Showalter and Selig Said to Discuss Rodriguez

Baltimore Manager Buck Showalter's comments about how the Yankees could enjoy a windfall from Alex Rodriguez's pending suspension struck a nerve with Major League Baseball earlier this month. According to three people with knowledge of the matter, the comments resulted in a back-and-forth between M.L.B. and the Orioles, with Showalter eventually talking directly with Commissioner Bud Selig.

In the days leading to the suspensions of Rodriguez and a dozen other players for violations of drug policy, Showalter was quoted in USA Today as saying: "If Bud lets them get away with that, they're under the luxury tax. If they can reset, they can spend again, and I guarantee you in two years, Matt Wieters is in New York."

After the comments, which Showalter later said he did not think were going to be published, the M.L.B. executive vice president Rob Manfred called Orioles General Manager Dan Duquette.

Manfred told him that the timing of Showalter's comments, with the suspensions only days away, were not helpful and that there were many factors in play beyond what Showalter was aware of. He also wanted to make it clear that the issue was about Rodriguez, not a matter of letting the Yankees get away with anything.

Upon hearing of Manfred's displeasure, Showalter decided to reach out to Selig, and the two were said to have had a productive conversation.

Showalter, at Yankee Stadium on Friday for the Orioles' series against the Yankees, said he would not discuss any private conversations he may or may not have had. He did reiterate that his initial comments were intended to be private, although he accepted responsibility for them becoming public.

"Those were not for public consumption, but that happens," he said. "It was my fault."

The M.L.B. spokesman Pat Courtney said he could not comment on conversations between the commissioner's office and club officials.

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Sports Briefing | Basketball: Fever Battle Back After Liberty’s Surge

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Sports Briefing | Pro Football: Patriots Cut Tight Ends

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Hewitt Upsets del Potro; Murray and Djokovic Rebound

Two former United States Open champions, both strong-willed competitors and veterans of the spotlight, carried on late into Friday night in one of the most dramatic contests of the early stages of the Open.

After a day of mostly tidy business as usual, the prime-time matchup of sixth-seeded Juan Martín del Potro and Lleyton Hewitt was highly anticipated, even if it did not have the current brand name figures of the sport. It was still the charismatic del Potro, the winner here in 2009, and Hewitt, a perennial contender whose backward cap and spunkiness fans have come to adore.

Their performance surpassed its billing. Hewitt, 32, from Australia, outlasted del Potro, 6-4, 5-7, 3-6, 7-6 (2), 6-1.

"It's an amazing feeling," Hewitt said. "I love being out in that atmosphere, soaking up every second of it."

From the outset, both players seemed to nestle into their comfort zones. Hewitt was serving to win the second set, ahead by 5-4, but he double-faulted to bring the game back to deuce — a severe miscue that cost him. Del Potro wound up winning the game and rallied to take the set, 7-5.

From there, it was back and forth, neither player sustaining momentum for more than a game or even a point. Del Potro struggled with his backhand, but his powerful forehand was crisp. Hewitt, who won here 12 years ago, played like the grizzled bulldog he has become known as.

"He's a great champion and a great fighter," del Potro said of Hewitt. "For the second round, it's a really difficult player."

Two hours and 45 minutes into the match, it could not have been tighter: both players had 105 points. After del Potro won the third set, he fought off two break points to hold serve and even the fourth set at 3-3. Both players wound up exchanging breaks and the set went to a tiebreaker.

There, Hewitt played at his sharpest, jumping ahead, 6-0, before winning, 7-2. He committed only four unforced errors in the fifth set, and del Potro fell flat.

"I just kept fighting and putting it out there," Hewitt said. "I kept coming at him the whole night. I felt like I was seeing the ball well. Felt like I played a good game plan."

Earlier in the evening, the defending champion, Andy Murray, became the highest seed to drop a set at the Open, and for a moment it looked as if Leonardo Mayer of Argentina could push the match to its brink.

But the third-seeded Murray rebounded with a fourth set more typical of him, beating Mayer, 7-5, 6-1, 3-6, 6-1, at Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Against the hard-hitting Mayer, Murray made seven unforced errors, while Mayer was superb with his forehand and turned up the intensity of his serves, notching five aces. The match stretched well past two hours.

"I was a bit frustrated at points in the match," Murray said. "I was doing quite a lot of the running for a lot of it, and wasn't getting quite as much depth on my returns. You don't feel like you're dictating the match. It can be a little frustrating."

Top-seeded Novak Djokovic needed a tiebreaker to win the first set in a 7-6 (2), 6-2, 6-2 victory over Benjamin Becker of Germany. Djokovic admitted he had trouble adjusting to the winds and conditions early in the match, but it hardly sounded like cause for alarm.

"It was very tough," he said. "It was a lot of unforced errors, very windy conditions. You couldn't really read and predict where the ball is going to go, so you have to be very alert. At the start I had difficulty with my footwork. But, you know, I won the set, and after that, it was much, much better."

Also advancing was No. 12 seed Tommy Haas, who beat the qualifier Yen-Hsun Lu, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3). Haas, 35, is playing in the rare over-30 crowd, now enthusiastically joined by Li Na.

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Straight Sets: Ram Swats Away a Chance to Reach the Third Round

Rajeev Ram was two points away from his biggest Grand Slam victory, and it was time to make something happen.

Ram led by 5-4 in the fifth set of his second-round United States Open match against Marcel Granollers on Friday, with his opponent serving at 30-30 and a second serve on offer to be attacked. For Ram, there should be no turning back from attacking in any way possible.

Granollers had not served out wide to Ram's forehand once on a second serve in the deuce court, so under such pressure, surely the backhand was coming. Three points earlier, at 15-0, Ram had ripped a flat backhand return deep off a second serve and then immediately approached on the next shot and finished with a forehand volley winner. It was time to hit the repeat button.

Instead, Ram sliced Granollers's second serve back short inside the service line, allowing Granollers to run around and hit a forehand approach to Ram's backhand. Ram's on-the-run defensive lob then floated long.

The match featured 272 points over 3 hours 21 minutes, and none demanded that Ram attack more than on this solitary point. Ram could have advanced to the third round of a Grand slam for the first time, but he lost, 3-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5, after getting broken in the next game.

It was a bitter pill to swallow. Ram won the first two sets with excellent attacking play, but he ran out of physical and mental steam in the heat, dropping five straight games to open the third set. That sequence let Granollers back, mentally, into the match.

Having a solid backhand return is everything in this sport, as the server will almost always go there on big points. If the returner can be aggressive instead of defensive with the backhand return, then the balance of power immediately shifts. Granollers served 26 times to Ram's backhand return in the deuce court on first serves compared with 11 out wide and 10 in the body, and he did not mix wide to the forehand at all on second serves in either court. Over all, Ram hit 56 backhand returns and only 31 forehand returns.

This is the information players need to keep track of so that when the big points develop, players can wait to attack, turning the moment into an ambush rather than a reaction.  On match point, it was again Ram's backhand return that hurt him the most. He had a second serve to attack, but instead he landed it short in the service box, and again Granollers ran around and dictated with a forehand, forcing a forehand error from Ram into the net. The best players put the server on the back foot in these situations; they don't let him approach wherever he wants.

Ram won a high 80.6 percent (29/36) of his serve-and-volley points in the five sets, but he did not serve and volley as much in the last two sets (12) as he did in the second set alone (14). Ram also went backward with net points, winning 27 in the opening two sets and only 15 in last two sets.

The longer a point went, the less chance Ram had to win it. He won 50.6 percent (89/176) of rallies from zero to four shots,  39.7 percent (27/68) of rallies from five to eight shots and 39.3 percent (11/28) of points lasting nine shots or more. Baseline rallies were a tough position that he needed to avoid at all costs. Granollers won 53 percent of his baseline points, while Ram was only able to win 36 percent of his opportunities. Granollers finished with 29 total winners from the baseline (15 forehand, 14 backhand), while Ram could manage only 11 (6 forehand, 5 backhand).

Ram is ranked 128 after starting the year at 132, and he had won only three of his last 12 matches heading into the Open. He should leave encouraged from two good showings, beating the No. 16 seed Fabio Fognini in the opening round, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2, but he will despair at the opportunity missed. Granollers moves on to a third-round matchup against the American wild card Tim Smyczek, ranked 109.

Time spent honing Ram's backhand return so it turns up on big points remains the difference between a career spent struggling around 100 and a far more enjoyable one around 50.

Craig O'Shannessy directs a tennis strategy analysis company called the Brain Game and runs the Brain Game Tennis Academy at the Polo Tennis Club in Austin, Tex. He can be followed on Twitter at @braingametennis.

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Relief, but Disappointment, for Plaintiffs in N.F.L. Case

Years ago, the symptoms started. Forrest Gregg would drag his left foot when he walked. He would thrash and kick and scream in the night, a nightmare running in his head. He would comb his hair with his right hand while his left hand trembled.

