Frances Tiafoe was the last American standing at the French Open.

And after leading two sets to one and 5-4 in the fourth set, he was one service hold away from a trip to the quarterfinals. Then he let it slip away.

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Tiafoe, the No. 19 seed, lost to Matteo Arnaldi in five sets at Roland Garros, ending the United States’ singles run in Paris in brutal fashion.

Arnaldi beat Tiafoe, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4, to reach the quarterfinals.

Frances Tiafoe blew a 4-1 lead in the fourth set and lost to Matteo Arnaldi in the fourth round at the 2026 French Open. (Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

This wasn’t just a loss.

It was a complete collapse.

Tiafoe was up two sets to one. He was up 4-1 in the fourth set. He had a double-break lead and a spot in the final eight sitting right there in front of him.

Then it all came apart.

Tiafoe dropped the opening set in a tiebreaker, then spent the next two sets wrestling control away from the unseeded Italian. He took the second set, pulled away in the third and appeared to have the match in his hands when he broke Arnaldi twice in the fourth.

That should have been enough.

It wasn’t.

Arnaldi broke back once. Tiafoe still had an opportunity to serve for the match, up 5-4. But Arnaldi broke him again. Then the Italian fought off a break point in the ensuing game, forced a fourth-set tiebreaker and eventually stole the set, turning what looked like a Tiafoe escape into a full-blown fifth-set fight.

By then, the match felt different.

Frances Tiafoe lost to Matteo Arnaldi in the fourth round of the 2026 French Open at Roland Garros. (Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

Both players looked exhausted in the fifth set, but it was Arnaldi who was able to summon the extra energy to outlast Tiafoe in a battle of attrition.

And now, American tennis has nobody left in singles.

The United States started Roland Garros with legitimate hopes on both sides of the singles draw. Coco Gauff was the defending women’s champion. Madison Keys was still alive into the second week. Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Learner Tien, Zachary Svajda and others gave American men’s tennis plenty of chances to make noise.

Then it was only Tiafoe.

Until it wasn’t.

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The loss stings even more because Tiafoe is comfortable in these moments. He has made deep runs at majors before, most notably reaching the semifinals at the U.S. Open in 2022 and earning a quarterfinal berth in last year’s French Open.

He also had to fight just to get here, surviving Hubert Hurkacz in five sets earlier in the tournament and rallying from two sets down against Jaime Faria in the third round. He had never faced three consecutive five-set matches during a major tournament until Monday.

So, no, this was never a clean ride.

But it was still right there.

Arnaldi’s reward is a quarterfinal matchup against Matteo Berrettini, who beat Juan Manuel Cerundolo in straight sets earlier on Monday. Cerundolo had stunned top-seeded Jannik Sinner earlier in the tournament.

Matteo Arnaldi upset Frances Tiafoe during the fourth round of the 2026 French Open at Roland Garros. (Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

Berrettini certainly isn’t a pushover. He’s a former Wimbledon finalist and, when healthy, has enough power to make anyone uncomfortable.

But this is also what makes Tiafoe’s loss so hard to absorb.

Carlos Alcaraz isn’t in the tournament after withdrawing because of a wrist injury. Sinner was knocked out. Novak Djokovic was upset by 19-year-old Joao Fonseca.

AFTER DJOKOVIC’S HISTORIC LOSS, ROLAND-GARROS WILL CROWN A FIRST TIME MAJOR CHAMPION IN YEARS

The men’s draw is wide open by Roland Garros standards, and Tiafoe had a real chance to make the deepest French Open run of his career. He was also trying to become the first American man to win a Grand Slam singles title since Andy Roddick won the U.S. Open in 2003, and the first American man to win the French Open since Michael Chang in 1989.

American tennis needed somebody to stick around.

Tiafoe nearly did.

Instead, after leading 4-1 in the fourth set with a double-break advantage, he became the last American singles player to exit Paris.

The coming-of-age San Antonio Spurs versus the historically hot New York Knicks. The intimidating length of the sports world’s newest megastar, the 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama, against the dizzying mid-range mastery of the 6-foot-2 Jalen Brunson. A franchise built to win multiple NBA titles over the next decade versus one looking to win now.

