PARIS -- Carlos Alcaraz and the man he just replaced atop the rankings, 22-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, were placed in the same half of the French Open field in Thursday's draw and could face each other in the semifinals.

Alcaraz is seeded No. 1 at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time and was automatically placed in the top section of the bracket. Djokovic is No. 3 and so could have ended up on either half -- had he landed in the bottom, he and Alcaraz could only have met in the final at Roland Garros, where 14-time champion Rafael Nadal will be missing for the first time since he made his debut at the clay-court major in 2005.

Play begins Sunday.

Typically, the previous year's singles champions are invited to appear at the draw, so 2022 women's winner Iga Swiatek was present Thursday. Nadal, of course, was not. Still, he was the first player mentioned at the outset of the ceremony by French Tennis Federation president Gilles Morreton, who noted, "Unfortunately, he cannot play the tournament this year."

Swiatek did not appear to show any ill effects from the hurt right thigh that caused her to stop playing in the third set of her quarterfinal match in Rome last weekend. She indicated almost immediately that the issue would not prevent her from competing in Paris, where she has won two of her three major trophies.

"It's like my favorite tournament in the whole year, so I'm always excited to come back," said Swiatek, who has been ranked No. 1 for more than a year. "Before the tournament, I get this extra motivation to practice harder, to make everything better."

The draw put her in a potential quarterfinal against No. 6 Coco Gauff in what would be a rematch of last year's French Open final.

Alcaraz, who just turned 20, and Djokovic, who just turned 36, have played each other just once previously, in the semifinals of the Madrid Open in May 2022. Alcaraz won that one 6-7 (5), 7-5, 7-6 (5) -- a day after beating Nadal in the quarterfinals, becoming the first player to defeat both Djokovic and Nadal at the same clay-court tournament. Alcaraz went on to collect the title there with a straight-sets victory over Alexander Zverev in the final.

It was Zverev who ended Alcaraz's 14-match winning streak in the French Open quarterfinals last year. That was also the round where Nadal stopped Djokovic in a four-set, four-hour thriller.

This time, the men's quarterfinals by seeding would be Alcaraz, the reigning US Open champion, against No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas, a two-time Slam finalist; Djokovic against No. 7 Andrey Rublev; No. 2 Daniil Medvedev, the 2021 US Open winner, against No. 8 Jannik Sinner; and No. 4 Casper Ruud, runner-up at the French Open and US Open last year, against No. 6 Holger Rune.

Other women's matchups in that round could be No. 4 Elena Rybakina, the reigning Wimbledon champion, against No. 7 Ons Jabeur, a two-time major finalist; No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, who won the Australian Open in January, against No. 5 Caroline Garcia; and No. 3 Jessica Pegula vs. No. 8 Maria Sakkari.

One player who would have been seeded, 29th-ranked Paula Badosa, pulled out before the draw, saying she got a stress fracture in her spine during the Italian Open.

Swiatek will begin her tournament with a meeting against Cristina Bucsa, a Spanish player ranked 67th whose career record at the French Open is 0-1.

Some intriguing first-round matches include Sabalenka against Marta Kostyuk, Pegula against 2022 Australian Open finalist Danielle Collins, and Victoria Azarenka against Bianca Andreescu in a showdown between past Grand Slam champions.

Quarterback Isaac Wilson, the brother of New York Jets backup quarterback Zach Wilson, committed to Utah on Wednesday night.

Isaac is an unranked four-star QB out of Corner Canyon High School (Draper, Utah). Zach Wilson was a three-star before playing three years at BYU (2018-20) and eventually becoming the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.

In 14 games last season for Corner Canyon, Isaac, who's 6-feet and 185 pounds, threw for 3,774 yards with 40 touchdowns while also running for 695 yards and five scores in helping lead his team to a 11-3 record and a berth in the 6A state title game.

He had offers from Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, Miami and Oregon.

Isaac took an official visit to Salt Lake City in April and will give coach Kyle Whittingham a solid option to replace Cameron Rising after this upcoming season. Rising threw for 2,939 yards with 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions in his second season starting for the Utes, which resulted in a second straight Pac-12 championship.

Utah brought home the 20th overall class in 2023, ranking third in the Pac-12 behind Oregon and USC.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jaguars on Thursday signed kicker Brandon McManus, who won a Super Bowl title during his nine seasons with the Denver Broncos.

