Update on the latest sports
APNBA-76ERS EMBIID
AP source: Embiid doubtful for Game 5 with knee injury
PHILADELPHIA (AP)— Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid is doubtful for Game 5 because of a sore right knee. Embiid had an MRI on Tuesday and his status will be decided before Game 5 of Philadelphia’s game against the Washington Wizards, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press. The person spoke to The Associated Press Tuesday on condition of anonymity because the decision was not made official. The Sixers lead the Wizards 3-1 in the first-round Eastern Conference series. Embiid suffered a hard fall in Game 4 and later was ruled out for the rest of the game.
NFL-JUNE 1
)June 1st arrival gives NFL teams more flexibility
UNDATED (AP) — Now that the calendar has turned to June, NFL teams can trade or release players and spread the salary cap hit over two years instead of one.
That doesn’t mean Aaron Rodgers is going anywhere, but the Packers couldn’t afford to deal him from a financial standpoint until now. Other star players such as Julio Jones and Zach Ertz are more likely to be moved. The Philadelphia Eagles already released wide receiver Alshon Jeffery and defensive tackle Malik Jackson with a post-June 1st designation and the Minnesota Vikings did the same with tight end Kyle Rudolph. With the salary cap expected to increase up to $208.2 million in 2022, teams have more flexibility to make blockbuster moves now that this important date has arrived.
In other NFL news:
— The New York Jets have signed defensive lineman Ronald Blair, who was a favorite of coach Robert Saleh from their days together with the San Francisco 49ers. The Jets waived defensive lineman Sharif Finch to make room on the roster for Blair. The 28-year-old Blair had 13 1/2 career sacks in 47 games over five seasons with the 49ers, but also dealt with knee injuries since being a fifth-round pick out of Appalachian State in 2016.
—The Jacksonville Jaguars hired Nick Sorensen as special teams coordinator to replace Brian Schneider. Schneider left the team in May and stepped away from the NFL for the second time in eight months. The Jaguars declined to say specifically why Schneider left other than citing personal reasons.
TENNIS-FRENCH OPEN
Gauff wins, Nidal advances, Venus Williams loses
PARIS (AP) — American teenager Coco Gauff has won her first match as a seeded player at any Grand Slam tournament. The 17-year-old Gauff erased set points before pulling out the opening tiebreaker and went on to beat Aleksandra Krunic 7-6 (11), 6-4. Gauff next faces Wang Qiang, who happens to be the woman she beat in straight sets in the final of the Emilia-Romagna Open in Parma, Italy, on Saturday. Gauff is seeded 24th at Roland Garros.
In other action:
— Rafael Nadal’s bid for a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title has started with a straight-set victory at the French Open. Nadal twice was a point from dropping the third set against Alexei Popyrin but eventually held on there and wound up winning the first-round match at Court Philippe Chatrier 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (3). Nadal has now won 26 consecutive sets at Roland Garros dating to the 2019 final that he won.
— Venus Williams was runner-up at Roland Garros against her sister 19 years ago but has now lost her opening match at the clay-court major for the fourth year in a row. The American veteran’s 24th appearance at the French Open ended in a 6-3, 6-1 defeat against Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia.
—The leaders of the four Grand Slam tournaments have reacted to tennis star Naomi Osaka’s stunning withdrawal from the French Open by promising to address players’ concerns about mental health. The pledge came in a statement signed by the same four tennis administrators who threatened the possibility of disqualification or suspension for Osaka if she continued to skip news conferences. Osaka is a four-time major champion and is ranked No. 2. She was fined $15,000 when she didn’t speak to reporters after her first-round victory. Osaka then pulled out of the tournament. She says she experiences anxiety before meeting with the media.
— Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova says on Instagram that she has pulled out of the French Open because of an ankle injury. Kvitova says she fell and hurt her ankle during “post-match press requirements” after her first-round victory. She calls it “incredibly bad luck” and hopes to recover in time for the grass-court season.
— Top-ranked Ashleigh Barty overcame a strong challenge from Bernarda Pera to win her first match at Roland Garros since she claimed the 2019 French Open title. Barty played with her left thigh bandaged and struggled before getting medical treatment at the start of the deciding set. Barty improved and eventually made the most of Pera’s lack of consistency to win 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.
— Seventh-seeded Andrey Rublev has lost in the first round of the French Open. The 23-year-old Russian lost to German player Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 7-6 (6), 4-6, 3-6, 6-4. It’s the first time Rublev has lost so early at Roland Garros since his debut at the tournament in 2017.
— Teenage wild card Oceane Babel’s inexperience was too much for her to overcome on her Roland Garros debut. Facing fifth-seeded Elina Svitolina, the 17-year-old from France led 5-2 in the second set but eventually lost 6-2, 7-5 on Court Philippe Chatrier.
— Australian Open runner-up Jennifer Brady breezed past Anastasija Sevastova to reach the second round and match her best performance at the French Open. The 13th-seeded American, who has never reached the third round at Roland Garros, won 6-3, 6-3 after breaking Sevastova at love in the final game.
TRANSGENDER ATHLETES-FLORIDA
Florida governor OKs limits on transgender student athletes
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) —Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is plunging Florida deeper into the culture wars. With a stroke of his pen on Tuesday,
Florida is now the latest state to bar transgender girls and women from playing on public school teams intended for student athletes born as girls. The measure DeSantis signed at a Christian school was approved by the GOP-led Legislature. Starting July 1, a transgender student athlete can’t participate without first showing a birth certificate saying she was a girl when she was born. Critics call the new law hateful and are preparing to challenge it in court.
