Yohan Blake, Andre De Grasse beaten at London Diamond League

By OlympicTalkJul 20, 2019, 10:58 AM EDT

South African Akani Simbine beat Olympic medalists Yohan Blake and Andre De Grasse in the London Diamond League 100m on Saturday.

Simbine, fifth at the most recent Olympics and world championships, clocked 9.93 seconds at the 2012 Olympic Stadium. He held off Brit Zharnel Hughes (9.95), while the 2012 Olympic silver medalist Blake was third (9.97) and 2016 Olympic bronze medalist De Grasse was fifth (9.99).

The race lacked the fastest men of 2019 — Americans Christian Coleman (9.81), Noah Lyles (9.86) and Justin Gatlin (9.87) and NCAA champion Divine Oduduru of Nigeria (9.86).

The meet concludes Sunday, live on NBC Sports Gold at 8:50 a.m. ET. U.S. stars are skipping this stop to prepare for the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships next weekend, where world championships spots are at stake.

In other events Saturday, world championships 800m favorite Nijel Amos of Botswana was wheeled off in a chair after grabbing the back of his right upper leg and stopping just after the start of the race. Eight days ago, Amos clocked the world’s fastest 800m since David Rudisha‘s world record at the London Olympics.

In his absence, Kenyan Ferguson Rotich won in 1:43.14, which was 1.25 seconds off Amos’ time from the previous Diamond League meet. Rudisha hasn’t competed in two years due to injury.

In the 5000m, Norwegian 18-year-old Jakob Ingebrigtsen lowered his personal best by 15.04 seconds in finishing second to Ethiopian Hagos Gebrhiwet, who won by .17 of a second in 13:01.86. Ingebrigtsen ranks Nos. 2 and 9 in the world this year in the 1500m (his best event) and the 5000m. Gebrhiwet won two weeks after miscounting laps in the Lausanne Diamond League, celebrating 400 meters too early and ending up 10th.

World 400m hurdles champion Karsten Warholm broke the European record in 47.12, the seventh-fastest time in history. Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba and American Rai Benjamin, who went faster in 2018, were not in Saturday’s race.

Jamaican Danielle Williams won the 100m hurdles in 12.32 seconds, a national record and the world’s fastest time in two years. World-record holder Kendra Harrison and Olympic champion Brianna McNeal were not in the field.

Olympic champion Elaine Thompson took the 200m in 22.13, the fourth-fastest in the world this year. Thompson owns the fastest time of 2019, a 22.00 from the Jamaican Championships on June 23.

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Iga Swiatek sweeps into French Open final, where she faces a surprise

By OlympicTalkJun 9, 2023, 5:30 PM EDT

Iga Swiatek marched into the French Open final without dropping a set in six matches. All that stands between her and a third Roland Garros title is an unseeded foe.

Swiatek plays 43rd-ranked Czech Karolina Muchova in the women’s singles final, live Saturday at 9 a.m. ET on NBC, NBCSports.com/live, the NBC Sports app and Peacock.

Swiatek, the top-ranked Pole, swept 14th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil 6-2, 7-6 (7) in Thursday’s semifinal in her toughest test all tournament. Haddad Maia squandered three break points at 4-all in the second set.

Swiatek dropped just 23 games thus far, matching her total en route to her first French Open final in 2020 (which she won for her first WTA Tour title of any kind). After her semifinal, she signed a courtside camera with the hashtag #stepbystep.

“For sure I feel like I’m a better player,” than in 2020, she said. “Mentally, tactically, physically, just having the experience, everything. So, yeah, my whole life basically.”

Swiatek can become the third woman since 2000 to win three French Opens after Serena Williams and Justine Henin and, at 22, the youngest woman to win four total majors since Williams in 2002.

FRENCH OPEN DRAWS: Women | Men | Broadcast Schedule

Muchova upset No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus to reach her first major final.

Muchova, a 26-year-old into the second week of the French Open for the first time, became the first player to take a set off the powerful Belarusian all tournament, then rallied from down 5-2 in the third set to prevail 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 7-5.

Sabalenka, who overcame previous erratic serving to win the Australian Open in January, had back-to-back double faults in her last service game.

“Lost my rhythm,” she said. “I wasn’t there.”

Muchova broke up what many expected would be a Sabalenka-Swiatek final, which would have been the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 match at the French Open since Williams beat Maria Sharapova in the 2013 final.

Muchova is unseeded, but was considered dangerous going into the tournament.

In 2021, she beat then-No. 1 Ash Barty to make the Australian Open semifinals, then reached a career-high ranking of 19. She dropped out of the top 200 last year while struggling through injuries.

“Some doctors told me maybe you’ll not do sport anymore,” Muchova said. “It’s up and downs in life all the time. Now I’m enjoying that I’m on the upper part now.”

Muchova has won all five of her matches against players ranked in the top three. She also beat Swiatek in their lone head-to-head, but that was back in 2019 when both players were unaccomplished young pros. They have since practiced together many times.

“I really like her game, honestly,” Swiatek said. “I really respect her, and she’s I feel like a player who can do anything. She has great touch. She can also speed up the game. She plays with that kind of freedom in her movements. And she has a great technique. So I watched her matches, and I feel like I know her game pretty well.”

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2023 French Open men’s singles draw

By OlympicTalkJun 9, 2023, 5:30 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. He can also become the first man to win all four majors at least three times and, at 36, the oldest French Open men’s or women’s singles champion.

FRENCH OPEN: Broadcast Schedule | Women’s Draw

Djokovic took out No. 1 seed Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals, advancing to a final against 2022 French Open runner-up Casper Ruud of Norway.

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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