Rafael Nadal did it tough against Reilly Opelka on Wednesday, eventually winning his way through to the quarter-finals at the Indian Wells Masters.

Nadal displayed an abundance of tactical nous, nullifying the American’s big hitting and service game to emerge the 7-6(6-3) 7-6(7-5) winner.

Along with a 76 percent first-serve rate, Opelka hit more winners with 26 for the match, but the 35-year-old Spaniard was able to grind out points from the baseline with his trademark heavy topspin. As a result, Nadal’s winner/unforced error differential was +14 in comparison to Opelka’s +1.

"He is one of the toughest opponents on tour," Nadal said post-match. "It is very tough to control his weapons with his serve and forehand.

"I think I played my best match of the tournament so far today. I am very pleased with how I was able to win the match, with two difficult tie-breaks. This victory means a lot to me."

The highest ranked player left in the draw, Nadal will now face Nick Kyrgios, who progressed to the quarter-finals after Jannik Sinner withdrew with illness.

Matteo Berrettini made a shock exit, meanwhile, losing 6-3 6-7(5-7) 6-4 to unseeded Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic.

The Italian world number six was put under constant pressure, with Kecmanovic targeting his backhand and hovered the baseline to close the angles on serve.

The 22-year-old’s only other top 10 victory came against Alexander Zverev, also the world number six then, at Cincinnati in 2019. He will now face Taylor Fritz, who defeated Alex de Minaur 3-6 6-4 7-6(7-5).

Also on Wednesday, Grigor Dimitrov edged past John Isner 6-3 7-6(8-6). In his unique style, the Bulgarian 33rd seed came up with the shot of the day, flicking a forehand pass across the visibly stunned Isner.

He will face Andrey Rublev, who defeated Hurbert Hurkacz 7-6(7-5) 6-4. In Wednesday’s other results, Carlos Alcaraz Garfia comfortably defeated Gael Monfils 7-5 6-1, while Cameron Norrie accounted for Jenson Brooksby 6-2 6-4.

Stephen Curry was forced to sit out the second half of the Golden State Warriors’ game with the Boston Celtics on Wednesday after injuring his left foot.

With just over four minutes remaining in the second quarter, Curry and Celtics guard Marcus Smart dove for a loose ball. The resulting tumble meant Smart fell on Curry’s leg, causing an inward tweak.

The Warriors confirmed Curry would not return in the second half, citing "left foot soreness".

At that point in the game, Curry had three points, one rebound and two assists with the Warriors down 33-25.

Curry has been the key player for the Warriors this season, with the side sitting third in the Western Conference with a 47-22 record prior to Wednesday's game.

The two-time MVP leads the NBA this season in three-pointers made with 284. Prior to Wednesday's game, Curry was averaging 25.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.4 assists this season.

Former world number one Simona Halep emphatically dispatched unseeded Petra Matric 6-1 6-1 in Wednesday's quarter-final at the Indian Wells Open.

Halep landed 75 per cent of her first-serves and won those points at a rate of 82 per cent (27/33).

Martic's serve commanded much less respect, as she landed 69 per cent of her first-serves, but only won 36 per cent of those points (8/22).

After holding in her first service game, Martic allowed Halep to rattle off six consecutive games, with three double-faults assisting her Romanian opponent.

With the win, Halep booked a semi-final matchup against Poland's number three seed Iga Swiatek after she prevailed in her meeting with American Madison Keys in similar fashion.

Za'Darius Smith is returning to the Baltimore Ravens after three seasons away from the team that drafted him.

Released by the Green Bay Packers in a move to create salary cap space, Smith is re-joining the Ravens on a four-year, $35million deal, according to multiple reports.

The versatile edge rusher recorded 18.5 sacks in four seasons for the Ravens after he was drafted by Baltimore in the fourth round in 2015.

He joined the Packers in 2019 and racked up 26 sacks across his first two years, helping Green Bay to back-to-back NFC Championship Game appearances.

However, a back injury limited him to just one regular-season appearance in 2021. Smith returned for the Packers' Divisional Round matchup with the San Francisco 49ers but could not prevent Green Bay from suffering a 13-10 defeat.

Smith's return to Baltimore sees the Ravens make another high-profile addition to their defense, having also signed safety Marcus Williams to a five-year, $70m contract.

