World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday charged into the quarter-finals of the Miami Open with a convincing 6-4, 6-4 victory over Tommy Paul, but second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas was knocked out by Russian Karen Khachanov. Alcaraz, the defending Miami champion and also the winner at the BNP Paribas Open earlier this month, is to face another American in the last eight when he comes up against Taylor Fritz. Paul came into the match having won his previous 12 encounters with Spanish players, including wins over Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal last year, but he was unable to get a foothold in the contest. It was the ninth straight victory for the 19-year-old Spaniard, who delighted a supportive south Florida crowd with his powerful strokes from the baseline and readiness to move forward, once again making use of his increasingly effective drop shot. “I moved well and defended well, and I counterattacked and I think if I play at that same level I will have a lot of chances to get through,” Alcaraz said. “I feel at home here. It is easy to play here in Miami with all the energy I receive every day.” Tsitsipas had to wait a week for his first contest in Miami, beating Chilean Cristian Garin on Monday, but he came unstuck against Khachanov, losing 7-6 (7/4), 6-4. In a clash of top-10 players, Fritz defeated Denmark’s Holger Rune 6-3, 6-4 to reach the last eight in Miami for the first time in his career. He is to be joined in the quarter-finals by compatriot Christopher Eubanks, who claimed another scalp by beating France’s Adrian Mannarino 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/5). Eubanks is to face world No. 5 Daniil Medvedev after the Russian comfortably dealt with French qualifier Quentin Halys 6-4, 6-2 in a match that started after midnight following a four-hour rain delay. Italian Jannik
Japanese two-way star Shohei Ohtani is to make a one-season MLB record US$65 million this year in salary and endorsements, Forbes magazine reported on Tuesday. Ohtani, set to be the starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels in their MLB season opener today against Oakland, helped spark Japan to the World Baseball Classic title a week ago with a victory over the US in the final. The 28-year-old who serves as an outfielder and designated hitter when not on the mound, signed a one-year contract extension worth US$30 million last year and will make US$35 million in endorsements this year, Forbes reported. That is a huge jump from only US$6 million in 2021 sponsorship deals and US$20 million last year. While the numbers already make Ohtani the highest-paid player in the sport, the 2021 American League Most Valuable Player (MVP) is set to become a free agent after the upcoming campaign and is expected to receive one of the richest contracts in MLB history for next season and beyond. “Shohei’s commercial impact annually for the Japanese market will be to the tune of tens of millions of dollars, because he is a cultural icon in Japan first and a baseball player second,” New Balance chief marketing officer Chris Davis told Forbes. “He’ll probably be the first and only baseball player of this generation that has the ability to have that level of commercial impact for a brand,” he said. Last year, Ohtani went 15-9 with a 2.33 earned-run average and 219 strikeouts over 166 innings. He had a .273 batting average with 34 home runs, 30 doubles and 95 runs batted in over 157 games. The MLB’s 10 highest-paid players are set to make a record US$436 million this year, up 15 percent from last year’s record of US$377 million, Forbes reported. A major reason for the leap was
Athletes who agitate against sponsorships from certain companies for ethical reasons harm the growth of sports, a senior Australian media executive said yesterday. News Corp Australia executive chairman Michael Miller said in a panel discussion at the SportNXT conference in Melbourne that “stars” were sports’ greatest strength, but also potentially its greatest liability. “When sporting stars become activists, it has a negative impact on the growth of the game, in terms of athletes choosing who their sponsors are and who they will and won’t work with,” Miller said. “I find that athletes feel they have permission to make those statements, but other organizations wouldn’t accept it,” he added. “If you don’t want to work for that organization, you leave and work elsewhere.” News Corp has a major influence on Australian sports through its broadcast contracts, which pour hundreds of millions of dollars into the country’s most popular leagues. Miller said that high-profile athletes would not be harmed by the results of their lobbying against certain sponsors, but it would have an effect further down the food chain. “Their pay isn’t going to suffer, but ultimately it’s the grassroot and pathway programs that will,” he said. Ethical sponsorship has become a hot-button issue in Australian sports in the past few years, with several athletes raising concerns about corporate backers. Australia Test cricket captain Pat Cummins last year said that he wanted climate to be a “real priority” when choosing sponsors and said he had spoken to Cricket Australia chief executive officer Nick Hockley about his concerns. In October last year, Cricket Australia agreed to cut short a multiyear sponsorship with Alinta Energy, citing a change in the energy company’s brand strategy. That same month, Hancock Prospecting, owned by billionaire mining magnate Gina Rinehart, withdrew a A$15 million (US$10 million) sponsorship from Netball Australia after players refused to wear the company’s logo
