Sports
ATP Roundup: Top two seeds breeze into Estoril Open quarterfinals
May 29, 2026; Paris, France; Andrey Rublev returns a shot during his match against Nuno Borges of Portugal on day six at Stade Roland Garros. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images The top two seeds at the Estoril Open faced little trouble on Thursday as Russia’s Andrey Rublev and Italy’s Luciano Darderi dropped a combined three games to advance to the quarterfinals of the ATP 250 event in Portugal.
The top-seeded Rublev took down Kazakhstan’s Timofey Skatov 6-1, 6-1. Rublev converted 17 of 23 first serve points (74 percent) and also broke Skatov six times in a match that lasted 59 minutes. Darderi was even more dominant in his 6-0, 6-1 win over Spain’s Pedro Martinez. Darderi didn’t face any break points and registered points on 17 of his 19 second serves.
In the lone upset of the day, France’s Luca Van Assche beat eighth-seeded Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 in a match that lasted over two hours. Portugal’s Jaime Faria, who upset the No. 6 seed in the first round, continued his run into the quarterfinals with a win over Peru’s Gonzalo Bueno by a 6-2, 6-4 count.
Generali Open
Top-seeded Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan pushed his title defense of this ATP 250 event into the semifinals by taking down Slovakia’s Alex Molcan 6-3, 6-2 in Kitzbuhel, Austria.
Though Molcan broke Bublik four times, Bublik responded by breaking Molcan seven times. In the second set, Molcan forged a 2-2 tie as Bublik committed five double faults in the fourth game. Bublik (13 aces) went on to win the next four games to clinch the match. Bublik will take on fourth-seeded Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the semis after the Argentinian got the better of Peru’s Ignacio Buse with a 6-2, 7-5 win.
In the other half of the bracket, France’s Quentin Halys beat Argentina’s Mariano Navone 7-5, 6-3, while Yannick Hanfmann of Germany beat Argentina’s Sebastian Baez 6-3, 6-1. Hanfmann and Halys will face off in the other semifinal match.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Raiders sign No. 1 overall pick QB Fernando Mendoza
Jun 3, 2026; Henderson, NV, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) warms up during organized team activities at Intermountain Health Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images The Las Vegas Raiders signed quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, on Thursday.
The Heisman Trophy winner’s four-year rookie deal is worth a fully guaranteed $57.27 million and includes a fifth-year option.
Mendoza, 22, guided Indiana to its first national championship and a 16-0 season in 2025. He completed 72.0% of his passes for 3,535 yards with 41 touchdowns and six interceptions in his lone season with the Hoosiers.
The Raiders signed veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins as the likely Week 1 starter for this season, with Mendoza as the long-term face of the franchise.
Mendoza and the Raiders reportedly had been at odds over his signing bonus. The team did not disclose those details on Thursday.
Rookies were due to report to training camp for Las Vegas on Wednesday.
Mendoza played his first two collegiate campaigns at Cal from 2023-24, throwing for a combined 4,712 yards with 30 TDs and 16 interceptions in 20 games for the Golden Bears.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Homer-happy Braves power past Padres in series finale
Jul 23, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves center fielder Michael Harris II (23) celebrates with Atlanta Braves third base coach Tommy Watkins (84) after hitting a home run against the San Diego Padres during the second inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images Four Braves hit home runs, and Chris Sale earned his 11th victory when Atlanta took a 6-5 win against the visiting San Diego Padres on Thursday afternoon.
Michael Harris II, Ozzie Albies, Dominic Smith and Drake Baldwin each went deep for the Braves, who won the series 3-1. Atlanta is 5-2 since the All-Star break and has scored at least five runs in 11 of its past 13 home games.
Sale (11-6) pitched six innings and allowed three runs on five hits and one walk. He matched his season high with 11 strikeouts and improved his career record against the Padres to 5-0.
Raisel Iglesias pitched the ninth to earn his 21st save. He gave up a pair of two-out singles but came back to strike out Luis Rengifo to end the game.
Griffin Canning (1-9) took his fourth consecutive loss. He pitched 2 2/3 innings and allowed five runs (four earned) on five hits with four strikeouts.
The Padres jumped on Sale for three runs in the second, ending his scoreless streak at 11 innings. Fernando Tatis Jr. drew a bases-loaded walk, a plate appearance kept alive by a successful ABS challenge that reversed a strike. Rengifo followed with a two-run single.
With the Braves using a heavy left-handed lineup at the top of the order, San Diego opted to use southpaw Kyle Hart as an opener. He retired the Braves in order in the first and gave way to Canning, the scheduled starter.
The strategy backfired when Harris hit the second pitch from Canning for a solo homer, his 19th of the season. The 420-foot shot settled deep into the right-field stands.
The Braves went deep twice more off Canning in the fourth. Albies added a solo shot, his 16th home run of the year, and Smith launched a three-run shot, his seventh homer.
Atlanta got another solo homer from Baldwin, his 19th, in the seventh inning against reliever Matt Waldron.
The Padres cut the lead to 6-5 in the eighth when Ty France hit his 16th home run of the season, a two-run shot, against reliever Tyler Kinley. It was the fifth home run for France since the All-Star break.
–Field Level Media
Sports
WTA roundup: Barbora Krejcikova cruises to quarterfinals in Prague
Jul 1, 2026; London, United Kingdom; Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic tosses the ball to serve during her match against Mirra Andreeva on day three at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images Second-seeded Barbora Krejcikova scored an easy straight set victory over Lucie Havlickova 6-4, 6-2 to cruise to the quarterfinals at the Prague Open in the Czech Republic on Thursday.
Krejcikova won the tournament in 2021 but has yet to return to the semifinals. On Thursday, she was able to put the pressure on Havlickova, forcing 12 break point opportunities and taking three while saving the lone break point she faced.
In the other matches, Lanlana Tararudee of Thailand outlasted fourth-seeded Nikola Bartunkova of the Czech Republic in a marathon match, 7-6 (4), 3-6, 7-6 (6). Tararudee landed just 67 percent of her first service points and Bartunkova just 69 percent. Tararudee fell behind in the final set 5-2 but staved off four match points throughout the set to advance to the next round.
Third-seeded Sara Bejlek cruised to a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Maria Timofeeva of Uzbekistan. Bejlek will now face off against Austria’s Lilli Tagger in the next round after Tagger took down Japan’s Mai Hontama 6-4, 6-4.
MSC Hamburg Ladies Open
Top-seeded Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine had to fight through a three-set match to advance and was the only seeded player to do so on the day in Germany.
Oliynykova came out on top 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-2 over Spaniard Leyre Romero Gormaz despite saving only 4 of the 11 break points she faced. It was her return game that came in handy as she broke Romero Gormaz seven times and had a 75 percent first serve percentage in the deciding set.
Oliynykova will now have to prepare for Elina Avanesyan of Armenia who upset seventh-seeded Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan 6-3, 2-6, 6-2. Avanesyan is currently ranked 208 in the world but picked apart Putintseva by breaking her nine times across the three sets.
Egypt’s Mayar Sherif took down France’s Elsa Jacquemot 6-2, 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals. She’ll take on Paula Badosa of Spain after Badosa defeated third-seeded Panna Udvardy of Hungary, 6-4, 6-1.
–Field Level Media
Raiders sign No. 1 overall pick QB Fernando Mendoza
Homer-happy Braves power past Padres in series finale