His wife, Barbara, denied it all at first, then took him to a doctor, who diagnosed Parkinson's disease and attributed it to Gregg's football career.

Two years later, Gregg, a Hall of Fame offensive tackle, spends his days exercising, reading and resting. He is constantly exhausted. He sleeps 14 hours a day, Barbara said. He cannot sweep the driveway anymore. He cannot fly-fish the way he used to. His children call him every night to converse, to try to keep him sharp.

This year, Gregg joined more than 4,500 other plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the N.F.L. over concussions. A $765 million settlement in the case was announced Thursday. When reached by phone Friday, Gregg spoke slowly and sounded tired.

"I'm glad to see it happen," he said. "It serves a lot of purpose, and the people who really need to be taken care of will be taken care of."

He had been worried about his health and his family's future, he said, and the settlement eased that a bit. That seemed to echo the early public sentiment from many former players with degenerative diseases: their time may be short, and the settlement ensures some compensation without a long legal battle.

But others, like Eleanor Perfetto, the widow of the former offensive lineman Ralph Wenzel, were more torn. She said she felt relieved that the suit was ending and that players like Gregg would be helped, but also disappointed that there would be no admission by the N.F.L. regarding a link between the players' concussions and their illnesses.

Perfetto devoted much of her life to her husband, who was found to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy, also known as C.T.E., and Alzheimer's disease. Wenzel deteriorated in the last decade of his life as he argued his case against the N.F.L.

"We'll never know what they knew when," Perfetto said. "There is satisfaction, though, in knowing that they did settle, and it's a sizable settlement, and that tells you there was considerable merit to the suit."

Thomas Jones, one of the youngest plaintiffs at 35, feels similarly. He said he felt lucky that he had not had serious health problems. When he feels down, or has mood swings, or forgets the topic of a conversation, he fears it is because of the countless concussions he sustained during his career, he said.

Jones said he had made arrangements to donate his brain to the Sports Legacy Institute, a Boston nonprofit organization, for research. He is also shopping around a documentary series he produced, "The N.F.L.: The Gift or the Curse?" One of the episodes in the series, which examines off-the-field issues, is about concussions and their effects.

The settlement was fine, he said, but he was still disturbed.

"You can't buy your brain back," Jones said. "That's the problem. Everybody looks at the money — not the actual issue. There are family members dealing with these players that have problems walking, that don't even remember their names."

As part of the settlement, retired players will not have to prove that they had concussions or that concussions led to their neurological problems. They will need to prove only that they have neurological issues. The Hall of Fame running back Floyd Little, who says he has memory problems, told The Post-Standard in Syracuse that it was insulting for players to have to prove their level of disability.

"You have to prove it?" Little asked. "What the heck is that? I have to go humble myself? How can you prove that you've suffered? Guys aren't going to do it."

The settlement does little to change the science of evaluating and addressing concussions. In the proposed deal, the league agreed to spend $10 million on unspecified research, a pittance given the expense of doing large-scale, long-term studies that specialists say are needed to determine critical issues like who might be predisposed to developing neurological problems from head trauma.

"This does not change anything from a medical perspective or how patients are treated or will be treated in the future," said Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher, the director of Michigan NeuroSport at the University of Michigan and an associate professor of neurology.

"This is largely a legal issue," added Kutcher, who directs the N.B.A.'s concussion program. "While $10 million is a nice sum, it is not going to make any significant difference."

A big population study, Kutcher said, would probably cost about $8 million a year for 15 years.

Perfetto, Wenzel's widow, who was formerly a senior director at Pfizer and recently became a professor in the school of pharmacy at the University of Maryland, said $10 million was a "pathetic number."

Perfetto also took offense that the settlement had separate tiers for different disabilities: paying up to $3 million for those with Parkinson's or Alzheimer's, up to $4 million for the estates or families of players who committed suicide and were found to have C.T.E., and up to $5 million for those with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

"I'm not quite sure how they can differentiate these things from one another," she said, "or why they would ever put a different price tag on one versus another, indicating some different level of devastation. I can't imagine that."

Perfetto, along with some retired players, also worried that there would not be enough money left for younger retirees, like Jones, once those with the most debilitating conditions were paid.

Sol Weiss, a lead counsel on the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee, said that while the amount in the settlement was important, expediency was also critical.

"I've got a lot of clients who are hurting and need the money, a lot of young players who don't have insurance now," he said. "The resolution is a compromise, but all in all, the settlement is fair."

Sheelagh McNeill contributed research.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: August 30, 2013

A summary with an earlier version of this article misstated the dollar amount of the settlement in a lawsuit against the N.F.L. over concussions. It was $765 million, not $765.

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Back-to-Back Double Faults Spoil Hingis’s Return

Martina Hingis smashed nearly a dozen backhand volleys for winners, traded deft short shots and jumped high to crush overheads in her return to the United States Open on Friday. But none of that mattered in a loss with her doubles partner, Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, against the Open's top-seeded doubles team, Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci of Italy.

Nearly 3,000 fans packed Court 17 to watch the match, many clapping and cheering after Hingis's shots.

But in a crucial moment, serving to pull her doubles partner into a crucial third set, Hingis double-faulted twice to lose the two final points of the match, resulting in a 6-3, 7-5 loss.   

"My calf was killing me," Hingis said of her double faults. "I couldn't get up on my serve anymore."

But there was another reason: nerves. "Not playing at a Grand Slam for six years doesn't really, you know, help either," she said.

For most of the match, Hingis delivered a strong performance, often hitting the clutch shots that kept her and Hantuchova within striking distance. At 5-5 in the second set, Hingis hit five consecutive shots at near-point-blank range to force Errani into hitting wide. A seven-stroke rally between Errani and Hantuchova drew another wide shot by Errani.

But Vinci and Errani, who rank No. 1 in the world, took the lead at 6-5.

Shouts of "Come on, Martina!" filled the small stadium, and clapping began as Hingis stepped to the service line.

On the first point, she charged the net and feathered a superb drop volley crosscourt to take a 15-0 lead. Then she hit a forehand into the net to make it 15-15; double-faulted to trail by 15-30; and, moments later, double-faulted twice to lose the match.

"I thought they did well," said Tony Duncan of Brattleboro, Vt., who said Hantuchova and Hingis were his two favorite players. "I just wished they played not the very best doubles team first."

In a night mixed-doubles match that drew about 1,400 spectators, Hingis and Mahesh Bhupathi of India lost, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5), to Yung-Jan Chan of Taiwan and Robert Lindstedt of Sweden.

"She's a genius on court," Lindstedt said of Hingis. "I've never had a girl who can control pace on the serve like she does."

Hingis responded: "I like the compliment. I still didn't like his kick serve up there. Felt like I need a ladder to get up there."

Hingis, 32, who plans to play in tournaments in Tokyo and Beijing in the coming months, said, "It would help to win some matches for confidence, I guess, especially those big points."

She added: "Some of the shots I feel like, you know, I haven't been away, but there's some things really, the game has improved. Not patterns, but it's faster."  

Hingis has won five Grand Slam singles titles along with nine major doubles titles. In 1998, she won all four doubles titles in the calendar year. Hingis first retired in 2003 because of foot and ankle injuries. She returned to competition sporadically in later years but retired again in 2007 after losing in the third round of the United States Open.

Hingis's afternoon match Friday drew long lines of spectators as the sun was setting.

"She was fun to watch when she played," Shauna Eiffef of Chicago said before the match. "I expect her to win. Errani and Vinci are No. 1, but it's kind of fun to see the underdog."

Joseph O'Connor of Providence, R.I., added, "She's coming back in a serious way; that's why we're all waiting here to get a seat." 

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Teenage Qualifier Shows Her Potential, and Age, in a Second-Round Defeat

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Patriots 28, Giants 20: Giant Breaks Left Leg Again

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Jets 27, Eagles 20: Jets Backups Make Final Push for Roster Spots

Tim Clayton for The New York Times

Kahlil Bell scoring for the Jets in the third quarter. Of their 22 projected starters, only two played Thursday.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — It was fairly easy to identify the division on the Jets' sideline Thursday night. The players wearing baseball caps or team-issued workout gear had secured roster spots. Those still competing for roles, or promotions on the depth chart, held their helmets or wore them.

There was Matt Simms, asserting his candidacy for the third quarterback job. There was left tackle Jason Smith, responsible for three of the seven first-half sacks allowed by the second-string offensive line. And there was running back Kahlil Bell, bulling his way into the end zone for the Jets' first two touchdowns in their preseason finale, a 27-20 victory against Philadelphia at MetLife Stadium.

