FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is "a million percent in" on the team's signing of receiver Antonio Brown, owner Robert Kraft told NBC on Sunday night.

Furthermore, agent Drew Rosenhaus told NBC at Sunday night's game that Brady has offered to have Brown live with him and his family until the receiver is settled.

The Patriots' impending signing of Brown contributed to an electric pregame buzz before the Patriots opened the 2019 season at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night.

That included fans bringing signs to the game welcoming Brown, one of which read: "New England is Boomin" -- a reference to one of Brown's favorite phrases, "business is booming."

Because the Patriots have not officially signed Brown, he couldn't watch Sunday's game from the sideline. Brown was in the area on Sunday after landing at Rhode Island's T.F. Green airport around 11:30 a.m. ET.

In his pregame report on NBC, play-by-play man Al Michaels relayed a conversation he had with Kraft about Brown.

"Kraft told me that when he broke the news to Tom Brady, Brady initially said, 'I'm a hundred percent in.' Two minutes later, Tom came back and said to Kraft, 'I'm a thousand percent in.' Then he came back two minutes later and said, ''I'm a million percent in.'"

Brady told reporters after the game it was a private conversation, but added: "I think everybody is excited to add great players. It helps everybody when you have great players that are sharing the burden of a tough football season."

Coach Bill Belichick declined comment on Brown in his pregame radio interview and he also wouldn't comment after Sunday's 33-3 win over the Steelers.

Players were more expansive.

"It will be fun," said receiver Julian Edelman. "He's an explosive player and we're happy to have him. The more playmakers you have out there, the better things can go."

Receiver Josh Gordon, who joined the Patriots in September of 2018, recalled his own transition to New England when asked what advice he might give Brown.

"For me, initially, it was a culture shock. It was definitely different," he said. "I think as I grew in this environment, and got to observe other young men move and organize and act professionally, and expectations were high ... I knew 'this is the way it's done here' and I could either get with it or look for a transition somewhere else. It's tough, but if this is what you want to do, I think this is the best place to be.

"Antonio is going to have to figure out his way, just like everybody else has."

In an interview with ESPN's Jeff Darlington, receiver Phillip Dorsett noted the potential for offensive fireworks with Brown.

"It can definitely be scary. I just can't wait for him to come in and I can't wait to work with him," Dorsett said. "I know how hard of a worker he is. He's always been a guy I've looked up to when it came to football. I mean I used to watch his highlights in college before games and stuff like that so I can't wait for him to just get in so I can work with him."

Quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Ravens' offense exploded for 59 points, but they weren't the only ones to light up the scoreboards in the NFL's opening week. The Patriots dominated the Steelers, the Titans took advantage of a slow start from the Browns, and Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes picked up where he left off by throwing for 378 yards and three scores versus the Jaguars. The Eagles and Bills also pulled off big come-from-behind division wins to start the 2019 campaign. And there even was a tie!

All that and more in Week 1's biggest takeaways from NFL Nation.

Jump to a matchup:
PIT-NE | LAC-IND | CIN-SEA | NYG-DAL
SF-TB | DET-ARI | KC-JAX
LAR-CAR | ATL-MIN | TEN-CLE
WSH-PHI | BUF-NYJ | BAL-MIA
GB-CHI

New England Patriots 33, Pittsburgh Steelers 3

The blowout loss to the Patriots exposed a jarring lack of playmaking in the Steelers' offense, raising serious questions about how Pittsburgh moves the ball without Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell. There was no real identity, with a no-huddle attack falling flat and no power running game. A major concern is the Steelers' No. 2 receiver position opposite JuJu Smith-Schuster, who didn't get help thanks to Donte Moncrief's multiple drops. Couple that with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's road woes resurfacing with another uninspired outing at Gillette Stadium, and the Steelers need to regroup for Sunday's home opener against Seattle. At least young receivers Diontae Johnson and James Washington showed flashes, though no one showed nearly enough. -- Jeremy Fowler

In an offseason headlined by how the Patriots might replace retired tight end Rob Gronkowski, and if they have enough weapons around 42-year-old quarterback Tom Brady, the defense has at times been overlooked. The hot topic has mostly been about who would be calling the plays after Brian Flores left to become the Dolphins' head coach and Greg Schiano resigned in March. First-year inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo has mostly taken the reins in that area, with coach Bill Belichick, as usual, having plenty of oversight. The early returns against Roethlisberger -- with a veteran secondary that is already building on its 2018 success and a swarming, diverse front seven -- were extremely impressive in a dominating performance Sunday night. And now New England travels to Miami to face a Dolphins team reeling after a 59-10 loss to the Ravens. -- Mike Reiss

Los Angeles Chargers 30, Indianapolis Colts 24

Running back Austin Ekeler said in the lead-up to the season opener against the Colts that he just wanted to play his role. With Melvin Gordon not available, Ekeler finished with 154 yards from scrimmage, including a 55-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown, a one-yard reception for a score and the game-winning, seven-yard plunge up the middle in overtime. Backup running back Justin Jackson also was productive, totaling 57 rushing yards. Chargers coach Anthony Lynn said he would lean on a running-back-by-committee approach with Gordon out, and it has proved effective. Detroit is next up in Week 2. -- Eric D. Williams

Has age started to catch up to 46-year-old kicker Adam Vinatieri? He missed an extra point and two field goals in the overtime loss to the Chargers, and the Colts likely would have won had Vinatieri not left those seven points off the board with the missed kicks. "If you're a [general manager], you'd cut me, wouldn't ya?" Vinatieri asked an ESPN reporter. "I don't make those decisions. Those are decisions for somebody else to make. I'm going to go out there and figure out what I did wrong and try to fix that, and let those decisions be made by other people." The fixes better happen fast with the 1-0 Titans up next in Nashville. -- Mike Wells

