Lazio won for the third time in a row in Serie A while Real Sociedad beat struggling Elche 3-2 in a gripping game and Getafe and Celta Vigo drew 1-1 in La Liga on Monday.
Davide Frattesi scored for the third game in succession as Lazio came from a goal behind to beat Udinese 2-1.
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Lecce's Oumar Jacky Ngom, left, and Cagliari's Paul Mendy in action during the Serie A soccer match between Cagliari Calcio and Lecce in Cagliari, Italy, Monday Sept. 7, 2026. (Gianluca Zuddas/Lapresse via AP)
Cagliari's Adam Obert, right, and Lecce's Santiago Pierotti in action during the Serie A soccer match between Cagliari and Lecce, in Cagliari, Italy, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (Gianluca Zuddas/LaPresse via AP)
Lazio's Albert Gudmundsson, right, celebrates scoring during the Serie A soccer match between Udinese and Lazio in Udine, Italy, Monday Sept. 7, 2026. (Andrea Bressanutti/LaPresse via AP)
Lazio's Davide Frattesi celebrates scoring during the Serie A soccer match between Udinese and Lazio in Udine, Italy, Monday Sept. 7, 2026. (Andrea Bressanutti/LaPresse via AP)
Frattesi got winners for Lazio in 1-0 wins over Genoa and Bologna and he slid in to convert a low cross in the 75th minute to cancel out Jesper Karlstrom’s 49th minute opener.
He was replaced by Albert Gudmundsson a few minutes later and two minutes from time the Icelander bulleted home a header on his Lazio debut.
The win took Lazio joint top with nine points from three games, alongside Roma and Inter Milan. Udinese remained in 10th.
Daniel Maldini, who was on loan from Atalanta, put Cagliari a goal up when he glanced home a header from a first half corner and although the home side was on top for most of the match it could not add to the score.
Paul Mendy saw a low shot hit the base of the post early in the second half and Maldini struck the woodwork with a free kick soon after.
The win lifted Cagliari into the top half of the table, while Lecce fell to 14th.
Real Sociedad won away from home in La Liga for the first time since February thanks to a 90th minute goal from Luka Sučić.
Job Ochieng put Sociedad 1-0 up after 11 minutes and Yangel Herrera added a second with the help of a goalkeeping flap 20 minutes later.
However, momentum shifted after Sociedad’s Jon Martin was shown a red card for a bad tackle in the 65th.
On-loan striker Thomas Lemar got a goal back for Elche four minutes later and then Fer Nino bundled home an equalizer nine minutes later.
Elche missed a string of opportunities to grab its first win of the season and it paid the price when Sučić scored on the break in the dying seconds.
Sociedad was ninth, with seven points from five games, while Elche was joint bottom with one point.
Celta Vigo was still looking for its first win of the season after drawing at Getafe 1-1.
Celta failed to clear a corner kick from the right and Uruguayan striker Martin Satriano pounced on the loose ball to score the opener from point-blank range.
Celta’s equalizer after 57 minutes also came from a corner, Carl Starfelt heading home the counter.
Getafe's Zaid Romero was sent off after receiving a second yellow card midway through the second period and although Celta pushed forward for the winner it was not to be for a team with just two goals in five league matches this term.
Getafe was in 15th place, and Celta was a place and a point behind.
See AP’s full soccer coverage here
Lecce's Oumar Jacky Ngom, left, and Cagliari's Paul Mendy in action during the Serie A soccer match between Cagliari Calcio and Lecce in Cagliari, Italy, Monday Sept. 7, 2026. (Gianluca Zuddas/Lapresse via AP)
Cagliari's Adam Obert, right, and Lecce's Santiago Pierotti in action during the Serie A soccer match between Cagliari and Lecce, in Cagliari, Italy, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (Gianluca Zuddas/LaPresse via AP)
Lazio's Albert Gudmundsson, right, celebrates scoring during the Serie A soccer match between Udinese and Lazio in Udine, Italy, Monday Sept. 7, 2026. (Andrea Bressanutti/LaPresse via AP)
Lazio's Davide Frattesi celebrates scoring during the Serie A soccer match between Udinese and Lazio in Udine, Italy, Monday Sept. 7, 2026. (Andrea Bressanutti/LaPresse via AP)
NEW YORK (AP) — Elena Rybakina overpowered Naomi Osaka at the U.S. Open and is a win away from the No. 1 ranking in women's tennis.
