AP – Sports
May 29, 2026
Djokovic’s 25th Slam bid ends in a grueling French Open loss to Brazilian teenager
PARIS (AP) — Novak Djokovic’s quest for a record 25th Grand Slam has ended with a defeat to Joao Fonseca in the French Open third round. The 39-year-old Serb is a three-time champion at Roland Garros but lost to the 19-year-old Brazilian 7-5 in the fifth set on Friday. Temperatures reached 33 degrees C and Djokovic looked exhausted in the fifth set. His exit leaves the men’s draw even more open especially after Jannik Sinner’s second-round exit on Thursday.
Adolfo Daniel Vallejo facing fine for ‘sexist remarks’ after French Open loss
PARIS (AP) — Adolfo Daniel Vallejo faces a significant fine for his sexist remarks at the French Open. The Paraguayan player said his second-round match should not have been umpired by a woman. Vallejo lost to French teenager Moise Kouame in a tense five-set battle on Thursday. He claimed a man should have umpired due to the demanding crowd. The French Tennis Federation and Roland Garros organizers called his comments unacceptable. They emphasized that an umpire’s competence is based on professionalism, not gender. Organizers plan to impose a significant sanction on Vallejo in the form of a fine.
This is how Arsenal can upset the odds to beat PSG in the Champions League final
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Arsenal is the underdog heading into the Champions League final against defending champion Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday. But there are reasons to believe the newly crowned English champions have a good chance of upsetting the odds. Arsenal has the best defense in the Champions League with just six goals conceded. The team has developed the most efficient set-piece threat with a record 19 goals scored from corners in this season’s Premier League. Arsenal also is heading into the biggest club game in European soccer with the pressure off after ending its 22-year wait to win the Premier League.
Game 7 awaits Spurs and Thunder, with NBA Finals berth against Knicks going to the winner
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The last time Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder played a Game 7 it was the ultimate game of ultimate games, one that decided last season’s NBA championship. Another Game 7 awaits on Saturday night against the San Antonio Spurs to decide the Western Conference title. The winner goes to the NBA Finals to play the New York Knicks starting on Wednesday night, the loser goes home to lament what might have been. The Thunder went 2-0 in Game 7s last season on their way to the NBA title, while Spurs star Victor Wembanyama will be making his maiden appearance on the Game 7 stage.
UCLA’s Karson Gordon enters transfer portal as a track athlete, dodging football restrictions
UCLA’s Karson Gordon has entered the NCAA transfer portal as a track and field athlete with plans to play football. Gordon confirmed this on social media Friday. His announcement comes seven months after the NCAA decided to eliminate the spring football portal window. Instead, they opted for a 15-day period in January to manage offseason chaos. Track and field athletes have two windows, with the current one closing June 26. Gordon expressed gratitude for his time at UCLA and mentioned he hasn’t committed to a new school yet. He initially signed with UCLA as a quarterback but is now listed as a receiver.
Spurs-Thunder will be record-tying 5th Game 7 in the NBA so far in these playoffs
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — It is the year of Game 7. For the fifth time in this year’s playoffs, a series is coming down to the ultimate game. San Antonio will visit Oklahoma City on Saturday night in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals. The others this season: Philadelphia beat Boston on the road in Round 1, Cleveland beat Toronto in Round 1, Detroit beat Orlando in Round 1 and Cleveland beat Detroit on the road in Round 2. The five Game 7s this season tie the most in a single postseason. There also were that many in 1994, 2014 and 2016.
The vibes in Canada feel much different than the US as the World Cup arrives
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Canada is keeping its focus on the soccer. While the mood around the World Cup in the United States is complicated by conflict with Iran and travel bans, Canada sees the tournament as an opportunity to turbocharge the sport in a nation more known for hockey. Toronto and Vancouver will host 13 World Cup matches. Canada’s opening ceremonies are set for June 12 in Toronto before the Canadian national team’s match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The cheesehead hat is a sunny nod to America’s ‘Hold my beer’ exuberance
Americans long have leavened their powerful global image with goofiness. It’s a cheerful confidence that can deflect international wonder over certain strains of ignorance into a smile. Behold, for example, the cheesehead hat, made of sofa foam and sunny yellow defiance. The hat was created in the late 1980s in response to the taunting faced by supporters of sports teams in Wisconsin, which has long called itself America’s dairyland. “Cheeseheads!” residents of neighboring Illinois said. The insult was embraced and, yes, turned on its head — particularly in the realm of a certain football team named the Green Bay Packers.
Altar-ed plans: US midfielder gets 1-day leave from World Cup training for his own wedding
FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. (AP) — American midfielder Brenden Aaronson had a good excuse to miss the U.S. World Cup team’s training session Friday. He was getting married. The Leeds midfielder is marrying longtime girlfriend Milana D’Ambra, a daughter of Saint Joseph’s men’s soccer coach Don D’Ambra. Aaronson left camp after Thursday’s session and was due back in time for training Saturday. A 25-year-old with Leeds in the Premier League, Aaronson is part of a well-known U.S. soccer family from Medford, New Jersey. His brother Paxten is with Major League Soccer’s Colorado Rapids and sister Jaden played for Villanova as a freshman last fall. Their father, Rusty, is sporting director of Real Futbol Academy in Medford.
IIHF says it will determine Russia’s eligibility on a tournament-by-tournament basis in 2026-27
ZURICH (AP) — The International Ice Hockey Federation says it will determine the status of Russia’s participation on an event-by-event basis for the 2026-27 season. Russia has been banned from participating in any of the tournaments run by the sport’s governing body since invading Ukraine in February 2022. That included preventing Russian players, including those in the NHL, from taking part in the Milan Cortina Olympics. The IIHF earlier this week announced it would reintegrate Belarus at the under-18 men’s and women’s events and the women’s Division IV world championship beginning this year. Belarus had also not been allowed to play since aiding Russia in its war in Ukraine.
