VILLENEUVE-D'ASCQ, France (AP) — Train issues are not a problem for the basketball teams making the trip from Lille and Villeneuve-D'Ascq near the Belgium border to the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Games.
Buses work just fine.
As the host nation, the French women's basketball team already was in Paris by early Friday afternoon, having boarded a bus for a trip that can be as short as 138 miles (222 km). The Belgian Cats also jumped on a bus for the trip, with Emma Meesseman serving as a flag-bearer for Belgium.
“It’s just amazing also to represent women’s basketball the way we’ve done in the past few years," Meesseman said Thursday. "Coming to this second Olympics and being flag-bearer is incredible.”
Greek star Giannis Antetokounmpo, selected as one of his country's flag-bearers, avoided Friday's train issues altogether. He left Lille on Thursday, traveling in a convoy of buses alongside players from a few other teams.
Nikola Milutinov, Uros Plavsic and Filip Petrus Friday skipped Serbia’s Friday morning training session and took buses to Paris as well. Most of Germany's men's team also boarded buses bound for the ceremony, having never planned to travel by train. The plan was to then immediately head back to Lille for Saturday's game against Japan.
Arson attacks affected France's high-speed rail network hours before the opening ceremony.
The U.S. women traveled on a Eurostar train on Thursday from London to Pierre Mauroy Stadium for practice. The Americans, who are looking for an eighth straight gold medal at these Olympics, then took a train after practice to Paris.
The U.S. men also are staying in Paris. LeBron James is one of the flag-bearers for the Americans.
Some teams — like the Australian Opals, who are dealing with the loss of Bec Allen to a hamstring injury — decided to watch the opening ceremony on TV.
The Australian men play Spain in the first game of group play Saturday with a morning tipoff, making the decision to stay near Pierre Mauroy Stadium easy.
Both the Canadian men, who play the fourth and final game Saturday night to kick off group play, and the women decided before Friday not to attend the opening ceremony.
Kayla Anderson said the logistics means lots of standing and waiting. The Canadians open group play Monday against host France, and any advantage can help against a team that should have plenty of hometown support.
"As much as it would have been fun, a cool experience to have, I’ll be watching from my room and cheering team Canada on,” said Alexander, who is taking part in her second straight Olympics.
AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
Train tracks are pictured at the Gare Montparnasse in Paris, France, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Police vehicles line up near the Gare de L'Est at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024, in Paris, France. Hours away from the grand opening ceremony of the Olympics, high-speed rail traffic was severely disrupted. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Soldiers patrol outside Gare du Nord train station at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024, in Paris, France. Hours away from the grand opening ceremony of the Olympics, high-speed rail traffic to the French capital was severely disrupted on Friday by what officials described as "criminal actions" and sabotage. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
The United States women's National Basketball Team pose for photographs at St Pancras Station as they take the Eurostar train to Paris, ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics, in London, Thursday, July 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Doug Feinberg)
NEW YORK (AP) — Aryna Sabalenka left the U.S. Open in tears 12 months ago as the runner-up. She exited in the semifinals each of the two years before that. This time, Sabalenka was in a joking mood after winning her first championship at Flushing Meadows and the third Grand Slam title of her career.
Sabalenka, the No. 2 seed, got past No. 6 Jessica Pegula 7-5, 7-5 in a rollicking final under a closed retractable roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday, adding this triumph to the two she earned at the Australian Open each of the past two seasons, also on hard courts.
“So many times, I thought I was so close to get a U.S. Open title. It’s been a dream of mine. Finally, I got this beautiful trophy. It means a lot,” said Sabalenka, a 26-year-old from Belarus, who is on a 12-match winning streak.
“I remember," she said, "all those tough losses in the past here.”
That includes in the semifinals in both 2021, against Leylah Fernandez, and 2022, against No. 1 Iga Swiatek.
Most poignant, of course, was last year, when Sabalenka was rattled by the Ashe crowd, blew a set advantage and was defeated by Coco Gauff. Like Gauff, Pegula is an American, but the spectators were far more generous toward Sabalenka on Saturday, applauding her best efforts and even obliging when she waved her arms to ask for extra noise.
Afterward, Sabalenka thanked the fans for cheering for her — which probably (wink, wink) was unrelated to her kidding offer of “Drinks on me” after an earlier victory.
Pegula, a native New Yorker whose parents own the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, was participating in a major final for the first time at age 30. She’s won 15 of her past 17 matches over the past month; both losses came against Sabalenka.
“I know how tough it is to lose in the final, but you’re showing some amazing tennis, and I’m more than sure that one day, you’re going to get one,” Sabalenka told Pegula during the on-court ceremony, then paused and added with a chuckle: “I mean, not (just) one. Maybe more. But let’s start from one Grand Slam.”
