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PARIS: Pretty much everyone expects to see, and likely wants to see, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic face each other in the French Open semifinals. There’s work to be done first, of course, and both began their journeys at Roland Garros with straight-set victories Monday against opponents making Grand Slam debuts. These were supposed to be straightforward chances to ease into the clay-court tournament for the two popular picks to win the men’s trophy — and it turned out that way, other than a brief late blip for each.

LONDON: Mauricio Pochettino is back in the Premier League with the tough task of putting the pieces back together after Chelsea's disastrous first season under their new ownership. The Argentine will take charge of a club that finished 12th in the Premier League despite an eye-watering outlay of more than £550 million ($678 million) on new players under Todd Boehly's consortium. Pochettino made his name in management by making the most of meagre resources at Espanyol, Southampton and particularly during a five-year stint at Tottenham.

In the most dramatic of circumstances, the Boston Celtics have forced a game seven showdown against the Miami Heat with last-second heroics from Derrick White to win game six of the Eastern Conference playoffs. With the series now tied at 3-3, both teams are poised to make history as they strive for a spot in the NBA Finals.

There will be an Arab team in the knockout stages of the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup, but Tunisia made it through by the narrowest of margins and will take on Brazil in the second round on Wednesday. At the end of the group stage, the North Africans were the fourth of the four best third-placed teams to go through, edging out France courtesy of a slightly better goal difference after both finished on three points. It shouldn’t have been so tense. Earlier on Sunday, Tunisia were heading for a 0-0 draw against Uruguay in Group E that would have been enough.

LONDON: Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe has warned there will be no big transfer spend this summer, with Premier League Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules biting hard. While some quarters expect the Saudi-led Magpies to splurge a Chelsea and Manchester City-like spend in the transfer market this summer, Howe admits Newcastle are working to much tighter guidelines than their top end rivals.

POTOMAC FALLS: In addition to battling a course that was reluctant to give up low scores Saturday at LIV Golf DC, Mito Pereira also had to battle allergy problems midway through his second round. He overcame both issues — and now he’s 18 holes away from his first LIV Golf title. The Torque GC member from Chile shot a 5-under 67 that included 10 birdies and five bogeys to take a one-stroke lead at 9 under going into Sunday’s final round at Trump National Golf Club, Washington, D.C.

JEDDAH: WWE made a historic return to Saudi Arabia on Saturday evening, with Night of Champions providing an emphatic display for the energetic, sellout crowd and new WWE heroes crowned inside the Jeddah Superdome. In the first match of the evening’s Triple Main Event, Seth Rollins was crowned the new World Heavyweight Champion. Despite a debilitating knee injury sustained during the match, Rollins fought through the pain to fend off the WWE veteran AJ Styles and secure the championship inside the Jeddah Superdome.