Bode Miller, Julia Mancuso return as World Cup season continues

By Nick ZaccardiFeb 27, 2014, 3:08 PM EST

Sochi’s Alpine stars are back in action as early as Friday for the resumption of World Cup races.

Bronze medalist Bode Miller, the most decorated Olympic skier in U.S. history, is slated for a downhill in Kvitfjell, Norway, on Friday, the first of three straight days of racing at the site of the 1994 Olympics. Poor visibility canceled training Thursday.

If the weather brightens, Miller will take on a field including world champion Norwegian Aksel Lund Svindal, who will be looking to put an illness-filled, medal-less Olympics behind him.

Olympic giant slalom champion Ted Ligety will not race in Kvitfjell. He does not usually race downhills (Friday and Saturday) and opted out of coming over just for the super-G on Sunday.

The women’s tour resumes in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, with a downhill Saturday and a super combined Sunday. Olympic super combined bronze medalist Julia Mancuso is expected to race both days.

Olympic slalom champion Mikaela Shiffrin is not racing, as she is a slalom and giant slalom specialist.

Swiss Lara Gut, the Sochi downhill bronze medalist, was fastest in downhill training Thursday. Also in the field are German Maria Hoefl-Riesch and Slovenian Tina Maze, the most decorated active women’s skiers.

What’s on the line the rest of the season?

Precious crystal globes that go to individual discipline winners (except combined) and for overall points. Skiers accumulate points based on finishes in each race (100 for the winner, 80 for second, 60 for third, etc.).

Here are standings through 25 of 34 men’s races:

Overall
1. Marcel Hirscher (AUT) 955 points
2. Aksel Lund Svindal (NOR) 897
3. Alexis Pinturault (FRA) 774
4. Ted Ligety (USA) 629
5. Felix Neureuther (GER) 551
8. Bode Miller (USA) 449

Downhill (through six of nine races)
1. Aksel Lund Svindal (NOR) 440
2. Hannes Reichelt (AUT) 360 — OUT (back surgery)
3. Patrick Kueng (SUI) 239
6. Bode Miller (USA) 185

Super-G (through four of six races)
1. Aksel Lund Svindal (NOR) 296
2. Didier Defago (SUI) 162
3. Patrick Kueng (SUI) 159
4. Bode Miller (USA) 138

Svindal can clinch the downhill and super-G season titles with strong finishes this weekend.

Here are standings through 24 of 33 women’s races:

Overall
1. Maria Hoefl-Riesch (GER) 1,079
2. Tina Weirather (LIE) 943 — OUT FOR SEASON (shin injury)
3. Anna Fenninger (AUT) 871
4. Lara Gut (SUI) 796
5. Tina Maze (SLO) 754
6. Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) 650

Downhill (through seven of nine races)
1. Maria Hoefl-Riesch (GER) 475
2. Tina Weirather (LIE) 400 — OUT FOR SEASON (shin injury)
3. Marianne Kaufmann-Abderhalden (SUI) 389
11. Stacey Cook (USA) 133
14. Julia Mancuso (USA) 121

Combined (through one of two races)
1. Marie-Michele Gagnon (CAN) 100
2. Michaela Kirchgasser (AUT) 80
3. Maria Hoefl-Riesch (GER) 60

Hoefl-Riesch can clinch the downhill season title with a win Saturday, or a lower finish with help. The women’s super combined season title will be determined Sunday as it is the final super combined of the season.

Video: Ligety, Shiffrin on late-night talk shows

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Novak Djokovic breaks record he shared with Rafael Nadal at French Open

Associated PressJun 4, 2023, 11:18 AM EDT

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Novak Djokovic broke a tie with rival Rafael Nadal by reaching the French Open quarterfinals for the record 17th time, never truly in trouble during a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Juan Pablo Varillas on Sunday.

Djokovic is closing on bettering Nadal in a more prestigious category: Grand Slam singles championships. Both currently sit at 22. For Djokovic, that total includes two at Roland Garros, in 2016 and 2021, and he can become the first man to own at least three trophies from each major tournament.