To make room for McManus, the Jaguars waived kicker Riley Patterson.

McManus, 31, made 77.8% of his field goal attempts last season (28 for 36), which was the first time since 2017 that he had made less than 80%. McManus has made 81.4% of his field goal attempts in his nine-year career.

The Broncos released McManus on Tuesday. He had been the last remaining player from the team's Super Bowl 50 championship squad.

Patterson, 23, who kicked a 36-yard field goal as time expired to help the Jaguars beat the Los Angeles Chargers 31-30 in an AFC divisional playoff game this past January, made 30 of his 35 field goal attempts last season.

Miami Heat starting point guard Gabe Vincent, who is averaging 17.5 points during the Eastern Conference finals, has been ruled out with a left ankle sprain for Game 5 vs. the Boston Celtics on Thursday night, the team announced.

Vincent suffered the injury late in the fourth quarter of Game 4 on Tuesday when he landed awkwardly while trying to save a loose ball near the Heat bench. He is shooting 58% in the series -- and 50% from 3-point range vs. the Celtics.

Kyle Lowry, who has been coming off the bench in games started by Vincent, could move into the starting lineup for Miami.

The Heat, who are already without guards Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo, have a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series entering Thursday's game in Boston.

Vincent started each of Miami's first 15 playoff games. He's averaged 13.1 points in the postseason, third-best on the Heat behind Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.

Herro, who broke his hand in Game 1 of the playoff series vs. Milwaukee, has resumed workouts after having his brace removed.

"There's no timetable," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Tuesday of Herro. "He does have the brace off, and he's able to do ballhandling and some shooting."

Oladipo will miss the rest of the season with a torn patellar tendon.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The annual Hypomeeting is the perfect example of how to showcase sporting brilliance and also highlights why combined events are worthy of greater celebration, writes Gabby Pieraccini

“When I look at the World Athletics Competition Performance Ranking,” says Walter Weber, Sporting Director of the annual Hypomeeting Götzis, “I see that Hypomeeting is ‘only’ in third place. But only Combined Events at the Olympic Games and World Championships are better than at Götzis.”

The annual celebration of combined events in the small Austrian town of Götzis at the end of May provides a masterclass in how to showcase world-class athletics.

Every detail of the meeting is designed to create the conditions for athletes to perform at their best, with no requirement for ill-thought-through gimmicks to generate artificial theatre. And therein lies the secret.

When that singular focus on the athlete is enhanced by an understanding of how to narrate the ebb and flow of the multis, and combined with a relaxed environment for fans, the result is the richest two days of athletics on the competition calendar. “The best athletics event you will ever attend,” former Telegraph athletics correspondent Ben Bloom wrote in AW a few weeks ago.

Since 1975, all but three Olympic and World champions have competed at Götzis. For current Olympic decathlon champion Damian Warner of Canada, this will be his 10th edition. He has won on seven occasions, more than any other athlete.

Warner won his Olympic title in the sequestered, mid-pandemic conditions of Tokyo, and his victory in Götzis that year was also muted, given the limited attendance due to public health measures. This year, Warner is bringing his extended support system to Austria, including his two-year old son Theo.

“Almost every year for the past 10 years I’ve come home raving to my family about Götzis,” Damian recalls. “About how this small town transforms into this amazing competition with an unparalleled atmosphere, and how the fans at Götzis are more knowledgeable and dedicated to the decathlon/heptathlon than anywhere else in the world.

“I want my family to experience this amazing atmosphere and this love for combined events first hand.

“For me it’s simple. From day one I have been welcomed to Götzis with open arms and treated with love and respect. I have met so many incredible people over the years and developed relationships with people there. In a lot of ways, it feels like a home away from home. I hope that I have the opportunity to compete in Götzis every year, for the rest of my career.”

In contrast Warner’s training partner, fellow Canadian Nate Mechler, is making his Götzis debut.

“In 2012 I was looking for a new sport after my hockey career. It was around then I first learned about the decathlon,” he says. “I went onto YouTube and was met by [Roman] Šebrle’s world record decathlon at Götzis in 2001. From then on it quickly became my sport, and Götzis is my dream decathlon. I’m very excited and incredibly grateful to get this opportunity.”

