Andrey Rublev made a winning start to his bid for a second title in two weeks as he defeated Daniel Evans 6-4 7-5 to reach the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Rublev arrived in Dubai in the early hours of Tuesday after winning both the singles and doubles titles in Marseille, the first time in his career that he has claimed both titles in the same week.
Aslan Karatsev’s defence of his title ended in frustration when he was defeated by Mackenzie McDonald.
His opponent in the 2021 final, Lloyd Harris, was also beaten as he went down to Alex Molcan in just 65 minutes.
Jannik Sinner emerged victorious with a win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Karen Khachanov overcame Alex de Minaur, Denis Shapovalov beat Marton Fucsovics and former champion Roberto Bautista Agut was a comfortable winner over Arthur Rinderknech.
Europe turned the scoreboard blue early as they looked to put the finishing touches on an away Ryder Cup romp on Sunday at sunny Bethpage Black where the United States sent out their strongest players early in the hope they could spark a comeback.
Arsenal defender Gabriel headed a stoppage-time winner from a corner to secure his side a 2-1 Premier League victory over Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Sunday and close the gap on leaders Liverpool to two points with a stunning late show.
World number one Carlos Alcaraz stormed into the semi-finals of the Japan Open on Sunday with a commanding 6-2 6-4 win over American Brandon Nakashima, while Danish third seed Holger Rune was sent packing by Jenson Brooksby.
Premier League champions Liverpool dropped points for the first time this season when they lost 2-1 at Crystal Palace in the eighth minute of added time as Manchester United and Chelsea suffered 3-1 defeats on Saturday.
Team Europe is all but assured to win the 45th Ryder Cup after Saturday's one-sided show at Bethpage Black, leaving more spotlight on the home fans' interactions with Rory McIlroy.