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NEW YORK — Maria Sharapova said she remains confident in her ability to compete with the best despite Monday’s crushing defeat by old foe Serena Williams in the first round of the US Open.

Five-time Grand Slam winner Sharapova was ruthlessly dumped out in just 59 minutes on Arthur Ashe as Williams beat the Russian for the 19th time in a row to improve her record in the rivalry to 20-2.

“Bottom line is I believe in my ability,” said Sharapova, who has slipped to 87th in the world rankings after another season marred by injury.

“You can write me off. There are many people that can write me off, especially after going down 6-1, 6-1 in the first round of the US Open. As long as it’s not the person that’s inside of you, you’ll be OK.”

The 32-year-old had missed more than four months in the wake of right shoulder surgery when she returned for the grass court season this year. She was then forced out of Wimbledon by a left forearm injury.

The 2006 US Open winner last won a Slam at the 2014 French Open and served a one-year ban following a failed test at the 2016 Australian Open.

Sharapova upset Simona Halep in the first round here two years ago, but could not revive that magic in the showcase opening-night match in the year’s final Grand Slam tournament.

“I don’t think of it as setback or traction. I have to keep going. There’s no other way. There’s no easy road about it,” she said.

“That’s the stage that you play for. That’s where I played as a teenager. That’s where I fortunately get to play like tonight. I mean, you work hard, we all do, in order to get to that stage, because that’s where the finals are. That’s where you want to be.”

‘Easy to be discouraged’

For Sharapova, who suffered early exits this month in Toronto and Cincinnati, it was her first opening-round loss in 13 appearances in New York.

She has won just one title, the 2017 Tianjin Open, in the past four years and admitted it had been a “long journey” just to reach the hardcourt season.

“It’s not an easy road. It has never been. But I went through a shoulder procedure about four months ago. To find myself playing at a night match at the US Open with people excited about the matchup, it’s a pretty big deal,” said Sharapova.

“I’m fortunate to be a part of that. It’s easy to be discouraged after a match like this. But if I’m personally discouraged, I wake up tomorrow, I don’t feel like I want to go out, train, be better, that’s more discouraging than the result.”

“Just getting the routines back and being back in the draws is... it’s tough to talk about after a defeat, but it’s a long road,” she continued. 

“It’s facing an opponent that’s at her stature is extremely difficult in the first round of a Slam, coming in with the fact that I haven’t played that much. But those are the situations that I have to keep putting myself in and coming out of them.”

MADRID — Antoine Griezmann copied Lionel Messi for the goal and LeBron James for the celebration, but it was his night for Barcelona on Sunday after he scored twice in a 5-2 win over Real Betis.

Griezmann imitated the basketball superstar by tossing confetti into the air to celebrate his second at Camp Nou, a curling effort into the corner that he said was inspired by watching Messi.

“I saw Leo do this in training, so I tried to copy him,” said Griezmann. “And for the celebration, I like the ritual that LeBron did so we tried to do it as well.”

Yet, Griezmann was the star, if only for the night with Messi in the stands, the Argentinian still short of fitness following a calf injury.

A brilliant Barcelona performance also delivered a resounding response to the doubts arising from their defeat by Athletic Bilbao last weekend, among them a reliance on Messi, the need for Neymar and the future of Ernesto Valverde as coach.

But as Carles Perez, Jordi Alba and Arturo Vidal made it three, four and five, the gloom was forgotten, along with Nabil Fekir’s opener in the 15th minute, that had Betis level at half-time. 

“After a defeat, there is always a big reaction,” Griezmann said. “We really wanted to play another game and when so many players are missing, the team steps up.”

Loren Moron slammed a late strike into the top corner for Betis but by then the game was up as Barca ensured no further ground was lost on Atletico Madrid, who beat Leganes 1-0 earlier on Sunday, or Real Madrid, who were held to a 1-1 draw on Saturday by Real Valladolid.

Timely display

Barcelona will hope to have Messi back for the trip to Osasuna next weekend but with Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele both out for longer, Griezmann’s statement display was timely. 

Whether it also affects the club’s attempts to prise Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain remains to be seen.

“I have to admit today was an important day for Antoine,” said Valverde.

