Coco Gauff won her first WTA Tour title since January with a straight-sets victory in the China Open final against Karolina Muchova.

Gauff took three weeks off from tennis after she surprisingly lost in the fourth round of the US Open at the start of September but has played some of her best tennis in Beijing over the last week.

She had the upper hand over Muchova for most of the final to race to a 6-1 6-3 win and secure her biggest triumph since that memorable maiden Grand Slam title in New York over a year ago.

“It’s almost like a Grand Slam as the facilities are great. This is as good as it gets,” said Gauff, who has made the perfect start to life with new coaches Jean-Christophe Faurel and Matt Daly after she parted ways with Brad Gilbert following this year’s US Open.

“I would like to thank the fans. Almost every match has been filled to the brim, so thank you guys for supporting women’s tennis.”

Watched on by her parents, Gauff was hitting the ball more harder and more accurately from the get-go than her opponent as she took a 2-0 and 3-1 lead.

The American won three consecutive games and continued to serve well, winning 94 per cent of points on her first serve, to wrap up the first set in half an hour.

Muchova surprisingly broke Gauff early in the second set to go 2-0 ahead, but lost the next four games and soon trailed 4-3.

Another comfortable hold and a break of serve from Gauff gave her an eighth career WTA Tour title, having only lost one final since turning professional as a 14-year-old in 2018.

Gauff will turn her attention to the Wuhan Open, where she will be in action mid-week. Britain’s Katie Boulter and top seed Aryna Sabalenka will also be competing in the WTA 1000 tournament.

There might not be a more menacing sight in all sport that Artur Beterbiev in full flow.

The holder of the WBC, WBO and IBF light-heavyweight titles, he is one of boxing’s most destructive punchers.

He is a multi-belt champion whom no one has been able to contain. No professional fighter has gone the distance with him and Beterbiev has spent years operating at the highest levels.

He has got to them late, or got to them early, but no opponent has managed to hear the final bell.

But, this Saturday, live on Sky Sports Box Office, Beterbiev is facing his greatest threat yet.

Dmitry Bivol, the holder of the WBA belt, has the only major championship outside of Beterbiev’s possession.

Undefeated like Beterbiev, Bivol is strong himself. A stern puncher, with outstanding footwork and timing, Bivol has a style that has convinced many that he is possibly the only man who can beat the unified titlist.

Dmitry Bivol, the holder of the WBA belt, has the only major championship outside of Beterbiev’s possession.

Undefeated like Beterbiev, Bivol is strong himself. A stern puncher, with outstanding footwork and timing, Bivol has a style that has convinced many that he is possibly the only man who can beat the unified titlist.

But if he is to be the toughest test of Beterbiev’s career, the unified champion is waiting to be convinced.

‘We’ll see. I’m really interested to know that. I don’t know. I always prepare for 12 rounds, for hard work,” Beterbiev told Sky Sports.

But he is extremely confident in the power behind his fists. “If I land, everyone can be knocked out,” he said, before adding: “At the same time we’re not thinking about a knockout, it’s not the main thing in our team.

“It’s not good if you prepare for a fight with one scenario. You need to be smarter.”

Beterbiev speaks softly but is no less menacing for that. He does not need histrionics or trashtalk. His KO power does all the screaming for him.

“Just seeing Artur who’s so quiet minded, so quiet, and just said [to Bivol at the press conference]: ‘He knows,'” noted Todd DuBoef, president of Top Rank which promotes Beterbiev.

“He doesn’t talk smack, he wasn’t getting in his face. ‘He knows’… The confidence was just beautiful and it was so Artur.

“His English is good but not that good and he just knew that all he needed to get across was that he mentally feels very comfortable about this fight and very excited.”

The 2024-2025 Los Angeles Lakers team will be one to watch as LeBron James enters another NBA season.

On top of that, his son, Bronny James, was drafted by the Lakers at No. 55 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft.

On Sunday night, the Lakers played the Phoenix Suns in a preseason contest at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California. The Lakers lost, 118-114, but LeBron James and Bronny James got some playing time together on the court.

After the game, LeBron James had an emotional message on X to playing alongside Bronny James.

“WOW THAT WAS SURREAL!!,”

LeBron James wrote on X with a series of emojis. LeBron James played 16 minutes and scored 19 points.

Bronny James went scoreless in 13 minutes of playing time, but we got to see the father and son duo in purple and gold on the court.

The Lakers trotted out a starting five that featured LeBron James, Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, and Austin Reaves.

Bronny James played the fifth-most minutes out of the bench unit. LeBron James had a big dunk in the game that also drew a reaction from Bronny James while he was on the bench.