Zheng Qinwen was far from pleased with Aryna Sabalenka's grunting during her Roland Garros quarterfinal defeat. The world No. 1 overcame a tough challenge from the Olympic champion, winning 7-6(3), 6-3, and advanced to the French Open semifinals, where she will face Iga Swiatek.
There was high anticipation for another clash between Zheng and Sabalenka. The Chinese player had snapped a streak of six consecutive losses to the Belarusian a couple of weeks ago at the Rome Open – in their only previous clay-court encounter. Conditions seemed favorable for the world No. 8 this time, but she ultimately fell in straight sets to an impeccable Sabalenka, leaving the head-to-head at 7-1.
In Zheng's relatively short career, the most difficult opponent to overcome has been Sabalenka, against whom she had only taken one set in their first six encounters. However, in Rome, it seemed Zheng had deciphered her opponent, beating her in straight sets and breaking a streak of nine consecutive wins.
In the first set, Zheng took the lead and was up 4-2, but couldn't maintain it. After her opponent's comeback, Sabalenka took the tie-break, and then in the second set, she never relinquished the lead. The Chinese world No. 8 lost control of the match around the middle of the second set, losing her serve three consecutive times.
After the defeat, Zheng expressed her annoyance at Sabalenka's grunts when hitting the ball. "I will say this. How can you scream when you hit the ball but you still screaming when I hit the ball? This is hindrance," the 2024 gold medalist said. "I could have played better, but we need to change the rule. If not, OK. I will scream when she hits next time we play."
Despite the loss, Zheng had a couple of good weeks at Roland Garros, with four wins that earned her 300 points. She currently sits as world No. 5 in the live ranking – her best ranking so far – though she still needs to await other results to know her final ranking after the tournament. On the other hand, Sabalenka has guaranteed a dream matchup against Iga Swiatek in the tournament semifinals, where she will look to end Swiatek's 26-match winning streak at Roland Garros.
Qinwen with the better start with a 3-1 lead ✌️#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/Ti86QGpvek
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 3, 2025
More must-reads:
On Tuesday night, the Milwaukee Brewers extended their winning streak to 11 games, and a key part of the team's momentum is a player who is in the National League MVP race. The red-hot Brewers entered Tuesday night facing one of the biggest threats to their winning streak, Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes. Milwaukee torched Skenes for two home runs and four earned runs in 4.0 innings pitched. Brewers first baseman Andrew Vaughn added extra damage in the sixth inning with a three-run home run that increased Milwaukee's lead to 12-0. Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Vaughn is in the NL MVP race after his home run on Tuesday night. "Andrew Vaughn suddenly in top 10 NL MVP discussion with another 3-run HR, giving him 32 RBI since joining the Brewers," Nightengale posted on X. "He is the gift that keeps on giving from the White Sox. They are about to go 24-4 since his arrival." Vaughn has helped the Brewers overrun and then take a commanding lead on the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central. Following their 14-0 win Tuesday night, the Brewers extended their lead to 7.5 games over the Cubs for first place. Vaughn is turning out to be a steal for the Brewers, as Milwaukee only gave up veteran pitcher Aaron Civale and cash considerations for the first baseman on June 13. While Vaughn might have a case to be in the top 10, he has much work before he becomes a legitimate contender for the NL MVP. Per FanDuel, Los Angeles Dodgers star slugger Shohei Ohtani leads the race with -20000 odds. Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Kyle Schwarber is second with +1800 odds. Those two players have been more consistent this season, whereas Vaughn has come on strong since leaving Chicago.
Just when it seemed everything was going right for Shedeur Sanders, the Cleveland Browns' rookie quarterback caught an unlucky break on Wednesday. The 23-year-old QB was sidelined during Wednesday's joint practice with the Philadelphia Eagles after suffering an oblique injury. Per Kelsey Russo of the team website, the 2025 fifth-round pick won't practice Thursday and is considered day-to-day. He is deemed unlikely to play in Saturday's preseason game against Philadelphia, scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on NFL Network. Before Wednesday's practice, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed rookie QB Dillon Gabriel will start against Philadelphia as long as he's healthy enough to play. The 2025 third-rounder missed Cleveland's preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers because of a hamstring issue. However, Stefanski previously said Sanders would get more reps this week after a solid preseason debut. The former Colorado Buffaloes star received the start in the 30-10 win over Carolina, going 14-of-23 passing for 138 yards and two touchdown passes. Not playing against Philadelphia could disrupt Sanders' momentum. More importantly, it may eliminate another opportunity for him to overtake Gabriel in Cleveland's four-way QB competition. Sanders is listed as the Browns QB4 behind Gabriel, Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco on the team's unofficial depth chart. Despite questions about Gabriel's size (5-foot-11, 205 pounds), the coaching staff seems to favor him over Sanders. Earlier this offseason, Gabriel's processing speed reportedly impressed Browns coaches, giving him an edge over Sanders. The former Oregon Ducks star also received reps with the first-team offense during OTAs and mandatory minicamp, while his fellow rookie didn't. If Gabriel plays well against the Eagles, that would continue to affirm the coaching staff's confidence in the 24-year-old QB. Neither Sanders nor Gabriel is expected to be the Week 1 starter for the Browns. It's likely going to be Flacco, who helped Cleveland make the playoffs in 2023 when he went 4-1 during a late-season stretch. Still, another solid preseason showing could help Sanders position himself to replace 40-year-old Flacco in the future. With the setback, it may take more time to climb the depth chart.
Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber is in the midst of another impressive season. Schwarber entered Wednesday having posted a .249/.373/.578 batting line in his 528 plate appearances this season, hitting 42 homers while driving in a National League-leading 97 runs. The Phillies slugger was named to his third All-Star Game this season and, according to NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, he should be the NL MVP. Schwarber has been one of baseball's premier power hitters since establishing himself in the majors in 2017. He's in his eighth season of hitting 30 or more homers and has reached the 40-homer plateau three times in his four seasons in Philadelphia. The 32-year-old Schwarber may find himself in elite company when his career comes to an end. He has already hit 326 homers in his career, potentially giving him a chance to reach the 500-home run plateau. If Schwarber does hit 500-plus homers, the narrative around his career may change. There have only been 28 players in MLB history to reach that plateau, 19 of whom are in the Hall of Fame. Two players — Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera — are not yet eligible and are expected to be enshrined on the first ballot. The seven players who have not been inducted into the Hall of Fame have been linked to PED use, torpedoing their candidacy. At the same time, his entire candidacy may be based on his home run total. Schwarber has a lifetime .232/.346/.499 batting line over 5,188 plate appearances; although batting average no longer carries much weight for the voters, he would have the lowest batting average of any non-pitcher in the Hall. His 20.7 fWAR has been dragged down by his defense and is unlikely to make him a favorite among the younger voters who put more emphasis on such metrics. Schwarber is marching toward the 500-home run plateau. If he does reach that mark, he could be a polarizing Hall of Fame candidate.
Former New York Giants superstar and current free-agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. emerged in the headlines on Tuesday afternoon. The 32-year-old took to X (formerly Twitter) to shut down a fake report that he was retiring from the NFL. Beckham spent the 2024 season with the Miami Dolphins in a very limited role, recording just nine receptions for 55 yards in nine games. However, he was a solid contributor as a Baltimore Raven the year prior, showing that he can still provide some production at this point in his career. Given that OBJ has no interest in calling it quits just yet, let’s look at three teams that should take a shot on the three-time Pro Bowler to see how much juice he’s got left in him. New York Giants How about a reunion in the Big Apple? It would only be fitting for Beckham to finish his career in the place where it all started. Superstar wide receiver Malik Nabers runs the show on offense, but after that, there are plenty of question marks. Wide receivers Wan'Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton slot in as solid options behind Nabers, but it would not hurt to add a veteran like Beckham into the mix. He knows what it's like playing in such a big market and could mentor the Giants' young offensive weapons while providing some depth production when called upon. Las Vegas Raiders There may not be a team with more of a need at the wide receiver position than the Las Vegas Raiders. The targets are understandably funneled to superstar tight end Brock Bowers and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, but they need help beyond those two. Third-year wide receiver Tre Tucker and rookie wideouts Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr. are next in line. While those three may play big roles right from the start, the Raiders could certainly use another experienced pass-catcher, and Beckham is a nice option to fill that role. Perhaps he even shows himself to be worthy of the WR2 spot. Buffalo Bills The third team that could be in play for Beckham is the Buffalo Bills. With Josh Allen in his prime, they need to continue putting weapons around him whenever possible. Second-year wide receiver Keon Coleman and free-agent signing Joshua Palmer are atop the depth chart in Buffalo, while reliable wideout Khalil Shakir is nicked up with an ankle injury. Longtime Carolina Panthers receiver Curtis Samuel also remains in the mix but is dealing with a hamstring ailment and has had injury woes in the past. Outside of Shakir, it's hard to know what you're going to get from the rest of the position group. Beckham will likely want to join a contender or somewhere he can play more of a factor than he did with the Dolphins in 2024-25, so keep an eye on the Bills.
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!