Russian doubles player Yana Sizikova has been cleared of match-fixing two years after her arrest at the French Open, according to her lawyer.

Sizikova, ranked 50th in doubles, has continued to play on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour since her arrest and will compete at this year's French Open, which starts on Sunday.

"After two and a half years of investigation, the Paris Public Prosecutor's Office definitively closed the case on 11 April 2023, considering that criminal proceedings could not be initiated, as the facts of which Ms Sizikova was accused could not be established," her lawyer Frederic Belot told Reuters.

Officials began investigating in October 2020 after suspicions of "organised fraud" and "corruption in sports".

A source close to the investigation told the BBC at the time the inquiry focused on a first-round match in which Sizikova and American partner Madison Brengle lost 7-6 (10-8) 6-4 to Romanian pair Andreea Mitu and Patricia Maria Tig.

Suspicions were reportedly raised after betting companies noticed hundreds of thousands of euros had been wagered on a break of serve in the second set.

Sizikova was released a day after her arrest in 2021.

In July 2022 she and fellow Russian Anastasia Potapova won the Prague Open, while Sizikova reached two other finals last year.

Sizikova and American Sabrina Santamaria play in the semi-finals of the Morocco Open on Thursday.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Emilia Migliaccio and her fiancé, Charlie Doran, met in a writing class their freshman year at Wake Forest. So, it was only fitting that five years later, with Doran cheering her on, Migliaccio would craft a comeback story for the ages.

A quick synopsis:

Team struggles in national championship.

Star player quits competitive golf.

Team again falters in postseason.

Star player returns to lead team to national title.

“Complete full circle,” Doran said. “After six years, it’s just beautiful that this is playing out in front of me right now.”

With the 24-year-old Migliaccio back in the fold after a year away, the Demon Deacons captured their first NCAA Division I women's golf title in program history with a 3-1 victory over USC on Wednesday at Grayhawk Golf Club. The long-awaited triumph came after two straight seasons of heartbreak in the Arizona desert – the first being Migliaccio's original senior year, where Wake Forest collapsed on the final day to miss match play, and the second without Migliaccio, as the Demon Deacons missed the 54-hole cut altogether.

The third time, though, was as charming as Doran, who popped the question 14 months ago on the same trail where he first told Migliaccio he loved her.

“The past two years, everything happens for a reason,” Wake Forest senior Rachel Kuehn said. “And if it took the last two years to get us where we are today, it was all worth it.”

Likely no one feels more validated than Migliaccio.

When she departed Grayhawk two years ago, Migliaccio figured she was done with college golf despite an extra year of eligibility at her disposal. Having already spurned the idea of turning professional, she flew straight to Pebble Beach to cover the U.S. Women’s Open, her first event working for Golf Channel. A busy summer of reporting ensued, as did graduate school with Migliaccio returning to Wake Forest last fall to pursue her master’s in communication.

But back on campus, Migliaccio couldn’t stay away from the golf facility. When she wasn’t on the road or studying, she was hitting balls, sharpening her short game, stroking putt after putt.

“She still grinded on her game,” Doran said. “That was her outlet.”

Then came the dream.

It was early September, and Migliaccio awoke one morning having just imagined herself back competing for the Demon Deacons. She told Wake Forest head coach Kim Lewellen about the nighttime vision later that day on the practice range, a dead giveaway, in Lewellen’s mind, that Migliaccio was having second thoughts.

“I told her, ‘Well, if you want to play, I’ve got a spot for you,’” Lewellen recalled.

Migliaccio didn’t answer Lewellen immediately, instead deliberately weighing the offer. Meanwhile, Lewellen was entertaining a recruit and needed a quick decision. Finally, Migliaccio called Lewellen with good news: She’d sit out a full season before rejoining the Demon Deacons for the 2022-23 campaign and one final shot at a national championship.

“Sorry, recruit,” Migliaccio says now.

“Golf has a funny way when you take a break of making you fall right back in love with the game,” Kuehn said, “and I know Emilia, and I know that she doesn’t like to leave things unfinished.”

As Migliaccio slotted back into a potent lineup that included two other top-30 amateurs in Kuehn and sophomore Carolina Lopez-Chacarra, Wake Forest began last fall as the consensus main threat to Stanford’s national-tile defense. But at the same time, there were questions whether the Demon Deacons had what it took to finally conquer their Grayhawk demons.