Seattle Seahawks 21, Cincinnati Bengals 20

Seattle's pass rush was hit-and-miss on Sunday, but the hits came at the right time. Quinton Jefferson had the game of his career with two of Seattle's five sacks, Rasheem Green finished the victory with a strip sack and Jadeveon Clowney brought down Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton once while spending a lot of time in Cincinnati's backfield. It surely helped to be playing at home against a backup left tackle. But Seattle's defensive line wasn't even at full strength with Ezekiel Ansah inactive, Clowney still knocking off some rust after no training camp and Jarran Reed starting his six-game suspension. Once all hands are on deck and in midseason form? "We're going to wreak havoc," Branden Jackson said. They will get after Pittsburgh and Ben Roethlisberger next week. -- Brady Henderson

The Bengals' offensive showing was a mixed bag. They racked up 429 yards but had two touchdowns to show for it. While Cincinnati should have left Seattle with a victory, the offensive performance against a quality Seahawks defense should be an encouraging sign under first-year coach Zac Taylor. If the Bengals can convert more of those yards into points, they could prove problematic for opposing defenses this season. And they'll have to next week against the 49ers, who gave the Bucs fits with their defense. -- Ben Baby

Dallas Cowboys 35, New York Giants 17

Owner and general manager Jerry Jones was effusive with his praise of offensive coordinator Kellen Moore after Sunday's win and more than pleased with the Cowboy's 494 total yards. "I don't know that I've seen us at any time put in place the one-two punch," Jones said. "I know that if they tried to put more at the line to stop Emmitt [Smith], [Troy] Aikman would just pick them apart going down the field. One or the other. I don't know that I've seen us since those days take whatever the defense gives and find an answer for it. I feel that I saw us do that out here against the Giants." The challenge next week is Washington, which couldn't finish off the Eagles on Sunday. -- Todd Archer

The Giants are going to have a problem on the defensive side, as a season-opening loss to the Cowboys exposed their insufficient talent. No pass rush. An inability for any cornerback other than Janoris Jenkins to cover. No difference-makers or playmakers. The Giants were outclassed by the Cowboys, allowing almost 500 total yards despite Dallas shutting it down early in the fourth quarter. And now the Giants will travel to Buffalo next week to face a team that overcame a 16-0 deficit to beat Jets on Sunday. -- Jordan Raanan

San Francisco 49ers 31, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17

The biggest takeaway for the 49ers on Sunday? Takeaways. Four, to be precise. The Niners listened all offseason as they were reminded of their futility in the game's most important statistical category in 2018, when they set league records for fewest turnovers created (seven) and interceptions (two). Against the Bucs, they came up with three picks -- including two returned for touchdowns -- and a fumble recovery. On a day when they won by 14 points, those two scores provided the difference and gave Niners coach Kyle Shanahan his first winning record in a season since he took over in 2017. "It's good to have that monkey off your back a little bit," Shanahan said. The Niners will now try to win back-to-back games on the road when they face Cincinnati next week. -- Nick Wagoner

In his debut in coach Bruce Arians' offense, quarterback Jameis Winston threw three interceptions and became the third quarterback in the past 15 years to throw two pick-sixes in a season opener. New system or not, that's not what you expect out of a fifth-year quarterback who has been with stellar wideout Mike Evans his entire NFL career. When asked about Winston's decision-making, Arians said, "It's still a thing of growth," adding that those picks weren't solely on Winston. "When we stop beating ourselves, we'll be pretty good," Arians explained. The Bucs have Carolina next week. -- Jenna Laine

Detroit Lions 27, Arizona Cardinals 27

The mood was somber for the Lions after an 18-point, fourth-quarter lead devolved into a tie game. "I feel like everybody is just confused right now because it's a tie," Detroit cornerback Justin Coleman said. "Not everybody in here experienced a tie before, and we are just going to treat it as a loss so we can come out stronger the next game and use it as motivation, keep us going." And considering what is coming the next month -- the Chargers, Eagles, Chiefs and Packers -- a win is something the Lions needed. -- Michael Rothstein

If the Cardinals can bottle their offense from the fourth quarter and save it for the rest of the season, things might turn out all right. The offense looked awful for three quarters before finding its rhythm. The key is how the Cardinals respond next week. If they start slow again, they might not recover. But if they can pick up where they left off, with quarterback Kyler Murray going 15-for-19 for 154 yards with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, then Arizona could start surprising some people. -- Josh Weinfuss

Kansas City Chiefs 40, Jacksonville Jaguars 26

The Chiefs will have to play without receiver Tyreek Hill for a portion of the season because of an injured collarbone and sternum. The Chiefs have some depth at receiver after last year's signing of Sammy Watkins as a free agent and drafting Mecole Hardman in the second round in April. That depth will be tested against the Raiders next week and until Hill's return, but Watkins (9 catches, 198 yards, 3 TDs) looked like he can finally fill the No. 1 receiver role. -- Adam Teicher

The 40-26 loss at home to Kansas City was bad enough, but the Jaguars suffered a bigger blow with the loss of quarterback Nick Foles, who will have surgery on his fractured left clavicle on Monday. Unless the Jaguars are able to sign a veteran quarterback early this week -- and the pickings are slim with Matt Cassel, Brock Osweiler, Brandon Weeden, Colin Kaepernick (whom they passed on in 2017) and Paxton Lynch -- they will go with Gardner Minshew for as long as Foles is out. The sixth-round rookie was 22-of-25 for 275 yards and two touchdowns against the Chiefs. Minshew will see the Texans next week. -- Mike DiRocco

