Sports briefs
By NewsPress Now
Tennessee earns No. 1 national seed for NCAA baseball tournament
OMAHA, Neb. | Tennessee, the Southeastern Conference regular-season and conference tournament champion and the consensus No. 1 team in the country for a month, on Monday was awarded the top national seed for the NCAA Tournament.
The 64-team tournament opens Friday with 16 double-elimination regionals. Winners advance to eight best-of-three super regionals. Those winners move on to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, beginning June 14.
The Volunteers haven’t lost consecutive games since mid-March and are the only team in the country to win 50 games three of the past four years. They will try to become the first No. 1 national seed to win the championship since Miami in 1999, the year the NCAA went to the current tournament structure.
Tennessee, which has reached two of the past three College World Series, come into regionals in the top 10 nationally in five offensive categories. The Vols’ 147 homers are most in the nation, and Christian Moore has 28 to lead five Vols players with at least 17. The pitching staff has a 3.83 ERA and ranks in the top five in four other categories.
“If you look back to August when it started, the group has had good vibes up at the field every day,” Vols coach Tony Vitello said. “That’s a good start because when you win or lose, it’s going to be fun to come to work every day, and you can probably improve because you have guys who are willing to listen and willing to work together.”
The national seeds following Tennessee (50-11) are Kentucky (40-14), Texas A&M (44-13), North Carolina (42-13), Arkansas (43-14), Clemson (41-14), Georgia (39-15) and Florida State (42-15).
Seeds Nos. 9 through 16: Oklahoma (37-19), North Carolina State (33-20), Oklahoma State (40-17), Virginia (41-15), Arizona 36-21), UC Santa Barbara (42-12), Oregon State (42-14) and East Carolina (43-15).
The last four teams to get at-large bids, in alphabetical order, were Coastal Carolina, Indiana, James Madison and UCF.
The first four teams left out were California, Charleston, Cincinnati and TCU.
The SEC set a record with 11 teams in regionals and five among the top eight national seeds. The Atlantic Coast Conference has eight teams in the tournament and the Big 12 has six.
Selection committee decisions sure to be debated were having East Carolina host a regional over other contenders and Coastal Carolina, Kansas State, Indiana and Florida receiving at-large bids. All six of those schools have representatives on the committee, and all but East Carolina were thought to be on the bubble for bids.
Chairman Matt Hogue, the athletic director at Coastal Carolina, said NCAA protocols ensure fairness by requiring committee members to leave the room when their schools are discussed and to not participate if their schools are subject of a vote.
“One thing that you do want to have with a committee are folks who are tuned into the sport,” Hogue said, “so just as an inherent natural result, if you have quality people on the committee, it’s going to be likely in many years you’re going to have teams in that situation. So I think that’s important to note.”
14-time champion Rafael Nadal loses in the French Open’s first round
PARIS | The noise was loud and relentless, a chorus of thousands of belting out “ Ra-fa! Ra-fa! “ whenever their guy found the occasional moment of brilliance of the sort he has conjured up so often at the French Open and elsewhere through the years.
The 15,000 or so on hand roared their support when Rafael Nadal stepped out into Court Philippe Chatrier on Monday, voices echoing under the closed roof of a place he called “magical for me.” When the 14-time champion at Roland Garros approached the net for the prematch coin toss. When he took his swings during the warmup. And, especially, when he whipped his trademark topspin lefty forehand or chopped his two-fisted cross-court backhand or placed a volley perfectly to claim a point.
The problem for Nadal, and for his fans, is that there were not nearly enough such points for him against Alexander Zverev. Not enough vintage play to allow his nearly 38-year-old, oft-injured body to claim one more victory, no matter how much the folks in the stands tried to will that to happen. And so he lost 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3 in the first round of the French Open to Zverev in what might turn out to be Nadal’s last match at the clay-court tournament he dominated for so long.
“If it’s the last time that I played here,” Nadal said, “I am at peace with myself.”
It is the first time in his long and illustrious career that Nadal has been beaten in two consecutive matches on clay courts — he lost to Hubert Hurkacz at the Italian Open on May 11 — and the first time he has dropped a match earlier than the fourth round at the French Open.
“The last two years, I have been working and going through probably the toughest process in my tennis career with the dream to come back here. At least I did,” Nadal said. “I mean, I lost, but that’s part of the business.”
He had indicated 2024 likely would be his last season, but he said Saturday he is not absolutely certain he be at the French Open again. He reiterated that after only his fourth defeat in 116 career matches at the place.
