Daniil Medvedev extended his perfect record against Jannik Sinner to six matches after defeating him 7-5 6-3 in Sunday's Miami Open final.
Medvedev also beat Sinner in February's Rotterdam Open final, marking his fifth win from their fifth meeting, and by improving that to 6-0 it means it is the Russian's equal-best record against a single opponent, along with Felix Auger-Aliassime and Diego Schwartzman.
Sinner had a great opportunity to take the first set, creating five break point opportunities compared to Medvedev's three, and he kept his service games clean with no double faults while Medvedev racked up four.
The 21-year-old Italian could have forced a tiebreaker in the first set, but failed to hold his serve at 6-5 down, and Medvedev capitalised on the momentum to grab an immediate break to start the second frame.
To Sinner's credit, he snatched the break right back, but Medvedev got another and safely served it out the rest of the way.
The writing was on the wall after the first set, as Medvedev came into the contest a perfect 24-0 this season when securing the opener, and the title is his 16th on hard courts since 2019, two more than second-placed Novak Djokovic (14) over the span.
It is his 19th singles title overall – at a 19th different tournament – and after a brief rough patch getting over the line, he has become one of the sport's great finishers.
From November 2021 through June 2022 he lost five finals in a row, but he has since won six of his past seven, claiming his fifth Masters 1000 crown in the process.
Luke Shaw believes Manchester United lacked "passion, desire, hunger and attitude" in an "unacceptable" performance in Sunday's 2-0 loss to Newcastle United.
A brilliant display from the Magpies saw Eddie Howe's men leapfrog the Red Devils into third in the Premier League as goals from Joe Willock and Callum Wilson condemned them to defeat in their first game since the international break.
Erik ten Hag's side have now failed to score in three consecutive Premier League games for the first time since February 2020 as they mustered just one shot on target at St James' Park, a tame long-range shot from Antony that Nick Pope comfortably saved.
With this winless three-match run dragging them back into the dogfight for the Champions League places, Shaw felt Sunday's dismal display was a couple of games in the making, declaring Newcastle won the match with their superior mentality rather than their footballing ability.
"[We were] not good enough," Shaw told Sky Sports. "As a team, we have to be honest. I do think Newcastle are a very good side but I don't think they won the game on quality today.
"I think they won it on passion, desire, hunger, attitude. They clearly had that higher motivation, and that [cannot] be possible.
"It's not acceptable and we know that. It was a massive game today and they wanted it more. At Man United, that cannot be possible.
"You need that motivation, you need that passion, hunger, attitude, because it's an extremely tough place to come to, here. If we don't have that, we're going to suffer. It was obvious on the pitch. We didn't create too much, to be honest.
"I think maybe you could say it has been coming. Before the international break, we had dropped levels, and it was clear to see today they were not there."
Shaw's side will look to get back on track on Wednesday, when they host a Brentford side at Old Trafford who are themselves looking for European qualification.
The left-back acknowledged that will be a difficult fixture, saying: "We have three days to pick it back up because Brentford is going to be a tough game.
"We're a team. When we go out on that pitch, we all need to fight for each other. Sometimes, this season, maybe it's not shown like that. I'm sure we'll go through it all again and speak again. We need to realise the problems, and change them quick, because we can still have a very good season."
Chelsea have sacked head coach Graham Potter following Saturday's 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa left the Blues mired in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
Chelsea have sacked head coach Graham Potter following Saturday's 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa left the Blues mired in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
Potter left Brighton and Hove Albion to take charge of Chelsea following Thomas Tuchel's dismissal in September, but the 47-year-old struggled to inspire consistency during a season of change at Stamford Bridge.
Despite Chelsea spending an estimated £289.7million on players including Enzo Fernandez, Mykhaylo Mudryk, Benoit Badiashile and others in January, Potter has struggled to lead the Blues into contention for European qualification.
While Chelsea overcame Borussia Dortmund to tee up a Champions League quarter-final tie with Real Madrid, they have won just two of their past nine Premier League games.
Saturday's home defeat to Aston Villa saw Unai Emery's team leapfrog Chelsea into the top half of the table, with Potter leaving the Blues in 11th place, 12 points adrift of the top four.
Former Brighton full-back Bruno Saltor, who followed Potter to Chelsea earlier this season, will take the reins as interim head coach.
In a statement on the club's website, Chelsea thanked Potter for his efforts and said he would "collaborate with the club to facilitate a smooth transition".
Co-majority owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali said: "On behalf of everyone at the club, we want to thank Graham sincerely for his contribution to Chelsea.
