PARIS (AP) — Rafael Nadal, Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula were among those paying tribute to Associated Press tennis writer Howard Fendrich as players gathered at Roland Garros for a French Open that’s now missing one of the sport’s most-respected journalists.

Fendrich, a regular at Roland Garros and all the tennis majors since 2002, died Thursday, less than three months after being diagnosed with cancer.

The news elicited a social media outpouring that included a Friday morning post from Nadal, whose record 14 French Open victories were chronicled in rich and colorful detail by Fendrich. “Tennis loses one of its great journalists,” Nadal said.

Gauff, whose title last year at Roland Garros was her second major singles championship, opened her pre-tournament news conference with a shout-out to Fendrich, the award-winning writer who spent 24 of his 33 years with AP on the tennis beat.

“I just wanted to start this off just recognizing a deep loss that I think we all have experienced as a community with Howard,” Gauff said. “He was someone I always enjoyed having conversations with. One of my favorite faces to see in the room.”

Fendrich died Thursday at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. He was diagnosed with cancer in February shortly after returning from Milan, where he covered his 11th Olympics. He was 55.

The Women’s Tennis Association wrote a tribute to Fendrich, recalling that “His classic opening before a question, ‘soooo, I’m curious ...’ always set a comfortable tone of kindness in interviews.”

The fifth-ranked Pegula, a member of the WTA Players’ Council, sent her condolences.

“Howard was one of the most respected journalists in our sport and someone players trusted because he always approached his work with honesty, professionalism and fairness,” she said.

Roger Federer, Billie Jean King and Patrick McEnroe, a former player and the current president of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, were among those who honored Fendrich on Thursday.

Other tributes streamed in from Fendrich’s press box colleagues. Washington-based Adam Kilgore called him “the best person to see at a game, in a press room, at a dinner after an event.” They also came from across Fendrich’s home base, where, when not covering tennis, he was a regular in press boxes at Commanders, Nationals and Capitals games.

“His contributions to and impact on sports journalism extend far beyond that of the Nationals press box,” the baseball team said. “He will be dearly missed.”

Fendrich was based in Washington and the city’s football and hockey teams — the Commanders and Capitals — also extended their condolences.

Fendrich is survived by his wife, Rosanna Maietta; his mother, Renée; his brother, Alex; and two sons, Stefano and Jordan.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

PHOENIX (AP) — Corbin Carroll lined a run-scoring single with two outs in the ninth inning and the Arizona Diamondbacks extended their winning streak to five games with a 2-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Thursday night.

Arizona's Eduardo Rodriguez pitched seven scoreless innings after suffering his first loss of the season against the Rockies last weekend.

Colorado took advantage after he left, tying it at 1 in the eighth when Juan Morrillo hit Tyler Freeman with the bases loaded.

Paul Sewald (1-4) worked a perfect ninth and Juan Mejia (0-4) walked two in the bottom half.

Carroll lined a single to right on a 2-2 count and Gabriel Moreno beat the throw to the plate for Arizona's second walk-off win in three games. Ketel Marte hit a winning two-run homer in the Diamondbacks' 5-3 victory over San Francisco on Tuesday.

Carroll also drove in a run on a fielder's choice in the sixth inning for Arizona's first five -game winning streak since June 9-14, 2025.

Rodriguez didn't allow a hit until Ezequiel Tovar's bloop double just inside the line in right. Jake McCarthy followed with a one-out infield single, but Rodriguez made a nifty play to throw out Tovar at the plate on Braxton Fulford's safety squeeze.

The left-hander got Troy Johnston to fly out to end the inning with two on and induced an inning-ending double play in the sixth after the Rockies hit two weak singles.

Zach Agnos got his first career start when the Rockies opted for a bullpen game to give right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano an extra day's rest.

The right-hander lasted a career-high five innings, allowing a hit with four strikeouts and a walk.

Up next

Rockies RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (4-3, 4.02 ERA) was set to face RHP Michael Soroka (6-2, 3.49) in the second game of the series Friday night.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

May 21 (UPI) -- Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion driver Kyle Busch has died following a brief illness, NASCAR announced Thursday. He was 41.

"We are saddened and heartbroken to share the news of the passing of Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup champion and one of our sport's greatest and fiercest drivers," NASCAR said in a post on X.

"We extend our deepest condolences to the Busch family, Richard Childress Racing and the entire motorsports community."

No other details of Busch's death were immediately made available.

We are saddened and heartbroken to share the news of the passing of Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup champion and one of our sport's greatest and fiercest drivers. He was 41 years old.

We extend our deepest condolences to the Busch family, Richard Childress Racing and the entire... pic.twitter.com/FARIF6OKrw— NASCAR (@NASCAR) May 21, 2026

Busch's death came only hours after his family announced he had been hospitalized due to a "severe illness" and would not race in the Coca-Cola 600.

Busch's family did not disclose the nature of the illness. Richard Childress Racing said Austin Hill will drive this weekend in Busch's No. 8 Chevrolet.

"Kyle has experienced a severe illness resulting in hospitalization," the Busch family said in a statement on social media. "He is currently undergoing treatment and will not compete in any of his scheduled activities this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

"We ask for understanding and privacy as our family navigates this situation."

The 2026 Coca-Cola 600 will take place at 6 p.m. EDT Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. The 400-lap, 600-mile race will air on Prime Video.

Busch sits at No. 24 in the Cup Series standings. He placed inside the Top 10 in two of three Cup Series races before last weekend's All-Star Race, including a season-best eighth at the 2026 Go Bowling at The Glen on May 10 in Watkins Glen, N.Y.