Olympic chiefs on Tuesday recommended the return to competition of Russian and Belarusian athletes as individual neutrals, but refused to give a timeline on their potential participation at next year’s Paris Olympics. International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach said the body’s executive board had recommended to international federations and international sports event organizers that “athletes with a Russian or a Belarusian passport must compete only as individual neutral athletes.” The move to “postpone” the decision about Russian and Belarusian athletes competing at the Games in France was welcomed by Ukraine. “The decision on the admission of Russians and Belarusians to the Olympics in 2024 has been postponed,” Ukrainian Minister of Youth and Sports Vadym Gutzeit wrote on Facebook. “We will also make joint efforts so that not a single Z-patriot gets into international sports arenas,” he added in an apparent reference to pro-war Russians. German Minister of the Interior and Community Nancy Faeser called the recommendation for Russians and Belarusians to return as neutrals a “slap in the face” for Ukrainian athletes, who she said “deserve the solidarity of international sport.” “International sport must condemn Russia’s brutal war of aggression in no uncertain terms. This can only be done with the complete exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes,” she said. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said the decision was “an outrage and a betrayal of the true spirit of sport.” Moscow said that forcing Russians to compete under a neutral flag would amount to “discrimination.” “The announced criteria for the return to international competitions are unacceptable. This is discrimination on the basis of nationality,” Russian news agencies quoted Russian Olympic Committee president Stanislav Pozdnyakov as saying. Among other IOC recommendations — which Bach said were agreed to unanimously — the committee said that “teams of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport cannot be considered.” Also missing out would be
Canadian teenager Summer McIntosh on Tuesday clocked 3 minutes, 56.08 seconds to break the women’s 400m freestyle world record at the Bell Canadian Swimming Trials in Toronto. The 16-year-old broke the previous record of 3:56.40 set in May last year by Ariarne Titmus at the Australian Swimming Championships in Adelaide — where the Aussie broke American Katie Ledecky’s six-year-old world mark of 3:56.46 set at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Coming into the meet — Canada’s selection for the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, in July — McIntosh was the fourth-fastest performer ever in the event behind Titmus, Ledecky and Italian Federica Pellegrini. She last year clocked 3:59.32 to finish second to Titmus at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England. McIntosh was also the silver medalist behind Ledecky at the World Aquatics Championships in Budapest last year, when she broke the four-minute barrier for the first time in the event. She won gold in the 200m butterfly and 400m medley in Budapest. Her record is the first long-course world record by a Canadian since Kylie Masse in the 100m backstroke at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships, which was also in Budapest. “Honestly, going into tonight, I didn’t think the world record was a possibility, but you never know,” said McIntosh, who broke onto the international scene at the Tokyo Olympics when — as a 14-year-old — she finished fourth in the 400m free in her Olympic debut. McIntosh, who recently relocated to Florida to train, said she always feels extra motivated when competing in Canada, breaking into tears as she spoke about her family. “Over the past few years I’ve put my life into this,” she said. “To be the best I can be. To achieve something like this, it was very unexpected. It was never in my dreams to do this tonight or even a few
NO ROOM FOR ERROR: The Netherlands scored three times against Gibraltar to ensure a victory after losing to France, with Van Dijk saying that ‘you have to win 10-0’
