France win gold in mixed-relay biathlon

Embed from Getty Images

France put themselves as the ultimate champions of Biathlon at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Sunday. The French team won the gold medal in the mixed relay, shooting brilliantly at the Anterselva Biathlon Arena. The Italians secured the silver medal, with Germany taking home the bronze.

The Norwegians were back to defend their gold medal from four years ago on a course that they, and their 20 competitors, were used to during World Cup competitions.  While they didn’t leave the line first, their fourth-start placement behind the United States gave them a great chance to show their power in the sport’s first medal event of the Olympics. 

The first lap on the 6-kilometer course was fierce and fast, with everyone moving along in a pack, with no one falling back. Coming into the stadium, they each prepared to shoot at targets 50 meters away in the prone position. Italy was the first to take off, with cheers from the home crowd as Tommaso Giacomel completed his task. France, Germany, Latvia, and Norway made up the top five going into the second lap. 

The situation changed at the end of the first leg at the range, with Giacomel missing twice in the standing position. He used his reserve to complete the task, but lost the lead. Norway’s Martin Uldal got out front, with France, Germany, Poland, and Italy behind. The pace remained fast on the course as laps were completed by the top competitors. At the exchange, Norway made the first tag, with France and Italy close by. 

Germany was the new leader after shooting in the second leg, with Philipp Nawrath getting back on the track, before Norway’s Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen, close behind. Italy finished their shooting in time to track them down and fight for position on the second lap. At the second shooting, Nawrath showed his wrath, completing the targets with speed. Norway and Italy didn’t come off the range until 12 and 19 seconds later, giving Germany a decent lead. 

On the tallest climb of the course, Germany had Norway back on its tail while Italy fought for third position with France 20 seconds back. Norway came to the second exchange, where the women took over the competition, with Germany tagging in their teammates five seconds later. Germany did well in the shooting range, with Vanessa Voigt hitting all five targets fast and clean. Italy came out second, with Norway missing a couple times, needing time to close out the fifth target. 

It remained close between Germany, France, Italy, and Norway, as they came into the second shooting in standing position. France’s Lou Jeanmonnot impressed her fans by firing clean at the targets, leaving the range first. Norway, Germany, and Italy were still in the hunt, as the final exchange came into place. 

France was first to tag up, sending Julia Simon on her way. The gap between them and the top four was 18 seconds, but enough to catch up on the first lap. On the hill, the ladies of Germany, Norway, and France had Simon in their sights, leaving the range to speak for itself as they shot in the prone position. Simon finished before her competitors could fire their first shot. Italy got a five-second jump on Germany, and six on Norway. 

Embed from Getty Images 

 The four countries were still close to one another, leaving the final shooting to complete and sort out the medal podium. Simon held on to her 18-second gap, hoping to repeat her first visit to the range, but standing to do it. She nailed all five before anyone shot. Italy got out clean, while Norway and Germany missed shots. Germany missed one and Norway two, giving France a definite win of the gold. Italy had a 72-second gap in the silver position, but sat 19 seconds behind France.

Passing lapped traffic, Simon completed the climbs and opened the gap to 22 seconds, as she entered the stadium to celebrate with her French teammates. In a time of 1 hour, four minutes, she clinched gold for her country. Lisa Vittozzi brought home the silver for the host nation and Germany crossed the line for bronze 40 seconds after the Italians. 

Anna Bondar upsets Elina Svitolina in US Open first rounder

Anna Bondar in action at the US Open against Elina Svitolina

Anna Bondar finished strong to upset the competition at the US Open Monday night. The Hungarian came in unseeded against 12th seed Elina Svitolina, who was a mess from start to finish losing 6-2, 6-4 on Grandstand Court at the Billy Jean King National Tennis Center. It was the first time Svitolina suffered a first-round loss in New York since 2014.

This marked the third match in grand slams this season between the two players. The Ukrainian came into New York prepped to go despite recent losses. Svitolina made the quarterfinal or better in six WTA 1000 tournaments this season, ready to do so again. She won 10 matches in the previous majors combined, holding Bondar in straight sets each time. The Hungarian lacked victories in her preparations for the Open, and taking on the Ukrainian left her needing all she had inside to force the world number 15 into trouble.

Svitolina opened scoring with ease, followed by Bondar, who struggled on her side of the court. She got the game to deuce, managing to hold serve. The Ukrainian rallied to a second service hold, while Bondar lacked early consistency. Double faults from Svitolina racked up, leading her to drop a game to the Hungarian.

