Sports
Marta Kostyuk to put clay-court streak on line against Iga Swiatek in Paris
Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk her third round match against Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic at the French Open on May 29, 2026.
Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine, who has not lost on the clay courts this season, advanced to the fourth round of the French Open on Friday in Paris — with four-time champion Iga Swiatek her next opponent.
The 15th-seeded Kostyuk won titles on the clay courts in Madrid and Rouen leading up to the French Open. She advanced with a 6-4, 6-3 defeat of Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland.
Swiatek, the third seed, most recently won the title at Roland Garros in 2024. She defeated Magda Linette 6-4, 6-4 in an all-Polish match on Friday to advance. With the win, she avenged her three-set loss to Linette earlier this year in Miami.
Swiatek has yet to win a tournament on clay this season and has a record of 9-3. Her most recent title on any surface came last September in Seoul.
Kostyuk had an optimistic tone in her post-match news conference, even though she has lost all three career matchups against Swiatek and hasn’t won a set from her.
“I definitely have a different feeling going into this match,” she said. “Because I feel like last time that I played her in Cincinnati, I lost this match way before it even started, and I don’t feel the same this time.”
Swiatek also won the tournament in 2020 before three straight victories from 2022-24 and is 43-3 overall at Roland Garros. Only Chris Evert (seven) and Steffi Graf (six) have more singles titles in Paris during the Open Era.
Kostyuk knows that history, too.
“She’s won this tournament four times. I would love to be the one who is a favorite in this match, but I still don’t think it’s the case, even though I have this really long streak,” the Ukrainian said. “But it’s not going to ruin my day or ruin my game. I still want to go out and try my best and enjoy. Like, I have never taken a set off her. Even if I win one set in the next match, I’m going to be very happy. That’s how I look at it, and I’m excited for this match.”
Other winners Friday were eighth-seeded Mirra Andreeva of Russia, who defeated Czech 27th seed Marie Bouzkova 6-4, 6-2. In the fourth round, she will face Jil Teichmann of Switzerland, who upset 10th-seeded Karolina Muchova of Czechia 6-1, 7-5.
Sorana Cirstea of Romania, the 18th seed, shut out Solana Sierra of Argentina 6-0, 6-0 to set up a fourth-round meeting with Xiyu Wang of China, who produced a 6-3, 7-5 win over Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva.
Seventh-seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine ousted Tamara Korpatsch of Germany 6-2, 6-3. She will play 11th-seeded Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, who sailed 6-3, 6-3 past Peyton Stearns.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Reports: Magic pick Spurs assistant Sean Sweeney as next head coach
May 12, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs assistant head coach Sean Sweeney observes the second half of play during game five of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images San Antonio Spurs associate head coach Sean Sweeney is set to become head coach of the Magic, edging out two veteran finalists to replace Jamahl Mosley in Orlando.
According to multiple reports, Sweeney and the Magic are in agreement on the deal, which will be finalized as soon as San Antonio’s season ends. The Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder square off Saturday in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals.
Mosley was fired by the Magic after Orlando blew a 3-1 series lead in the first round of the 2026 playoffs to the Detroit Pistons. He landed on his feet and was hired as head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans.
Former University of Florida, Thunder and Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan and Los Angeles Clippers assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy, also a former NBA head coach, were also finalists. But Orlando went with Sweeney after he reportedly “wowed” the team’s brass in a meeting Wednesday in San Antonio.
Sweeney, 41, was Jason Kidd’s top assistant coach in Dallas and helped the Mavericks reach the NBA Finals in 2024. He jumped to San Antonio prior to this season to work for Mitch Johnson after being a finalist for the head coaching jobs with the Hornets, Pistons and Suns.
In his only season with San Antonio, Sweeney was primarily responsible for the Spurs’ defense. He has been an assistant coach and worked with a plethora of prominent All-Star-level talents such as Victor Wembanyama (Spurs), Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Mosley spent five seasons as head coach in Orlando and accumulated a record of 189-221. Orlando won 41 or more games each of the past three seasons.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Giants' Abdul Carter: 'No beef' with Jaxson Dart over President Trump intro
Apr 25, 2025; East Rutherford, NJ, US; New York Giants first round draft picks, Abdul Carter and Jaxson Dart pose for photos prior to the start of the press conference. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Salus-Imagn Images Giants edge rusher Abdul Carter officially cleared the air Friday about his since-deleted tweet criticizing New York quarterback Jaxson Dart for introducing President Donald Trump at a political event earlier this month.