Lewellen’s message to her players from the get-go was to not worry about the past and instead focus on solutions. So, with Migliaccio leading by example, they worked tirelessly, each with an eye on the desert, straightening out their drivers, hitting their chips closer, getting cozier with their lag putting. Lewellen also front-loaded the team’s spring schedule, giving her players more than a month off leading into the ACC Championship – in past years, she’d seen her squads run out of gas in the extreme heat, and the extra rest would allow this bunch to arrive in Scottsdale earlier than usual to adjust to the elevation and scorching temps, and still have plenty in the tank for a demanding NCAA run.

“Everything we did,” Kuehn said, “we did it with Grayhawk in mind.”

The fruits of their labor showed early and often. Kuehn won twice individually while senior Lauren Walsh matched her with five top-5s. Migliaccio was rejuvenated and steady, not finishing outside the top 25 through regionals. And as a group, the Demon Deacons collected seven stroke-play titles, including at the Jackson T. Stephens Cup, where Wake Forest clipped Stanford by seven shots – a seminal moment at Seminole, even if the Cardinal got revenge in the match-play final that week.

“That gave us the confidence that our good was as good as anyone,” Wake Forest assistant Ryan Potter said.

Stanford might’ve flexed its muscles early at nationals, riding two-time NCAA individual champion Rose Zhang to a third straight No. 1 match-play seed. But Wake Forest remained poised. Prior to Monday’s final round of stroke play, two Demon Deacons showed up to a team meeting at the host hotel wearing their bathrobes and sunglasses. Wake Forest then went out and comfortably grabbed the third seed, 24 shots inside the top eight.

Migliaccio sputtered over the final 36 holes, shooting 75-78 to finish T-58, and then dropped her match against last-minute substitute Kaylah Williams in Wake Forest’s quarterfinal bout with Florida State, which the Demon Deacons put away with a 20-hole victory by Kuehn.

Despite Migliaccio’s struggles, Lewellen still believed that her leader, the one they playfully call “Granny,” was “going to do everything she could to help us bring this home.”

“She’s our rock, on and off the golf course,” Potter added. “When she’s around, our other players know everything’s going to be OK. That’s why we put her out first.”

In the semifinals against Texas A&M, Migliaccio led off and gutted out a 2-and-1 win over Zoe Slaughter. Banking on another tone-setting performance, Lewellen and Potter again threw out Migliaccio’s name first during the final pairings, leaving USC with the option to match with any of its five players. Trojans head coach Justin Silverstein opted for Cindy Kou, whom Migliaccio led the entire way, going out with a bang by sinking a 12-footer for birdie at No. 14, nearly holing her approach at No. 15 and closing out the match, 4 and 2, with a winning par at the par-3 16^th.

"I’ve never seen Charlie cry – he’s just a really happy person – but when I finished my putt on 16, his eyes were red," Migliaccio said. "And it was just the coolest thing for him to see me and for him to be so proud of me."

Added Doran: "I encouraged her to give [college golf] one more chance because I knew that she was going to be great, and she knew that. ... She knew what was on the line today, and she was so determined."

Migliaccio wasn't alone. With their freshness wearing off after a two-match day on Tuesday, the Demon Deacons retreated that night to the hotel pool deck, where Potter’s wife had set up makeshift ice baths – five kiddie pools, 20 gallons of water, 20 bags of ice – and the five players would plunge back and forth between ice water and the nearby hot tub. It worked. Kuehn and Walsh, like Migliaccio, came out running in the final; Kuehn routed fellow Curtis Cupper Amari Avery, 6 and 4, and Walsh built a 5-up lead on Briana Navarrosa, who a day earlier had knocked off Zhang, before hanging on for the deciding 3-and-2 victory.

“I really think we emptied the tank against Stanford,” Silverstein said. “But we knocked off the No. 1 team in the country, the No. 4 team in the country (South Carolina), and lost to the No. 2 team in the country. That’s a pretty good week.”

When Walsh’s tap-in par putt was conceded on No. 16, Migliaccio and most of her teammates rushed the green, embracing Walsh, before quickly sprinting off, through the desert and toward the 17^th green, where junior Mimi Rhodes, arguably the team’s MVP this week despite needing an IV on Monday night, was 2 up on Christine Wang. Rhodes wouldn’t get the chance to complete the 3-0 week as she, too, was eventually mobbed by her fellow Demon Deacons.

