2019 FIBA World Cup schedule, results

By OlympicTalkAug 30, 2019, 1:37 PM EDT

The FIBA Men’s Basketball World Cup, where not only a world title but also seven 2020 Tokyo Olympic spots will be determined, takes place the first two weeks of September in China.

The U.S., with a roster missing NBA superstars, looks to become the first nation to win three straight titles.

Top challengers include Serbia, which took silver at the Rio Olympics and 2014 Worlds and is led by Denver Nuggets All-Star Nikola Jokić. Traditional contender Spain features stalwarts Marc Gasol and Ricky Rubio. France boasts five NBA players, including Rudy Gobert, Evan Fournier and Nicolas Batum.

The format: 32 teams split into eight groups, like the men’s soccer World Cup. The top two per group advance to a second phase of 16 teams in four groups, with their points carrying over. The top two from each of those groups make up the quarterfinals.

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Date	Time (ET)	Game	Round
Sat, Aug. 31	3:30 a.m.	Serbia 105, Angola 59	Group D
	4 a.m.	Poland 80, Venezuela 69	Group A
	4:30 a.m.	Russia 82, Nigeria 77	Group B
	4:30 a.m.	Puerto Rico 83, Iran 81	Group C
	7:30 a.m.	Italy 108, Philippines 62	Group D
	8 a.m.	China 70, Ivory Coast 55	Group A
	8:30 a.m.	Spain 101, Tunisia 62	Group C
	8:30 a.m.	Argentina 95, South Korea 59	Group B
Sun, Sept. 1	3:30 a.m.	Australia 108, Canada 92	Group H
	4 a.m.	Brazil 102, New Zealand 94	Group F
	4:30 a.m.	Dominican Republic 80, Jordan 76	Group G
	4:30 a.m.	Turkey 86, Japan 67	Group E
	7:30 a.m.	Lithuania 101, Senegal 47	Group H
	8 a.m.	Greece 85, Montenegro 60	Group F
	8:30 a.m.	USA 88, Czech Republic 67	Group E
	8:30 a.m.	France 78, Germany 74	Group G
Mon, Sept. 2	3:30 a.m.	Italy 92, Angola 61	Group D
	4 a.m.	Venezuela 87, Ivory Coast 71	Group A
	4:30 a.m.	Tunisia 79, Iran 67	Group C
	4:30 a.m.	Argentina 94, Nigeria 81	Group B
	7:30 a.m.	Serbia 126, Philippines 67	Group D
	8 a.m.	Poland 79, China 76	Group A
	8:30 a.m.	Russia 97, South Korea 73	Group B
	8:30 a.m.	Spain 73, Puerto Rico 63	Group C
Tue, Sept. 3	3:30 a.m.	Australia 81, Senegal 68	Group H
	4 a.m.	New Zealand 93, Montenegro 83	Group F
	4:30 a.m.	Dominican Republic 70, Germany 68	Group G
	4:30 a.m.	Czech Republic 89, Japan 76	Group E
	7:30 a.m.	Lithuania 92, Canada 69	Group H
	8 a.m.	Brazil 79, Greece 78	Group F
	8:30 a.m.	France 103, Jordan 64	Group G
	8:30 a.m.	USA 93, Turkey 92 (OT)	Group E
Wed, Sept. 4	3:30 a.m.	Angola 84, Philippines 81 (OT)	Group D
	4 a.m.	Poland 80, Ivory Coast 63	Group A
	4:30 a.m.	Puerto Rico 67, Tunisia 64	Group C
	4:30 a.m.	Nigeria 108, South Korea 66	Group B
	7:30 a.m.	Serbia 92, Italy 77	Group D
	8 a.m.	Venezuela 72, China 59	Group A
	8:30 a.m.	Spain 73, Iran 65	Group C
	8:30 a.m.	Argentina 69, Russia 61	Group B
Thu, Sept. 5	3:30 a.m.	Canada 82, Senegal 60	Group H
	4 a.m.	Brazil 84, Montenegro 73	Group F
	4:30 a.m.	Germany 96, Jordan 62	Group G
	4:30 a.m.	Czech Republic 91, Turkey 76	Group E
	7:30 a.m.	Australia 87, Lithuania 82	Group H
	8 a.m.	Greece 103, New Zealand 97	Group F
	8:30 a.m.	USA 98, Japan 45	Group E
	8:30 a.m.	France 90, Dominican Republic 56	Group G
Fri, Sept. 6	4 a.m.	Poland 79, Russia 74	Group I (Stage 2)
	4:30 a.m.	Serbia 90, Puerto Rico 47	Group J (Stage 2)
	8 a.m.	Argentina 87, Venezuela 67	Group I (Stage 2)
	8:30 a.m.	Spain 67, Italy 60	Group J (Stage 2)
Sat, Sept. 7	4 a.m.	Australia 82, Dominican Republic 76	Group L (Stage 2)
	4:30 a.m.	Czech Republic 93, Brazil 71	Group K (Stage 2)
	8 a.m.	France 78, Lithuania 75	Group L (Stage 2)
	8:30 a.m.	USA 69, Greece 53	Group K (Stage 2)
Sun, Sept. 8	4 a.m.	Russia 69, Venezuela 60	Group I (Stage 2)
	4:30 a.m.	Italy 94, Puerto Rico 89	Group J (Stage 2)
	8 a.m.	Argentina 91, Poland 65	Group I (Stage 2)
	8:30 a.m.	Spain 81, Serbia 69	Group J (Stage 2)
Mon, Sept. 9	4 a.m.	Lithuania 74, Dominican Republic 55	Group L (Stage 2)
	4:30 a.m.	Greece 84, Czech Republic 77	Group K (Stage 2)
	8 a.m.	Australia 100, France 98	Group L (Stage 2)
	8:30 a.m.	USA 89, Brazil 73	Group K (Stage 2)
Tue, Sept. 10	7 a.m.	Argentina 97, Serbia 87	Quarterfinals
	9 a.m.	Spain 90, Poland 78	Quarterfinals
Wed, Sept. 11	7 a.m.	France 89, USA 79	Quarterfinals
	9 a.m.	Australia 82, Czech Republic 70	Quarterfinals
Thu, Sept. 12	7 a.m.	Serbia 94, USA 89	Consolation
	9 a.m.	Czech Republic 94, Poland 84	Consolation
Fri, Sept. 13	4 a.m.	Spain 95, Australia 88 (2OT)	Semifinals
	8 a.m.	Argentina 80, France 66	Semifinals
Sat, Sept. 14	4 a.m.	USA 87, Poland 74	Seventh Place
	8 a.m.	Serbia 90, Czech Republic 81	Fifth Place
Sun, Sept. 15	4 a.m.	France 67, Australia 59	Third Place
	8 a.m.	Spain 95, Argentina 75	Final