She just has to beat Zheng Qinwen, which won't be easy. Even when Zheng goes down — way, way down — she refuses to stay there.
Rybakina advanced to the quarterfinals Monday with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Osaka in a matchup of power-hitting Grand Slam champions. The No. 2-seeded Rybakina is guaranteed to replace Aryna Sabalenka atop the WTA rankings if she reaches the semifinals in Flushing Meadows.
“Of course I want it, I don't know anyone who wouldn’t wish this, but definitely that’s one of my goals,” Rybakina said. “I try to approach the same way, try to do everything I can, fight until the end my next match and let’s see what’s going to happen.”
Trying to stop her will be Zheng, who made a daring escape from a 5-0 deficit for the second straight match. The 2024 Olympic gold medalist from China beat No. 8 seed Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-3 to become the first qualifier to reach the final eight in Flushing Meadows since Emma Raducanu won the title in 2021.
Two days after she was down 5-0 in the third set before winning the final seven games to stun No. 22 Madison Keys 1-6, 7-6 (3), 7-5, Zheng quickly dropped the first five games against Swiatek, the 2022 U.S. Open champion.
“I guess to come back 0-5 yesterday is not lucky, that’s all I can say,” Zheng said.
Rybakina won the Australian Open this year for her second major title and her No. 2 ranking is her career best. Even if she loses Wednesday, she can still get to No. 1 if neither Sabalenka, Coco Gauff or Jessica Pegula wins the title.
Rybakina was too good for Osaka, who won two of her four Grand Slam titles at the U.S. Open but appeared to be struggling with a foot or ankle problem. The match lasted just 1 hour, 6 minutes, with Rybakina closing it out with an ace. She leads the WTA Tour in that category.
Zheng was a U.S. Open quarterfinalist in 2023 and 2024 — the year she reached the Australian Open final — but after her ranked dropped following elbow surgery she had to go through qualifying this year to reach the main draw. Raducanu’s title five years ago made her the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam title in the Open era, which dates to 1968.
Swiatek couldn't convert two set points serving at 5-1 and Zheng fought off another when Swiatek served with a 5-3 lead. She said she was so focused on each point that she even forgot the score.
Swiatek came in with a 7-1 record against Zheng, with the only loss two years ago in the Olympic semifinals in Paris. Zheng came back from a 4-0 deficit in the second set that day to stop Swiatek’s 25-match winning streak at Roland Garros, where she has won four French Open titles.
Swiatek got treatment on her left thigh in the second set but said her problems were neither physical nor mental.
“It was more that I started making mistakes from easy balls and Qinwen stopped doing mistakes," Swiatek said. "She played the balls better.”
French Open champion Mirra Andreeva came back to beat No. 24 Anastasia Potapova 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, after helping her opponent when she injured her knee in the final game of the match. The No. 5 seed will face either No. 4 Gauff or No. 14 Iva Jovic. The two Americans meet Monday night in the opening match of the night session.
No. 28 seed Alexander Blockx beat No. 24 Francisco Cerundolo 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 to become the first man from Belgium to reach the U.S. Open quarterfinals.
Top-seeded Alexander Zverev was in action Monday night against No. 21 Luciano Darderi, while No. 14 Learner Tien tried to give the host country four men in the U.S. Open quarterfinals for the first time since 1995 when he faced Karen Khachanov. No. 8 Ben Shelton, No. 11 Frances Tiafoe and Alex Michelsen all advanced Sunday, along with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.
See AP’s full tennis coverage here
Naomi Osaka, of Japan, returns the ball to Elena Rybakina, of Kazakhstan, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Elena Rybakina, of Kazakhstan, celebrates winning a match against Naomi Osaka, of Japan, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Qinwen Zheng, of China, celebrates after winning a match against Iga Swiatek, of Poland, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Elena Rybakina, of Kazakhstan, left, greets Naomi Osaka, of Japan, after winning a match during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Naomi Osaka, of Japan, returns the ball to Elena Rybakina, of Kazakhstan, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Elena Rybakina, of Kazakhstan, returns the ball to Naomi Osaka, of Japan, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Iga Swiatek, of Poland, receives a massage during a medical timeout durnig a match against Qinwen Zheng, of China, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Iga Swiatek, of Poland, returns the ball to Qinwen Zheng, of China, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Iga Swiatek, of Poland, reacts during a match against Qinwen Zheng, of China, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Qinwen Zheng, of China, reacts during a match against Iga Swiatek, of Poland, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