France on Monday held on to beat Ireland 1-0 in Dublin to win their second UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier, while the Netherlands eased past Gibraltar 3-0. Right-back Benjamin Pavard pounced with half an hour remaining at a sold-out Lansdowne Road before two superb Mike Maignan saves in the final two minutes. With 30 seconds to play in Dublin, AC Milan’s Maignan, who has succeeded former captain Hugo Lloris as Les Bleus’ goalkeeper, tipped over teammate Jules Kounde’s panicked header. From the resulting corner Maignan saved the visitors’ skin as he made a similar save from Nathan Collins’ powerful effort. “Mike’s stop allowed us to stay in the match and claim a clean sheet, so I’m going to say that he’s the man of the match,” Bayern Munich’s Pavard told television channel TF1. “I had the chance to play. It was successful. I scored, even if a defender’s main objective is to defend well,” he added. In Rotterdam, Manchester City centerback Nathan Ake scored twice in a little over half an hour as the Netherlands overcame 10-men Gibraltar, who are 200th in the FIFA rankings. Atletico Madrid forward Memphis Depay opened the scoring in the first half with a towering header, before veteran Liam Walker was shown a red card the other side of the break. Oranje captain Virgil van Dijk bemoaned a lack of goals at De Kuip from his team, who lost heavily to France in their Group B opener on Friday. “You score three goals, but you have to score many more,” Van Dijk said. “This is a game where you can hardly ever get it right. You have to win 10-0, so to speak,” he added. In Group F, Sweden bounced back from a heavy opening defeat to Belgium by hammering Azerbaijan 5-0 in Solna. Emile Forsberg, Viktor Gyokeres, Jesper Karlsson and Anthony Elanga netted for the hosts and
Uncertainty over the timing and location of the FIFA Under-20 World Cup continues two days after Indonesian authorities postponed the official draw for the May 20 to June 11 tournament because of protests over Israel’s participation. The draw, scheduled to be held in Bali on Friday, was delayed indefinitely by the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) amid backlash from conservative Islamic groups. Doubt had already been cast on the draw ceremony when Bali Governor Wayan Koster called for a ban on Israel playing there because of Indonesia’s diplomatic support for the Palestinian cause. FIFA has not commented on Indonesia’s status as host or a reported offer from Argentina to stage the event. Pressure is mounting on the PSSI and its chairman, Erick Thohir, who was planning a trip to Zurich to hold meetings with FIFA. If local authorities fail to resolve the hosting issues over Israel, Indonesia risks being suspended by FIFA and potentially missing out on Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. Thohir is a former owner of major international teams, including Italian soccer giant Inter and the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, and has been Indonesia’s minister of state-owned enterprises since 2019. His sport and political diplomacy skills would be seriously tested. Thohir and FIFA president Gianni Infantino are also both members of the International Olympic Committee. “Continue to be passionate about finding solutions to every challenge, for the sake of an increasingly global Indonesia,” Thohir wrote in a Twitter post aimed at resolving the impasse. Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Cultural Affairs Muhadjir Effendy said that “we are still conducting talks” with FIFA. “We hope we can find the answer and at least FIFA will understand Indonesia’s position in this problem,” Effendy, who is also acting minister of youth and sports, said after a cabinet meeting on Monday. Effendy also said that Indonesia submitted conditions to
Japan’s former world and Olympic boxing champion Ryota Murata yesterday announced his retirement, saying he had run out of challenges following his loss last year to Kazakh star Gennady Golovkin. Murata became Japan’s first-ever Olympic middleweight gold medalist at the 2012 London Games before turning professional and capturing the WBA world title at the same weight five years later. He was back in the global spotlight in April last year when he fought Golovkin in Saitama, putting in a strong performance until the man known as “GGG” stopped him in the ninth round. Murata told reporters in Tokyo he had “always thought that the Golovkin fight would be the last one.” “After that, I couldn’t really find anything more that I wanted out of boxing,” local media quoted the 37-year-old as saying. Murata retires with a professional record of 16-3, winning 13 by knockout. He rose to stardom in his home country after beating Brazil’s Esquiva Falcao to win gold at the London Games, becoming Japan’s first Olympic boxing champion since 1964. His humble, easy-going character won him friends in and out of the ring, and Golovkin presented him with his ring gown following their match as a mark of respect. Murata said he wants to become “a good role model” now that his career is over. “If you’re an athlete, once your dream comes true, you lose your enthusiasm,” he said. “Now I want to build a career and prove that life isn’t just about competition.”
