Christian Yelich understands the pressure that comes with being paid as a franchise player heading into the first season of his seven-year, $188million contract extension with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Yelich, 30, has now spent four years with the Brewers after arriving from the Miami Marlins and was a revelation with his new club.

In his first year in Milwaukee, Yelich catapulted himself into the conversation of the game's elite players, winning NL MVP in 2018 and finishing second in the award in 2019, leading the National League in batting average in both seasons.

His incredible performance was rewarded with a juicy new contract – which officially kicks in this season – but since signing, he has regressed significantly.

The 2020 and 2021 season were the two worst of Yelich's career, but he now says he knew the entire contract would not be all "smooth sailing".

"I understand what comes with [the big contract]," he told The Athletic. "I understand that if you don't play well, people are going to be p***ed. Like, I get it. 

"It's part of sports. It's part of what we do, especially when you sign a deal like that. There's no getting around that, and I'm very aware of that.

"I know that I am paid at a level where you need to produce and things are expected of you, and that's because of past performances in the game. That's how it works... so there's no shying away from it. 

"I knew that contract is over a long time, so I didn't really assume that it was going to be smooth sailing all the time."

Yelich admitted the game felt "pretty easy at times" during his peak years but stressed his career is evidence plenty can change from year to year.

"That's the thing – every year is its own year," he said. "Just because you did well or did poorly the year before, it doesn't mean anything going into the next year or the year after that. Every year is its own thing – nothing carries over. 

"There's different factors every year that go into whatever's going on for players and teams.

"The game is constantly adjusting and things constantly are changing. You have to do that as well or the game is going to kick your a**."

The Brewers kick off their season on the road against the Chicago Cubs on Opening Day.

There will be plenty to play for when the Boston Celtics arrive at Fiserv Forum to take on the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday.

Heading into the game, the Celtics (50-30) occupy the Eastern Conference two seed, while the Bucks (49-30) are a half-game back in third, holding the tie-breaker over the Philadelphia 76ers (49-30) in fourth.

Since the All-Star break, no team has a better winning percentage than the Celtics (16-4), while Milwaukee are fifth over that period (13-6); but while the reigning champion Bucks find their feet, Boston have gone to a new level.

For the season, the Celtics are number one in defensive efficiency, as new head coach Ime Udoka's switching system has maximised the physical gifts of defensive stalwarts Marcus Smart and Robert Williams III.

At this point, Boston's defense is a given, but post-All-Star break, they have also had the number one offense in the league, and are putting a gap on the rest of the field. Over that time period, the closest team to Boston's 122.2 points per 100 possessions have been the Minnesota Timberwolves, 2.7 points per 100 possessions behind at 119.5.

For context, that 2.7-point gap is greater than the 2.6-point margin between the Timberwolves and the 11th-placed 76ers (116.9) for the same period, and Boston's 12.9 net-rating since All-Star weekend is a number generally reserved for some of the greatest regular season teams in league history.

However, the team right behind the Timberwolves on the list, in third place, are the Bucks, and it is no hot streak as they boast the fifth-best offensive efficiency over the whole year.

These teams are both serious contenders to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals – but they go about it in very different ways.

Primarily, that has a lot to do with the Celtics' switching defensive system.

The Celtics 'switch' screens – meaning instead of fighting over or under the screening player to recover back to your assignment, the player guarding the screener takes on the assignment of guarding the ball-handler, while the ball-handler's defender takes responsibility for the screener and his next movements.

The Bucks, on the other hand, play 'drop coverage', which means their on-ball defender tries to force the ball-handler on a predictable path around the screen, while the screener's defender peels off into a help position, with the aim of forcing the ball-handler to pull up for a mid-range shot with their defender contesting from behind.

Both systems are formed on sound logic. In switching schemes, the idea is to eliminate as much dribble penetration as possible by keeping the ball-handler in front on the perimeter, while trusting the smaller guard to be able to deny the screener an easy catch in the paint.

Drop coverage, on the other hand, forces teams to consistently attempt mid-range jump shots, which are statistically the least valuable shot in the game.

In theory, Boston's switching defense should perform well against Giannis Antetokounmpo, as the Bucks' two-time MVP thrives at attacking the rim, while Milwaukee should be able to bait Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown into mid-range jump shots that can go cold for extended stretches.

But the numbers show it may not be that simple.

Boston allow the second-fewest amount of points in the paint per game, and while Antetokounmpo lives at the rim, the Bucks actually come in last in the league with their percentage of points scored in the paint.

