Month: July 2024

USA’s Coco Gauff, 20, was defeated by Croatia’s Donna Vekić 6-6 (7), 6-2 in the third round of the women’s singles competition at the Paris Olympics, taking place at Stade Roland Garros on Tuesday, July 30th. Vekić will now advance to the quarterfinals, for a chance to win Olympic gold.

A visibly emotional and frustrated Gauff also engaged in a nearly five minute-long argument with officials, during which she cried and stood her ground to chair umpire Jaume Campistol, insisting that her ball had been called out before she’d even hit it to Vekic two games from the end of the match.  Said Gauff: “I never argue these calls. But he called it out before I hit the ball .. It’s not even a perception; it’s the rules. I always have to advocate for myself. This isn’t fair. I feel like I’m getting cheated on constantly in this game. I constantly feel like that. And then you guys apologize afterwards, you say, ‘I’m sorry,’ and then what does that do for me in the match?” At one point, Gauff cried as she said, “This always happens to me.”

After the match was over, Gauff spoke to reporters to reiterate her position (per The Athletic): “I don’t think the ref disagreed. I think he just thought it didn’t like, affect my swing, which I felt like it did. There have been multiple times this year where that happened to me where I feel like I always have to be an advocate for myself on the court. I feel like in tennis, we should have a VAR system because these points are big deals. Usually, afterwards they apologize. It’s kind of frustrating when the sorry doesn’t help you once the match is over.”

The Paris Games marks Gauff’s first Olympics, and she will still have the chance to medal in doubles and mixed doubles, where she is set to play with Taylor Fritz.

Editorial credit: Victor Velter / Shutterstock.com

Team USA won gold in the women’s gymnastics team final at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday, July 30, led by Simone Biles, 27, who helped lead her teammates to victory and solidifying her comeback after withdrawing from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. The gold was the Americans’ fourth in history of the women’s team final.

Biles, along with teammates Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, Sunisa Lee and Hezly Rivera, secured the gold at the women’s artistic gymnastics team final taking place on Tuesday at Bercy Arena, besting Italy and Brazil, who placed second and third respectively, with a final score of 171.296, 5.802 above the silver medal finishers. Italy ended the finals with 165.494 points, making their first-ever Olympic medal for women’s gymnastics, and its first Olympic gymnastics medal overall in almost a century. Brazil’s bronze place finish was just shy of a point behind Italy.

TEAM USA’s gold marks the fifth gold medal for Biles, the second for Lee, 21, and Carey, 24, and the first for Chiles, 23, and Rivera, 16 (the latter of whom did not participate in any apparatuses on Tuesday). Team USA previously won silver in the event at the Tokyo and Beijing Games, and gold in Rio and London.

Biles and Chiles took part in the uneven bars, vault, balance beam and floor exercise events, with Lee competed in every round except the vault (Carey’s only event). All scored above a 14 once more, with Lee leading her team on balance beam with 14.600, and on the floor routine, Lee scored a 13.533, Chiles a 13.966 and Biles a 14.666.

U.S. gymnastics coach Chellsie Memmel told reporters after competition ended: “It was amazing to watch. I know I was nervous throughout the whole competition, but they do their job,” and added of Biles: “we all knew she could do it, like that wasn’t ever a question in my mind that she could do it and it continues to just solidify her place as the greatest gymnast of all time.”

The women’s individual all-around final will be Thursday at Bercy Arena. The women’s vault and uneven bars finals will be Saturday and Sunday, respectively. The balance beam and floor exercise finals will be Monday in Paris.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, and Chicago White Sox announced on Monday they have agreed to a three-team trade involving eight players, that will send right-handed starter Erick Fedde to the Cardinals, super-utility player Tommy Edman to the Dodgers, and three prospects to the White Sox.

White Sox reliever Michael Kopech was dealt to the Dodgers, with Miguel Vargas traded from the Dodgers to the White Sox, while veteran outfielder Tommy Pham was sent to the Cardinals. The White Sox also received two prospects, second baseman Jeral Perez, infielder Alexander Albertus, as well as a player to be named later. The Dodgers also get 17-year-old right-hander Oliver Gonzalez from the Cardinals, while the Cardinals will get cash from the White Sox and either cash or a player to be named later from the Dodgers. (per The Associated Press).

Fedde, 31, signed a two-year, $15 million contract coming off a stint in South Korea and has pitched to a 3.11 ERA in 121 2/3 innings in 2024, with only one unearned run allowed and a K/BB ratio of 3.18 across 21 starts for Chicago. He holds a 7-4 record with 108 strikeouts in 21 starts this season. Fedde is 28-37 with a 4.92 ERA in 123 big league games, including 109 starts.

Per ESPN, Edman, 29, missed the entire first half of this season after undergoing offseason wrist surgery, playing eight games in  rehab thus far. The switch-hitter slashed .259/.313/.395 with 37 homers and 89 stolen bases in 449 games from 2021 to 2023. * Pham, 36, holds a .266/.330/.380 with five homers and six stolen bases in 70 games for the White Sox. * Kopech, 28, posted a 4.74 ERA in 43 appearances in his transition to the bullpen this year, striking out 59 and issuing 24 walks in 43⅔ innings. * Vargas, 24, has slashed .201/.294/.364 with 11 homers in 129 major league games over the past three years.  * Albertus and Perez, both 19, were obtained out of the international market and had been playing at the Dodgers’ Class A affiliate together.

Editorial credit: HE Photography / Shutterstock.com

The NFL has suspended Houston Texans defensive end Denico Autry for six games for a violation of the league’s performance-enhancing substance policy. Per Ian Rapoport: “#Texans DE Denico Autry is being suspended 6 games for violating NFL policy against performance enhancing drugs. He has released a statement saying, “It was important to me that the NFL know that I did not intentionally or even knowingly ingest a banned substance.“

Autry, who signed a two-year, $20 million, with $10 million guaranteed, earlier this offseason, was expected to be a multi-purpose defensive lineman for the AFC South champion Texans; however, all guarantees in Autry’s contract are voided due to the PED suspension.

Autry, 34, released a statement stating that he never intentionally took a banned substance, and said the violation was because his doctors submitted a prescription for a different medication that contained a banned substance. While he did not intentionally violate the league’s policy, Autry said he accepts the punishment: “Over the course of my ten-year NFL career, I have never engaged in use of performance enhancing drugs. Over that period, I have been subject to countless tests, none of which have ever returned a positive result. I was, stunned this offseason when I learned that one of my tests returned a positive result. I want to be clear, at no time did I know or even suspect that this medication contained a banned substance. Upon discovering the source of the positive test, I immediately retained legal counsel in connection with this matter. My counsel provided the NFL with information, including documentation from my doctors, establishing that I neither asked for nor was prescribed any banned substances. I want to assure our fans that my commitment to competing to the best of my ability has only grown and I look forward to returning to the field.”

Autry is heading into his 11th NFL season, coming out of Mississippi State to join the Las Vegas Raiders in their defensive end rotation for four years before leaving for Indianapolis and becoming a full-time starter. Autry was a fixture in the starting lineup for his three seasons in Indianapolis before joining the Tennessee Titans in 2021. He totaled a career-high 11.5 sacks during his final year for the Titans, and is coming off the best statistical season of his career, compiling career highs in 50 tackles (50) and sacks (11.5).

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