Carlos Alcaraz raced into the second round of the singles tournament at the Paris Olympic Games, beating Lebanon's Hady Habib 6-3 6-1.

The Spaniard – who captured his fourth grand slam title at Wimbledon earlier this month – needed just one hour and 12 minutes to overcome Habib, who is ranked 275th in the world by the ATP.

Alcaraz had to save break point in the very first game but immediately set about putting Habib under pressure from there, getting a quickfire break to take control of the opener.

Habib hit just three winners throughout the first set, with 16 unforced errors costing him as Alcaraz served with supreme confidence, only dropping one point in a span of six games on his own serve.

Another break in the first game of the second set had Alcaraz truly in charge, and he gave nothing away from then on as he eased to victory.

He will face Britain's Cameron Norrie or the Netherlands' Tallon Griekspoor in the second round, with the duo yet to face off due to rain suspending play on the outside courts.

Data Debrief: Alcaraz goes from strength to strength

Returning to the scene of last month's French Open triumph, Alcaraz was barely troubled as he improved his record at clay-court events to 12-3 for the year.

He was far too good for Habib on Saturday, slamming 26 winners to his opponents' five and causing problems whenever he was able to get to the net, where he won 13 of 16 points on approach (81%).

He will return to the court to partner Rafael Nadal in the doubles later on Sunday, versus Argentine duo Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni.

Iga Swiatek got her bid for Olympic gold up and running with a straight-sets victory over Irina-Camelia Begu in Paris.

The world number one is the firm favourite to win gold at Roland-Garros, where she has won four editions of the French Open, including the last three in a row.

Swiatek and Begu traded breaks at the outset of their clash on Court Philippe-Chatrier, but the Pole continued to put her opponent under pressure when receiving and back-to-back breaks took the opener away from Begu.

The second set was more of a slog for Swiatek and a break in the seventh game had Begu serving to level things up, but Swiatek found a second wind to break back and only dropped one further point from there, winning 6-2 7-5.

Swiatek will face Argentina's Nadia Podoroska or home favourite Diane Parry in the second round, with the likes of Danielle Collins, Jessica Pegula, Naomi Osaka and Angelique Kerber also on her side of the draw.

On the other side of the bracket, Jasmine Paolini – the runner-up at both the French Open and Wimbledon this year – advanced with a 7-5 6-3 win over Ana Bogdan. 

Data Debrief: Twenty-two and counting for Swiatek

Swiatek has now won a remarkable 22 successive matches on the courts of Roland-Garros, last losing at the venue to Maria Sakkari in the 2021 French Open quarter-finals.

In all clay-court tournaments, she has won her last 20 matches, also capturing titles in Madrid and Rome earlier this year.

Novak Djokovic is thrilled by the prospect of meeting Rafael Nadal for "one last dance" at the Paris Olympics, if the Spaniard overcomes an injury setback to feature at Roland-Garros.

Thursday's men's singles draw saw Djokovic paired with Australia's Matthew Ebden in the first round, with Nadal taking on Marton Fucsovics.

The legendary duo – who have won 46 grand slam singles titles between them – will meet in the second round if they both advance through their openers this weekend.

Djokovic and Nadal have previously faced off on 59 occasions, with the Serbian winning 30 of those contests but losing four of the last six, the most recent being a Nadal victory in four sets in the 2022 French Open quarter-finals.

Nadal's participation at the Games was thrown into doubt when his coach Carlos Moya said he had suffered a "setback" on Thursday and required 48 hours of rest.

If Nadal – who is widely expected to retire later this year – does make the tournament, Djokovic is looking forward to the prospect of facing him for a 60th time.

"Obviously he hasn't played much. His ranking dropped, so there was always going to be that possibility of me meeting him in an early round and there we go," Djokovic said.

"It's going to be a spectacle, definitely, if we get to meet. We will spread some fireworks on the court, like the good old times. 

"I hope we get to meet because it will probably be one last dance for the both of us."

Djokovic is set to appear at his fifth Olympics in the French capital, the joint-most by any male player since the sport returned to the Games in 1988 (with Yen Hsun Lu).

He is the player with the most matches played (19) and joint-most matches won (13, level with Roger Federer) at the Olympics since 1988.