The 2026 NBA Finals between the Spurs and Knicks is shaping up to be a riveting clash when the best-of-seven series tips off on Wednesday at the Frost Bank Center. San Antonio, which is loaded with young players and future assets, can begin what could be a long reign atop the NBA. Meanwhile, New York is famously trying to end a 52-season drought since the franchise’s last NBA title in 1973.

The Spurs are -198 favorites at FanDuel to lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy while the Knicks are +166 underdogs. Accordingly, Wembanyama is a -180 favorite to win Finals MVP, with Brunson the +210 second choice. 

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But the SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and enters the 2026 NBA Finals on a sizzling 26-10 roll (72%) on top-rated NBA spread betting picks this season, is not siding with the favorites in the finals. Instead, the model is riding with the team it has loved all postseason.

Knicks +172 to win NBA Finals 

• NBA finals implied odds: 35.8%; Model odds: 45.2%

Before the playoffs, the SportsLine Projection Model saw value in New York winning the NBA title at +2500. Before the Eastern Conference semifinals, the model again was high on the Knicks lifting the trophy at +900. And before the Eastern Conference finals, the model was all-in on Brunson and friends to get a parade through the Canyon of Heroes at +550.

Now that New York is in the Finals, the model is sticking with the Knicks. And why not? They’re on an all-time heater. They enter the series having won 11 straight games and are one of just five teams in league history to win 11 in a row in a single postseason. Moreover, their +262 point differential over those 11 games is the largest point differential over any 11-game span by any team in NBA history.

The model gives New York a 45.2% chance of beating San Antonio, which is greater than the implied odds of 35.8%.

There is one caveat, however. The 45.2% number is dependent on Knicks big man Mitchell Robinson, who is expected to play in Game 1 with a cast on his right hand to protect a broken pinkie finger, being at least 70% healthy and able to play at least 15 minutes per game. If he cannot play at all, the model gives New York just a 36.1% chance to beat the Spurs, which is essentially a wash with the current implied odds.

Knicks +1200 to win series in five games

• Implied odds: 7.7%; Model odds: 10.5%

As far as the exact result of the series, the model says the most likely outcome is Spurs in seven games, which occurs in 18.3% of simulations. The second most likely in Knicks in six, which occurs 16.7% of the time. However, neither San Antonio in seven (+310) nor New York in six (+500) offers value at those prices.

The only prop play on the series that the model sees value in is Knicks in five (+1200). The model gives that result a 10.5% chance, which is greater than the implied odds of 7.7%.

The House Judiciary Committee on Monday requested NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell testify at a hearing that will examine whether the Sports Broadcast Act of 1961 has been used by sports leagues “to harm consumers,” according to a letter obtained by Fox News and OutKick.

The letter, from Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R, Ohio), requests Goodell testify on June 10.

This is not a subpoena , so Goodell can opt to testify or not. He is instructed to let the Committee know his intentions by June 3.

BROADCASTERS URGE CONGRESS TO REEXAMINE SPORTS BROADCASTING ACT AS GAMES SHIFT TO STREAMING PAYWALLS

An NFL spokesman did not immediately respond to an email seeking confirmation as to the commissioner’s intentions.

“We respectfully request your testimony at a hearing titled “Examining the Sports Broadcasting Act” on June 10, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., in room 2141 of the Rayburn House Office Building,” the letter to Goodell reads.

“This hearing will examine the Sports Broadcasting Act (SBA) of 1961 and its effect on the modern broadcast market for major sports leagues. In particular, this hearing will examine the ways in which the distribution of professional sports has evolved since the SBA was first enacted 65 years ago.

“It will also examine the extent to which the antitrust exemption created by the SBA has been used by the professional sports leagues to harm consumers and whether potential legislative remedies may be needed to address that harm.”

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is pictured speaking in an image provided by Imagn Images.

TUBERVILLE SUGGESTS BILLIONAIRES BUYING COLLEGE PROGRAMS WOULD BE WORSE THAN AN NFL-STYLE TV DEAL

That sounds ominous and should be for the NFL because its business model hinges on the antitrust exemption within the Sports Broadcasting Act.

The Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 grants professional sports leagues, including the NFL, a limited antitrust exemption that allows teams to pool their television rights and sell them collectively as a league package rather than having each team negotiate its own broadcasting contracts.

So, the NFL is able to negotiate television contracts as one entity on behalf of its 32 teams. That has been a boon to the league.

The NFL’s current media-rights agreements, which run through the 2033 season, are reportedly worth more than $110 billion overall. The annual values for the four major broadcast partners are:

• ABC/ESPN (Disney): approximately $2.7 billion per year.
• FOX: approximately $2.2 billion per year.
• CBS (Paramount): approximately $2.1 billion per year.

NBC (Comcast): approximately $2 billion per year.

Netflix and NFL signage advertises the NFL’s two Christmas Day marquee games streaming live on Netflix in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Dec. 1, 2024. (Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images)

If Congress, the Department of Justice or the FCC — all of which are conducting probes into how professional sports leagues may be violating the Sports Broadcasting Act by funneling games to pay streaming sites such as Amazon, Netflix, Peacock and others — decide a change is necessary, it could rock the NFL to its foundation.

So, as the letter from Jordan to Goodell states, the commissioner should be “prepared to summarize your testimony with a five-minute opening statement and answer questions posed by Subcommittee members,” some of whom might not be treating the commissioner as a friendly witness.

The NFL has previously made a presentation before the FCC to convince that body that the league’s business model is good for consumers as 87 percent of its games are on so-called “free” television.

But consumers have complained that the advent of Amazon Prime Video and Netflix, which require consumers pay a subscription fee, has affected their wallet as the NFL has siphoned multiple games to the services in recent years.

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This coming season, Amazon Prime holds exclusive national rights to the NFL’s annual Black Friday game in addition to 15 Thursday Night Football games, while Netflix will carry two Christmas Day games and Peacock streams an exclusive regular-season matchup.

The cost for consumers of adding all those services to have access to the games is at the root of their complaints.

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Kyler Murray is the third-worst starting quarterback in the NFL heading into June 2026, according to NBC Sports‘ Chris Simms. Murray’s reputation is low at the moment, cast off from the Arizona Cardinals in March and landing in Minnesota a few days later.

But most didn’t know it was this low, as described by Simms, often considered a quarterback savant. Simms thinks Murray is one of the NFL’s least effective passers.

Simms’s Ranking Adds Another [Bad] Layer to Murray Debate

Simms’s Rankings from 11-43

Each summer, Simms releases his quarterback rankings for the upcoming season, and so far, he’s posted everything but the Top 10.

Here’s the pecking order to date, according to Simms, a former quarterback:

Vikings fans saw Murray’s ranking and treated it like a DJ’s record scratch.

30th-Best. Really?

It’s readily apparent that Murray’s stock is at a career low; the Cardinals dropped him, for God’s sake. It doesn’t get much lower than that. Still, ranking the man at No. 30 on a list of quarterbacks is absurd.

For starters, he’s a former first overall pick who averages about 4,000 passing yards, 600 rushing yards, and 30 total touchdowns per 17 games. That production does not grow on trees. Second, Simms knows that Murray is on deck to work within the Vikings’ offense. It’s as if Simms is setting himself up to look silly in retrospect by November or December.

Simms noted on Murray’s trashy ranking, “An explosive arm and natural athleticism are strengths, but lack of anticipation and small stature are weaknesses for the new Minnesota Viking.”

Murray should be able to overcome those weaknesses alongside Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Jauan Jennings, T.J. Hockenson, Aaron Jones, and Jordan Mason in 2026. He also has the head coach behind him who is widely renowned for “whispering” to quarterbacks.

And, by the way, Minnesota showcased the NFL’s third-best defense in 2025, per EPA/Play and DVOA. The stars are aligning for Murray to play much better than the third-worst starter in the NFL, as Simms, as predicted.

Geno Smith and Jacoby Brissett Better per Simms

The most laughable part of Simms’ breakdown is the men ahead of him. Not Dak Prescotts and Trevor Lawrences; those are somewhat understandable.

It’s Geno Smith, Jacoby Brissett, Mac Jones, Cam Ward, and even Joe Flacco ranking ahead of Murray that is mind-boggling. On what planet did Smith, Brissett, Jones, Ward, and Flacco become more dangerous threats than Murray?