For the next half-hour, the Wake Forest coaches and players, decked out in championship gear, posed for pictures with the NCAA trophy. Then their families, friends, support staff, even former coach Dianne Dailey, who for three decades sought a national title, joined in the emotional photo opp.

At one point, Doran and Migliaccio shared a kiss before Doran reminded his fiancée: “Exactly one month!”

Yes, their wedding is June 24, in Raleigh, North Carolina, where many of those celebrating on Grayhawk’s penultimate green would gather again to witness the future Mr. and Mrs. Doran’s nuptials. "There’s so much good in my life right now," Migliaccio said, "and I’m just so grateful that the Lord has given me so many great people around me."

Plans are all finalized – with the final detail being secured Wednesday.

“We were missing a centerpiece,” Doran said, staring at the trophy. “Got a good one now.”

Tottenham have suffered a major blow in their search for a new head coach with leading candidate Arne Slot confirming he wants to stay at Feyenoord.

ESPN reported earlier this month that Slot had emerged as a serious contender in Spurs' plans to replace Antonio Conte, who was sacked on March 27 after 16 months in charge.

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Sources say Tottenham's attempts to prise Slot from Feyenoord have intensified in recent days, with Spurs also making an approach for general manager Dennis te Kloese to fill their vacant sporting director position following Fabio Paratici's resignation last month.

However, Te Kloese told ESPN Netherlands' morning show "Goedemorgen Eredivisie" on Sunday he had rejected an offer from Spurs and said Slot would do the same -- an expectation the 44-year-old has now met.

Speaking on Thursday, Slot indicated he is now likely to sign a new deal with Feyenoord.

"I have heard a lot about the interest of other clubs in me," he said. "I am grateful for the appreciation that expresses this, but my wish is to stay at Feyenoord and continue to build on the foundation that has been laid over the past two seasons.

"There are no transfer talks and there have not been any and yesterday's discussion was only about a possible extension: All talks with Feyenoord are only focused on that. I look forward to the new season at Feyenoord."

Slot has a buyout clause in his contract but it does not become active until 2024. One source told ESPN that Feyenoord would have been due compensation in the region of £6 million had Slot departed, a figure which would not have been prohibitive to Spurs.

However, Slot has effectively ruled himself out of the running, leaving Tottenham to return to their shortlist of alternatives which include former Spain coach Luis Enrique, Bayer Leverkusen's Xabi Alonso and Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou.

Mainz's Bo Svensson has also been discussed internally but sources close to Tottenham have repeatedly insisted there are no plans to pursue a deal for former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann.

Gareth Southgate has warned that Harry Maguire's lack of playing time for Manchester United makes it difficult to guarantee he will start games for England.

Maguire, who became the world's most expensive defender when United signed him for £80 million ($100.97m), is no longer a first-choice centre back for his club despite being named the team's captain.

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He has fallen down the pecking order behind Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof, with even left back Luke Shaw having played in central defence, leaving Maguire with just seven starts in the league this season.

"Inevitably it's not a situation that can continue forever," said Southgate, who has handed Maguire over 50 England caps and included him in the squad for next month's Euro 2024 qualifiers.

"It's like Kalvin Phillips. They are important players for us and with Kalvin we haven't got many players who can play as that single pivot.

"Of course the longer that situation goes on the more concerning it is and we've got, in Marc Guehi, Lewis Dunk, Tyrone Mings, players who are playing well without the same experiences of club European football or international football.

"But we've got to keep searching for competition in that area of the pitch."

England named their squad for the next month's Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia and left out Raheem Sterling, who has been a key player for Southgate since he took charge of the national team

Sterling has struggled to find consistency in his first season at Chelsea and Southgate said the club's constant changes have affected the player.

"I found him positive, strong, understanding what's gone on," Southgate added. "Difficult for everybody with all the changes this year at the club. Three different managers, three different ways of training, three different ways of playing, so a lot of upheaval. Clubs have these moments.

"If I was looking at him I would always back him to respond strongly and to have the resilience and tenacity to prove himself. He said himself earlier in the week he has not been happy with how it has been. That would be a temporary thing for sure."

Information from Reuters was included in this report.