Seven sports vie for 2020 Games

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Regardless of the fact that the IOC has three more Olympics to worry about this decade, the 2020 Olympics seem to be shaping up rather nicely.

Leaders from seven sports were in Lausanne, Switzerland this week to officially make their case for inclusion at a yet to be determined location as part of the 2020 Games.

But, unfortunately, there’s only one available spot in Tokyo, or Istanbul… or possibly Madrid. Here’s a look at each sport’s chances:

Squash: Surprisingly high. A possible frontrunner after the WSF made a concerted effort to popularize the sport, make it more modern, audience friendly, and fun. The glass-encased courts make for an incredible spectator experience, and you can put a camera anywhere, but it might lose out because of how many racquet sports are already in the Games.

Baseball/softball: High-ish. Both were taken off the Olympic schedule after Beijing, and both have failed to gain re-admittance for Rio, so we’re not sure joining forces suddenly makes this bid an automatic home run (pun totally intended). But they’re both popular sports that everyone knows, and can’t be counted out.

Roller sports: In consideration. It might be the dark-horse favorite if only because Olympics fans are familiar with its winter cousins. Roller sports includes six disciplines ranging from speed skating and roller figure skating to rink hockey and roller derby. Yes, that’s right, Olympic roller derby. That’s reason enough.

Wake boarding: Talking ourselves into it. A few years ago we’d say wake boarding was too X-Gamesy for the Olympics, but with guys like Shaun White regularly bringing medals back to the States, the audiences from both sporting events seem to be merging. It’s also great on television, though not for live spectators.

Wushu: Hmmmm. Earns points for combining all the best from other martial arts, and for literally being the chinese word for “martial arts.” But wushu loses points because few people have heard of it, and because it’s going up against the more well-known Karate, despite being more entertaining. Speaking of which…

Karate: Meh. We already have taekwondo and judo, so all Karate is bringing to the table is a different scoring system. Think the All-Valley Tournament at the end of The Karate Kid (but without the evil gang of teenagers). It already lost out for Rio and we’re just not sure its different enough to stand out.

Sport climbing: Low. Awesome sport, terrible spectator experience. It’s just difficult to televise athletes literally up against a wall. That said, if you sent some American Gladiators to chase them after ten seconds or so, we’d absolutely be into it. Otherwise, this one is probably near the bottom of the list.

2023 French Open women’s singles draw, scores

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At the French Open, Iga Swiatek of Poland eyes a third title at Roland Garros and a fourth Grand Slam singles crown overall.

The tournament airs live on NBC Sports, Peacock and Tennis Channel through championship points in Paris.

Swiatek, the No. 1 seed from Poland, can join Serena Williams and Justine Henin as the lone women to win three or more French Opens since 2000.

Having turned 22 on Wednesday, she can become the youngest woman to win three French Opens since Monica Seles in 1992 and the youngest woman to win four Slams overall since Williams in 2002.

FRENCH OPEN: Broadcast Schedule | Men’s Draw

But Swiatek is not as dominant as in 2022, when she went 16-0 in the spring clay season during an overall 37-match win streak.

She retired from her last pre-French Open match with a right thigh injury and said it wasn’t serious. Before that, she lost the final of another clay-court tournament to Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus.

Sabalenka, the No. 2 seed, is her top remaining challenger in Paris.

No. 3 Jessica Pegula, the highest-seeded American man or woman, was eliminated in the third round. No. 4 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, who has three wins over Swiatek this year, withdrew before her third-round match due to illness.

No. 6 Coco Gauff, runner-up to Swiatek last year, is the best hope to become the first American to win a Grand Slam singles title since Sofia Kenin at the 2020 Australian Open. The 11-major drought is the longest for U.S. women since Seles won the 1996 Australian Open.

MORE: All you need to know for 2023 French Open

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2023 French Open Women’s Singles Draw

French Open Women's Singles Draw French Open Women's Singles Draw French Open Women's Singles Draw French Open Women's Singles Draw

2023 French Open men’s singles draw, scores

French Open Men's Draw
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The French Open men’s singles draw is missing injured 14-time champion Rafael Nadal for the first time since 2004, leaving the Coupe des Mousquetaires ripe for the taking.

The tournament airs live on NBC Sports, Peacock and Tennis Channel through championship points in Paris.

Novak Djokovic is not only bidding for a third crown at Roland Garros, but also to lift a 23rd Grand Slam singles trophy to break his tie with Nadal for the most in men’s history.

FRENCH OPEN: Broadcast Schedule | Women’s Draw

But the No. 1 seed is Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who won last year’s U.S. Open to become, at 19, the youngest man to win a major since Nadal’s first French Open title in 2005.

Now Alcaraz looks to become the second-youngest man to win at Roland Garros since 1989, after Nadal of course.

Alcaraz missed the Australian Open in January due to a right leg injury, but since went 30-3 with four titles. Notably, he has not faced Djokovic this year. They could meet in the semifinals.

Russian Daniil Medvedev, the No. 2 seed, was upset in the first round by 172nd-ranked Brazilian qualifier Thiago Seyboth Wild. It marked the first time a men’s top-two seed lost in the first round of any major since 2003 Wimbledon (Ivo Karlovic d. Lleyton Hewitt).

No. 12 Frances Tiafoe is the last American remaining, looking to become the first U.S. man to make the French Open quarterfinals since Andre Agassi in 2003. Since then, five different American men combined to make the fourth round on eight occasions.

MORE: All you need to know for 2023 French Open

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2023 French Open Men’s Singles Draw

French Open Men's Singles Draw French Open Men's Singles Draw French Open Men's Singles Draw French Open Men's Singles Draw