Murray didn’t need to get Top 10 placement from Simms, but when Smith, Brissett, Jones, Ward, and Flacco rank ahead of him on a list, something is fishy.

More Fuel for Murray

The next step for Murray? Prove that ranking batches like Simms’s is bogus. Murray isn’t required to perform at an MVP level to lead this team to victories. Above-average quarterback play should suffice to reverse some of the Vikings’ 2025 outcomes; in fact, in multiple contests last season, even merely competent quarterback play would have secured a win for Minnesota.

While he isn’t expected to “manage” games, the threshold for playoff contention isn’t exceptionally high. Baker Mayfield’s efficient, composed, and clutch performance in Tampa Bay serves as a salient example. Should Murray perform at a comparable level, Minnesota would be well-positioned, with even greater potential if he hits his stride.

Murray shouldn’t be viewed merely as a short-term solution, a strategy the Vikings have previously employed with quarterbacks such as Sam Darnold. If he performs effectively, there’s no impediment to his long-term tenure in Minnesota. His playmaking ability and arm talent elevate the team’s ceiling, offering an opportunity for continued success rather than necessitating another rebuild.

And it’s not like Murray needs more ammunition. The Cardinals already gave up on him. Now, ex-NFLers like Simms think he’s the third-worst starting quarterback.

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Former world champion Keith Thurman has considered the impact of Errol Spence Jr’s three-year layoff ahead of his encounter with Tim Tszyu.

The pair will collide at a catchweight of 158lbs on July 25, with Spence entering his first outing since suffering a ninth-round stoppage defeat to Terence Crawford.

Their surprisingly one-sided contest saw ‘The Truth’ lose his WBC, IBF and WBA world welterweight titles, while Crawford ultimately went on to become a three-division undisputed champion.

In an effort to reignite his career, however, Spence is now gearing up to face former world super-welterweight champion Tszyu, who lost his WBO title via a split decision defeat to Sebastian Fundora in 2024.

The Australian was then stopped in round three by Bakhram Murtazaliev later that year, before suffering a seventh-round stoppage defeat in his rematch with Fundora last July.

Tszyu has also made several changes to his training team over the past year or so, most recently hiring Australian great Jeff Fenech as his head coach.

When asked by MillCity Boxing about their clash in Australia, Thurman highlighted the 31-year-old’s greater activity as a clear advantage against Spence.

At the same time, though, ‘One Time’ recognises Spence’s pedigree as an important factor against Tszyu, even with the 36-year-old having remained out of the ring since July 2023.

“A lot of people see it as a 50/50 [fight]. Spence has [had] too big of a layoff – that’s the biggest question mark.

“When your layoff is long [and] no one’s seen you, they don’t know what version of you they’re gonna get.

“They’re going to analyse you off of your last performance – [and Spence’s] last performance was not that good.

“I think Tim Tszyu has the advantage of activity and then Spence has the advantage of pedigree. He’s been at another level; he’s achieved more [than Tszyu].

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“But it’s a solid 50/50 [fight], because they both have some questions that need answers.”

Indeed, Spence has defeated more world-class opponents, and generally competed at a higher level, than Tszyu, whose most significant win came against Brian Mendoza in 2023.

Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo, herself a former women’s world number one, had regularly pointed to the possibility of short two-set matches as the reason for often overlooking the women.

“The match-ups are always interesting for both men and women, but there are multiple factors for us to make the choice,” Mauresmo said earlier on Monday.

“As you know, the potential length of the matches is something that we are also looking at.”

On picking Sabalenka against Osaka, she added: “It was obvious that it should be a night match tonight.”

There was a school of thought that Mauresmo might have looked elsewhere, though, had men’s world number one Jannik Sinner still been in the tournament.

Sinner would have been scheduled to play on the same day, but without him the men’s matches taking place on Monday lacked star power.

If Sabalenka against Osaka did not take place under the lights, then which women’s match would conceivably ever be picked?

With that came a sense of expectation.

If the match ended up being a dud, then it could have been used by critics as a stick to beat the women’s game with.

