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MIAMI: Lionel Messi recorded a hat trick and added an assist and Baltasar Rodriguez scored the tie-breaking goal as visiting Inter Miami used a second-half assault to defeat Nashville SC 5-2 in a Decision Day matchup on Saturday night.
Telasco Segovia also scored for Inter Miami (19-7-8, 65 points), who won their third straight game. Miami will be the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and faces a rematch with No. 6 Nashville in the first round.
Sam Surridge and Jacob Shaffelburg scored goals for Nashville (16-12-6, 54 points), which didn’t allow a shot over the first 34 minutes before being badly exposed in the second half.
Messi finishes the regular season with 29 goals while all but clinching the Golden Boot.
Rocco Rios Novo made five saves for Miami, while Nashville’s Joe Willis had four stops.
Nashville was nursing a 2-1 lead in the second half until Andy Najar was called for a hand ball.
Messi took the ensuing penalty kick in the 63rd minute and easily sent a left- footed shot into the left corner of the net to tie the match.
The goal energized Miami and it moved ahead just four minutes later.
Luis Suarez took a right-footed shot that Willis knocked away. But the ball bounced over toward Rodriguez, who sent a right-footed shot past Willis to give Miami a 3-2 lead.
Messi was at it again in the 81st minute as he booted a left-footed shot into the lower left corner to make it 4-2.
In the first minute of second-half stoppage time, Messi had possession and closed in on Willis before feeding the wide-open Segovia, who kicked the ball into the net to finish off the flurry.
Miami outshot Nashville 17-15 and had a 9-7 edge in shots on target.
Nashville dominated play in the first half but led just 2-1 at halftime.
Miami’s initial shot came on Messi’s goal in the 34th minute. He received the ball from Jordi Alba and had three defenders to maneuver around before sending a left-footed shot into the left corner of the net.
Nashville responded in the 43rd minute when Hany Mukhtar sent a short centering pass to Surridge, who knocked in a header.
Nashville struck again in the sixth minute of first-half stoppage time. Mukhtar took a shot that caromed off the right goalpost and the ball went directly to Shaffelburg, who knocked it home to put Nashville ahead.

RIYADH: Jannik Sinner claimed the title at the second staging of the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh with a commanding performance against Carlos Alcaraz in the final, solidifying his place as one of the dominant forces in men’s tennis.

In front of a packed and enthusiastic crowd at ANB Arena, Sinner outplayed Alcaraz in straight sets, showing clinical precision and relentless aggression from the baseline. The Italian was in imperious form from the first point, breaking early and maintaining control throughout the match.

“I was looking forward to this match,” Sinner said in the post-match press conference. “It was a great performance from my side, but also, you know, seeing the electric audience today was very nice to be part of this match.”

Sinner, who adds another elite-level title to his growing collection, praised the crowd and the tournament atmosphere.

“The whole week has been very, very nice. To me and to all the players, the atmosphere has been amazing since Day 1. We feel it as competitors — when someone needs a little bit of support, they’re ready to do that. It was a very balanced audience. I'm very happy to be part of this second staging of Six Kings Slam,” he said.

The final added another chapter in the burgeoning rivalry between Sinner and Alcaraz, two of the sport’s brightest young stars. While Alcaraz showed flashes of brilliance — especially in the second set — he was ultimately unable to match Sinner’s consistency and tactical execution.

“Well, I just, I try to compete,” Alcaraz said after the loss. “It was really disappointing for me … after the first, I just told myself, ‘OK, go there, try to compete, improve your game.’ I was making a few mistakes. I played a little bit better, but it wasn’t enough.”

Despite the defeat, the Spaniard maintained a forward-looking mindset. “I think this match is going to give me great feedback. When I’m coming back home, I’ll practice the things that I need before the next tournament. I’ll try to get the best feedback that I can from this match.”

Earlier in the day, the third-place playoff delivered an unexpected twist when Novak Djokovic was forced to retire from his match against Taylor Fritz after a grueling first set. The highly anticipated clash — just weeks after their US Open quarterfinal — lived up to expectations early, with both players locked in a tense battle that lasted over an hour and 15 minutes.

Fritz edged the opening set via a tiebreak, but before the second could begin, Djokovic withdrew due to physical discomfort. Reflecting on the set, the Serbian legend remarked, “It was one of the longest sets I’ve played.”

While the retirement brought an abrupt end to the contest, Fritz’s resilience and form were evident throughout a high-quality first set.

The Six Kings Slam, which brings together six of the world’s top-ranked players in a unique invitational format, has quickly become a marquee event on the tennis calendar. With its star-studded lineup, crowd energy, and sold-out arena, the tournament once again delivered world-class tennis to a growing fanbase in the Middle East.

As Sinner hoisted the trophy under the Riyadh lights, one thing became clear: the future of men’s tennis is not just promising — it’s already here.