Sports
Navarro blasts opponent Zheng after Olympic loss: 'I didn't respect her as a competitor'
Emma Navarro didn’t want to be on the losing end of a tight three-set match at her first Olympic Games. Losing 6-7 (7), 7-6 (4), 6-1 to China’s Qinwen Zheng in the third round Tuesday meant Navarro’s Paris 2024 singles tournament was over.
Instead of just the customary handshake after each match between opponents, Navarro took it a step further. The 23-year-old American grasped Zheng’s hand and locked eyes with her. Navarro spoke to Zheng in a tense exchange at the net, with Navarro shaking her head in frustration as the players walked to thank the chair umpire.
Navarro didn’t mince words when later asked about the conversation.
“I just told her I didn’t respect her as a competitor,” Navarro said after the match. “I think she goes about things in a pretty cut-throat way. It makes for a locker room that doesn’t have a lot of camaraderie, so it’s tough to face an opponent like that, who I really don’t respect. But, kudos to her, she played some good tennis there at the end. She played better than me, so congrats to her.”
Navarro didn’t address why she made these comments and what about Zheng makes her “cut-throat” in the American’s opinion. Zheng admitted that Navarro told her “she doesn’t know how I have a lot of fans.”
“It looks like she’s not happy with my behavior towards her,” Zheng said.
But Zheng didn’t retaliate with criticism. Instead, Zheng said that she didn’t consider Navarro’s words “an attack” because the American lost the match.
“If she’s not happy about my behavior, she can come and tell me,” Zheng said. “I would like to correct (it) to become a better player and a better person.”
(Photo of Qinwen Zheng: Tnani Badreddine / DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
Tuesday’s encounter was the second match between Navarro and Zheng. Playing in balmy conditions on a packed Court Seven at Roland Garros, Navarro roared back in the first set down 3-5 to force a tiebreaker. Zheng took a 6-3 lead in the tiebreaker only for Navarro to rally again, saving four set points en route to winning 9-7.
In the second set, Navarro, up 5-3 and serving for the match, had a match point. An opportunity to advance to the Olympic quarterfinals was in Navarro’s grasp. But Navarro recorded a forehand unforced error. Zheng took advantage, breaking to stay alive. In the next game, Zheng held serve and suddenly, the second set was all square at 5-5.
Zheng was never fazed in the second-set tiebreaker. At 2-2, Zheng rattled off three in a row points, taking control of the tiebreaker. At set point 6-4, Zheng blasted a forehand winner, forcing a third and decisive set.
At this point, the Chinese fans in attendance roared in support of Zheng. The third set saw Zheng tally 13 service winners, record a 79 percent first serve and win all of her net points (4 for 4). Zheng broke Navarro three times. The American never faced a break point opportunity.
GO DEEPER
Coco Gauff loses to Donna Vekic at Olympics after line call controversy
Zheng praised the Chinese crowd support that guided her to victory.
“It’s so special because I don’t fight for myself,” Zheng said. “I fight for China. There were so many (in the) crowd cheering for me. … I feel very cheered up.”
It’s been a year of career feats for both Zheng and Navarro. Zheng reached her first slam final in January at the Australian Open and a new career-high ranking of world No. 7. Navarro, the 2021 NCAA singles champion with Virginia, won her first WTA tournament at Hobart International and reached her first slam quarterfinal at Wimbledon.
After over three hours, up 5-1 in the final set, Zheng had her fourth match point opportunity. Navarro’s backhand sailed wide, giving Zheng the win.
Zheng raised her arms high, let out a scream and pumped her left fist. Navarro admitted there were emotions coming off the court, the toll of not being able to close it out at match point and playing for three-plus hours.
She’ll now have to wait four years before her next potential Olympic moment.
Zheng’s Olympic dream of winning a medal continues. She will play three-time slam winner Angelique Kerber, who is playing in her final professional tournament.
Required reading
(Photo: Tnani Badreddine / DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The highly anticipated 30th WNBA season tipped off Friday with three games, including the expansion Toronto Tempo’s first-ever contest.
The action continued Saturday with a full slate, including Caitlin Clark’s return after an injury-riddled sophomore season.
Clark and the Indiana Fever hosted the Dallas Wings on Saturday afternoon in a matchup featuring the four most recent No. 1 overall picks. The Wings outlasted the Fever 107-104, but the game was defined by Azzi Fudd’s — the most recent top pick — underwhelming debut.
Dallas Wings guards Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers react during the first half of the Fever’s season opener at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on May 9, 2026. (Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Fudd played 18 minutes off the bench, scoring three points — the lowest ever by a No. 1 overall pick in a WNBA debut.
