BARCELONA — Barcelona captain Lionel Messi reported for training on Monday for the first time since requesting to leave the club last month.

NEW YORK — Second seed Dominic Thiem edged a first-set tiebreak before turning up the heat to romp into the US Open quarter-finals with a resounding 7-6(4) 6-1 6-1 victory over Canadian youngster Felix Augur-Aliassime at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday.

DUSTIN Johnson secured a three-shot victory at the Tour Championship to claim his first FedExCup title and a $15 million payday on Monday as he capped a PGA Tour season that saw him return to the top of the world rankings.

NEW YORK — Third seed Serena Williams advanced to the US Open quarter-finals after a gritty, tension-filled 6-3 6-7(6) 6-3 win over Greece’s Maria Sakkari on Monday.

THE United States (US) Open was supposed to serve as validation of Novak Djokovic’s ascendancy in tennis. With rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal out of the competition, he certainly had impetus to dominate the major tournament much in the same way he had in every stop so far in 2020. True, the season has been unlike any other in his lifetime; with the novel coronavirus pandemic restricting mobility and changing terms of engagement, he faced unique challenges en route to his projected Grand Slam championship. Yet, there was no question he stood head and shoulders above the rest of the field. It wasn’t simply that he headed into his fourth-round match as World Number One armed with a pristine slate in 26 starts since the turn of the year. It was that he stood as only player still in the draw with any title in the sport’s holy grails — and he had not one, not two, not three, but 17.

TRAINING for collegiate student-athletes may start soon amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) said in a press teleconference on Monday.

NEW YORK — World number one Novak Djokovic was sensationally disqualified in the US Open fourth round on Sunday after striking a line judge with a ball following a point during the first set of his match against Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta.

LEBRON James and Anthony Davis combined for 62 points and 21 rebounds, and the Lakers needed to hold off the fourth-seeded Rockets’ second-half rally to win 117-109 Sunday night to even their Western Conference semifinals series 1-1 at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando.

WHILE the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has forced much of daily affairs to be done at home, it should not stop one from staying active and leading a healthy life.

HAD it successful in his maiden fight at ONE Championship a fortnight ago, Filipino fighter Drex “T-Rex” Zamboanga knows he still needs to work on his game if he is to continue making waves in the promotion.

MILWAUKEE’S Khris Middleton scored a game-high 36 points and hit a pair of free throws with 2.2 seconds left in overtime as the Bucks staved off elimination and delivered a 118-115 victory over the Miami Heat in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series Sunday near Orlando.

BASEL, Switzerland — Germany were still waiting for their first-ever Nations League win after they gave a tired performance and were held to a 1-1 draw by Switzerland on Sunday.