One thing we know for sure about the College Football Playoff -- it's never too early to start picking which teams should be in the top four.

Throughout the season, our college football writers will pick their top four teams after each week's action. And Week 1 was very good to the sport's elite programs.

No. 1 Clemson rolled over ACC rival Georgia Tech 52-14, with Travis Etienne rushing for a career-high 205 yards and three touchdowns, including one for 90 yards.

No. 2 Alabama overcame a sluggish start (the game was scoreless after one quarter) and routed Duke 42-3. Tua Tagovailoa threw for 336 yards and four touchdowns for the Tide.

No. 3 Georgia started the season with a conference road game, and the Bulldogs dominated Vanderbilt in a 30-6 win. D'Andre Swift gained 149 yards on 16 carries, and Brian Herrien added 65 and a touchdown as Georgia rolled up 326 yards rushing.

No. 4 Oklahoma's new quarterback, Alabama transfer Jalen Hurts, looked right at home on Sunday night in charge of the Sooners' offense. He passed for three touchdowns and ran for three scores in a 49-31 win over Houston. Hurts finished with 508 total yards, the fifth most in school history.

No. 5 Ohio State also debuted a new starting quarterback in Georgia transfer Justin Fields, who tossed four TD passes in the Buckeyes' 45-21 win over Florida Atlantic.

Here's how our writers see the playoff field after Week 1, not their projections about how the season will end.

Andrea Adelson: 1. Clemson; 2. Alabama; 3. Oklahoma; 4. Ohio State
Edward Aschoff: 1. Clemson; 2. Alabama; 3. Ohio State; 4. Texas
Kyle Bonagura: 1. Clemson; 2. Alabama; 3. Oklahoma; 4. Ohio State
Bill Connelly: 1. Alabama; 2. Clemson; 3. Oklahoma; 4. Georgia
Heather Dinich: 1. Alabama; 2. Oklahoma; 3. Clemson; 4. Ohio State
Sam Khan Jr.: 1. Clemson; 2. Alabama; 3. Oklahoma; 4. Georgia
David M. Hale: 1. Clemson; 2. Alabama; 3. Ohio State; 4. Oklahoma
Chris Low: 1. Clemson; 2. Alabama; 3. Oklahoma; 4. Georgia
Ivan Maisel: 1. Clemson; 2. Alabama; 3. Oklahoma; 4. Utah
Adam Rittenberg: 1. Clemson; 2. Alabama; 3. Oklahoma; 4. Georgia
Alex Scarborough: 1. Clemson; 2. Oklahoma; 3. Alabama; 4. Michigan
Tom VanHaaren: 1. Clemson; 2. Alabama; 3. Georgia; 4. Oklahoma

Two things are forever true regarding our reactions to the first week of a college football season.

1. We know we shouldn't overreact. We don't have enough context to know what's good and what isn't, and a team's first impression matters only until its second. After all, Week 1 Maryland is darn near a national title contender each year. Other weeks? Not so much.

2. We really, really want to overreact! We just had to deal with an eight-month offseason. We're starving here!

So let's compromise and say we have partial answers to our infinite list of offseason questions over the past few days. Below are partial answers to 13 questions that intrigued me the most heading into Week 1 of 2019.

Alabama

Question: With camp injuries to veteran linebackers Dylan Moses and Joshua McMillon, and freshman DJ Dale already slated to start at nose tackle, the Tide's front seven is suddenly and alarmingly young. Is that a problem?

Partial answer: Probably not.

Eight of the 14 members of Alabama's front-seven two-deep for Saturday's game against Duke were freshmen or sophomores, and there were three true freshmen among the Tide's 10 leading tacklers for the game. But despite inexperience and an opponent willing to throw anything at the wall (Triple option! All-out spread! Everything in between!) the Tide gave up just three points and 3.8 yards per play.

Despite a slow start on offense, Alabama not only won handily but also covered a massive 34-point spread. Bama's next four opponents are New Mexico State, South Carolina, Southern Miss and Ole Miss. It might be a while before we learn whether this young unit will cost the Tide, and by then, the youth won't be as young.

Florida State

Question: Coach Willie Taggart's FSU debut last season was marred by some of the worst offensive line play in the country. Can you fix that in a single offseason?

Partial answer: Maybe.

Granted, the bar is pretty low. FSU lost at home against Boise State on Saturday, dropping Taggart to just 5-8 overall as the Noles' coach. But the line did its job -- for a while, anyway. The Noles enjoyed a 58 percent rushing success rate in the first half while bolting to a 31-13 lead, but basically the entire team, from blockers to defenders to playcallers, collectively lost the plot in the second half. FSU leaned heavily on the pass while trying to protect a wilting lead; and when the Noles tried to get back to the ground game, their success vanished. By the end, their rushing success rate slipped to 35 percent, and quarterback James Blackman took four sacks.

On the bright side, BSU has one of the best defensive fronts the Noles will face this year. If only because it can't get worse, we'll say the line might look better.

Michigan

Question: Coach Jim Harbaugh brought in new coordinator Josh Gattis to modernize* an occasionally stagnant attack. Will we actually see a difference?

Partial answer: Maybe.

The debut of Gattis' offense against Middle Tennessee suffered an inauspicious start: Quarterback Shea Patterson fumbled on the first play of the game, setting the Blue Raiders up for a short-field scoring drive.

It was fine (not amazing, not terrible, just fine) from there. Even without injured No. 1 receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones, the Wolverines scored on four of their next six drives and posted 40 points in a comfortable win. Oft-injured blue-chip receiver Tarik Black caught four balls for 80 yards, and UM's primary tailbacks rushed 22 times for 156 yards.

Of course, scoring on lesser defenses hasn't been the issue for UM and Harbaugh. We'll probably have to wait a bit longer (Until Wisconsin on Sept. 21? Iowa on Oct. 5? Penn State on Oct. 19?) to get a more complete answer about Gattis' impact.

* What do I mean by "modernize"? In Michigan's case, it means minimal huddles (albeit with very little hurry-up), plays more aptly designed to respond to defensive formation, and more use of run-pass option and window dressing like fakes and motion. LSU's "modern" debut was more successful than Michigan's, but against a Georgia Southern defense that wasn't projected as high as MTSU's.

Michigan State

Question: Coach Mark Dantonio didn't fire anyone to fix his broken offense, he just gave a bunch of assistants different job titles. Did it work?

Partial answer: Probably not.

Dantonio made the most antisocial, Dantonio-esque move of the offseason in shuffling everybody's jobs instead of bringing in someone new. But just because it was amusing and totally in character, that doesn't mean it's going to work. In Friday night's 28-7 win over Tulsa, the Spartans looked ... like the Spartans. The defense was indestructible -- the Golden Hurricane managed just 80 total yards -- and the offense was, well, quite destructible. Against a Tulsa D that ranked 96th in defensive SP+ last season, Sparty averaged a useless 3.9 yards per play. State running backs gained 68 yards on 30 carries. Gross.

It didn't matter against Tulsa, and because of this defense, it will probably matter only a few times this year. But State's offense still looks like State's offense. That's not a good thing.

Nebraska

Question: The Huskers are back, right?

Partial answer: Probably not.

