Alexander Zverev is widely viewed as the best active player yet to win a Grand Slam event, but the German is suddenly favored to remove his name from that list following the early exits of Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic at the French Open.

Zverev, 29, had the second-shortest odds at most sportsbooks to begin the tournament, but he was still a longshot compared to Sinner, who was the -325 pre-tournament favorite at BetMGM and -340 at DraftKings. Zverev was offered at +900 and +1100, respectively, just head of Djokovic at +1100 at both books.

However, Sinner was dispatched in the second round after struggling with the heat wave in Paris this week. Djokovic followed with a third-round loss on Friday.

Suddenly, and quite shockingly, that thrust Zverev into the heavy favorite status. The 2024 French Open finalist is being offered at +135 by BetMGM and +120 by DraftKings. The former has Casper Ruud at +550 ahead of rising Spanish star Rafael Jodar (+600) and Brazil’s Joao Fonseca (+800), who upset Djokovic.

DraftKings is offering Jodar with the second-shortest odds at +550, followed by Ruud (+600) and Fonseca (+750).

There are no players remaining in the men’s draw who have won a Grand Slam event.

The top remaining American is Frances Tiafoe, who is a +3300 longshot at BetMGM and +3500 at DraftKings.

With Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz unable to defend his title due to a wrist injury, this year’s French Open will feature the first Grand Slam champion other than Alcaraz, Sinner or Djokovic since Rafael Nadal won the 2022 French Open.

–Field Level Media

Jordan Smith of England carded a 65 for the second straight day to edge ahead of the pack and claim the 36-hole lead on Friday at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas.

Smith’s second round began with an eagle-birdie burst on the first two holes at Colonial Country Club. It wasn’t until the par-4 14th that he made his first and only bogey of the tournament.

At 10-under-par 130, Smith holds a one-shot lead over Hideki Matsuyama of Japan (65), Brian Harman (66), Ryan Gerard (67) and Michael Thorbjornsen (65).

Gerard was one of six co-leaders who shot a 64 in the first round, but that group spread out across the leaderboard during the second round. J.J. Spaun is the only other one still in the top 10, as his 68 Friday left him at 8 under par and tied for sixth. Andrew Putnam shot an even-par 70 while Matt McCarty (71), Lee Hodges (71) and Tom Kim of South Korea (72) dropped several places on a day when 70 players broke 70.

Spaun sits two shots back along with Akshay Bhatia (65), Russell Henley (66), Brice Garnett (66) and Alex Smalley (67), who remains in contention for his first PGA Tour win two weeks after he was the surprise 54-hole leader at the PGA Championship.

Canadian A.J. Ewart fired a 63, the round of the day by two strokes, thanks in large part to a hole-in-one at the par-3 16th as part of his first nine. He faded his tee shot at the 197-yard hole perfectly onto the green and watched his ball roll a few feet straight into the cup.

Ewart trails Smith by three at 7 under, which ties him with countryman Mackenzie Hughes (67) as well as Michael Brennan (66) and Mac Meissner (67).

The cut line fell at 2 under par. Notables who failed to make the weekend included Tony Finau (even par), Camilo Villegas of Colombia (even), Webb Simpson (2 over), Rickie Fowler (3 over) and South Korea’s Sungjae Im (6 over).

–Field Level Media

Plenty has changed in the four years since the last World Cup.

FIFA’s global championship has added 16 teams to its field, which means 48 countries will compete in the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19. The schedule has returned to the traditional summer months as opposed to the matches Qatar hosted in November and December 2022.

As for changes on a less grandiose scale, look no further than United States midfielder Gio Reyna. While chatting with reporters on Friday, Reyna explained why he’s no longer the 20-year-old who was chastised by his coach for a lack of effort while preparing for the 2022 World Cup.

“Obviously, a lot has changed,” Reyna said. “(I’m) married now. Have a dog. I just like to say, I matured and grown up in many aspects of my life. It’s hard to pinpoint one.”

Reyna continues to field questions about his maturity level because Gregg Berhalter, the USMNT’s coach for the 2022 World Cup, mentioned after the tournament was over that he nearly sent a player home.

Basic sleuthing revealed that player to be Reyna, who played just 53 minutes in the 2022 World Cup. That sparked a multi-generational row between Reyna’s family and Berhalter’s family.

“It doesn’t really affect me anymore,” Reyna said. “… It more confuses me when I get asked the question still. It’s obviously four years removed and I think everyone is so far removed from that.”

Reyna is among the 13 returnees on the USMNT’s 26-man roster for this World Cup. The 2022 squad finished as the Group B runner-up, which merited a spot in the Round of 16. Once there, the U.S. fell 3-1 to the Netherlands.

Heading into Sunday’s friendly against Senegal in Charlotte, N.C., the Americans stand No. 16 in FIFA’s official world rankings.

It’s too soon to know how much of an impact Reyna, 23, will have on this year’s squad. He wasn’t a cinch to make the team because he played little in the Bundesliga this season for Borussia Monchengladbach. He started just four matches and scored one goal in 137 total minutes.

“I think rhythm comes from game time, which I feel even those 30, 20-minute stints definitely help,” Reyna said.

“But in the end, it also comes down to training well every day and preparing yourself, which I feel like I try to do whether I’m playing 90 minutes in a good situation or not playing at all. So it’s just the consistent body of work every day showing up and trying to get better.”

–Field Level Media