The signings come after a 2021 campaign in which the Ravens missed the playoffs while giving up a league-worst 5.98 yards per play.

Four-time All-Star Kris Bryant and the Colorado Rockies have agreed to a seven-year $182million contract according to reports.

The 2016 World Series champion and 2016 National League (NL) MVP will join the Rockies after being traded to the San Francisco Giants from the Chicago Cubs in July last year.

The 30-year-old third baseman hit a combined .265 with 25 home runs and 73 RBIs last season for both the Cubs and Giants, earning All-Star selection for the fourth time.

Bryant also had eight hits in the Giants' National League Division Series 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Rockies missed the postseason after a 74-87 season where they finished fourth in the NL West as they embarked on a roster upheaval. The bumper multi-year deal reportedly includes a no-trade clause.

Russell Wilson does not fear playing in a loaded AFC West division and says he wants to play another 10 to 12 years and win three or four more Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos.

The blockbuster trade of Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks to the Denver Broncos was made official on Wednesday, the start of the new NFL league year.

The Broncos agreed to send two first-round picks, a pair of second-rounders and a fifth-round selection to the Seahawks to land the nine-time Pro Bowler.

Also included in the deal were quarterback Drew Lock, tight end Noah Fant and defensive lineman Shelby Harris, with a fourth-round pick going to Denver along with Wilson.

Having spent his career to this point in the ultra-competitive NFC West, Wilson now has to contend with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, who have hosted the last four AFC Championship Games, Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers and Derek Carr and a Las Vegas Raiders team that made the playoffs last season.

Wilson is relishing six games against such high-quality competition.

Asked about his divisional foes at his introductory media conference, Wilson replied: "Why would you want it any other way? I want to play against the best, I don't fear anything, so I'm looking forward to it.

"My goal is to play 10-12 more years and hopefully win three or four more Super Bowls, that's my mindset."

In a series of farewell statements from the franchise hierarchy, the Seahawks suggested it was Wilson who initiated the process that led to Seattle trading away the greatest quarterback in team history.

"Russell has been a tremendous player, leader, and member of our organisation since the day we drafted him in the third round in 2012," general manager John Schneider said.

"His tireless work ethic has helped make him one of the most successful QBs in NFL history and we thank him for his many contributions on the field and in the community.

"When it became evident that Russell was interested in playing elsewhere, we used that opportunity to explore the market, allowing us to acquire three quality players, tremendous draft capital, and create salary cap flexibility. We have a clear vision about the direction of this team, and this is an exciting time for our organisation."

Wilson, though, rejected such claims, responding: "I didn't initiate it. It was definitely mutual.

"We'll have to read about it later, we'll have some fun maybe with my book one day, we'll have some good stories."

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has hit out at the Premier League's fixturing ahead of a busy period of catch-up games for the Gunners.

The Gunners suffered a dent in their top-four hopes on Wednesday after going down 2-0 at home to second-placed Liverpool.

The Spanish boss was sarcastic in his response when asked about Arsenal's upcoming logjam of fixtures that includes a fast turnaround to play Aston Villa in the league at lunchtime on Saturday, before facing Chelsea and Manchester United in quick succession next month (April 20 and 23).

“Thank you so much to the Premier League for doing that," Arteta told reporters.

"And they’ve done it again when we have to play Chelsea and Manchester United. So if they want to give them any advantage, I say to them today: ‘Thank you so much for doing that’.”

He added: “No [the Premier League wouldn't change the schedule]. It is always it’s BT, it’s Sky, it is this, it’s that. But the one that is affected is Arsenal and the only thing that I care [about] and we care [about] is Arsenal. And for Arsenal it is not fair.”

Arsenal are currently fourth on the table with 51 points from 27 games, while United are fifth on 50 points but having played two more games.

Arteta insisted his players would be ready for Saturday's test against the Villans despite the turnaround as they seek to put ground on United in the race for the top four.

"Yes, 100 percent, don’t worry the players will be there on Saturday with the energy," he said.

"They will sleep, eat well, but thank you so much to the Premier League for putting the fixtures like this, it’s very, very helpful."

On the Liverpool loss, Arteta said the difference was being clinical in attack, with both sides having nine shots each and the Reds edging possession 52-48 percent.

Martin Odegaard fluffed a golden opportunity after a Liverpool turnover in defence, while the Reds capitalised on their chances with goals from Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino.