By 6 p.m. Saturday, they — and about 30 of their teammates teetering on the brink — will know if they changed minds or merely confirmed opinions. That is when the Jets must trim their roster to 53 players, a group whose composition could change as soon as Sunday but one that will signal a degree of certitude heading into the season.  

The identity of the Jets' starting quarterback — their most pressing concern — is in flux and will be into next week. Coach Rex Ryan, when asked, provided no update on the condition of Mark Sanchez, whose injured shoulder has cast doubt on his availability for the season opener, Sept. 8 against Tampa Bay. Geno Smith, held out on Thursday to keep him from being exposed to injury, said he had begun studying film of the Buccaneers.

"Whether I'm ready or not," Smith said, "I guess we'll find out on game day."

Depending on Sanchez's health, the third quarterback could wind up beginning the season as the backup. Clarity on that front will emerge by Saturday as the Jets decide if Simms elevated his play enough to unseat the incumbent third-stringer, Greg McElroy, who has missed the last two preseason games because of a knee injury.

Simms, who completed 33 of 44 passes for 285 yards Thursday, started as much by default as on merit: he was the team's only real option.

Simms entered training camp fourth on the Jets' depth chart. He may leave it with a job. Simms declined to handicap the competition, but again he impressed Ryan with his toughness and precision.

"Some guys, it just takes a little longer with," Ryan said. "But man, it's good to see."

Simms showed great poise in the face of constant pressure, especially on a third-and-19 on the Jets' third series, when he fired a 26-yard pass to Zach Rogers. Over one stretch, Simms completed 25 of 27 passes.

He had two fumbles, though, both recovered by the Jets, and an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone that resulted in a safety. Simms said he incurred the wrath of his offensive coordinator, Marty Mornhinweg, because he took a sack deep in Eagles territory in the closing seconds of the first half, preventing the Jets from at least attempting a field goal.

"I just know I went out there and played as hard as I could, and we'll see where it takes me," Simms said.

Among the Jets' 22 projected starters, only two played Thursday: left guard Vlad Ducasse, who started at right guard instead, and the nickel cornerback Kyle Wilson, who played to practice his punt and kickoff returns. (He returned one punt, for 6 yards.)

Ryan delighted in the performance of his second-team defense, which overmatched the Eagles' second-stringers. Ricky Sapp had a strong game at outside linebacker, forcing a turnover with his sack of Nick Foles, and Jaiquawn Jarrett, battling with Antonio Allen for the starting free safety position, played well, too. Allen ran an interception back 20 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

"Too close to call," Ryan said.

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Roundup: Hunter’s Shot Caps Tigers’ Comeback

Max Scherzer was roughed up, and Miguel Cabrera left with an injury. It made for a quiet scene in the ninth inning at mostly empty Comerica Park.

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

Torii Hunter hit a three-run homer with two outs in the ninth, helping Detroit avoid a sweep.

Keep up with the latest news on The Times's baseball blog.

Then Torii Hunter turned it around with one big swing for the Detroit Tigers. Hunter's three-run homer with two outs in the ninth lifted Detroit to a 7-6 win over the Oakland Athletics on Thursday and averted a four-game series sweep.

Grant Balfour (0-3), looking for his 34th save in 35 chances, took the loss. A two-out walk set up Victor Martinez's run-scoring single to cut Oakland's lead to 6-4. Then Hunter connected for his 16th homer.

Scherzer gave up six runs, including home runs to Jed Lowrie and Brandon Moss, in five innings. Joaquin Benoit (4-0) gave up two hits in the ninth but got the win.

Cabrera said he would be in the lineup Friday when Detroit, leading the American League Central, begins a three-game series with the second-place Cleveland Indians. Cabrera departed in the fifth inning after hurting his abdomen while trying to stretch a single into a double.

ORIOLES 3, RED SOX 2 Chris Tillman pitched seven strong innings to earn his 15th victory as Baltimore avoided a three-game sweep in Boston. Manny Machado had two hits for the Orioles, including a two-run double that gave them the lead for good in the third inning.

ANGELS 2, RAYS 0 Jason Vargas allowed two hits in seven innings and Luis Jimenez and Kole Calhoun each drove in a run to lead visiting Los Angeles over Tampa Bay, which has lost four of five.

ROYALS 3, TWINS 1 Bruce Chen gave up one run and five hits in five and two-thirds innings as visiting Kansas City earned its fifth consecutive win.

MARINERS 3, ASTROS 2 Erasmo Ramirez allowed two runs in five and two-thirds innings and Franklin Gutierrez and Nick Franklin each homered for visiting Seattle.

BRAVES 3, INDIANS 1 Brian McCann hit a three-run homer and Kris Medlen pitched seven scoreless innings as Atlanta swept a three-game series with visiting Cleveland.

BREWERS 4, PIRATES 0 Yovani Gallardo pitched seven innings and Aramis Ramirez homered for visiting Milwaukee. Catcher John Buck, acquired from the Mets on Tuesday, went 3 for 3 in his Pittsburgh debut.

NATIONALS 9, MARLINS 0 Jayson Werth and Ian Desmond hit three-run homers for host Washington. Gio Gonzalez (8-6) pitched seven innings of three-hit ball.

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Sports Briefing | College Football: No. 6 South Carolina Opens With a Victory

Mike Davis ran 75 yards for a touchdown, Connor Shaw and Dylan Thompson each threw long scoring passes, and No. 6 South Carolina defeated North Carolina, 27-10, in Columbia, S.C. The all-American Jadeveon Clowney helped the Gamecocks' defense hold the Tar Heels to their lowest point total under Coach Larry Fedora.

The game was delayed nearly two hours in the fourth quarter by rain. Clowney did not have a sack and finished with three first-half tackles.

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Monfils Wins Crowd by Charming It, but Isner Takes the Match by Force

The highest-seeded American male at the United States Open, John Isner, left the court after the third set of his second-round match Thursday to resounding cheers for his opponent, Gaël Monfils.

The crowd at Louis Armstrong Stadium had undoubtedly turned — chanting the name of the Frenchman Monfils, while Isner fumed over calls he considered questionable. A two-set lead looked suddenly precarious, and the jocular Monfils basked in the adoration of fans on foreign soil.

"I noticed it," Isner said of the crowd's turning. "He's a fun-loving guy and an exciting guy to watch, no matter where he's playing."

Still, Isner acknowledged it was a bit disappointing.

"I know New York fans like to see long matches and fifth sets or whatnot," he said. "It's not like there was no one cheering for me. But I was a little bit disappointed in that, actually. I'm not going to sugarcoat it. If I was playing in France, it certainly wouldn't be like that, I'll tell you that."

All night it was a matchup between two opposites. The springy Monfils, a blur of limbs and length, against the heavy-handed Isner. Brawn versus bounciness. Plodding stoicism versus a walking Red Bull commercial.

In the end, Isner overwhelmed Monfils to win in a fourth-set tiebreaker, 7-5, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (4). But not before Monfils got the crowd to start cheering for an upset.

He won them over with energy and enthusiasm, a wink here, a smile there, a slide on his knees across the asphalt to return a blistering serve. Monfils never lost the emotional edge over Isner, playing to the crowd's delight at his expressiveness. Even as he went down by two sets, he merely turned up his pestering defensive game — and spent more time diving after balls on the concrete — to the growing irritation of Isner.

Isner also began getting flustered by calls against him on his serves, at one point boiling over to scream at the chair umpire, James Keothavong, after an outside serve he thought was in. Cameras caught Monfils even smirking at the call, perhaps because the serve zipped by too quickly for him to judge.

But Isner's focus continued to crumble, and Monfils pounced to break Isner's serve as the crowd began to chant his name. He screamed and hopped into his chair, up five games to four, with the players seemingly heading in opposite directions.

After the set, Isner went to the locker room to refresh more than his outfit. He took a while to return, as Monfils lingered on the court. When Isner returned, his focus seemed refined; he began the fourth set with a blistering ace, one of 23.

"I needed to change clothing; I was soaking wet," he said. "That's it."

But Monfils remained a near-impossible opponent to wear down. He had a chance for a break and came within two points of winning in the fourth set, but Monfils held serve to even the set at 5-5.

In the fourth-set tiebreaker, as the match approached three hours, Isner's serve remained 139 miles per hour, and a blistering forehand winner gave him a 6-4 lead. He gambled and volleyed on the next point and won, as Monfils hit it into the net.

"In the tiebreaker, I played great," Isner said. "I hit two massive serves, and I hit the best forehand I hit all night at 5-4. I'm just so happy I'm still not out there playing right now."

Isner's victory capped another late night of day matches. The match did not begin until close to 9 p.m. because the players had to wait until the doubles pairing of Serena and Venus Williams vacated Louis Armstrong Stadium. The Williamses beat Silvia Soler-Espinosa and Carla Suárez Navarro, 6-7, 6-0, 6-3.

