Anna Fenninger clinches World Cup overall title

Anna Fenninger
0 Comments

Austrian Anna Fenninger wrapped up her first World Cup overall title by finishing second in the World Cup Finals super-G in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, on Thursday.

Swiss Lara Gut delighted the flag-waving home crowd by winning the race and securing the super-G season title.

Gut crossed in 1 minute, 17.14 seconds. Fenninger was .61 behind, followed by last season’s overall champion, Tina Maze, at .95 back.

Fenninger, 24, is the youngest women’s World Cup overall winner since Lindsey Vonn won the second of her four titles in 2009.

She is also the first Austrian women’s winner since Nicole Hosp in 2007.

With countryman Marcel Hirscher likely to win the men’s title, it sets Austria up to be the first nation to sweep the men’s and women’s overall crystal globes since 2002.

Then, it was also Austria accomplishing the feat with Stephan Eberharter and Michaela Dorfmeister.

Fenninger, the Olympic super-G champion and giant slalom silver medalist, has been on a tear to close the season. She recorded her fourth podium finish in five starts since the Olympics on Thursday.

She overtook German Maria Hoefl-Riesch in overall points in Wednesday’s downhill after Hoefl-Riesch crashed and had to be helicoptered off the course. Hoefl-Riesch will not enter the final two races Saturday and Sunday.

It’s possible Hoefl-Riesch, 29, will retire after this season. Maze is 30. Vonn is 29 and coming off major surgery. The door may be open for Fenninger to be the overall star for years to come, though Mikaela Shiffrin may have something to say once she adds speed events.

Lenzerheide super-G
1. Lara Gut (SUI) 1:17.14
2. Anna Fenninger (AUT) 1:17.75
3. Tina Maze (SLO) 1:18.09
4. Nicole Schmidhofer (AUT) 1:18.22
5. Regina Sterz (AUT) 1:18.59
6. Nadia Fanchini (ITA) 1:18.73
7. Comelia Huetter (AUT) 1:19.00
8. Viktoria Rebensburg (GER) 1:19.21
9. Kajsa Kling (SWE) 1:19.22
10. Julia Mancuso (USA) 1:19.34
11. Stacey Cook (USA) 1:19.54

Final super-G standings
1. Lara Gut (SUI) — 448
2. Anna Fenninger (AUT) — 357
3. Tina Weirather (LIE) — 310
15. Julia Mancuso (USA) — 104
15. Stacey Cook (USA) — 104

Bode Miller makes super-G podium; Svindal concedes

2023 French Open women’s singles draw, scores

1 Comment

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.

Turning 22 during the tournament, 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 most recent match with a right thigh injury last week 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, and Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, the No. 4 seed and Wimbledon champion, are the top challengers in Paris.

No. 3 Jessica Pegula and No. 6 Coco Gauff, runner-up to Swiatek last year, are the best hopes 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

OlympicTalk is on Apple News. Favorite us!

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
Getty
1 Comment

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, who lost in the French Open first round in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, is improved on clay. He won the Italian Open, the last top-level clay event before the French Open, and is the No. 2 seed ahead of Djokovic.

No. 9 Taylor Fritz, No. 12 Frances Tiafoe and No. 16 Tommy Paul are the highest-seeded Americans, all 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

OlympicTalk is on Apple News. Favorite us!

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