Los Angeles Rams 30, Carolina Panthers 27

Coach Sean McVay said before Sunday's game running back Todd Gurley II would not be on a snap count, but it became apparent the offensive game plan has expanded to include backup Malcolm Brown. Gurley rushed for 97 yards on 14 carries, and Brown finished with 53 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. Since McVay elected to sit all of his starters and key reserves during the preseason, it was the first look at the Rams since their loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII. There appeared to be plenty of rust but plenty of reason to believe a Super Bowl hangover will be avoided. Now the Rams must prepare for an NFC Championship Game rematch against Drew Brees and the Saints. -- Lindsey Thiry

The Panthers were dreadful offensively in the first half on Sunday, but tight end Greg Olsen reminded that the team can't let the disappointment of the loss turn into two losses with a quick turnaround to a Thursday night game against NFC South rival Tampa Bay. The silver lining? The offense began to click in the second half against a good defense. Running back Christian McCaffrey was a big reason with 19 rushes for 128 yards, and 10 catches for 81 yards. The concern is quarterback Cam Newton didn't really attempt a deep pass, with his longest completion at 17 yards, and he rushed for a career-low minus-2 yards on three carries. -- David Newton

Minnesota Vikings 28, Atlanta Falcons 12

Remember how much coach Mike Zimmer harped on being more balanced in 2019? The pendulum swung heavily in one direction on Sunday, with the Vikings running the ball 38 times for 172 yards and Kirk Cousins completing 8-of-10 passes for 98 yards and a TD. Although the trend is unlikely to show up regularly, there will be moments when the Vikings can and should stress a heavy workload on Dalvin Cook (21 carries, 111 yards and 2 TDs) rather than Cousins. Zimmer's defense and Minnesota's special teams (blocked punt) did their part, too, with the offense scoring all of its points off turnovers. "When you get in those situations [a 28-0 lead], the clock is your friend; the faster that clock goes the better it is," Zimmer said. The Vikings travel to Green Bay next Sunday to take on their biggest rival. -- Courtney Cronin

Sure, the Falcons had costly turnovers, allowed too much pressure on quarterback Matt Ryan and couldn't get receiver Julio Jones involved against two-man coverage. But fixing the run defense has to be a primary point of emphasis moving forward. With Dan Quinn coordinating the defense, the Falcons surrendered 172 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns to the Vikings. They failed to set the edge, which needs to be fixed before facing guys like Alvin Kamara, Christian McCaffrey or even Miles Sanders and Jordan Howard of the Eagles next Sunday night. "We've got to go back to work and address it if we want to have a good defense," defensive tackle Grady Jarrett said. "Teams are going to do that against us, they're going to attack the edge." -- Vaughn McClure

Tennessee Titans 43, Cleveland Browns 13

The Titans married a balanced offensive attack with a physical defense to go on the road and beat the much-hyped Browns. They may have found the answer for their normally pedestrian offense after scoring 34 points against a talented Browns defense. And defensive coordinator Dean Pees mixed in timely blitzes from the defensive backs on the other side of the ball to go with a strong pass rush up front, led by Cameron Wake and Harold Landry. Tennessee could be a force to be reckoned with if it can continue to display this brand of complementary football with its home opener next week against the Colts. -- Turron Davenport

The most anticipated Browns season opener in decades quickly turned into one of Cleveland's most deflating losses in a long time, with fans filing out of FirstEnergy Stadium with almost a quarter still to play. Penalties were the biggest culprit, as the Browns committed 18 for the first time since 1951. But a makeshift offensive line, down its top two left tackles, also struggled to protect quarterback Baker Mayfield, who took a beating from the Titans. The Browns defense got carved up, as well. As wideout Odell Beckham Jr. pointed out, "Adversity has to come at some point, why not come now?" Nobody, though, believed it would come so early for the Browns, who face the Jets on Monday Night Football next week. -- Jake Trotter

Philadelphia Eagles 32, Washington Redskins 27

It took a while, but the Eagles offense showed how explosive it can be now that DeSean Jackson is back. The 32-year-old Jackson brought the fireworks in his return to the Eagles, scoring touchdowns of 53 and 51 yards. He finished with eight catches for 154 yards as the Eagles overcame a 17-0 deficit. With an array of weapons at his disposal, quarterback Carson Wentz should be able to lead this offense right to the top of the league. The Eagles travel to Atlanta next Sunday to face the Falcons, who were no match for the Vikings in a 28-12 loss. -- Tim McManus

The Redskins' defense needs to be a lot more sound if this team is going to even think about having a good year. They were plagued by communication mishaps that led to big touchdowns, just like last season. Cornerback Josh Norman said part of the issue stemmed from not getting certain calls or audibles to the outside quick enough. Safety Montae Nicholson said some of it was from not playing a lot together thus far. Regardless, it was bad, and it wasn't just the secondary. "That miscommunication will kill you every time," Norman said. "We'll get it corrected. ... You get out like that, you got to put guys away, you've got to shut the door." It won't get any easier for the Redskins' defense next Sunday when they face the Cowboys. -- John Keim

Buffalo Bills 17, New York Jets 16

Quarterback Josh Allen is not yet a finished product, but he has matured since a highly scrutinized rookie season. The four first-half turnovers were reminiscent of a version of Allen the Bills would have liked to leave in 2018, but his surgical efficiency during a spirited fourth-quarter comeback over the Jets showed he is trending upward, with the Giants on tap next week at MetLife Stadium. -- Marcel Louis-Jacques

