Sports
Jessica Pegula coasts to victory in Rome opener
Mar 25, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Jessica Pegula (USA) serves against Elena Rybakina (KAZ) (not pictured) on day nine of the 2026 Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images On a day where many seeded competitors were upset, No. 5 seed Jessica Pegula faced minimal resistance in her Italian Open opener Friday, coasting to a 6-4, 6-0 defeat of Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez in Rome.
Pegula, who lost her second match in her last tournament at Madrid, was clinical in this match, facing just one break point while converting 4 of 7 on Sonmez’s serve.
“It was really good. The first set was pretty tough … then I started to play a little bit more free,” Pegula told the Tennis Channel. “I’m happy with my performance today.”
Pegula won 72.9% of her service points and 50% of her return points, finishing with three aces against no double faults on the clay-court surface.
“I was a little nervous and I was on edge coming into today. She already had a match under her belt. I felt better getting through.”
Next up for the American will be Switzerland’s Rebekah Masarova, who knocked out 25th-seeded Canadian Leylah Fernandez 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. Masarova was twice down a break in the second set, but rallied and came away with the only break of the decisive set.
She struggled on her serve with 10 double faults and hitting on 58% of her first serves. But when she hit those, she was dominant, winning 82.7% (43 of 52) of her first-service points. Fernandez follows the quarterfinal appearance in Madrid with a one-and-done trip to Rome.
Another Canadian, No. 10 seed Victoria Mboko, was forced to withdraw due to gastrointestinal issues shortly before her Friday match vs. Italy’s Tyra Caterina Grant. Czech lucky loser Nikola Bartunkova replaced Mboko, beating Grant 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the Round of 32.
She’ll next face No. 17 Madison Keys, who rallied for a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 defeat of Peyton Stearns in an all-American battle. Keys saved nine of her 13 break points she faced, including the only one in the third set, which she won in just 33 minutes.
“I think I like clay more than grass now,” the 31-year-old Keys told the Tennis Channel. “That’s insane, but I think I do. Maybe it’s my older age catching up to me and wanting the court to be a little slower.”
In the final match of the day, No. 2 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan beat Greece’s Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-1 in 75 minutes.
Plenty of other seeded competitors did not advance so easily, if at all. No. 11 Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic fell to Austria’s Anastasia Potapova (6-3, 6-2), who carried over her momentum from a semifinal appearance in Madrid. No. 14 Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia came up just short in a marathon, falling 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-1 to Germany’s Laura Siegemund in two hours and 48 minutes.
No. 28 Emma Navarro lost 6-3, 6-3 to Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto, No. 33 Romanian Jaqueline Cristian lost 6-7 (5), 7-6 (2), 6-4 to Czech Karolina Pliskova in a match which lasted over three hours and No. 31 Xinyu Wang fell 6-4, 6-3 to Alexandra Eala of The Philippines.
No. 4 Iga Swiatek of Poland outlasted Caty McNally for a 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-3 victory, and No. 15 Naomi Osaka of Japan had a similar second-round victory, surviving Germany’s Eva Lys for a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 triumph.
No. 7 Elina Svitolina of Kazakhstan had less trouble, finishing off a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Italy’s Noemi Basiletti in 75 minutes.
No. 19 Diana Shnaider and No. 20 Liudmila Samsonova of Russia as well as No. 32 Hailey Baptiste also won their opening matches on Friday. Shnaider rallied for a 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 defeat of Australia’s Talia Gibson, Samsonova swept Ann Li 6-4, 6-3 and Baptiste escaped with a 6-7 (9), 6-4, 6-4 win over Switzerland’s Simona Waltert.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Defender Chris Richards returns to USMNT practice
June 8, 2026; Irvine, California, U.S.; Chris Richards of the U.S. signs an autograph for a fan during training. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Defender Chris Richards is back on the field with the United States Men’s National Team on Monday and appears to be on track for the World Cup opener against Paraguay this week.
“We will see … first time with the team,” coach Mauricio Pochettino said Monday. “Nearly everyone ready to be selected for the game.”
Richards sustained an ankle injury last month and is viewed as a vital defender in the center of the backline.