“I am not saying I am retiring today,” said the Spaniard, whose 1 1/2-year-old son, Rafael Jr., sat on his mother’s lap in the stands.
While Nadal said it’s doubtful he’ll enter Wimbledon, which he won twice and starts on July 1, he did note he hopes to return to Roland Garros later that month, when the Olympics’ tennis competition will be at the French Open site.
Monday’s match ended in anticlimactic fashion, with the 22-time Grand Slam champion unable to play his customary way after 1 1/2 years of hip and abdominal injuries. He had hip surgery during the 2023 French Open, the first time he missed it since winning his debut there as a teenager.
“My body has been a jungle for two years. You don’t know what to expect,” Nadal said. “I wake up one day and I (felt like I had) a snake biting me. Another day, a tiger.”
Nadal, who turns 38 on June 3, has been limited to 16 matches and an 8-8 record since the start of last year. His infrequent play dropped his ranking to No. 275, and he was unseeded for the French Open for the first time; he’d never been anything worse than the No. 6 seed in 18 previous appearances.
That is why Nadal ended up facing the No. 4-seeded Zverev, the runner-up at the 2020 U.S. Open, a gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics and the only man to reach the semifinals in Paris each of the past three years.
Nadal’s other losses at Roland Garros came against Robin Soderling in 2009, and against Novak Djokovic in 2015 and 2021.
Djokovic, owner of 24 major championships and the man Nadal played against more than any other, sat in the stands Monday, as did younger stars Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz. Also there: Nadal’s uncle, Toni, who used to be his coach. Not surprisingly, it was difficult to spot so much as a single empty chair anywhere in the arena on what many realized could be a historic occasion.
Here and there, when Nadal was able to come up with the goods and get the better of his opponent, he would yell “Vamos!” and throw that celebratory uppercut that became so familiar, from the days of muscle shirts and Capri pants to Monday’s look of sky-blue sleeves and standard-length white shorts. His numerous and vocal supporters would respond in kind, thrusting their fists in the air right along with him or shaking their red-and-yellow Spanish flags or clapping to the beat of a drum.
If Nadal put a ball into the net, or sailed one wide or long, the groans of disappointment filled the chilly air. Between points, especially when he was trying to navigate a difficult spot, it was so quiet that a pigeon’s coos were audible from a corner of the stadium.
Nadal began shakily, with a misplayed drop shot and a double-fault contributing to getting broken at love. He got broken again to end the first set.
The 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Zverev is a talented player coming off a title on clay at the Italian Open. The 27-year-old German leverages every bit of his long legs and considerable wingspan to cover the court well and unleash tough-to-corral groundstrokes.
As he plays in Paris, he is awaiting Friday’s start of a trial in a Berlin court related to accusations of domestic abuse made by an ex-girlfriend. Zverev does not need to be present at the court and has said he won’t be there.
On Monday, there were two stretches, albeit brief, where Nadal looked as though he might be able to find enough muscle memory to make this a close contest.
In the second set, right after he flubbed a backhand and hung his head, Nadal faced a pair of break points that would have put Zverev up 3-1. Nadal escaped, using a 116 mph (187 kph) ace and a 117 mph (188 kph) service winner to hold, before breaking for a 3-2 lead.
Roars.
Not so fast. Nadal served for that set at 5-4, but Zverev broke at love, then was superior in the ensuing tiebreaker.
At the start of the third set, Nadal again erased a pair of break points, then broke for a 2-0 lead with an on-the-run forehand. He pumped his fists, gritted his teeth and screamed, “Vamos!”
More roars.
Once more, though, Nadal failed to sustain it and soon was back at 2-all. Zverev broke to lead 5-3, and that essentially was that. Nadal said his body felt as well as it has in a while during practice, and he finally could move without limitations, but he hasn’t been competing enough lately.
“To hold your level (with) this amount of energy, this amount of concentration,” he explained, “you need to be playing often.”
Addressing the fans directly, Nadal said: “The feelings that you made me feel here are unbelievable. I really hope to see you again, but I don’t know. Merci beaucoup.”
And with that, he gathered his bags and headed to the locker room, but not before stopping to look around. He applauded right back at those applauding him and saluting him with one final chant.
“Ra-fa! Ra-fa!”
Seattle Kraken expected to name Dan Bylsma as coach
SEATTLE | The Seattle Kraken are expected to name Dan Bylsma as their coach, according to a person with knowledge of the choice, putting the 2009 Stanley Cup winner in Pittsburgh back in charge of an NHL team for the first time since 2017.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on Monday on the condition of anonymity because the team has not announced the hire. The Kraken scheduled a “special announcement” news conference for Tuesday, after Sportsnet first reported the decision.
