JAPAN SPORTS NOTEBOOK | Tokito Oda Loses US Open Wheelchair Final

Tokito Oda had a dominant run to the US Open men's wheelchair tennis singles final, beating his three opponents ― Charlie Cooper, Gordon Reid and Martin de la Puente ― without dropping a set.

Then, in the championship match, Britain's Alfie Hewett outplayed Oda, winning 6-0, 7-5 (7-6) and ending the world No 1's Grand Slam title streak at six.

In New York, Oda had a shot at becoming the first man to win a calendar Grand Slam (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open) since Australian legend Rod Laver in 1969. But on this day, 28-year-old Hewett had a better performance than his younger rival.

For Hewett, a 6-1, 6-1 defeat to Oda in the Wimbledon final on July 12 provided a moment of reflection.

"I'm known for being just as fearless, brave and courageous in big moments and I felt I was everything but that in Wimbledon," Hewett said, according to BBC Sport.

Recalling his performance in July, he added, "I was quiet, I was timid, I was a shell of myself."

After winning his 11th Grand Slam singles title (one more than 20-year-old Oda's total), Hewett spoke about the preparation he made in the time between Wimbledon and the US Open.

"I think I have had six weeks of champing at the bit to come out and prove to myself that I can be more like that person," Hewett was quoted as saying by BBC Sport.

Hewett collected his first US Open singles title since 2023.

Looking back on his first defeat in a Grand Slam singles match since the 2025 Australian Open (against Hewett), Oda said his opponent was the better player on the second Saturday of September.

"Definitely I was trying to get the calendar year [Grand Slam] this year," Oda said, according to BBC Sport. He then said, "This was the last part of it, so it's really tough for me, but I think Alfie deserved it today."

Before his first-round match against Cooper, Tokito Oda commented on his goal of capturing the calendar Grand Slam.

"Only a few players have ever achieved it in a single year, so I'm hoping to accomplish it while I'm still young," Oda was quoted as saying by The Associated Press.

On Saturday, Japan's top-seeded Yui Kamiji won her fourth US Open women's wheelchair singles title. The 32-year-old defeated Diede de Groot 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 in Flushing Meadows, New York, to repeat as champion.

Earlier this year, Kamiji also triumphed at Wimbledon.

After missing six of the team's last seven games, the Los Angeles Dodgers placed ailing star Shohei Ohtani on the 15-day injured list on Wednesday, September 9.

Ohtani, who has had a big dip in offensive productivity of late, has been bothered by injuries to his left knee and right biceps along with neck pain.

The two-time reigning National League MVP went 6-for-49 with 21 strikeouts before being placed on the IL.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, whose team holds a commanding lead in the NL West over the second-place San Diego Padres, believes a two-week break from baseball will help Ohtani's body heal. (Check out the updated MLB standings.)

"I think that if it were a postseason game tomorrow, he would be in the lineup," Roberts was quoted as saying by The Athletic.

Roberts then said, "I think that now you're talking about two weeks, 14 days. I feel that that's substantial. He'll be in a much better place than he was today. Is it going to be 100%? Probably not. But I do think that with this time that we're taking now, he'll be in an adequate spot to finish the season."

The two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers (90-58 through September 12) promoted top prospect Josue De Paula, a 21-year-old outfielder, from Double-A to fill Ohtani's roster spot.

Ohtani could return to action as early as September 22.

The Dodgers, whose eight-game winning streak was halted by the Miami Marlins on Saturday, play their final regular-season game on September 27.

Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto smacked his 30th home run of the 2026 MLB campaign on Tuesday, September 8.

Okamoto clubbed a solo shot to left in the second inning of the Blue Jays' 4-2 win over the Athletics in West Sacramento, California.

In doing so, he became the fifth Japanese player to hit 30 or more homers in an MLB season.

"Definitely, it's great to get to 30 in my first year, but we've still got a few games to go here," Okamoto said through an interpreter, according to MLB.com. "I want to flip the switch and focus on the games moving forward."

The Blue Jays (74-75 through September 12) are in the hunt for the American League's final wild-card berth for the playoffs.

Hideki Matsui, Ohtani, Seiya Suzuki and Munetaka Murakami are the other members of the 30-homer club. Matsui was the first to do so, belting 31 round-trippers in 2004 for the New York Yankees.

"It's a pretty cool milestone, 30," Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters. The dugout boss called it a "pretty good list he just joined of Japanese players there."

Yomiuri Giants closer Raidel Martinez became the sixth reliever in NPB history with 250 saves, working a 1–2-3 ninth inning against the Chunichi Dragons on Thursday, September 10. The Giants won 5-3 at Tokyo Dome.

It was Martinez's Central League-leading 38th save of the season.

"I'm full of gratitude to my fans and teammates," Martinez, 29, said after the game. "I believe this achievement was made possible thanks to God, my family and my fans."

The Cuban right-hander recorded his first NPB save while pitching for the Dragons in 2019.

Martinez, who joined the Giants on a four-year contract in 2025, has led NPB in saves three times ― with 39 in 2022, 43 in 2024 and 46 in '25.

He reached 250 saves in his 411th NPB game, faster than any player in Japanese pro baseball history. Kazuhiro Sasaki, who pitched for the Yokohama Taiyo Whales/BayStars, earned his 250th save in his 435th game.

There are six relievers in NPB history to record 250 or more saves. Naoya Matsuda of the Chiba Lotte Marines became the fifth on August 4.

Retired Chunichi pitcher Hitoki Iwase is NPB's all-time leader in saves (407).

Mongolian yokozuna Hoshoryu will not participate in the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament, which starts on Sunday, September 13, due to poor physical condition.

The 27-year-old wrestler hasn't sufficiently recovered from right knee surgery in July.

