Update on the latest sports

TENNIS-US OPEN

Djokovic wins first set in 2nd round at US Open

NEW YORK_Novak Djokovic has won the first set of his second-round match. Now he will hope for a smoother second set than he had Tuesday. The No. 1 seed has a 6-2 lead over Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Djokovic easily took the first set against Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune in the first round before the Danish qualifier got the crowd on his side and won a second-set tiebreaker. But he battled cramps after that and Djokovic quickly won the final two sets. That got Djokovic started on what he hopes will be his men’s-record 21st Grand Slam title and his fourth of this season.

In other Open action:

— Oscar Otte is one of five qualifiers to reach the third round, the most at the U.S. Open since 1984. Fellow German Peter Gojowczyk, Henri Laaksonen, Alex Molcan and Botic van de Zandschulp are still in the longshot hunt for a U.S. Open title. It’s the most qualifiers to reach any Grand Slam third round since the 2011 French Open had six.

—Women’s No. 1 seed Ash Barty has advanced to the third round with a 6-1, 7-5 win over Clara Tauson. The reigning Wimbledon champion had trouble closing out Tauson but survived and will try to reach the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows for the first time.

— Also Thursday, Olympic gold medalist and 11th-seeded Belinda Bencic (BEN’-chich) defeated Martina Trevisan 6-3, 6-1 to reach the third round. Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova is also headed to the third round after a 7-6, 6-2 win over Kristyna Pliskova.

—Olympic gold medalist Alexander Zverev cruised to the third round with a 6-1, 6-0, 6-3 win over Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Zverev is trying to make the U.S. Open final for the second straight year.

MLB-SCHEDULE

Phillies rally past Nationals 7-6, complete series sweep

WASHINGTON (AP) — Andrew McCutchen drove in four runs and the Philadelphia Phillies erased a six-run deficit against the Washington Nationals to earn a 7-6 victory and a three-game sweep.

The Phillies overcame a disappointing start from Aaron Nola and rallied against the Nationals’ bullpen for their sixth consecutive win. Philadelphia pulled within 1½ games of NL East leader Atlanta and two games of idle Cincinnati in the race for the second NL wild card. Juan Soto homered and drove in four runs and Lane Thomas also went deep for Washington, which has lost five in a row and 21 of 27.

In other MLB action:

—Jed Lowrie hit a three-run homer in the first inning for the first of Oakland’s eight two-out runs against Matt Manning in the Athletics’ 8-6 victory over the Tigers on Thursday. Mark Canha followed Lowrie’s shot with another homer for 4-0 lead. It was the 14th homer of the season for both Lowrie and Canha, and each went to the opposite field to reach the seats. Lowrie drilled a 411-foot shot to left-center, and Canha drove one out to right-center. Lowrie’s RBI double in the fourth made it 8-0 before the Tigers battled back by scoring six runs.

MLB-NEWS

Mets place Scott on paid leave, acting GM pleads not guilty

UNDATED (AP) — The New York Mets have placed acting general manager Zack Scott on paid administrative leave following his arrest on charges of driving while intoxicated.

Electronic court records show Scott was released without bail after pleading not guilty Thursday to driving while intoxicated and some traffic violations. He’s due back in White Plains City Court on Oct. 7. Scott was arrested on a DUI charge early Tuesday in suburban White Plains, New York, hours after he attended a fundraiser at team owner Steve Cohen’s house. The Mets said they placed Scott on paid leave until further notice and team president Sandy Alderson will assume Scott’s responsibilities.

Elsewhere in the majors:

Looking to bolster their bullpen for a late-season playoff push, the New York Mets have claimed reliever Brad Hand off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays. A three-time All-Star with 126 career saves, Hand struggled badly with the Blue Jays after arriving from Washington in a July 29 trade. The left-hander went 0-2 with a 7.27 ERA in 11 appearances for Toronto and was designated for assignment Tuesday.

TEMPLE-RUTGERS PPD

Temple-Rutgers opener postponed two days by Hurricane Ida

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — The season-opening football game between Temple and Rutgers scheduled for Thursday night has been postponed until Saturday after the remnants of Hurricane Ida dumped historic rain over parts of the Northeast. Rutgers officials said Saturday’s kickoff would be at noon and that all tickets and parking passes will be honored. The game w

as to be the first at Rutgers’ 52,000-plus seat stadium without attendance restrictions since 2019. Crowds were limited last season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

NFL-NEWS

Colts activate 3 from COVID list, put 3 on injured reserve

UNDATED (AP) — The Indianapolis Colts have activated three starters from the reserve/COVID-19 list: quarterback Carson Wentz, center Ryan Kelly and receiver Zach Pascal.

All three were put on the COVID-19 list Monday after being deemed a close contact to someone who tested positive for the virus.

The Colts also put four-time Pro Bowl receiver T.Y. Hilton, third-string quarterback Sam Ehlinger and receiver Dezmon Patmon on injured reserve. By going on injured reserve after the active roster was cut to 53 all three could return this season.

In other NFL news:

— Defensive tackle Jurrell Casey is retiring from the NFL after 10 seasons, the first nine with the Tennessee Titans and the last with Denver. Casey scheduled his announcement for Thursday afternoon at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium, where he became a five-time Pro Bowl pick, six-time defensive captain and a team two-time Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year. His 51 sacks rank seventh in team history and are second only to Jevon Kearse’s 52 sacks since 1999 in the Titans era.

— NFL players will be free to wear social justice messages on their helmets again this season. And “It Takes All of Us” and “End Racism” will be stenciled in end zones for the second straight year as part of the league’s Inspire Change platform. The NFL will also bring back the “Say Their Stories” initiative, and for the first time each team will highlight its social justice work during a regular-season home game in Weeks 17 and 18. The league also worked with New Era and the Players Coalition to offer an Inspire Change knit hat that can be worn on the sideline during Weeks 17 and 18.

— Investigators say former NFL player Keith McCants was found dead Thursday at his home in Florida in a suspected drug overdose. He was 53. McCants, a linebacker, was a fourth-round pick in the 1990 NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He earned All-America honors as a college player at Alabama. McCants played three seasons in Tampa, then with the then-Houston Oilers and Arizona Cardinals. McCants had previous drug-related arrests.

NHL-NEWS

Flyers sign Farabee to $30 million, six-year extension

UNDATED (AP) — The Philadelphia Flyers have signed forward Joel Farabee to a $30 million, six-year contract extension.

Farabee’s extension, announced Thursday, kicks in with the 2022-23 season. He was scheduled to become a restricted free agent after this season.

The 21-year-old led the Flyers with 20 goals and had 38 points in 55 games. The Flyers’ first-round pick in the 2018 draft, Farabee has 28 goals and 31 assists in 107 career games.

In other NHL news:

— The Buffalo Sabres have re-signed center Casey Mittelstadt to a three-year, $7.5 million contract. Mittelstadt, a restricted free agent, was selected in the first round of the 2017 draft. The 22-year-old from Minnesota overcame early career inconsistencies to finish third on the Sabres with 10 goals and fourth with 22 points in just 41 games last season.

PGA-TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

Cantlay starts with lead and keeps his distance at East Lake

ATLANTA (AP) — Patrick Cantlay met his goal at the Tour Championship and it had nothing to do with the score on his card or the size of his lead. He shot a 67 at East Lake.

And he still leads by two. Cantlay started at 10-under par and with a two-shot lead because of his No. 1 seed in the FedEx Cup. He was determined to treat this like any other tournament. Jon Rahm had a 65. He started four shots behind and now is only two back. Harris English had a hole-in-one and was five back along with Bryson DeChambeau.