That, others argue, was a situation created by the French Open’s reluctance to showcase its female stars in the first place.

Was the burden which it placed on Sabalenka and Osaka to represent the women’s game fair?

“I don’t really care. There are so many different things to put pressure on myself – that was the last thing on my mind,” said Osaka.

“Shout out to the tournament for trusting us – I hope it was entertaining for people.”

Pelicans trade rumor should be of serious interest to Lakers, Warriors originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Moving forward, the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors should pay close attention to trade rumors involving assets who would be solid additions to their respective rosters.

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Of course, trades can’t be completed until the offseason officially gets underway, but nothing is preventing them from crafting a lengthy list of summer targets. A recent New Orleans Pelicans trade rumor should undoubtedly pique the interest of Los Angeles and Golden State in early June.

“We assume he’s (Trey Murphy) probably going to get traded over the next three weeks,” The Ringer’s Bill Simmons stated. “I think Boston (Celtics) is a possibility. We thought whoever lost this matchup (between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder) is a possibility. You have two to three weeks to trade for someone like that.”

Although Simmons didn’t name the Lakers and Warriors as potential landing spots for Murphy, it’s widely believed that both organizations are in the mix for the 25-year-old. With Simmons’ report indicating that there’s a high probability the Pelicans will soon make him available in trade talks, Los Angeles and Golden State should be licking their chops as the offseason looms closer.

Murphy is exactly the type of player the Lakers are seeking this summer, as he’s a high-level perimeter shooter who gets after it on the defensive end. The Warriors will likely be more enamored with the Virginia product’s awe-inspiring long-range production, given their playstyle. That said, it’s reasonable to assume they wouldn’t overlook his valuable defensive contributions.

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Murphy, who averaged 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 47.0% from the field and 37.9% from three this year, should soon garner heavy interest from the two Western Conference franchises.

More NBA news:

Aryna Sabalenka overpowered fellow four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in the French Open last 16 on Monday, after Matteo Berrettini reached his first major quarter-final in four years.

World number one Sabalenka was too strong for a battling Osaka, winning 7-5, 6-3 in the first women’s night-session match in three years on Court Philippe Chatrier.

The Belarusian will next face Diana Shnaider after the Russian left-hander beat former Australian Open winner Madison Keys 6-3, 3-6, 6-0.

Sabalenka is the only Grand Slam champion left in either the men’s or women’s singles draws at Roland Garros as she bids for a maiden title on the Parisian clay, and to banish the memories of her painful loss in last year’s final to Coco Gauff.

She has reached the quarter-finals at 14 consecutive major tournaments.

“I didn’t expect I would serve that great,” said Sabalenka. “I feel like I’m getting better and better with every match I play and overall I’m super happy with how I played today.”

Osaka, again sporting the sequined gold dress she likened to the Eiffel Tower at night, had to make do with her best ever run in Paris ending in the last 16.

Read moreFrench Open 2026: Sabalenka shines, Osaka dazzles as Medvedev melts down in Paris heat

It was the first time that WTA players had featured in the primetime slot since Sabalenka took on Sloane Stephens in the last 16 on June 4, 2023.

“I think it was pretty obvious this should be the night’s match,” tournament director Amelie Mauresmo told reporters earlier on Monday.

Sabalenka took a tense first set that was largely dominated by serve after the players traded early breaks, courtesy of a crucial break in the 11th game.

The top seed then powered through the second set, reeling off the last four games from 3-2 down to secure a third successive victory over Osaka this year.

Austrian 28th seed Anastasia Potapova could not back up her win over defending champion Gauff, twice failing to serve for the match in a 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (10/7) defeat by Anna Kalinskaya.

The Russian will next face Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska after she continued her remarkable run by cruising past the last remaining French player, Diane Parry, 6-3, 6-2.

“She’s one of the top players in the world. No one knows me, to be honest, so definitely a very challenging one, like every match here,” said Chwalinska of facing Kalinskaya.

There was something for the Paris crowd to cheer after Parry’s defeat, though, as Paris Saint-Germain players Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, Warren Zaire-Emery and Bradley Barcola paraded their two Champions League trophies on court after securing a second straight title on Saturday.

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