Miles Robinson and Mark McKenzie filled in for Richards on Saturday in the final World Cup tuneup against Germany in Chicago.
At Monday’s practice in Irvine, Calif., Tyler Adams was not on the field. He worked in the gym for load management purposes, Pochettino said.
Richards, 26, suffered a pair of torn ligaments in his left ankle on May 17 as his Crystal Palace team played Brentford in a Premier League match. He did complete the match but limped off the field and has not competed since.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Reports: Kings to hire Peter Laviolette as head coach
Mar 29, 2025; San Jose, California, USA; New York Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette instructs his team as left wings Artemi Panarin (10), Chris Kreider (20) and Brennan Othmann (78) look on against the San Jose Sharks during the third period at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images The Los Angeles Kings are set to hire Peter Laviolette to a three-year deal as their next head coach, Sportsnet and ESPN reported Monday.
Laviolette had been in talks to become the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs as recently as last week, according to multiple reports, and the Edmonton Oilers had also reportedly looked at him as a candidate to fill their head coaching vacancy.
Laviolette, 61, has been an NHL head coach for 23 seasons.
He won a Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006. He also reached the Stanley Cup Final as coach of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010 and the Nashville Predators in 2017.
He most recently coached the New York Rangers from 2023-25. The Rangers went 55-23-4 (114 points) in Laviolette’s first season and advanced to the Eastern Conference finals, where they were eliminated by the Florida Panthers in a six-game series. New York went 39-36-7 (85 points) the following season to finish six points out of a playoff spot, leading to Laviolette’s dismissal in April 2025.
He owns an 846-562-161 record (25 ties) as head coach with the New York Islanders (2001-03), Hurricanes (2003-09), Flyers (2009-14), Predators (2014-20), Washington Capitals (2020-23) and Rangers.
His 846 regular-season wins are the most among United States-born coaches in NHL history and seventh all-time.
Laviolette appeared in 12 NHL games during his playing career as a defenseman, all during the 1988-89 season with the Rangers.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Top 2 seeds ousted in chaotic opening day at Libema Open
Aug 27, 2025; Flushing, NY, USA; Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia serves against Wang Xinyu of China in the second round of the women’s singles at the US Open at Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds each fell in straight sets on a chaotic first day of women’s competition in the Libema Open at ‘s-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands on Monday.
No. 1 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia — a two-time winner at the event in 2022 and ‘23 — fell 6-4, 7-6 (5) to Hungary’s Panna Udvardy, who ranks nearly 50 spots lower (65th to 17th). In a match that was statistically even in a number of spots, the difference may have been Udvardy’s one more converted break (3 of 6) in an equal number of chances.
Second-seeded Clara Tauson of Denmark lost 6-4, 6-4 to Slovakia’s Mia Pohankova, a 17-year-old who won the final five games of the match to secure her first career top-30 win. No. 3 seed Belgian Elise Mertens avoided the same fate with a thorough 6-1, 6-2 defeat of Canada’s Bianca Andreescu.
In other Monday action, Poland’s Magda Linette rallied for a 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 win over Australian Kimberly Birrell, Robin Montgomery pulled out a 5-7, 6-0, 6-4 victory against Daria Kasatkina of Australia and Ukraine’s Daria Snigur swept Spain’s Paula Badosa 6-1, 7-6 (2).
HSBC Championships
Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic rallied for a 6-7 (1), 6-3, 6-3 defeat of McCartney Kessler in first-round action at London.
Pliskova was sloppy on her serve with three aces and 11 double faults but made up for it by winning 51% of her return points and converting 8 of 11 break-point opportunities.
In the only two other matches completed on Monday, when multiple matches were delayed or postponed by rain, Great Britain’s Harriet Dart beat Liudmila Samsonova of Russia 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, while Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian swept Qinwen Zheng 6-4, 7-6 (4).
The final match of the day, which pitted No. 8 seed Leylah Fernandez of Canada against Great Britain’s Katie Boulter, was suspended due to darkness with Fernandez up a set and the second set level at 3 games apiece.
–Field Level Media
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