"It was the difference today. I don’t think there was any other difference apart from that," Arteta said.

"I think we have closed that gap a lot, but it wasn’t enough because when we went through that door and they went through that door, they scored two goals.

"I’m not happy with the goals that we conceded, but it’s part of the game and when you have those chances you have to take them to get something out of it."

San Diego Padres superstar Fernando Tatis Jr had surgery on his broken left wrist on Wednesday, and is expected to be out of action for three months.

Padres general manager A.J. Preller said the team believes Tatis sustained the injury early in the off-season, but that he only started noticing the symptoms when he started swinging a bat again.

While it has not been confirmed by the organisation, there were reports that Tatis was involved in a motorcycle accident in the Dominican Republic in December.

Tatis, 23, is entering the second year of his 14-year, $340million deal after an incredible start to his career.

Despite missing time in 2021 due to left shoulder inflammation, Tatis still managed to lead the National League with 42 home runs in just 130 games.

He hit .282, stole 25 bases and had the league's third-highest OPS at .975, finishing the year third in the NL in MVP voting.

Two-time Super Bowl-winning edge rusher Von Miller has signed with the Buffalo Bills in a deal worth a maximum of $120million over six years.

According to reports, Miller is guaranteed $45m at signing, with the contract including $51.5m in total guarantees.

Miller, 33, was widely tipped to return to the Los Angeles Rams after joining the team in a mid-season trade and helping them win their first Super Bowl since returning from St Louis.

Instead, he signed what stands as the fifth-largest contract for a defensive player by total value.

Miller is a seven-time All-Pro, a Super Bowl MVP and a member of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.

He is coming off a season in which he reaffirmed his undoubted prowess as one of the league's premier edge rushers.

Miller finished 2021 with 9.5 sacks for the Denver Broncos and the Rams, racking up five for Los Angeles in the final four games of the regular season.

His strong play down the stretch carried into the Rams' triumphant postseason, Miller registering a sack in the wins over the Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before sacking Joe Burrow twice in their victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI.

He finished the season fifth among edge rushers with at least 100 one on one matchups with a stunt-adjusted pass rush win rate of 43.40, according to Stats Perform data.

While Miller is still at the top of his game, the Bills also made a move to reinvigorate the career of a player on the offensive side of the ball, signing tight end O.J. Howard on a one-year deal.

A first-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2017, Howard has played an extremely limited role in the Bucs' recent success, tallying just 25 catches in the last two seasons.

Having averaged 16.6 yards per reception across his first two seasons in the league, the Bills will hope they can help him recapture that explosive early form and provide yet more support for quarterback Josh Allen after their phenomenal offensive performance in a memorable overtime shootout loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.

Jurgen Klopp hailed Liverpool's 2-0 win at Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday as "really special" as his team moved to within a point of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.

A tight contest was decided by second half goals from Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino as the Reds won their ninth league game in a row.

Mikel Arteta's team arguably shaded the first half and came close to taking the lead just before Jota's opener but Martin Odegaard's effort with the goal at his mercy was somehow kept out by a diving Alisson.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Klopp was delighted with the three points and praised the way his side ground out the win. 

"It's really special," he said. "Coming here in our situation, and their situation, and not having a brilliant first half and then turning the game in the right direction is pretty special.

"You have to be on your toes because they are a proper threat."

Since the turn of the year, Liverpool have won more points than any other Premier League team (28 – W9 D1 L0), and are the only side yet to suffer a league defeat in 2022. In fact, Liverpool have avoided defeat in their opening 10 league games of a calendar year for the first time since 2015.

The title race is now finely poised with just one point separating City and Liverpool, with nine games to go each and the two set to face each other in April, but Klopp insists all his team can do is continue to win games.

"We have had a good period," he added. "We are one point behind but the only thing we can do is win football games. No game is easy in this incredible league and we have to keep going.

"The only thing I'm really interested in is how we can prepare for the next game, how we can get through this. It's so difficult – I think it's game number 13 since we met Arsenal in the Carabao Cup. For them, it's seven – that's six more games for us. We don't complain about it, we wanted it like this. Let's see how it goes.

"In 10 years, do you think somebody will say you should be proud [of finishing second by one point]? Probably not. We know we have a special group here and we're trying to squeeze everything we can out of the situation."