Wings coach Jose Fernandez addressed Fudd’s performance after the game, encouraging the rookie to, “Keep doing what she’s doing, it’s her first year in the league. We got five really talented backcourt players.”
EX-WNBA STAR CRITICAL OF SKY ROOKIE HAILEY VAN LITH, BELIEVES POPULARITY PLAYED ROLE IN DRAFT SELECTION
In addition to Fudd, Dallas’ backcourt features last year’s top draft pick Paige Bueckers, last season’s No. 12 overall pick Aziaha James, four-time All-Star Arike Ogunbowale and starting guard Odyssey Sims.
Until Saturday, Kelsey Plum held the record for the lowest-scoring debut by a No. 1 pick. Selected first overall by the then-San Antonio Stars in 2017, she scored just four points in her debut. The Stars relocated to Las Vegas in 2018 and was subsequently rebranded as the Aces.
Dallas Wings guard Azzi Fudd warms up before the game against the Indiana Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, on May 9, 2026. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Despite the slow start to her first season in the league, Plum ended the year with All-Rookie team honors. In the years since, she’s been named to four All-Star teams and won two championships with the Aces.
The Wings’ decision to take Fudd with the No. 1 overall pick drew controversy, raising questions about whether Bueckers’ personal relationship with her influenced the selection. Late last month, Bueckers said last month it did not.
Azzi Fudd poses with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected first overall by the Dallas Wings during the 2026 WNBA Draft at The Shed in New York City on April 13, 2026. (Angelina Katsanis/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“Azzi Fudd was the No. 1 draft pick because she earned it, and it had nothing to do with me and everything to do with who she is as a human being, who she is as a basketball player,” Bueckers said, according to ESPN.
Neither Bueckers nor Fudd has publicly updated their relationship status since the April draft.
“Quite frankly, I believe me and Azzi’s personal relationship is nobody’s business but our own,” Bueckers also said in April. “And what we choose to share is completely up to us.”
Next up, the Wings play their home opener on Tuesday when they host the Atlanta Dream.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
The Lakers are one playoff defeat from their season being over and from the conversation turning to LeBron James’ future.
They are in a hole no team has climbed out of in the history of the NBA, the Lakers’ 131-108 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 putting L.A. down 3-0 in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series.
James and his teammates gave a gallant effort Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena, but the defending champion proved to be more than the Lakers could handle.
James finished his night with 19 points on seven-for-19 shooting, eight assists and six rebounds. Rui Hachimura had 21 points and Austin Reaves finished with 17 points and nine assists.
Even so, the Lakers have now lost all three games by double digits.
And the Lakers are fully aware that no NBA team has successfully come back from a 3-0 deficit in the playoffs, with those teams holding a 161-0 record. Only four teams have forced a Game 7 after trailing 3-0, all of which ultimately lost the series, including the Boston Celtics in 2023.
Lakers forward LeBron James shows frustration as Thunder center Chet Holmgren slam dunks during Game 3 on Saturday night.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Game 4 is Monday night, when the Lakers will try to stave off elimination and a night that will determine how the conversations go with James if they lose.
James has been frequently asked this season about retirement, but he has not given any indication of what the future holds for him.
He’s 41 years old and playing in an NBA-record 23rd season.
James is in the final year of his contract that pays him $52 million, making him a free agent this offseason. He can retire, join another team or perhaps return to the Lakers next season.
That will be the conversation if the Lakers can’t win Game 4.
They will see the same Thunder team that had seven players score in double figures, led by Ajay Mitchell’s 24 points and 10 assists and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 23 points and nine assists.
The Lakers went down 13 in the third quarter and had to play catchup the rest of the way. They never did, going down by 112-94 with 6 minutes and 12 seconds left, forcing Lakers coach JJ Redick to call a timeout.
The deficit just kept growing, topping out at 27 points in the fourth.
They were outscored 33-20 in the third quarter. The Lakers didn’t take care of the basketball in the third, turning it over six times, and they didn’t play good defense, allowing the Thunder to shoot 59.1% from the field and 55.6 percent from three-point range,
The Lakers did not give an inch to the Thunder in the first half, even when they fell behind by 10 points.
They just kept grinding until they led 59-57 at halftime.
Hachimura had 16 points in the first half, continuing his hot three-point shooting by making all four of his threes. Luke Kennard came off the bench to give the Lakers 13 points, shooting five for six from the field and three for four from three-point range.
The Lakers kept the pressure defense on Gilgeous-Alexander. Though he had 14 points in the first half, he shot only four for 14 from the field and one for five from three-point range.
The Lakers shot 55% from three-point range in the first half, which went a long way in helping them.
The Lakers lost the first two games by identical margins of 18 points and each loss was magnified because Gilgeous-Alexander was kept under wraps for the most part by L.A.’s defense.