"We have the highest degree of respect for Graham as a coach and as a person. He has always conducted himself with professionalism and integrity and we are all disappointed in this outcome.
"Along with our incredible fans, we will all be getting behind Bruno and the team as we focus on the rest of the season.
"We have 10 Premier League games remaining and a Champions League quarter-final ahead.
"We will put every effort and commitment into every one of those games so that we can end the season on a high."
Chelsea host Liverpool in their next Premier League game on Tuesday before visiting Wolves on Saturday, after which they will travel to the Santiago Bernabeu for the first leg of their Champions League last-eight tie against holders Madrid.
Joe Willock believes Newcastle United "owed" Manchester United a loss as they got revenge for their EFL Cup final defeat to the Red Devils with a 2-0 Premier League victory.
The Magpies were denied a first major trophy in 68 years as goals from Casemiro and Marcus Rashford condemned them to defeat at Wembley in late February.
But Eddie Howe's men put in a much-improved performance at St James' Park on Sunday, as Willock and Callum Wilson struck to haul them above Erik ten Hag's side and into third in the Premier League.
Speaking after his team moved into the Champions League spots, Willock felt Newcastle used the cup final disappointment to their advantage as they got vengeance for that heartbreak.
"Today we played really well," he told Sky Sports. "We deserved the victory. It was electric today in here. We fed off the crowd and got the big three points.
"I feel like we owed them one after the cup final. We took that very bitterly, we didn't take that lightly. Losing a cup final, it hurts a lot. We took that anger into this game today and from the start we dominated play."
Willock's goal set Newcastle on the way to their first league victory against the Red Devils since October 2019, and the Magpies now lead them in the table by virtue of their far superior goal difference.
The former Arsenal man is confident his team can get over the line and finish in the Champions League spots for the first time since the 2002-03 season under Bobby Robson, with Opta rating it a 58.2 per cent chance they end the campaign in the top four.
"I feel like we have to believe," Willock added. "We've been in and around there all season.
"We've got a brilliant team, brilliant manager and a brilliant environment for us players to work in, so I feel like there's nothing stopping us."
Howe felt his team's efforts warranted the three points, having accumulated 3.57 xG (expected goals) and restricted Ten Hag's side to just one shot on target, a tame long-range effort from Antony that Nick Pope easily saved.
"Today we fully deserved the win," Howe said. "It wasn't a lucky win.
"We knocked at the door the whole game, I think statistically we were very strong today. So I'm really pleased with the players."
Newcastle's bid to finish in the top four is now entering a crucial stage with three consecutive away matches next up, starting with a trip to the London Stadium to face relegation-threatened West Ham on Wednesday.
Howe urged his players to keep their focus, explaining: "That was my words after the game. We've got three games in six days, we have to be focused on West Ham.
"But we're in a good vein of form. Three wins in a row is difficult to do in the Premier League, so we'll look forward to those games."
Erik ten Hag believed Newcastle United "wanted to win more" than Manchester United on Sunday.
The Red Devils slipped to a second defeat in their last three Premier League games as they suffered a 2-0 loss, with second-half goals from Joe Willock and Callum Wilson at St James' Park claiming revenge for the Magpies' EFL Cup final loss to United.
United dropped to fourth in the Premier League as a result, behind Newcastle on goal difference and just one point ahead of Tottenham.
Speaking after the game, Ten Hag acknowledged his side deserved to lose, suggesting it was attitude that made the difference.
"I hate to say it but they were better today," he told Sky Sports. "Especially [their] determination, passion and desire. They wanted to win more this week, so they won.
"I think we had our opportunities, but then you have to go for goal with the determination that they did. By far, it was not good enough. We allowed them too many chances.
"You have to be hungry. You have to give everything, every game. I think our attacking game was not good enough. I don't want to focus on one person.
"It has nothing to do with one person. It was about team performance. We didn't break them. It wasn't good enough."
However, the Dutch coach was adamant United are not at risk of falling down a slippery slope, pointing to their response following a 7-0 drubbing against Liverpool as proof of their resilience.
"This is normal," he added. "In a season, you have setbacks and you have to deal with them so many times.
"After Liverpool, we came back. I don't have the concern. I believe in my team, [and] I believe they will bounce back."
Marco Bezzechi secured his first MotoGP win with a stellar ride in a wet Argentine Grand Prix at Termas de Rio Hondo.
Runner-up in Saturday's Sprint, Bezzechi took the lead on the opening lap and led throughout, finishing ahead of Johann Zarco in second and Alex Marquez, who started on pole, in third.
