A U.S. medal on every day? Here’s how it could happen

By Nick ZaccardiFeb 10, 2014, 7:30 PM EST

KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia – The U.S. Olympic Team has won a medal on each of the first three days of competition in Sochi, and it has a chance to go wire to wire with medals on all 16 days of the Olympics.

Three nations have won a medal on every day of the Winter Olympics before, but the U.S. has never done it, according to OlympStats.com.

Germany last did it in 2010, when the U.S. won the overall medal count with the most medals by one nation ever. The U.S. won medals on 15 of 16 days in 2010.

The Soviet Union did it in 1960, 1964, 1972, 1980 and 1984. East Germany also accomplished the feat in 1980.

The U.S. got the job done on the first two days here thanks to expected medals from Hannah Kearney (moguls) on Saturday and Jamie Anderson (snowboard slopestyle) and in team figure skating (bronze) on Sunday. Sage Kotsenburg (gold, snowboard slopestyle) was a bit of surprise Saturday.

MORE: Complete Day 3 recap of Team USA

Monday looked like a possible no-medal day, but Alpine skier Julia Mancuso won bronze in the super combined, her first podium finish this season. Short track speed skater J.R. Celski was another medal threat and finished fourth in the 1500m.

Here are the remaining days of competition with some (not all) U.S. medal contenders highlighted:

Tuesday, Feb. 11 – Shaun White (snowboard halfpipe), Kikkan Randall (cross-country freestyle sprint)
Wednesday, Feb. 12 – Kelly Clark (snowboard halfpipe), Shani Davis (1000m)
Thursday, Feb. 13 – Nick Goepper (ski slopestyle), Heather Richardson/Brittany Bowe (1000m)
Friday, Feb. 14 – Noelle Pikus-Pace (skeleton), Ted Ligety/Bode Miller (super combined)
Saturday, Feb. 15 – Shani Davis (1500m), Julia Mancuso (super-G)
Sunday, Feb. 16 – Lindsey Jacobellis (snowboard cross), Brittany Bowe (1500m)
Monday, Feb. 17 – Meryl Davis/Charlie White (ice dance), Steven Holcomb (two-man bobsled)
Tuesday, Feb. 18 – David Wise (ski halfpipe), Mikaela Shiffrin (giant slalom)
Wednesday, Feb. 19 – Ted Ligety (giant slalom), Elana Meyers (two-woman bobsled)
Thursday, Feb. 20 – Women’s hockey medal games, Maddie Bowman (ski halfpipe)
Friday, Feb. 21 – Mikaela Shiffrin (slalom), men’s 5000m short track relay
Saturday, Feb. 22 – Men’s, women’s speed skating team pursuit, men’s hockey bronze-medal game
Sunday, Feb. 23 – Four-man bobsled, men’s hockey gold-medal game

The most questionable day is probably Feb. 22. The team pursuit can be fickle, and only one medal is available in men’s hockey that day.

Depth is lacking behind Davis in the 1500m on Saturday. He has won silver in the event at the last two Olympics and is the World Cup leader, though. Mancuso really boosted her super-G hopes with Monday’s bronze, though.

The next few days feature heavy medal favorites in snowboard halfpipe, speed skating and skeleton that should get the U.S. through the first full week of competition.

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

By OlympicTalkJun 9, 2023, 5:30 PM EDT

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

By OlympicTalkJun 9, 2023, 5:30 PM EDT

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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

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