After winning four of its final six games in coach Scott Frost's debut season, Nebraska's expectations were considerably ratcheted up this offseason. But this is still a young team with a sophomore quarterback (albeit an exciting one), new players in the skill corps and a defense looking for answers. On Saturday against South Alabama, the Huskers scored on an interception return, a punt return and a fumble recovery. Despite that, they managed to beat the Jags by only a 35-21 margin, after being outgained by 38 yards and averaging a paltry 4.2 yards per play in the process. (South Alabama ranked 123rd in defensive SP+ last year, by the way.)

We shouldn't ring any alarm bells yet -- let's see what NU does at Colorado this weekend -- but Saturday was a reminder that building jobs don't always fall perfectly into place the way Frost's UCF build did.

North Dakota State

Question: New head coach ... freshman quarterback ... are the Bison still the Bison?

Partial answer: Probably.

The Bison wouldn't have become the dynasty of the Football Championship Subdivision if they couldn't handle turnover, but losing both head coach Chris Klieman (to Kansas State) and quarterback Easton Stick (to the Los Angeles Chargers) was a lot. The debut for head coach Matt Entz and redshirt freshman quarterback Trey Lance, however, went about as well as anyone could have hoped. At Target Field in Minneapolis, the Bison jumped all over Butler, leading 36-0 at the half and cruising 57-10. Lance went 10-for-11 for 185 yards and four touchdowns and rushed five times for 116 more yards. Goodness.

The tests get stiffer soon enough -- each of NDSU's next five opponents is either ranked or nearly ranked, and FCS No. 5 UC Davis comes to Fargo in three weeks, but at worst, we know NDSU's upside is as high as ever.

Ohio State

Question: Justin Fields was an all-world recruit who signed with Georgia in 2018, wasn't asked to do much and then transferred to Ohio State. Is he ready to look the part?

Partial answer: Probably.

Credit Fields for not wasting time. On the fourth snap of his first collegiate start, he rushed 51 yards over left end for a touchdown. On the sixth snap, he threw a touchdown pass. On his ninth and 13th snaps, he threw two more. Ohio State led FAU 28-0 after just eight minutes, then put the game into mothballs and cruised. Fields finished 18-for-25 for 234 yards and four scores and rushed 10 times (not including two sacks) for 67 yards. That'll do.

Cincinnati should offer more resistance in Week 2. But it was easy to envision Ohio State as either a top-five team or borderline top-15 or top-20 depending on the QB position, and Fields' first outing suggests the former is more likely than the latter.

Oklahoma

Question: Can a Lincoln Riley offense led by quarterback Jalen Hurts end up just as dominant as recent predecessors?

Partial answer: Probably. A very confident probably.

The biggest compliment you can give Oklahoma's offense in its 49-31 win over Houston is that Houston tackled pretty well. The Cougars didn't hand the Sooners too many free yards (aside from a busted coverage that led to a CeeDee Lamb touchdown in the second quarter). OU just took those yards via scheme and talent.

Hurts' first effort in a Riley offense after transferring from Alabama: 20-for-23 passing, 332 yards and three touchdowns through the air, plus 16 carries for 176 yards and three more scores on the ground. Better yet, it didn't feel like he was playing outside of himself. He was just being Jalen Hurts. In a Lincoln Riley offense. With amazing blocking everywhere you look. And players like Trey Sermon (11 carries for 91 yards), Charleston Rambo (three catches for 105), and Lamb (two for 46) in the skill corps.

But he did lose a fumble at one point. So there's still room for improvement.

UCF and Boise State

Question: The heavyweights of the Group of 5 are each starting new QBs in 2019 -- Notre Dame grad transfer Brandon Wimbush for UCF and freshman blue-chipper Hank Bachmeier for Boise State. Will they keep these respective trains a-rolling?

Partial answer: Probably.

Granted, there's quite a difference between a veteran from a high-major school starting off against an FCS opponent (UCF 62, Florida A&M 0) and a true freshman starting his first game in Doak Campbell Stadium (BSU 36, FSU 31). But despite missteps -- Wimbush (who suffered pass efficiency issues in South Bend) completed just 52 percent of his passes, and Bachmeier took five sacks and fumbled twice -- both got passing grades. Wimbush averaged 14 yards per completion with a pair of TD passes, and Bachmeier threw for 407 yards and led an 18-point comeback. Not bad.

Another true freshman -- UCF's Dillon Gabriel -- could insert himself into this conversation (he was 9-for-13 for 127 yards and three scores against FAMU), but Wimbush passed his first test, at least.

UCLA

Question: Is quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson ready to lead a second-year scoring breakthrough for head coach Chip Kelly?

Partial answer: Probably not.

Justin Fields will be the second blue-chip sophomore Cincinnati faces this year, but the Bearcats did quite a bit of damage against the first one: Thompson-Robinson. He made their job pretty easy, though.

UCLA entered the season as one of the biggest mysteries in FBS, but Thompson-Robinson basically picked up where he left off as a freshman. The last time we saw him, he was going 9-for-23 with a 94 passer rating against Oregon. On Thursday, he went 8-for-26 with a 91. He also let the ball squirt out of his hands, unforced, in two different failed red zone opportunities, and the Bruins fell 24-14.

Fumbles are random occurrences, but at this point, inefficient performances from DTR are not. And now he has to face an always-tricky and physical San Diego State defense before games against ranked Oklahoma and Washington State. Yikes.

UConn

Question: Is the Huskies' defense still historically awful?

Partial answer: Maybe not!

The Huskies were downright awe-inspiring in 2018, allowing at least 38 points and 516 yards in 11 of 12 games and giving up 50.4 points per game for the season. But they allowed just 21 points in defensive coordinator Lou Spanos' debut.

Sure, it was against Wagner, an FCS team that went 4-7 last year. And sure, after going nowhere for most of the game, Wagner drove more than 80 yards for a touchdown on two of its last three possessions in a 24-21 UConn win. Much larger challenges await as well -- Week 2 opponent Illinois gained 400-plus on Akron, and a trip to UCF looms -- but you have to start somewhere, and giving up 185 total yards and two offensive scores would have qualified as progress even if it had come against East Hartford High.

USC

Question: Did hiring offensive coordinator Graham Harrell fix the Trojans' sketchy offense?

Partial answer: Maybe, but now he has to do it again.

Things couldn't possibly have started better for Harrell and the Trojans' offense. With nary a third-down conversion required, quarterback JT Daniels led touchdown drives of 81 and 47 yards as USC hopped to an immediate 14-0 lead over Fresno State.

USC scored on only one of its next five drives, though, and then Daniels was lost for the season with a knee injury. Freshman backup Kedon Slovis led one scoring drive, and the run game was sturdy enough -- Vavae Malepeai and Stephen Carr rushed 29 times for 190 yards -- to get the job done in a 31-23 win. Still, the shine wore off a bit after a spectacular start. And now Harrell has to help the Trojans manufacture points, with a freshman QB, against a killer quintet of games: Stanford, at BYU, Utah, at Washington, at Notre Dame.

Utah State

Question: Quarterback Jordan Love is maybe the most exciting player in the mid-major universe, but he lost almost all of last year's supporting cast, including coaches. Can he thrive with all this newness?

Partial answer: Probably.

