Novak Djokovic won a record seventh China Open title in Beijing after Alex de Minaur retired with an injury during the final. It was Djokovic's first title since Athens in 2025. He had reached the final when Daniil Medvedev was disqualified for striking a fan with a ball, and de Minaur advanced when Hubert Hurkacz retired in their semi-final. The week also brought news that Jannik Sinner will miss the rest of the 2026 season to treat a knee injury, leaving Alexander Zverev likely to finish the year at number one and the top of the men's rankings unsettled.
Alex Ovechkin said on Monday, October 5, that the 2026-27 season will be his last in the NHL. The Washington Capitals released a statement from the 41-year-old winger. Ovechkin holds the NHL record with 929 career goals. He passed Wayne Gretzky's mark of 894 in the 2024-25 season and reached 900 goals in 2025-26. He was drafted first overall in 2004 and made his debut on October 5, 2005, scoring twice. The Capitals missed the playoffs last season and added several players in the offseason.
Both National League Division Series continue on Sunday with Game 2 at each site. The Milwaukee Brewers host the San Diego Padres after a chaotic 3-2 win in Game 1, led by home runs from William Contreras and Jackson Chourio. In Los Angeles, the Dodgers face the Atlanta Braves after winning Game 1 behind Tarik Skubal, who threw six innings of one-run ball in 100-degree heat and retired 15 batters in a row. Kyle Tucker also starred in his Dodgers playoff debut. Atlanta is trying to even the series before it moves back east to Truist Park for Game 3.
Novak Djokovic rallied to win at the China Open in Beijing, extending his unbeaten record at the tournament. The 31-0 mark covers every match he has played there. Djokovic called the contest one of the best he has been part of, and said the crowd helped him through a tight set. He advances to the next round as he chases another title in a city where he has never lost.
The New York Yankees swept the Boston Red Sox without captain Aaron Judge and will meet the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS. The San Diego Padres beat the Chicago Cubs 4-1 to complete their own sweep and advance to face the Milwaukee Brewers. In England, an independent commission found Manchester City guilty of financial breaches, and the club lodged an appeal while denying wrongdoing. The Football Association warned the verdict has major implications for the integrity of the game.
The San Diego Padres beat the Chicago Cubs twice to win their wild-card series 2-0 and advance to the National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, who finished with the best record in baseball. It will be the first playoff meeting between the two clubs. The Padres swept the Brewers in San Diego in August and won four of six meetings this season. In the American League, the Rays face the Yankees and the Guardians meet the White Sox, while the Dodgers wait for the Braves-Phillies winner. All four Division Series start Saturday, 3 October.
The New York Yankees began their American League Wild Card Series against the Boston Red Sox without captain Aaron Judge, left off the 26-man roster because of a grade two right calf strain. Judge had been aiming to play and said the team was doing everything to speed his recovery. Giancarlo Stanton, out since 24 April with strained calf muscles in both legs, was included, along with centre fielder Trent Grisham. Elsewhere, the Houston Astros are favoured over the Chicago White Sox, and the Atlanta Braves are slight favourites against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Indiana Fever trail the Las Vegas Aces 1-0 in their best-of-three first-round WNBA series and faced elimination in Game 2 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Aces won the opener 102-85, shooting 59.4% and scoring 28 points off 17 Indiana turnovers. Caitlin Clark was listed as probable with a back issue and Aliyah Boston probable with a lower-leg problem. Top-seeded Minnesota also faced elimination against New York. Golden State leads Dallas 1-0. A Fever win forces a deciding Game 3 in Las Vegas on Thursday.
Game 1 of the American League wild card series between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox is set for Tuesday, September 29. Both clubs finished the regular season in the top five in team ERA, making it a pitching-first matchup. The Yankees' question is captain Aaron Judge, who missed 84 games with a rib injury, returned in early September and then went back on the injured list with a calf strain after seven games. Judge plans to play but manager Aaron Boone had to make the roster call by the morning of Game 1. In the National League, San Diego opened as a narrow favourite over Chicago and Atlanta is a slight favourite over Philadelphia.
The Cleveland Guardians clinched the American League Central for the third straight season, sealing the division with a win over Kansas City and a Chicago White Sox loss on Saturday. Cleveland takes the No. 2 seed in the AL and a bye through the wild card series, and will host Game 1 of the ALDS on October 3. The regular season ended on Sunday, with the wild card series starting on Tuesday. San Diego and the Chicago Cubs are set for an NL wild card rematch, and game times have been announced. Detroit's Justin Verlander made the final start of his career.