By then, at Arthur Ashe, sixth-seeded Caroline Wozniacki had already finished her second-round match against Chanelle Scheepers, a 6-1, 6-2 victory. Rafael Nadal also advanced, 6-2, 6-1, 6-0, over Rogério Dutra-Silva.

Earlier, Sam Querrey, considered the second-best American player behind Isner, lost in a close match to Adrian Mannarino, which featured three tiebreakers, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 6-4.

Querrey would have faced Federer in the third round, a matchup that would have been highly anticipated.

"It's a bummer," Querrey said. "I wanted to make the third round. It would have been fun to play Roger. Really bummed that it happened."

Querrey struggled with his serve and made 60 unforced errors, a result, he said, of how Mannarino kept the ball low and flat, below Querrey's comfortable strike zone. After the match, Querrey seemed to take exception to inquiries about why he has struggled advancing further than the fourth round in major tournaments.

"It's my life and my career," Querrey said. "Whatever makes me happy is fine."

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Blue Jays 7, Yankees 2: Kuroda’s Struggles Continue, and Yankees Drop Back in Playoff Race

Frank Gunn/CP, via Associated Press

The Blue Jays' Edwin Encarnacion hit a two-run home run in the second inning off Yankees pitcher Hiroki Kuroda.

TORONTO — Crossed signals and a communication breakdown were at the core of another Yankees loss at a crucial stage of the season, but after the game, Manager Joe Girardi sent a message that could not be misread.

The Yankees had just lost, 7-2, to the last-place Toronto Blue Jays, thanks in part to the sloppy play of their pitcher-catcher battery, leaving the Yankees perilously close to falling completely out of the playoff race.

But as the Yankees were washing away the sting of a sloppy defeat and packing their bags for a 10-game homestand, Girardi made a declaration that their season hangs in the balance of how they perform over the next week and a half.

"We have 29 games left," Girardi said. "We're playing some teams in our division, and we need to have a really good homestand."

The trip that they just completed, however, was not good at all. They lost both series, to Tampa Bay and Toronto, and won only two of six games. With the Oakland Athletics thrashing the Tigers in Detroit on Wednesday, the Yankees fell five and a half games back in the chase for the second wild-card spot, with the Cleveland Indians and the Baltimore Orioles in front of them.

The Orioles come to Yankee Stadium on Friday to begin a three-game set, with C. C. Sabathia pitching the opener.

"We don't have much room for error," Derek Jeter said.

The chances of winning Wednesday night were diminished quickly when starter Hiroki Kuroda and catcher Chris Stewart got mixed up on their signals in the first inning, resulting in a bizarre two-run strikeout.

 With runners on first and second and two outs and the Blue Jays already leading, 2-0, Kuroda threw a called strike three fastball to J. P. Arencibia, which should have ended the inning. But Stewart had called for a slider, a pitch that would have cut the opposite direction.

The ball bounced off Stewart's glove and deflected wide of home plate as Arencibia sprinted toward first. Stewart retrieved the ball, but compounding the miscue, he fired toward first baseman Lyle Overbay when he did not have much chance of getting the out. The ball glanced off Arencibia and into foul territory, allowing both runners to score.

"It's a big blow," Stewart said. "Hopefully it's the last one of the year, and I can keep my head on straight."

But perhaps the most glaring concern of the night was the continuing struggles of Kuroda, the normally implacable starting pitcher who has fallen into a deep slump.

 Kuroda had his third consecutive poor outing as he gave up seven runs, two of them unearned, thanks to the two-run strikeout play. He gave up a two-run double to Brett Lawrie before that play, and then surrendered a two-run homer to Edwin Encarnacion in the second.

In his last three starts, Kuroda is 0-3 with an 8.10 earned run average. This from a pitcher who had been the stalwart of the Yankees' rotation, with a glimmering 2.33 E.R.A. before his recent poor stretch.

"Yeah, it's surprising," Brett Gardner said. "We're so used to him going out and throwing up zeros and making it look easy. But he's human."

Girardi said he could not pinpoint a reason for Kuroda's struggles and was willing to accept that Kuroda, 38, might be fatigued after throwing 1711/3 innings. Kuroda did not completely dismiss that notion, either.

"This time of the season there are a lot of innings thrown," he said through his interpreter. "Those are issues I have to figure out. But I've experienced this before, so I have to regroup."

Kuroda said his pitches are not moving as much as they normally do, and the hitters seem to have his timing down, too. The combination has been disastrous, as he has allowed 29 hits and 5 home runs in his last three outings, with the team's pennant hopes fading.

"To not have my stuff at this point of the season is pretty frustrating," he said.

And while Kuroda did not have his stuff Wednesday, the Yankees did not have their best player, or his backup. Robinson Cano, who was struck on the left hand by a pitch the night before, did not have any broken bones, but he was unable to play Wednesday. His hope is to return Friday.

"In my heart, I think he's going to be in there," Girardi said of Cano. "But if he's not, we'll have to deal with it."

Cano's normal backup, Eduardo Nunez, was supposed to fill in at second, but he was scratched from the lineup about 90 minutes before the first pitch because his knee was too stiff and sore after he twisted it Tuesday night. He is expected to have tests done in New York on Thursday.

That left Mark Reynolds, who had never started a game at second base, to eagerly accept the assignment, and he performed well, knocking out three hits, including a double, and driving in a run. Alex Rodriguez knocked in the other run.

Other than that, the game was a dismal loss, signaling desperate days ahead.

INSIDE PITCH

Joe Girardi said Phil Hughes, who has not been pitching well and has a record of 4-13, is still on schedule to make his next start, Sunday at Yankee Stadium against the Orioles.

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Straight Sets: Wawrinka Learning to Banish Doubts

As one Swiss player is faltering, another is realizing his full potential. With Roger Federer slipping down the rankings, there is a possibility that Stanislas Wawrinka could become Switzerland's No. 1 player in the next year or so, unless Federer halts his decline.

At the start of the year, the possibility that Federer and Wawrinka would head into the United States Open separated by only three places in the rankings seemed about as likely as Marion Bartoli winning Wimbledon. But then, this season has been a strange one in many ways.

Wawrinka looked sharp during a 7-6 (2), 6-3, 6-2 first-round win over the wily Radek Stepanek on Wednesday night, serving well and looking very capable of reaching the second week for the fifth time in his career.

The match got under way around six hours later than anticipated because of a lightning storm followed  by a spell of rain that bombarded Flushing Meadows for several hours. Such delays can be testing for players: it is difficult to stay focused when you are waiting around to see if play will be called off for the day. But as Wawrinka explained in a recent interview, he is a more mature player these days.

"I've been working on my game for many years but so much has to come from experience," he said.

"Now I'm 28, and I'm more prepared to handle different situations both on and off the court."

Wawrinka has also found a new coach who understands him and his game. He has started working with the former world No. 2 Magnus Norman, who has helped Grigor Dimitrov enjoy a  breakthrough season on the tour.

"We started together exactly after the Monte Carlo Masters," Wawrinka said. "I really believe that Magnus is going to make a big difference for me in the next few years. He's helping me have the confidence to believe in my game."

This has been a year of breakthrough performances for Wawrinka, beginning with one of the toughest, but also possibly one of the most defining, losses of his career. His five-hour epic match with Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open will go down as one of the most thrilling matches of the season, but it gave Wawrinka the belief that he belongs at tennis' top table.

"The match with Novak gave me so much confidence to keep going and to win so many matches," Wawrinka said. "Afterwards I said to myself, O.K., now you are capable of playing at that level and beating one of the top guys."

A win over David Ferrer in the final of the Portugal Open confirmed his thinking, and he went on to reach the final of the Madrid Masters and the quarterfinals of the French Open, losing to Rafael Nadal on both occasions.

Wawrinka is prone to doubting himself on the court, an affliction that seems to haunt the most mercurial of shotmakers. Norman has been trying to encourage Wawrinka to free himself of those inhibitions and play the naturally flowing tennis that makes him so fun to watch in full flight.

"I think we all get a little bit nervous," Wawrinka said. "Even the best. The question is how you deal with that, and the better players, they deal with it much better. They accept it more, and they still play their game when they are nervous while some other players change the way they play a little  bit. But I think with experience and with talking a lot about it to your coach, you learn."

He continued: "Magnus is telling me to be more aggressive, try to push more with my forehand and the serve, but of course my game is still more or less the same. You can't change your game at 28, it's just trying  to improve what you have. Sometimes I'm hesitating about things because I'm not feeling confident. That's what I'm trying to change."

Does Wawrinka wish that these realizations had come a little sooner in his career?

"No I don't think so," he said. "We can always wish for different things but I'm really happy with what's  happened in my career. I have always tried to fight and always tried to give everything. And after ten  years, I have done more or less a great job and still have a few good years to go."

