The Sportsletter - Gauff Goes for Glory

BY JEFF YODER

JUN. 3, 2022  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  REFER  |  WEB VIEW

Happy Friday 🙌

You made it to the weekend. The Celtics turned the tables in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the Avalanche rolled another snowball and Coco Gauff is one win away from her first grand slam. The first sports weekend of June is here.

Letter Rip!

TENNIS

Gauff Goes for Glory

Photo: Tim Clayton-Corbis / Getty Images

#18 Coco Gauff Soars Into French Open Final to Face #1 Iga Swiatek

The teen phenom is on the brink of glory! #18 Coco Gauff buried Martina Trevisan in straight sets on Thursday to continue her tear towards the French Open finale. The 18-year-old has yet to drop a set at Roland-Garros in pursuit of her first-ever major title. She became the youngest French Open finalist in 21 years. Standing in her way, however, is top-ranked Iga Swiatek. The Polish superstar is riding a 34-match win streak, but an epic battle between teen takeover and top-ranked talent headlines the French Open final on Saturday. Is this Gauff’s first major moment? Or will Swiatek swipe her sixth straight tournament and second French Open?

Fun Fact: Gauff is also still alive in the women’s doubles semifinals with teamate Jessica Pegula. They’re in action this morning (5:00 am ET).

Women’s Semifinal Highlights

#1 I. Swiatek def. #20 D. Kasatkina (6-2, 6-1)

#18 C. Gauff def. M. Trevisan (6-3, 6-1)

Men’s Semifinals Schedule

#3 A. Zverev vs. #5 R. Nadal (8:45 am ET)
#8 C. Ruud vs. #20 M. Cilic (11:30 am ET)

Additional Storylines

Yahoo! Sports: Coco Gauff’s Run to the French Open Final in Photos

USA Today: Coco Gauff’s Patient Progress Has Her On Verge of Grand Slam Breakthrough

NBA FINALS 🏆

Celtics Go Sniping 

Photo: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images

Celtics Steal Game 1 of NBA Finals With Epic 4th-Quarter Shooting Blitz (120-108)

Theivery in Game 1! The Boston Celtics battled their way out of a 12-point deficit against the Golden State Warriors Thursday night in San Francisco, and they did it with an unconscious shooting spree down the stretch. Jayson Tatum (12 points) struggled as he went just 3-for-17 from the floor, but Celtics veteran Al Horford (26 points) stepped up to bury six triples (6-for-8) as Boston swiped the NBA Finals opener.

A 4th Quarter for the Record Books

Boston trailed Golden State by 12 entering the 4th (92-80), and they were down 103-100 with 6 minutes and change before a 17-0 scoring spurt. The Warriors went almost five minutes down the stretch without a point. Overall, Boston won the final period (40-16), and they went 9-for-12 from 3-point land during the 4th-quarter blitz.

3s From the Cs: Boston went 21-for-41 (51%) from 3-point range in Game 1. That’s the second-most made 3s in an NBA Finals game in league history. The record is owned by the Cavaliers (24), which was also done against the Warriors in 2017.

Game 1 Stars

S. Curry (GSW): 34 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists

A. Horford (BOS): 26 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists

J. Brown (BOS): 24 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists

Watch: Celtics Steal Game 1 With 4th-Quarter Sharp-Shooting (120-108)

NBA Finals Schedule

Gm 2: Celtics at Warriors (Sat. 9:00 pm ET)

Additional Storylines

SI: Celtics Roar Back in 4th Quarter to Steal Game 1

B/R: Biggest X-Factors for Celtics-Warriors in NBA Finals

NHL PLAYOFFS

I'll Av Another ❄️

Photo: Harry How / Getty Images

Avalanche Bury Oilers With Pavel Francouz’s Game 2 Shutout (4-0); Lead Series (2-0)

After an eight-goal scoring flurry in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, the Avalanche proved their power again in Game 2 over the Oilers. Backup goaltender Pavel Francouz — taking the place of injured Darcy Keumper — claimed his first-career playoff shutout with 24 saves as the Avs ripped off three goals in the 2nd period and extended their lead in the series to 2-0. The goals came from Artturi Lehkonen, Josh Ranson, Miko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon.

Snowing No Mercy

Colorado is now 10-2 in the postseason with a +22 goal advantage. If one of the four remaining teams in the Stanley Cup Playoffs looks untouchable, it’s the Avs.

Watch: Avalanche Shut Out Oilers in Game 2 (4-0)

Tonight’s Schedule

Gm 2: Lightning at Rangers (8:00 pm ET)

Additional Storylines

SportsNet: Oilers Have No Answer for Avalanche in Game 2

USA Today: Avalanche Score 3 Goals on 3 Straight Shots in Shut Out Oilers for 2-0 Lead

🎥 THE HIGHLIGHTS

⚾️ MLB: Taillon Flirts With Perfect Game

James Taillon tossed seven perfect innings against the Angels before giving up his first hit in the top of the 8th. After giving up a run and falling behind 1-0, Anthony Rizzo rescued the Yankees with a 2-RBI single to win the game (2-1) and complete the series sweep.

⛳️ LPGA: Harigae Leads Women’s US Open

Mina Harigae (-7) torched Pine Needles Golf Club on Thursday in Round 1 of the U.S. Women’s Open. Ingrid Lindblad (-6) is on her heels before a packed field of golfers at 4-under. The action continues all weekend.

🏀 WNBA: Sun Snap Aces’ Streak at 7

The top team in the WNBA finally tumbled on Thursday after a seven-game win streak. The Sun outshot the Aces in a barn-burner (97-90) behind a balanced team effort with four starters scoring 16 or more. Jonquel Jones (20 points) led the charge in the streak-snapping win.

📰 THE HEADLINES

• Detained Brittney Griner Communicates Via Email & Letters From Russia (ESPN)
• LeBron James Becomes First Billionaire NBA Player According to Forbes (SI)
• Bills’ Andre Smith Suspended 6 Gams for Violating PED Policy (CBS Sports)
• RB Frank Gore to Sign 1-Day Contract, Retire With 49ers (Bleacher Report)
• QB Ryan Fitzpatrick Retires After 17 Seasons With 9 Different Teams (Yahoo! Sports)

🗓️ WEEKEND SCHEDULE

The Must-Watch List

French Open (Women’s FInal)

#1 I. Swiatek vs. #18 C. Gauff (Sat. 9:00 am)

French Open (Men’s Semi-Finals)

#3 A. Zverev vs. #5 R. Nadal (Fri. 8:45 am)

#8 C. Ruud vs. #20 M. Cilic (Fri. 11:30 am)

Men’s Final (Sun. 9:00 am)

NBA Finals

Gm 2: Celtics at Warriors (Sun. 8:00 pm)

NHL Playoffs

Gm 2: Lightning at Rangers (Fri. 8:00 pm)

Gm 3: Avalanche at Oilers (Sat. 8:00 pm)

Gm 3: Rangers at Lightning (Sun. 3:00 pm)

MLB

Cardinals-Cubs Series

Mets-Dodgers Series

Full MLB Schedule

LPGA Tour

U.S. Women’s Open (All Weekend)

PGA Tour

Memorial Tournament (All Weekend)

Soccer

USMNT vs. Uruguay (Sun. 5:00 pm)

*All Times ET

Support The Sportsletter Team

Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Product Manager: Matthew Cahill

Lead Designer: Joe Stella

Technical Lead: Kevin Lonergan

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