Wearing blue tracksuits and waving their national flag, South Africa’s Vakhegula Vakhegula soccer team on Sunday jogged into the stadium to cheers ahead of their first match. It was the first day of the Grannies International Football Tournament in Limpopo Province, and this team — like the others — was made up of women aged 55 and older. Vakhegula means “grandmothers” in Tsonga. “At my age, I think if I was not in this sport, I should have been confined to a wheelchair,” said 66-year-old striker Flora Baloi, who started playing in 2017 after developing severe arthritis. Now she said she no longer needs medication, as the exercise keeps her physically and mentally fit. When not practicing with the team she likes watching soccer on TV with her husband, and spending time with her five grandsons. The tournament, nicknamed the “Grannies Soccer World Cup,” is the first of its kind hosted by Vakhegula Vakhegula. The team was formed in 2007 to improve the health of local women, and it led to the creation of other granny teams across the country. The four-day tournament, which ends today, features at least 15 teams, from South Africa and other countries including Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Teams have come from as far away as France and the US. “We love it. It means so much to us. It’s a community, it makes us healthy,” US player Mo Kelly, 64, said.
Taiwanese slugger Yu Chang has clinched a spot on the Boston Red Sox’s opening-day roster after bouncing around the MLB last year. The Red Sox on Monday announced that Chang had made the team as a utility infielder after they optioned infielder Bobby Dalbec to their Triple-A league team, the Worcester Red Sox. Chang last month signed a one-year US$850,000 contract with Boston after finishing last season with the club and appearing in 11 games. Although he only batted .150 in 26 appearances at the plate, he drew five walks and had an on-base percentage of .346. Before joining the Red Sox, he also last year played with the Cleveland Guardians, who he had been with from 2019 to 2021, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Tampa Bay Rays, hitting .208 in 69 games. He made a name for himself at this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), where the 27-year-old Taitung County native was Taiwan’s top slugger and named the Most Valuable Player of Pool A, hitting .438 (seven for 16) with two home runs and eight RBIs in four games. That performance might have influenced Boston’s decision given that Chang did not play his first spring training game until Monday, when the Red Sox lost 6-1 to the Atlanta Braves in North Port, Florida. Chang started as the team’s second baseman and had a double in three at-bats. Hitting ninth, he was retired on a deep fly ball to center field in the third inning, then doubled to left field in the sixth inning to give the Red Sox their first hit of the game.
Ilya Lyubushkin on Monday cited an anti-gay Kremlin law and fears of retribution at home in Russia for electing not to participate in the Buffalo Sabres’ pregame warm-up on the team’s “Pride Night,” when players wore jerseys with the team’s rainbow-colored logo in support of the LGBTQ+ community. The team announced Lyubushkin’s decision before Buffalo’s game against the Montreal Canadiens. Lyubushkin is from Moscow, where he has family and visits regularly in the offseason. The 28-year-old defenseman was Buffalo’s only healthy player not participating in the warm-ups, before playing in the game. The remaining players took the ice wearing dark blue jerseys with the Sabres logo on the front encircled by a rainbow-colored outline, the same design the team used for its social media avatar throughout the day. A handful of players wrapped their sticks in “Pride tape,” and the Sabres warmed up with commemorative pucks, featuring the date and the teams’ logos in rainbow colors. As in the Sabres’ previous two Pride Nights, the Buffalo Gay Men’s Chorus sang the US and Canadian national anthems. “We continue to advocate for underrepresented groups in hockey and hope that our Pride Night, like many across the league, sparks meaningful conversation and encourages support for the LGBTQIA+ community,” the team said in a statement. Without mentioning Lyubushkin specifically, the Sabres added: “We are aware of general threats to certain players, and understand their decision to forgo risk.” Sabres captain Kyle Okposo, whose father is from Nigeria and faced discrimination upon immigrating to Minnesota, defended his teammate, while citing the importance of celebrating Pride Night. “We support Boosh [Lyubushkin] in this room, and we want to make sure that he’s comfortable and we respect his decisions,” Okposo said. “I have empathy for my teammate, for Boosh in the situation he’s in, but think about it: If there’s a closeted gay member