Bezzechi's victory sends him to the summit of the 2023 MotoGP standings, with previous leader and defending champion Francesco Bagnaia crashing out soon after rising to second ahead of Marquez.
Franco Morbidelli looked set for a podium finish before Zarco's thrilling late charge through the field relegated him to fourth, while Marquez celebrated his first podium since his rookie season in 2020.
Brad Binder, winner of Saturday's Sprint, crashed at turn five on the opening lap, while Fabio Quartararo was another to endure a difficult start after being pushed off by Takaaki Nakagami.
Bezzechi was in a class of his own in the lead, opening up an advantage of over seven seconds after Bagnaia, then running second, crashed out on lap 17.
Quartararo then began to rise through the field but the most impressive late charge came from Zarco, a second quicker than his competitors as he pushed his way to a podium spot.
His work was done on the final lap, overtaking Marquez, but there was no competition for Bezzechi, who cruised to victory to finish over four seconds ahead of his nearest rivals.
Top 10
1. Marco Bezzechi (Mooney VR46) 44:28:518
2. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) +4.085
3. Alex Marquez (Gresini) +4.681
4. Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha) +7.581
5. Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) +9.746
6. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM) +10.562
7. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) +11.095
8. Luca Marini (Mooney VR46) +13.694
9. Alex Rins (LCR Honda) +14.327
10. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini) +18.515
Championship Standings
Riders
1. Marco Bezzechi (Mooney VR46) 50
2. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) 41
3. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) 35
4. Alex Marquez (Gresini) 33
5. Maverick Vinales (Aprilia) 32
Teams
1. Mooney VR46 65
2. Pramac Racing 57
3. Red Bull KTM 47
4. Aprilia 44
5. Ducati 41
Marco Bezzecchi secured his first MotoGP win with a stellar ride in a wet Argentine Grand Prix at Termas de Rio Hondo.
Runner-up in Saturday's Sprint, Bezzecchi took the lead on the opening lap and led throughout, finishing ahead of Johann Zarco in second and Alex Marquez, who started on pole, in third.
Bezzecchi's victory sends him to the summit of the 2023 MotoGP standings, with previous leader and defending champion Francesco Bagnaia crashing out soon after rising to second ahead of Marquez.
Franco Morbidelli looked set for a podium finish before Zarco's thrilling late charge through the field relegated him to fourth, while Marquez celebrated his first podium since his rookie season in 2020.
Brad Binder, winner of Saturday's Sprint, crashed at turn five on the opening lap, while Fabio Quartararo was another to endure a difficult start after being pushed off by Takaaki Nakagami.
Bezzecchi was in a class of his own in the lead, opening up an advantage of over seven seconds after Bagnaia, then running second, crashed out on lap 17.
Quartararo then began to rise through the field but the most impressive late charge came from Zarco, a second quicker than his competitors as he pushed his way to a podium spot.
His work was done on the final lap, overtaking Marquez, but there was no competition for Bezzechi, who cruised to victory to finish over four seconds ahead of his nearest rivals.
Top 10
1. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46) 44:28:518
2. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) +4.085
3. Alex Marquez (Gresini) +4.681
4. Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha) +7.581
5. Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) +9.746
6. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM) +10.562
7. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) +11.095
8. Luca Marini (Mooney VR46) +13.694
9. Alex Rins (LCR Honda) +14.327
10. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini) +18.515
Championship Standings
Riders
1. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46) 50
2. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) 41
3. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) 35
4. Alex Marquez (Gresini) 33
5. Maverick Vinales (Aprilia) 32
Teams
1. Mooney VR46 65
2. Pramac Racing 57
3. Red Bull KTM 47
4. Aprilia 44
5. Ducati 41
Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay has revealed he came close to joining the Baltimore Ravens before re-signing with the NFC champions last month.
The five-time Pro Bowler – a key member of the Eagles team that lost to the Kansas City Chiefs at Super Bowl LVII – looked set to leave Philadelphia when he was given permission to discuss a trade.
Slay even appeared to bid farewell to the team's supporters on Twitter, but a remarkable U-turn saw the Eagles agree a two-year contract extension worth $42million with the 32-year-old.
That represented a major coup for Philadelphia as they bid to build on their 14-3 2022 season, but Slay has revealed a move to Baltimore was on the cards before his reversal.
"I was almost a Baltimore Raven. This close," Slay told reporters, holding up two fingers.
"But I wanted to be an Eagle. I stayed an Eagle because I know we were going to figure something out.