Stablemaster Tatsunami spoke about the issue on Friday.

"We couldn't get him back to a condition where he can exert his power," Tatsunami said, according to Kyodo News. "He's feeling quite down. It seems he can't sleep at night and is too stressed to eat."

The stablemaster added, "He's not in a state to take part. He is deeply disappointed at the fact he cannot wrestle."

With Hoshoryu absent from the 15-day meet, Ishikawa Prefecture native Onosato will be the lone yokozuna competing at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan.

Onosato is scheduled to face komusubi Daieisho in the final bout on the opening day of the Autumn Basho.

In the B.League's first-ever overseas games, the Gunma Crane Thunders earned a two-game sweep of the Levanga Hokkaido on September 9 and 10.

The B.League Manila Games served as a preseason tuneup for the two teams and expanded on the league's marketing and promotional efforts in the Philippines.

At the SM Mall of Asia Arena, Crane Thunders newcomer Stanley Johnson scored a game-high 23 points in a 98-81 win over the Levanga on Wednesday, September 9. Teammates Trey McKinney-Jones and Yuma Fujii added 16 and 14 points, respectively.

Gunma led 54-40 at halftime and increased its advantage to 81-60 entering the fourth quarter.

Keisei Tominaga paced Hokkaido with 19 points. Filipino teammate Dwight Ramos had a 13-point outing.

"It was a really fun atmosphere," Crane Thunders coach Kyle Milling said, "[and] it was wonderful to experience it firsthand."

The coach added, "It was amazing to see the whole arena get excited every time Dwight Ramos or [Gunma forward/center] AJ [Edu] touched the ball."

Edu, a Philippines national team player, grabbed seven rebounds in the series opener.

"It feels a little strange to be playing a B.League game here," Edu said on Wednesday. "But I feel very fortunate to have this opportunity, and I'm truly happy to be able to showcase B.League basketball in front of Filipino fans."

In Thursday's rematch, Gunma prevailed 101-91 in overtime.

Takuto Nakamura led the Crane Thunders with 25 points. Fujii poured in 18 points, knocking down five 3-pointers. Johnson contributed 17 points, while Edu added nine points and nine rebounds.

For the Levanga, Tominaga scored 19 of his game-best 34 points in the third quarter. Ramos had 17 points and four assists.

After Game 2, Milling told reporters, "Our team showed a lot of heart to come back towards the end of the game and then pull ahead in the overtime."

Ramos enjoyed the experience of playing in front of his fellow Filipinos.

"The energy here is the best in the world," Ramos said. "I was really happy to play in front of all you fans. Thank you for your support."

Edu said, "It feels a little strange to be playing a B.League game here, but I feel very fortunate to have this opportunity, and I'm truly happy to be able to showcase B.League basketball in front of Filipino fans."

The B.League's top flight, which rebranded as B.Premier for its upcoming 11th season, tips off the 2026-27 campaign on Tuesday, September 22 at Toyota Arena Tokyo. Host Alvark Tokyo, guided by first-year coach Ryan Richman, will face the Ryukyu Golden Kings, led by new bench boss Anthony McHenry, in the opener. Tipoff is 2 PM.

Octogenarian sailor Kenichi Horie has announced that he plans to embark on a solo nonstop trek across the Pacific Ocean in the spring of 2027. He revealed his plans on Tuesday, September 8, his 88th birthday.

Horie made his most recent solo voyage across the Pacific in 2022, sailing from San Francisco to Osaka Bay. At age 83, he became the oldest person to make a solo, nonstop journey across the Pacific. That epic trip lasted from March 27 to June 4.

Now he's ready to do it again. Horie is planning to sail from San Francisco to Japan, starting in March 2027.

At a news conference in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, Horie said: "The magma of my desire to sail has erupted," Jiji Press reported.

He added, "I do not want this voyage to be my last."

In Fukuoka, Japan beat South Korea 3-0 (25-13, 25-11, 25-14) in the semifinals of the Asian Volleyball Confederation's Men's Continental tournament on Saturday, September 12. Yuki Ishikawa had a team-best 15 points, including 13 kills, in the win. Ran Takahashi and Yuji Nishida chipped in with 10 attack points apiece. Japan had 10 service aces to South Korea's two.

In the tournament final, Japan faces Iran on Sunday at 7:30 PM.

Keita Tosaki rode 4-year-old Dragon Welds to a two-length victory over American Stage (Ryusei Sakai) in the Grade 3 Korea Sprint. The 1,200-meter race was held on Sunday, September 6 at Seoul Racecourse.

On the same day, 8-year-old gelding Diktaean, piloted by Takayuki Kano, won the 1,800-meter G2 Korea Cup by six lengths over Sunday Funday (Yamato Tsunoda).

Five golfers have had 10 or more top-10 finishes in the ongoing JLPGA Tour season. Fuka Suga is the overall leader with 13 top–10 finishes in 23 tournaments, while Yuna Araki is second with 12. Also in the top five: Shuri Sakuma (11) and Shiho Kuwaki and Kana Nagai (10 apiece).

The Japan men's rugby squad defeated the United States 63-14 in the Pacific Nations Cup semifinals on Saturday, September 12. In Higashiosaka, Osaka Prefecture, the Brave Blossoms scored five first-half tries, including Yuya Hirose's opening score in the second minute, and led 35-14 at the break. Japan added four more tries in the second half.

The Brave Blossoms will play Fiji in the final, starting at 7:05 PM, on September 19 at Tokyo's Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium.

―Haruka Kitaguchi, the reigning Olympic women's javelin champion, on competing against Chinese teenager Ziyi Yan at the upcoming Asian Games, Kyodo News reported. The women's javelin final is scheduled for September 26 in Nagoya.

Follow Ed's [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and he can be found on X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.