In brief: Vive la France! Good day for Gael Monfils at French Open
Tennis: Gael Monfils delivered one final ace, his 21st, and closed out his latest raucous, five-set victory on Court Philippe Chatrier in Paris to the delight of roaring, partisan spectators.
An entertainer at heart, Monfils pounded his chest with his right fist repeatedly and, after hugging opponent Diego Schwartzman at the net, used his right shoe to etch a sketch of a smiley face on the French Open main stadium’s red clay.
Needless to say, his adoring public loved that, too.
Since 1983, when Yannick Noah became the most recent man from France to win the championship at Roland Garros, the locals have not had a whole lot to cheer about at their Grand Slam tennis tournament.
Monfils trailed Argentina’s Schwartzman two sets to one, before coming back and improving to 14-10 in five-setters with a 4-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 win filled with loud cheers between points and plenty of supportive cries of “Allez!”
Former NCAA chief Walter Byers dies
Miscellany: Walter Byers, the first executive director of the NCAA who spent 36 years leading and shaping the organization, has died. He was 93.
Byers died Tuesday at his home in Emmett, Kansas, when a urinary tract infection spread into his bloodstream, son Fritz said Wednesday.
Byers was 29 years old when he was hired by the NCAA. The offices opened in Kansas City, Missouri, with five employees. When he retired in 1987, the NCAA had about 150 full-time employees and its membership had grown from 381 schools to 1,003.
• McDonald arrested: NFL lineman Ray McDonald has been arrested for the second time this week.
The Santa Clara Police Department said the former San Francisco 49ers defensive end was arrested for violating a restraining order in Santa Clara, California.
The restraining order was issued after a domestic violence incident Monday in Santa Clara.
• Stanford wins title: Mariah Stackhouse rallied to beat Hayley Davis in 19 holes to give Stanford its first NCAA women’s golf title, 3-2 over Baylor at Bradenton, Florida.
• Sharks name DeBoer coach: The San Jose Sharks will hire Peter DeBoer as their new head coach.
• Contador keeps lead: Alberto Contador maintained his grip on the overall lead of the Giro d’Italia, while Sacha Modolo won the 17th stage.