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Top-seeded Iga Swiatek and No. 3 Coco Gauff won in straight sets to swiftly move into the second round of the French Open on Monday at Roland Garros.
Gauff dispatched Russian qualifier Julia Avdeeva 6-1, 6-1 in 52 minutes. Swiatek opened her quest for a third straight French Open title with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over French qualifier Leolia Jeanjean in 61 minutes.
Swiatek will face Japan's Naomi Osaka in the second round.
"It feels like home here," said Swiatek, in pursuit of her fourth title at Roland Garros overall. "I'm really happy to be back. Just feel like I can play really good tennis, so hopefully I'm going to be here as long as possible."
Poland's Swiatek earned her first French title in 2020. The last woman to win three straight in Paris was Justine Henin (2005-07).
Gauff, a finalist here in 2022, did not face a break point against Avdeeva.
"I never played her. She had a good run in the qualifying. I think I just came out playing well, and I would say I do think she was a little bit nervous with the bigger court, but I played well, too," Gauff said. "Today was kind of a straightforward match. I didn't have to do much. I wouldn't say I, like, played amazing. I just had to play solid today. That's what I did."
Fifth-seeded Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic made quick work of Rebeka Masarova of Spain 6-1, 6-3 to advance. No. 8 Ons Jabeur of Tunisia ousted Sachia Vickery 6-3, 6-2.
No. 12 Jasmine Paolini of Italy eliminated Australia's Daria Saville 6-3, 6-4. No. 15 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine rallied from a set down to defeat Czech Karolina Pliskova 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.
In other action, No. 11 Danielle Collins was a straight sets winner, as was No. 17 Liudmila Samsonova of Russia and No. 31 Leylah Fernandez of Canada. Russia's Anna Kalinskaya also earned a straight sets win over France's Clara Burel.
Canadian Bianca Andreescu, No. 20 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia, Hailey Baptiste and Bulgaria's Viktoriya Tomova also advanced.
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Jasmine Paolini does it the hard way: Sets up Cincinnati Open final with Iga Swiatek
Jasmine Paolini is into the Cincinnati Open Final and will face off against Iga Swiatek on Monday as she aims to join Jannik Sinner who is also into the final on the men's side in a potential for double Italian glory. Paolini sealed a 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3 win over Veronika Kudermetova in a resurgent run for the Russian and the Italian certainly did it the hard way in Cincinnati. After a steady opening stanza, she went 4-3 up and broke at the right time with an emphatic break to go 5-3 up. Before she then went on to seal a hold of serve to claim the set only losing one more point on serve and claimed it 6-3. She broke early in the second. She went 3-2 up as she came from 40-15 down on the Kudermetova serve to go up against the Russian. She went 4-2 up holding serve from there and looked to be on her way to the victory and was only two games away. She went 5-3 up and served for the match at 5-4 up but Kudermetova went 40-15 up and eventually managed to seal a break of serve that saw her turn the set around. Kudermetova went 6-5 up holding serve but was sent to a tie-break. A tie-break that was all Kudermetova as she took it all the way. She breezed into a 4-1 lead and didn't relinquish it from there. Paolini lost serve again for 5-2 before she eventually sealed a set point which she converted. In the final set it was a topsy turvy affair as Paolini broke for 4-2 but holding serve next up was more of a task. Kudermetova came back to force three break points over the course of the game but Paolini managed to survive. Kudermetova held serve in the next game but Paolini managed to win through eventually showing Italian grit and will now face Iga Swiatek in the final tomorrow who saw off Elena Rybakina earlier this evening. Speaking afterwards and on facing Swiatek, she signalled game on and that she is very much looking forward to it. “It’s been really tough against her. She’s an amazing player. She defends really well. Serving good. I’m trying to do my best. We are in the final. I like the conditions. Let’s fight.” It has not been easy all tournament for Paolini who saw off Coco Gauff, Barbora Krejcikova, Ashlyn Krueger and Maria Sakkari and now will face off against the third seed for a shot at the title and it is one she is certainly looking forward to. Match Statistics Kudermetova vs. Paolini
Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's biggest find is ready to take a huge step forward, and it could be huge for Brian Flores' defense
After joint practice on Wednesday between the Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots, I was asked by some members of the Patriots beat about just one player. "Who's 61? He's a dude." That player is Jalen Redmond, who has quite the story heading into his second season with the Vikings. He was playing in the UFL in the spring of 2024 with the Arlington Renegades. He was a signing the Vikings made on June 18th, 2024, which came after mandatory minicamp. Redmond was the 90th player on the roster and excelled throughout training camp to earn a roster spot. That ability is showing up once again. Jalen Redmond is taking another step forward The signing of Redmond was a massive win for general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and his scouting staff, especially Ryan Grigson, who was given a lot of credit for finding him. "I remember he [Grigson] called me and said, 'I like this guy.' I think it was late May," Adofo-Mensah explained. "You have to ask yourself, what's your standard for bringing people in, because a lot of good players are on teams already, so there's going to be something there that's not perfect, not clean, and earlier he had injuries, so you've got to understand why he's available, but ultimately here's why he might be a good bet. "And you saw the flashes for an interior guy with burst, his run defense kind of jumped out to me. That's the other thing, when you've been together for two or three years, and my history with Grigson before, he knows how to communicate with me, makes a cut-up, knows exactly what we look for." You can see the power and explosiveness in Redmond's game. He rarely gets washed out by the offensive line, and often penetrates the backfield with his ability. Where things have gotten really interesting with Redmons is seeing how good he can be from a short and long-term perspective. Last season, Redmond played in 13 games and flashed in a major way. While he went undrafted out of Oklahoma, it wasn't so much due to talent, but a health issue that kept him from being selected. He certainly looks like a player who should have been selected. Over the course of the season, Redmond got one sack and 6.0 tackles for loss to pair with 18 tackles. His ability to be a penetrating force on the line earned him a starting role at the end of the season, with two starts in his first year with the Vikings. Going into year two, Redmond shouldn't be overlooked. He won't be a starter with the additions of Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, but it shouldn't be much of a surprise if he approaches 500 snaps as a rotational player. His teammates believe he's a stud, something that Jonathan Greenard emphasized last week. "Redmond is a dog," said Greenard after Redmond's great practice on Thursday. "Jalen's been a dog since last year in training camp. I knew he was a dog when he got thrown out of practices last year. So I was like, listen, from that day forward, he got thrown out, he came back in just completely, just dominating. And at that point even to see it during the season and see him continuously build. Now I'm like, man, everybody knows, but when you see, obviously, you bring in two guys like JA [Jonathan Allen] and Grave [Javon Hargrave], you kind of think that he gets put in the wayside, making the same place he was last year, if not more. And that just helps us out to know that it's not gonna drop off whenever those guys get a breather or something like that. If I'm coaching, I'm putting him in." Don't sleep on Redmond going into this season, as he's only getting better.
