SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Shay Whitcomb chopped a single with one out in the 11th inning for his first career game-ending RBI, and the San Francisco Giants beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4 on Monday night.
Drew Cavanaugh’s sacrifice bunt against George Soriano (6-4) advanced automatic runner Nate Furman and put him in position to score the deciding run.
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St. Louis Cardinals' Alec Burleson, right, is congratulated by Leo Bernal (13) after hitting a home run against the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
San Francisco Giants' Rafael Devers, left, gestures after hitting a double next to St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Thomas Saggese during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
San Francisco Giants' Bryce Eldridge hits an RBI double against the St. Louis Cardinals during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb (62) reacts after a home run hit by St. Louis Cardinals' Alec Burleson (41) during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb throws against the St. Louis Cardinals during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Jason Foley (3-1) pitched two innings for the win.
Bryce Eldridge tied the game at 4 on a single in the bottom of the 10th after St. Louis went ahead in the top of the inning when Leo Bernal's fly ball dropped in front of diving center fielder Jung Hoo Lee for a base hit.
Pinch-hitter José Fermín hit a tying sacrifice fly in the ninth for St. Louis against Giants closer Dylan Smith, who allowed a leadoff single to Joshua Báez and another base hit to Thomas Saggese before a one-out walk by Bryan Torres loaded the bases for Fermín.
Logan Webb struck out eight and shut down St. Louis over six superb innings to bounce back from surrendering a career-high nine runs his last time out at Pittsburgh, but had nothing to show for it as his winless stretch reached four starts since he beat Colorado on Aug. 15.
Rafael Devers hit an RBI double in the first for San Francisco, making him the first Giants player with 35 home runs and 35 doubles in a season since Jeff Kent in 2002.
Alec Burleson splashed a solo home run into McCovey Cove beyond the right-field arcade in the sixth for the lone run and third hit off Webb, becoming the third Cardinals player to reach the bay. It was the 183rd overall in Oracle Park history, and 72nd by an opposing player — Matt Carpenter and Larry Walker had the other two for St. Louis — while home run king Barry Bonds hit 35.
Eldridge added a sacrifice fly in the third as the Giants went ahead 2-0. Devers doubled again with two outs in the fifth and Eldridge followed with a run-scoring double to run his on-base streak to 16 games.
Nathan Church’s seventh-inning double for St. Louis made it a one-run game.
LHP Quinn Mathews (1-2, 4.38 ERA) pitches the middle game Tuesday night opposite Giants RHP Landen Roupp (8-13, 4.17).
See AP’s full MLB coverage here
St. Louis Cardinals' Alec Burleson, right, is congratulated by Leo Bernal (13) after hitting a home run against the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
San Francisco Giants' Rafael Devers, left, gestures after hitting a double next to St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Thomas Saggese during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
San Francisco Giants' Bryce Eldridge hits an RBI double against the St. Louis Cardinals during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb (62) reacts after a home run hit by St. Louis Cardinals' Alec Burleson (41) during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb throws against the St. Louis Cardinals during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
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.”
Gauff beat No. 14 Iva Jovic 6-1, 6-4 to return to the U.S. Open quarterfinals for the first time since winning her first major title at the tournament in 2023. She lost in the fourth round in each of the last two years.
The No. 4 seed will face French Open champion Mirra Andreeva, the No. 5 seed who 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.
Botic van de Zandschulp outlasted Arthur Gea 3-6, 6-7 (0), 7-6 (7), 7-6 (3), 6-4 in 5 hours, 13 minutes, the fourth-longest match in U.S. Open history. He will play top-seeded Alexander Zverev, who beat No. 21 No. 21 Luciano Darderi 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (3).
Gea, a Frenchman who got in the tournament when 2022 runner-up Casper Ruud pulled out with a back injury, had a match point in the third-set tiebreaker in a bid to become the first lucky loser to reach the quarterfinals of a men's major. A lucky loser is a player who loses in the final round of qualifying but reaches the main draw when another player withdraws.
Also going five sets — though a mere 3 hours, 50 minutes — was Karen Khachanov’s 7-5, 4-6, 6-7 (6), 6-1, 6-4 victory over No. 14 Learner Tien. Tien was trying to give the host country four men in the U.S. Open quarterfinals for the first time since five made it in 1995. No. 8 Ben Shelton, No. 11 Frances Tiafoe and Alex Michelsen all advanced Sunday, along with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Khachanov will play No. 28 seed Alexander Blockx, who 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.
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)