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Concussion Case Nears Key Phase for N.F.L.

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Catch by Catch, Rookie Receiver Builds Case for Making the Jets

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Roundup: Mets’ Loss Is Pirates’ Gain as Byrd Homers in Victory

Don Wright/Associated Press

Marlon Byrd, who was traded by the Mets to the Pirates on Tuesday, hit a three-run home run on Wednesday.

Marlon Byrd celebrated his arrival in Pittsburgh with a three-run homer, and the Pirates beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 7-1, on Wednesday night.

Byrd, acquired along with catcher John Buck from the Mets on Tuesday, hit his 22nd homer of the season into the bushes in center field in the seventh inning as Pittsburgh ended a three-game losing streak.

Charlie Morton (6-3) scattered five hits over six and two-thirds innings, walking three and striking out two to pick up his first career victory over the Brewers.

DODGERS 4, CUBS 0 Ricky Nolasco pitched eight innings of three-hit ball, Hanley Ramirez and Andre Ethier hit solo homers, and the host Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs.

The first-place Dodgers earned their 21st victory in August, tying the Los Angeles record for most wins in a calendar month.

The Dodgers rookie Yasiel Puig was pulled after only four innings. He did not try to break up a double play at second base in the first inning and slammed his bat after striking out in the third. Manager Don Mattingly replaced Puig with Skip Schumaker, saying only, "I felt I was going to get a better effort out of Skip."

REDS 10, CARDINALS 0 Jay Bruce homered and had five runs batted in, and Cincinnati received a dominant effort from Homer Bailey to avoid a three-game sweep at St. Louis.

The Reds came out swinging a few hours after Brandon Phillips's expletive-filled tirade at a Cincinnati Enquirer reporter sparked by scrutiny of his .310 on-base percentage, and after manager Dusty Baker criticized his team for falling short while dropping four of five.

RAYS 4, ANGELS 1 Chris Archer pitched seven strong innings, David DeJesus scored twice, and host Tampa Bay snapped the Los Angeles Angels' four-game winning streak.

Archer (8-5) allowed one run and five hits while striking out five. For the fifth time in his last 10 starts, he did not walk a batter.

RANGERS 12, MARINERS 4 Leonys Martin homered and drove in a career-high four runs as visiting Texas roughed up the former American League Cy Young winner Felix Hernandez and romped past Seattle.

The A.L. West-leading Rangers tagged Hernandez (12-8) for 9 runs and 11 hits in three-plus innings. His earned run average climbed from 2.63 to 2.97.

ATHLETICS 14, TIGERS 4 Brandon Moss homered twice and drove in a career-high six runs to lead Oakland to a victory in Detroit.

Moss has three home runs in his past two games for Oakland, which had a season-high 21 hits.

RED SOX 4, ORIOLES 3 Pinch-hitter Mike Carp's bloop single to left in the eighth inning scored Jarrod Saltalamacchia from second base with the tiebreaking run for Boston.

Koji Uehara got his 14th save with a perfect ninth for the A.L. East-leading Red Sox. Chris Davis hit his major-league-leading 47th homer for Baltimore.

ROYALS 8, TWINS 1 Salvador Perez had four hits and two home runs, and Danny Duffy pitched six and two-thirds shutout innings for visiting Kansas City.

The Twins struck out 10 times and set the club record for strikeouts in a season with 31 games to go.

BRAVES 3, INDIANS 2 Chris Johnson singled to left with two outs in the ninth inning for his first career game-ending hit, and Atlanta won at home.

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Murray’s Victory Is Easy, but It Doesn’t Come Quickly

Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times

Andy Murray, above, defeated Michael Llodra, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3.

It was 9:55 p.m. Wednesday when Andy Murray finally took his first steps toward defending his United States Open title, on a soggy court, in front of a weary crowd, at the end of a very long, very trying tournament day.

It was somewhat fitting, considering how patiently Murray waited to win his first major title a year ago, that Wednesday's schedule would drip by as slowly as it did, interrupted by multiple rain delays, pushing the afternoon schedule well past nightfall.

At last, three full hours after he was expected to stroll into Arthur Ashe Stadium — and almost 59 hours after the tournament began — Murray took the court, looking slightly ruffled. He had minimal difficulty putting away the Frenchman Michael Llodra, though, winning, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3.

"When the weather's like that, it's distressing for everyone," Murray said. "You just want to get on the court and play. Whether it's on Arthur Ashe or Court 15, it doesn't really matter. You just want to play."

And Murray-Llodra was only the penultimate match of the night in Ashe. The matchup between the 20-year-old Sloane Stevens and Urszula Radwanska began at 11:53 p.m., the second-latest start to a match in United States Open history, after a midnight start to a match on Sept. 2, 1987.

Stevens, the 15th seed, made quick work of Radwanska, 6-1, 6-1, in only 58 minutes to move into the third round.

In Louis Armstrong Stadium, James Blake fell in a fifth-set tie break to Ivo Karlovic, 7-6 (2), 6-3, 4-6, 6-7 (2), 6-7 (2), just after midnight. If it was indeed the final match of Blake's career, he certainly ended it in dramatic fashion.

Still, Blake, who announced Monday that he would retire at the end of this tournament, bowed out earlier than expected. But the 6-foot-10 Karlovic, known for his bazooka serves, ultimately wore Blake, a 33-year-old Yonkers native, down.

"There's no good way to go out," Blake said. "I won't sleep a whole lot tonight. I definitely had opportunities and didn't take advantage."

Blake added: "It's been a long road. I've had a good journey since I was a kid sneaking in here to now, leaving as a grown man."

As if on cue Wednesday, amid all the discussion about how quickly the United States Tennis Association can build its retractable roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium, rain scrambled the schedule, bringing more criticism to a first round that stretched over three days for the men.

A lengthy early-afternoon rain delay was followed less than 30 minutes later by another, making Day 3 a test of patience. There was more intermittent rain in the evening.

It was the second day that rain had interrupted the tournament. By late afternoon Wednesday, tournament officials, hoping to get the men's first round completed, had postponed eight women's singles matches for the day, including No. 1 Serena Williams's second-round meeting with Galina Voskoboeva.

That made Li Na one of the happier participants of the day. She took full advantage of her first-up position at Arthur Ashe Stadium to polish off a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden in an efficient 64 minutes.

Li, the fifth seed, was safely in the locker room before the first delay, through to the third round before some of the men, including Murray, had taken the court for a single match.

Arvidsson managed a break of Li's serve, but not much more, as Li played with a smile and a bounce in her step. She has rounded out her game with an eagerness to go to the net, which helps her use her speed to an even greater advantage. Against Arvidsson, she won 12 of the 17 points in which she rushed the net, looking as if she had played that way her whole career.

"I was pretty happy because at least I do what I have planned before the match," Li said. "I follow the game plan."

Li will next face Laura Robson of Britain, who knocked her out of the Open last year in the third round. Robson defeated France's Caroline Garcia, 6-4, 7-6 (5).

Asked why she lost last year to Robson, Li said she was not yet ready to win this tournament. Now, she said, she would like to see how far she has come.

"I would really like this challenge," she said. "I can show myself after one year what I can do on the court."

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Straight Sets: Conversations With Andy Murray: The Return to New York

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Straight Sets: What to Watch at U.S. Open on Monday

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Sports Briefing | Speedskating: Olympian Barred for Tampering With Skates

KEARNS, Utah (AP) — Olympic short track medalist Simon Cho received a two-year suspension from the International Skating Union on Sunday after admitting he tampered with the skates of a Canadian rival.

U.S. Speedskating announced the suspension, which runs through Oct. 4, 2014. That means Cho would not be eligible to compete for the American short track team at the Sochi Olympics.

Cho confessed on Oct. 5, 2012, that he sabotaged the skates of Canada's Olivier Jean during the 2011 World Team Championship but claimed he did it at the direction of former short track national coach Jae Su Chun.

Chun has always denied that he had any role in the tampering. But the ISU suspended him for two years through Aug. 25, 2015, saying he also violated the code of ethics.

U.S. Speedskating issued a statement saying it "respects the findings of the ISU" and will refer the matter to its disciplinary panel for a final decision. The ruling came on the same day the U.S. short track team was picked for the upcoming World Cup season, an important step for a program that has been wracked by organizational infighting and allegations that coaches were abusive.

Cho did not take part in the selection meet.

"As an organization, we are focused on supporting our athletes as they begin the season and work toward competing on the international stage the 2014 Olympic Winter Games," U.S. Speedskating said in its statement.

After the retirement of Apolo Anton Ohno, Cho appeared to be one of the rising stars in the U.S. program. He won a relay bronze medal at the Vancouver Games and an individual world championship in 2011

Then came what he called the "biggest mistake of my life." Cho claimed the tampering occurred because Chun was angry at the Canadians and convinced they had aided another team to eliminate the Americans.