However, his best result at the Games remains a Bronze medal at Beijing 2008, when he was beaten by eventual gold medallist Nadal in the semi-finals.

Djokovic lost the bronze medal match to Pablo Carreno Busta at the delayed Tokyo Games three years ago, also losing to Juan Martin del Potro at both London 2012 and Rio 2016.

Aitana Bonmati inspired Spain past Japan as La Roja started their Paris Olympics campaign with a 2-1 victory on Thursday.

Spain are aiming to become the first side to win Olympic gold after lifting the Women's World Cup, having defeated England in the final of that tournament last year.

Ballon d'Or winner Bonmati levelled after Aoba Fujino's stunning 13th-minute free-kick opener in Nantes, before the Spain midfielder teed up Mariona Caldentey's winner 16 minutes from time.

That result saw Montserrat Tome's side seize top spot in Group C ahead of Brazil, who edged past Nigeria 1-0 thanks to Gabi Nunes' first-half finish.

Elsewhere in Group A, defending champions Canada put off-field issues to one side by overcoming New Zealand 2-1 thanks to goals from Cloe Lacasse and Evelyne Viens in Saint-Etienne.

Canada's integrity had been questioned ahead of the game in the wake of a spying scandal, with assistant Andy Spence serving as head coach after Bev Priestman volunteered to sit out.

Priestman, two members of her staff and the Canadian Olympic Committee are being investigated by FIFA's disciplinary committee after a drone was spotted flying over New Zealand's training on Monday.

"Obviously the timing was quite terrible," said Canada captain Jessie Fleming of the drone incident after her side battled back following Mackenzie Barry's early opener.

"But I think for us, we've just leaned into each other as a player group and we really just want to focus on being here and playing."

Hosts France seemed on course for a routine victory in the other Group A game after Marie-Antoinette Katoto's first-half double and Kadidiatou Diani's goal against Colombia.

However, Catalina Usme pulled one back from the spot and Manuela Pavi further reduced the deficit nine minutes later, only for Mayra Ramirez's late red card to help France hold out for a 3-2 victory.

Meanwhile, Germany swept aside Australia 3-0 in Group B, inflicting the Matildas' joint-heaviest defeat at the Olympics, along with a loss against the same opponent by the same scoreline, at Sydney 2000.

Efforts from Marina Hegering, Lea Schuller and Jule Brand sealed the victory for the DFB-Frauenteam against the Tokyo 2020 semi-finalists.

Rafael Nadal may be facing another injury setback at the Paris Olympic Games after his coach warned over the Spaniard's fitness.

The 22-time major champion is widely expected to retire at the end of this year, though is preparing for a final swansong at Roland-Garros, where he has won 14 titles.

Nadal is set to play in the singles and doubles tournaments of the Olympics, partnering current French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz for the latter competition.

Yet his participation has become doubtful after coach Carlos Moya confirmed Nadal had cancelled his training session on Thursday due to a hamstring issue.

"It was a setback and we decided that today Rafa would rest and not train to recover," Moya said, as quoted by Spanish journalist Rafael Plaza.

"We are going to give ourselves 48 hours, we have to wait."

The 38-year-old is reportedly feeling soreness in both his left and right hamstring having pulled out of a scheduled practice session with Alexander Zverev.

Alcaraz had been partnering Nadal throughout the week during training on the clay courts of Paris, though the veteran's feature has now been thrown under a cloud of doubt.

Nadal is one of just two players to have won Olympic gold in both singles and doubles since the sport returned to the Games in 1988, doing so at Beijing 2008 (singles) and Rio 2016 (doubles).

In the singles in the French capital, Nadal has been drawn against Hungary's Marton Fucsovics in the opening round, and the prize could be a second-round date with long-term rival Novak Djokovic.

Ahead of joining compatriot Iga Swiatek at the Paris Olympics, Magda Linette and Magdalena Frech will prepare by contesting the first all-Polish WTA final of the Open Era.

Linette and Frech, ranked 48th and 57th respectively by the WTA, will both take part in the Olympic singles tournament at Roland-Garros, for which four-time French Open champion Swiatek is the firm favourite.

While Swiatek has been drawn to face Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu in the first round, Linette will face Mirra Andreeva and Frech is set to take on Bulgaria's Viktoriya Tomova.