Adam Gase's honeymoon is over. He lost his Jets coaching debut in epic fashion, with his offense managing eight points and the team blowing a 16-point lead at home. He was hired because of his offensive acumen, but the unit couldn't pass protect and quarterback Sam Darnold couldn't throw downfield. Gase has to get it fixed quickly with the Browns coming to town. The Jets can't afford an 0-2 start with a brutal schedule ahead. -- Rich Cimini

Baltimore Ravens 59, Miami Dolphins 10

Lamar Jackson sent a message that NFL defenses are going to have to defend him passing the ball this season. Last year, Jackson led Baltimore to the AFC North title on the strength of his legs. But Sunday, Jackson threw five touchdown passes, one fewer than his entire 2018 total. "Not bad for a running back," Jackson said with a smile. He became the first Ravens quarterback to finish with a perfect passer rating (158.3). "This is going to be a different offense," tight end Mark Andrews said. "I don't think people really believed us when we said that. We're kind of bringing a different flavor. We're going to be able to run the ball when we need to and throw the ball when we need to. It's going to be a pick your poison for the defense." Next up for Jackson and the Ravens is Arizona's Air Raid offense in their home opener. -- Jamison Hensley

As expected, the Dolphins look more likely to compete for a top draft pick than a playoff spot, but Sunday's 49-point loss to Baltimore gave an eye-opening realization of just how bad the season could go. It's only one game, but there were so many troubling trends. The main one: Miami didn't even look competitive. The Patriots come to town next week, and the Dolphins better have more fire and better execution if they hope to avoid another embarrassment against Tom Brady and Antonio Brown, who will be making his Patriots debut. -- Cameron Wolfe

Green Bay Packers 10, Chicago Bears 3

The Bears' offense might be that bad, but the hope for the Packers is their own defense is actually this good. All the money the Packers invested in the defense looked like it was well spent on Preston Smith, Za'Darius Smith and Adrian Amos. It buys time for Aaron Rodgers and coach Matt LaFleur to find more big plays than just the 47-yard bomb to Marquez Valdes-Scantling, starting next week against Minnesota. -- Rob Demovsky

Bears coach Matt Nagy called the overall performance of the offense "unacceptable." Chicago's offense looked out of sorts the entire game, scoring three points as quarterback Mitchell Trubisky struggled and finishing with a pass-to-run differential of 50-to-15. Nagy vowed to fix the offensive issues, but Chicago's schedule only gets tougher in Week 2 when they face former defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and the Broncos' defense. If any defensive coach knows Trubisky's strengths and weaknesses, it's Fangio. -- Jeff Dickerson

SHENZHEN, China -- Jayson Tatum returned to Team USA practice after an ankle injury but will miss a third consecutive World Cup game Monday when the team faces Brazil (8:30 a.m. ET, ESPN+).

Kemba Walker missed Monday's shootaround with illness but was listed as probable to play in the final second-round game. Walker has been the Americans' leading scorer at 14.8 points per game in the World Cup.

Tatum was able to go through the entire workout at Shenzhen Bay Sports Center without limitations, hinting that he might be able to return Wednesday, when Team USA is expected to enter the knockout round.

"I'm feeling good, feeling a lot better than when it first happened," said Tatum, who sprained his left ankle in the final seconds of an overtime victory over Turkey on Tuesday. "I hope I can play [Wednesday], there's no timetable or anything. Just trying to get back right."

If the Americans beat the Brazilians, they would advance to the quarterfinals with the top seed and clinch a spot in next summer's Tokyo Olympics. They could still accomplish both with a loss, but it would be out of their hands, and they would face the possibility of elimination if they lost to Brazil by at least 22 points.

A victory would assure Team USA of playing Wednesday in Dongguan, a short bus ride from Shenzhen, against the loser of Monday's France-Australia game. If the Americans lose and still advance, they would have to fly to Shanghai and play the winner of France-Australia.

The Boston Red Sox fired president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski on Sunday and plan to elevate assistant general managers Eddie Romero, Brian O'Halloran and Zack Scott to jointly lead their baseball-operations department for the rest of the season.

Dombrowski, 63, was the architect behind the Red Sox's 2018 World Series championship and had a contract that ran through the 2020 season. The Red Sox are in the midst of a disappointing season that has them eight games back of the second wild-card spot in the American League and 17½ games behind the first-place New York Yankees in the AL East.

While Dombrowski's job security has been in question in recent weeks, the change is nevertheless a shocking about-face for an organization that less than a year ago was basking in the afterglow of a 108-win regular season and a dominant run through the postseason that included a five-game World Series victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Manager Alex Cora, whom Dombrowski hired before the 2018 season, said after Boston's 10-5 loss to the Yankees that he was "surprised and shocked" to learn of the move.

"This is a guy that gave me a chance to come here and be a big league manager," Cora said. "It's one of those things that caught me. They just told me, so I'm not ready to talk about it."

Dombrowski, who was hired in August 2015, had embraced the Red Sox's championship-or-bust mandate and used the team's ample farm system to acquire star players and build a go-for-broke major league roster. His hiring of Cora, trades for pitchers Chris Sale and Craig Kimbrel and signings of J.D. Martinez and David Price supplemented a homegrown core to deliver the team's fourth championship in 15 seasons.

It was not enough to keep his job. Despite returning almost all of the vital contributors to last season's championship, Boston has stumbled through the 2019 season and is in a tenuous position going forward because of financial commitments made under Dombrowski.

