Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce matches world’s fastest 100m of 2022

By OlympicTalkJun 18, 2022, 5:06 PM EDT

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the 2008 and 2012 Olympic 100m champion, matched her 2022 world-leading time by clocking 10.67 seconds at a Diamond League meet in Paris on Saturday.

Fraser-Pryce consolidated her favorite status for next month’s world championships by equaling the 10.67 she ran on May 7 in her only other 100m race this year. Fraser-Pryce is the only woman to ever break 10.70 seconds before July 1 in any year.

This year, the next fastest woman is reigning Olympic 100m champ Elaine Thompson-Herah, way back at 10.79. Fraser-Pryce and Thompson-Herah could go head-to-head in the 100m and 200m at the Jamaican Championships next week, though Fraser-Pryce has a bye into July’s world championships 100m as defending champion.

Fraser-Pryce took a backseat last year to Thompson-Herah, including a 100m silver at the Olympics. Thompson-Herah has been challenged by injuries this spring and has yet to race against Fraser-Pryce in 2022.

At the last worlds in 2019, Fraser-Pryce became the oldest woman to win an Olympic or world 100m title. At these worlds, she can become the oldest Olympic or world champion in any sprint, flat or hurdles, according to Bill Mallon of Olympedia.org.

Full Paris results are here. The Diamond League takes a break next week as countries like the U.S. and Jamaica hold national championships, the qualifying meets for the world championships next month in Eugene, Oregon.

In other events Saturday, American Valarie Allman outdueled Croatian Sandra Perkovic in a battle between the last two Olympic discus champions. Allman won with a 68.68-meter throw, edging Perkovic by 49 centimeters. On Thursday in Oslo, Perkovic handed Allman her first defeat of the season, though Allman was wearing sneakers and not throwing shoes.

Devon Allen won his third 110m hurdles race in a six-day span, clocking 13.16. Allen, who last Sunday ran 12.84 for the third-fastest time in history, is headed to Philadelphia Eagles training camp as a wide receiver after worlds.

Two-time Olympic triple jump champion Christian Taylor was seventh in his first Diamond League meet in three years and since missing the Tokyo Games with a torn Achilles. Cubans Jordan Diaz Fortun and Andy Diaz, who rank Nos. 1 and 2 in the world this year, went one-two. Diaz Fortun prevailed by one centimeter with a 17.66-meter jump. Taylor has a bye into worlds as defending champion.

Olympic champion Andre De Grasse was fourth in the 200m won by South African Luxolo Adams in 19.82. De Grasse, who prevailed in Tokyo in a Canadian record 19.62, has a best time this year of 20.15 in three 200m races.

Bahamian Olympic 400m champions Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Steven Gardiner each won the one-lap race but continue to trail in the 2022 world rankings. Miller-Uibo, who clocked 50.10, ranks behind Dominican Marileidy Paulino‘s 49.49 by best times this year. Gardiner won in 44.21, trailing American Michael Norman‘s 43.60 from the Pre Classic three weeks ago.

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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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