Heather Watson stunned second seed Yulia Putintseva at the Thailand Open as the British player scored an impressive first-round win.

The 30-year-old Watson lost in qualifying for the recent Australian Open, having made the singles main draw for 11 consecutive years, but she is already beginning to make up for the Melbourne disappointment.

Kazakh Putintseva is ranked 44th in the world, while Watson has slipped to 160th, but the Guernsey native has been as high as 38th in her career and won four titles on the WTA Tour.

She showed there is still a hunger to succeed, edging a tight contest 5-7 6-4 7-5 (7-5) to make Putintseva the biggest early casualty.

Top seed Bianca Andreescu had no such trouble against Watson's compatriot Harriet Dart, as the Canadian went through a 6-3 6-4 winner.

Czech 17-year-old Linda Fruhvirtova, seeded eighth and at a career-high 51st in the WTA rankings, overwhelmed American veteran Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-3 6-1.

Fellow seeds Marta Kostyuk, Anna Kalinskaya and Tatjana Maria also came through their opening tests at the tournament in Hua Hin.

At the Lyon Open, French top seed Caroline Garcia fended off Czech Tereza Martincova 6-4 7-6 (7-4) in round one, delighting a home crowd.

Champion at the WTA Finals at the end of last season, Garcia surprisingly lost in round four of the Australian Open to unseeded Pole Magda Linette, who went on a fairy tale run to the semi-finals.

Garcia said of Tuesday's win over Martincova: "It was a tough match. She's a great player. She's already played great battles against top players, and it's a first round, so you really never know what is going to happen."

Second seed Zhang Shuai beat American Madison Brengle 6-3 6-2, but eighth seed Anna Blinkova bowed out, retiring when 4-0 behind in a deciding set against fellow Russian Erika Andreeva.

Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs plan to "blank out the hype" ahead of Super Bowl LVII, as the coach prepares to face former team the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Chiefs booked their place at State Farm Stadium in Glendale with a 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday.

With their third conference title in four seasons, they will face their head coach's former employers in Arizona, with Reid having led the Eagles between 1999 and 2012.

Asked whether the emotional connection to his former team makes his work more challenging, Reid insisted his focus is squarely on the task at hand.

"When you really cut to the chase, they're a really good football team," he said. "So I think that's where [my] energy goes.

"That's where the major focus goes. It doesn't matter who you're playing, you try to blank out all the hype that goes with the game. It's a pretty big game for everybody.

"It's a big, big deal. It's the Super Bowl. But you try to blank that out and make sure that you're getting the game plan, [and] what really matters, together."

Reid reached one Super Bowl during his time in charge of the Eagles, though did not get his hands on the Vince Lombardi trophy until 2020 with the Chiefs.

Still, he remains an admirer of the Pennsylvania outfit while stressing he shares the love for his current home as well.

"I love Philadelphia, love the city," he added. "I've been blessed, blessed to be in [these] phenomenal places in the NFL. I'm loving every minute in Kansas City [too]."

Milan have denied any issues in ongoing negotiations with Rafael Leao regarding a new contract following reports on Tuesday.

It was reported in Italy that discussions between the Portugal international and the club on a new deal had broken down.

Leao's deal at San Siro is due to expire in 2024 and it was claimed the player's entourage wanted to significantly reduce his release clause.

Milan have denied that any breakdown has occurred, though, and insist discussions will continue.

"With regard to the article published today by the newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport titled: 'Leao Milan total break', Milan would like to clarify that the negotiation with Rafael Leao has not suffered any interruption," a club statement read.

"The journalistic narrative of an alleged frost between the parties is not only totally unfounded but also harmful to the club and its player.

"AC Milan continues, in fact, the dialogue with Leao and his entourage in a serene and professional atmosphere."

Several clubs have been attributed with an interest in Leao, including Premier League trio Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea.

Isco will not be joining Union Berlin after a planned move for the former Real Madrid attacking midfielder collapsed on transfer deadline day.

Reports in Germany said Isco had completed a medical and was poised to sign for the team who sit second in the Bundesliga, one point behind Bayern Munich.

The 30-year-old was released by Sevilla after just four months at the club in December and looked set for a new challenge in Berlin.

However, the anticipated switch broke down just hours before the deadline, which in Germany falls at 18:00 local time (17:00 GMT).

Both parties blamed the other, with Union sporting director Oliver Ruhnert saying in a statement posted on Twitter by the club: "We would have liked to see Isco play for us, but we have our limits.

"Today these were exceeded, despite our previous agreement, which is why the transfer will not take place."

Isco's management company, Gestifute, was quoted in German newspaper Bild as stating: "In the course of the talks, we had to realise that our negotiating partner was no longer willing to move within the framework originally discussed."