Elena Rybakina on Monday extended her winning streak to 11 matches as she booked her place in the Miami Open quarter-finals with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Belgium’s Elise Mertens, while world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka powered past Barbora Krejcikova in straight sets. However, there was agony for Canadian former US Open winner Bianca Andreescu, who had to be wheeled off court after suffering a left ankle injury and retiring against Ekaterina Alexandrova. Rybakina is looking to complete the “Sunshine Double” after her triumph in the BNP Paribas Open, but she was far from euphoric after her victory. “Physically I’m not the freshest, but I’m happy that I’m managing and finding my way. To be in a quarter-final is great and hopefully I’m going to play better,” she said. She next faces Italian Martina Trevisan in the quarters. Trevisan beat former French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 6-3. Sabalenka looked in ominous form as she blasted her way to victory over Krejcikova, the 2021 French Open winner, 6-3, 6-2. However, Andreescu’s return to form was cut brutally short after she injured her left ankle in her match against Alexandrova. While attempting a return, Andreescu injured the ankle, collapsing to the court as she yelled in pain. After receiving medical attention on court she was lifted into a wheelchair and taken off court in tears. The 22-year-old, who won the US Open in 2019, but then missed all of 2020 due to injury, returned to the circuit in April last year after a six-month break. In Miami, she looked back to her best with wins over Emma Raducanu, Maria Sakkari and Sofia Kenin. In women’s doubles, Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Ellen Perez of Australia beat Anna Kalinskaya of Russia and Caty McNally of the US 6-7 (7/7), 6-4, 11-9 to set up a quarter-final showdown today against Taiwanese sisters Latisha
‘A GOOD START’: Cristiano Ronaldo scored a double as Portugal thrashed Luxembourg 6-0, but coach Roberto Martinez said his team have to work together more
Captain Harry Kane scored again on Sunday as England made it two wins from two in UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying by beating Ukraine 2-0 at Wembley, while Cristiano Ronaldo extended his international goals record to 122 with a double as Portugal thrashed Luxembourg. Kane, who broke Wayne Rooney’s all-time England goalscoring record earlier in the week, turned home his 55th international goal from Bukayo Saka’s cross in the 37th minute. In-form Arsenal winger Saka all but ended Ukraine’s resistance three minutes later, turning from Jordan Henderson’s pass and curling a sublime strike from outside the area into the top corner. The victory takes England three points clear at the top of the early Group C table after winning in Italy for the first time since 1961 on Thursday. “Two wins out of two is all we asked for at the start of the camp,” midfielder Jude Bellingham told Channel 4. “We’ve followed up a really good result in Italy with another one tonight, and when you do that, it feels rewarding.” Gareth Southgate’s men produced an accomplished performance in their first home game since an agonizing FIFA World Cup quarter-final defeat by France in December last year. Kane missed one great early chance before he gave England the lead. Ukraine failed to muster a shot on target and Conor Gallagher, Harry Maguire and Jack Grealish all went close to netting a third for the hosts late on. England, still waiting for a first major tournament title since 1966, return to qualifying action against Malta and North Macedonia in June. The top two teams in each group automatically book a place in next year’s championship in Germany. Ronaldo marked his record-breaking 197th international appearance earlier in the week with two goals against Liechtenstein, and repeated the trick as Portugal thumped Luxembourg 6-0. The 38-year-old diverted in Nuno Mendes’ headed pass to give
Taiwan’s Huang Hsiao-wen on Sunday won a gold medal at the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi. Huang, 25, faced off against Yeni Marcela Arias Castaneda of Colombia in the final of the women’s bantamweight (52kg to 54kg) competition and secured a unanimous 5-0 decision at the biennial tournament. Huang was in control from the opening bell, and used her height advantage to easily maintain a safe distance, throwing her signature left jab whenever her opponent tried to close in. Huang’s victory was her second gold at the IBA world championships, following her 2019 win at the tournament in Ulan-Ude, Russia. She is also an Olympic medalist, having won bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olymics. Huang’s coach, Liu Tsung-tai, said her victory did not come easy, as she was feeling the pressure of having to do well after winning bronze in Tokyo. Huang’s next challenge would be in September at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, which were postponed last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Liu said. When Huang last competed in the Asian Games in 2018, she won bronze in the featherweight category.