Before then, though, the latter duo will go head-to-head in the final of the Prague Open.

Both overcame home favourites to advance to the showpiece match in Czechia, Linette beating first seed Linda Noskova 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7-2).

Frech, meanwhile, benefitted from a walkover against 16-year-old Laura Samsonova, the former Wimbledon girl's champion being forced to retire while down 3-6 6-0 4-2.

Frech, who is yet to win a WTA Tour-level title, won the only previous meeting between the pair in the Saint Malo quarter-finals in 2022, triumphing 7-5 6-7 (2-7) 6-2.

Kevin Durant has warned Team USA they will not have an easy ride through the basketball tournament at the Paris Olympic Games, declaring: "Everybody is a contender".

The United States will go in search of a fifth straight men's basketball gold in the French capital, where they open their Group C campaign against Serbia on Sunday.

After that meeting with Nikola Jokic and company, the star-studded USA team featuring Durant, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid and a host of other NBA stars take on South Sudan and Puerto Rico.

With Steve Kerr having so much talent at his disposal, the roster has been compared to that of the 1992 'Dream Team', who took gold in Barcelona behind the efforts of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen and other great names.

However, at a press conference ahead of Team USA's 2024 opener, Curry reminded reporters that the class of 1992 only faced nine other active NBA players.

Durant is expecting a much tougher assignment this year, responding to Curry by saying: "Everybody is a contender. Everyone is here for a reason.

"We're playing against 65 or 64 NBA players in Paris. So you know they're the best in the world."

Asked to identify the main players to watch from other nations, the Phoenix Suns forward said: "Giannis [Antetokounmpo] or Jokic."

While Durant adopted a cautious tone, Golden State Warriors star Curry was more bullish regarding the USA's gold medal hopes.

Quizzed on who he was most excited about facing, Curry simply said: "Whoever's in the gold medal game."

Rafael Nadal could face Novak Djokovic in a heavyweight second-round match at the Paris Olympic Games after the draws for the tennis tournaments were made on Thursday.

Nadal is widely expected to retire from tennis later this year, with the Olympics set to represent his swansong at Roland-Garros, where he has won 14 French Open titles.

He will play in both the singles and doubles tournaments, partnering current French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz for the latter competition.

Nadal and Alcaraz will face Argentina's fourth-seeded pair Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni in a difficult first-round matchup in the doubles tournament.

Nadal is one of just two players to have won Olympic gold in both singles and doubles since the sport returned to the Games in 1988, doing so at Beijing 2008 (singles) and Rio 2016 (doubles) – Nicolas Massu triumphed over both events at Athens 2004.

In the singles, Nadal will take on Hungary's Marton Fucsovics in the opening round, and the prize could be a second-round date with Djokovic, who faces Australian Matthew Ebden first.

 

They are on the same side of the draw as third seed Alexander Zverev, who faces Jaume Munar first, and seventh seed Taylor Fritz, who opens against Alexander Bublik.

On the opposite side of the bracket, Alcaraz will start his campaign against Hady Habib, with Britain's Cameron Norrie a potential second-round opponent.

Fourth seed Daniil Medvedev faces Rinky Hijikata in his first match, while fifth seed Alex de Minaur is a potential quarter-final opponent for Alcaraz.

Britain's Andy Murray withdrew from the singles event to concentrate on his doubles bid alongside Dan Evans on Thursday, and the duo will face Kei Nishikori and Taro Daniel of Japan first.

Should they advance, home favourites Arthur Fils and Ugo Humbert could await in round two, with Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul potential quarter-final foes, though the Americans will have to overcome Canada's Milos Raonic and Felix Auger Aliassime to get that far.

Murray and Evans cannot face Nadal and Alcaraz until the final. 

Iga Swiatek is the strong favourite in the women's draw, having won four French Open titles on the Paris clay. Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu is her round-one opponent.

On her same side of the draw, there is a huge round-one clash between Naomi Osaka and 2016 silver medallist Angelique Kerber, who announced on Thursday that she will retire after the Games.

Elena Rybakina and Danielle Collins are also on that side of the draw, while Coco Gauff starts against Ajla Tomljanovic on the opposite side of the bracket.