Union, who face Wolfsburg in a DFB-Pokal game on Tuesday, have won their three Bundesliga games since the World Cup and winter break in their surprise title challenge.

Isco began his career with spells at Valencia and Malaga, before spending nine years with Madrid, leaving the Santiago Bernabeu at the end of last season.

Leigh Halfpenny is set to start for Wales in the Six Nations opener against Ireland on Saturday as Liam Williams missed out.

Halfpenny has been given the nod at full-back for the first match of Warren Gatland's second spell as Wales head coach at the Principality Stadium.

The 35-year-old will be monitored after sitting out training on Tuesday morning due to a hip issue, but is in line to make his first international start since 2021.

Williams will play no part in Cardiff this weekend as he builds up his fitness after being sidelined by injuries.

Centre Joe Hawkins will make his Six Nations debut at inside centre partnering George North in midfield after making his Test bow against Australia last year.

Dan Biggar returns at fly-half, with Tomos Williams starting at scrum-half against the top-ranked side in the world. 

Asked about Halfpenny's selection and the absence of Liam Williams, Gatland said: "He [Williams] trained today.

"Leigh Halfpenny has a little bit of a tight hip, so we kept him out of this morning's session. He'll train this afternoon so just making sure he didn't double up on that.

"Liam hasn't had a lot of rugby. He had the knock and then the finger injury, so he didn't take part in training last week. We just want to give him some more training time with the team.

"Obviously, if something does happen to Leigh, we'll make a decision with what happens to that. We had everyone fit and available for selection, but we had some players with bumps and knocks who didn't take part in training last week.

"That was some of our thinking there. We just want some more training time under his belt. There's no doubt Liam will feature at some point."

Wales team: Leigh Halfpenny, Josh Adams, George North, Joe Hawkins, Rio Dyer, Dan Biggar, Tomos Williams; Gareth Thomas, Ken Owens, Tomas Francis, Adam Beard, Alun Wyn Jones, Jac Morgan, Justin Tipuric, Taulupe Faletau.

Replacements: Scott Baldwin, Rhys Carre, Dillon Lewis, Dafydd Jenkins, Tommy Reffell, Rhys Webb, Owen Williams, Alex Cuthbert.

Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny is set for an indefinite layoff after undergoing surgery for a knee injury, as the club reportedly close in on the signing of Jorginho from Chelsea.

Egypt international Elneny, who has made five Premier League appearances this season for Mikel Arteta's side, suffered the problem in training.

Though he has undergone a successful operation, the 30-year-old will spend a significant period on the sidelines as he begins his road to recovery.

"Following an injury sustained in a recent training session, subsequent assessments have confirmed that Mohamed Elneny has a significant injury to his right knee," read a club statement.

"Mo has had successful surgery in London and will be ruled out for an extended period of time.

"A more detailed timescale will be established once the early stages of rehabilitation have been completed."

The Gunners have also confirmed a loan exit for Marquinhos.

The Brazilian teenager, who has made six appearances this term, has joined Championship outfit Norwich City until the end of the season.

Alexander Zverev will not face disciplinary action from the ATP following its investigation into allegations of domestic abuse against him.

The two-time ATP Finals winner became the subject of an investigation in October 2021 after claims the prior year by ex-partner Olya Sharypova.

The sport's governing body hired an external private investigation company to look into the allegations, which Zverev has denied.

Now, after it was deemed there was "insufficient evidence" to substantiate the claims, it has been confirmed the German will face no further action.

"Based on a lack of reliable evidence and eyewitness reports, in addition to conflicting statements by Sharypova, Zverev and other interviewees, the investigation was unable to substantiate the allegations of abuse," the ATP said.

While no action is to be taken, the ATP added it would reevaluate its decision "should new evidence come to light, or should any legal proceedings reveal violations of ATP rules".

Zverev, who reached the 2020 US Open final and won men's singles gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, achieved a career-best peak of number two in the world rankings last season.

An ankle injury at the French Open against Rafael Nadal ended his campaign and he only made his return to competitive action earlier this month, with a second-round exit at the Australian Open.

He took further legal action against Sharypova last year, as well as an online publisher, after further allegations of abuse were made, while lending his support for a domestic violence policy to be introduced by the ATP.

Barcelona coach Xavi applauded the decision by a court to overrule LaLiga's refusal to register Gavi as a first-team player.

The Blaugrana midfielder, who has been in superb form for the club this term, signed a new contract in September that saw him recognised as a first-team player rather than a member of the B team.

But LaLiga denied the registration of the new deal due to the club's financial situation, with Barca exceeding their salary cap.

While Gavi could continue playing this season for the senior side as a B team player, he would have been registered in LaLiga on a contract that expires in 2024 and has a €50million release clause – the agreement he signed in September is until 2026 with a €1billion release clause.