The crowd also enjoyed a goal from the 21-year-old Perez, making his first Barca start, and a substitute appearance from Anssumane Fati, who at 16 became the second youngest player ever to play for the club in La Liga.

Sergio Busquets was at fault for Betis’ opener as he gave the ball away, allowing Fekir to drive in his debut goal since he moved from Lyon in July.

But Barca were undeterred and after Rafinha missed an excellent chance to equalise, Griezmann took over, volleying in on the stretch four minutes before half-time, past the weak hand of Dani Martin.

If Griezmann’s first owed something to the goalkeeper, his second was unstoppable. He collected the ball 25 yards out and used Sidnei as a marker to bend his shot around the defender and inside the far post. 

Griezmann ran to the corner where confetti was poured into his hands. He threw it into the air above his head. 

Barca were relentless as Perez steered a third into the bottom corner and Alba made it four, latching onto a superb Busquets pass inside the full-back.

There was still time for two scintillating strikes, the first from Vidal, who was slid in by Griezmann, and the second by Loren, who was given too much space. It was no more than a consolation.

Barcelona stay behind Atletico, who maintained their perfect start with another 1-0 victory, this time over Leganes as Vitolo came off the bench to score a second-half winner at Butarque. 

Joao Felix, Atletico’s 126 million-euro ($140 million) buy from Benfica and much-hailed replacement for Griezmann, was again quiet but again delivered the match’s most memorable moment.

The 19-year-old’s perfectly-timed pass provided set Vitolo free while Felix had been picked out by Kieran Trippier, who was faultless on his second Atletico start.

NEW YORK — While a host of young rivals hope to disrupt the dominance of the “Big Three” in men’s tennis, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer remain the US Open favourites.

The year’s final Grand Slam showdown starts on Monday on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts with top-ranked Djokovic, 20-time Grand Slam champion Federer and Spanish superstar Nadal having combined to win the past 11 Grand Slam titles.

Federer, 38, doesn’t see a problem with the dominance by the sport’s elder statesmen, who together own 54 of the past 65 Slam titles.

“I don’t think it’s a problem, per se,” Federer said. “Now that Novak, Rafa and me are healthy again, Andy [Murray] also slowly coming back again, has made it much harder for young guys to come through.

“They are definitely knocking on the door big-time now. I think that’s very encouraging for those who want to see somebody else win. I think also Novak’s domination, Rafa’s domination is also not normal for the game of tennis.

“I think there’s going to be chances moving forward, but it’s not surprising with the type of tennis they’ve been playing in recent years.”

Third-seeded Federer also throws in a chance for Swiss compatriot Stan Wawrinka, who like Britain’s injured Murray has won three Slam crowns during the “Big Three” reign, but figures a familiar face will be lifting the US Open trophy.

“Yeah, it seems like the same guys are the favourites again this time around,” Federer said. “It will be a surprise if anybody else won.”

Defending champion Djokovic, seeking a 17th career Grand Slam title, has won four of the past five Slams, denied only by Nadal’s French Open win in June. The 32-year-old Serbian says he has adjusted to the extra pressure of defending over the years.

“It’s a paramount challenge to defend a Grand Slam title,” he said. “These are the tournaments you want to win the most. This is where you want to shine.”

Nadal, 33, has made an impressive run with titles at Rome, the French Open and Montreal and a Wimbledon semifinal loss to Federer.

“Arrive to the big events with good feelings helps,” Nadal said. “Positive feeling, positive memory on my mind. That helps for the confidence.

“For the moment I am feeling well. I am practicing well during the whole week. Now remain a couple of days to just push a little bit more and try to start the tournament in a good way.”

Second-ranked Nadal, an 18-time Grand Slam winner who took his 12th French Open title in June, isn’t too excited over Federer and Djokovic both being in the opposite half of the draw.

“I have to win my matches to have an advantage because I only can meet them in the semifinals,” Nadal said. “I have plenty of work before that to know if I have an advantage or not.”

Russia’s Daniil Medvedev has enjoyed a stellar US Open run-up with a win at Cincinnati and runner-up efforts at Washington and Montreal.