Angelique Kerber has announced she will retire from professional tennis after the Olympic Games in Paris.

Kerber, who won singles titles at the Australian Open, US Open and Wimbledon between 2016 and 2018, returned to the court after an 18-month hiatus earlier this year.

She had missed the entire 2023 season after announcing her pregnancy in August 2022, giving birth to a daughter the following February.

The 36-year-old has fond memories of the Olympics, having claimed silver at Rio 2016, and she sees this year's tournament at Roland-Garros as a fitting place to end her career.

"The finish line. Before the Olympics begin, I can already say that I will never forget Paris 2024, because it will be my last professional tournament as a tennis player," Kerber wrote on Instagram on Thursday.

"Whereas this might actually be the right decision, it will never feel that way. Simply because I love the sport with all my heart and I'm thankful for the memories and opportunities it has given me.

"The Olympics I've participated in so far have been more than just competitions as they represent different chapters of my life as a tennis player: the climb, the peak… and now, the finish line.

"Paris 2024 will mark the finish line of the most incredible journey I could have ever dreamed of, growing up with a racket in my hand. 

"There are many more things I want to say and people to thank, which I will do once I completed my last match… but for now, I will take the time and soak up every second of this final episode on court."

Andy Murray has played his final singles match after withdrawing from the event at the Paris Olympics, choosing to focus on his doubles campaign alongside Dan Evans.

Having endured a difficult few years due to injuries, Murray confirmed earlier this week that he will retire from tennis after the Games in the French capital.

Murray – who won singles gold at both London 2012 and Rio 2016 – was due to play both singles and doubles, teaming up with Dan Evans for the latter tournament.

However, he announced he had withdrawn from the singles ahead of the draws behind made on Thursday.

"I have taken the decision to withdraw from the singles to focus on the doubles with Dan Evans," said a statement issued by Murray.

"Practice has been great and we're playing well together. I'm really looking forward to getting started and representing Team GB one more time."

Murray also withdrew from the singles at his final Wimbledon tournament earlier this month, with his final match on Centre Court being a first-round doubles defeat alongside brother Jamie.

Murray and Evans face stern competition in the doubles at Roland-Garros, with Spanish duo Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal forming a heavyweight partnership at the venue where the latter has won 14 French Open singles titles.

Cycling great Mark Cavendish has hailed Andy Murray as an "incredible person" ahead of his impending retirement after the Paris Olympic Games.

Murray confirmed this week that the tennis tournament at Roland Garros, which begins on Saturday, will be his last before he hangs up his racket.

The three-time grand slam champion has endured an injury-hit few years and was unable to make a final appearance in the singles draw at Wimbledon this month, though he did team up with brother Jamie for one last match on Centre Court – a loss to John Peers and Rinky Hijikata.

Murray is the only men's player to have won two Olympic golds ahead of his Paris campaign, but Cavendish – who made history by claiming a 35th Tour de France stage win earlier this month – says his legacy goes beyond his results. 

"What Andy has showed, whatever you do, just do it. It's not for anyone else to say what you can and can't do – just do what you love," Cavendish said.

"Aside from his incredible achievements on the court, what Andy has stood for off the court, is his fight for equality between male and female sportspeople especially, and his vocal criticism of people who criticise him and what he does. 

"Absolute love of a sport and carrying the hopes of a nation for so long – he's an incredible person.

"Whatever he does, you know he's going to do it with passion and I wish him the best."

Marketa Vondrousova has withdrawn from the upcoming Paris Olympics with a hand injury.

The former Wimbledon champion, whose title defence was ended by Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the first round earlier this month, was a silver medallist in Tokyo three years ago, losing out on gold to Belinda Bencic.

The Czech was aiming to go the extra step this time around at Roland-Garros, where she reached the French Open final in 2019.

However, Vondrousova has instead chosen to focus on preparing for the final major of 2024 at the US Open in August.

"I am very sorry, but due to health reasons, I will not be participating in this year's Olympic Games in Paris," she posted on Instagram.

"I hoped until the last moment that I could go at least in doubles, but problems with my hand won't allow me on the court."

Vondrousova joins Aryna Sabalenka, Ons Jabeur and Emma Raducanu on the absentee list for the women's tournament, while the men's event will not feature world number seven Hubert Hurkacz.