LaLiga president Javier Tebas warned the club would still be unable to register Gavi and other players such as Ronald Aruajo because they have "a deficit of more than €200m", he claimed on Monday.

But now a court decision has quashed LaLiga's ruling, delighting Xavi and paving the way for the 18-year-old to be fully registered as a member of their senior squad.

"It's great news," Xavi said. "It was one of the objectives we set for this transfer window. Now the ball is in LaLiga's court.

"I'm happy for [Gavi]. We hope he can sign up. It's very good news for us. The priority is that players as important as him are insured. It seems that we can now enrol him.

"I don't see him changing teams, really. He is very happy and happy here. I don't see him leaving."

Asked whether he felt Tebas holds ill feelings towards Barca, Xavi added: "I don't know. Ask him.

"I know him very little. I have greeted him twice. I have no personal dealings with him."

Gavi has made 18 appearances for Barca this season in LaLiga and featured in five of their six Champions League games as the club dropped into the Europa League.

He also played four times at the World Cup last year.

Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial will return for Manchester United's EFL Cup semi-final second leg against Nottingham Forest, Erik ten Hag confirmed.

Sancho has not featured for United since October's 1-1 draw against Chelsea due to "circumstances with fitness and mood".

Meanwhile, Martial's last appearance came in the victory over Manchester City at Old Trafford earlier this month when he was withdrawn at half-time.

The pair are back available for United ahead of Wednesday's clash at Old Trafford, where the hosts lead 3-0 from last week's first leg.

"We have some issues," Ten Hag told club media on Tuesday.

"I think tomorrow that Anthony Martial and Jadon Sancho will return in the game squad, but Scott McTominay will still be absent.

"I think also the next game [against Crystal Palace] he will be absent. We have to see how that process will go. And for the rest, I think everyone is fit."

Already having one foot in the EFL Cup final at Wembley, United will pay close attention to Tuesday's contest between Newcastle United and Southampton to discover their potential opponents.

United last won the EFL Cup in 2016-17 under Jose Mourinho, a season where the Europa League was also won and a campaign that represents the last time the club won a trophy.

Christophe Galtier rubbished suggestions he must lose Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi or Neymar to balance his Paris Saint-Germain side.

The forward trio, arguably the most talented frontline in European football, have been at the forefront of the Ligue 1 giants' latest title charge this term.

But since the World Cup, where Argentina captain Messi defeated France forward Mbappe in the final, the team have won only two of five top-flight games.

Critics claim the team is too top-heavy, but ahead of Wednesday's match with Montpellier, Galtier scoffed at such ideas.

"We have three incredibly strong attacking players," he said. "Are you saying that we have to lose one of these three players to be balanced? That would be a mistake.

"[Our level] is insufficient though, in terms of points per game. We must quickly find a higher level of play, and above all score points.

"It happens in any season, that there is a bad period. We have a busy month ahead of us. January was not good, but now we are all working to remedy it."

Galtier further acknowledged star men Mbappe and Messi underperformed in the 1-1 draw with Reims, but he stressed the blame lies with the collective rather than the duo.

"Kylian and Leo didn't achieve what they usually achieve on an attacking level, but it is not a question of their state of mind," he added.

"With our organisation and our balance, we must find something else. We are working on it. Whatever the system, everyone has to give more on the pitch."

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is not expecting to delve into the transfer market on deadline day despite losing Christian Eriksen to injury for three months.

United confirmed on Tuesday that Eriksen is likely to be out at least until late April after sustaining an ankle injury in the FA Cup win over Reading on Saturday.

He was on the receiving end of a heavy tackle from Andy Carroll, who went unpunished before eventually getting sent off for another two forceful challenges.

Losing Eriksen is a major blow for United given his prominence in his first campaign at Old Trafford, with Bruno Fernandes (2,603) the only outfield player to record more minutes on the pitch than the Dane (2,274) for Ten Hag's men this term.

United will suddenly be without one of their chief creators, as Eriksen's 53 key passes is second only to Fernandes (81), and he leads the way for assists with nine.

But Ten Hag is confident he has the options to cope.

"Of course, [Eriksen] is disappointed about [the injury], we are disappointed about it," the manager told reporters ahead of Wednesday's EFL Cup semi-final second leg against Nottingham Forest.

"It happens in top football, you have to deal with it."

He added: "As you said, something coming out on deadline day is difficult and you can't make policy on such bad injuries, but we have players in the midfield department, good players, we also have players who can fill the gap."

With Donny van de Beek out for the season, Eriksen's injury leaves Ten Hag with senior midfield options of Fred, Casemiro, Fernandes and Scott McTominay, while 17-year-old Kobbie Mainoo has made two appearances in cup competitions and been among the substitutes on a handful of occasions in the Premier League.

Zidane Iqbal, a 19-year-old Iraq international, has also been on the bench often this season, though he is yet to make his debut and had reportedly been lined up for a loan move.