Bondar gained momentum, taking a 4-2 lead on the 12th seed. Svitolina remained frustrated with her forehand shots not making their mark, as the seventh game went to deuce. It was there that the unseeded Hungarian broke Svitolina to widen the gap to three. Bondar was rolling smoothly, taking command of her service in the eighth to reach set point. A long rally on the second point gave the Ukrainian life, but took it in 48 minutes. It was the fifth game in a row won by the 28-year-old, who impressed many, while others were stunned by Svitolina’s lack of performance. 21 errors in the set were a lot for the former world number three, who left the court during the set break.

She returned in a purple outfit, hoping the comfort would allow her to regain momentum on her end. Little changed in her focus to get dug in to her offense, handing Bondar her sixth win in a row. The Hungarian rallied to consolidate the serve, marking her seventh win against Svitolina, despite the length of time it took to get it. The third game finally went the Ukrainian’s way, ending the long slide that earned cheers from grandstand.

Bondar made it 3-1 despite the long exchanges of points that continued to occur. Svitolina’s miscues added another victory to Bondar’s bottom line, sitting two games from a match win. The Hungarian consolidated once more to sit at 5-1, with Svitolina serving to stay in it. The double faults continued to haunt her game, leading the game to deuce. She hung by her fingertips to come through the service and survive another game.

Svitolina charged forward to capture a third win in the set, breaking Bondar reaching match point on serve. The 12th seed clinched another service game, feeling things click, helping her get within reach of tying the set. Her efforts were cut short as Bondar got focused and served out the Ukrainian, who smashed her racket in anger, blowing a potential comeback. It was a 1-hour and 41-minute upset for the unseeded Hungarian, who celebrated her stunning win over Svitolina to make it into the second round.

Amanda Anisimova wins Qatar Open in straight sets win over Ostapenko

Amanda Ansimova celebrates with her WTA 1000 title at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open. 

Amanda Anisimova earned her maiden WTA 1000 title at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open Saturday night. The 23-year-old defeated a deflated Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets 6-3, 6-3 on center court at the Khalifa International Tennis Complex. The American clinched her third WTA career championship and the first in three years. It came down to many double faults for the Latvian, whose performance dwindled when it counted most.  

The two finalists met in this tournament three years ago in a second-rounder that went the distance, and into the hands of Ostapenko. In this edition, the Latvian tore through the tournament, defeating the likes of Ons Jabeur and Iga Swiatek. She claimed her spot in the final without dropping a set, while the American downed top-30 players on her way to the title match. It was her first final since last season and knew that it would be tough to vie for her first championship in three years. 

Ostapenko got the ball flying, holding serve, followed by the American. After showing Ostapenko a challenging problem on serve in the third, she delivered a serve to love in the fourth, remaining firm on the scoreboard. She tied in a break in the fifth but suffered a breakback in the sixth. They returned to service holds in the following two games, with no momentum change apparent in the set. 

Anisimova made the change and broke Ostapenko in the ninth game, opening two break points for herself on double faults from her opponent. Her service for the set went smooth, holding the Latvian to a point before capping the first in 37 minutes. Five double faults came at a bad time for Ostapenko, who tallied 15 unforced errors along with it. 

The Latvian held serve to open the second set, but couldn’t do much to stop Anisimova locked in on her service game. In the third, the American attacked the open court, with winning returns that earned her the break to love. In a surprise twist, Ostapenko broke the American to love in the fourth, leaving the set’s fate unknown. As rain fell upon the court, the players competed through two games where the score remained level a three-all. Umpire Allison Hughes suspended play until the rain subsided. After a half-hour delay, the players got back into action. Ostapenko saw her serve broken quickly in the seventh, giving Anisimova the lead. 

A hard-fought service, gave the American a 5-3 stand after Ostapenko hit too many errors on the returns. It didn’t get better with Anisimova playing for the title as the Latvian reached double digits on double faults in the match. The American reached match point but needed a second attempt on a great saved point by Ostapenko. A clean cross-court backhanded winning return gave the 23-year-old a massive win in 1 hour and 21 minutes. 

Belinda Bencic wins second Abu Dhabi title

Belinda Bencic becomes a two-time champion of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open defeating Ashlyn Krueger in three sets.

Belinda Bencic rises again as champion at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open on Saturday night. The unranked Swiss star lost a tough opening set against Ashlyn Krueger to commanding the remainder of the match in a 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 victory on Stadium Court at the Zayed Sports City International Tennis Centre. It marked the first WTA title win for the new mom, who became another example of success after maternity. 

