The Evening Brief: US Open semifinals set; NFL opener upends Patriots; Dodgers gamble on youth

The US Open semifinals guarantee a historic outcome in both singles draws. Ben Shelton defeated defending champion Carlos Alcaraz 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) in a match that finished at 3:33 a.m. ET on September 9, the latest finish in US Open history, ending Alcaraz's 18-match Grand Slam winning streak in five sets and marking Shelton's first victory over a top-three player. Shelton now faces American Frances Tiafoe in the semifinal on September 13, guaranteeing that a Black American man will reach the final for the first time since Arthur Ashe in 1972. The U.S. is positioned to win its first men's major title since 2003. Shelton owns a career 3-1 record over Tiafoe but faces an opponent who edged him at the 2024 US Open. The late finish spotlighted broader scheduling concerns; Venus Williams and Jessica Pegula both criticized the tournament's overnight start times, with Tennis Channel CEO Jeff Blackburn calling late-night finishes "a defect that needs to get addressed."

In the women's draw, all four top seeds reached the semifinals for the first time since 1975: Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff. Sabalenka faces Pegula on September 12, with Rybakina meeting Gauff to follow. Sabalenka enters as the two-time defending US Open champion and is bidding to become the first woman since Serena Williams in 2014 to win three successive US Open titles. Rybakina will replace Sabalenka as world number one on Monday when Rybakina reaches the semifinal, ending Sabalenka's 99-week reign. Pegula remains chasing a maiden Grand Slam title after reaching finals in Washington and Cincinnati. The concentration of seeded dominance reflects a tightening at the top after 13 different women's Grand Slam champions in the last six years on the women's side versus seven on the men's side.

The Seahawks defeated the Patriots 13-10 in their Super Bowl rematch on September 10 after Drake Maye threw an interception in the end zone with 26 seconds remaining at the Seattle 16-yard line on third-and-5, the game-deciding play. Maye threw three interceptions in the fourth quarter from a situation in which field goal range and overtime remained available, a sequence NBC's Cris Collinsworth called indefensible. The Patriots led 10-0 deep into the third quarter before the collapse. Sam Darnold, the Seahawks' starter, suffered a hip injury on the opening drive and was ruled out before halftime; a fracture was ruled out but further testing was pending. Drew Lock entered for the second drive and finished the game. Separately, Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown suffered a high ankle sprain in the third quarter and is expected to miss at least four weeks, removing the team's newly acquired star receiver from the lineup as Maye loses his top target.

The Dodgers placed Shohei Ohtani on the 15-day injured list to address left knee soreness and right biceps injuries during the stretch run. Manager Dave Roberts stated that if it were a postseason game, Ohtani would be in the lineup, but the team believes two weeks will put him in a substantially better position for October. Ohtani's IL placement, which can be backdated to September 9, makes him eligible to return September 23, leaving only five regular-season games for him to ramp back up before the postseason begins. The Dodgers called up outfielder Josue De Paula, MLB Pipeline's No. 6 overall prospect, to make his major league debut Friday in Miami as Ohtani's replacement. De Paula, 21, will receive playing time as designated hitter and in corner-outfield spots despite defensive concerns; he slashed .303 with a .401 on-base percentage and .547 slugging percentage with 27 home runs at Double-A Tulsa this season. De Paula acknowledged his defensive profile presents challenges and stated his goal is to be "a complete player in every aspect of the game, not having any holes." Roberts said of De Paula's postseason prospects: "Anything's possible. But I think the first part of it, the thought was there is a little bit of a runway now with Shohei on the IL, and we can get him some Major League at-bats and see how that looks."

In college sports governance, the College Sports Commission cleared $227 million in NIL deals during July and August 2026, nearly doubling the value of all deals processed in its first year of operation. The two-month period saw 7,639 deals processed at an average rate of more than 200 per day, with 68 percent resolved within seven days. The next measure of growth will arrive when the CSC reports its September and fall figures.

The Big Ten announced Wednesday it will expand live audio broadcasts of replay reviews to all conference football games and home non-conference matchups officiated by Big Ten officials, beginning Saturday, September 12. The announcement follows the controversial finish to last Saturday's Michigan-Western Michigan game, when officials granted the Wolverines an extra second after the game clock struck zero, allowing a Hail Mary touchdown pass to win the game. The Big Ten's rollout will test whether making replay review audio and Replay Center footage visible to broadcasters and viewers prevents future clock disputes or only makes disagreement between officials and stadium operators visible in real time.