Granted, this one was more of a personal curiosity than a national storyline, but USU's 2018 offense was one of the country's most seductive, and I was hoping the Aggies would have enough talent around Love to keep things exciting.

USU ended up losing a heartbreaker at Wake Forest (one of the few Mountain West upset bids to fall short in Week 1), but Love still completed 33 passes for 416 yards, and he found a major go-to in Utah transfer Siaosi Mariner (eight catches, 118 yards). Three picks were all sorts of costly -- the first two set up 10 Wake points, and the third ended the game -- but the upside is still obvious, and Mariner could be a great dance partner.

Virginia Tech

Question: The Hokies bottomed out defensively last year, beset by both inexperience and injuries. Can simple continuity and development fix last year's woes?

Partial answer: Maybe.

Legendary defensive coordinator Bud Foster's final season at Tech began with the Hokies allowing 35 points and 432 yards in a one-score loss at Boston College. That wasn't great, but it also probably wasn't as bad as it seemed.

Tech held BC to just 3.5 sack-adjusted yards per carry, and after averaging 9 yards per play in the first quarter, the Eagles averaged 4.2 thereafter. If not for horrible luck with fumbles -- the Hokies recovered zero of the game's four loose balls, and two fumble-aided, short-field drives made the difference for BC -- Tech possibly wins. Of the Hokies' next five opponents, two are FCS schools, and the other three combined to average 16 points per game and 4.4 yards per play in Week 0/1. The Foster defense could look like the Foster defense again soon.

SHANGHAI -- The grandstands at the Oriental Sports Arena for Team USA's first game were like a rainbow of NBA fandom.

There were gold Steph Curry jerseys, a bunch of Giannis Antetokounmpo jerseys in various colors and plenty of Los Angeles Lakers attire. But then there were the Charlotte Hornets colors, with Kemba Walker's No. 15 on the back, and in at least one case, a fan who had already acquired a brand-new Boston Celtics No. 8 jersey with Walker's name. (Either that, or it could've been a well-preserved Antoine Walker version that was being repurposed.)

When Walker ran out of the tunnel about an hour before tip-off, a genuine roar exploded from the hundreds of Chinese fans packed trying to get photos and videos of the American team. Walker couldn't help himself -- he had to smile.

Say whatever you want about the lack of star power on this team -- there's truth there -- but don't think it's going to get Walker down. He's getting a level of attention he has not been used to on this level and, frankly, he's loving it.

"To know you have fans in other places, especially me, it was very humbling," Walker said after he had a 13-point, four-assist performance in Team USA's World Cup opening win against the Czech Republic on Sunday. "It's just a great feeling."

Putting this in perspective, it's not like Walker is obscure. He was a starter in the All-Star Game last winter, which is a verified mark of popularity since it's determined by fan vote. He made the All-NBA team this past season. He has a shoe contract with Jordan Brand and has made international trips promoting it where he has interacted with international fans.

Not to mention his college exploits at Connecticut, specifically a magical run through the Big East and NCAA tournaments in his final year, that have helped him reach legendary status in some pockets of the East Coast.

But since he has been in the NBA, he has rarely been a headliner. He did his best in Charlotte, where he bonded with the community and planned to retire before he and the franchise didn't see eye-to-eye on contract talks this summer. The Hornets, fair or not, are a bit of a league outpost.

However, as a member of Team USA, as well as one of the highest-profile pro sports teams on the planet, Walker's world is changing. He's a bona fide star on Team USA, and he has been the Americans' de facto captain as well as their floor general over the past month.

The fans coming to these games know it and they get excited when they see Walker. When he crosses over an opponent or knocks him off balance with his array of hesitation moves, which he did several times in Team USA's 88-67 win over the Czech Republic, they react like it was Kobe Bryant or LeBron James in the building.

"This is something I've been looking forward to being a part of for a long time. It's special to be a part of this team," Walker said. "I've been a part of USA Basketball for years, I was on a couple Select Teams where I didn't get this far. I appreciate it."

It's more than just fan attention, though, it's also attention from the opposition. Walker was the centerpiece of Sunday's game plan. That's not something he hasn't seen before, it just wasn't something that was expected wearing USA across his chest.

There's more of that to come. The Americans next play Tuesday against Turkey, which has good size and bashed Japan with physical play in their opener. Walker can expect to get another full dose. And there will be more after that.

But Walker is welcoming it, part of the overall national team experience that is expanding his horizons.

"It's always good to have respect from opposing teams, especially in FIBA basketball," Walker said. "I'm just a kid from New York, from the Bronx. It's a great feeling to have fans all around the world for me."

There wasn't any movement this week in the top five, with the Dodgers holding on to the top spot -- although not as firmly as last week -- with three of the five first-place votes. The other two went to the Astros, with the Yankees, Twins and Braves rounding out the top five.

Elsewhere in the top 10, the Nationals continued to surge, climbing up to No. 6. Washington has essentially locked up one of the two wild-card spots in the NL -- can it make up any ground on Atlanta in the race for the NL East title?

For Week 22, our panel of voters was composed of Bradford Doolittle, Christina Kahrl, Eric Karabell, Tim Kurkjian and David Schoenfield.

Previous: Preseason | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13 | Week 14 | Week 15 | Week 16 | Week 17 | Week 18 | Week 19 | Week 20 | Week 21

1. Los Angeles Dodgers
   2019 record: 89-50
   Week 21 ranking: 1

   The well-oiled Dodgers machine hit a couple of bumps this week. Max Muncy will miss two weeks with a small fracture in his right wrist. It could have been worse as a more severe fracture could have meant missing eight weeks. The only concern is whether his power will be affected when he returns. Hyun-Jin Ryu allowed seven runs for the second consecutive start and has now allowed 18 runs in 14⅔ innings over his past three starts. -- David Schoenfield

   ICYMI: Olney: Will Smith has earned Dodgers' trust

2. Houston Astros
   2019 record: 89-49
   Week 21 ranking: 2

   The new version of second baseman Jose Altuve is not quite as valuable as he used to be, but he remains among the best at his position. Altuve blasted his 25th home run Thursday to reach a career best, though some of his other numbers look different from what we've seen in the past. Altuve has three batting titles to his credit, but is fighting to stay above .300 this season. He also averaged 37 stolen bases from 2012 to 2017, topping 30 each season, but seemingly will not approach 30 over the past two years combined because of knee and hamstring woes. Still, Altuve should boast an OPS better than .900 and he remains really good. -- Eric Karabell

   ICYMI: How the Astros keep getting better and better

3. New York Yankees
   2019 record: 90-48
   Week 21 ranking: 3

   The Yankees closed the week with two dramatic walk-off wins over the A's: DJ LeMahieu hit a home run in the 11th inning on Saturday, then Brett Gardner and Mike Ford went back-to-back off Liam Hendriks on Sunday for a wild 5-4 win (the Yankees also scored three in the eighth). LeMahieu's home run was the Yankees' 74th of August, a major league record for one month. The old mark was 58 (the Twins also broke the old mark with 59). -- Schoenfield

   ICYMI: Law: Yankees prospect Clarke Schmidt is on the rise

4. Minnesota Twins
   2019 record: 84-52
   Week 21 ranking: 4

   Good news! Another hitter has stepped up as the Twins aim to tie the mark of last season's Yankees with 12 players reaching double digits in home runs. Outfielder Jake Cave has delivered a pair of multihomer efforts in the past 10 days and, despite limited playing time this season, could get there as he fills in for injured folks like Byron Buxton. Cave hit 13 home runs last season, one of seven Twins to reach double digits. Eleven are already there this year! Cave, a longtime minor leaguer who showed little power until reaching Triple-A, might not even make the playoff roster, but he could help the team make history. -- Karabell

   ICYMI: Are the Twins the best home run team ever?

