🎾 Aussies Fly Into Quarter-Finals

Good morning, it's Tuesday, 6 September. If you're sucked into watching House of the Dragon like we are, you'll know it's all about kings and queens and who should rule the Seven Kingdoms. We don't know who will end up sitting on the Iron Throne (haven't read the books) but we do know that Nick Kyrgios and Ajla Tomljanovic are ruling the tennis world right now. 

⏱ 1,358 words = 6 minutes

👀  WILD FINISH ALERT 

THE MAIN GAME

🎾 Down Underdogs do it again

Not much work is getting done when you've got 2 Aussie tennis players in the form of their lives playing, and winning, every second morning here in Australia. Long may it continue! 

Golden points: Nick Kyrgios and Ajla Tomljanovic won through to the quarter-finals of the US Open yesterday.

• Starting with Kyrgios because his match finished 1st, he beat #1 seed Daniil Medvedev 7-6(11), 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 inside 3 hours to reach his 1st US Open quarter-final.

• The 1st set was a real shootout with 44 winners to 20 errors. It went to a tie-break where Kyrgios saved 3 set points and needed 3 of his own to win it 13-11.

• A drop in focus saw Medvedev run away with the 2nd set and it looked it might happen again in the 3rd when Kyrgios produced this "boneheaded" play (his words, not ours).

• But Kyrgios steeled himself, refocused and smashed Medvedev off the court to beat him for a 2nd time this year, the first time an Australian player has beaten the men's #1 twice in the same year since Pat Cash in 1987.

• Tomljanovic had an equally tense 1st set against Russia's Liudmila Samsonova. She saved 7 set points at 4-5 in a game that lasted 18 minutes, held her serve again, saved another set point and eventually won the opening set 10-8 in a tie-breaker.

• She said she felt flat after her epic win over Serena Williams in the 3rd round but by the time the 2nd set started she was up and about, needing 35 more minutes to wrap up the match 7-6(8) 6-1 and make her 1st US Open quarter-final.

What they said: "I hadn’t won a match on (Arthur Ashe Stadium) before this week, now I’ve won 2 against 2 quality opponents. There’s a lot of celebrities here, a lot of important people here watching. I wanted to get on that court and show them I am able to put my head down and play and win these big matches," - Kyrgios is beginning to believe. 

The stat: For the first time since Pat Cash and Wendy Turnbull in 1984, Australia is represented in the men's and women's singles quarters at the US Open. 

What's next: Kyrgios plays Russian Karen Khachanov, while Tomljanovic plays #5 seed Ons Jabeur tomorrow morning. 

QUICK SINGLES

⛳️ Golf: Cameron Smith starts his LIV Golf career with a cool $1.5 million pay day. Smith finished 4th at the Boston Invitational, one shot behind a 3-way playoff for 1st which Dustin Johnson won with an eagle on the 18th. Smith said the money on offer was one of the reasons why he left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf, and to put the difference in prize money into perspective - his winnings in a regular LIV Golf event are more than what he won for finishing 3rd at the US Masters this year. He's been nominated alongside Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy as the PGA Tour player of the year, but probably won't win because, y'know, the whole defection thing. 

🏉 AFL: Channel 9 might pinch the AFL broadcast rights with an 11th-hour monster bid. Reports last night say Channel 9 is putting up $500 million for 5 seasons starting in 2025. Reports say Channel 9 wants some footy for its streaming service Stan Sport, and because Foxtel has the NRL streaming rights, it's making a play for the AFL. Channel 7 and Foxtel were the favourites to extend their broadcast deal just a few days ago, but now they could lose it to Channel 9 unless they match that offer and perhaps offer a 6 or 7-year deal. We should find out by the end of the week. 

🎾 Tennis: Margaret Court says tennis was harder back in her day. Court holds the record for the most women's grand slam singles titles and has spoken after Serena Williams has been hailed as the GOAT of women's tennis despite winning one less grand slam than Court's 24. Court points out how Williams played longer and didn't win any grand slams after she became a mother, which Court did. And she says it's easier these days being able to travel with family and coaches. 

🏉 AFL: Legend Wayne Carey says the white powder he dropped was nothing suss. Carey dropped a bag of white powder at Crown casino in Perth last Thursday and was escorted out of the building and banned for 2 years. Carey says it's a bad look but says the bag contained an anti-inflammatory he had with dinner and that it's not illegal. He's temporarily stepped away from his commentating duties with Channel 7. 

LEFT OF FIELD

⚽️ Football: Only one to say this: A goalkeeper got a red card for urinating during an FA Cup match. In the 76th minute, Blackfield & Langley FC goalie Connor Maseko was off retrieving the ball for a goal kick when he popped into the hedges and relieved himself. The ref was made aware of this by the Shepton Mallet players and Maseko was shown red. The match ended in a draw so they'll be playing again overnight. Blackfield & Langley say they hope there are plenty of toilet breaks on the away trip, while Shepton Mallet has called on plumbers and portaloo companies to sponsor the match. Old mate Maseko should be pee-nalised for that behaviour. Get it? We'll see ourselves out. 

📽 Highlight reel: College football is back in the US for another year and we might have the game of the season already. Florida State beat LSU 24-23 in one of the craziest finishes you'll ever see. There's next to no mayo in that sentence, promise. 

📸 Photo finish: Richmond's ALFW team unveiled its jersey for the upcoming Indigenous Round and it is 🔥🔥🔥

THE POLLING BOOTH

Monday's result: 20% prefer croissants above all other pastries but there was a lot of love for vanilla slice. 

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

• ⚾️ 8:30am - MLB - Mariners v White Sox - T-Mobile Park, Seattle - Foxtel, Kayo

• 🎾 9:00am - US Open - Day 8 - Flushing Meadows, New York - 9Gem, 9Now, Stan Sport

• 🏏 2:20pm - Cricket - Australia v New Zealand, 1st ODI - Cazalys Stadium, Cairns - Foxtel, Kayo

• ⚽️ 7:40pm - Football - Matildas v Canada - Allianz Stadium, Sydney - 10Bold, To Play, Paramount +

All times AEST

THE MANAGER'S OFFICE

Be a sport and tell a mate about the Sport Today newsletter. It really helps us grow and we wanna grow really big!