Williams last hope in Paris for Americans
TENNIS: A day before Serena Williams puts her 28-match winning streak on the line at the French Open in Paris, the three other U.S. women left in the field tried to join her in the quarterfinals.
Sloane Stephens, Jamie Hampton and Bethanie Mattek-Sands all lost in straight sets.
The 17th-seeded Stephens had the toughest task of that American trio, facing defending champion Maria Sharapova, who took control midway through the first set en route to a 6-4, 6-3 victory.
Next for Sharapova is a match against No. 18 Jelena Jankovic, who needed barely an hour to eliminate the 54th-ranked Hampton 6-0, 6-2.
The 67th-ranked Mattek-Sands, who beat 2011 French Open champion Li Na in the second round, got off to a 4-1 start against 12th-seeded Maria Kirilenko before faltering and losing 7-5, 6-4. Kirilenko reached her first French Open quarterfinal in her 10th try.
Mattek-Sands’ lead started slipping away, but she still was ahead 5-4 when she asked for medical attention. From there, Kirilenko won four games in a row. Kirilenko, who is engaged to two-time NHL MVP Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, also was visited by a trainer, getting a massage on her right shoulder in the second set.
Kirilenko’s opponent Wednesday will be two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, whose fourth-round match was tied at 3-all before she took the next nine games to beat 2010 French Open title winner Francesca Schiavone 6-3, 6-0.
Azarenka will now try to reach her first semifinal at Roland Garros. She’s been at least that far at the three other major tournaments.
Ohio State president withdraws as speaker
MISCELLANY: Ohio State University’s president has withdrawn as commencement speaker for a parochial high school after being reprimanded for making disparaging remarks about Notre Dame, Catholics and the Southeastern Conference.
Gordon Gee had been scheduled to speak Saturday at the graduation ceremony for St. Francis DeSales High School in Columbus. Gee decided Monday not to attend to make sure the students and their accomplishments remain the focus of the event.
• Big Ten, Pinstripe Bowl reach deal: The Big Ten and the Pinstripe Bowl have agreed to an eight-year deal that the conference hopes will help claim New York as its territory.
The Big Ten will take the Big 12’s place in the game. It was a natural addition to the Big Ten’s bowl lineup after the league invited Rutgers and Maryland.
• Viviani wins Stage 2 of Dauphine Libere: Elia Viviani of Italy won the second stage of the Dauphine Libere race in a sprint finish, and David Veilleux of Canada kept the overall lead.
He was timed in 4 hours, 39 minutes, 15 seconds for the 118-mile ride from the French Alpine village of Chatel to Oyonnax in eastern France.
• Big Ten adding lacrosse: The Big Ten is adding lacrosse as a sport in 2015 and welcoming Johns Hopkins as an affiliate member for men’s lacrosse only. The addition of men’s and women’s lacrosse to the conference portfolio will boost the number of league sports to 28.
• Car failed due to broken part: Penske Racing says Brad Keselowski’s car at Dover failed a post-race inspection because of a broken part in the front of his Ford.
Keselowski finished fifth in Sunday’s race and NASCAR said afterward the entire front was too low.