Cho said he was pressured by the coach to alter Jean's skate, using a blade bender normally used to ensure a skater's blade follows the proper radius in short track.

"I always knew it was wrong that day," Cho said last October. "I hope that I can make up for my mistake and continue to skate in the future."

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Straight Sets: Hantuchova Remembers Finesse in Women’s Tennis, and Misses It

Daniela Hantuchova has played professional tennis in three decades, from her time as a fresh-faced teenager to her years as a tour veteran, and has encountered some of the sport's greatest champions. It might be a strange feeling to see so many former travel companions and rivals now well into their tennis dotage, their competitive spirits confined to the hit-and-giggle stuff that is the senior tour, but Hantuchova said she tried to see the funny side.

"Sometimes they make fun of me because they're playing Legends matches and I'm still playing the real stuff," Hantuchova, 30, said. "It makes us laugh, but they support me. After I won a title in Birmingham earlier this year, I got so many messages from them, and I really appreciate that because we all go a long way back. It's great to keep in touch with those girls because we had so many great matches and we respect each other so much."

But Hantuchova's longevity has also reminded some of those players that they may still be capable of winning on the WTA Tour. After a bit of coaxing, she persuaded her close friend and former doubles partner Martina Hingis to make her second comeback, and the two are competing together at the United States Open.

Hantuchova, who is unseeded in singles at the Open, turned pro in 1999, the year Hingis reached the singles final at Flushing Meadows for the last time. The champion then was Serena Williams, and Hantuchova can barely believe that a decade and a half later, Williams shows no sign of slowing down.

"It's simply incredible what she's done," she said. "She's been a great influence on women's tennis and absolutely a great champion."

Over the course of Hantuchova's career, the game has changed immeasurably, perhaps more so than in any 14 years of the sport. Hantuchova has had to continuously adjust.

"Since I started, it's definitely become so much more physical and much, much faster," she said. "All the girls are in such great shape, and the average age of the top 100 is much older than in 1999.

"I have had to adapt. It took a lot of effort and a lot of time to figure it out on and off the court, and it's not been easy, but the first thing you have to do is to accept it. Then you have to try to do anything you can to raise your level and get used to the speed of the ball."

In Hantuchova's view, there is an element of the women's game that seems lost: the touch, anticipation, court craft and intelligence of players like Hingis and Arantxa Sánchez Vicario.

"What I do miss is the finesse of the game," Hantuchova said. "That's disappeared, and it's understandable because of the speed we are playing at now. But I do miss that very much, because I think it was part of the beauty of tennis."

Of the current crop, perhaps only Agnieszka Radwanska has the imagination to rival Hingis's at her best. But there is a demand for that kind of tennis from the spectators. Hingis's return has generated a great deal of interest, and last year Radwanska was voted the fan favorite at the WTA Awards.

Hantuchova is a former award winner herself, having been named most improved player in 2002, when she won the Indian Wells title on her way to a No. 5 world ranking. Eleven years later, she is just as motivated by the desire to improve.

"I play for the love of the game," she said. "I really enjoy every second I can be on the court and just giving my best and seeing where my limits are. The adrenaline of winning a tournament is still unbelievable and keeps me going now."

Currently ranked 48th, Hantuchova believes she can return to the top 10 and insists she would retire if that were not the case. Nevertheless, like many of the tour's older players, she finds that the relentless travel tends to sap her motivation.

"What does happen a lot is that you wake up and you have not a clue where you are," she said, laughing. "I come down to breakfast, and they ask me for the room number, and I tell them some number from last week because I still think I'm somewhere else."

She did not imagine when she began that her career would last so long, she said.

"I once said to my family, my friends, if I'm still playing when I'm 30, just kick me out of the court," she said. "But I feel really blessed that I can still do this, and as long as I'm healthy and enjoying the game, I don't see a reason why not to."

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Straight Sets: Family Tradition Brings Home a Title

Three weeks ago, Kennan Johnson won praise at the national girls' tennis championships in San Diego for helping feed several homeless men with leftover food from a banquet.

On Sunday, Johnson and her mother, Natalie, of Baton Rouge, La., won the National Family Tennis Championship mother-daughter title on Randalls Island, the site of John McEnroe's tennis academy.

The Johnsons defeated Karen Simeone and Lauren Simeone of Collegeville, Pa., 6-2, 6-1, in the final.

"The whole experience was just awesome," Natalie Johnson said.

"Obviously you want to win," said Kennan Johnson, who is in the top 200 in the United States' junior rankings, as her mother was in the late 1980s. "It was more of a good experience for me and Mom."

Their match was one of six division finals completed on the eve of the United States Open. The divisions pitted doubles teams of mothers and daughters, fathers and daughters, mothers and sons, fathers and sons, brothers and sisters, and husbands and wives.

The victory added a chapter to a Johnson family tradition. In 1989, Natalie, a nationally ranked junior, and her mother, Lynda, a tennis instructor, lost in the finals of the event, which was then known as the Equitable Family Challenge.

Lynda Johnson, 68, said that watching her daughter this year "was such a thrill to me."

"I enjoyed that they're together and I got to share that," she said of Natalie, 39, and her granddaughter Kennan, 17.

Kathleen Francis, a sports marketing executive who worked on the Equitable event as a young graduate student, revived the tournament a year ago, she said, in part to help parents abandon their roles as spectators.

"I love grass-roots sports," Francis said. "There are very few sports where the parents can both spectate and also participate with their kids and have that great experience. So if we do well here, we'll look to do more of these types of events."

Francis previously worked in management positions with Major League Baseball and the United States Tennis Association, she said, and assembled a team of investors, including the DeBartolo sports group of Tampa, Fla., to finance the National Family Tennis Championship.

The tournament, which was supported by but not sanctioned by the U.S.T.A., drew about 1,000 entries, Francis said. Family members competed in 40 local and regional events, paying a one-time entry fee of $65 per player, she said.

In the mother-son final, Michele Haggerty and Jackson Cobb of Austin, Tex., defeated Hallet Green and Brooks Green Jr. of Mobile, Ala., 7-5, 3-6, 1-0 (10-6 tiebreaker). In the father-daughter final, Aime Ngounoue and Malkia Menguene of Washington defeated Lance St. Amant and Sadey St. Amant of Ocean Springs, Miss., 6-2, 7-5.

In the father-son division, Jon Stitt and Tristan Stitt of Dallas defeated Scott Baehr and Jacob Baehr of Pensacola, Fla., 7-5, 6-0. The husband-wife division was won by Jack Bastable and Kim Bastable of Leawood, Kan., who defeated Jonathan Drucker and Michele Drucker of Coral Gables, Fla., 6-3, 6-3.

In a brother-sister round robin, Ben Ward and Lucy Stevens of Pass Christian, Miss., compiled a 4-0 record. Nick and Amber Cruz of Foley, Ala., were the runners-up.

On Friday, watching her daughter and her granddaughter win two matches by identical 6-1, 6-0 scores, Lynda Johnson said competition was much tougher in 1989.

"This is not as difficult, I think, because they just started this program up again," she said. "In two or three years, it will be much stronger."

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Straight Sets: Celebrating Difference Between Men’s and Women’s Tennis

There is always noise at the United States Open comparing men and women in terms of prize money.

The criticism focuses on equal pay for an unequal product, but that conversation has always been extremely unfair to the WTA Tour.

Men and women are different in size, shape and strength, and that difference needs to be celebrated rather than used as a tool to support one tour over the other.

Mining the data of hundreds of pages of IBM statistics from the 2012 Open helps connect the dots on the fundamental difference between men and women on a tennis court: it all begins with the power of the serve.

How hard you hit your serve has a domino effect on how the rest of the point develops and highlights the greatest difference between the two tours.

In the 2012 Open, John Isner hit the fastest serve of the tournament, at 144 miles per hour, in his four-set victory over Jarkko Nieminen in the second round. That serve was 19 miles an hour faster than Serena Williams's 125-m.p.h. serve in the women's final against Victoria Azarenka, which was the fastest hit by any woman for the tournament.

Four men hit a serve faster than 140 m.p.h. for the tournament, and 69 of the 94 players who were analyzed for serve speed had a serve faster than Williams's 125-m.p.h. delivery.

Five women of the 82 analyzed hit a serve of at least 120 m.p.h., whereas only five men failed to reach that speed in their fastest delivery.

Milos Raonic led the men's event at the Open in 2012 in aces, with 103 in four matches, averaging 13.5 aces per set. Williams led the women's event with 63 aces in 15 sets for an average of 4.2 per set. It is tough to compare the men's and women's games when there is really no comparison.

