Tennis

Paris, France: Four-time champion Iga Swiatek and Elina Svitolina both eased into the French Open third round with straight-sets wins on Wednesday, ahead of Novak Djokovic's match against Valentin Royer. Swiatek, looking to regain the title she last won in 2024, saw off battling Czech youngster Sara Bejlek 6-2, 6-3 on Court Philippe Chatrier. The third-seeded Pole will next face either fellow former winner Jelena Ostapenko or compatriot Magda Linette as she bids to preserve her record of having always reached the second week at Roland Garros. "Usually the weather is quite different here, but it doesn't matter," said Swiatek after spending 93 minutes on court on another boiling hot day in Paris. "It's going to change, I feel, in the second part of the tournament. "So I guess this tournament is really about: whoever will cope with both of these conditions will win." Swiatek is playing at a first Grand Slam tournament since linking up with Rafael Nadal's former coach Francisco Roig. She is among the favourites for a seventh major title after impressing in a run to the Italian Open semi-finals earlier this month. But she could next be facing a serious test in Latvian Ostapenko, against whom she has lost in all six of their previous meetings. Svitolina, who beat Swiatek en route to the Rome title, beat world number 126 Kaitlin Quevedo 6-0, 6-4. The Ukrainian seventh seed ended an eight-year wait for her fifth WTA 1000 trophy at the Italian Open to underline her credentials as a contender in Paris. She struggled through her first-round tie, edging out Hungary's Anna Bondar in a deciding-set tie-break on Monday, before watching her husband Gael Monfils' final French Open match in the night session. But Svitolina raced out of the blocks this time, quickly taking control against Quevedo. The Spaniard competed better in the second set until a break in the ninth game helped Svitolina wrap up victory. Svitolina, who reached her fourth career Slam semi-final earlier this year at the Australian Open, will next play Germany's Tamara Korpatsch, who made a major third round for the first time at the age of 31 by beating Chinese 32nd seed Wang Xinyu. Former Olympic champion Belinda Bencic eased into the last 32 for the third time, brushing aside Caty McNally 6-4, 6-0. Djokovic waiting Djokovic came from a set down in the first round against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard to keep his latest bid for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title alive. He next faces another home player in 74th-ranked Royer on Court Philippe Chatrier. After opening his campaign in the night session on Sunday, the 39-year-old Djokovic will have to negotiate the hottest conditions of the day against Royer. "Obviously playing a French player, centre court, Roland Garros, is never so easy, you know. Obviously the crowd gets into it, and then you feel the pressure even more," Djokovic said after his opening win. Russian 13th seed Karen Khachanov came through a gruelling battle with Marco Trungelliti 7-6 (7/5), 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (7/4). He will play Dutch lucky loser Jesper de Jong, who backed up his win over Stan Wawrinka by defeating Federico Cina, for a last-16 berth on Friday. Two-time former finalist Casper Ruud said he felt "like a zombie" at times during his first-round five-set marathon under the blazing Parisian sun. With the heat showing no signs of abating, the Norwegian will be hoping for a shorter match later on Wednesday when he plays Serbian Hamad Medjedovic. Kazakh world number two Elena Rybakina, seeking to win her second Grand Slam of the season, will meet Ukrainian Yuliia Starodubtseva on Court Suzanne Lenglen. Teenage stars Mirra Andreeva, Rafael Jodar and Joao Fonseca are all also in second-round action.

Football

London: The majority owners of Tottenham Hotspur have vowed to restore the club's fortunes after narrowly avoiding relegation from the Premier League in successive seasons. Sunday's 1-0 win at home to Everton on the final day of the campaign enabled Spurs to finish in 17th position -- one place above the relegation zone -- for the second straight season as they beat the drop by two points. But a 2025/26 season of struggle where they appointed three managers was met with fury by fans of the north London club. Supporters have often directed their anger at majority owners ENIC, which are run by the Lewis family, along with chief executive Vinai Venkatesham. In September, long-serving chairman Daniel Levy was invited to step down, having been the key decision-maker at Spurs for almost 25 years. In a letter to Tottenham supporters released on Wednesday, the Lewis family acknowledged that they were "bitterly disappointed" but promised that a rebuild had started under current boss Roberto De Zerbi. "To the fans, as owners of 25 years, we have lived the highs and lows of Spurs with you," said a statement from the Lewis family to Britain's Press Association. "Finishing 17th this and last season does not reflect the stature or potential of this football club. We are bitterly disappointed and share your frustration. "You, and we, expect more than this. We know this must never happen again." The statement added: "We also take responsibility for rebuilding Spurs. Our ambition is to recapture the spirit of the club and bring back the excitement, the fearlessness and the bold football we have always felt defined us. "That means football comes first... This will require investment -- in our teams, the academy, our backroom functions and more -- and we are fully committed to this. "We are not selling the club. We are all in. We are investing in it. You will see more of this in the coming months... We know that actions will speak louder than words." Venkatesham joined Spurs from arch-rivals Arsenal, who rubbed salt in Tottenham's wounds by winning this season's Premier League. Tottenham, by contrast, were last crowned champions of England back in the 1960/61 season -- when the club also won the FA Cup to complete a celebrated 'Double' success. Venkatesham endured a tough first season at Spurs but he told the BBC: "The club had some serious challenges that it needs to address on the football side. We know what those are. We are addressing them. We are fixing them."

Football

Buenos Aires, Argentina: Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said the initial news regarding superstar Lionel Messi's fitness "is not that bad" and hopes further examinations will confirm that diagnosis with the World Cup just a fortnight away. Messi has been diagnosed with muscle fatigue in his left hamstring by his Major League Soccer club Inter Miami after he made an abrupt exit from Miami's 6-4 victory over Philadelphia in the 73rd minute on Sunday. Even at 38 and eying a sixth World Cup finals appearance, Messi remains the side's talisman for the defence of the title they won in Qatar four years ago. "Obviously we would have preferred that nothing had happened," Scaloni told Argentinian TV station DSports on Tuesday. "Now one has to wait and see how it evolves and above all the new tests they are going to conduct in order to see if it confirms their original diagnosis." Scaloni, who is due to name his squad next week, added he had watched the match on TV at the federation's headquarters and been relieved that Messi had asked to come off. Inter manager Guillermo Hoyos explained after the match Messi was tired, the pitch was heavy and no-one wanted to take a risk with his fitness. Inter Miami issued a statement on Monday saying: "The timeline for his return to physical activity will depend on his clinical and functional progress." That gave little indication about the status of the eight-time Ballon D'Or winner. Argentina are set to begin their World Cup campaign on June 16 against Algeria in Kansas City. They then play Austria on June 22 and round off their Group J campaign against Jordan on June 28. Messi has managed his workload since joining Inter Miami in 2023, with team staff regularly excusing him from matches in congested fixture periods. MLS has started a break in its season for the World Cup, which is co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. Messi has not formally confirmed he plans to play in the World Cup, but is widely expected to return for what would be a record-matching sixth appearance at the finals. His great Portuguese rival Cristiano Ronaldo and potentially Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa would also be making a sixth appearance. Argentina are set to play two pre-World Cup friendlies against Honduras on June 6 and Iceland on June 9, both in the United States.