Michael Phelps, Missy Franklin beaten in Olympic Trials tune-up meet

By Nick ZaccardiJun 3, 2016, 9:00 PM EDT

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Michael Phelps and Missy Franklin appear to have their work cut out at the U.S. Olympic Trials later this month to earn spots on Rio 4x100m freestyle relays.

Phelps and Franklin both swam their fastest 100m freestyles of 2016 in a trials tune-up meet in Austin, Texas, on Friday night, but neither posted a time that ranks in the top five among Americans in the event this year.

Phelps won the Austin men’s 100m freestyle in 49.49 seconds (full results here) against a field that did not include the top Americans in the event. He is ranked eighth in the U.S. Usually, the top six finishers in the 100m free at the Olympic Trials earn Olympic 4x100m free relay berths.

Phelps later was beaten in the 100m butterfly in Austin by Joseph Schooling of Singapore, 51.58 to 51.65, but Phelps remains fastest among Americans in the fly this year.

“Kind of happy, kind of not,” Phelps said in a Facebook video. “It’s decent, but I’m always really very hard on myself. … Today was a little motivating. … I would have been a lot happier if I was a half-second faster in both of the 100s today.”

The fastest Americans in the 100m free this year are Olympic champion Nathan Adrian (48.00) and University of Florida rising junior Caeleb Dressel (personal-best 48.74 in a different meet Friday). But no other American has broken 49 seconds, leaving a wide opening for Phelps and others.

Phelps has made the Olympic 4x100m free relay in the past without swimming the 100m free at trials, but given his lack of impressive 100m free times since the start of 2015, he may have to post a strong time in Omaha in three weeks to prove he deserves a relay spot.

His coach, Bob Bowman, is the U.S. Olympic men’s head coach. The coaching staff determines relay lineups at the Olympics.

In the Austin women’s 100m freestyle, Allison Schmitt won in 54.30 seconds, her fastest time since the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials.

Franklin took second in 54.56, her fastest time this year but just ninth-fastest among Americans for 2016.

Franklin made the 100m freestyle final at every major international meet from 2012 through 2015, but she goes into the Olympic Trials as an underdog in the weakest of her four primary events. Dana Vollmer and Katie Ledecky have the fastest U.S. 100m freestyle times in 2016 at 53.59 and 53.75.

In other meets Friday, China’s Sun Yang won a 200m freestyle in Santa Clara, Calif., in 1:44.82, the fastest time in the world since 2013. Sun is the reigning Olympic 400m and 1500m free champion and earned silver in London in the 200m free.

Sun could now be favored to become the first swimmer to sweep the 200m, 400m and 1500m frees at one Olympics.

MORE: Phelps eyes at least three events at Olympic Trials

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Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly said Ryan Lochte was not competing this weekend. He is swimming at a small meet in Charlotte.

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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2023 French Open women’s singles draw, scores

By OlympicTalkJun 3, 2023, 7:30 PM EDT

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.

Having turned 22 on Wednesday, 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 last pre-French Open match with a right thigh injury 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, is her top remaining challenger in Paris.

No. 3 Jessica Pegula, the highest-seeded American man or woman, was eliminated in the third round. No. 4 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, who has three wins over Swiatek this year, withdrew before her third-round match due to illness.

No. 6 Coco Gauff, runner-up to Swiatek last year, is the best hope 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

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2023 French Open Women’s Singles Draw

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