SPORTS HEADLINES

Russian teen Mirra Andreeva says she had to overcome so many demons inside to win the French Open

PARIS (AP) — Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva was already a tennis phenom at age 15. At 19 she’s a Grand Slam champion. The eighth-ranked Andreeva ended the run of 114th-ranked Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska with a 6-3, 6-2 victory in the French Open final. Andreeva became the youngest player to win the women’s singles title since Monica Seles, who was 18 when she landed her third straight French Open in 1992. Chwalinska was attempting to become the first qualifier to capture the Roland Garros title. Alexander Zverev plays Flavio Cobolli in the men’s final on Sunday to conclude the wildest Grand Slam in recent memory.

Knicks coach Mike Brown again finds himself reveling in a long playoff win streak

It was April 23, or 6 1/2 weeks ago. The New York Knicks had just endured their second consecutive one-point loss to the Atlanta Hawks, and this one left them trailing 2-1 in their Eastern Conference first-round series. Signs of trouble were everywhere. The mood in New York was abysmal. Mike Brown’s future as coach was a hot topic. The Knicks are 13-0 since. And Brown is now part of the two longest single-season playoff winning streaks in NBA history.

Knicks, up 2-0 in NBA Finals, say the job is far from over. And the Spurs aren’t conceding anything

The New York Knicks are up 2-0. They say they’re unfazed. The San Antonio Spurs are down 0-2. They say they’re unfazed. Such is the state of things in the NBA Finals, where both teams were taking a travel day on Saturday. Practices resume Sunday and Game 3 of the title series is Monday night at Madison Square Garden, where President Donald Trump will be watching alongside fans who are willing to pay nearly $10,000 for seats so far from the court that 7-foot-4 Spurs center Victor Wembanyama will look tiny.

Golden Tempo wins the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes after winning the Kentucky Derby

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) — Golden Tempo won the Belmont Stakes five weeks after winning the Kentucky Derby. Golden Tempo charged down the stretch at Saratoga Race Course to capture the third and final leg of the Triple Crown with jockey Jose Ortiz aboard for trainer Cherie DeVaux. Commandment was second and favorite Renegade third. DeVaux after becoming the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner is the second in four years to do so at the Belmont. Jena Antonucci did so with Archangelo in 2023.

Caitlin Clark cheers for a 7-game NBA Finals, savoring ‘great basketball’

NEW YORK (AP) — Caitlin Clark would love to see the NBA Finals go seven games. Not because she’s a fan of either team, but more so because she just loves great basketball. Clark was out to dinner on Friday night in New York, watching Game 2 of the Knicks-Spurs series on her phone with teammate Lexie Hull. When the Knicks won, Clark thought for a minute about going over to Madison Square Garden where a massive watch party was taking place, just to take in the crazy atmosphere.

Game 3 looms large as Hurricanes and Golden Knights trade stunning comebacks

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Stanley Cup Final has been marked by wild swings. The Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights each lament what could be a 2-0 series lead for either side. So it’s probably appropriate the teams split the first two games in Carolina. The winner of Saturday’s Game 3 will have an enormous edge if history is a guide. Teams that take a 2-1 series lead in the final went on to win the Cup 46 of 57 times. But this series has been unpredictable.

Bad weather halts 3rd round of Memorial with J.T. Poston and Ryan Gerard still in front

DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — J.T. Poston and Ryan Gerard are tied for the lead at the Memorial after bad weather halted the third round. Scottie Scheffler was making a strong charge but hit two bogeys in three holes. Poston and Gerard are at 9-under par through five holes, just ahead of Sam Burns. The PGA Tour stopped play because of thunderstorms, with the third round resuming Sunday morning. Scottie Scheffler, aiming for a third consecutive win at the Memorial, started 10 shots behind but made a quick climb before slipping back. Rory McIlroy is also eight shots behind.

Sané, Havertz score as Germany beats US 2-1, heads to World Cup with 9-game winning streak

CHICAGO (AP) — Leroy Sané scored a tiebreaking goal in the 57th minute, giving Germany a 2-1 win over the United States in a friendly and a nine-game winning streak heading into the World Cup. Kai Havertz put the four-time champions in front with a header from a free kick in the second minute but Antonee Robinson tied the score in the 37th with a left-foot volley from the top of the arc. The 16th-ranked United States has lost nine straight games to European opponents. Hosting the World Cup for the first time since 1994, the Americans open against Paraguay on Friday,

Denny Hamlin captures NASCAR pole at Michigan but expects to start at rear because of damage

BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) — Rebounding from a flat tire in practice that damaged the underside of his car, Denny Hamlin roared to his 50th career pole position in the NASCAR Cup Series. Hamlin was the last driver of the session at Michigan International Speedway, and his No. 11 Toyota’s 195.117-mph lap around the 2-mile oval knocked Carson Hocevar’s No. 77 Chevrolet (195.022 mph) from the top spot. Hamlin continued a streak of Toyotas winning every pole at Michigan since the debut of the Next Gen car in 2022, but the news wasn’t all good. Hamlin is expecting his car will need further repairs that would be unapproved by NASCAR, sending him to the rear of the field for the start.

Iran’s soccer team leaves for World Cup as some officials still await US visas

ANTALYA, Turkey (AP) — Iran’s World Cup soccer team is traveling from Turkey to their training base in Mexico. Some members of the Iranian Football Federation haven’t yet received U.S. visas. Iranian state television reports that key officials are among those waiting for visas before matches in Los Angeles and Seattle. The team’s participation is complicated by the Iran war. Visa issues have already forced Iran to move its training base from Arizona to the Mexican city of Tijuana. All players have been approved for visas, but some staff members have been rejected. The team has been training in the Turkish city of Antalya.