The signing of Price has produced solid return but not the sort expected from a $217 million deal. He has $96 million remaining on the final three years of his contract. Sale, who is out for the remainder of the season with a left elbow issue, signed a five-year, $145 million contract extension in spring training that doesn't begin until next season.

Dombrowski also gave $68 million to right-hander Nathan Eovaldi, who has struggled in his first season of the four-year deal.

The three will cost a combined $79 million in each of the next three seasons -- years during which the Red Sox have other significant moves to consider.

Their franchise player, right fielder Mookie Betts, can hit free agency following the 2020 season. Martinez, a middle-of-the-lineup force for the past two seasons, can opt out of the final three years of his contract this winter.

"It doesn't really matter who's there," Betts said of the effect Dombrowski's exit will have on his impending free agency. "Nothing is going to change. This is proof that this is a business. I love it here, but definitely still a business."

At the same time, the Red Sox still are replete with talent across the diamond. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts is one of the game's best and signed a very reasonable six-year, $120 million extension this spring that kicks in next season. Third baseman Rafael Devers is in the midst of a breakout year and is still just 22 years old.

With whom the Red Sox complement them is the question. Their farm system is considered among the thinnest in baseball, with scouts projecting few impact-type players.

Starter Rick Porcello, first basemen Steve Pearce and Mitch Moreland, and utilityman Brock Holt are among their free agents this winter, though arbitration raises for Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. alongside the new contracts for Sale and Bogaerts would place their payroll at well over $200 million before making a move.

Issues with a $200 million payroll is baseball's definition of a first-world problem, though it doesn't lessen the difficulty of what Dombrowski's successors will inherit -- particularly with the possibility of trading Betts, who is expected to make well over $25 million in arbitration.

Porcello spoke fondly of Dombrowski, who drafted the pitcher while Detroit Tigers general manager in 2007 and traded him to Boston seven years later.

"He's seen me throw more innings than anyone other than my immediate family in person," Porcello said. "There's obviously something there. It's a business. I had a great time playing for him. At the same time, he's the same guy who traded me from Detroit to come here. It is what it is. We've all been in that revolving door of business transactions.

"It's unfortunate. Anything outside of player moves and things like that that translate to what we're doing on the field, you take an ounce of guilt, but as a player, you're the one that can make or break things. That's the part that hurts. At the end of the day, it's a business decision and completely over my head."

ESPN's Joon Lee contributed to this report.

Rafael Nadal won his 19th Grand Slam title after holding off Russian Daniil Medvedev's exhilarating fightback in one of the greatest US Open finals.

Spain's Nadal, 33, won 7-5 6-3 5-7 4-6 6-4 against the fifth seed in New York.

Nadal, seeded second, was cruising at two sets and a break up, only for Medvedev to force a decider.

But Nadal stopped his momentum to eventually clinch a thrilling victory in four hours and 51 minutes.

Nadal's victory moves him within one of Swiss rival Roger Federer's all-time leading tally of Grand Slam victories.

"It has been one of the most emotional nights in my tennis career," Nadal said. "It has been an amazing final. It has been a crazy match."

After taking his third match point, Nadal collapsed to the court in celebration, covering his face as contemplated another famous victory which epitomised all of his fighting spirit.

Medvedev, 23, trudged around the net to warmly congratulate his opponent, who looked on the verge of tears as he hid behind his sweat-soaked vest while taking rapturous acclaim.

"I just want to congratulate Rafa, a 19th Grand Slam title is something unbelievable, outrageous," said Medvedev, who looked mesmerised as he watched a video montage of Nadal's achievements.

Those lucky enough to be watching among a near 24,000 capacity crowd were regularly left open-mouthed at what they witnessed, with the majority jumping to their feet and celebrating wildly after every point, helping create an electric atmosphere on a noisy Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Medvedev had been booed by the crowd earlier in the tournament, yet heard his name loudly chanted by many as he threatened to complete an extraordinary comeback.

Ultimately it was too late as he was unable to become the first man outside Nadal, Federer and Serbia's world number one Novak Djokovic to claim one of the sport's biggest prizes since Stan Wawrinka's victory here in 2016.

Nadal, Federer and Djokovic have won the past 12 Grand Slams after the Spaniard lifted the trophy in New York for a fourth time.

Now Nadal has the chance to draw level with 38-year-old Federer, who was nine titles better off than his long-time rival in 2007, at the Australian Open in January.

Emotional Nadal outlasts latest young challenger

Despite Nadal, Federer and Djokovic being in their 30s, nobody has been able to break their stranglehold on the men's game and Medvedev was the latest to fall short after a heroic effort.

That has allowed the illustrious trio to pile on the Grand Slam victories over the past three years, livening up the race to be crowned the greatest of all time, which Federer once seemed certain to win.

Nadal, who also won his 12th French Open title earlier this year, is now within one of Federer's tally for the first time.

The magnitude of his achievements - which were shown on the big screen inside Ashe - hit the emotional Spaniard, who broke into tears while he sat in his chair and watched them.

That was a release of all the expendable emotional energy built up over the final two sets of a match which, against a less inspired opponent, he may have wrapped up much earlier.

A couple of hours before, Nadal appeared to be heading to a dominant three-set win against Medvedev, who was the first Russian man to compete in a Grand Slam final since Marat Safin at the 2005 Australian Open.

A physical contest, where both men jousted for supremacy as they tried to outlast each other in brutal rallies, seemed to be going to end in familiar fashion when Nadal broke for a 3-2 lead in the third set.

From somewhere, Medvedev summoned the strength to not only survive but threaten to produce one of the most memorable comebacks ever seen.

To borrow a line from American great Jimmy Connors, Nadal always plays "like he is broke".

