French Open: Rybakina, Ruud march ahead

Fourth seed Norwegian Casper Ruud stayed on course to reach consecutive finals at the French Open even as a couple of unheralded names in the women’s competition continued to show their immense potential on a sunny Thursday at Roland Garros. Fourth seed Elena Rybakina also booked her third-round spot with a 6-3 6-3 victory over rising Czech teenager Linda Noskova as the Wimbledon champion impressed again on Parisian clay as one of the top contenders for the Grand Slam title. Meanwhile, Kosovo Olympic authorities have asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to open disciplinary proceedings against Novak Djokovic, accusing the Serbian of stirring up political tension by saying “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia” at the French Open. Djokovic wrote the message on a camera lens following his first-round win on Monday, the same day that 30 NATO peacekeeping troops were hurt in clashes with Serb protesters in the Kosovo town of Zvecan — where Djokovic’s father grew up.