With so much else so similar around the court between men and women, the raw serving power to begin the point is the dominant theme. Only 20 women reached double figures in aces for the tournament, although it must be factored in that they were playing best-of-three-sets matches instead of best-of-five. Still, 10 aces are not a lot, and 67 men were able to pull that off.

Because the serve is not quite as venomous on the women's tour, it makes sense that the return games would flourish. The women's tour always gets heat because its players can't hold serve as much, but that holds little weight because they don't have an Isner or a Raonic fireball to rely on. Imagine giving players on the ATP Tour only one serve, which would automatically drop serve speeds, and you would start to see the men having substantial difficulty holding serve as well.

While the men dominate the serving statistics, it's the women who outperform in the returning area. Angelique Kerber led the women with 89 percent returns made last year, and 47 women made at least 75 percent of their returns. The men were vastly inferior in this area, with only eight players making at least 75 percent of their returns. The power dictates this result.

Williams hit 28 return winners last year (from 388 return points), which was the same number as Djokovic and Murray combined to hit from 1,426 return points. Maria Sharapova was second behind Williams in return winners with 25, which was one more than four quarterfinalists in Federer (6), David Ferrer (6), Janko Tipsarevic (6) and Juan Martín del Potro (4) hit combined.

That flows to return points won: 35 women won at least 40 percent of their return points against the first serve, but only two men could achieve that. Against second serves, 52 women won at least 55 percent of their return points, while only 16 men could say the same. This all naturally adds up to more breaks of serve on the WTA Tour: 13 women won at least 50 percent of their opponents' service games. No man came close to that, and only Novak Djokovic, who was first at 45 percent, was even in the discussion. All the rest of the men couldn't crack 40 percent.

The baseline is another area where the women's game stands tall against the men.

Williams was first for the women in winners from the baseline, with 218 from 15 sets, for an average of 14.5 winners per set. Murray led the men's event with 267 winners from 26 sets, for an average of 10.2 winners per set. It's hard to find fault with the women's game when the numbers directly contradict the argument.

Everything that makes the women's tour different from the men's flows back to just how much influence on the game the power of the first serve has. Understanding this fundamental difference will let us appreciate the subtleties each version of the sport has to offer.

Craig O'Shannessy directs a tennis strategy analysis company called the Brain Game and runs the Brain Game Tennis Academy at the Polo Tennis Club in Austin, Tex. He can be followed on Twitter at @braingametennis.

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Jets 24, Giants 21 (ot): Few Answers in Game With No Real Winner

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Woodland Tied With Kuchar Atop Barclays

JERSEY CITY — The good news for Gary Woodland is he is tied for the lead at the Barclays with Matt Kuchar at 12-under-par 201. The better news is there is one round left to play in the first event of the FedEx Cup playoffs at Liberty National Golf Club, affording him a prime opportunity to reverse a disappointing trend.

Woodland's highest rounds this year in 72-hole stroke-play events generally have come on Sundays, when his average is 72.5 strokes, two and a half strokes more than on Thursdays. Woodland, who carded a 68 to Kuchar's 70 on Saturday, started working recently with a mental coach, Julie Elion, who has helped him, in his words, "get out of my own way and relax."

He added: "I knew I was playing well and put myself in position and just tried to force it on the weekends. Now working with Julie the last couple weeks, I've really let my game take over."

Alone in third, a stroke behind, is Kevin Chappell, who bettered Keegan Bradley's day-old tournament course record by a stroke with a bogey-free, nine-under 62. Chappell hit 15 greens and had 24 putts. Bradley's score followed Kevin Stadler's 64 on Thursday, raising the question: How low can Sunday's pacesetter go?

Tiger Woods, tied for fourth with David Lynn at eight under, said: "The greens are perfect. And with it being a little windy, the fairways are fast and you can get the ball way down there. If you're feeling pretty good and pretty frisky, you can drive it all the way down there where you have a lot of wedges in."

Wincing all the way because of pain in his lower back, Woods carded a 69 that included 30 putts. The hardest part of his day, he said, was picking the ball out of the cup and the tees out of the ground.

 "You just figure out something to get it around and I did," he said. "I figured out some shots that I knew I could play today and just relied on my putter."

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N.F.L. Roundup: Bills’ Kolb Shows Signs of Concussion in a Defeat

Kevin Kolb left Saturday's game with concussionlike symptoms, leaving the Buffalo Bills with an undrafted rookie as their only healthy quarterback.

"I think we'll be looking at bringing some quarterbacks in," Coach Doug Marrone said.

The Washington Redskins, without Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins, could relate to the Bills' quarterback situation.

The Redskins' third-string quarterback, Rex Grossman, threw for 171 yards as Washington shut down Buffalo, 30-7, at home. But nearly all of the focus was on the players who left early or did not play.

Kolb was hurt in the first quarter after he was kneed in the back of the helmet at the end of an 8-yard scramble. He remained in the game for four more plays until the drive ended with a 2-yard touchdown run by C. J. Spiller.

With the first-round pick E. J. Manuel recovering from a knee injury, Kolb's departure left the job to Jeff Tuel, an undrafted rookie from Washington State. He completed 10 of 17 passes for 63 yards. The Redskins had a major setback when punt returner Richard Crawford injured his left knee. He is out for the season.

CHIEFS ESCAPE STEELERS Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger and Kansas City's Alex Smith fought to a first-half draw, and the visiting Chiefs beat the Steelers, 26-20, in overtime. Roethlisberger was 13 of 19 for 166 yards and a 13-yard touchdown pass to Jonathan Dwyer. Smith finished 17 of 24 for 158 yards and a touchdown.

LUCK LIFTS COLTS Andrew Luck threw for two touchdowns, and the Colts' defense did not allow a touchdown for the second straight week as Indianapolis beat Cleveland at home, 27-6. Trent Richardson ran seven times for 31 yards, and the rest of the Browns combined for 28 yards rushing. Luck completed 16 of 25 passes for 164 yards and an interception.

BRONCOS TOP RAMS The Rams rookie linebacker Alec Ogletree ruined Ronnie Hillman's night with a strip-and-score takeaway and kept Peyton Manning from turning all those passes into points with a big interception. But St. Louis lost to the host Denver Broncos, 27-26. Manning completed 25 of 34 passes for 234 yards in one half, but Ogletree's pickoff just before halftime set up Greg Zuerlein's 58-yarder field goal that gave the Rams a 20-10 lead at the break. ROMO ON TARGET FOR COWBOYS The Cowboys' Tony Romo threw for 137 yards and 2 touchdowns in what will very likely be his last preseason action, as Dallas topped the visiting Cincinnati Bengals, 24-18.

TITANS STOP FALCONS' RYAN Jake Locker threw for 133 yards and a touchdown, and Tennessee sacked Matt Ryan five times as the host Titans beat the Atlanta Falcons, 27-16. Locker completed 11 of 13 passes and finished with a 134.9 passer rating before leaving after a series in the third quarter.

BUCS EDGE DOLPHINS The Miami Dolphins' red-zone offense took plenty of snaps and finally produced a touchdown. The first-team offense scored its only touchdown just before halftime on its 17th play inside the Tampa Bay 20, but the visiting Buccaneers scored with 1 minute 3 seconds left to win, 17-16. Ryan Tannehill went 17 for 27 for 150 yards and a 4-yard score.

EAGLES RALLY IN WIN Bryce Brown and Chris Polk ran for fourth-quarter touchdowns, and the Philadelphia Eagles rallied to beat the host Jacksonville Jaguars, 31-24.

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Ready for Kickoff

Remote Control

College Football's Most Dominant Player? It's ESPN

By JAMES ANDREW MILLER, STEVE EDER and RICHARD SANDOMIR

Spending billions of dollars for TV rights and becoming partners with universities desperate for exposure, ESPN has emerged as a sport's puppet-master and kingmaker.

At the Coaches Car Wash

Fifty top college football coaches flock to ESPN's headquarters to discuss the season. The event, known as the Coaches Car Wash, is a sign of how ESPN has become as big as the games its broadcasts.

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Kenseth Holds Off Kahne at Bristol

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Kasey Kahne was fed up with all of Joe Gibbs Racing by the time contact with Matt Kenseth ended his race at Watkins Glen earlier this month.

It was the fourth time a JGR driver had wrecked Kahne, and he took to Twitter to voice his displeasure, posting: "Headed to Joe Gibbs Racing to talk to whoever will come out front."

But when Kahne had his chance Saturday night to right all of those wrongs, he passed on retaliation.

A clean racer to his core, he trailed Kenseth for a dozen laps around Bristol Motor Speedway, trying every which way possible to pass him without wrecking him and failing miserably. Kenseth ended up with his Sprint Cup-leading fifth win of the season, and Kahne settled for a disappointing second.