And that intensity allowed him to eventually outlast the wiry Russian who, despite struggling with a quad injury during the tournament, continued to hang in even as the clock approached five hours.

Nadal's mental resilience saw him through in the end, despite Medvedev producing another fightback from 5-1 down in the decider.

A fourth victory at Flushing Meadows seals another stellar year for Nadal, who reached three Grand Slam finals in the same year for the fourth time of his incredible career.

Medvedev wins over crowd with ability & humility

Medvedev has been the form player on the ATP Tour in the North American hard-court swing, leading to many tennis fans picking him out as the man most likely to threaten the 'big three' at Flushing Meadows.

This gutsy display on the biggest stage of his burgeoning career, plus the humour and humility he showed in his runners-up speech afterwards, has showcased his talents to a much wider audience.

Medvedev has had a tempestuous relationship with the New York crowd over the past fortnight, having been booed earlier in the tournament for trolling them with his provocative post-match celebrations and interviews.

But he has since looked to shake off the role of pantomime villain and apologised for his behaviour, which has included angrily snatching towels from ball people and curtly 'thanking' the American fans for jeering him.

During Sunday's final it became evident he has now endeared himself and has won them around.

Standing ovations greeted him breaking back to level during the third set and again when he held off two break points to hold for 5-4.

A loud chant of "Med-ve-dev, Med-ve-dev, Med-ve-dev" broke out for the first time after he held serve to take a 6-5 lead in the third set and continued through to the end of the match.

That recognition was testament to the ability and character which has marked out the lanky Russian, set to rise to fourth in the world on Monday, as a star over the past year.

Another prolonged ovation greeted him as collected his runners-up prize.

"I know early in the tournament I said something in a bad way, and now I want to say it in a good way, it is because of your energy I am here," he said.

After losing in the Washington and Montreal finals in August, Medvedev claimed the title in Cincinnati and continued his winning streak in New York to reach his first major final.

The Russian is only the third man - after Ivan Lendl and Andre Agassi - to reach all four of these finals in the Open era.

Those exertions, plus the efforts he needed to keep Nadal at bay in the physical first set, looked to have caught up with him, Nadal breaking for a 4-2 lead which was enough to seal the second set, and again for a 3-2 lead in the third.

But after immediately wiping that out to level, Medvedev took an anxious Nadal's serve to claw a set back.

That was only the start of the story as the pair slugged it out for another two hours before Medvedev finally succumbed.

Analysis

BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller

That is now 12 Grand Slam titles in a row which have been won by Nadal, Federer and Djokovic. Their domination of the sport began in 2005, and does not show any signs of abating.

But the way Medvedev played should give the younger breed real heart. There are three other top-10 players who are the same age or younger than the 23-year-old Russian.

Medvedev played with passion, power, resilience and great touch at the net, and in the fourth set Nadal looked increasingly stressed.

And yet he came through once again, for the fourth time at the US Open, and on a surface which has so often disagreed with his body.

Surely no-one who saw Nadal limp away from last year's Australian Open quarter-final with a leg problem, and from last year's US Open semi-final with a knee injury, could begrudge him one of the most emotional triumphs of his career.

'One of the greatest finals' - Reaction

39-time Grand Slam champion Billie Jean King: One for the ages! Absolutely incredible #USOpen Men's Singles Final with the indomitable @RafaelNadal winning his fourth US Open title. Congratulations, Rafa!

2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens: Wowwww that was unreal tennis - talk about leaving it all on the court. What a battle. Congrats Rafael Nadal & you too Daniil Medvedev

Former US Open finalist Greg Rusedski: What we have just witnessed is one of the greatest US Open men's finals in the history of tennis. Daniil Medvedev was incredible to fight back from two sets down and a break. Rafael Nadal showed us why he is the greatest competitor we have every seen on a tennis court. Slam No. 19!

Tennis great Rod Laver: Congratulations Rafael Nadal, a gutsy victory to claim your 19th major, fourth US Open crown and second Slam title this year after the French. Stand tall friend, you are closing in, it was a privilege to present this trophy to you tonight.

Ford stalls in final after stirring comeback to tournament play
By RICARDO SARDINHA – Squash Mad Correspondent

Patrick Rooney confirmed his number one seed status and defeated Tom Ford, by 3-1, in the final of the International Tournament of Madeira. In an all-English battle the higher ranked player put an end to Tom Ford’s fairytale return to tournament play at the Galo Active Health Club.

After the performances of both players during the week everybody expected a very close final match, but the truth is Rooney was in control for most of the time. The number one seed started strongly, unsettling Ford’s smooth squash, closing the first game 11-6.

As expected, Ford responded in the second, pushing further the T position and putting more pressure on every shot. Rooney made a few unforced errors giving the wild card player four game points at 10-6. Ford needed only one point to tie the final at 1-1.

The third game was the best in the match and probably the best of the tournament. Great shots, unbelievable retrievals, long hard rallies; the works.

The players exchanged the lead several times leaving the decision of the game down to the last two points. Ford eventually handed the game after an unforced error playing an easy drop shot, by his standard, and missing a lob which caught him out in a stroke position; 12-10 for Rooney and 2-1 up in the match.

After this the unseeded Ford never fully recovered and Rooney seized the advantage early on in the fourth, 3-0. Tom battled his way back to 5-6 but the damage was done and Rooney ran away with the match, closing the fourth game 11-5.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

After the final Rooney was a happy man. He said: “I am really lost for words, feeling very emotional right now. I wanted to come here and do the best I could and I managed to win it. Really happy with how things worked out.”

