NEW YORK (AP) — Coco Gauff reached the U.S. Open quarterfinals for the first time by coming back in each set to beat Zhang Shuai of China 7-5, 7-5 in front of a partisan crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday.

The 18-year-old Floridian, the runner-up at the French Open in June, trailed 5-4 in the opening set, then 5-3 in the second, which she was a point from losing. Gauff improved to 4-0 in Ashe this year.

She became the youngest American to make it this far at the U.S. Open since Melanie Oudin was 17 in 2009. Gauff meets No. 17 Caroline Garcia of France on Tuesday.

Later Sunday, Nick Kyrgios eliminated defending champion and No. 1-ranked Daniil Medvedev 7-6 (11), 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

The 23rd-seeded Kyrgios will play No. 27 seed Karen Khachanov on Tuesday, when the other’s men’s quarterfinal on the top half of the bracket is 2022 French Open runner-up Casper Ruud against 2021 Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini.

JONES TAKES CHECKERED FLAG AT DARLINGTON

DARLINGTON, S.C. (AP) — Erik Jones took the lead when Kyle Busch’s engine blew up, then pulled away from Denny Hamlin after a final restart 20 laps from the end to win the opening NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Darlington Raceway on Sunday night.

Hamlin, seeded sixth in the playoffs, closed in on Jones’ back bumper on the final lap, but couldn’t make the winning pass. Jones went on to his second career win at Darlington and third NASCAR victory.

It was also the 200th win by the iconic No. 43 car, with most tied to Hall of Famer Richard Petty.

Jones became the first non-playoff driver to win the opener in NASCAR’s 10-race run to a title. And he did it as many of the top seeds had breakdowns and wrecks.

Hamlin was second followed by three more playoff chasers in Tyler Reddick, Joey Logano and Christopher Bell.

EAGLE PROVIDES JOHNSON WITH SUDDEN-DEATH WIN

BOLTON, Mass. (AP) — Dustin Johnson gave LIV Golf its first big moment Sunday when he made a 35-foot eagle putt on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff to win the LIV Golf Invitational-Boston for his first victory in 19 months.

Johnson’s putt on the par-5 18th was going so fast it might have rolled some 6 feet past the hole. But it hit the back of the cup and dropped down near the front of the cup to beat Joaquin Niemann and Anirban Lahiri.

The win was worth $4 million for Johnson, who closed with a 5-under 65. With his team winning again, he now has made $9,962,500 in four events.

The first playoff in four LIV Golf events capped an otherwise sloppy finish by so many others who had a chance.

RUIZ TAKES STEP FORWARD IN HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE CHASE

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Andy Ruiz knocked down Luis Ortiz three times on the way to a victory by unanimous decision Sunday night, taking a key step toward a chance to become a heavyweight world champion again.

Former three-division world champion Abner Mares also fought to a majority draw with Miguel Flores in Mares’ return from a four-year ring absence on the pay-per-view undercard. Lightweight Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz then stopped Eduardo Ramirez in the second round with two vicious knockdowns.

In the main event, Ruiz (35-2, 22 KOs) had all of the big moments while grinding out a decision over Ortiz (33-3), a two-time world title challenger. The Southern California native knocked down the 43-year-old Ortiz twice in the second round and again in the seventh, but his Cuban opponent punched more accurately during long stretches of relative inactivity for both fighters.

The judges scored the bout 114-111, 114-111 and 113-112 for Ruiz. The Associated Press also had Ruiz 114-111, with the knockdowns making the difference.