49ers rout Rams 27-7 in NFL's first Australia game behind Brock Purdy's 3 TD passes

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Mike Evans, Demarcus Robinson and Deebo Samuel caught touchdown passes from Brock Purdy, and the San Francisco 49ers routed the Los Angeles Rams 27-7 Friday in the first NFL regular-season game in Australia.

Purdy passed for 205 yards against the Rams' ineffective defense at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in front of 100,021 fans, the seventh-largest regular season crowd in NFL history.

Australia's sporting capital reveled in its first real taste of American football — and in a dominant win by the 49ers, who had already won many Aussies' affection by traveling to Melbourne a week earlier than the Rams, who only boomeranged in on Thursday morning.

A party atmosphere prevailed even with a Friday morning kickoff necessary to hit the lucrative primetime television audiences in the U.S. The fans got another memorable chapter in this NFC West rivalry as the 49ers blasted the preseason Super Bowl favorite Rams with superior play on both sides of the ball.

“It comes down to playing our style of ball and doing what coaches love to do and running our plays. Obviously you have to respect the guys on the other side of the ball and we know what they can do,” Purdy said. “We still respect them. We have to play them again later in the year and it will be a good one.”

Kyren Williams scored the NFL’s first Australian touchdown on a 5-yard rush to begin the second quarter. but the Rams were a disaster Down Under. Los Angeles hadn't lost by more than seven points since November 2024.

While Purdy's offense managed enough big plays to win, the San Francisco defense frustrated NFL MVP Matthew Stafford into a 15-of-25 performance for just 155 yards. The Niners held the NFL's best offense last season to one score, even stopping Stafford on a fourth-down quarterback sneak from the San Francisco 1 in the third quarter.

Reigning AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett was practically invisible in his Rams debut after missing much of training camp with aches, recording zero tackles.

Much of the pregame talk for this trip centered around the teams’ starkly differing methods of preparation: The 49ers ingratiated themselves to the local fans as their body clocks adjusted, while the Rams stayed home until less than two days before kickoff, keeping their body clocks on California time.

“They outplayed us in every facet. I didn’t do nearly a good enough job. This was a humbling day for us. This will only define us if we allow it,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. “Sometimes sports can humble you and today was one of those days. I make no excuses. Whether you want to say it was about travel, whatever, we just weren’t good enough.”

Both teams started with understandable sluggishness for a 10:35 a.m. kickoff, but Williams' TD run finally got the crowd cheering. The quarterbacks then traded interceptions before Purdy shook off a shaky start and found former Rams receiver Robinson on a 39-yard post route.

San Francisco surged out of halftime, with Samuel's 45-yard kickoff return leading to Evans' TD catch over new Rams cornerback Jaylen Watson.

The Rams drove deep into the red zone, but after Puka Nacua was ruled down inches outside the goal line, the 49ers stuffed Stafford.

The 49ers host Miami on Sunday, Sept. 20.

The Rams host the New York Giants on Monday, Sept. 21.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Aircraft flyover before an NFL football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, in Melbourne, Australia. (AP Photo/Scott Barbour)

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford runs onto the field before an NFL football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, in Melbourne, Australia. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Demarcus Robinson celebrates after scoring against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half of an NFL football game, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, in Melbourne, Australia. (AP Photo/Scott Barbour)

Fans watch during the second half of an NFL football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, in Melbourne, Australia. (AP Photo/Scott Barbour)

Los Angeles Rams linebacker Omar Speights breaks up a pass intended for San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey during the first half of an NFL football game, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, in Melbourne, Australia. (AP Photo/Scott Barbour)

NEW YORK (AP) — Aryna Sabalenka realized she was probably going to lose the No. 1 ranking to Elena Rybakina. There wasn’t much she could do about that.

The U.S. Open trophy is a different story.

Rybakina can only take that away from Sabalenka by winning it on the court Saturday, and the two-time defending champion showed in an overpowering display in the semifinals how serious she is about a three-peat — which would be the first at Flushing Meadows since Serena Williams from 2012-14.

“I wanted badly to go to the finals, and of course I want to go all the way,” Sabalenka said.

Rybakina set up a matchup between the top two players in women's tennis by rallying past Coco Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. Sabalenka beat Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 in the first semifinal, running away with the second set after they played largely even in the first.

Sabalenka is currently No. 1 and Rybakina No. 2 in the WTA rankings, but that changes Monday after Sabalenka held the top spot for 99 consecutive weeks.

Rybakina won the Australian Open to start the season, beating Sabalenka, and the four-time Grand Slam champion had a poor summer by her standards to allow Rybakina to keep closing.

Rybakina needed only to reach the semifinals in New York to clinch the No. 1 ranking.

“It’s a lot of work, and yeah, that was one of my goals, but right now not much I could do. I didn’t really perform well in the middle of the season,” Sabalenka said. “Elena took it over and played really well, and she took away No. 1 position.”

The second semifinal was more a battle, with Gauff trying to fight from behind in the final two sets, but Rybakina not letting her come all the way back.

Gauff jumped on Rybakina with a strong start — she had four aces to one for Rybakina, who leads the WTA Tour in that category — in a first set that she took in 38 minutes.

“Took a deep breath, was trying to talk positive with myself and just told myself that I need to fight and try to show good tennis,” Rybakina said.

Gauff trailed 4-1 in the second set and battled back to 4-all before Rybakina won the next two games. Rybakina went ahead 5-3 and served for the match, but Gauff broke to give herself one more chance while being cheered by a crowd that included former first lady Michelle Obama.

Gauff won her first major title as a teenager when she rallied past Sabalenka in the 2023 U.S. Open final, but nobody has been able to knock off the Belarussian in Flushing Meadows since. Pegula put up a good fight in the 2024 final and last year’s semifinals, but she couldn’t keep it close the way Sabalenka played Thursday – and wasn’t sure anybody else would’ve, either.

“I think that’s definitely — you can ask her — probably the best match she’s played this year,” Pegula said. “I mean, I thought her level was insanely high.”

Sabalenka pounded 29 winners to Pegula’s 12. She has won 19 straight matches at the U.S. Open since losing to Gauff in the 2023 final.

The top four seeds made it to the women’s semifinals at the U.S. Open for the first time since 1975. Sabalenka, Rybakina and Gauff have all won multiple major titles, while Pegula is still looking for her first.

Sabalenka won 14 of 19 points on Pegula’s second serve, smashing balls back more quickly than they were coming at her.

Still, Pegula hung with her for a while.

It was already 4-all in 25 minutes and Sabalenka appeared to be getting frustrated with not getting anywhere on Pegula’s serve, waving at her coaches’ box in disgust after one miss. Pegula had won 18 of 20 points on her first serve when she stepped to the line serving with Sabalenka leading 6-5.

Then Sabalenka suddenly hit a backhand winner, Pegula sent a forehand long and Sabalenka hit another winner to set up a set point, and finished off the set a couple points later.

See AP’s full tennis coverage here

Coco Gauff, of the United States, serves to Elena Rybakina, of Kazakhstan, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Elena Rybakina, of Kazakhstan, celebrates winning a match against Coco Gauff, of the United States, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, reacts during a match against Jessica Pegula, of the United States, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Jessica Pegula, of the United States, returns the ball to Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, reacts after she won the first set during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships against Jessica Pegula, of the United States, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, follows through on a shot to Jessica Pegula, of the United States, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)