Isner rolls past first-round foe
Now faces Nadal at Italian Open
John Isner certainly looked confident in a 6-4, 6-3 first-round win over Miami Open semifinalist Francisco Cerundolo at the Italian Open on Tuesday in Rome.
Isner will next face 10-time Rome champion Rafael Nadal.
In other action on the red clay courts of the Foro Italico, five-time champion Novak Djokovic looked solid in a 6-3, 6-2 win over Aslan Karatsev in his opening match.
Diego Schwartzman, a finalist in Rome two years ago, saved two match points before eliminating Miomir Kecmanovic, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (3).
In a women’s matchup of two U.S. Open champions, Bianca Andreescu advanced when Emma Raducanu retired due to a lower back injury with Andreescu ahead, 6-2, 2-1. Also, Madrid Open runner-up Jessica Pegula rallied past Liudmila Samsonova, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
American qualifiers Madison Brengle and Lauren Davis both advanced in straight sets. Brengle beat fellow qualifier Marta Kostyuk, 6-4, 6-3, and Davis defeated 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, 6-2, 6-3.
More tennis
Veteran French players Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gilles Simon have been handed wild cards to play in the main draw at the French Open.
Golf
The PGA Tour is denying releases to golfers who asked to play in the first of a series of Saudi-funded tournaments next month in England, a bold move by commissioner Jay Monahan in trying to quash Greg Norman’s latest bid to start a lucrative rival league.
Colleges
West Virginia routed Pitt, 9-1, in a Backyard Brawl baseball game in Morgantown, W.Va. The Mountaineers got to freshman starter Jonathan Bautista for three runs in the first inning and never looked back. Senior outfielder Ron Washington Jr. went 2 for 4 with a solo home run that accounted for the entirety of the Panthers offense.
Auto racing
Michael Andretti told The Associated Press he had an encouraging meeting with Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali. He said the same thing to new FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem when they spoke before Sunday’s race in Miami. Andretti continues to show his intention to buy an F1 team.
• Race organizers selected the IndyCar veteran and local fan favorite Sarah Fisher to be the celebrity pace car driver for the Indianapolis 500.
Soccer
Electronic Arts will stop making its hugely successful FIFA video game in its current name, marking a split in one of soccer’s most successful and lucrative partnerships after the sides failed to strike a new licensing deal. Instead, the California company said EA Sports FC will be introduced from 2023 after it creates the final game in partnership with FIFA later this year.