Update on the latest sports

TENNIS-US OPEN

Zverev wins opening match

NEW YORK (AP) — Alexander Zverev has opened his bid for a second straight U.S. Open final appearance with a win in his opening match. Zverev needed only 1 hour, 40 minutes to beat Sam Querrey 6-4, 7-5, 6-2. Zverev won the first two sets last year in the final against Dominic Thiem before losing the match. It was Zverev’s first Slam final. Zverev won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and is one of three players with four titles this season.

The German knocked off top-ranked Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of the Tokyo Games. Djokovic is trying to become the first man since 1969 to win a calendar-year Grand Slam. He plays Tuesday night.

In other Tuesday matches:

—Maxime Cressy defeated ninth-seeded and Olympic bronze medalist Pablo Carreno Busta in the biggest early upset at the U.S. Open. Cressy saved four match points in the fifth-set tiebreaker to upset the two-time U.S. Open semifinalist. Cressy had fans chanting “Cressy! Cressy!” as they rallied behind the Open qualifier. The French-born Cressy was a collegiate star at UCLA.

— Karolina Pliskova and Reilly Opelka were among the early winners on the second day of the U.S. Open. Pliskova, a 2016 finalist, beat Caty McNally 6-3, 6-4 in her first-round match as the former world No. 1 tries continues her rebound from several lean years on the tour.

— Mackenzie McDonald, another American, beat David Goffin 6-2, 7-5, 6-3. McDonald needed surgery for a torn hamstring tendon a little more than two years ago and couldn’t walk for weeks.

MLB-SCHEDULE

Thumbs up: Baez caps unlikely Mets comeback in resumption

UNDATED (AP) — Javier Báez sprinted home from first for the game-ending run on Michael Conforto’s single, earning cheers from a fanbase he insulted days earlier in the New York Mets’ 6-5 win over the Miami Marlins.

In the resumption of a game suspended by rain April 11, the Mets scored five runs in the final inning and won it when Báez scored following a Marlins error. Báez was booed when he entered as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning, hours after apologizing for revealing Sunday that a thumbs-down celebration gesture used recently by the team was dig at fans who have been booing the struggling club recently.

In other Tuesday face-offs:

The St. Louis Cardinals-Cincinnati Reds game has been postponed because of heavy rain. The game will be made up Wednesday as part of a split doubleheader. The first game will be the rescheduled one and start at 1:10 p.m. The second one starts at 6:40 p.m. Both will be seven-inning games. The Cardinals beat the Reds 3-1 in the series opener on Monday to move within 2 1/2 games of Cincinnati for second place in the NL Central and for the second NL wild-card playoff spot.

MLB-NEWS

Sawamura joins list of Red Sox to test positive for COVID-19

UNDATED (AP) — Boston reliever Hirokazu Sawamura has become the latest Red Sox player to test positive for COVID-19. Red Sox manager Alex Cora made the announcement before Tuesday night’s game at Tampa Bay.

Left-hander Martín Pérez and right-hander Matt Barnes were added to the COVID-19 injured list before Monday’s 6-1 loss to the Rays. It was announced afterward that reliever Josh Taylor and first base coach Tom Goodwin were in quarantine as close contacts and quality control coach Ramón Vázquez had tested positive. Infielder-outfielder Kiké Hernández and infielder Christian Arroyo were placed on COVID-19 IL last Friday.

— The Tampa Bay Rays have added veteran reliever David Robertson to their taxi squad and are expected to recall him from Triple-A Durham on Wednesday. The Rays signed the 36-year-old on Aug. 16 after Robertson was part of the silver medal-winning United States team at the Tokyo Olympics..

— The Toronto Blue Jays have cut struggling lefty reliever Brad Hand. Hand was reinstated from the bereavement list and designated for assignment before Tuesday’s game against Baltimore. He went 0-2 with a 7.27 ERA in 11 games with Toronto after being acquired from Washington on July 29 in exchange for rookie catcher Riley Adams. Also Tuesday, the Blue Jays activated catcher Danny Janssen off the injured list and optioned right-hander Trent Thornton to Triple-A Buffalo.

