Tennis

11:41 AM ET Associated Press ROME — If there were any lingering questions about who is the new dominant force in women’s tennis, Iga Swiatek put that to rest with a 7-6 (2), 6-0 victory over 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu on Friday to reach the Italian Open semifinals and extend her winning streak

1:22 PM ET ESPN News Services Top-ranked Novak Djokovic faced little resistance Thursday at the Italian Open, posting a 6-2, 6-2 win over Stan Wawrinka, who was playing only his second tournament after undergoing two surgeries on his left foot. Djokovic needed just 1 hour, 14 minutes to finish off the match. Djokovic, a five-time

10:00 AM ET Associated Press ROME — Top-ranked Iga Swiatek was tested before pulling out a 6-4, 6-1 victory over former No. 1 Victoria Azarenka to reach the Italian Open quarterfinals on Thursday and extend her winning streak to 25 matches. Azarenka took a 3-0 lead before Swiatek won five straight games in a grueling

1:26 AM ET Associated Press PARIS — Elina Svitolina can vividly recall her struggles as an anxious young player on the international tennis circuit, and is now campaigning for better mental health protection for juniors starting out in their careers. The former No.3-ranked Svitolina remembers how tough the weight of expectation was, the loneliness and

3:27 PM ET Associated Press PARIS — Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina wants Russian and Belarusian players to say whether they oppose the war in her nation. “For us, for Ukrainians, it’s very important that they speak out, that they choose which side they take. We want to know, we want to feel safe about

12:21 PM ET Jeremy WillisESPN.com Which athletes are making the most money? For 2022, it’s Los Angeles Lakers star/media mogul LeBron James who made $126.9 million in the last year according to research done by the sports business publication Sportico. The 37-year-old James takes over the top spot from MMA fighter Conor McGregor. James is

1:09 PM ET Naomi Osaka has left IMG to start her own agency, she told Sportico. Osaka’s sports agency, Evolve, will be stylized in all capital letters as EVOLVE. She is forming the agency with agent Stuart Duguid, who also is leaving IMG. Osaka’s contract with IMG expired at the end of last year and

9:21 AM ET Associated Press ROME — Once is enough when it comes to beating Rafael Nadal on a clay court. Throughout his career, Nadal has never lost consecutive matches on his favorite surface and the Spaniard extended that perfect record on Wednesday by beating John Isner 6-3, 6-1 to reach the third round of

4:43 PM ET ESPN News Services ROME — In a women’s matchup at the Italian Open of two US Open champions, Bianca Andreescu advanced Tuesday when Emma Raducanu retired due to a lower back injury with Andreescu ahead 6-2, 2-1. “Definitely disappointed with how today went. But I guess I wanted to give it a

2:02 PM ET Associated Press PARIS — Veteran French players Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gilles Simon have been handed wild cards to play in the main draw at the French Open, organizers said Tuesday. A former Australian Open runner-up, Tsonga announced earlier this season that he will retire after the clay-court Grand Slam event. Play begins

1:15 PM ET Associated Press ROME — Denis Shapovalov overcame a point penalty and a hostile crowd to beat local hope Lorenzo Sonego 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-3 in the first round of the Italian Open on Monday. Late in the second set, Shapovalov was given a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct after hopping over the

2:20 PM ET Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. — Katie Volynets, a 20-year-old Californian, and Michael Mmoh, a 24-year-old who was born in Saudi Arabia and is now based in Florida, earned the U.S. Tennis Association’s wild-card entries for the main draw of the French Open. Play begins at Roland Garros on May 22. Volynets and

7:49 AM ET Associated Press ROME — Naomi Osaka withdrew from the Italian Open on Monday with a left Achilles injury. Osaka injured herself in her first-round win over Anastasia Potapova at the Madrid Open 10 days ago and she said she “hasn’t healed yet.” “I need to be careful, especially in advance of Roland

6:37 AM ET Associated Press ROME — Fresh off his victory at the Madrid Open, Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the Italian Open on Monday because of a right ankle injury. The Spanish teen beat Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic back-to-back in Madrid, then defeated Alexander Zverev in Sunday’s final for his tour-leading fourth title of

7:25 PM ET Associated Press MADRID — Alexander Zverev criticized the ATP Tour for its scheduling of late-night matches and said he was at a disadvantage in Sunday’s final against Carlos Alcaraz at the Madrid Open. The third-ranked Zverev was overpowered by the 19-year-old Spaniard in straight sets. Zverev conceded that he probably would have

2:15 PM ET Associated Press MADRID — Carlos Alcaraz capped another impressive week with a straight-set victory over Alexander Zverev on Sunday to win the Madrid Open and become the second-youngest player to win two Masters 1000 titles. After victories over his idol Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals and top-ranked Novak Djokovic in the semifinals,

8:30 AM ET Associated Press MADRID — Novak Djokovic is optimistic about his game going into the French Open despite going another week without a title. The top-ranked Djokovic has yet to win a trophy this season while trying to regain his best form after not being allowed to play in the Australian Open because

5:15 PM ET ESPN News Services Ons Jabeur of Tunisia won the biggest title of her career by defeating American Jessica Pegula in three sets in the Madrid Open final Saturday. Jabeur, the first Arab woman in the top 10, won 7-5, 0-6, 6-3 for her second career title. She was playing in her sixth