Green Bay Packers: Matt LaFleur Delivers Dire Update on Running Back Marshawn Lloyd
As is the case heading into training camp every year, the Green Bay Packers, along with every NFL team, hopes that they will get through the preseason schedule unscathed by injury. However, as is the nature of football, injuries do happen and teams/players hope that none of them are too serious. Unfortunately, though, it is not uncommon for teams to lose a player or two (or more) for significant amounts of time in the regular season due to injuries they suffered during training camp. Such was the case last year for two of the Packers’ first three draft picks. First round pick Jordan Morgan missed some significant time before and during the season due to a shoulder injury and only appeared in six games. Third round pick Marshawn Lloyd had an even worse time, missing part of training camp with multiple soft tissues injuries. Then, when he finally returned for Week Two, he hurt his ankle and was placed on the injured list, missing multiple weeks. And if those injuries were not bad enough, right before he was set to come off of the injured list, Lloyd needed to have his appendix removed, ending his season. Green Bay Packers Running Back Marshawn Lloyd Got Injured Again on Saturday The only game in which Lloyd appeared last season, the one in which he injured his ankle, was Green Bay’s Week Two contest with the Indianapolis Colts. In that game, he had six carries for 15 yards. On Saturday, in the Packers’ preseason game against the Colts, Lloyd once again had six carries for 15 yards, though he did have one reception for 33 yards as well. And it was after that long catch that he was pulled from the game with what the team said at the time was hamstring tightness. This was not great news for Green Bay or their fans, as Lloyd had already missed the Packers’ first preseason game with a groin injury. And it sounds like, once again, he will not be healthy to start the season. Green Bay Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur Says Marshawn Lloyd Will Be Out for a While When Lloyd was pulled from the game, everyone hoped that it was as a precaution and that he would not miss any time. After all, when healthy, he has shown flashes of being the burst runner that the Packers knew they were getting when they made him a top-100 draft pick. But in his press conference today, head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters that Lloyd is going to “miss some time,” which likely means he will not be ready for the season opener (again). This is, of course, not the news anyone wanted, and had many people saying that the second-year running back should see the same soft tissue specialist Christian Watson and Eric Stokes saw to solve their injury issues. But according to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, he already did: “Lloyd visited the same facility in Madison, Wis., this offseason that helped wide receiver Christian Watson and former Packers cornerback Eric Stokes with their recurring soft-tissue injuries. Yet Lloyd missed this year’s preseason opener after suffering a groin injury in practice and dropped out of Saturday’s game with a hamstring injury.” What this means, of course, is that Lloyd is not doing anything wrong. He has gone, and is going, through a terrible stretch of bad luck when it comes to these injuries. It really is an unfortunate situation.
Kevin Stefanski's Honest Thoughts on Browns Quarterback Room Prior to Roster Cuts
Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel made his NFL debut in the Browns preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The former Oregon Ducks star played the entire first half and went 13/18 passing for 143 yards and one interception in the Browns 22-13 win. The Browns have a a crowded quarterback room and it will be difficult for them to decide who they keep on their 53-man roster. Kevin Stefanski: "Not Realistic" to Keep Every Quarterback Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders, Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Tyler Huntley make up the Cleveland Browns quarterback room. Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski spoke to the media about what he’s seen from them. “I’ve been really, really pleased with that group and how hard they’ve worked, how they’ve pushed each other, and they’re all getting better,” Stefanski said. “You see all moments in practice, you see moments in games where these guys are getting better.” Despite this being the case, it looks like the Browns will have to cut ties with at least one and probably two of them before the regular season gets underway. Each NFL team will have to make their final roster cuts down to 53 on August 26. “I think we’ll let it play out as we get closer to the cut down…Those are all conversations that we are always having, but those are tough decisions,” Stefanski said. “You know I’d like to keep everybody, but not realistic.” The Browns have also yet to name a starting quarterback. However, that announcement will be coming soon. Per ESPN Cleveland, Stefanski will name a starting quarterback in the week’s lead up to the Browns final preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday, August 23. Who Will Start Week One? While there is no official decision made at this point, the signs are pointing towards veteran Joe Flacco getting the Week One start when the Browns take on the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Sep. 7. Flacco has not yet played in a preseason game, which could signal the Browns have seen enough for him to get the starting nod. The 40-year-old Flacco is a safe pick to be the starter. He has prior experience with Stefanski when he was on the Browns in 2023, helping lead the Browns to the playoffs. Flacco started another handful of games last season with the Indianapolis Colts before signing with the Browns in free agency this offseason. It would be a shocking move if the Browns rolled the dice with one of the rookies. Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders should get the opportunity to play at some point this season, but throwing them into the fire in Week One as mid to late round rookies would be a stunner. Then there is Kenny Pickett and Tyler Huntley. The Browns traded for Pickett, but he has not been healthy for either of the Browns preseason games with a hamstring injury. Huntley was a late signing because of this Pickett injury and has played the second half of both Browns preseason games.
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