TENNIS
Chair umpire suspended
The chair umpire who climbed out of his seat to talk with Nick Kyrgios during a U.S. Open match was suspended for two tournaments by the ATP. Mohamed Lahyani will not officiate at his next two scheduled events -- the China Open in Beijing, which starts Oct. 1, and the Shanghai Masters the next week, the men's tour said in a statement Tuesday. The ATP said Layhani's actions during Kyrgios' second-round victory over Pierre-Hugues Herbert at Flushing Meadows on Aug. 30 were "deemed to have compromised the impartiality that is required of an official." According to the statement, he is one of seven full-time ATP chair umpires. As a full-time employee, he is subject to tour discipline, even though what he did came at the U.S. Open, which is under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Tennis Association. Kyrgios, a 23-year-old Australian, did not appear to be putting forth much effort while dropping the first set and falling behind 3-0 in the second against Herbert. During a changeover, Lahyani left his chair -- a rare sight in Grand Slam tennis -- to speak to Kyrgios, leaning with hands on knees while saying, "I want to help you." The 30th-seeded Kyrgios wound up beating Herbert 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-0, then lost to Roger Federer in his next match.
Sharapova ends season
Maria Sharapova said she will end her 2018 season early, withdrawing from the China Open in Beijing, the Tianjin Open and the Kremlin Cup in Moscow due to her recovery from a right shoulder injury. "I will miss competing at each of these tournaments, but it is important that I allow for proper rest and recovery in the upcoming weeks," Sharapova said in a statement on the WTA website. Sharapova, ranked 24th in the world, was the defending champion at Tianjin. The five-time major champion lost in the first round at Wimbledon and the fourth round at the U.S. Open. The WTA said Sharapova expects to start her 2019 season at the Shenzhen Open, which begins Dec. 31 in the southeast China city.
Tsonga falls
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga made an unsuccessful return to competition Tuesday, losing 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4 to defending champion Peter Gojowczyk of Germany in the first round of the Moselle Open in Metz, France. Tsonga, a three-time winner in Metz, played his first match since February after recovering from a knee injury. Gojowczyk won the tournament as a qualifier last year for his maiden tour title. Against Tsonga, he saved all three break points and hit 17 aces. He will be up against top-seeded Kei Nishikori for a spot in quarterfinals. Fifth-seeded Nikoloz Basilashvili also advanced by defeating qualifier Kenny De Schepper 6-2, 7-6 (0) while Ugo Humbert rallied from a set down to beat Bernard Tomic 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4.
FOOTBALL
Butler returns to Dallas
The Cowboys have re-signed veteran receiver Brice Butler, who had left Dallas in free agency last spring but was released by the Arizona Cardinals before the season. Dallas released rookie safety Tyree Robinson on Tuesday to make room on its roster for Butler. Butler in April signed a two-year deal with Arizona after playing in 36 games for Dallas the past three seasons. He was listed as the No. 2 receiver behind Larry Fitzgerald for much of the Cardinals' camp, but was also slowed by a foot injury and part of the final cuts to get their roster to 53 players. In 61 games over five NFL seasons, Butler has 73 catches for 1,177 yards and 8 touchdowns.
Another injury in Atlanta
The Atlanta Falcons have lost offensive guard Andy Levitre to a season-ending triceps injury, the third player to go down with a major injury in the first two weeks of the season. Levitre left Sunday's victory over the Carolina Panthers with what was initially described as an elbow injury. After further examination, it was determined Tuesday that he's done for the year because of a triceps problem. Wes Schweitzer will take over Levitre's spot in the starting lineup. The Falcons (1-1) also signed guard Zac Kerin to bolster the depth up front. Levitre's injury comes after defensive stalwarts Keanu Neal and Deion Jones went down in a Week 1 loss to Philadelphia. Neal (knee) is out for the year, while Jones (foot) will have to miss at least eight games, though the Falcons are hopeful that he'll be able to return late in the season.
BASKETBALL
Sixers hire Brand as GM
Elton Brand is in charge of the Philadelphia 76ers. A person familiar with the situation said the Sixers have made Brand their new general manager, replacing Bryan Colangelo. Colangelo resigned in June as the 76ers' president of basketball operations after what an investigation concluded was "careless and in some instances reckless" sharing of sensitive team information on Twitter. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the move had not been officially announced. Brand is expected to be introduced at a news conference Thursday. Brand had worked for the Sixers as vice president of operations and also served as the general manager of the Delaware Blue Coats, the 76ers' G League affiliate. Brand was the No. 1 pick of the 1999 draft by the Chicago Bulls and played two stints with the Sixers. Sixers Coach Brett Brown had served as Philadelphia's interim GM and said earlier Tuesday he wasn't interested in holding both jobs.
HORSE RACING
Pegasus adds 2nd race
The Pegasus World Cup is back, and it now has a second race. The Stronach Group announced Tuesday the 2019 Pegasus will be a two-race event, one a $9 million race on the dirt and now a $7 million turf race will be part of the Jan. 26 card at Gulfstream Park in Florida as well. The first two Pegasus World Cups offered only one dirt race. Arrogate won the inaugural Pegasus race in 2017, and Gun Runner prevailed this past January. Their purses for those wins -- $7 million apiece -- are a big reason why they are the two top horses in terms of earnings in North American racing history.
GOLF
Collegiate golfer killed while playing round
AMES, Iowa -- A collegiate golfer from Spain was attacked and killed by a homeless stranger while she was playing a round alone near her campus in Iowa, police said Tuesday.
Celia Barquin Arozamena, who was working toward joining the pro tour while finishing her degree at Iowa State University, was stabbed by the assailant Monday morning and left dead in a pond on the golf course, police said. Her body was found after fellow players saw her abandoned golf bag.
Collin Daniel Richards, a 22-year-old with a history of violence, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Investigators said Richards had told an acquaintance he had "an urge to rape and kill a woman" and that he was living in a homeless encampment near the golf course in Ames, about 30 miles north of Des Moines.
Police said they recovered a knife and bloody clothing linked to Richards, who completed a prison sentence in June and has prior convictions for burglary and harassment.
Barquin was remembered as one of Iowa State's most accomplished golfers and a bright engineering student. This year, she won the Big 12 championship and an amateur tournament in Europe and competed in the U.S. Women's Open Championship.
Iowa State Athletic Director Jamie Pollard said Barquin had "broke down in tears" when she found out she had been named the school's 2018 female athlete of the year .
Ames Police Cmdr. Geoff Huff said homicides are rare in the city, and it's "very troubling for something like this to happen in broad daylight."
Sports on 09/19/2018