Michael Phelps wins at Winter Nationals, eyes changing diapers

By Nick ZaccardiDec 3, 2015, 10:53 PM EST

Michael Phelps breezed to a victory at the U.S. Winter Nationals on Thursday night, but he knows more unfamiliar and perhaps more difficult tasks lie ahead.

Such as changing diapers.

“There are many things that could happen while changing a diaper, so if I can get in and get out safely, that’s all that matters,” Phelps joked in an interview with Carolyn Manno after winning the 200m individual medley in Federal Way, Wash.

Phelps, the 22-time Olympic medalist, is competing for the first time since he and fiancée Nicole Johnson announced they are expecting a baby.

Johnson was in attendance Thursday night to watch a clean-shaven Phelps prevail in 1:57.61, which is 1.69 seconds faster than his time at a meet in Minneapolis three weeks ago when he raced with a full beard.

Training partner Chase Kalisz was second in 1:58.77. World champion Ryan Lochte is not competing in Federal Way. Full Thursday results are here.

“The time was fine,” Phelps, who owns the fastest time in the world this year at 1:54.75 from August, told Manno. “The biggest thing is just being able to move forward throughout the season to really, hopefully set up a good time for Olympic trials [in late June/early July].”

Winter Nationals run through Saturday and will be streamed live the next two days on USASwimming.org/Nationals. NBC and NBC Sports Live Extra will air coverage Sunday from 12:30-1:30 p.m. ET.

In other events Thursday, longtime Phelps training partner Allison Schmitt swam her fastest 400m freestyle since she captured a 2012 Olympic silver medal in the event.

Schmitt, who failed to make this year’s World Championships team, touched in 4:06.88, ranking her third among Americans this year behind World champion Katie Ledecky (3:59.13) and Leah Smith (4:04.66). Neither Ledecky nor Smith is swimming at this weekend’s meet.

The top two at the U.S. Olympic trials on June 27 make the Rio Olympic team. Ledecky appears to be a lock for one of the berths.

Favorites Nathan Adrian and Simone Manuel swept the 50m freestyles Thursday. Neither bettered their nation-leading times from earlier this year. Missy Franklin clocked the 11th fastest time overall in the women’s 50m free, an event in which she’s not expected to vie for an Olympic spot.

Olympian Conor Dwyer took the men’s 400m free in 3:48.11, which was not an improvement on his best time this year. Connor Jaeger is the fastest American in the event for 2015 at 3:44.81. Dwyer is ranked No. 5.

In the women’s 200m IM, Olympic bronze medalist Caitlin Leverenz was out-touched by Maya DiRado, 2:11.10 to 2:11.79. DiRado, the World silver medalist in the 400m IM, is ranked No. 4 in the world this year in the 200m IM and looking to make her first Olympic team next year.

MORE SWIMMING: Phelps, Ledecky win Golden Goggles for Athlete of the Year

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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

Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz exit French Open, leaving no U.S. men

Associated PressJun 3, 2023, 7:35 PM EDT

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Frances Tiafoe kept coming oh so close to extending his French Open match against Alexander Zverev: 12 times Saturday night, the American was two points from forcing things to a fifth set.

Yet the 12th-seeded Tiafoe never got closer than that.

Instead, the 22nd-seeded Zverev finished out his 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-1, 7-6 (5) victory after more than 3 1/2 hours in Court Philippe Chatrier to reach the fourth round. With Tiafoe’s exit, none of the 16 men from the United States who were in the bracket at the start of the tournament are still in the field.

“I mean, for the majority of the match, I felt like I was in control,” said Tiafoe, a 25-year-old from Maryland who fell to 1-7 against Zverev.

“It’s just tough,” he said about a half-hour after his loss ended, rubbing his face with his hand. “I should be playing the fifth right now.”

Two other American men lost earlier Saturday: No. 9 seed Taylor Fritz and unseeded Marcos Giron.

No. 23 Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina beat Fritz 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5, and Nicolas Jarry of Chile eliminated Giron 6-2, 6-3, 6-7 (7), 6-3.

There are three U.S women remaining: No. 6 Coco Gauff, Sloane Stephens and Bernarda Pera.

FRENCH OPEN DRAWS: Women | Men | Broadcast Schedule

It is the second year in a row that zero men from the United States will participate in the fourth round at Roland Garros. If nothing else, it stands as a symbolic step back for the group after what seemed to be a couple of breakthrough showings at the past two majors.

For Tiafoe, getting to the fourth round is never the goal.

“I want to win the trophy,” he said.

Remember: No American man has won any Grand Slam title since Andy Roddick at the 2003 U.S. Open. The French Open has been the least successful major in that stretch with no U.S. men reaching the quarterfinals since Andre Agassi in 2003.

But Tiafoe beat Rafael Nadal in the fourth round of the U.S. Open along the way to getting to the semifinals there last September, the first time in 16 years the host nation had a representative in the men’s final four at Flushing Meadows.

Then, at the Australian Open this January, Tommy Paul, Sebastian Korda and Ben Shelton became the first trio of Americans in the men’s quarterfinals in Melbourne since 2000. Paul made it a step beyond that, to the semifinals.

After that came this benchmark: 10 Americans were ranked in the ATP’s Top 50, something that last happened in June 1995.

On Saturday, after putting aside a whiffed over-the-shoulder volley — he leaned atop the net for a moment in disbelief — Tiafoe served for the fourth set at 5-3, but couldn’t seal the deal.

In that game, and the next, and later on, too, including at 5-all in the tiebreaker, he would come within two points of owning that set.

Each time, Zverev claimed the very next point. When Tiafoe sent a forehand wide to end it, Zverev let out two big yells. Then the two, who have been pals for about 15 years, met for a warm embrace at the net, and Zverev placed his hand atop Tiafoe’s head.

“He’s one of my best friends on tour,” said Zverev, a German who twice has reached the semifinals on the red clay of Paris, “but on the court, I’m trying to win.”

At the 2022 French Open, Zverev tore ligaments in his right ankle while playing Nadal in the semifinals and had to stop.

“It’s been definitely the hardest year of my life, that’s for sure,” Zverev said. “I love tennis more than anything in the world.”

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