Andy Murray, Teddy Riner grapple atop Paris monument

By May 25, 2017, 12:02 PM EDT
Andy Murray, Teddy Riner
Under Armour
0 Comments

A battle of Olympic champions took place in a unique setting, atop the Grande Arche de la Defense in central Paris on Wednesday.

British tennis player Andy Murray took up judo for a sponsor event. He did so against the world’s most formidable judoka, Frenchman Teddy Riner.

They faced off nearly 400 feet above the streets below and then posed for photos in front of the Avenue Charles de Gaulle, with the Arc de Triomphe far off in the distance.

Murray is one of the Olympic tennis greats with singles gold medals from 2012 and 2016, plus a mixed doubles silver with Laura Robson in 2012.

Riner is more dominant. He, too, took gold in 2012 and 2016. The 6-foot-8, 290-pound native of Guadeloupe hasn’t lost anywhere since 2010, racking up some 100 straight match wins.

OlympicTalk is on Apple News. Favorite us!

MORE: Serena Williams comments on 2020 Olympics during pregnancy

2023 French Open women’s singles draw, scores

By Jun 4, 2023, 4:10 PM EDT
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.

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 top 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

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

More: Olympics

FIBA 3x3 World Cup
U.S. women’s basketball team wins 3×3 world title; men take silver
KC Lightfoot
KC Lightfoot breaks American record in men’s pole vault
Faith Kipyegon
Faith Kipyegon smashes women’s 1500m world record in Florence

2023 French Open men’s singles draw, scores

By Jun 4, 2023, 3:10 PM EDT
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, 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

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

More: Olympics

FIBA 3x3 World Cup
U.S. women’s basketball team wins 3×3 world title; men take silver
KC Lightfoot
KC Lightfoot breaks American record in men’s pole vault
Faith Kipyegon
Faith Kipyegon smashes women’s 1500m world record in Florence