Digest

BASEBALL

Yanks sweep series as fans taunt Guardians

Gerrit Cole bounced back from the shortest start of his career, Anthony Rizzo powered an early offensive barrage and the New York Yankees pounded the Cleveland Guardians 10-2 Sunday to complete a three-game sweep in a series marred by fan misbehavior.

Cole (1-0) struck out nine over 6 2/3 scoreless innings, and Rizzo's two-run drive in the first inning tied him for the AL lead with five homers. New York won for the fifth time in six games.

Cleveland outfielders struggled a day after fans threw bottles, cans and other debris at them immediately following New York's walk-off victory. Myles Straw and Oscar Mercado were heckled after misplays, and breakout rookie Steven Kwan left early with right hamstring tightness.

Cleveland starter Aaron Civale (0-1) allowed six earned runs in three innings, pushing his ERA to 9.58 over three starts.

TENNIS

Teen Alcaraz follows in Nadal's footsteps

Carlos Alcaraz

Exactly 17 years ago, an 18-year-old Rafael Nadal was starting to attract the attention of the tennis world by winning the Barcelona Open and making it to the top 10 for the first time.

Carlos Alcaraz followed in the footsteps of his hero on Sunday, also winning his first Barcelona title and cracking the top 10 men's rankings for the first time at the same age.

Alcaraz continued his impressive run by beating Pablo Carreno Busta in straight sets for his third title of the season, winning the all-Spanish match 6-3, 6-2 after making it to the final a few hours earlier in a semifinal game postponed from Saturday because of rain.

"It means a lot," Alcaraz said. "I've watched this tournament since I was a kid. I always wished to play in this tournament and of course to be able to win this tournament. I'm really, really happy to be part of the Spanish history list."

Alcaraz was guaranteed to move into the top 10 after reaching the semifinals. He will be No 9 when the new rankings come out on Monday, making him the youngest player in the top 10 since Nadal made it after lifting his first Barcelona trophy in 2005.

MOTOR SPORTS

Verstappen, Red Bull ruin Ferrari's weekend

Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen dominated Sunday in a Red Bull rout of Ferrari at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, much to the dismay of the sea of red-clad tifosi.

Verstappen won from pole, logged the fastest lap and picked up his second win of the season while leading teammate Sergio Perez to the first one-two Red Bull finish since Malaysia in 2016.

"Lovely Sunday," Verstappen radioed his Red Bull team on what was actually a dreary, overcast and misty race day.

But the Dutchman scored maximum points over the weekend－he also won the sprint qualifying race on Saturday－and led Red Bull in its embarrassment of Ferrari in what the Italian team had hoped to be its celebratory weekend on home soil.

"We were on it," Verstappen said. "You never know with the weather how competitive you are going to be, but I think as a team we did everything well and this one-two is very deserved."

Lando Norris was third for McLaren. Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu finished 15th in his Alfa Romeo.

BASKETBALL

Liaoning on brink of championship glory

The Liaoning Flying Leopards are one step away from the CBA title after defeating the Zhejiang Lions 87-73 on Sunday to lead 3-0 in the best-of-seven finals.

Zhejiang continued to put Jarrod Jones on the starter list to replace injured power forward Hu Jinqiu, while Liaoning retained its previous lineup, lifting veteran Li Xiaoxu's number of playoff appearances into the top 10 in CBA history.

"The whole team played well, we will do our best to secure the title. (Eric) Moreland's individual efforts and the team's relaxed atmosphere helped him integrate into the team well," Liaoning head coach Yang Ming said after the game.

Although facing considerable challenges, Zhejiang head coach Wang Bo said his side will still go all out in Game 4. "We won't give up in the next game, and I will give the young players a chance," he said.

Guo had a game-high 22 points, while Moreland added 17 points and grabbed 16 rebounds.

Zhejiang's Xu Zhonghao scored 12, with Sun adding 11.

Game 4 is on Tuesday.

Agencies