5. Atlanta Braves
   2019 record: 84-54
   Week 21 ranking: 5

   So, who has been the Braves' MVP? Entering Sunday, Ronald Acuna Jr. had a minimal lead over Josh Donaldson in WAR (4.9 to 4.8) with Freddie Freeman at 4.0. Freeman, however, leads in RBIs and was just two runs behind Acuna. Freeman had a small edge over Acuna in win probability added (5.04 to 4.39) as he has hit .353/.439/.694 in high-leverage situations, with seven home runs and 36 RBIs in 98 PAs. And don't forget Mike Soroka: He actually leads the Braves with 5.2 WAR. -- Schoenfield

   ICYMI: The Braves can't be counted out come playoff time

6. Washington Nationals
   2019 record: 77-58
   Week 21 ranking: 8

   The Nationals went 20-7 in August and outscored their opponents by 70 runs to strengthen their grip on a wild-card spot. Stephen Strasburg fanned 14 in eight scoreless innings on Saturday. His game score of 92 registered as the second best of his career. The Nats completed a sweep of the Marlins on Sunday, and since starting the season 19-31, they are 58-27 -- the best record in the majors since May 24. -- Schoenfield

   ICYMI: Nats closer Doolittle makes rehab appearance

7. Oakland Athletics
   2019 record: 78-58
   Week 21 ranking: 6

   Over the past two decades -- 20 different A's teams with almost 400 different A's players and four different A's managers -- Oakland has been under .500 in April and May but has won 56 percent of its games in August. Darndest thing. This year's A's went 17-9. -- Sam Miller

   ICYMI: Is Matt Chapman the key to the A's stretch run?

8. Tampa Bay Rays
   2019 record: 80-58
   Week 21 ranking: 7

   We're still a couple of weeks away from the Rays hopefully beginning to welcome back injured starters Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Yonny Chirinos to the fold. Glasnow is likely slotted for a relief role, but the injury-battered Rays can use quality innings no matter where they come from. Tampa Bay has used 14 starters overall, though that includes opener appearances. Snell, Chirinos and Charlie Morton are the only Rays pitchers to have thrown as many as 100 innings this season. No one else has reached 60, so it's been quite a jigsaw puzzle for manager Kevin Cash and his staff to piece together. Getting some of the injured hurlers back will certainly help, but in the meantime, the mix-and-match project continues at the same time the Rays are fighting to keep pace with Cleveland and Oakland in the AL wild-card race. -- Bradford Doolittle

   ICYMI: Morton's Houston homecoming about far more than Astros

9. Cleveland Indians
   2019 record: 79-58
   Week 21 ranking: 9

   Partly because they rarely play good teams, partly because they've been terrible when they have, the Indians have the second-fewest wins in baseball this year against .500-plus teams, ahead of only the Tigers. -- Miller

   ICYMI: How Indians' deadline deal for Puig, Reyes is working out

10. St. Louis Cardinals
    2019 record: 76-60
    Week 21 ranking: 10

    The Cardinals have been scorching hot of late, their 17-5 record since Aug. 9 the best in baseball, granting them a three-game lead in the National League Central. Yadier Molina and Dakota Hudson have been the standouts recently, as Molina is a .344/.417/.594 hitter with four home runs and 12 RBIs in 18 games since his return from a thumb injury, while Hudson has won four consecutive starts while allowing only four runs combined in them. -- Tristan H. Cockcroft

    ICYMI: How did the Cardinals take over the NL Central race?

11. Chicago Cubs
    2019 record: 73-63
    Week 21 ranking: 11

    The Cubs welcomed Ben Zobrist back into the fold over the weekend. In addition to the boost in morale his return gives the clubhouse, Zobrist presents another possible solution for a second base position that has been a hodgepodge of underachievement this season. Chicago ranks just 26th in bWAR at the position and that figure has been pretty steady throughout the campaign. The main offenders have been Addison Russell (.696 OPS in 157 plate appearances at the position through Saturday) and Daniel Descalso (.612 in 150). David Bote and Robel Garcia have both hit well enough while playing the keystone, but Chicago likes Bote in a utility role and Garcia has struggled with the glove. Ian Happ has hit very well as a second baseman but has struggled when starting elsewhere. Zobrist didn't exactly light it up during his rehab stint at Triple-A Iowa, so Joe Maddon may end up playing the hot hand down the stretch. -- Doolittle

    ICYMI: Cubs lift own postseason hopes, sink Mets' with sweep

12. Boston Red Sox
    2019 record: 74-63
    Week 21 ranking: 12

    One of the big questions for Boston this offseason is whether J.D. Martinez will opt out of his contract, which has three years and $62.5 million remaining if he sticks around. While his poor defense and the tepid free-agent market of late would suggest he stay with the Sox (he has another opt-out after 2020), his hot hitting the past six weeks may lead him to test the waters. Since July 20, Martinez is either first or second in baseball in average (.399), OPS (1.254), home runs (15), RBIs (42) and wRC (45). -- Steve Richards

    ICYMI: Can Devers keep it up after breakout 2019 season?

13. New York Mets
    2019 record: 69-67
    Week 21 ranking: 13

    Right-hander Noah Syndergaard comes off the worst outing of his career, as he allowed six first-inning runs to the Cubs -- at home -- then gave up two-run homers in the second and third innings. With nine of the 10 runs charged to Syndergaard earned, his ERA ballooned to 4.14, its highest mark since July. Syndergaard has not finished a season with an ERA worse than 3.24, but he should get back on track against the Nationals and Phillies this week. After all, prior to the Cubs game, Syndergaard boasted a 1.82 ERA since the All-Star break. He gets a pass for an aberrant outing. -- Karabell

    ICYMI: Mets' playoff bid takes hit after back-to-back home sweeps

14. Arizona Diamondbacks
    2019 record: 70-67
    Week 21 ranking: 16

    Ketel Marte has earned plenty of recognition for his breakout season -- and rightfully so -- but how about teammate Eduardo Escobar? The versatile 30-year-old entered September already having established career highs with 32 home runs, 109 RBIs (previous high: 84), 10 triples, 285 total bases and 84 runs scored. Having signed a three-year, $21 million contract last offseason, Escobar is looking like one of baseball's best bargains. -- Richards

    ICYMI: Diamondbacks end record streak of being average

15. Philadelphia Phillies
    2019 record: 70-65
    Week 21 ranking: 14

    Right-hander Vince Velasquez enters September with a 4.86 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 9.6 K/9, each number pretty much in line with his career performance, but the team really needs more. There is ace Aaron Nola, soft-tossing Jason Vargas and then a lack of rotation depth that the team can reliably trust. Velasquez has reached five innings and permitted no more than three earned runs in all but one of his past seven starts, which counts as reliable among this crew. With a road ERA more than a run worse than his home version, Velasquez must step up with his next scheduled starts, coming at Cincinnati and New York. -- Karabell