Andrew Robertson – who registered his 50th assist in 211 games for Liverpool when he set up Firmino's goal – believes City are still in a better position, but insists it will be a "sprint to the finish line."

When asked if Liverpool are the team with momentum, the Scotland captain told Sky Sports: "Yeah, but they've got an extra point than us (laughing).

"Look, they're a point better off. A fantastic team, one of the best in the world and they'll obviously try and have a strong finish. That's us done with the Premier League until after the international break [for] both teams, and then it's a sprint to the finish line."

Robertson has provided 10+ assists in three of his last four seasons in the Premier League, while since the start of the 2018-19 campaign, only team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold (43) has provided more assists in the competition than him (40).

"We're in the race," he continued. "A lot of people maybe didn't think we were going to be [in] January but we're definitely in the race and we just need to focus on what we're doing and picking up as many points as possible."

Jamie Carragher believes Liverpool can go on and take the Premier League title from Manchester City, following their 2-0 win over Arsenal on Wednesday.

The Reds moved to within one point of City after goals from Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino claimed the three points from the Emirates Stadium.

Since a 2-2 draw with Chelsea in January, Jurgen Klopp's side has reeled off nine straight league victories, setting their match at City in April up as a potential title decider.

With that game in mind, Carragher believes the Premier League title is up for grabs, saying while working as a pundit for Sky Sports: "It's 50-50, because of the situation, the game is at the Etihad.

"This is the first time I've ever felt Liverpool can win the league at any time this season. I've always said City, before a ball was kicked.

"That Chelsea game, 2-2, when Liverpool after that game found themselves 11 points behind Manchester City – and Graeme [Souness] in the studio said Liverpool were still in this race – I thought it was well done."

Since Liverpool's draw with Chelsea, City have only lost one league game in their past eight – a 3-2 defeat to Tottenham in February, though a 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace on Monday allowed the Reds to make up further ground.

Given the quality of the two contenders, Carragher believes the title race is more down to Liverpool’s ability to apply pressure with their current form, than a dip from City.

"Man City aren’t in bad form or losing lots of games or dropping lots of points. Because these teams are so good now, just drawing a game feels like a loss," he added.

"We are watching two of the best teams we have ever seen in the Premier League and a draw is a defeat now. A draw now feels like the end of the world because you’re just expecting these teams to just win.

"I just feel like the signing of [Luis] Diaz, not just as an individual but what he's done to Liverpool. What Liverpool brought off the bench [against Arsenal] is much better than the year they won the Champions League [2018-19] and the year they won the league [2019-20]."

Thomas Tuchel says he wants Chelsea to be the side that everyone aims to avoid heading into the Champions League quarter-finals.

The reigning champions kept their title defence on track on Wednesday by advancing to the last eight with a 4-1 aggregate victory over Lille.

Leading 2-0 from the first leg at Stamford Bridge three weeks ago, Tuchel's side fell behind at Stade Pierre-Mauroy to a Burak Yilmaz penalty.

However, Christian Pulisic responded in first-half stoppage time, before Cesar Azpilicueta completed the turnaround with 19 minutes remaining.

Tuchel is hopeful his side will have the fear factor in the quarter-final draw, which takes place on Friday.

The head coach also heaped praise on skipper Azpilicueta, whose last Champions League goal also came against Lille back in December 2019.

"I want us to be the team nobody wants to play," Tuchel said. "That's the role we want to see ourselves in this last eight.

"[Azpilicueta] is maybe the perfect example to describe a person as a leader. He is doing it in good times and bad times, if he is a regular starter or not. 

"If he is playing a wing-back, which is maybe not his best position, he is there. We do not need extra, extra at the moment; we just need reliable teamwork and reliable spirit.

"I don't know if Azpi is talking to the players; I just know he is doing what he normally does."

Chelsea are back in action on Sunday, when they travel to Middlesbrough in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

The build-up to the tie was dominated by the club requesting that home supporters also be blocked from attending the Riverside, after restrictions imposed following the sanctioning of owner Roman Abramovich rendered them unable to sell any tickets beyond the 600 already sold from their away allocation.

The Blues subsequently withdrew the request, which had been met with widespread ridicule and opposition, with Tuchel also welcoming that decision.

"We love to play in front of spectators and I don't think the spectators of our opponents should suffer from the consequences," he added. "We love to play in front of spectators. 

"Me and the team were not involved in this decision. We were happy it was withdrawn."