“I don’t consider myself as one of the favourites just because at this moment of my career I haven’t even been in a quarter-final of a Slam,” Medvedev said. “If I get to the quarter-final, it’s going to be already a step forward and I’m going to be really happy about it.

“When I play my best tennis I can beat basically everybody and that’s what I need to keep doing here.”

Austrian fourth seed Dominic Thiem lost to Nadal in the Roland Garros final and will be a threat.

“Every year he’s improving,” Nadal said. “Every day he’s very solid and every year is more solid.

“He has everything to win important events. He already is winning important events. He’s a very, very hard worker. Just a question of time that he achieve all his goals.”

Germany’s sixth-ranked Alexander Zverev warns not to ignore other lower seeds such as Japan’s seventh-seeded Kei Nishikori, the 2014 US Open runner-up, and Greece’s eighth-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas.

“There are a few guys that have a real shot to win it,” Zverev said.

“Obviously the ‘Big Three’ we don’t need to talk about. Of course, Novak is the big favourite, no question about it, but there are other guys that have been playing great tennis. I think those guys will be able to do some damage.”

Federer, however, wouldn’t mind stretching his lead over Djokovic and Nadal in the men’s all-time Grand Slam title race.

“I’m not putting extra pressure on myself. I know it’s going to be tough,” Federer said. “I feel like I’m part of that group who can do it.”

MILAN — Juventus captain Giorgio Chiellini scored the first goal of the Serie A season on Saturday as the champions kicked off their bid for a ninth consecutive title with a pedestrian 1-0 win at Parma.

As the champions struggled without coach Maurizio Sarri, absent from the bench, as he recovers from pneumonia, Serie A runners-up Napoli won a 4-3 thriller in Fiorentina.

Skipper Lorenzo Insigne scored a brace for Napoli including the 67th-minute winner and had a role in Dries Mertens and Jose Callejon’s goals for the southerners.

In Parma, Chiellini made the difference early, connecting with an Alex Sandro deflected shot to fire in from close range after 21 minutes in Emilia Romagna.

“He [Sarri] can be proud because the team have shown that we are united, that we can train with dedication and application. We will improve, but the important thing is to grow by winning,” said 35-year-old Chiellini after just his 27th goal in his 14-year Juventus career.

Sarri’s arrival has been hailed as the dawn of a new era for Juventus with a different exciting style of football.

But the Turin giants new-look side mirrored Massimiliano Allegri’s of last season.

Apart from Argentine Gonzalo Higuain, back from a loan to Chelsea, preferred up front alongside Cristiano Ronaldo in place of Paulo Dybala, the team was the same as last season.

New Dutch defender Matthijs De Ligt remained on the bench with Welsh international Aaron Ramsey not in the group, while French midfielder Adrien Rabiot came on after an hour in place of Sami Khedira.

Sarri’s assistant Giovanni Martusciello was on the bench and took instructions from the former Napoli and Chelsea boss.

“I spoke to him before, during the break and at the end of the game, when obviously he was much happier with the result,” he said. 

“Being a perfectionist he was still angry at the mistakes made.”

Martusciello defended the line-up, insisting “taking a gamble in the first game of the season would have been unnecessary”.

“This is a team full of champions.”

Ronaldo frustrated

Ronaldo drew a blank with a goal ruled offside and several missed efforts against Parma who finished 14th on their return to Serie A last season.

Ronaldo squandered a golden chance after half an hour, controlling a Higuain cross with his chest but sending wide across the face of goal.

The Portuguese looked to have made up for his earlier error on 34 minutes, finishing off a Douglas Costa effort into the back of the net.

The goal was ruled offside after consultation with VAR with Ronaldo deemed to be marginally offside.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner again proved wasteful after an hour latching on to a Costa cross, but sending the ball over the top of goal.

His frustration continued five minutes later with Parma goalkeeper Luigi Sepe denying the Portuguese at full stretch.

“Great to start the season with three points!” the 34-year-old Ronaldo tweeted after the game.

In Florence, midfielder Erick Pulgar converted a penalty after just nine minutes to the delight of the home crowd and new club owner Italian-American media magnate Rocco Commisso.

But Mertens pulled Napoli back after 38 minutes with Insigne adding a second from the spot just before the break.

