Merlier wins sprint battle in Paris-Nice opener/node/2263041/sport
Merlier wins sprint battle in Paris-Nice opener
Soudal Quick-Step's Belgian rider Tim Merlier, center, crosses the finish line to win the first stage of the Paris-Nice cycling race in La Verriere, outside Paris, Sunday. (AP)
At the end of a winding and hilly 169.4 kilometer circuit in the Chevreuse Valley, the Lotto-Soudal rider pulled away in the final meters
Updated 06 March 2023
AFP
LA VERRIERE, France: Belgian sprinter Tim Merlier won a battle of the fast men to take the first stage of Paris-Nice on Sunday in La Verriere.
At the end of a winding and hilly 169.4 kilometer circuit in the Chevreuse Valley, west of Paris, the Lotto-Soudal rider pulled away in the final meters.
Four other sprinters crossed the line shoulder-to-shoulder a bike length behind. Irishman Sam Bennett of Bora claimed second and Dane Mads Pedersen third.
The two Tour de France winners, Slovenian Tadej Pogacar and Dane Jonas Vingegaard, were both active in the final 20 kilometers.
Pogacar attacked on the last hills and collected six bonus seconds when he was first over the last one, which could be useful in an eight-day race often decided by just a few seconds.
The two men found themselves clear in a three-man breakaway with six kilometers left but opted to save their energy and allow the sprinters to battle for victory.
As expected, Alcaraz and Sabalenka named top-seeded players at the Australian Open
Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka were officially made the top-seeded players for the Australian Open which begins Sunday at Melbourne Park
Sabalenka, Iga Świątek and Coco Gauff are the top three seeds in the women’s draw for the second consecutive year
Updated 6 sec ago
AP
MELBOURNE: Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka were officially made the top-seeded players for the Australian Open which begins Sunday at Melbourne Park. The announcement on Wednesday comes a day ahead of the tournament draw. Two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner was seeded second, with Alexander Zverev third and 10-time champion Novak Djokovic fourth. Sabalenka, Iga Świątek and Coco Gauff are the top three seeds in the women’s draw for the second consecutive year. Madison Keys returns as the defending champion and the ninth-seeded player, one of four American women among the top 10 seeds. — - Men’s Singles Seedings 1. Carlos Alcaraz, Spain 2. Jannik Sinner, Italy 3. Alexander Zverev, Germany 4. Novak Djokovic, Serbia 5. Lorenzo Musetti, Italy 6. Alex de Minaur, Australia 7. Felix Auger-Aliassime, Canada 8. Ben Shelton, United States 9. Taylor Fritz, United States 10. Alexander Bublik, Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan 11. Daniil Medvedev 12. Casper Ruud, Norway 13. Andrey Rublev 14. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Spain 15. Karen Khachanov 16. Jakub Mensik, Czech Republic 17. Jiri Lehecka, Czech Republic 18. Francisco Cerundolo, Argentina 19. Tommy Paul, United States 20. Flavio Cobolli, Italy 21. Denis Shapovalov, Canada 22. Luciano Darderi, Italy 23. Tallon Griekspoor, Netherlands 24. Arthur Rinderknech, France 25. Learner Tien, United States 26. Cameron Norrie, Britain 27. Brandon Nakashima, United States 28. Joao Fonseca, Brazil 29. Frances Tiafoe, United States 30. Valentin Vacherot, Monaco 31. Stefanos Tsitsipas, Greece 32. Corentin Moutet, FranceWomen’s Singles Seedings 33. 1. Aryna Sabalenka 34. 2. Iga Świątek, Poland 35. 3. Coco Gauff, United States 36. 4. Amanda Anisimova, United States 37. 5. Elena Rybakina, Kazakhstan 38. 6. Jessica Pegula, United States 39. 7. Jasmine Paolini, Italy 40. 8. Mirra Andreeva 41. 9. Madison Keys, United States 42. 10. Belinda Bencic, Switzerland 43. 11. Ekaterina Alexandrova 44. 12. Elina Svitolina, Ukraine 45. 13. Linda Noskova, Czech Republic 46. 14. Clara Tauson, Denmark 47. 15. Emma Navarro, United States 48. 16. Naomi Osaka, Japan 49. 17. Victoria Mboko, Canada 50. 18. Liudmila Samsonova 51. 19. Karolina Muchova, Czech Republic 52. 20. Marta Kostyuk, Ukraine 53. 21. Elize Mertens, Belgium 54. 22. Leylah Fernández, Canada 55. 23. Diana Shnaider 56. 24. Jelena Ostapenko, Latvia 57. 25. Paula Badosa, Spain 58. 26. Dayana Yastremska, Ukraine 59. 27. Sofia Kenin, United States 60. 28. Emma Raducanu, Britain 61. 29. Iva Jovic, United States 62. 30. Maya Joint, Australia 63. 31. Anna Kalinskaya 64. 32. Marketa Vondrousova, Czech Republic — AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
