Winter Olympics: What to watch/stream

By OlympicTalkFeb 14, 2018, 12:15 PM EST

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The U.S. women’s hockey team has waited four years for this moment as they take on Canada in the second game of group play. Minus that slight hiccup against Finland in the final six seconds of the first intermission earlier this week, the American women have looked very strong. So, too, have Canada. It’s clear that these two teams are neck-and-neck, and they leave a sizeable gap between themselves and third best.

Sure, it’s not the gold medal match – yet. But this game will set the tone for the rest of the tournament for these two teams Puck drop is at 10:10p.m. EST / 7:10p.m. PST.

Skeleton, alpine skiing, and figure skating all feature in NBC’s primetime coverage tonight. After several delays, athletes in the oft-delayed alpine skiing event will hope to finally take to the slopes.

Hockey

Both the USA and Canada have looked so strong entering tonight, sweeping past both Finland and Olympic Athletes from Russia. This isn’t the gold medal match, but do expect a much more physical game tonight as these rivals battle it out once again.

There’s more than just one hockey game on tonight, though, as Finland and Germany begin their campaigns in the men’s competition. Finland have reached the podium in the past three Olympic games and, though not fielding quite as strong a team as in years past, do have the quality to see off Germany fairly comfortably.

Women’s Tournament

USA vs. CAN Stream Live Here 10:10p.m. EST / 7:10p.m. PST

Men’s Tournament

FIN vs. GER Stream Live Here 10:10p.m. EST / 7:10p.m. PST

Figure Skating

The pairs figure skating program concludes with the free skating event. Alexa Scimeca Knierim and Chris Knierim currently sit in 14th position after the first round. Though they likely won’t medal, a dramatic four-way fight for gold. China, OAR, Canada, and Germany currently hold the top four spots.

Click here for a full recap of the first round

Pairs Free Program Stream Live Here 8:30p.m. EST / 5:30p.m. PST

Alpine Skiing

Wind permitting, Mikaela Shiffrin will finally get back on her skis tonight as she looks to defend her Olympic gold medal in the women’s giant slalom. Tessa Worley and Viktoria Wesenberg, who are occupy the top two standings in the World Cup rankings, will be challenging the American for the top spot on the podium.

Bryce Bennett, meanwhile, will be leading the men’s contingent in the downhill event.

Women’s Giant Slalom Run 1 Stream Live Here 8:00p.m. EST / 5:00p.m. PST

Women’s Giant Slalom Run 2 Stream Live Here 11:45p.m. EST / 5:00p.m. PST

Men’s Downhill Stream Live Here 9:30p.m. EST / 6:30p.m. PST

Snowboard Cross

After some incredible performances on the slopestyle and halfpipe, it’s time for the snowboarding competition to take several different directions in the cross. Similar to cross country skiing, snowboarders line up in heats to race down a course – with “x” amount of snowboarders advancing out of each heat.

Following the seeding qualification, the tournament continues into late night with the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals. Pierre Vaultier is the defending Olympic gold medalist. Team USA’s Alex Deibold finished third in 2014.

Men’s qualification Stream Live Here 9:00p.m.. EST / 6:00p.m. PST

Curling

A very tough match awaits the USA tonight as they challenge Great Britain. The Britons a serious medal contenders and, seeing as how Canada is the standard by which all other teams should be judged, should easily take care of the Americans. If Great Britain is capable of pushing Canada, then the Americans probably won’t amount much to a challenge.

CHN vs. OAR Stream Live Here 7:05p.m. EST / 4:05p.m. PST

GBR vs. USA Stream Live Here 7:05p.m. EST / 4:05p.m. PST

DEN vs. JPN Stream Live Here 7:05p.m. EST / 4:05p.m. PST

CAN vs. KOR Stream Live Here 7:05p.m. EST / 4:05p.m. PST

Skeleton

Team USA’s Matt Antoine is back, looking to at least equal his bronze medal performance in 2014. Since then, Latvia’s Tomass Dukurs has emerged as the man to beat. The Latvian just missed out on a medal in 2014, but he’s got 50 World Cup titles to his name and is coming into the tournament fourth in the World Cup rankings. Axel Jungk will be making a serious Olympic gold challenge.

South Korea has got a hopeful contending for a gold medal as well. Yun Sung-Bin has seven World Cup titles to his pedigree, and should do much better than his 16th finish in Sochi.

Men’s Runs 1 and 2 Stream Live Here 8:00p.m. EST / 5:00p.m. PST

Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz set French Open semifinal showdown

By OlympicTalkJun 6, 2023, 6:59 PM EDT

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will play in the French Open semifinals on Friday in the most anticipated match of the tournament.

Each man advanced with a quarterfinal win on Tuesday.

Djokovic, eyeing a record-breaking 23rd Grand Slam men’s singles title, rallied past 11th-seeded Russian Karen Khachanov 4-6, 7-6 (0), 6-2, 6-4. The Serb reached his 45th career major semifinal, one shy of Roger Federer‘s men’s record.

Later Tuesday, top seed Alcaraz crushed fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece 6-2, 6-1, 7-6 (5) to consolidate his status as the favorite in Friday’s showdown.

“This match, everyone wants to watch,” Alcaraz said. “I really wanted to play this match as well. I always say that if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.”

FRENCH OPEN DRAWS: Women | Men | Broadcast Schedule

Alcaraz, who at last year’s U.S. Open became the first male teen to win a major since Rafael Nadal in 2005, is at this event the youngest man to be the top seed at a major since Boris Becker at 1987 Wimbledon.

The Djokovic-Alcaraz semifinal will produce the clear favorite for Sunday’s final given left-handed 14-time French Open champion Nadal is out this year with a hip injury and No. 2 seed Daniil Medvedev lost in the first round. Djokovic and Nadal share the record 22 men’s major titles.

Djokovic and Alcaraz met once, with Alcaraz winning last year on clay in Madrid 6-7 (5), 7-5, 7-6 (5).

“[Alcaraz] brings a lot of intensity on the court,” Djokovic said, before breaking into a smile. “Reminds me of someone from his country that plays with a left hand.”

Alcaraz and Djokovic were set to be on opposite halves of the draw — and thus not able to meet until the final — until Medvedev won the last top-level clay event before the French Open to move ahead of Djokovic in the rankings. That meant Djokovic had a 50 percent chance to wind up in Alcaraz’s half, and that’s what the random draw spit out two weeks ago.

Earlier Tuesday in the first two women’s quarterfinals, No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and 43rd-ranked Czech Karolina Muchova advanced to face off in Thursday’s semifinals.

Sabalenka, the Australian Open champion, swept Ukrainian Elina Svitolina 6-4, 6-4 to complete her set of semifinals in all four Grand Slams. Sabalenka will take the No. 1 ranking from Iga Swiatek if Swiatek loses before the final, or if Sabalenka makes the final and Swiatek does not win the title.

Svitolina, a former world No. 3, returned to competition in April from childbirth.

Muchova took out 2021 French Open runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia 7-5, 6-2, to make her second major semifinal after the 2021 Australian Open.

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2023 French Open men’s singles draw

By OlympicTalkJun 6, 2023, 5:16 PM EDT

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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 meet in Friday’s 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

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2023 French Open Men’s Singles Draw

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