Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.
Tennis-Haddad Maia becomes first Brazilian woman to reach French Open last 16 in 44 years
Beatriz Haddad Maia became the first Brazilian woman in 44 years to reach the last 16 of the French Open with a 5-7 6-4 7-5 victory over Ekaterina Alexandrova at Roland Garros on Saturday. The 14th seed received plenty of vocal support from the stands as she emulated the 1978 and 1979 feat of Patricia Medrado.
Tennis-Swiatek serves up double bagel as Gauff, Rune, Ruud advance
Defending champion Iga Swiatek continued her imperious, merciless march towards a third French Open title in four years with a 6-0 6-0 humiliation of Wang Xinyu on Saturday to reach the fourth round. The world number one swept her Chinese opponent aside in 51 minutes with a potential quarter-final clash against Coco Gauff, who she demolished in last year’s final, looming.
Tennis-Hitting ball into crowd was a ‘stupid move’, says Andreeva
Mirra Andreeva was knocked out of the French Open in the third round on Saturday but the teenager’s amazing run from qualifying could have ended even before her match against Coco Gauff was completed in three sets. After wasting two chances to win the first-set tiebreak, the 16-year-old Russian received a warning for hitting the ball into the packed Suzanne Lenglen stands — a move that could have resulted in her being defaulted and sent packing with a heavy fine.
Cricket-Stokes says hyper-extended knee ‘nothing to worry about’ ahead of Ashes
England skipper Ben Stokes dismissed concerns about his knee after he was seen hobbling when he took a catch in their test victory over Ireland on Saturday, saying it would not be a problem ahead of the Ashes later this month. Stokes looked in discomfort when he took a catch to dismiss Ireland’s Curtis Campher during England’s 10-wicket win in the one-off test at Lord’s.
Tennis-On court of pain, Zverev rediscovers his joie de vivre in Paris
A year to the day after suffering a freak injury at Roland Garros, Alexander Zverev fought his way into the fourth round of the French Open, having rediscovered his joie de vivre in a thrilling match against his friend Frances Tiafoe on Saturday. The German let out a huge scream after wrapping up a 3-6 7-6(3) 6-1 7-6(5) under the lights on Court Philippe Chatrier, with both players entertaining the crowd throughout.
Soccer-NWSL’s new Bay FC hope to ride World Cup wave of excitement
The founders behind the new National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) expansion team in California’s San Francisco Bay Area believe this year’s Women’s World Cup will only add to their momentum as they kick off their inaugural season next year. Bay FC, the NWSL’s 14th club, will start play in 2024 and its founders feature former U.S. national team members Brandi Chastain, Leslie Osborne, Danielle Slaton and Aly Wagner
Tennis-Cerundolo downs Fritz to reach second week of slam for first time
Francisco Cerundolo reached the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time on Saturday with a 3-6 6-3 6-4 7-5 win over American ninth seed Taylor Fritz in the third round of the French Open. The 24-year-old Argentine’s first four outings at the majors all ended in first round defeats but this year he has shown improvement.
Tennis-Jabeur upset with fans reselling tickets due to women’s match in night session
Tunisian Ons Jabeur said fans should not simply assume that women’s matches will be ‘crappy’ after learning that tickets for Sunday’s French Open night session were resold when a women’s singles contest was scheduled for the first time this year. The first seven days had only men’s singles matches played in the night session at Court Philippe-Chatrier but on Sunday women’s second seed Aryna Sabalenka will take on American Sloane Stephens.
Soccer-Messi to leave PSG at end of season after two years at the club
Lionel Messi will leave Paris St Germain at the end of season after two years at the Ligue 1 club, Paris St Germain said on Saturday. PSG host Clermont in the final round of Ligue 1 later on Saturday.
Soccer: Man City edge closer to treble after FA Cup final win over Man Utd
Manchester City moved to within one victory of completing a momentous treble as they deservedly beat arch-rivals Manchester United 2-1 in the FA Cup final thanks to Ilkay Gundogan’s record-breaking double on Saturday. City captain Gundogan scored the fastest goal in FA Cup final history with a stunning volley after 12 seconds and struck what proved to be the winner seven minutes after halftime.
(With inputs from agencies.)
World tennis waits with baited breathe for the return of Rafael Nadal to action. The Spaniard has been on the sidelines since incurring a hip injury during h
Esteemed coach Darren Cahill believes Nick Kyrgios “cares too much” and “really wants to
Rafael Nadal’s latest comments have been perceived to be a swipe at Novak Djokovic, yet that
Novak Djokovic has well and truly established his superiority having claimed his 24th Grand Slam title at the US Open this year. The Serb currently holds the