The Pole, who was forced to retire with a knee injury during his second-round match at Wimbledon, has failed to recover in time.

Meanwhile, Poland's Hubert Hurkacz, ranked seventh in the world, has also withdrawn from the men's competition.

The 27-year-old has not recovered from a knee injury which forced him to retire from his second-round match at Wimbledon.

"My rehabilitation is going very well, and I am making continuous progress," he said in a video posted on his Instagram Stories. "However, my team and I have decided that I am unable to compete in the Olympic Games in Paris.

"This was a very, very difficult decision because I have always dreamed of representing Poland at the Olympics, being able to win a medal for the national team, but unfortunately, my health does not allow it this year."

LeBron James has been named Team USA's male flagbearer for the Olympic Games opening ceremony on Friday.

A two-time gold medallist in 2008 and 2012, the NBA legend was selected by his fellow Olympians ahead of what will be his fourth Games in Paris.

James, who also won bronze in Athens 20 years ago, is the first men's basketball player to achieve the honour.

The 39-year-old will lead his 591 fellow Team USA athletes along the River Seine in what will be the first summer Olympic opening ceremony held outside the main stadium.

"It's an incredible honour to represent the United States on this global stage," James said, "especially in a moment that can bring the whole world together.

"For a kid from Akron, this responsibility means everything to not only myself but to my family, all the kids in my hometown, my team-mates, fellow Olympians and so many people across the country with big aspirations."

Four-time NBA champion James, who is also the record points scorer in the league's history, will look to help Team USA to a fifth successive gold in the men's basketball - and 17th overall.

They begin their campaign against Serbia on Sunday while also playing South Sudan and Puerto Rico in Group C, with all their matches taking place at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille.

Rafael Nadal felt his performance levels at the Swedish Open were "so far from what they should be", but was pleased to emerge from his run to the final in Bastad without any injuries.

The 22-time major winner reached his first ATP championship match since winning his 14th French Open title two years ago, losing out to Nuno Borges in straight sets.

Nadal saw off Leo Borg and Cameron Norrie, before battling past Mariano Navone and Duje Ajdukovic in three sets. However, he was no match for Borges, who was a commanding 6-3 6-2 winner in the final.

The injury-plagued Spaniard opted to skip Wimbledon to focus on participating in the forthcoming Paris Olympics, where he will play in the singles and doubles events.

And though he admitted he wanted to play better in Bastad, Nadal was thrilled to come through multiple demanding matches unscathed.

"The level was so far from what it should be. Probably, the energy too. It has been a long week with long matches," Nadal told reporters.

"I don't have damage [to my body], that's important - but mentally and physically, I'm not used to playing four days in a row and playing long matches.

"I need to analyse well and find the reason why I played that way, even if the energy wasn't right. Things like this can happen, and that's the situation.

"I played the final, that's positive. I was able to play long matches without having an injury. That's good.

"In some ways, I felt that I arrived here practising much better than what I played in the tournament during the whole week. That's something that I am not satisfied with."

Alex Morgan has been left out of the United States Paris Olympics squad ahead of the games in July. 

Morgan, who has scored 123 goals in 224 appearances for her country, has appeared at every Olympics for Team USA since Beijing 2008 and won gold at London 2012.

The two-time World Cup winner has not scored in her past eight games for San Diego Wave after recently recovering from an ankle injury.

"Today, I'm disappointed about not having the opportunity to represent my country on the Olympic stage," posted Morgan on social media. "This will always be a tournament that is close to my heart and I take immense pride an time I put on the crest.

"In less than a month I look forward to supporting this team and cheering them on alongside the rest of our country."

Former Chelsea boss Emma Hayes will take charge of her first tournament as the USA manager, and has opted for Trinity Rodman, Jaedyn Shaw, Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson as her main forward options.

"It was a tough decision, especially considering Alex's history and record with this team, but I felt I wanted to go in another direction and selected other players," Hayes said. 

Women's football in Paris begins on 25 July, with the gold-medal match taking place on August 10. 

The United States, who won bronze at Tokyo 2020, are drawn in Group B where they will face Zambia, Germany and Australia.

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