When Gilgeous-Alexander picked up his fourth foul with 10:34 left in the third quarter of Game 2 and went to the bench, the Thunder turned a five-point lead into a 13-point advantage at the end of the quarter.
So, when he wasn’t on the court, the Lakers failed to take advantage.
“Well, you know, again, I’ll repeat what I said after the game: we’ve got to be better in the non-Shai minutes,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.
Role players like Mitchell and Jared McCain hurt the Lakers in the second game. Chet Holmgren also was hard to deal with.
“Mitchell and McCain have hurt us in those non-Shai minutes, and then Chet [Holmgren] has hurt us the whole game,” Redick said. “I think you’ve got to be willing to live with something. Shai playing one-on-one, thus far in the series, we haven’t been willing to live with, so you’re going to be in rotation. That can lead to smalls on bigs at the hole, and the offensive rebounding from Chet has really hurt us.”
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
In 2025, Alex Palou kicked off the Month of May with a Sonsio Grand Prix win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
Based on the odds, it’s likely that Palou will find himself in Winner’s Circle again this Saturday when INDYCAR goes back to IMS on May 9 (4:30 p.m. ET, FOX).
Considering Palou has already captured the checkered flag three times this season, are there any other drivers whose odds are worth a wager?
Here are the latest lines at DraftKings Sportsbook as of May 9.
This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.
Sonsio Grand Prix 2026
Àlex Palou: 5/18 (bet $10 to win $12.78 total)
Kyle Kirkwood: 5/1 (bet $10 to win $60 total)
Pato O’Ward: 12/1 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
David Malukas: 14/1 (bet $10 to win $150 total)
Josef Newgarden: 16/1 (bet $10 to win $170 total)
Scott McLaughlin: 20/1 (bet $10 to win $210 total)
Christian Lundgaard: 30/1 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
Scott Dixon: 40/1 (bet $10 to win $410 total)
Will Power: 60/1 (bet $10 to win $610 total)
Felix Rosenqvist: 80/1 (bet $10 to win $810 total)
Alexander Rossi: 100/1 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total)
Marcus Ericsson: 100/1 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total)
Marcus Armstrong: 100/1 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total)
Christian Rasmussen: 150/1 (bet $10 to win $1,510 total)
Graham Rahal: 150/1 (bet $10 to win $1,510 total)
Louis Foster: 300/1 (bet $10 to win $3,010 total)
Dennis Hauger: 500/1 (bet $10 to win $5,010 total)
Romain Grosjean: 500/1 (bet $10 to win $5,010 total)
Santino Ferrucci: 500/1 (bet $10 to win $5,010 total)
Rinus Veekay: 500/1 (bet $10 to win $5,010 total)
Kyffin Simpson: 500/1 (bet $10 to win $5,010 total)
Caio Collet: 1000/1 (bet $10 to win $10,010 total)
Sting Ray Robb: 1000/1 (bet $10 to win $10,010 total)
Nolan Siegel: 1000/1 (bet $10 to win $10,010 total)
Mick Schumacher: 1000/1 (bet $10 to win $10,010 total)
Here’s what to know about the oddsboard:
Heavy Favorite: It doesn’t look like Alex Palou’s dominance will be slowing down anytime soon. As noted above, he’s already won three of the five races since the INDYCAR season started in March. With 186 laps led, Palou sits first in the standings and has the shortest odds to win the title again. Last season, he started from the pole and led 29 laps before winning the race.
Long Shot to Watch: While his odds of 150/1 to win at IMS are much longer than Palou’s, Graham Rahal is one to watch. At this race in 2025, he started second and led 49 laps before finishing sixth. He finished second at this course in 2015, 2020 and 2023. He’s currently 10th in the INDYCAR standings, with one top five and three top 10s.
-
Idaho3 seconds agoIdaho Stop ordinance seen as progress for cyclists, supporters say | Jefferson City News-Tribune
-
Illinois6 minutes ago20-year-old motorcyclist killed in crash in Oswego, Illinois, police say
-
Indiana12 minutes agoWhy Caitlin Clark went back to Indiana Fever locker room in season opener
-
Iowa18 minutes agoOpinion: Marathon legislative shutdown shouldn’t be repeated
-
Kansas24 minutes agoDetroit Tigers bested by Kansas City 5-1; Witt hits inside-the-park homer for Royals
-
Kentucky30 minutes agoKentucky Lottery Cash Ball, Pick 3 Evening winning numbers for May 9, 2026
-
Louisiana36 minutes agoOfficials say Louisiana’s black bear bounty could boost hunting this year
-
Maine42 minutes agoMeet Maine’s newest hot pitcher: Gorham’s Hunter Finck