Bylsma has spent the past two seasons as the head coach of the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the American Hockey League, the top affiliate of the Kraken, and has them back in the Calder Cup semifinals. He has worked extensively with several of Seattle’s top prospects who the franchise hopes will be making their way to Seattle in the coming seasons.
Bylsma replaces Dave Hakstol, who was let go after his third season in charge of the Kraken but after Seattle took a significant step back and struggled badly at the offensive end of the ice. Seattle made the playoffs in its second year and earned Hakstol a two-year contract extension, but he was let go before that extension ever kicked in.
Before his stint with Coachella Valley, Bylsma spent parts of eight seasons as a head coach at the NHL level with Pittsburgh and Buffalo. He took over midway through the 2008-09 season in Pittsburgh and helped guide the Penguins to the Stanley Cup. Pittsburgh made the playoffs in the five seasons under Bylsma after winning the title, but advanced to the conference final only once in those five trips.
After being fired by Pittsburgh, Bylsma spent two seasons as the head coach in Buffalo before being fired after the 2016-17 season. The Sabres finished seventh and eighth in the Atlantic Division in his two seasons.
Seattle finished last season 34-35-13 and tied for fifth place in the Pacific Division with 81 points. While they were solid defensively and received strong goaltending for most of the season with the combo of Joey Daccord and Philipp Grubauer, the Kraken struggled badly at the offensive end. Seattle was 29th in the league in goals scored, 29th in shooting percentage and 18th on the power play.
Increasing scoring will be one of Bylsma’s main tasks in Seattle. The two teams he led at Coachella Valley had no problem scoring goals on its way to significant success. The Firebirds made the Calder Cup finals in their first season before losing to Hershey in Game 7.
This season, Coachella Valley won the Pacific Division of the AHL and was one of two teams in the league to top 100 points. The Firebirds have advanced to the Western Conference finals, which are scheduled to begin Wednesday.
In both seasons the Firebirds finished in the top three in the AHL in goals scored during the regular season. He also worked with the likes of Daccord, Shane Wright, Ryker Evans and Tye Kartye, all of whom seem likely to be key parts of the future for the Kraken.
Commanders kicker Brandon McManus is being sued in civil court
The Washington Commanders said Monday they were made aware of a lawsuit filed in civil court last week against kicker Brandon McManus.
A spokesperson said the team is looking into the matter and has spoken with McManus’ agent and the NFL office. ESPN reported two women are suing McManus for sexually assaulting them during a charter flight to London last year when he was playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“We take allegations of this nature very seriously,” the spokesperson said in a message sent to The Associated Press.
Citing court documents that have not yet been posted on Duval County’s public records database, ESPN reports the women, identified as Jane Doe I and Jane Doe II, are accusing McManus of rubbing and grinding against them during the flight and the Jaguars of failing to supervise him and create a safe environment for staff serving the team. They are seeking more than $1 million and asking for a jury trial, according to ESPN.
A message sent to agent Drew Rosenhaus, who represents McManus, was not immediately returned. The Jaguars had no comment.
McManus, who turns 33 in July, signed with Washington in March. The Philadelphia native has been in the league for a decade, the first nine seasons with the Denver Broncos, after playing at Temple.
Rinaldi, Bryan, Rydberg
and Devorss will coach
U.S. tennis teams
NEW YORK | Former Billie Jean King Cup captain Kathy Rinaldi and current Davis Cup captain Bob Bryan will coach the U.S. tennis players at the Paris Olympics.
Jon Rydberg and John Devorss will coach the country’s teams for the sport at the Paralympics.
The U.S. Tennis Association announced the appointments on Monday. The American athletes for tennis will be named at a later date. For the Olympics, the choices will be based on the WTA and ATP rankings on June 10, the day after the French Open ends.
Tennis for the Olympics and Paralympics will be played at Roland Garros, the site of the French Open, which is being played now. The Olympics are July 26 to Aug. 11; the Paralympics are Aug. 28 to Sept. 8.
Rinaldi also worked for Team USA at the Tokyo Games three years ago. She was the U.S. Billie Jean King Cup captain for seven years, winning the title in 2017. She was replaced by Lindsay Davenport after the 2023 Cup.
This will be Bryan’s first Olympics as a coach. He and his twin brother, Mike, won a gold medal in doubles at the London Games in 2012 and a bronze in Beijing four years earlier.
Rydberg is a four-time Paralympian. Devorrs has been the U.S. World Team Cup coach.
—From AP reports