South Africa on Sunday set a new record for chasing in international Twenty20 cricket when they scored 259-4 to beat the West Indies by six wickets at Centurion in a game described as “pretty crazy.” Johnson Charles smashed a 39-ball century for the visitors as they posted an imposing 258-5, the joint sixth-highest total in T20 internationals. However, Quinton de Kock responded with 100 from 44 balls, his maiden T20 international century, while fellow opener Reeza Hendricks hit 68. “It was pretty, pretty crazy. When we came off halfway, we thought we had enough,” West Indies skipper Rovman Powell said. “But credit to Quinton de Kock and Reeza Hendricks; they applied pressure from ball one.” South Africa captain Aiden Markram (38 not out) saw his side home with seven balls to spare. The previous highest run chase was Bulgaria’s 246 to beat Serbia last year while Australia made 245 to beat New Zealand in 2018. “It was quite special. Reeza was the silent assassin. When I got out he said: ‘We just did something really special and we should be proud of what we’ve done,’” said De Kock, whose innings was laced with nine fours and eight sixes. De Kock shared an opening stand of 152 in 10.5 overs with Hendricks to set up the win. Hendricks’ 28-ball assault on the West Indies bowlers featured 11 fours and two sixes. South Africa scored 102 runs in the six-over power play, a record in matches between Test nations. Asked how he approached his innings, De Kock said: “Just pick the right options and play with a bit of hope. Playing at Centurion, we know we can get a lot of runs here.”
Antonio Conte has left his position as manager of Tottenham Hotspur by mutual agreement, the English Premier League club said on Sunday. The Italian’s assistant, Cristian Stellini, has been appointed acting head coach for the rest of the season. The announcement comes just more than a week after Conte delivered a post-match rant in which he accused the team’s players of being “selfish” and took aim at the club’s ownership. “We have 10 Premier League games remaining and we have a fight on our hands for a Champions League place,” Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy said in a club statement. “We all need to pull together. Everyone has to step up to ensure the highest possible finish for our Club and amazing, loyal supporters,” Levy said. Conte was in charge of Tottenham for 16 months, but was unable to end its trophy drought stretching back to 2008. His tenure ended in an undignified way, with his outburst after the 3-3 draw at Southampton making his departure almost inevitable. His contract was due to expire at the end of the season. The 53-year-old tore into his players for what he perceived to be a poor attitude, accusing them of not playing as a team and failing to deal with pressure, before saying: “20 years there is the [same] owner and they never won something.” After days of speculation, Tottenham confirmed his exit. “We can announce that Head Coach Antonio Conte has left the Club by mutual agreement,” the London club said in its statement.
