Tour ranking points cut for Wimbledon

The women’s and men’s professional tennis tours will not award ranking points for Wimbledon this year because of the All England Club’s ban on players from Russia and Belarus over the invasion of Ukraine, an unprecedented move that stands as a significant rebuke of the sport’s oldest Grand Slam tournament.

The WTA and ATP announced their decisions Friday night, two days before the start of the French Open — and a little more than a month before play begins at Wimbledon on June 27.

Players from Russia and Belarus are eligible to compete in Paris. The U.S. Tennis Association, which runs the U.S. Open, has not announced a decision about such players; that tournament starts Aug. 29.

Casper Ruud will defend his Geneva Open title against unseeded Joao Sousa after both had straight sets wins in the semifinals Friday.

Ruud, ranked eighth, beat Reilly Opelka 7-6 (2), 7-5 to lift his career record to 4-0 against the big-serving American, who is ranked No. 18. Sousa advanced to his first clay-court final since 2018 by beating Richard Gasquet 6-2, 6-2. Sousa was a runner-up at Geneva seven years ago. Softball: Alana Vawter threw a complete game and recorded eight strikeouts as Stanford beat Murray State 3-1 in the NCAA regional in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The Cardinal next faces Alabama on Saturday.

Cycling: Romain Bardet pulled out of the Giro d’Italia because of a stomach bug before Frenchman Arnaud Demare claimed his third victory in this year’s race.

Bardet, who was among the overall title favorites and lying fourth overall, climbed off his bike about a third of the way into the 13th stage and got into a Team DSM car. Shortly afterward, the team confirmed his abandonment.