Rubio refuses to comment on Guilfoyle allegations

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday flatly refused to comment on a new report alleging that U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle engaged in improper and possibly illegal conduct before taking up her post.

Rubio told reporters that he would not discuss the allegations contained in a Wall Street Journal story that said Guilfoyle had asked a donor and supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump to pay a $100,000 credit card bill just before her confirmation hearing, promising him access to administration officials if he did.

He spoke before leaving Greece, where he delivered a speech calling for European countries to return to what he described as their civilizational roots.

Rubio said he was aware of The Wall Street Journal's report, which was published late Wednesday, but had no idea if it was true and he would not address it.

“You guys walk around thinking that because some source told you something and you reported it, it’s the gospel. It’s not the gospel. It’s not the gospel for me. That’s not the way we do things,” he said at the foot of his plane as Guilfoyle, who was there to see him depart Greece, looked on.

At a joint news conference with the Greek foreign minister earlier in the day, Rubio said he would not address the allegations while visiting a foreign country, but added, “Suffice it to say our embassy here is doing a great job. Our ambassador has been a strong ambassador here.”

The top two Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations committees have called for an investigation into Guilfoyle, but Rubio would not say if he was prepared to open one.

Congressional Democrats already were looking into claims reported last month by the Wall Street Journal that Guilfoyle acted improperly while serving as the top U.S. envoy to Greece.

The Journal reported that Guilfoyle told guests at a reception that the U.S. could undermine the Greek government if it chose to, promoted the business interests of one particular Greek construction and energy company, and allowed its lobbyist into private diplomatic meetings.

Guilfoyle, a former Fox News Channel host and California prosecutor who was once engaged to Trump’s son Donald Jr., has denied any wrongdoing and Rubio has defended her before.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, center, and U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle stand at Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport near Athens, Greece, before Rubio boards a plane , Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool)

SHANGHAI (AP) — Stefanos Tsitsipas beat qualifier Kimmer Coppejans 6-3, 7-5 on Thursday in a first-round match at the Shanghai Masters, continuing his slow climb back up the ATP rankings.

Tsitsipas, who reached a career-high No. 3 ranking in 2021, had to win two qualifying matches to get into the main draw at last week’s Japan Open, where he lost in the second round. At his previous tournament, the U.S. Open, he lost in the fourth round to eventual finalist Ben Shelton.

After slipping to No. 87 mid-year, the two-time major finalist has worked his way up to 43.

Australian qualifier Bernard Tomic, also attempting a much more daunting move in the rankings, was scheduled to play Matteo Arnaldi in a later first-round match Thursday.

The 33-year-old Tomic, who has had numerous off-court issues in his career, had to qualify for the Shanghai tournament, his first spot in an ATP 1000 main draw in seven years.

The former world No. 16, whose ranking dropped to as low as 825 four years ago, scrapped his way back into a top-level tournament after beating Kazakhstan’s Timofey Skatov 7-5 6-4 in the final round of qualifying in Shanghai.

It was Tomic's 19th victory in his past 26 matches. Tomic, who has said 2026 will likely be his last year on tour, is currently ranked 185.

The top-seeded players in the Shanghai tournament, including U.S. Open champion Alexander Zverev and third-ranked Carlos Alcaraz, received first-round byes and were not scheduled to play until the weekend or later.

No. 1 Jannik Sinner withdrew from the Shanghai tournament earlier this week and will take the rest of the season off due to a right knee injury.

See AP’s full tennis coverage here

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz poses with the trophy after winning the men's singles final against Czechia's Jiri Lehecka at the Japan Open tennis tournament in Tokyo, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Alexander Zverev, of Germany, leaves after losing to Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, in the men's singles quarterfinals match of the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)