At French Open, Swiatek loses set, extends win streak
PARIS >> The loss of one set by a player is normally not the stuff of headlines at a Grand Slam tournament. That did constitute news at the French Open on Monday, because the player was No. 1-ranked Iga Swiatek and it had been more than a month since that happened to her.
The way it came about was noteworthy, too: She led the first set of her fourth-round match against 74th-ranked Zheng Qinwen of China 3-0, then 5-2, and was a point from claiming it on five occasions but could not seal the deal. Swiatek entered the day having won 20 sets in a row, and 48 of her preceding 49.
All that truly mattered, in the end, was that 2020 champion Swiatek would not lose another set on this cloudy evening, getting past the hard-swinging Zheng 6-7 (5), 6-0, 6-2 to return to the quarterfinals at Roland Garros and run her winning streak to 32 consecutive matches.
Swiatek regrouped by changing tactics — she sped up her forehand instead of absorbing Zheng's power.
NFL
CARDINALS DEFENSIVE BACK DIES IN CRASH >>
Jeff Gladney, a defensive back for the NFL's Arizona Cardinals, died in a car crash in Dallas. He was 25.
Gladney's death was confirmed by the Cardinals and his agent.
The crash occurred on the service road of Woodall Rodgers Freeway in Dallas, KTVT-TV reported. Another person also died.
Soccer
FRANCE BLAMES TICKET FRAUD FOR CHAOS >> French authorities defended police for indiscriminately firing tear gas and pepper spray at Liverpool supporters at the Champions League final, while blaming industrial levels of fraud that saw 30,000 to 40,000 people try to enter the Stade de France with fake tickets or none at all.
UEFA ordered an independent report that it said would “examine decision making, responsibility and behaviors of all entities involved in the final” and be made public.
After a meeting into Saturday's chaos, the French ministers of the sport and the interior shifted responsibility onto the Liverpool fans while not providing details on how they were sure so many fake tickets were in circulation.
MESSI: BENZEMA THE BEST >> According to Lionel Messi, there is “no doubt” that Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema deserves to win his first Ballon d'Or award this year.
Messi has won a record seven Ballon d'Or awards as the world's best player, but saw his new club Paris Saint-Germain eliminated by Madrid in the round of 16 of the Champions League this year — after Benzema scored a hat trick in the second half of the return leg.
Benzema netted another four goals against Chelsea in the quarterfinals and three against Manchester City in the semifinals — including the decisive penalty in extra time of the second leg — before Madrid defeated Liverpool 1-0 in the final on Saturday.