PLAYERS DEBATE PUNISHMENT AFTER KYRGIOS OUTBURST
ME» Nick Kyrgios’ latest outburst
R O of unruly behavior has other players split on whether the temperamental Australian should be handed a longterm ban.
Kyrgios walked off the court and threw a chair onto the red clay during a fit of rage during his secondround match at the Italian Open on Thursday, leading to him being defaulted and fined.
His opponent, Norwegian qualifier Casper Ruud, said that wasn’t enough and called for Kyrgios to be banned for six months or longer.
Roger Federer, though, thinks Kyrgios has already been given an appropriate punishment.
“I don’t think he should be suspended,” Federer said. “He walked off the court. What did he do? He hurt a chair? That’s not enough for me. I don’t know if he’s on probation or not from his Shanghai thing. If that’s the case, then obviously you can maybe look into it. If that’s run its course, I don’t think he should be suspended.”
Kyrgios was already suspended by the ATP Tour for two months in 2016 for “tanking” a match and insulting fans during a loss at the Shanghai Masters.
Lloyd helps U.S. to 5-0 win over New Zealand.
ST . L O UIS
» Carli Lloyd scored twice and Alyssa Naeher got the shutout, helping the U.S. women’s national team beat New Zealand 5-0 in a World Cup series send-off match on Thursday.
Tobin Heath, Rose Lavelle and Samantha Mewis also scored for the United States.
It was Team USA’s second date in a three-match series leading up to the World Cup, which begins June 7 in France. The U.S. faces Mexico on May 26 in Harrison, New Jersey, in its final tuneup.
Landeskog scores in Sweden’s win.
» Gabe Landeskog
K O SICE , SL O V A KI A scored just 69 seconds into his first game at the hockey world championship on Thursday to kickstart Sweden’s 9-1 rout of Austria.
Landeskog, who also had two assists, only arrived in Bratislava on Thursday morning to join the twotime defending champion after his Colorado Avalanche were eliminated from the NHL playoffs.
Later in Group B, Jakub Voracek scored twice and had two assists to help the Czech Republic rally from two goals down to beat Latvia 6-3.
In Group A, Anthony Mantha scored twice to lift Canada to a 5-2 victory over France, and, Kaapo Kakko scored his sixth goal and had an assist as Finland came from a goal down to top Denmark 3-1.
Predators, Nashville agree to 30year arena lease extension.
» The Nashville
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Predators have agreed to a new 30year lease deal that will help keep the franchise in Music City through 2049. The Predators announced the agreement at a Metro Nashville Sports Authority meeting. The Tennessean reports that the Predators also plan to spend $350 million in renovations over the next 20 years with the first phase scheduled for 2021.
McLaren misses entire day of Indy 500 practice fixing car.
INDI A N A P O LIS
McLaren had another miserable day preparing for the Indianapolis 500 as the team worked tirelessly in a failed effort to get Fernando Alonso on the track Thursday for practice.
Alonso crashed early Wednesday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and McLaren has frantically been trying to piece together its spare care to get back on the 2.5-mile oval.
McLaren is back at the Indy 500 for the first time since the 1970s and the first three days have been a mess. The team was slowed by electrical problems then Alonso’s first career crash on an oval. When the team felt it was close to getting back on the track for the final hour Thursday, heavy rain brought the session to an early end.