    ICYMI: Law: Prospect Howard could be big part of Phillies' 2020 rotation

16. Milwaukee Brewers
    2019 record: 70-66
    Week 21 ranking: 15

    The hamstring injury suffered by rookie second baseman Keston Hiura on Friday was a tough blow for a Milwaukee team that is teetering on the edge of a free fall. Hiura ranks second on the Brewers in OPS+ (138) to MVP candidate Christian Yelich. While the Brewers have turned to the likes of Cory Spangenberg and Hernan Perez of late, the onus to maintain a semblance of Hiura's production likely falls to Travis Shaw. Shaw was recalled from Triple-A San Antonio when Hiura went on the IL, though he was due to be called up anyway when the rosters expanded on Sunday. Shaw hit well for the Missions but his season at the big league level has been disastrous, featuring a .556 OPS and just 13 RBIs over 228 plate appearances. Shaw, just 29, has been one of Milwaukee's cornerstone players the past couple of years and a return to form down the stretch would do more for the Brewers than simply aid their long-shot playoff push. It would assuage a lot of concerns heading into the offseason. -- Doolittle

    ICYMI: Handicapping the home run race: What are Yelich's chances?

17. San Francisco Giants
    2019 record: 66-70
    Week 21 ranking: 17

    Over the past three seasons, Buster Posey has hit one home run after the trade deadline -- on Aug. 8, 2017. That's 340 late-season plate appearances and one dinger. The Giants dropped him to fifth in the batting order this week. -- Miller

    ICYMI: Giants cut ties with Gennett month after trade

18. Cincinnati Reds
    2019 record: 64-73
    Week 21 ranking: 18

    Lost season or not, what Aristides Aquino has been doing for the Reds has been something special. He already holds -- entirely on his own -- the records for the most home runs hit by a player through his first 12 (8 homers), 14 (9), 16 (10), 17 (11), 22 (12), 27 (13) and 28 games (14) of his career; his 14 homers in August were the fourth most by any rookie in one month in history; and those same 14 August homers tied a Reds franchise record for a single month. Aquino is establishing himself as a surefire regular for the team in right field heading into 2020. -- Cockcroft

    ICYMI: Inside Aristides Aquino's amazing record-setting month

19. Texas Rangers
    2019 record: 67-71
    Week 21 ranking: 19

    It's been an ugly season for Rougned Odor, whose MLB-low .194 batting average is 20 points worse than that of the closest qualifier. But there were two pieces of good news for Odor last week. First, he broke an 0-for-28 slump Friday with a key hit in a win over the Mariners. Second, August ended. For the month, Odor had a brutal slash line of .144/.278/.268, yet played every game. -- Richards

20. Los Angeles Angels
    2019 record: 65-73
    Week 21 ranking: 20

    The Angels do not know if infielder Tommy La Stella will play in September, but he has been taking batting practice and it seems clear he wants to return. La Stella's All-Star season was interrupted when he fouled a pitch off his leg in July, resulting in a fractured tibia, and he had 16 home runs over 306 plate appearances at the time. La Stella hit 10 home runs in his first five seasons, covering 947 PA. It was a great story. The Angels are not playoff bound but a return from La Stella, even if it is brief, would be a positive and create momentum for him for next year, with La Stella's future unclear. -- Karabell

    ICYMI: Will Trout win his first home run title?

21. San Diego Padres
    2019 record: 64-72
    Week 21 ranking: 21

    A decision on Chris Paddack's workload will presumably come in the next several days, as the rookie right-hander has now compiled 124⅓ innings, or 34⅓ more than he totaled in the minor leagues in 2018. The Padres have given him plenty of rest all year, never pitching him on fewer than five days' rest, but despite that, Paddack is 3-for-8 in quality starts with a 5.36 ERA since the All-Star break. -- Cockcroft

22. Chicago White Sox
    2019 record: 60-76
    Week 21 ranking: 24

    The ascension of starter Lucas Giolito to ace status has been one of the brightest developments of the ChiSox's campaign. A similar but lesser-noticed breakout may have taken place for fellow righty starter Reynaldo Lopez. Lopez's overall numbers won't turn any heads, which is one reason his in-season improvement hasn't garnered as much attention as Giolito's strong performance. Lopez is 8-12 with 5.41 ERA and 138 strikeouts over 153 innings. Since the All-Star break, however, Lopez had gone 4-3 with a 2.82 ERA and 52 strikeouts over 54⅓ innings before coughing up six runs in just two-thirds of an inning against the Braves on Saturday. He has allowed three runs or fewer in eight of his 10 starts since the break. Lopez no-hit the Rangers for five innings on Aug. 25 before departing with flu-like symptoms. His improvement could be following a similar path to that of Giolito, who started poorly in 2018 but was better down the stretch. If so, Lopez will be a player to watch when we reach the 2020 season. -- Doolittle

23. Colorado Rockies
    2019 record: 59-79
    Week 21 ranking: 23

    The Rockies can't seem to catch any breaks on the pitching side, surrendering a National League-worst 55 runs during the past week, and they're now in danger of threatening their franchise worst for starters' ERA, with a 5.94 mark that is within range of the 6.19 that the 1999 rotation posted. The loss of ace German Marquez to right arm inflammation, which threatens to end his season prematurely, has forced the team to turn to three starters -- Chi Chi Gonzalez, Peter Lambert and Tim Melville -- who weren't even on the 40-man roster as recently as the beginning of June. -- Cockcroft

    ICYMI: Gray lost for season with foot fracture

24. Toronto Blue Jays
    2019 record: 55-83
    Week 21 ranking: 22

    The Blue Jays have four rookies with double-digit home runs this season (Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Rowdy Tellez, Danny Jansen, Cavan Biggio) with Billy McKinney (9) and Bo Bichette (8) not far behind. If both were to get to 10, it would set the record for the most rookies on a team with double-digit HR in a season with six. The two teams with five players doing so are the 1958 Giants and the 2006 Marlins. -- Michael Bonzagni, ESPN Stats & Information

25. Pittsburgh Pirates
    2019 record: 60-77
    Week 21 ranking: 25

    Even if too little, too late, the Pirates' bats, which had ranked among the coldest in baseball since the All-Star break, have shown up recently, their 7.6 runs-per-game average since Aug. 23 showing stark contrast to their 3.84 average -- that ranked third-worst in the game -- between the break and Aug. 22. Starling Marte has been the team's consistent hitting leader in the second half, whether those around him contributed or not, as he has slashed .325/.375/.581 with 11 homers and 12 steals. -- Cockcroft

26. Seattle Mariners
    2019 record: 58-80
    Week 21 ranking: 26

    Kyle Seager's August was one of the best months of his career as he hit .323/.417/.699 with nine home runs, eight doubles and 25 RBIs. He ranked seventh in the majors for the month in OPS and wOBA. The Mariners head to Houston for four games this week: They are 1-12 against the Astros and have a chance to go 1-18. Since 1969, no team has lost 18 games to another in one season. (Six teams have lost 17, including the 2006 Mariners, who went 2-17 against the A's.) -- Schoenfield