"I don't know," sighed Kahne, winner of the spring race at Bristol. "I just ... I think at the end of the day, I just don't wreck people. I just didn't get it done and I'm upset with myself for not figuring out how to win."

It's the third time this season Kahne has finished second behind Kenseth, who wrapped up at least a wild-card berth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

"Kasey's as good as they get and he's a clean driver," Kenseth said. "He raced as hard as he could, we ran out of room off (turn) four, we were both digging as hard as we could to try to get it. Kasey's just an unbelievable talent, he wanted it bad. We raced as hard as we could race and used every inch of race track."

Kahne, meanwhile, is still hoping just to make it into the Chase. With two wins on the year he's in pretty good shape, but he's only eighth in the standings with two races remaining to set the 12-driver field.

"I needed a win bad, but I also needed a finish," Kahne said. "I just basically ran as hard as I could, tried to pass him two different times and ran on his bumper and hoped he'd screw up, and he really never did."

After Kahne passed Juan Pablo Montoya for second, he set his sights on Kenseth and tried numerous times over the final dozen laps — "It felt like 112," Kenseth said — to make the pass, but never could make it stick. He went for the bump and run on the last lap and missed, and has to settle for second.

"I had a better car. I just couldn't clear him," Kahne said. "There was a couple shots I took, and I had to have been close, but I could feel him on the right side of my car, and I just didn't clear him. I didn't figure out how to get by. It's disappointing not to win here. I thought we had the best car the last 200 laps, and it was a lot of work."

Montoya, who learned two weeks ago he won't be brought back to Chip Ganassi Racing next season, was third. Although he could use a win, especially on an oval to prove he belongs in NASCAR, he said he was pleased with the result — especially since he came back from an early speeding penalty.

"To be honest with you, where we are with the team and the result, it's pretty good," he said. "I'm still running until the end of the year with (sponsor) Target, and I want to make sure I can do the best for them."

Brian Vickers was fourth, followed by Joey Logano, Paul Menard and Jeff Gordon. Marcos Ambrose was eighth and Greg Biffle and Dale Earnhardt Jr. rounded out the top 10.

With two races remaining, at Atlanta and Richmond, to set the Chase field, only points leader Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer and Kenseth have locked up berths. The rest of the top 10 in points are Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Earnhardt, Kahne, Biffle and Logano.

Defending series champion Brad Keselowski is 11th, four points out of 10th and not in Chase contention because he's winless so far on the season. Keselowski admitted he's not breathing easy the next two weeks.

"If you're not in right now, I don't care if you're running eighth or you're running 13th, every team is worried and concerned — not just mine," he said. "I'm not going to be out of the worried zone unless I make it or it's over. That's my job as a race car driver. I care about my team. We've got two races left. I think they'll be good race tracks for us."

The two drivers currently in position for the wild-card berths are Ryan Newman and Martin Truex Jr., who maintained his position despite finishing 35th when he was collected in an accident that began on a restart when pole-sitter had his tire cut by contact with Vickers. Also caught in the accident was Harvick, who drove his battered car into Hamlin's pit, and Hamlin responded by intentionally shoving it out of the way.

An animated Harvick had to talk his way past a NASCAR official to get to Hamlin's car window, where the two quickly came to a resolution.

"He was under the impression that I caused it. He didn't see the replay," Hamlin said. "I talked to him. Luckily, we were able to talk right away and hash it out."

It was a long and disappointing night for Kurt Busch, who started second in his effort to make the Chase for single-car team Furniture Row Racing. But a vibration dropped him from first to fifth, then sent him to pit road for a repair. He was then flagged for speeding, the pit stop was slow, and by the time he served his penalty for speeding he had dropped three laps to 39th place.

Then he made contact with Josh Wise to cause damage to his car, sending him back to pit road. The original vibration wasn't fixed, and Busch had to go behind the wall for a length repair. He wound up 31st and dropped three spots in the standings to 12th.

"When you are 20 laps down there is nothing you can do," he said. "We are not out. My thoughts all through the race were we just have to go to Atlanta and Richmond and win them both. We have two races to go and I heard we are only five points out of 10th."

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On Pro Football: Smith vs. Sanchez Quarterback Duel Just Got Worse

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — It could have been worse for the Jets. Maybe Geno Smith could have thrown four interceptions in his first seven drives Saturday night against the Giants, instead of only three. Maybe Mark Sanchez could have shredded both knees, instead of just injuring his right shoulder, playing in the waning minutes of a meaningless game after appearing to secure the Jets' starting quarterback position by virtue of Smith's struggles.

Maybe Rex Ryan could have flashed two thumbs up while posing with the Snoopy trophy, awarded to the winner of the annual preseason game between the tenants of MetLife Stadium, instead of just remarking: "We'll take Snoopy, too. I'm just happy to get the win."

To get the win. The Jets prevailed, 24-21, in overtime, improving their regular-season record to 0-0.

"If it wasn't important," Ryan said, "I wouldn't have put Mark out there."

The competition that had dragged on since April, when the Jets drafted Smith in the second round, seemed to have reached a merciful conclusion by halftime. Given a chance to impress, Smith faltered. He has promise, he is talented, but he is also raw — and, even considering Sanchez's flaws, less of a viable option for now.

Not that the Jets would acknowledge as much even under less bizarre circumstances, but it seemed straightforward: Sanchez, by default, would retain his starting job, with Smith waiting to unseat him — eventually.

The timeline might have accelerated with about six minutes left in the fourth quarter, when Marvin Austin slammed into the right side of Sanchez, who had just released a pass, knocking him to the turf. He grabbed his shoulder, writhing for a bit, before scurrying off for X-rays.

The fact that Ryan sent Sanchez into the game, with 11:21 remaining and the Giants leading, 15-14, suggested two things. One, that he still needed to see Sanchez perform at a certain level to convince him that he deserved to start the season opener against Tampa Bay on Sept. 8. And two, that he was so possessed by the mantra of competition that he and John Idzik, the first-year general manager, have preached, that he prioritized victory, and that he was best served playing his presumptive Week 1 starter behind a second-team offensive line.

Why risk an injury to Sanchez by playing him, Ryan was asked.

"Well, why compete period?" he said. "We're there to win. We had our starting offense out there for three quarters because we're trying to win the game."

Why weren't the other first-stringers playing if you were trying to win the game, Ryan was asked.

"It's my decision, and we're going to compete," he said. "We said we're going to compete and watch that competition."

Many absurd things have befallen this franchise in recent years, much of it — though not all — the Jets' doing. On Saturday night, there was a moment late in Ryan's news conference, soon after a reporter asked him if it was irresponsible to leave in Sanchez, when he turned his back to the news media when pressed whether Smith could still win the job. The Snoopy trophy sat off to the side.

"I can say anything I want," Ryan said. "That's the beauty of this country. I can answer it 100 times. I can stand backwards and answer the question."

And still, after all this, Ryan reiterated that they were no closer to deciding the starting quarterback. Making the simple difficult since 1963 — that could be the Jets' motto.

Sanchez's presence in the game — after Smith's poor performance had effectively declared Sanchez triumphant — could be argued as an incredibly unwise decision. Ryan risked injury, and look what happened. It seemed that Matt Simms, who was speaking with the offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, would replace Smith, but Sanchez started to warm up hastily, and in he went. On his first play, he was drilled for a sack.

If it is determined that Sanchez, who is scheduled for a magnetic resonance imaging test Sunday, has a severe injury, it stands to reason that he would have a difficult chance of reclaiming his job from Smith upon his return. Sanchez's clothes were still in his locker, but a team spokesman said that he had left the stadium.

The Jets drafted Smith to unseat Sanchez, much as they drafted Sanchez to emerge as a rookie, in 2009. They awarded Smith plenty of first-team snaps during training camp, including for all four days last week. They extended the competition so he could recoup playing time lost to a sprained ankle. They started him against the Giants in their most important preseason game, intent to give him as many snaps as possible.

Smith's nine series before halftime consisted of three interceptions, three three-and-outs, a touchdown, a punt and the end of the half. After halftime, he led the Jets on a scoring drive against the Giants' second-team defense, but he also showed a lack of awareness by stepping on the back line of the end zone, resulting in a safety. He passed for 199 yards, completing 16 of 30 attempts, and had a quarterback rating of 45.7.

A cynic might say that Sanchez put forth precisely this sort of night last season, and that is precisely the reason the Jets spent the 39th pick in the draft — when they had glaring needs at several positions — on a quarterback. There is no shame in Smith not looking ready to open the season as their starter. He was not necessarily supposed to be; it was just the Jets' hope.

"As long as Rex and the committee are evaluating us," Smith said, "I think I have a shot."

By default, he probably does. The Jets went into Saturday night seeking clarity. In all likelihood, they found it. Just not in the way they hoped for.

Imagine if they had lost. Then it really would have been a bad night.

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