Nikola Milenkovic’s powerful header six minutes after the break kept Fiorentina, 16th last season, in the game.

Insigne set up Callejon for Napoli’s third on 56 minutes and completed his own brace nine minutes later after substitute Kevin-Prince Boateng volleyed in a third for the hosts.

French midfielder Franck Ribery made his Serie A debut coming on the final quarter of an hour for Fiorentina and having a penalty appeal turned down.

“We conceded three goals, but we scored four away from home which isn’t bad,” said Napoli coach Carlo Ancelotti whose side play Juventus in Turin next weekend.

“Juve are moving from one coach to the next, but we’ll try to play a great game with enthusiasm and focus, even if our most difficult match comes so early in the season.”

BIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom — Wesley fired Aston Villa to their first Premier League win for over three years as the Brazilian’s maiden goal for his new club inspired a 2-0 victory against Everton on Friday.

After losing to Tottenham and Bournemouth in their first two games, Villa finally got their campaign up and running on their return to the top flight after a three-year absence.

Dean Smith’s promoted side were already being written off as relegation fodder following their nervous start to the season.

But Wesley’s first goal since the forward’s £22 million ($27 million) close-season move from Belgian side Club Brugge lifted the mood at Villa Park in the 22nd minute.

Anwar El Ghazi added the second in stoppage-time to ensure Villa were able to celebrate the end of a 15-match winless run in the Premier League dating back to a victory over Norwich in February 2016.

“It was very sweet. It was a hard-earned win. We always looked a threat on the break. To get that goal at the end just capped it off,” Smith said.

“Our defensive organisation was good. I always thought we would score a second, but I thought it would come a bit earlier.

“Getting your home results in this league is a important and getting your first one is massive.”

Everton paid the price for poor finishing as they wasted chances to maintain their unbeaten run, which came to an abrupt end after a draw against Crystal Palace and a victory over Watford.

“It is really difficult to see how we can lose this game when we create so many chances to score,” Everton boss Marco Silva said.

“It is concerning about the goals we didn’t score and of course we should score more. Against Palace we created lots of chances to score and didn’t and again today.”

Jack Grealish had lost a record 20 successive Premier League games with Villa — dating back to their previous spell in the top flight — and he was fortunate not to concede an early penalty for a challenge on Richarlison.

Flat-footed

Grealish set about ending his dismal losing streak when he cleverly took a quick free-kick inside his own half that caught Everton flat-footed.

Grealish picked out Jota and he advanced down the left flank before slipping a superb pass to Wesley, who found the bottom corner with a fine finish.

Wesley threatened a second goal moments later but this time his shot was blocked by Yerry Mina’s sliding challenge.

Everton should have equalised when Morgan Schneiderlin found Seamus Coleman and he clipped a pass to Dominic Calvert-Lewin, whose first-time shot was blocked on the line by Villa defender Bjorn Engels.

Everton hadn’t come from behind at half-time to win a Premier League game since September 2015 and that run was destined to continue.

Silva tried to spark his team by sending on former Arsenal winger Alex Iwobi for his debut along with ex-Juventus striker Moise Kean.

Iwobi had an immediate impact and he turned to fire against the post in the closing moments.

Theo Walcott should have equalised in the 90th minute, but the unmarked substitute somehow fired over from close range as he took a hurried swipe at Kean’s cross.

And El Ghazi wrapped up the long-awaited points for Villa when he slotted home John McGinn’s pass from six yards in the fifth minute of added time.

AMMAN — The Jordan Rally Championship is heading towards its most exciting finale in years with an incredible six drivers all in with a chance of taking the title following Friday’s drama-filled fourth Round, according to the Jordan Motorsport Media Service.  

Oman’s Abdullah Al Rawahi is now the outright leader after taking Friday’s win in the northern forests, and he holds a slender one-point advantage at the top from Khaled Juma, who was disqualified for an illegal service.  

With third-placed Salameh Al Gammaz also failing the final car checks and Maruf Abu Samra sitting it out, it means that Ihab Al Shurafa closed the gap in fifth overall after picking up 10 points for finishing fifth in round four.  

