be announced. Even in light of the viral incident, NASCAR will not restrict drivers from celebrating in a certain way moving forward, per NASCAR's Mike Forde. Drivers have long climbed on the roof or door of their vehicles on the frontstretch and in Victory Lane to celebrate victories, but accidents stemming from that action are rare. After winning the Cup Series race at Watkins Glen on Aug. 10, Shane van Gisbergen — who will likely be Zilisch's Cup Series teammate at Trackhouse Racing in 2026 — carefully climbed out of his No. 88 Chevrolet — something he does regularly, not just in response to Zilisch's fall. Zilisch did not race in the Cup Series race at Watkins Glen due to his injury. The Xfinity Series will return on Aug. 22 at Daytona International Speedway, with Zilisch leading the regular-season standings by seven points.
The New York Yankees won their first series of August in a three-game set against the Minnesota Twins from Monday to Wednesday, but they're still in trouble. They're only one game ahead of the Cleveland Guardians for the third and final AL Wild Card spot with six weeks left in the regular season. The Yankees beat the Twins 6-2 on Monday and 9-1 on Tuesday before losing 4-1 on Wednesday, but Tuesday's victory came at a price. First baseman Paul Goldschmidt left early and didn't play on Wednesday, a night in which New York especially needed his bat. The Yankees released an update on Goldschmidt after Wednesday night's game, via MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. The 37-year-old has a low-grade knee sprain with inflammation. He's slashing .276/.331/.422 with 10 homers and 40 RBI over 112 games. Fellow first baseman Ben Rice went 1-for-4 in Goldshmidt's stead on Wednesday. The 26-year-old is slashing .233/.326/.456 with 17 homers and 38 RBI over 101 contests. Paul Goldschmidt comments on injury Goldschmidt said that he hopes he can avoid the IL with a "short-term" absence, via Hoch. While Rice is a high-upside player in his second year, the seven-time All-Star is still a more dependable contact hitter at this point. Goldschmidt is third on the squad with 110 hits, although his younger counterpart's OPS is 30 points higher. The Yankees need the veteran back as soon as possible to help them maintain their Wild Card spot. His presence allows Rice to play catcher, which is optimal given Austin Wells's struggles. The 26-year-old is slashing just .206/.264/.408 with 15 homers and 56 RBI over 94 games. Up next for New York is a road series against the St. Louis Cardinals, Goldschmidt's former team.
Terry McLaurin remains on the sidelines, unwilling to participate in team activities until his contract standoff with the Washington Commanders is resolved. Nothing seems imminent, which is a growing concern with Week 1 against the New York Giants on the not-too-distant horizon. And one NFL insider exposed what reportedly began this bitter summer battle between McLaurin and the Commanders. McLaurin's credentials need no introduction. His previous production is up there with the very best. He remained the model of consistency despite a constant stream of failed quarterbacks in Washington. With Jayden Daniels under center, the former third-round pick broke the franchise record for receiving touchdowns, in addition to earning Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors. Commanders were reportedly stunned by Terry McLaurin's initial contract demands The problem centers on McLaurin wanting top dollar. The Commanders are reluctant, considering his contract extension won't kick in until he's 31 years old. Charles Robinson from Yahoo Sports went one step further, claiming that Adam Peters was stunned enough by the wideout's initial demands to almost cut off negotiations instantly. The way I understand it, when negotiations first opened, I think the Commanders were a little stunned by initially what Terry McLaurin and his camp were really gunning for. Everyone's being careful about not saying what the initial number was, but I will say it was ... high enough that it almost completely broke down conversation instantaneously between the two parties. I think the Commanders were stunned at, initially, what the ask was. And to me, the inference is, this was like, nearly top tier, Tier 1 money.Charles Robinson Peters isn't going to give McLaurin the north of $30 million he's looking for. That became abundantly clear, which also led to holdouts, holding in at training camp, and even a trade request to pile on the pressure to no avail. McLaurin and Peters were spotted in conversation during Washington's team scrimmage. That provided hope that things hadn't gone past the point of no return, but fans anticipating a quick resolution following this development were out of luck. Both sides have made their respective stances clear. The Commanders are using analytics a lot more these days, and the statistics don't exactly work in McLaurin's favor. The drop-off in production from receivers in their 30s — even those with Pro Football Hall of Fame credentials — is glaring. Peters is taking that into account, and it's a brutal truth that's falling on deaf ears where the player's representatives are concerned. Fans just want everything to work out. They want McLaurin back on the field. So does Peters, but not at the expense of a deal that doesn't fit into his long-term strategy. Until then, it's a waiting game. More Commanders news and analysis
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