"The Baltimore Ravens were the first team that called. They offered just what I wanted. I said, 'If the Eagles do that, I'm going to stay an Eagle.' It was nice. I was almost a Raven."
Slay made 40 tackles and three interceptions across the regular season last term, while his 14 passes defensed saw him tie for 12th in the NFL.
A superb opening stand from Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis ensured Royal Challengers Bangalore cruised to an eight-wicket win over Mumbai Indians in their Indian Premier League opener.
Having fallen just short of the IPL final last year, RCB got their 2023 campaign off to a terrific start, dominating their opponents on both sides of the ball at The Mangalam Chinnaswamy Stadium.
RCB made a fast start with the ball, with Harshal Patel well-placed to claim an outside edge from Ishan Kishan (10) before Reece Topley bowled Cameron Green (5), though a bizarre collision between Dinesh Karthik and Mohammed Siraj saw the latter inexplicably drop Rohit Sharma.
Rohit was less fortunate when he handed Karthik a catch for just one run three balls later, though his exit allowed Tilak Varma to step up with a quickfire 84 off 46 balls, carrying Mumbai to 171-7.
That outstanding effort proved to be in vain, however, with Du Plessis (73) and Kohli (82 not out) putting on a strong opening stand of 148, both bringing up half-centuries by the end of the 12th over.
While skipper Du Plessis walked with five overs remaining, lofting through to Tim David for a simple catch, Mumbai never looked likely to break the momentum of RCB, who recorded a statement win.
Varma wastes no time
In dragging Mumbai to a respectable tally with his knock of 84, Varma averaged a boundary every 3.5 deliveries.
Only Jos Buttler – who struck a boundary every 2.2 balls in the Rajasthan Royals' win over Sunrisers Hyderabad – has posted a better such rate in the early stages of the IPL this season, with Varma hitting nine fours and four sixes from the 46 balls he faced.
Unfortunately for the 20-year-old, RCB's top-order batsmen were in similar form as Mumbai failed to build any momentum with the ball.
Fifty up for Kohli
RCB never looked likely to fall short in their chase of 172, with Kohli taking centre-stage to bring up a personal IPL landmark.
With his knock of 82 runs from 49 balls, Kohli recorded his 50th score of 50 runs or more in the IPL. Only David Warner (60) has more half-centuries in the competition's history.
Maurizio Sarri wants to "continue and finish with" Lazio after the Biancocelesti tightened their grip on second place in Serie A with a 2-0 victory over Monza.
Goals from Pedro and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic moved Sarri's side five points clear of third-placed Inter, while they recorded a sixth successive clean sheet for the second time this season.
The former Napoli and Juventus coach, who has two years remaining on his contract at Lazio, was asked about his future following victory at Stadio Brianteo on Sunday.
But the 64-year-old is eager to continue his project with Lazio, while also praising the character demonstrated by his players.
"I have two more years, and I'm fine at Lazio," he said during his post-match press conference. "They made me feel important.
"If something sensational doesn't happen, I want to continue with Lazio and finish with this team. It's a club that gets inside you. I like this Lazio a lot.
"I had asked for maturity in not repeating the mistakes of the past. And the signs of maturity are coming, we played a serious game against a difficult team to face.
"We have quality, technique, breadth. Humility was needed, and we faced [Monza] in the right way."
Milinkovic-Savic made history with a tremendous free-kick – his seventh in Serie A – representing his 65th Lazio goal, making him the club's leading foreign scorer of all time.
The Serbia international also ended his goal drought having last found the net against Milan in January, and was thrilled to answer his critics.
Although the midfielder, who is out of contract in June 2024, refused to discuss speculation surrounding his future.
"These are three enormous points for us, as we are still in second place for a while longer," he told DAZN. "Finally, I managed to score and I really missed that feeling.
"There has been a lot of criticism and negative words. I tell you the truth, I did not accept them well, they knocked me down. I didn't think I deserved them after everything I've done over the years for this club.
"If I read too much, I hurt myself, but I accepted them, I worked and today finally came what I was waiting for and what everyone was waiting for.
"I am concentrated on the pitch, helping the team and achieving our objectives for the season. I don't want to talk about the contract renewal, we'll see at the end of the season."
Carlo Ancelotti professed his love for Real Madrid and appeared to allay worries about his future at the club after Sunday's 6-0 demolition of Real Valladolid.
The experienced Italian has been strongly linked with the vacant head coach role with the Brazil national team, who have been searching for a new boss since Tite's exit at the end of the World Cup.
Several Brazil players have publicly backed Ancelotti for the job with the Selecao in recent weeks, and Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) president Ednaldo Rodrigues also confirmed an interest.