Tarek Taher finished a brilliant second behind Rawahi to jump up to sixth overall, just nine points behind the leader. Ziad Miqdad finished third on Friday and is 14 points off the top. It means there is everything to drive for going into the fifth and final stop in the series, with organisers Jordan Motorsport making it a power rally with 50 per cent more points up for grabs.

That means there will be 37.5 points for the winner, with 30 for second and 22.5 for third. It is due to take place on October 11.

AMMAN — The Jordan basketball team on Wednesday left for the Chinese city of Suzhou ahead of its second appearance at the FIBA Basketball World Cup, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service. The tourney takes place from August 31-September 15.

Speaking ahead of the team’s departure from Amman, head coach Joey Stiebing said that his players are in great shape after stepping up training over the past month to reach peak fitness. “Our preparations have gone well,” he said. “We have played a lot of friendly matches against some very strong teams and played well.

We have been able to identify our weaknesses and work on them to improve our level of competitiveness. All of the players understand the responsibility they have on their shoulders to try and make the Jordanian people proud of them.” Jordan previously competed at the World Cup in 2010 in Turkey and this time it has been drawn in Group G with the Dominican Republic, France and Germany.

The matches will be played in Shenzhen with the Dominican Republic up first on September 1, followed by France two days later and then Germany on the fifth. The 12-man squad members are Mahmoud Abdeen, Amin Abu Hawas, Dar Tucker, Jordan Desouki, Fadi Ibrahim, Ahmed Hamarsha, Ahmed Obeid, Yousef Abu Wazna, Mohammed Shaher, Zaid Abbas, Malik Kanaan, Musa Al Awadi, Zain Najdawi and Ahmed Al Duwairi.

AMMAN — We can expect another competitive day of driving on Friday when the fourth round of the Jordan Rally Championship will be held in the northern stages, according to the Jordan Motorsport Media Service. 

Three drivers are separated by just four points in the standings, with round three winner Khaled Juma heading the field in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 10, with Imad Juma, who leads the co-driver series, alongside him reading the notes.

Salameh Al Gammaz is currently second following three consistent drives in an Evo 5, while Maruf Abu Samra, who is joint second in the series, is not in action this weekend.

Oman’s Abdullah Al Rawahi returns in his Subaru Impreza and will hoping to secure his first points since finishing second in the opening round, while Ihab Al Shurafa will be looking to keep his slender championship hopes alive with victory on Friday.

A total of nine drivers have entered, with the action set to start from the Royal Automobile Club at 9:30am, before drivers tackle 61.7km of timed special stages in the challenging northern forests.

MILAN — As the sole survivor of a coaching shuffle among the leading challengers, Carlo Ancelotti could have the best chance to end Napoli’s 30-year wait for the Serie A title.

Yet, Antonio Conte’s arrival at Inter Milan has also raised expectations of an end to Juventus’s long domination in the season that kicks off on Saturday.

Serie A runners-up Napoli have not held the Scudetto aloft since Argentine legend Diego Maradona inspired them to their only titles in 1987 and 1990.

Ancelotti’s campaign begins in Fiorentina on Saturday, after Juventus, now coached by Maurizio Sarri, open their quest for a ninth consecutive title in Parma.

Chinese-owned Inter Milan have also changed coaches with former Juventus and Chelsea boss Conte back home in Italy. Marco Giampaolo takes over at AC Milan and Paulo Fonseca at Roma.

Sarri came close two years ago when he guided Napoli to runners-up spot, just four points behind Juventus, before moving to Chelsea.

At 60, Sarri returns to Italy to coach Juventus as the champions look for a new direction despite five trophy-laden seasons under Massimiliano Allegri.

The decision by Napoli-native Sarri to move north has hurt in his home town. 

“For us Neapolitans, that was a betrayal,” said captain Lorenzo Insigne. 

“Now we have to try to beat him at all costs.”

Ancelotti embarks on the second year of his three-year contract, and wants silverware this campaign.

The 60-year-old has won titles in Europe’s five biggest leagues. His Serie A title came with AC Milan back in 2004.

He arrived in Naples boasting three Champions League trophies from his spells with Milan and Real Madrid, and a Premier League title from his two-year tenure at Chelsea.