Cambridge on Sunday won the University Boat Race, but their victory was overshadowed by the collapse of an Oxford University rower. There were worrying signs at the finish on London’s River Thames, with Oxford stroke Felix Drinkall slumped in the Dark Blues’ boat following a race that took place in rough water where the choppy conditions made life tough for both crews. Drinkall was carried off on a stretcher and into an ambulance that took him to hospital. In the 168th edition of the race, which involves crews from England’s two oldest universities, Cambridge held off a late charge from Oxford to win by just over a length as they posted their fourth victory in five editions. Both boats were warned about being too close together early on by race umpire Tony Reynolds as Oxford, the heavier of the two crews, pulled ahead. An unusually bold move by Cambridge cox Jasper Parish paid dividends when, quickly assessing the tricky conditions, he steered a crew that included his brother, Ollie Parish, to the Fulham bank in the hopes of finding calmer waters. The move proved the difference as Cambridge maintained a slender lead on the 6.83km course from Putney to Mortlake. Cambridge now lead Oxford 86-81, with one dead heat, in a race first staged in 1829. The Light Blues’ win meant Cambridge enjoyed a double success after their women’s crew triumphed on the Thames earlier in the day to record their sixth successive boat race win. Both women’s boats broke records last year, with Cambridge winning by two-and-a-quarter lengths, but Sunday’s conditions meant those records remained intact, with Cambridge president Caoimhe Dempsey the only returning rower.
World champion Francesco Bagnaia won Sunday’s season-opening Portuguese MotoGP after a costly mistake by pole-sitter Marc Marquez. Ducati star Bagnaia coasted across the line ahead of Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales in the Algarve sunshine to follow up his win in MotoGP’s inaugural sprint 24 hours earlier. Marquez crashed and wiped out home favorite Miguel Oliveira on lap three to leave the way clear for Bagnaia to get his championship defense off to a perfect start. Bagnaia leaves Portimao with a maximum 37 points from the first of the 21-race season. “That’s the start me and my team wanted,” the Italian told motogp.com. “We have to keep going like this.” He then joked that after Saturday’s 12-lap dash in the sprint “I’m not used to such a long race.” Bagnaia’s compatriot, Marco Bezzecchi, riding Ducati’s VR46 bike, came in third to complete the podium. If it was reasonably plain sailing for the world champion it was anything but for Marquez. A rare moment of madness from the Spaniard provided the main drama of the afternoon. The pole sitter clipped Jorge Martin, and his out-of-control Honda slammed into the back of Oliveira’s KTM, wiping out the Portuguese rider who had high hopes of a podium finish in front of his home fans. Marquez received a hostile reception from some of the fans on his return to the pits where he quickly made his way to Oliveira’s garage to offer his apologies. The six-time former world champion suffered a suspected hand fracture as well as a time-penalty, the last thing the 30-year-old needed after his last three seasons plagued by injury. Marquez has been hit with a double long-lap penalty for next week’s Grand Prix in Argentina if he is passed fit. “I apologize... This accident was my fault, I deserved to be penalized for it,” he said.
Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday swatted aside Serbian Dusan Lajovic 6-0, 7-6 (7/5) to keep his title defense on track at the Miami Open, as Canada’s Bianca Andreescu cruised past the US’ Sofia Kenin in straight sets. Spain’s teen phenom won Indian Wells to retake the top ranking last week, and kept the momentum going at Hard Rock Stadium as he fired off 26 winners to set up a fourth-round meeting with Australian Open semi-finalist Tommy Paul. “I always think that you have to go for it,” he told the Tennis Channel. “That’s what I told myself in [those] tough moments.” Lajovic stunned three-times Grand Slam winner Andy Murray in the first round, but never hit his stride on Sunday, letting his only break point chance slip through his fingers in the first set as the US Open winner put on a near-flawless performance. Alcaraz converted on a break point in the third game of the second set with an expertly placed forehand winner. However, he helped Lajovic to a break in the 10th game with a handful of uncharacteristic errors. Lajovic refused to go down without a fight, fending off three match points in the tiebreak, but Alcaraz never lost his nerve and clinched it with a blistering backhand winner before pumping his fist triumphantly. “Everything was under control,” said Alcaraz, who greeted the Miami Heat’s six-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler courtside after the match. “But end of match is never easy,” he said. “The nerves came out. I made a few mistakes that I didn’t do around the whole match. So it was tough to win.” Former US Open champion Andreescu harnessed her mighty serve to topple Kenin 6-4, 6-4, sending over seven aces as the 2020 Australian Open winner failed to mount much of a defense after an early exit from Indian Wells. The swift affair was welcome
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