Busch drove to a 17th-place finish at the All-Star Race on Sunday in Dover, Del.

"Kyle Busch's health is our upmost priority and he and his family have the full resources of RCR behind them," Richard Childress Racing said. "Kyle is an integral part of our organization and we wish him a safe and speedy recovery. His No. 8 Chevrolet will be ready and waiting for him.

"We're thankful to Austin Hill for stepping in to drive the No. 8 Chevrolet this weekend. Please keep Kyle and the Busch family in your prayers, and help us respect the family's privacy at this time."

Busch finished 15th the last two years at Charlotte. He won the race in 2018. Ross Chastain won the 2025 Coca Cola 600. Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson are among other recent winners.

Tyler Reddick, who won a series-best five races so far this season, remains atop the driver standings. Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Blaney and Chris Buescher are among the other drivers inside the Top 5 of the standings.

Almost a decade after he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Kurt Warner is finally entering the Northern Iowa athletics hall.

Warner, who was among eight former UNI athletes announced as 2026 inductees on Thursday, won one Super Bowl and played in two others during an improbable 12-year NFL career that ended after the 2009 season.

The Burlington native was a member of four straight conference championship teams at UNI and was the Panthers' starting quarterback as a senior in 1993. He went to training camp with the Green Bay Packers and was cut, stocked shelves at a Cedar Falls grocery store and was an Arena Football League star three years with the Iowa Barnstormers.

In 1998, after leading NFL Europe in touchdowns and passing yards, he joined the St. Louis Rams and became the team’s starting quarterback in 1999. He led the Rams' "Greatest Show on Turf” offense to a Super Bowl victory over the Tennessee Titans in 2000 and was the game's MVP.

Warner made it back to the Super Bowl with the Rams in 2002 and with the Arizona Cardinals in 2009. He was voted the Associated Press' NFL MVP in 1999 and 2001 and his career passing average of 260.8 yards per game ranks 11th.

Warner, who lives in Arizona, did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

A UNI spokesman did not have immediate comment beyond saying Warner's glaring absence from the hall of fame was not an oversight. A committee convenes each year to select inductees.

Warner has had a lukewarm relationship with the university, according to the Cedar Rapids Gazette.

People around UNI athletics have said Warner has long been unhappy about having to wait until his senior year to be the starter and he had little connection to the university after he left.

“The guy who started ahead of Kurt won 31 games in three years,” Warner's college coach, Terry Allen, said in 2009. “The timing in Kurt’s college career was not the best, but the timing in his pro career has been absolutely awesome.”

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

WOLFSBURG, Germany (AP) — Christian Eriksen is one game away from Bundesliga relegation with Wolfsburg after a scoreless draw with second-division Paderborn in the first leg of their playoff on Thursday.

Eriksen, who signed a two-year deal when he joined Wolfsburg in September, likely didn’t imagine he’d find himself on the verge of demotion to Germany’s second division at the end of his first season.

But if Paderborn wins the second leg of their promotion/relegation playoff at home on Monday, Wolfsburg — the 2009 Bundesliga champion — would drop a division for the first time since it was promoted to the top tier in 1997.

Paderborn is bidding to return to the Bundesliga after it was relegated in 2020 after one season in the top flight.

The end-of-season playoff pits the team that finishes third from bottom in the Bundesliga against the third-place finisher in the second division to determine which will play in the top division the following season.

Wolfsburg clinched its place in the playoff in the final round of the Bundesliga with a win over St. Pauli, sending the Hamburg-based side down to the second division, while Paderborn earned its shot at promotion by beating Darmstadt and capitalizing on dropped points from Hannover.

Santiago Castaneda had an early chance for Paderborn, but otherwise Wolfsburg created more in the first half with Paderborn goalkeeper Dennis Seimen denying Adam Daghim in a one-on-one.

Nerves played a role as the game progressed, however. Paderborn’s Filip Bilbija had an effort cleared off the line late on.

Paderborn defender Jonah Sticker will miss the second leg after being sent off with two bookings in as many minutes in stoppage time.

Paderborn, a city to the east of Dortmund in the west German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, is taking part in the playoff for the first time, while Wolfsburg is navigating the showdown for the third time after wins over Eintracht Braunschweig in 2017 and Holstein Kiel the following year.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

NOVI LIGURE, Italy (AP) — Alec Segaert claimed his first Grand Tour stage victory and Bahrain Victorious teammate Afonso Eulálio increased his overall lead of the Giro d’Italia on Thursday.

The 12th stage was expected to end in a bunch sprint but Segaert jumped from the peloton with just over three kilometers remaining and the Belgian rider even had time to lift up his arms in celebration as he crossed the line.

Toon Aerts won the sprint for second, three seconds behind his compatriot at the end of the mainly flat 175-kilometer (109-mile) route from Imperia to Novi Ligure.

Guillermo Thomas Silva was third.

Nearly all of the general classification contenders were in the main bunch, but Eulálio picked up six bonus seconds earlier in the stage so increased his advantage to 33 seconds over Jonas Vingegaard.

Thymen Arensman was third overall, 2:03 behind Eulálio.

Friday’s 13th stage is another mainly flat leg that features two lower-classified climbs toward the end. It is a huge target for Italian rider Filippo Ganna, who dominated Tuesday’s time trial, as the 189-kilometer (117-mile) route from Alessandria ends in his hometown of Verbania.

The 109th men’s Giro ends on May 31 in Rome.

The women’s Giro runs from May 30-June 7 with Italian rider Elisa Longo Borghini as the defending champion.

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AP cycling: https://apnews.com/hub/cycling