At the French Open, a Ukrainian mom makes her comeback

By OlympicTalkMay 31, 2023, 5:15 PM EDT

Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, once the world’s third-ranked tennis player, is into the French Open third round in her first major tournament since childbirth.

Svitolina, 28, swept 2022 French Open semifinalist Martina Trevisan of Italy, then beat Australian qualifier Storm Hunter 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 to reach the last 32 at Roland Garros. She next plays 56th-ranked Russian Anna Blinkova, who took out the top French player, fifth seed Caroline Garcia, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 on her ninth match point.

Svitolina’s husband, French player Gael Monfils, finished his first-round five-set win after midnight on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. She watched that match on a computer before going to sleep ahead of her 11 a.m. start Wednesday.

“This morning, he told me, ‘I’m coming to your match, so make it worth it,'” she joked on Tennis Channel. “I was like, OK, no pressure.

“I don’t know what he’s doing here now. He should be resting.”

Also Wednesday, 108th-ranked Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis ousted three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-3 in four and a half hours. Wawrinka’s exit leaves Novak Djokovic as the lone man in the draw who has won the French Open and Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz as the lone men left who have won any major.

The top seed Alcaraz beat 112th-ranked Taro Daniel of Japan 6-1, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. The Spaniard gets 26th seed Denis Shapovalov of Canada in the third round. Djokovic, the No. 3 seed, swept 83rd-ranked Hungarian Marton Fucsovics 7-6 (2), 6-0, 6-3 to reach a third-round date with 29th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain.

FRENCH OPEN DRAWS: Women | Men | Broadcast Schedule

Svitolina made at least one major quarterfinal every year from 2017 through 2021, including the semifinals at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2019. She married Monfils one week before the Tokyo Olympics, then won a singles bronze medal.

Svitolina played her last match before maternity leave on March 24, 2022, one month after Russia invaded her country. She gave birth to daughter Skai on Oct. 15.

Svitolina returned to competition in April. Last week, she won the tournament preceding the French Open, sweeping Blinkova to improve to 17-3 in her career in finals. She’s playing on a protected ranking of 27th after her year absence and, now, on a seven-match win streak.

“It was always in my head the plan to come back, but I didn’t put any pressure on myself, because obviously with the war going on, with the pregnancy, you never know how complicated it will go,” she said. “I’m as strong as I was before, maybe even stronger, because I feel that I can handle the work that I do off the court, and match by match I’m getting better. Also mentally, because mental can influence your physicality, as well.”

Svitolina said she’s motivated by goals to attain before she retires from the sport and to help Ukraine, such as donating her prize money from last week’s title in Strasbourg.

“These moments bring joy to people of Ukraine, to the kids as well, the kids who loved to play tennis before the war, and now maybe they don’t have the opportunity,” she said. “But these moments that can motivate them to look on the bright side and see these good moments and enjoy themselves as much as they can in this horrible situation.”

Svitolina was born in Odesa and has lived in Kharkiv, two cities that have been attacked by Russia.

“I talk a lot with my friends, with my family back in Ukraine, and it’s a horrible thing, but they are used to it now,” she said. “They are used to the alarms that are on. As soon as they hear something, they go to the bomb shelters. Sleepless nights. You know, it’s a terrible thing, but they tell me that now it’s a part of their life, which is very, very sad.”

Svitolina noted that she plays with a flag next to her name — unlike the Russians and Belarusians, who are allowed to play as neutral athletes.

“When I step on the court, I just try to think about the fighting spirit that all of us Ukrainians have and how Ukrainians are fighting for their values, for their freedom in Ukraine,” she said, “and me, I’m fighting here on my own front line.”

Svitolina said that she’s noticed “a lot of rubbish” concerning how tennis is reacting to the war.

“We have to focus on what the main point of what is going on,” she said. “Ukrainian people need help and need support. We are focusing on so many things like empty words, empty things that are not helping the situation, not helping anything.

“I want to invite everyone to focus on helping Ukrainians. That’s the main point of this, to help kids, to help women who lost their husbands because they are at the war, and they are fighting for Ukraine.

“You can donate. Couple of dollars might help and save lives. Or donate your time to something to help people.”

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2023 French Open women’s singles draw, scores

By OlympicTalkMay 31, 2023, 5:10 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.

Turning 22 during the tournament, 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, and Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, the No. 4 seed and Wimbledon champion, are the top challengers in Paris.

No. 3 Jessica Pegula and No. 6 Coco Gauff, runner-up to Swiatek last year, are the best hopes 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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