    ICYMI: M's Broxton hit with suspension for throwing equipment

27. Miami Marlins
    2019 record: 48-88
    Week 21 ranking: 27

    Twenty-two of the 25 lowest-attendance games in MLB this year have been in Miami, but the Marlins' draw hit a new low this week: Just 5,297 paid on Monday and 24,300 over a four-game set, fewer fans in the long series than 18 MLB teams average per game. -- Miller

    ICYMI: Anderson likely done for remainder of 2019

28. Kansas City Royals
    2019 record: 49-89
    Week 21 ranking: 28

    As the Royals hit the final month of another rebuilding season, the immediate future of the process became murky -- perhaps in a good way -- when the news dropped that the team was being purchased by a group led by Indians minority owner John Sherman. It'll be a bit before MLB's owners can sign off on the transaction, and Sherman still has to divest himself of his interest in the Indians. So we don't have a great gauge at the moment as to whether Sherman is simply going to assume the wheel of a ship already pointed in a certain direction or if he'll want to change tacks and remake the organization in the image of the Indians. What is that image? For one thing, the Indians have followed more of an analytically driven path than the Royals have in their own Braves-inspired system. But Sherman is a Royals fan going way back, so the John Schuerholz/Dayton Moore model could be just what he has in mind. -- Doolittle

    ICYMI: Royals sold to K.C. businessman, investors group

29. Baltimore Orioles
    2019 record: 45-91
    Week 21 ranking: 29

    It's been a rough couple of years for the O's, but there's always a silver lining. Through 80 games this season, Baltimore was the worst team in baseball (22-58, .275) by 5½ games. Since then, the Orioles' .411 winning percentage is ninth in the American League and 20th overall. And if we subtract the O's brutal 1-13 stretch in early August from that span, they are a respectable 22-20. Not so bad, right? -- Richards

    ICYMI: Orioles' tempers flare again in dugout incident

30. Detroit Tigers
    2019 record: 40-94
    Week 21 ranking: 30

    Travis Demeritte's rough week -- he's 1 for his past 22 -- knocked his season line far enough that the Tigers now have only two hitters with an OPS better than the league average: pitcher Matthew Boyd (1-for-2) and pitcher Gregory Soto (2-for-2). -- Miller

    ICYMI: Gardenhire wants to return as manager of struggling Tigers

Sprinter equals 100m PB to book world championships place, while Brits impress at Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc

A report on GB’s strong performance at the IAU 50km World Championships in Romania, including a world record-breaking win by Aly Dixon, is here, while a round-up of England Athletics Under-17 and Under-15 Championships action is here.

You can read about the first of the IAAF Diamond League finals in Zurich, where Karsten Warholm claimed an historic hurdles win, here.

Other recent highlights are below.

ISATF, Berlin, Germany, September 1

Asha Philip secured her place on the GB team for the IAAF World Championships in Doha, following her silver medal-winning run at the British Championships with a PB-equalling 11.10 (0.7m/sec) to dip inside the qualifying time.

Her fellow Briton Imani-Lara Lansiquot ran 11.20 for fifth in a race won by Poland’s Ewa Swoboda in a PB of 11.07.

Mood right now ????… Ran 11.10 (+0.7) today in Berlin??. Equal PB. Equal 5th UK all-time. World Championships here we come ?????? .
.#WorldChamps?? #Joy #Dedication #Doha2019?? #Athlete pic.twitter.com/xdsZeCeolZ

— Asha Philip (@MissAshaPhilip) September 1, 2019

Andre de Grasse won the men’s 100m in 9.97.

Gesa Felicitas Krause broke the world best for the rarely-run 2000m steeplechase, clocking 5:52.80 just three days after breaking the German record for the 3000m steeplechase in Zurich.

Olympic champion Omar McLeod clocked a 13.07 season’s best to win the 110m hurdles ahead of Pascal Martinot-Lagarde who clocked 13.25.

Bellinzona, Switzerland, September 1

Cindy Ofili was another athlete booking their world championships place as the British champion achieved the qualifying standard in the 100m hurdles with a winning time of 12.85 (0.0m/sec) and followed that up with 11.66 (-0.2m/sec) in the 100m.

Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake ran a season’s best of 10.11 (0.2m/sec) to win the men’s B 100m. Daryll Neita clocked 11.20 (0.0m/sec) for third in the women’s race won by Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji in 11.12.

World champion Justin Gatlin won the men’s A 100m, clocking 9.97.

Olympic champion Ryan Crouser broke the meeting record in the men’s shot put with 22.28m, while Katie Nageotte won the women’s pole vault with a first attempt clearance of 4.77m.

Memoriál Josefa Sečkáře, Brno, Czech Republic, August 28

British shot put champion Scott Lincoln enjoyed the week of his life as he won the national title and then threw 20.39m and 20.18m at a meeting in Brno before backing it up with 20.01m at another Czech meeting in Vlasim two days later.

Lincoln is only the eighth Briton to break 20 metres in the shot put and he became the first to do so in 11 years.

Congracts to @paulthecoach1 and @shotputtlinco on whats the best throw from a British athlete in 10474820079 years. pic.twitter.com/nOxMeNuLfI

— GHOST (@YoucefZatat) August 28, 2019

Read an interview with Lincoln in Thursday’s AW.

Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, Alps, August 26-September 1

The annual, week-long, trail and mountain festival based in Chamonix attracts several thousand runners from around the world and culminates in the 170km (106-mile) circuit of Mont Blanc, with 10,000m of climb for good measure, writes Adrian Stott.

It always attracts a quality international field, possibly only rivalled by the World Ultra Trail Championships, and this year’s event was won by Spain’s Pau Capell in 20:19:07 and USA’s Courtney Dauwalter in 24:34:26.

Scottish and GB hill and trail international Tom Owens had one of the best runs of his career when claiming fourth place.

Outstanding 4th and 5th for @TomOwens100 and @andysymondsRun at @UTMBMontBlanc, words can’t describe their efforts, congratulations!#utmb@BritAthletics @scotathletics @AthleticsWeekly pic.twitter.com/tGMyZzKLcW

— Jacob Adkin (@jacob_adkin) August 31, 2019

The Shettleston Harrier, who started 2019 barely able to run after an ankle operation, has gradually built his fitness back up over the summer, but this was his first attempt at a ‘100-mile’ event.

Wisely biding his time in the early kilometres, avoiding the usual cavalry charge at the front, he was hovering around 20th place through to 50km. By 80km, as runners started drifting back, he was up to 10th and by 125km he was up to fifth.

Although struggling a little in the last 30km, he held on for fourth place, the highest placing by a GB runner since Jezz Bragg won on a shorter course in 2010 and the highest ever placing by a Scottish male athlete.

“Wow that was quite an adventure,” said Owens. “That was so long!

“I had a fall around 90km so my knees were mega sore for all the descents, which made it super tough.

“I was still able to climb well though. Delighted to finish so high up in such a quality field in my first 100-miler.”

Taking fifth place was Owens’ good friend and former Carnegie Harrier, now resident in France, Andy Symonds, who clocked 22:35:15.

Other notable GB runners were Harry Jones in 15th with 24:03:53 and Paul Giblin in 24th with 24:53:30.

Fellow GB international Beth Pascall also impressed in a very high-class field, placing fifth in 26:26:48.

