Alena Kostornaia leads Russian parade in Grand Prix Final short program

By OlympicTalkDec 6, 2019, 3:58 PM EST

Getty Images

In this season of the Russian Troika, Alena Kostornaia has clearly been the world’s best short program skater. She proved it again on Friday in the biggest competition to date.

Kostornaia, a 16-year-old, first-year senior, bettered her own world-leading short score, tallying 85.45 points to lead the Grand Prix Final going into Saturday’s free skate. A full TV and live stream schedule is here.

Kostornaia is attempting to win the senior Grand Prix Final, the second-biggest annual competition after worlds, a year after winning the Junior Grand Prix Final. She nailed a short program that included a triple Axel.

Russia boasts the top three in the six-skater field, looking to become the first nation to sweep any discipline at the Final in two decades.

Kostornaia is followed by reigning Olympic and world champion Alina Zagitova, who dropped behind younger countrywomen this season as she has neither a triple Axel or a quad. Anna Shcherbakova, who shares a coach with Kostornaia and Zagitova, is third.

Bradie Tennell, the first U.S. woman to qualify for the Final since 2015, is fourth after a clean short save one under-rotated jump.

Russian Alexandra Trusova and Japanese Rika Kihira, ranked Nos. 1 and 3 in the world this season, fell in the short program; Trusova on a triple Axel and Kihira on the back half of a triple flip-triple toe loop combination. They are in fifth and sixth place, respectively, 14 points behind.

That’s a boost for Kostornaia, who is not as strong in the free skate given she has never landed a quadruple jump in competition. Quads are not allowed in women’s short programs, but they are in the free skate (and Trusova can land four of them in one program).

“[Kostornaia] can blend the two aspects of the sport together that makes her, I think, almost a hope for figure skating purists who are probably in this time of change quite worried about what will happen to ladies’ figure skating with all these quads,” NBC Sports analyst Tara Lipinski said before the Final. “She is the skater who is proving to everyone that you can technically advance the sport as she has with her triple Axels — and quads to come, I’m assuming — and also not forget about the balance of what figure skating’s all about and bringing the skating skills and skating quality and emotion to the ice.”

Later in pairs, Sui Wenjing and Han Cong gave China its first Grand Prix Final title in a decade, extending their unbeaten streak since taking PyeongChang Olympic silver. They padded a short-program lead, despite free stake jumping mistakes, to win by 7.42 over fellow Chinese Peng Cheng and Jin Yang.

Earlier, French Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron overcame her twizzle error to top the rhythm dance with 83.83 points, which was 6.2 off their world-leading score this season. Papadakis and Cizeron are undefeated since taking silver at the PyeongChang Olympics.

Americans Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue, who won last year’s Final in the absence of their French training partners, are second after Hubbell’s twizzle error, 1.11 points behind. The free dance is Saturday.

Grand Prix Final
Women’s Short Program
1. Alena Kostornaia (RUS) — 85.45
2. Alina Zagitova (RUS) — 79.60
3. Anna Shcherbakova (RUS) — 78.27
4. Bradie Tennell (USA) — 72.20
5. Alexandra Trusova (RUS) — 71.45
6. Rika Kihira (JPN) — 70.71

Pairs’ Results
Gold: Sui Wenjing/Han Cong (CHN) — 211.69
Silver: Peng Cheng/Jin Yang (CHN) — 204.27
Bronze: Anastasia Mishina/Aleksandr Galliamov (RUS) — 203.13
4. Aleksandra Boikova / Dmitriy Kozlovskiy (RUS) — 201.84
5. Kirsten Moore-Towers/Michael Marinaro (CAN) — 197.99
6. Daria Pavliuchenko/Denis Khodykin (RUS) — 194.75

Rhythm Dance
1. Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron (FRA) — 83.83
2. Madison Hubbell/Zachary Donohue (USA) — 82.72
3. Madison Chock/Evan Bates (USA) — 81.67
4. Victoria Sinitsina/Nikita Katsalapov (RUS) — 81.51
5. Alexandra Stepanova/Ivan Bukin (RUS) — 81.14
6. Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier (CAN) — 79.53

OlympicTalk is on Apple News. Favorite us!

MORE: Alysa Liu takes Junior Grand Prix Final silver with historic jump list

Follow @nbcolympictalk

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.

OlympicTalk is on Apple News. Favorite us!

Follow @nbcolympictalk

2023 French Open men’s singles draw

By OlympicTalkJun 6, 2023, 5:16 PM EDT

Getty

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

OlympicTalk is on Apple News. Favorite us!

Follow @nbcolympictalk

More: Olympics

2023 French Open Men’s Singles Draw

More: Olympics