Seven-time champion Rafael Nadal and world number one Novak Djokovic, who are seeded to meet in the semi-finals, aim to bring that showdown a little closer on Thursday.

Nadal, bidding to become the first man to win the same major eight times, faces Slovakia's Martin Klizan for a place in the last 32.

With a win over Malaga on Saturday, Barcelona can rob Real Madrid of its sole claim to the best single season in the history of the Spanish league.

Madrid set a record of reaching the 100-point mark en route to winning the title last season. And with 97 points heading into the final round, Barcelona can equal that milestone with a victory at Camp Nou.

Victoria Azarenka waited until the fourth day of the French Open for her opening match, then showed she's eager to continue.

Filling a mostly empty stadium court with her familiar shrieks on Wednesday, the former world No. 1 beat Elena Vesnina of Russia 6-1, 6-4 in a match postponed one day because of rain. That meant Azarenka reached the second round 72 hours after some players.

Swimming and gymnastics were the big winners Wednesday in a new revenue-sharing ranking of Olympic sports, signaling the start of the debate over how to split the money from the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The IOC executive board promoted the international swimming and gymnastics federations into the top tier along with track and field in a list of five groups comprising the 28 summer Olympic sports.

Nepal celebrated the 60th anniversary of the conquest of Mount Everest on Wednesday by honoring climbers who followed in the footsteps of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.

Among them was Italian Reinhold Messner, the first climber to scale Everest without using bottled oxygen and the first person to climb all of the world's 14 highest peaks.

An Egyptian-born wrestler has become the first African to be promoted to the elite division of Japan's ancient sport of sumo.

The Japan Sumo Association on Wednesday promoted Osunaarashi to the juryo division, the second-highest in sumo.

Always so avant-garde, Serena Williams started this year's French Open fashion of addressing the Court Philippe Chatrier spectators in their language.

Rafael Nadal followed suit after his first-round victory, as did Roger Federer, who's done it for years.

Nike, which helped build Lance Armstrong's Livestrong cancer charity into a global brand and introduced its familiar yellow wristband, is cutting ties with the foundation in the latest fallout from the former cyclist's doping scandal.

The move by the sports shoe and clothing company ends a relationship that began in 2004 and helped the foundation raise more than $100 million, making the charity's bracelet an international symbol for cancer survivors.

Written off by many as too old to contend anymore, the San Antonio Spurs booked a place in the NBA finals by completing a sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.

Tony Parker scored 37 points in his best game this postseason as San Antonio beat the Grizzlies 93-86 to complete a 4-0 win in the Western Conference series and reach the finals for the first time in six years.

English football authorities are going to great lengths to try to prevent Wednesday's celebratory friendly against Ireland being marred by political chanting and abuse.

The friendly at Wembley Stadium will celebrate the 150th anniversary of England's Football Association and will be the first time the neighbors have met since the 1995 match in Dublin which was abandoned when English fans rioted.