To Pegula's credit, she did not fold after Sabalenka reeled off five consecutive games to grab the opening set and move ahead 3-0 in the second. In the next game, Pegula dropped a point and showed her frustration by whacking a ball off the video wall behind the baseline, dislodging a little square panel.
Maybe that released some tension, because suddenly Pegula asserted herself, using her own five-game run to go up 5-3. But when she served at 5-4 with a chance to force a third set, Pegula let Sabalenka level the second with a break.
“Was able to find some good tennis, just wasn’t quite able to sustain it,” Pegula said. “She played some big tennis in big moments.”
Indeed, that began a three-game surge for Sabalenka, who soon was collapsing to the court, dropping her racket and covering her face with both arms.
“Everyone is like, ‘Congrats! Amazing tournament!’” Pegula said. “I’m like, ‘Eh, whatever.’”
Sabalenka is as demonstrative as anyone, her body language usually a spot-on barometer of whether things are going well — or not — for her. But as she sputtered at the start Saturday, it was tough to read what she was thinking against Pegula, who eliminated Swiatek in the quarterfinals.
Even while down an early break and being a point from trailing 3-1, Sabalenka reacted to mistakes by calmly turning her back and taking deep breathing as star athletes from other sports such as Stephen Curry, Lewis Hamilton and Noah Lyles looked on from the stands.
Once Sabalenka got going, once her booming strokes — her forehands were the fastest of the past two weeks, speedier than any woman’s or man’s — were calibrated just so, it became apparent the outcome would be determined by what she did.
By the close, the statistics made that obvious: Sabalenka finished with far more winners than Pegula, 40-17, and also more unforced errors, 34-22. Sabalenka controlled most exchanges, with Pegula mainly stuck responding as best she could.
“She’s super powerful. Goes for her shots. She’s definitely not going to give you anything,” Pegula said. “I was happy I was able to fight back and give myself a chance, but in the end it wasn’t enough.”
There was one moment of clear anger from Sabalenka. It came at 5-all in the first set, when she double-faulted to face a break point, then leaned forward and cracked her racket against the court four times while holding the handle with both fists.
Seemed to work. She saved that break point, wound up taking that game, then broke Pegula to own the opening set.
A year ago, Sabalenka blew that lead against Gauff. The year before, Sabalenka blew that lead against Swiatek.
Didn't let it happen again.
“In that second set, honestly, I was just praying there,” said Sabalenka, who collected a $3.6 million winner's check. “I was literally standing there and praying.”
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, can't catch up with a shot from Jessica Pegula, of the United States, during the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, and Jessica Pegula, of the United States, wait for the start of the trophy ceremony after Sabalenka won the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, kisses the championship trophy after defeating Jessica Pegula, of the United States, in the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, reacts after defeating Jessica Pegula, of the United States, to win the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, reacts after defeating Jessica Pegula, of the United States, to win the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
CORRECTS SPELLING OF LAST NAME TO BLOOMBERG, NOT BLOOMBURG - Michael Bloomberg and partner Diana Taylor, left, watch the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships between Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, and Jessica Pegula, of the United States, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Tina Fey watches the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships between Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, and Jessica Pegula, of the United States, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Lewis Hamilton and Anna Wintour watch the women's singles final between Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, and Jessica Pegula, of the United States, of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, can't catch up with a shot from Jessica Pegula, of the United States, during the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Jessica Pegula, of the United States, reacts after scoring a point against Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, during the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, reacts in the second set against Jessica Pegula, of the United States, during the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, kicks the ball after double faulting Jessica Pegula, of the United States, during the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Flavor Flav arrives for the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships between Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, and Jessica Pegula, of the United States, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Billie Jean King, center, her wife Ilana Kloss and USTA president Brian Hainline, arrives for the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships between Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, and Jessica Pegula, of the United States, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
CORRECTS SPELLING OF FIRST NAME TO STEPHEN, NOT SPETH, ADDS WIFE's NAME - Stephen Curry, center, and his wife Ayesha Curry arrive for the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships between Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, and Jessica Pegula, of the United States, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, cools off with an ice pack between games against Jessica Pegula, of the United States, during the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, reacts against Jessica Pegula, of the United States, during the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, returns a shot to Jessica Pegula, of the United States, during the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, returns a shot to Jessica Pegula, of the United States, during the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Jessica Pegula, of the United States, reaches for a shot by Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, during the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, reacts in the first set against Jessica Pegula, of the United States, during the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Jessica Pegula, of the United States, reacts in the second set against Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, during the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, reacts against Jessica Pegula, of the United States, during the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, reacts after scoring a point against Emma Navarro, of the United States, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Jessica Pegula, of the United States, reacts after defeating Karolina Muchova, of the Czech Republic, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