The veteran coach insists he has learned from his “transitional” first season.

“We drew back the arrow, now we are ready to fire,” he warned.

Ancelotti has bolstered in all areas with the arrival of defender Kostas Manolas, midfielder Elif Elmas and winger Hirving Lozano.

New-look Inter

Inter are being remodelled by former Italy boss Conte, who won three Serie A titles in a row with Juventus from 2012 to 2014, and the Premier League with Chelsea in 2017.

Belgian forward Romelu Lukaku joins from Manchester United with young midfielders Stefano Sensi and Nicolo Barella arriving in the San Siro.

Uncertainty remains over the future of Argentine forward Mauro Icardi amid reported interest from Napoli.

Inter last won the title in 2010 under Jose Mourinho, and open at home against newly-promoted Lecce on Saturday.

But even amid uncertainty over how Sarri, who could miss the Parma opener with pneumonia, will adapt to life at Juventus, the Cristiano Ronaldo-powered champions remain favourites.

Juventus have spent big with newly-signed Dutch defender Matthijs De Ligt and Turkey’s Merih Demiral.

The midfield has been strengthened with PSG’s Adrien Rabiot and former Arsenal star Aaron Ramsey. 

Giampaolo takes over at AC Milan who missed out on Champions League qualification.

The only non-Italian involved in this game of musical coaching benches, is Fonseca, working for the first time in Italy at Roma, who finished sixth last season.

Gian Piero Gasperini remains at Atalanta after leading the unheralded northeners to a Champions League berth with a third-place finish just ahead of Inter on goal difference.

The side from Bergamo open against SPAL.

LONDON — Manchester United defender Harry Maguire called on social media giants Twitter and Instagram to be more pro-active to stop “pathetic trolls” after teammate Paul Pogba became the latest player to suffer racist abuse online.

Pogba was targeted after his penalty was saved in United’s 1-1 draw at Wolves on Monday just days after Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham suffered similar abuse.

“Disgusting. Social media need to do something about it,” Maguire, the world’s most expensive defender after an £80 million ($97 million) move from Leicester earlier this month, posted on Twitter.

“Every account that is opened should be verified by a passport/driving licence. Stop these pathetic trolls making numerous accounts to abuse people. @Twitter @instagram.”

United said they were “disgusted” by the abuse and “utterly condemn” it.

“The individuals who expressed these views do not represent the values of our great club and it is encouraging to see the vast majority of our fans condemn this on social media also,” the club said in a statement.

“Manchester United has zero tolerance of any form of racism or discrimination and a long-standing commitment to campaigning against it through our #AllRedAllEqual initiative.

“We will work to identify the few involved in these incidents and take the strongest course of action available to us. We also encourage social media companies to take action in these cases.”

Many commentators argued that Pogba should have let Marcus Rashford take the vital penalty at Molineux after the England international scored from the spot against Chelsea on the opening weekend of the season.

However, Rashford also showed his public support for Pogba.

“Manchester United is a family. @paulpogba is a huge part of that family. You attack him you attack us all...” said Rashford.

As well as Abraham, Championship side Reading’s Yakou Meite have suffered similar abuse in the past week.

Anti-discrimination charity “Kick It Out” published a report in July that stated incidents of racist abuse increased by 43 per cent last season.

“The number of posts such as these since the start of the season further highlights how discriminatory abuse online is out of control,” the body said on Tuesday.

“Without immediate and the strongest possible action these cowardly acts will continue to grow.”

Abraham missed the final penalty in a shootout as Chelsea lost to Liverpool in the UEFA Super Cup last Wednesday. The posts aimed at him were described as “abhorrent” by Chelsea and manager Frank Lampard said he was “disgusted”.

Lampard also called for social media sites to do more to prevent players being abused while Abraham has said he wants to “silence the haters” with his performances on the pitch.

Chelsea banned a supporter for life in July for racially abusing Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling last season.

Five others were excluded for periods of between one and two years for abusive language.

Ivory Coast international Meite missed a penalty in time added on for Reading on Sunday against Cardiff, but his side had the match already wrapped up at 3-0.

Some of the tweets aimed at Pogba were later deleted while several accounts appeared to have been taken down.