This is a tournament that the number one seed knows very well. “I have been here a few times and I really enjoy coming to Madeira. It’s an event that I love. Everything is made real easy for the players by the organisation and I hope to come back next year.”

On the way to the final, Rooney beat Sergio Garcia Pollan of Spain, Canada’s David Baillargeon and Portuguese hope Rui Soares. Ford motored past Stuart MacGregor (England) and Emyr Evans (Wales) before taking out No.2 seed Bernat Jaume of Spain. He then beat the No.3 seed Aditya Jagtap of India in straight games in the semi-finals.

The tournament’s guest of honour, former word champion Ramy Ashour, joined the presentation ceremony. During the week he held a fun event of his own using his new, experimental scoring system of shorter games.

PSA $12,000 Men’s Madeira International Open 2019, Galo Active Health Club, Caniço, Madeira, Portugal.

Final:
[1] Patrick Rooney (ENG) beat [WC] Tom Ford (ENG) 11-6, 6-11, 12-10, 11-5 (60m)

Semi-finals:
[1] Patrick Rooney (ENG) bt [4] Rui Soares (POR) 11-5, 4-11, 12-10, 11-4 (45m)
[WC] Tom Ford (ENG) bt [3] Aditya Jagtap (IND) 11-9, 11-5, 11-3

Quarter-finals:
[1] Patrick Rooney (ENG) bt [6] David Baillargeon (CAN) 11-5, 11-6, 11-4 (28m)
[4] Rui Soares (POR) bt [5] Kristian Frost (DEN) 2-11, 7-11, 11-5, 11-9, 13-11 (65m)
[3] Aditya Jagtap (IND) bt Aqeel Rehman (AUT) 6-11, 17-15, 11-8, 11-5 (48m)
[WC] Tom Ford (ENG) bt [2] Bernat Jaume (ESP) 6-11, 11-2, 13-11, 9-11, 11-8 (81m)

2nd round:
[1] Patrick Rooney (ENG) bt [9/16] Sergio Garcia Pollan (ESP) 11-5, 11-7, 11-2 (40m)
[6] David Baillargeon (CAN) bt [9/16] Miles Jenkins (ENG) 13-11, 12-10, 11-5 (55m)
[5] Kristian Frost (DEN) bt [9/16] Robin Gadola (SUI) 11-4, 11-4, 11-8 (39m)
[4] Rui Soares (POR) bt [9/16] Harry Falconer (ENG) 11-7, 11-8, 11-8 (39m)
[3] Aditya Jagtap (IND) bt Owain Taylor (WAL) 11-9, 11-8, 11-5 (35m)
Aqeel Rehman (AUT) bt [8] Yannik Omlor (GER) 11-6, 11-4, 6-11, 13-11 (45m)
[WC] Tom Ford (ENG) bt [7] Emyr Evans (WAL) 11-5, 11-8, 12-10
[2] Bernat Jaume (ESP) bt [9/16] Claudio Pinto (POR) 11-5, 11-5, 11-8 (32m)

1st round:
[1] Patrick Rooney (ENG) bye
[9/16] Sergio Garcia Pollan (ESP) bt Ben Coates (ENG) 11-6, 6-11, 11-7, 5-11, 11-8 (72m)
[9/16] Miles Jenkins (ENG) bt [WC] Amadeo Costa (SUI) 11-2, 11-8, 11-3 (27m)
[6] David Baillargeon (CAN) bye
[5] Kristian Frost (DEN) bye
[9/16] Robin Gadola (SUI) bt Edwin Clain (FRA) 11-7, 11-7, 11-9 (36m)
[9/16] Harry Falconer (ENG) bt David Zeman (CZE) 11-6, 12-10, 11-4 (35m)
[4] Rui Soares (POR) bye
[3] Aditya Jagtap (IND) bye
Owain Taylor (WAL) bt [9/16] Roshan Bharos (NED) 11-7, 11-3, 9-11, 11-9 (71m)
Aqeel Rehman (AUT) bt [9/16] Alex Noakes (ENG) 11-5, 11-8, 11-7 (32m)
[8] Yannik Omlor (GER) bye
[7] Emyr Evans (WAL) bye
[WC] Tom Ford (ENG) bt [9/16] Stuart MacGregor (ENG) 11-6, 8-11, 12-10, 11-3 (45m)
[9/16] Claudio Pinto (POR) bt Charlie Cowie (ENG) 11-8, 11-8, 11-8 (35m)
[2] Bernat Jaume (ESP) bye 

Pictures courtesy of Galo Active Health Club, Madeira 

INDIANAPOLIS – Kevin Harvick controlled Sunday’s Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard from start to finish, with a dominant performance netting him his second victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Harvick started from the pole and won the final two stages of the 400-mile classic, leading five times for a race-high 118 laps en route to his third win of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.

While pit strategy allowed Joey Logano to best Harvick in the opening segment at Indianapolis, when the chips were down, Harvick’s No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang was as good as money in the bank.

Harvick capitalized on a lap-89 caution that came out just after he made his pit stop under green, allowing the 2014 Cup champion to stay out and resume command of the race unhindered. He led the rest of the way to lap 100 to win stage two, then only had one scare the remainder of the way home.

That nervous stretch came shortly after an eight-car accident in turn two with 54 laps to go, closely following the start of the final stage where Harvick and Kyle Larson were in front of the field.

In that incident, Jimmie Johnson was squeezed down to the white line in turn two by teammate William Byron in the midst of a three-wide scramble, sending Johnson spinning into the middle of the pack and eventually hard into the outside wall – ending his 15-year streak of making the playoffs every season.