Either way, Ten Hag accepts there will have to be a degree of adaptation regardless of who steps up because they will not have the same attributes as the Denmark star.

"I think you can never fill that because every player has their own characteristics and identity, so another player will always fill it in in a different way," he said.

"So, it doesn't mean that you have to be less successful, but it's quite clear that Christian Eriksen, for our squad, brings top quality and he has some specifics that are hard to replace. For instance, his impact in the final third, [with his] final ball."

Brazil midfielder Fred would appear to be the most likely to benefit from Eriksen's absence.

Although the 29-year-old has made only five Premier League starts this term, in total he has played in 17 top-flight games, with Ten Hag seeming to value his energy and tenacity in the second half when others might be tiring.

There is also the added convenience of him regularly playing alongside Casemiro with the Selecao.

"You mentioned already in your first sentence, he's playing together with Casemiro in the Brazilian squad, I would say that's not the worst squad in the world," Ten Hag said with a grin.

"They have so many choices what they can make but they often prefer to play them together. So, that tells something about the quality Fred has and what he can contribute to the team.

"He has done it several times with his performance for instance against Tottenham, for instance against Manchester City.

"When he's coming on [in the] last game [against Reading], he's scoring a goal straight away. He has a lot of qualities. I think they are a really good combination, Casemiro and Fred."

Steve Smith has backed Australia's call to skip a warm-up game ahead of their Test series in India, suggesting any match would offer insufficient preparation.

The tourists will play four matches starting in Nagpur next month, with games in Delhi, Dharamshala and Ahmedabad to follow.

But Pat Cummins' side will not play a tour game ahead of their red-ball series against their hosts, after their experiences on their last long-format visit six years ago.

On that occasion, Australia played out a draw with an India A side, but Smith feels the pitch they played on in Mumbai was too different to the rest of the tour.

"We normally have two tour games over in England. This time we don't have a tour game in India," he said in Sydney.

"The last time we went [to India], I'm pretty sure we got served up a green top [in the tour game], and it was sort of irrelevant.

"Hopefully, we get really good training facilities where the ball is likely to do what it's likely to do out in the middle, and we can get our practice in."

Australia are in pursuit of a first Test series win in India since 2004, having lost 2-1 in 2017 despite Smith posting 499 runs as top scorer.

Fresh from claiming a joint-record fourth Allan Border Medal, the former captain.hopes they can vindicate their decision to eschew a competitive warm-up.

"We'll wait and see when we hit the ground," he added. "I think we've made the right decision to not play a tour match.

"We're better off having our own nets and getting spinners in and bowling as much as they can."

Christian Eriksen will be out of action for up to three months due to the ankle injury he suffered in Saturday's FA Cup win over Reading, Manchester United have confirmed.

Eriksen was on the receiving end of a heavy tackle from Andy Carroll in the second half, with the Reading forward surprisingly avoiding a yellow card.

Carroll was later sent off for another two forceful challenges.

Eriksen walked away from the incident to play on briefly, but he was soon replaced and later spotted leaving Old Trafford on crutches, with a protective boot supporting his left ankle.

United boss Erik ten Hag offered little insight after the match, but following examinations the club believe it is serious enough to potentially rule him out until May.

A statement read: "Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen is expected to be out of action for an extended period because of an ankle injury sustained in our Emirates FA Cup victory over Reading on Saturday.

"While investigations are continuing, initial assessments indicate that Eriksen is likely to be out until late April or early May."

The absence of Eriksen will be a major blow to United and Ten Hag, as the Danish midfielder has been a key component of the side since his arrival on a free transfer in pre-season.

Bruno Fernandes (2,603) is the only outfield player to spend more minutes on the pitch than Eriksen (2,274) across all competitions for United this season.

It is a similar story in terms of chances created, with Eriksen's 53 bettered by only Fernandes' 81, highlighting the Dane's creative importance, particularly from set-pieces.

Eriksen ranks highest in the squad for assists (nine), however, three more than Fernandes.

If the 31-year-old does not play again until the start of May, he will have missed at least 18 matches in all competitions.

That total will increase if United progress in the FA Cup, Europa League and EFL Cup – they are just 90 minutes away from the final of the latter after winning 3-0 away to Nottingham Forest in last week's semi-final first leg.

The return game at Old Trafford on Wednesday will be the first match Eriksen misses.

The absence of Eriksen further stretches United's midfield options after Donny van de Beek was ruled out for the season at the start of January.

It leaves Fernandes, Fred, Casemiro and Scott McTominay as their only recognised senior midfielders, potentially requiring 17-year-old Kobbie Mainoo – who has made two cup appearances but is yet to make his Premier League bow – to step up unless they delve into the transfer market before the window closes on Tuesday.