Russians top NHK Trophy short program (video)

By Nick ZaccardiNov 10, 2017, 7:05 AM EST

Yevgenia Medvedeva is once again ahead at a Grand Prix event, but she’s not the only Russian leader.

Medvedeva and Sergey Voronov topped Friday’s short programs at NHK Trophy in Osaka, Japan, the fourth of six Grand Prix events this fall.

Medvedeva, the two-time world champion undefeated for two years, had her typical clean program will all of her jumps in the second half for a 10 percent bonus.

She tallied 79.99 points. Medvedeva is the only female skater to break 80 under the 13-year-old scoring system.

The overwhelming PyeongChang favorite goes into Saturday’s free skate with a 5.42-point lead over Olympic bronze medalist Carolina Kostner of Italy.

NHK: Broadcast Schedule | Scores

Kostner, 30, is in great position to become the oldest singles skater to qualify for December’s Grand Prix Final, breaking American Todd Eldredge‘s record from 2001.

Americans Mirai Nagasu and Mariah Bell are fifth and ninth, respectively, in what could be their final competition before the U.S. Championships in January.

Nagasu landed a fully rotated triple Axel but was given a negative grade-of-execution score. She under-rotated two other jumps.

Bell, the top-scoring U.S. woman on the Grand Prix series so far this fall, had trouble with her opening triple-triple combination and also doubled a planned triple flip.

Nagasu and Bell are among the top contenders to make the three-woman Olympic team, along with 2017 U.S. gold and silver medalists Karen Chen and Ashley Wagner.

In the men’s event, Voronov took the lead in the absence of Olympic gold and silver medalists Yuzuru Hanyu and Patrick Chan, who withdrew last week and Friday morning, respectively.

Hanyu suffered an ankle injury in a Thursday practice fall (video here).

Voronov landed a quadruple toe loop in a clean short program to tally 90.06 points. The 30-year-old has been competing on the Grand Prix since 2006 but has zero wins (six podium finishes, though).

He leads Israel’s Alexei Bychenko by 4.54 going into Saturday’s free skate.

Jason Brown and Adam Rippon, the 2015 and 2016 U.S. champions, are third and fourth.

Brown lost points by performing a triple-double combination rather than a triple-triple. Rippon, like Brown, did not attempt a quadruple jump.

Both Americans could qualify for their first Grand Prix Final, the second-biggest annual event after worlds. The Final takes the top six skaters from the Grand Prix season based on combined results in each skater’s two Grand Prix starts.

Brown already has a runner-up finish from last month. A podium finish Saturday will likely be enough to make the Final in Nagoya in December.

Rippon, sixth at last year’s Grand Prix Final before breaking his foot, has his second Grand Prix at Skate America in two weeks.

Also Friday, Chinese Sui Wenjing and Han Cong topped the pairs short by 4.38 points over Russians Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov.

Sui and Han, the reigning world champions, are seeking their second Grand Prix win in as many weeks.

Alexa Scimeca Knierim and Christopher Knierim, the favorites to grab the one U.S. Olympic pairs spot, are fourth after tallying the best short program score by Americans this season by 2.6 points.

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NHK Trophy Short Programs
Men
1. Sergey Voronov (RUS) — 90.06
2. Alexei Bychenko (ISR) — 85.52
3. Jason Brown (USA) — 85.36
4. Adam Rippon (USA) — 84.95

Women
1. Yevgenia Medvedeva (RUS) — 79.99
2. Carolina Kostner (ITA) — 74.57
3. Polina Tsurskaya (RUS) — 70.04
5. Mirai Nagasu (USA) — 65.17
9. Mariah Bell (USA) — 57.25

Pairs
1. Sui Wenjing/Han Cong (CHN) — 79.43
2. Ksenia Stolbova/Fedor Klimov (RUS) — 75.05
3. Kristina Astakhova/Alexei Rogonov (RUS) — 70.47
4. Alexa Scimeca Knierim/Christopher Knierim (USA) — 65.86

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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