Nadal is a 14-time champion in Paris but is missing this time because of a hip injury; he had arthroscopic surgery Friday night.

Against the 94th-ranked Varillas, who had never won a Slam match until this event and then took three in a row in five sets, Djokovic was, not surprisingly, at his dominant best at Court Philippe Chatrier on a warm, sunny day.

The 36-year-old from Serbia finished with more than twice as many winners, 35-15, and fewer unforced errors. He went 15 for 17 on trips to the net. He put in 80% of his first serves. He converted 6 of 12 break points while dropping his serve only once.

All in all, a no-drama showing in under two hours from Djokovic, who hasn’t ceded a set yet through four matches. He’s had his less-than-amiable back-and-forths with some spectators over the past week in Paris, but when this one ended, Djokovic gestured as though to hug everyone as he heard some chants of his two-syllable nickname, “No-le!”

In his 55th career major quarterfinal — Roger Federer, who retired with 58, is the only man to reach more — and 14th in a row at Roland Garros, the No. 3-seeded Djokovic will face No. 11 Karen Khachanov on Tuesday.

Khachanov, who is 1-8 against Djokovic, made it this far at a Slam for the fifth time by defeating Lorenzo Sonego 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7), 6-1.

The other men’s fourth-round matches Sunday were No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz vs. No. 17 Lorenzo Musetti, and No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Sebastian Ofner.

Two unseeded women moved into quarterfinals and will play each other next: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the 2021 runner-up at Roland Garros, and Karolina Muchova.

Pavlyuchenkova, who missed last year’s tournament as part of a lengthy absence with a knee injury, got past a third consecutive seeded opponent, No. 28 Elise Mertens, by a 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-3 score.

Muchova was a 6-4, 6-4 winner against Elina Avanesyan, who lost in qualifying but got into the main draw when another player withdrew.

The other women’s matches scheduled for later: No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka vs. 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens, and No. 9 Daria Kasatkina vs. Elina Svitolina.

FRENCH OPEN DRAWS: Women | Men | Broadcast Schedule

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French Open doubles team disqualified after tennis ball hits ball girl

Associated PressJun 4, 2023, 9:57 AM EDT

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French Open doubles player Miyu Kato and her partner were forced to forfeit a match when Kato accidentally hit a ball girl in the neck with a ball after a point on Sunday.

In the second set on Court 14 at Roland Garros, Kato took a swing with her racket and the ball flew toward the ball kid, who was not looking in the player’s direction while heading off the court.

At first, chair umpire Alexandre Juge only issued a warning to Kato. But after tournament referee Remy Azemar and Grand Slam supervisor Wayne McEwen went to Court 14 to look into what happened, Kato and her partner, Aldila Sutjiadi of Indonesia, were disqualified.

That made Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic and Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain the winners of the match.

“It’s just a bad situation for everyone,” Bouzkova said. “But it’s kind of something that, I guess, is taken by the rules, as it is, even though it’s very unfortunate for them. … At the end of the day, it was the referee’s decision.”

Bouzkova said she did not see the ball hit the ball girl, but “she was crying for like 15 minutes.”

She said one of the officials said the ball “has to do some kind of harm to the person affected” and that “at first, (Juge) didn’t see that.”

Bouzkova said she and Sorribes Tormo told Juge “to look into it more and ask our opponents what they think happened.”

During Coco Gauff’s 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-1 singles victory over Mirra Andreeva on Saturday, Andreev swatted a ball into the Court Suzanne Lenglen stands after dropping a point in the first set. Andreev was given a warning by the chair umpire for unsportsmanlike conduct but no further penalty.

“I heard about that. Didn’t see it,” Bouzkova said. “I guess it just depends on the circumstances and the given situation as it happens. … It is difficult, for sure.

In the quarterfinals, Bouzkova and Sorribes Tormo will face Ellen Perez of Australia and Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States.

FRENCH OPEN DRAWS: Women | Men | Broadcast Schedule

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a tough scene in Paris. Doubles partners Kato/Sutjiadi just got defaulted as Kato hit a ball girl accidentally at 6-7(1), 3-1.#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/A7BIshh1CX

— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) June 4, 2023

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