Comme ci, comme ça

The GIST: Bolstered by renewed rivalries, but marred by gut-wrenching injuries, the Roland-Garros semifinals are nearly set, and there’s guaranteed to be a new champion in men’s singles. Serve’s up.

Men’s: World No. 1 Novak Djokovic withdrew from the French Open yesterday after tearing his meniscus in a brutal five-set fourth-round win. Not only will the forfeit cost the Joker his No. 1 world ranking as of next week, but this will also be the first French Open quarter-final (QF) without the Big Three — Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer — since 2004.

• Djokovic’s would-be QF opponent, No. 7 Casper Ruud, advanced straight to Friday’s semis, where he’ll meet the winner of today’s 2:15 p.m. ET match between No. 4 Alexander Zverev and unexpected clay lover No. 11 Alex De Minaur.

• Meanwhile, the other Friday semi is already confirmed: a heavyweight battle between No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz vs. No. 2 Jannik Sinner, who will ascend to No. 1 following Djokovic’s withdrawal and his Australian Open win earlier this year. The kids are indeed alright.

Women’s: American phenom No. 3 Coco Gauff is through to her third straight Grand Slam semis after a comeback victory over No. 8 Ons Jabeur in yesterday’s QFs. Her opponent? Defending Roland-Garros champion and world No. 1 Iga Świątek, who’s dropped only one set all tourney.

• Gauff and Świątek have met 11 times, with Świątek winning 10 of those matches, including their most recent showdown at the Italian Open last month. Will Coco pull off the upset or will Świątek keep on rolling?

• But before two of the game’s best meet in the semis tomorrow, there are two spicy QFs happening this morning, highlighted by dominant No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka vs. 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva at 9:30 a.m. ET. Love to see it.

The GIST: And just like that, the Women’s College World Series (WCWS) championship matchup is set. No. 1 Texas will face three-time defending champs No. 2 Oklahoma in the best-of-three series, a powerhouse Red River Rivalry showdown fitting of the record-setting tourney thus far.

• These Big 12 foes went 2-2 against each other this year, meaning it’s anyone’s ballgame when Game 1 begins tonight at 8 p.m. ET, with the potentially series-deciding Game 2 tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET. Batter up.

The Longhorns: Texas took over the No. 1 spot in the rankings in early April and, save a Big 12 conference championship stumble to OU, never looked back. Come tourney time, the Longhorns put their Super Regional struggles behind them, going undefeated in the WCWS and posting three shutouts in their three games en route to the title series.

• The pitcher leading the way? Freshman Teagan Kavan, who tossed a complete game one-hitter in Monday’s 1–0 semifinal win over No. 8 Stanford (her second one-hitter of the WCWS!), striking out seven along the way. Ice in her veins.

• But don’t let Monday’s low Longhorns’ scoring fool you — Texas can bring the power. They have the country’s best batting average and boast home run–hitting USA Softball Player of the Year finalist Reese Atwood.

The Sooners: Death, taxes, and Oklahoma in the WCWS title series. The Sooners will be swinging for an unprecedented fourth straight ’ship after coming back to beat No. 4 Florida in walk-off fashion during yesterday’s semis, thanks to senior Jayda Coleman’s opposite field power.

• Anyone in the OU lineup can beat you on any given day, but Coleman and Tiare Jennings — the Sooners’ one-two punch — stand out. Between their power and WCWS experience, there’s a real chance they graduate having won a title every year of their college careers.

• In the circle, it’ll be up to ace Kelly Maxwell to rebound from yesterday’s tough start and silence the Longhorn bats. Instant classic, loading.

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