On the ensuing restart, second-running Ryan Blaney pounced on an unsuspecting Harvick, who chose the bottom lane for the one and only time all afternoon. Blaney soared around the outside to take the top spot away and then led 19 consecutive tours of the 2.5-mile oval as Harvick tried to regroup.

That bounce back came courtesy of a caution with 32 to go, when Kyle Larson smacked the inside wall off the exit of turn two, ending his strong run as Harvick was in the midst of his final pit stop.

With his service complete and remaining on the lead lap, Harvick was able to stay out again when those running ahead of him ducked to pit lane, retaking a position he wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the way.

Harvick led the final 30 laps for the win, his 48th in the Cup Series, and showcased his utter dominance during the nine-lap sprint to the finish set up by Matt Tifft’s hard crash with 14 to go in the event.

Despite a valiant effort by Logano to maintain contact with Harvick on lap 152, when the green flag returned for good, Harvick sped away to a 6.118-second victory by the time he took the checkers.

It was a big win for Harvick, who resets as the No. 4 seed for the playoffs, in more ways than one.

“Man, I can’t tell you how much coming to Indianapolis means to me,” said Harvick. “As a kid, I watched Rick Mears win Indy 500s and got to be around him as a kid … and he was my hero, so coming here and winning here is pretty awesome.

“I can’t say enough about everybody on this Mobil 1 Ford Mustang. These guys built a heck of a race car,” Harvick continued. “This is the same stuff we took to Michigan and had a real good weekend there and went to victory lane. To come here to the Brickyard, and know how much this means to Rodney and Dax and all the guys that work on this car because we’ve been so close here before … that’s special.”

Joey Logano chased Harvick all the way home, but instead had to focus on fending off a hard-charging Bubba Wallace in the final laps to maintain second. Wallace crossed third, his best finish of the season.

William Byron and Clint Bowyer completed the top five, followed by Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Ryan Newman, Chase Elliott and Paul Menard.

Bowyer and Newman secured the final two available playoff positions on points Sunday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Harvick’s win was his second Brickyard 400 triumph, following one in 2003 that he earned with Richard Childress Racing just two years after the death of team superstar Dale Earnhardt.

That day, Harvick also started from the pole, but he didn’t control the race like he did on Sunday. Instead, he passed Jamie McMurray for the win with 16 laps left and held on to the finish.

This time around, there was no question who the strongest man in town was.

“I don’t know if we had the best car, but we sure had the fastest car,” said Harvick. “We gave up the lead there on one of those restarts and then we came and pitted, and the caution came out, and it worked our way. We’ve given so many away just because of circumstances here, and the way that the caution flag fell today actually worked in our favor was nice. It gave us control of the race and we were able to keep control of the race and not make any mistakes from there.

“We’re standing in victory lane at one of the greatest places on Earth to race; what’s not to like?”

To view complete race results, advance to the next page.

LA FARGEVILLE, N.Y. – A thunderstorm before the start of Sunday’s program didn’t stop promoter Tyler Bartlett from presenting the Showdown in September at Can-Am Speedway.

The rain delay was well worth it, too, as the shortened 60-lap event delivered a great feature with Billy Dunn out-dueling Tim Fuller for the win.

Late arrival Erick Rudolph completed the top three after starting from back in the field.

‘’We didn’t try to overthink and got the win,’’ said Dunn as he starts a busy fall race season. ‘’We are heading to Mohawk Friday and then NAPA Super DIRT Week.’’

Tim Sears Jr. and Ryan Arbuthnot were on the front row of the 31-car field, as Sears took the early lead over Arbuthnot. Sears and Arbuthnot raced side-by-side before Arbuthnot took the lead on lap three, with Mike Mahaney moving to fourth over Ryan Bartlett.

The first caution came on lap five for Garrett Rushlow.

On the restart, Sears went back in front, with Arbuthnot being challenged by Raabe for the second position as Billy Dunn cracked the top five at that point. Dunn passed Mahaney for fourth with 15 laps in the books, as the leaders got into slower cars.

Dunn was on the move as he passed Raabe for third on lap 23. The driver of the No. 49 machine continued his way up front, inching close to Arbuthnot at the halfway point.

Dunn used the inside portion to pass Arbuthnot for the second spot and started challenging the leader with 28 laps to go.

The second caution came out for Mike Mandigo who stopped on the backstretch as Mike Mahaney headed to the pits with smoke coming out from his engine bay and lost his top five position.

The green lights came back on lap 40 and saw Sears and Dunn in battle with Rudolph, who joined the front five after starting in 18th position.

Dunn went to the lead on lap 45 as Arbuthnot and Fuller exchanged the second position, with Rudolph moving to fourth with a dozen laps to go.

Fuller started to challenge Dunn, with the No. 49 closing the door several times as Rudolph took his place on the podium, but Dunn led the final laps and took the win over Fuller.

Rudolph, Arbuthnot and Jordan McCreadie completed the top five.

The finish:

Billy Dunn, Tim Fuller, Erick Rudolph, Ryan Arbuthnot, Jordan McCreadie, Chris Raabe, Tim Sears Jr., Dave Marcuccilli, Brian McDonald, Lance Willix, Larry Wight, Corey Wheeler, Nick Webb, Kyle Dingwall, Ryan Bartlett, Pat Ward, Rob Bellinger, Ron Davis III, Billy Whittaker, Scott Webb, Tyler Meeks, Michael Parent, AJ Miller, Matt Woodruff, Ryan Poole, Jeff Sykes, Cameron Black, Mike Mandigo, Mike Mahaney, Preston Forbes, Garrett Rushlow.