In the slightly shorter but no less competitive 100km CCC race, Holly Page finished ninth in 13:56:57 and there was a big breakthrough for Inverurie’s Meryl Cooper, the Dubai-based teacher finishing 13th in 14:35:52.

The longest event of the week is the wonderfully-named Petit Trotte de Leon which encompasses 300km (190 miles) with a massive 25,000m of ascent. It is run in teams and Carnethy’s Spine Race winner Jasmin Paris, along with her husband Konrad Rawling and good friend Jim Mann, finished fifth overall and first mixed team after 103 hours, 39 minutes and 18 seconds – almost four and a half days.

Belgian Championships, Brussels, August 31-September 1

Dai Greene just missed the 400m hurdles qualifying standard for the IAAF World Championships, winning in 49.49.

Jessie Knight improved her PB to 56.04 in the women’s event, while Nathan Douglas won the triple jump with a leap of 16.03m.

African Games, Rabat, August 30

Marie Josée Ta Lou won the 100m in 11.09 ahead of Gambia’s Gina Bass but Bass got victory in the 200m, clocking a national record of 22.58 as Ta Lou clocked 23.00 for third but had to be stretchered from the track after sustaining an injury.

Zambia’s Sydney Siame won the men’s race in 20.35.

Robert Kiprop led a Kenyan sweep in the 5000m, winning in 13:30.96.

George Manangoi won the 1500m in 3:38.27 ahead of Ayanleh Souleiman’s 3:38.44.

Tonbridge Twilight Invitational, August 30

Mark English of Ireland won the 800m in 1:45.98 from British champion Spencer Thomas (1:46.08 PB) and Guy Learmonth (1:46.31) as they just missed the Doha standard of 1:45.80.

Mark English finishes a fraction outside the qualifying standard for Doha with Spencer Thomas and Guy Learmonth close behind at the Tonbridge Twilight meet. ?@James_athletics pic.twitter.com/vfBfK1IDl4

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) August 30, 2019

Elliot Giles ran 3:56.47 to beat James West with 3:57.94 in the mile.

Kieran Clements won the men’s 3000m in 8:07.59, while Muriel Coneo Paredes of Colombia won the women’s 3000m in 9:10.27 from Amelia Quirk and Kate Avery.

Phil Norman agonisingly missed the Doha 3000m steeplechase qualifying standard by little over half a second with 8:29.54.

Ladywell 10000, September 1

Ross Skelton went sub-30 minutes for the first time, winning the day’s final race in 29:53.80.

Ross Skelton goes sub 30 in the Ladywell 10000 #ladywell10000 pic.twitter.com/lbMXvmsYbr

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) September 1, 2019

Chris Greenwood ran 30:50.88 to go second all-time among M45s.

Hendon, August 31

Heather Paton clocked 13.22 to improve her own Scottish 100m hurdles record.

After his silver at the British Championships, Lawrence Okoye continued his comeback with a throw of 59.47m to win ahead of current British No.1 Gregory Thompson with 59.20m.

Amelia Strickler won the shot put with 17.10m.

Rovereto, Italy, August 27

Steeplechaser Aimee Pratt followed up her bronze medal-winning performance at the British Championships by setting a PB of 9:39.60 to achieve the world championships qualifying time and put her well in the running for a place on the team for Doha.

Cardiff Metropolitan University Cardiff 10k, Wales, September 1

Jake Smith and Charlotte Arter were victorious as warm and still conditions allowed for competitive racing at the 35th edition of the race which saw over 7000 runners take to the streets of the Welsh capital, writes Alex Donald.

Local man Smith had shared the early front running with Aldershot, Farnham & District’s Joshua Grace and Cardiff club-mate and training partner Ciaran Lewis.

The half way point was passed in 14:44, with the three athletes some way clear and another Cardiff duo, Matt Clowes and James Hunt, still visible someway further back with Exmouth Harrier Tom Merson.

The pace eased somewhere around the seventh kilometre giving Cardiff AC club stalwart Clowes an opportunity to get back to the leaders. It was shortly before the eight kilometre mark where Clowes and Smith made a move with the latter finally breaking clear with around 200m left to run.

Smith’s winning time was just a second under his previous best for the distance in 29:30 and enough to steal victory over Clowes who finished just ahead of him 12 months ago.

This also meant a win for an athlete from the Cardiff Metropolitan University stable and for Team Thie with coach James watching closely.

Clowes was next home in 29:33 and further back Lewis overcame Grace to finish two seconds inside his PB with 29:45. The Aldershot man also dipped under 30 minutes in the Cardiff sunshine.

Cardiff AC’s Arter and Jenny Nesbitt had started as big race favourites in the women’s race, passing 5km in 16:11 with Arter going on to win in 32:45 and Nesbitt going under 33 minutes for the first time with 32:52.

Arter’s win hinted at the kind of form that saw her claim the British 10,000m title in 2018 and gain her a Welsh record over the half-marathon distance back in February with a British rankings lead of 69:40. It was also a season’s best for the athlete who won the Brecon Carreg Cardiff Bay Run with 32:49 back in March.

After Nesbitt, it was another of their training group next home, with Clara Evans finishing in 34:06.

JCP Swansea Half Marathon Champion, Tracy Barlow of Thames Valley Harriers clocked 34:25 for fourth place with the 2018 English National and Inter-Counties cross country champion Phoebe Law of Kingston & Poly AC fifth home in 34:42.

Defending champion Novak Djokovic is out of the US Open after quitting because of injury against Swiss 23rd seed Stan Wawrinka as defeat loomed in an electrifying fourth-round match.

Djokovic, 32, retired with a shoulder problem seconds after a double fault left him two sets and a break down.

Loud boos greeted the Serb's decision, with more heard as he walked off court.

"I'm sorry for the crowd. They came to see a full match but it wasn't to be," said world number one Djokovic.

Three-time Grand Slam champion Wawrinka had dominated the last-16 contest in a boisterous atmosphere at Arthur Ashe Stadium, producing a powerful display reminiscent of his best to lead 6-4 7-5 2-0, when Djokovic decided he could not continue.

Wawrinka, 34, will play Russian fifth seed Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-finals.

'You know when you're not able to hit the shot any more'

Djokovic was the hot favourite to retain his title at Flushing Meadows and earn a 17th Grand Slam title which would move him closer to Roger Federer (20) and Rafael Nadal (18) in the race to be deemed the greatest men's player of all time.

But he had been hampered throughout the tournament with a left shoulder injury, which he says has left him in "constant pain for a few weeks".

Djokovic particularly struggled during his second-round match against Argentina's Juan Ignacio Londero on Wednesday, needing intense treatment three times before coming through in straight sets.

Before his next match against American Denis Kudla, there had been speculation he might withdraw because of the problem, only to show few signs of the issue in a comfortable win on Friday.

But Djokovic said the intensity of the pain returned against Wawrinka.

"It is very frustrating. Of course it hurts that I had to retire," said the Serb.

"Some days the pain has been higher, some days with less intensity. Obviously I was taking different stuff to kill the pain instantly. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

"You just know when you know, when you feel like you're not able to hit the shot any more."

Djokovic did not want to discuss the near 24,000 crowd's reaction to his early exit, while Wawrinka said he was surprised by negativity.

"He's an amazing champion," added the Swiss.