NFL-NEWS

Saints could open their season in Dallas

UNDATED (AP) — Coach Sean Payton says the New Orleans Saints are investigating the possibility of remaining in the Dallas area for up to a month and opening their regular season against Green Bay in the Cowboys’ home stadium.

The Superdome appears to have been spared significant damage from Hurricane Ida. But there are logistical challenges with staffing an NFL game at the dome in the near future because of the widespread damage in the New Orleans area. Payton says the TCU and SMU football programs have reached out with offers of their facilities to the Saints.

Elsewhere in the NFL:

—The New York Giants have acquired offensive lineman Ben Bredeson from the Baltimore Ravens for a couple of draft picks. New York said it shipped a 2022 fourth-round draft choice and received Bredeson, a 2022 fifth-round selection and a 2023 seventh-round choice. It was the Giants’ second trade for an offensive lineman in two days. They acquired center Billy Price from Cincinnati for defensive lineman B.J. Hill and a conditional seventh-round 2022 draft choice. Bredeson is entering his second NFL season.

— A person with knowledge of the move says the New England Patriots have released quarterback Cam Newton. That clears the way for rookie Mac Jones to open the season as New England’s starter. Newton’s release comes hours before NFL teams had to reduce rosters to 53 players and brings an abrupt end to his stay in New England. The Patriots are trying to rebound from a disjointed 2020 season. Newton finished 7-8 as the starter and the Patriots went 7-9 overall after Tom Brady’s departure.

—The Denver Broncos have traded speedy wide receiver Trinity Benson to the Detroit Lions in exchange for fifth- and seventh-round picks in the 2022 draft. The Lions also received a sixth-round pick in 2023 from the Broncos. Benson was a longshot from East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma, who spent the last two years on Denver’s practice squad..

—A person with direct knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press the New York Jets have traded tight end Chris Herndon to the Minnesota Vikings. Herndon was a fourth-round pick of the Jets in 2018 out of Miami. NFL Network first reported the trade Tuesday as teams whittled their rosters to the maximum 53-player limit.

— A person familiar with the deal says the Denver Broncos have traded speedy wide receiver Trinity Benson to the Detroit Lions in exchange for fifth- and seventh-round picks in the 2022 draft. The Lions also received a sixth-round pick in 2023 from the Broncos. Benson was a longshot from East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma, who spent the last two years on Denver’s practice squad.

— The Green Bay Packers won’t have David Bakhtiari for the start of the season. The All-Pro left tackle is recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament and his agent, Mark Humenik, says Bakhtiari will begin the season on the physically unable to perform list. The designation means Bakhtiari won’t be available for at least the first six weeks. That leaves reigning MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers without the player who has protected his blind side for the last nine seasons.

NBA-LAKERS-RONDO

Rajon Rondo re-signs with Lakers for another title push

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rajon Rondo has re-signed with the Los Angeles Lakers to pursue another championship ring. The Lakers are bringing back Rondo on a one-year contract.

The veteran point guard played an important role as a reserve and a team leader on Los Angeles’ 17th NBA championship team during the 2019-20 season, his second with the Lakers. The 35-year-old Rondo agreed to a buyout with Memphis last Saturday and quickly rejoined a title contender. The Clippers traded Rondo to the Grizzlies two weeks ago along with Patrick Beverley in the deal sending Eric Bledsoe back to LA.

NHL-BLACKHAWKS-MURPHY

Blackhawks D Murphy agrees to 4-year contract extension

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to a four-year contract extension with defenseman Connor Murphy. The deal runs through the 2025-26 season and carries a $4.4 million salary-cap hit. The 28-year-old Murphy has turned into one of Chicago’s most reliable defensemen. He had three goals and 12 assists while averaging a career-high 22:09 of ice time over 50 games last season.