The two never faced off in competition making it a chance for the veteran to conduct the match as she wished or faced heavy opposition. The American took out seeded players Daria Kasatkina and Layla Fernandez to reach the late stages of the tournament. Her straight-sets win over Linda Noskova marked her first WTA final appearance in two years. Bencic had a full night of challenges from Elena Rybakina but controlled her destiny to return for a chance at her eighth WTA title. 

The first set was full of fights between the players as breaks opened the match. It led to four drawn-out games, with the last won by the American, giving her the lead after 67 minutes. Bencic used her tactics from previous battles and shunted Krueger out of her path in the second set. She quickly had a 4-0 run, with a double break in hand. Krueger got on the board, but a break of her serve in the seventh leveled the score for Bencic after 36 minutes. The American’s second serve proved destructive winning just one of seven from it. 

Bencic dominated again in the third, opening up a three-game lead on Krueger. The American cracked onto the scoreboard in the fourth, but it was all Bencic to the finish line. The Swiss served to love on one occasion, and after breaking Krueger for a second time in the set, she had the match within reach. Two set points were all Bencic needed to cap the night off with another 6-1 result that ended the final in 2 hours and 22 minutes. 

Bencic overpowers Rybakina in three sets at Abu Dhabi Open

Belinda Bencic celebrates a hard-earned victory against Elena Rybakina at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open

Belinda Bencic prevailed in a high-quality performance between the players at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open on Friday night. The Swiss star defeated Elena Rybakina in three sets to advance to the finals after a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 result on Stadium Court at the Zayed Sports City International Tennis Centre. It was Bencic's first WTA final appearance after giving birth to her daughter last April. 

The two former tournament champions met for the third time and the first since a Chicago warm-up four years ago. It was where the Kazak leveled the score after losing the Olympic semifinal to the eventual gold medalist. Since her maternity leave, Bencic performed well at the Australian Open, battling hard to beat silver medalist Marketa Vondroussova. Rybakina kept her title defense alive after narrowly defeating Ons Jabeur Thursday, with another hard match at her feet, the number one seed had time to readjust. 

The 25-year-old dug in deep to her service, trading points into deuce before eventually taking it. Bencic followed suit with a comfortable hold, followed by Rybakina, who held Bencic to a point in the third. The Swiss star leveled the score, with her first ace of the match heating up to hunt down breaking Rybakina. The top seed iced Bencic in the sixth to capture the break and consolidated her service to widen the gap to three. 

Bencic served Rybakina to love in the eighth, but her efforts were cut short as the 25-year-old cruised to victory in the first set, taking it in 41 minutes. The output performances by both players were even on the numbers, but the breaks for Rybakina gave her an easy finish to the set. 

The 27-year-old made a huge statement in the second, taking control of the pace on serve. She tied in a break of Rybakina, building a three-game lead in her favor. The Kazak avoided giving Bencic the double break, but the grip of control remained in the hands of the unseeded Swiss. The two players held serve through five quick games, leading Bencic to force the defending champion to the distance after 40 minutes. It was another high level of tennis between the two, with the numbers close but the edge going to Bencic. 

She kept up the strategy that paid off in the second, breaking Rybakina then suffered a break to love in her service. The 27-year-old brushed it off with a double break and made it 3-1 on serve. She continued to march forward, with the top seed two games down after six. A critical break of serve in the seventh opened the door for Bencic to serve for the match. A good challenge for match point went to Bencic after the call of out was overturned. Both were surprised that the point went to the Swiss, who lost on two opportunities to close it out. Rybakina took her statements made in the game, breaking Bencic with a fourth straight winner. 

The 25-year-old took her surge and constructed a strong service to eat her way into Bencic’s lead. Bencic felt the pressure in her second attempt to serve out the match, denying Rybakina a point in the ninth. With three match points, the Swiss star blew one of them, but succeeded on her fourth attempt, watching a return from Rybakina land into the tramlines. It was a 2 hour and six-minute fight for the 27-year-old, who dug in and held her success against another top ten player. “I worked really hard to come back,” said Bencic during her on-court interview. “It was not an easy road, and I’m so excited that the results are coming so fast. It still doesn’t mean the work is over, and I’m happy that it's working on the court.”

Bencic will face Ashlyn Krueger on Saturday in their first meeting, with a second potential title in the tournament on the line for the Swiss. 

