Bode Miller completes eye-opening Kitzbuehel weekend

Bode Miller
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Bode Miller nearly posted three podium finishes at Alpine skiing’s most hallowed venue in two days, but he’ll leave Kitzbuehel, Austria, with bittersweet results.

The five-time Olympic medalist finished third in the Hahnenkamm downhill on Saturday and second in a super-G on Sunday morning before provisionally placing third in a super combined later Sunday.

He was later disqualified out of the super combined for straddling a gate in the slalom portion.

“I was OK today,” Miller said after the super-G, which he lost to Swiss Didier Defago by .05 of a second. “It was obviously disappointing not to win; five hundredths is not very much time. Just give me a break and let me win one time here.”

Miller has won in Kitzbuehel before — combined races in 2004 and 2008 — but he knows the clock on his career is ticking and who knows if he’ll race in the Austrian frenzy again. Some 50,000 fans were at Saturday’s downhill.

In the slalom Sunday night, Miller was the top skier to go out of the top 30 from the super-G. Defago dropped out of the slalom because he is a speed race specialist.

So, Miller was in position for his first World Cup win since Dec. 2, 2011. Had he won, he would have jumped from ninth in the World Cup standings to fourth in a span of two days. He would have also passed teammate Ted Ligety.

Remember, Ligety was the most successful skier at last year’s World Championships, winning three gold medals. Miller is 36 years old and coming off knee surgery that caused him to miss all of last season.

It was not to be, though. Ligety took second in the super combined after finishing 31st in the super-G. France’s Alexis Pinturault won the super combined.

“My slalom run was OK, it was sure better than in the classic slalom race [on Friday],” Ligety said. “Alexis is a great slalom skier, so it’s not too bad to be after him. The crowd is great, there are not many places where you can attract a crowd like this one on a Sunday night.”

Miller is set to be named to a fifth Olympic Team later Sunday and is looking like a Sochi medal threat in as many as four events.

Earlier, Miller took second in a super-G behind Defago, who is 10 days older than Miller. The 2010 Olympic downhill champion Defago won his first World Cup race since Dec. 29, 2011.

The men’s Alpine skiing World Cup continues with a slalom in Schladming, Austria, on Tuesday.

Kitzbuehel Super Combined
1. Alexis Pinturault (FRA) 2:02.79
2. Ted Ligety (USA) 2:03.23
3. Marcel Hirscher (AUT) 2:04.26
4. Thomas Mermillod Blondin (FRA) 2:04.49
5. Mauro Caviezel (SUI) 2:04.58
6. Peter Fill (ITA) 2:04.64
7. Sandro Viletta (SUI) 2:04.80
8. Carlo Janka (SUI) 2:04.99
9. Justin Murisier (SUI) 2:05.34
10. Kjetil Jansrud (NOR) 2:05.42
11. Jared Goldberg (USA) 2:05.43
13. Tim Jitloff (USA) 2:06.12
27. Andrew Weibrecht (USA) 2:07.65
30. Steven Nyman (USA) 2:08.22
37. Bryce Bennett (USA) 2:10.03
DNF. Mark Engel (USA)
DNF. Travis Ganong (USA)
DQ. Bode Miller (USA)

Kitzbuehel Super-G
1. Didier Defago (SUI) 1:10.38
2. Bode Miller (USA) 1:10.43
3. Max Franz (AUT) 1:10.53
5. Johan Clarey (FRA) 1:10.57
6. Travis Ganong (USA) 1:10.68
6. Otmar Striedinger (AUT) 1:10.68
8. Carlo Janka (SUI) 1:10.73
9. Adrien Theaux (FRA) 1:10.74
10. Markus Duerager (AUT) 1:10.79
22. Steven Nyman (USA) 1:11.18
23. Andrew Weibrecht (USA) 1:11.22
31. Ted Ligety (USA) 1:11.32
32. Jared Goldberg (USA) 1:11.33
44. Marco Sullivan (USA) 1:11.57
50. Tim Jitloff (USA) 1:11.76
54. Erik Fisher (USA) 1:11.83
71. Mark Engel (USA) 1:12.92
77. Bryce Bennett (USA) 1:13.29

Lara Gut rediscovers winning form

Iga Swiatek sweeps into French Open final, where she faces a surprise

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Iga Swiatek marched into the French Open final without dropping a set in six matches. All that stands between her and a third Roland Garros title is an unseeded foe.

Swiatek plays 43rd-ranked Czech Karolina Muchova in the women’s singles final, live Saturday at 9 a.m. ET on NBC, NBCSports.com/live, the NBC Sports app and Peacock.

Swiatek, the top-ranked Pole, swept 14th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil 6-2, 7-6 (7) in Thursday’s semifinal in her toughest test all tournament. Haddad Maia squandered three break points at 4-all in the second set.

Swiatek dropped just 23 games thus far, matching her total en route to her first French Open final in 2020 (which she won for her first WTA Tour title of any kind). After her semifinal, she signed a courtside camera with the hashtag #stepbystep.

“For sure I feel like I’m a better player,” than in 2020, she said. “Mentally, tactically, physically, just having the experience, everything. So, yeah, my whole life basically.”

Swiatek can become the third woman since 2000 to win three French Opens after Serena Williams and Justine Henin and, at 22, the youngest woman to win four total majors since Williams in 2002.

FRENCH OPEN DRAWS: Women | Men | Broadcast Schedule

Muchova upset No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus to reach her first major final.

Muchova, a 26-year-old into the second week of the French Open for the first time, became the first player to take a set off the powerful Belarusian all tournament, then rallied from down 5-2 in the third set to prevail 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 7-5.

Sabalenka, who overcame previous erratic serving to win the Australian Open in January, had back-to-back double faults in her last service game.

“Lost my rhythm,” she said. “I wasn’t there.”

Muchova broke up what many expected would be a Sabalenka-Swiatek final, which would have been the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 match at the French Open since Williams beat Maria Sharapova in the 2013 final.

Muchova is unseeded, but was considered dangerous going into the tournament.

In 2021, she beat then-No. 1 Ash Barty to make the Australian Open semifinals, then reached a career-high ranking of 19. She dropped out of the top 200 last year while struggling through injuries.

“Some doctors told me maybe you’ll not do sport anymore,” Muchova said. “It’s up and downs in life all the time. Now I’m enjoying that I’m on the upper part now.”

Muchova has won all five of her matches against players ranked in the top three. She also beat Swiatek in their lone head-to-head, but that was back in 2019 when both players were unaccomplished young pros. They have since practiced together many times.

“I really like her game, honestly,” Swiatek said. “I really respect her, and she’s I feel like a player who can do anything. She has great touch. She can also speed up the game. She plays with that kind of freedom in her movements. And she has a great technique. So I watched her matches, and I feel like I know her game pretty well.”

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2023 French Open men’s singles draw

Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz
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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. He can also become the first man to win all four majors at least three times and, at 36, the oldest French Open men’s or women’s singles champion.

FRENCH OPEN: Broadcast Schedule | Women’s Draw

Djokovic took out No. 1 seed Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals, advancing to a final against 2022 French Open runner-up Casper Ruud of Norway.

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).

All of the American men lost before the fourth round. The last U.S. man to make the French Open quarterfinals was Andre Agassi in 2003.

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