Talking after Friday’s OTA practice, Carter wasn’t apologetic for what he said. However, he made it clear it hasn’t affected his relationship with Dart.
“First off, I’m going to say that some things are bigger than football, and this is one of those things. Jaxson is one of our leaders. He’s the face of our franchise. He not only represents himself and what he does, but he represents all of us, and that goes for anybody who wears a Giants uniform,” Carter said.
“But if he chooses to align himself with a man like President Trump, it’s my responsibility based on what I believe and what I stand on to not only show my teammates that I’m against that, but to show the world.
“That doesn’t mean that we have to spread hate. It doesn’t mean that me and Jaxson hate each other or we have beef. I sit next to Jaxson every day, every team meeting. We’re close. We talk. As long as we make sure we’ve got the same goal as a team and our goals align, which they do, I feel like that’s all that matters. I just want to move past this.”
Dart introduced Trump last week at festivities supporting the campaign of Rep. Mike Lawler, who represents New York’s Hudson Valley in Congress and is running for a third term.
Dart’s presence and on-the-mic role at the rally sparked a reaction from Carter, the third overall draft pick in 2025 – the same year in which the Giants selected Dart with the 25th pick.
“Thought this (s-) was AI,” Carter wrote in a since-deleted post on X that showed the video featuring Dart’s introduction of the president. “What we doing, man?”
Dart, who also talked to the media on Friday, opened with a statement which shared his side of the story.
“This was a unique opportunity, being asked and given the opportunity to introduce the President of the United States,” Dart said. “My thinking was pretty simple, in the fact of, I’ve always loved this country. I have extended family members who have fought in wars. I have two uncles who have retired from the Air Force Academy and served themselves. And I even have a great-grandfather who served as the Secretary of the Treasury at some point.
“The president position has always been a position that I have a lot of respect in, regardless of political affiliation, regardless of political party. My intentions were just that.”
Dart added that some productive conversations amongst Giants players have come out of this situation.
“We have a real brotherhood. We’ve had a lot of honest conversations with each other, as a team, and I’d like to keep those things private between me and my teammates.”
Carter, who was seen embracing Dart during Friday’s workout, made it clear he isn’t looking for Dart to apologize.
“I don’t want him to say he’s sorry. Stand on what you believe in,” Carter said. “But it can’t be a problem when I stand on what I believe in. That’s all that matters to me. As long as we have that understanding, it’s all good.”
Backup quarterback Jameis Winston, a 12-year NFL veteran, shared his veteran perspective as for how valuable it can be for two guys entering their second seasons to come out the other side of something like this.
“I think these two young guys being resilient and showing that uncomfortable situations and coming to a, not a compromise, but coming to a position of strength, of authority, of the impact that they have, that we have as athletes with this platform to the world, is so good for them to experience,” Winston said.
“Because guys, they were drafted together. You don’t have a tighter bond than that. They sit next to each other in the team meeting room. That’s what we see in this world. Sometimes we try to normalize just opinions, people’s opinions. Everybody wants to jump on, oh, he said this, she did that, but we don’t normalize togetherness. We don’t normalize perspective. Everyone has that.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Reports: Nationwide buying 37% stake in Crew at $900M valuation
Columbus Crew fan waves a flag in the first half of the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal match at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field on Wednesday, May 20, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. Nationwide Mutual Insurance has agreed to a deal to purchase a 37% stake in ownership of the Columbus Crew, according to multiple media reports.
The deal was reportedly made at a valuation of $900 million. It still needs to be approved by MLS’ board of governors and is set to be finalized in the next few weeks.
Nationwide is buying 30% of the stake from Haslem Sports Group and 7% from the Edwards family. The Haslems, who also own the Cleveland Browns, were awarded an expansion NWSL team in Columbus last month for what was reported to be a record $205 million fee.
Nationwide and the Edwards family are also in the NWSL ownership group.
The Haslem and Edwards families took over operation of the Crew from MLS in 2018 for $150 million. Even with selling 30%, the Haslems will remain the majority owners with 40% of the ownership stake.
The reported club valuation for Columbus is a bit higher than a few other recent MLS franchise sales. Real Salt Lake and the NWSL’s Utah Royals were sold last year for just under $600 million, and Sporting Kansas City’s majority ownership stake was sold earlier this year at a valuation of $700 million.
–Field Level Media