Belinda Bencic wins second round in straight sets over Lamens

Belinda Bencic with her eyes on the ball during the second round of the Australian Open.

Belinda Bencic made it another straight-sets win at the Australian Open on Wednesday. The Swiss star dispatched Dutch player Suzan Lamens 6-1, 7-6(3) on Court Six at Melbourne Park. Bencic scored 20 winners with a combined 18 unforced errors which was less than half of Lamens. 

The Swiss star made an impressive start to 2025 in her straight-sets win over Jelena Ostapenko on Monday. Bencic saved two set points in the tiebreak before clinching her first top-50 win since returning from maternity. Lamens went two hours against a fellow debutante, barely surviving the battle with Veronika Erjavec. Facing a seasoned athlete, the Dutchwoman knew that the difficulty rose exponentially going into the second round. 

Lamens won the opening point of her service, right before Bencic conducted the remainder of the first and captured the break. She consolidated the early success on serve, rolling through Lamens to remain solely in the lead. The 25-year-old charged in the fourth, breaking the former world number four, only to see herself broken back in the fifth. Bencic coasted to a set win that took 25 minutes, achieving the easy shutout on serve and break to love. 

Lamens wanted to tell Bencic that she wouldn’t be an easy competitor, taking the Swiss star to deuce for the first time in the match. Bencic overcame the deficit on serve, playing two breaks before achieving the hold. The 27-year-old broke the qualifier, then shut her down in the third. Lamens got onto the scoreboard scoring an ace from the forehand, and a winner to clinch the service game.

By the sixth, the Dutchwoman had two under her belt, sitting in a better spot to challenge Bencic. The Swiss star led the way, with Lamens gaining a third win in the set on a break. Bencic broke back for the 5-3 lead, going for the match on serve. The 25-year-old jumped out to another break chance in the ninth, forcing tough shots for Bencic to smack into the net. Lamens managed to dig in and level the score, holding Bencic from taking the easy route. Bencic took the initiative in the 12th, putting pressure on her opponent to either force a tiebreak or fall out. 

The game went deep, with Lamens defending her side of the court, and Bencic hunting for a break chance. After six times at deuce and two blown match points for the Swiss, Lamens took the long-awaited win on serve to force a second-set tiebreak. Bencic used her experience in the situation, jumping out to a 4-1 stand, until Lamens surged. She put that to an end, reaching a third match point, and solidifying her way to the third round on a final error from Lamens ending 1 hour and 40 minutes on the court. 

Elina Svitolina coasts in first round win at Australian Open

Elina Svitolina celebrates during her first round of the Australian Open against Sorana Cirstea.

Elina Svitolina had a successful win to start 2025 at the Australian Open on Monday. The former world number four took down Sorana Cirstea in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 on Court Seven at Melbourne Park. The 30-year-old showed minimal struggle, moving well to get back in the form she wanted. 

The Ukrainian and Romanian met for the fourth time, and both were coming off four months of absence from tennis. Svitolina required foot surgery, which would be tested against Cirstea, who also needed the same surgery. Her path to comeback was five months in waiting after losing six straight from May to July. Despite Svitolina’s three-match wins playing Cirstea, both players came into the open hungry to tally wins under their belts. 

Cirstea opened the match serving well to Svitolina, until the Ukrainian got her hands on the ball. The 28th seed glided through her serve in the second, then broke Cirstea for the lead. Svitolina got into a groove, marking another win from her service for a 3-1 stand. The Romanian struggled to make the returns in the fifth, allowing the 28th seed to widen the gap. The Ukrainian ran into problems with both sides of her hitting, committing a second double fault late in the game. 

Cirstea gained the AD point for the break and consolidated a hold that brought her within a game after seven played. Svitolina reeled in her offense in the eighth to put pressure on the 34-year-old. She made a statement at the business end of the set, smashing winners near the baselines to send the pressure her opponent’s way. Svitolina managed the challenge earning a shutout of the Romanian to go up a set after 40 minutes. 

The opening of the second set was a challenge for Cirstea, who fell short of the 28th seed but forced a deuce on serve. They went three breaks before the Romanian sealed the win. Through the next seven games, the two players held serve, trading off control to one another. The ninth became the most competitive as Cirstea again fought from behind the score. 

She forced deuce, going five breaks with the Ukrainian, who gained every break chance. A total of seven were saved before Svitolina broke the 34-year-old to serve for the match. She jumped out to a strong lead, achieving two set points before a return landed behind the baseline to end her first-round victory in 1 hour and 31 minutes.