Ancelotti declared a desire to stay with Madrid on Friday, but then caused a little concern in some circles when adding that "the future is unknown".
After seeing Karim Benzema inspire a big win on Sunday with a hat-trick, Ancelotti showed no signs of stress.
Speaking to Los Blancos legend Guti – who revealed that Friday's comments left him anxious – on DAZN, Ancelotti said: "Do I look worried about my future, Guti?
"I love Madrid as much as you do."
Madrid may be well adrift of LaLiga leaders Barcelona but Sunday's victory – during which Karim Benzema scored a first-half hat-trick – was a reminder of just how devastating they can be when in the mood.
Success cut Barca's lead back down to 12 points, and while that will in all likelihood prove an insurmountable gap, Ancelotti was keen to emphasise how crucial he believed the win to be.
"[It was] key. At first, we suffered a bit, and they had chances. But as soon as we made it 1-0, everything was easier," he said.
"The transitions were spectacular and Karim was at his best level. Everything went well."
The game included a second-half cameo for Eden Hazard, who was making just his fourth LaLiga appearance of the season.
It was the 32-year-old Belgian's first league outing since September, and although his introduction was greeted by jeers, he looked fairly sharp.
In 25 minutes, he registered four key passes – bettered by only Marco Asensio's five – and set up Lucas Vazquez's stoppage-time goal, with Ancelotti adamant Hazard can be a useful option during the run-in – assuming he stays fit.
"I heard [the whistles], yes," Ancelotti said. "Eden has trained well this break. He has played very little, but he has done well and has given an assist. He's training well, he can have opportunities."
Manchester City's 4-1 victory over Liverpool on Saturday showed they can cope without Erling Haaland, believes Kevin De Bruyne.
The forward, who leads the Premier League charts with 28 goals this term, missed out on his side's clash with the Reds through injury.
Despite his absence, Pep Guardiola's hosts still ran rampant at the Etihad Stadium to keep up the pressure on Arsenal in the title race.
For De Bruyne, victory reinforced the suggestion City can cope without their first-choice frontman, with the Belgian pointing to Argentina's World Cup winner Julian Alvarez as a handy understudy.
"Erling is an unbelievable player, but we've been winning loads of games in the last eight years that I've been here," he told City's website.
"He's an additional piece that helps us a lot, but we know if he's not there, we have Julian who is a World Cup winner.
"I don't think it's a bad replacement we have as a team-mate. Everybody knows their task and whoever is on the pitch will do the job."
Saturday's result saw City stay eight points off the heels of the Gunners, with a game in hand as they aim to reel them in at the summit.
Though their title chances are technically out of their own hands, De Bruyne still expects them to push Arsenal all the way, as they also compete in the FA Cup and Champions League.
"Obviously, we know we are behind," he added. "We are still doing a really good job and are playing in three competitions.
"To be [at] this stage of the season and to be there means you've been consistent.
"In the league, Arsenal have been a little bit better than us, but we can try and win as many games as possible and see where we end up."
Joe Willock's first goal since November and a late Callum Wilson header moved Newcastle United into the Champions League spots on Sunday as they beat top-four rivals Manchester United 2-0.
Knowing a win at St James' Park would leapfrog the Magpies above the Red Devils and into third, it appeared Newcastle's luck was out as they saw countless chances come and go.
But Willock's close-range header finally put Eddie Howe's side ahead, before Wilson nodded in Kieran Trippier's free-kick to secure a magnificent win that takes them into the Champions League places.
Erik ten Hag's men see their own top-four hopes dented as they drop to fourth, just a point above Tottenham, though they do have a game in hand over the Londoners.
A lively opening saw Wout Weghorst lash into the side netting before David de Gea made a brilliant stop to deny Alexander Isak's header and then Willock's effort from the rebound.
The visitors were on the ropes and forced to spend much of the first half defending, with Sean Longstaff sending a powerful drive whistling past the upright before Willock blazed over from close range.
Ten Hag's men survived until the interval, and Fabian Schar fired an effort from distance just wide after the break as Newcastle continued to press.
The Red Devils' resistance was finally broken in the 65th minute, Allan Saint-Maximin nodding Bruno Guimaraes' delivery back across to Willock, who headed in from close range to send the home fans into raptures.
Joelinton then saw a close-range effort tipped onto the crossbar by De Gea from a corner, but Wilson sealed the victory when he nodded home Trippier's free-kick in the 88th minute to secure three precious points in the Magpies' bid for European football.
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