"If he has to retire, it's not the best for a tennis player to have to leave the court like that."

Wawrinka delighted with impressive performance

Djokovic's withdrawal failed to take the shine off a breathtaking performance from Wawrinka, who earned his biggest victory since beating Britain's Andy Murray, then world number one, in the 2017 French Open semi-finals.

Shortly after that run, Wawrinka's career stalled because of a left knee injury, which left him needing two operations.

It has been a slow climb back up the rankings for the former world number three, but proved he could still cause problems for the best - whatever their physical state - in a powerful display.

Wawrinka came out firing from the start, piercing Djokovic's famed defence with blistering groundstrokes as he broke for 3-2 and producing thumping aces to stave off a break point in the next game on his way to clinching the opener.

Wawrinka had beaten Djokovic three times at a Grand Slam - including their last meeting in the 2016 final at Flushing Meadows - having lost the opening set in each of them.

This proved different, despite Djokovic coming out fighting by holding to love in the first game of the second set, and then breaking to gain an early advantage.

Wawrinka, backed by a vociferous New York crowd, was soon level after breaking back in a pivotal seventh game in which Djokovic coughed up two double faults serving for a 5-2 lead, and the Swiss landed a beautiful one-handed backhand down the line which left some fans climbing to their feet in admiration.

Djokovic started to look rattled by the injury and the atmosphere, coming up with poor shots as he tried to respond, allowing Wawrinka another break and the chance to serve out for a two-set advantage.

Treatment at the changeover was a last-ditch attempt by Djokovic to improve his physical - and perhaps mental - state, but it did not prove successful and he quit a few minutes later.

"I'm sorry he had to retire to finish the game like that, but for me, most important is the way I'm playing, the way I'm moving," Wawrinka said.

"The more the match was going, the better I was playing. I was hitting the ball really hard. I was feeling great on court."

Analysis

Russell Fuller, BBC tennis correspondent

Wawrinka had been in rampant form. He was pummelling the ball and reminding us of the man who, before knee surgery, had won three Grand Slam titles.

Djokovic was, however, very subdued. He seemed to be observing events, rather than influencing them.

Only he knows whether he could have finished the match, but to leave the court with boos ringing in his ears was a very harsh send-off for a 16-time Grand Slam champion.

The odds on Nadal and Federer will now shorten further. But perhaps we do need to look outside the top three for a potential champion.

Wawrinka might be 34, but when he reaches the second week of a Grand Slam in this kind of mood he can be very difficult to stop.

DARLINGTON, S.C. – Kyle Busch stopped his older brother’s roll to claim the second stage of Sunday night’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

The 2015 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion, who won the Southern 500 in 2008, beat Kurt Busch off pit road under caution at lap 160 and held serve for the remaining distance for his 10th stage win of the season.

Kyle Busch’s stage points put him in position to possibly clinch the regular-season title, after Joey Logano came to the pits with a flat tire on lap 172 and lost a lap as a result.

Meanwhile, Kurt Busch chased his brother to the green-checkered flag, coming in 1.734 seconds adrift after taking second place from Clint Bowyer on lap 188.

Denny Hamlin eventually finished third in the stage, followed by Erik Jones, Kyle Larson and Bowyer.

Jimmie Johnson, William Byron, Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick completed the points-scoring drivers in the top 10 at the second stage break.

Kurt Busch has led the most laps so far, running out front three times for 92 of the first 200 laps around the 1.366-mile, egg-shaped oval.

The second stage was slowed three times by yellow flags, including a stage-ending caution on lap 198 after B.J. McLeod spun with assistance from Matt Tifft in turn one.

Daniel Suarez sent fellow playoff bubble driver Ryan Newman around on lap 141 to bring out the first yellow of the second stage, while Corey LaJoie spun in turn two on lap 158, necessitating a caution that ultimately put Newman back on the lead lap with the free pass.

Notables deep in the field at the end of stage two included Martin Truex Jr. in 29th and Logano in 32nd. Both were one lap down to leader and stage winner Kyle Busch.

Stage 1 Report: Kurt Busch Dominates Opening Stage At Darlington

WEST UNION, Iowa – Two-time USMTS national champion Rodney Sanders kicked off the month of September on Sunday with a victory at Fayette County Speedway during the seventh annual War in West Union presented by KSE Racing Products.

Sanders, who garnered the 2012 and 2013 United States Modified Touring Series titles, was on a hot streak through the first half of the USMTS Hunt for the Casey’s Cup, but had been shut out of the winner’s circle for the last six events prior to Sunday’s weekend closer.

The win was the ninth of the season for the 29-year-old from Happy, Texas, while Dereck Ramirez recorded a second-place finish for the 11th time during the 2019 campaign.

Sanders started fifth on the grid and had to run down Ramirez, who led early from the outside of the front row. Once out front, Sanders was uncontested except for some late-race troubles with lapped cars that allowed his pursuers to narrow the gap.

Jake O’Neil finished third behind Sanders and Ramirez, Zack VanderBeek was a solid fourth-place finisher and Ryan Gustin rounded out the top five.

J.D. Auringer, Hunter Marriott, Blake Arndt, Travis Saurer and Jacob Bleess completed the top 10.

With his 95th career USMTS triumph, Sanders solidified his spot at the top of the points in both ‘The Hunt’ and Casey’s General Stores USMTS National Championship.

The finish:

1. (5) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, MBCustoms/Hatfield, 40, $2500.
2. (2) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., Hughes/Cornett, 40, $1500.
3. (7) 0 Jake O’Neil, Tucson, Ariz., LG2/Cornett, 40, $1000.
4. (6) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, VanderBuilt/Stoen, 40, $800.
5. (3) 19r Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa, Hughes/TriStar, 40, $700.
6. (1) 00 J.D. Auringer, Waterloo, Iowa, Rage/KSE, 40, $400.
7. (12) 62 Hunter Marriott (R), Brookfield, Mo., Rage/KSE, 40, $550.
8. (18) 51a Blake Arndt (R), Brownsdale, Minn., Shaw/KSE, 40, $500.
9. (13) 21x Travis Saurer, Elizabeth, Minn., MBCustoms/ChevPerf, 40, $450.
10. (14) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn., VanderBuilt/KSE, 40, $400.
11. (17) 23 Adam Kates, Tonganoxie, Kan., Jet/Speedway, 40, $375.
12. (15) 15w Alex Williamson (R), Rushford, Minn., SSR/KSE, 40, $350.
13. (11) 17 Mike Striegel (R), Wheatland, Mo., GRT/Eagle, 40, $325.
14. (19) 91 Shawn Ryan, Waterloo, Iowa, DirtHustler/King, 40, $300.
15. (16) 6 Dustin Kruse (R), Brandon, S.D., Sidebiter/ChevPerf, 40, $275.
16. (10) 51 Chris Oertel, Marshfield, Wis., MBCustoms/Mullins, 40, $250.
17. (4) 99 Josh Angst, Winona, Minn., MBCustoms/Stoen, 40, $250.
18. (8) 4h Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla., Hughes/Cornett, 40, $250.
19. (20) 22d Daniel Hilsabeck, Earlham, Iowa, Hilsabeck/Mullins, 40, $250.
20. (9) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo., GRT/Durham, 40, $250.