While that may indicate that the Celtics' defense is playing right into how the Bucks like to play, Boston also allow the second-lowest three-point percentage in the league.

It poses an interesting question about Boston – is their defense truly so good that teams can not score inside the key or from long range, or is their defense the top-ranked in the league because their opponents just keep missing threes?

Opposing three-point percentage can be a messy stat due to general shooting luck, and Boston allow opponents to get up a league-average amount of attempts, so if they are due for some regression to the mean, it means they are due to be on the wrong end of some hot shooting nights.

Boston's defense also allows the lowest amount of opposition assists per game, but Milwaukee are third-last in assist percentage, so how much are the Bucks actually trying to do the things the Celtics are built to stop?

Milwaukee play at the fifth-highest pace in the league, while Boston play at the fifth-lowest – all signs point to the fact that something has to give, and whoever can play the game at their tempo may just hold the keys.

PIVOTAL PERFORMERS

Boston Celtics – Marcus Smart

Marcus Smart is not the best scorer on the Celtics, or the best ball-handler, but he excels in the areas that have made this Boston team great during the second half of this season.

He is the bookmakers' favourite to win Defensive Player of the Year due to his ability to switch off of point guards and bang bodies down low against the bigs, unlocking the true upside of a switching system as post players regularly fail to take advantage of their significant height advantage.

The Bucks are a big team, so for the Celtics defense to rise to the occasion once again against a true contender, Smart will need to hang with Jrue Holiday on the perimeter, as well as keep Antetokounmpo out of the lane.

Milwaukee Bucks – Brook Lopez

Antetokounmpo is Milwaukee's best and most valuable player. However, the centrepiece of the Bucks' drop coverage is Brook Lopez.

Lopez will be the biggest player, with the longest arms, for either team, and Milwaukee's entire defensive scheme will revolve around forcing players to take and make shots over his outstretched arms.

He also has the size, and the underrated post game, to make life miserable for whichever undersized guard gets caught in screening actions and needs to switch onto the seven-footer.

Smart will be able to hold up if he establishes good early position, but if the Bucks can get Derrick White or Payton Pritchard involved in the switch, it could be a long night inside for Boston's defense.

KEY BATTLES – Who can get the most 'easy' points?

In a game that will likely resemble a playoff atmosphere, the winning team may simply be the side who make life easiest on themselves.

Fast-break points and free throws limit the amount of possessions a team needs to grind their way through a set half-court defense, and provide the easiest avenues to uncontested points.

Milwaukee rank as the eighth-best team at getting to the free-throw line, and fourth-best at denying their opposition free throws, while Boston are 21st at getting to the line.

As mentioned, Boston like to play at a methodical pace, ranking 20th in fast-break points, while Milwaukee have the fifth-best transition defense in the league.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

These two sides have met three times this season – all before the All-Star break.

Boston won the first two home fixtures – including an overtime win where Dennis Schroeder scored a game-high 38 points, before being traded to the Houston Rockets – while Milwaukee won the last meeting, and the only one at Fiserv Forum, 117-113.

The 2022 French Open will provide Jo-Wilfried Tsonga with a final opportunity to shine in front of a home crowd after the 36-year-old confirmed his impending retirement.

Tsonga has suffered with injuries over recent seasons and has managed just two ATP Tour match wins so far in 2022.

The Frenchman reached a high ranking of world number five and finished as runner-up at the 2008 Australian Open.

He never won a grand slam but did reach five more major semi-finals. Tsonga has collected 18 singles titles on the ATP Tour, including two Masters 1000 crowns in Paris (2008) and Toronto (2014). His last triumph came in 2019 in Metz.

"It is with great emotion that I announce today my decision to stop my professional career at the next French Open," Tsonga wrote on social media.

"So many incredible moments, so much joy shared with a public that gave me a lot. Hoping for one last thrill with you!"

In a video accompanying his announcement, Tsonga said: "The goal is to be myself, to be Jo-Wilfried Tsonga the tennis player.

"I hope that I will stay in shape before and be able to be who I have always been at this tournament.

"I have always set myself high goals to try to get what I can. For me, this will be the opportunity to do it one last time."

Yannick Noah (69.6 per cent) is the only Frenchman to have a higher winning percentage in tour-level matches than Tsonga (66.5).

Unai Emery lauded Villarreal's "almost perfect" performance against Bayern Munich but recognised their 1-0 first-leg advantage was not enough.

Villarreal edged Bayern in the home leg of their Champions League quarter-final, although the margin of victory could have been wider.

After Arnaut Danjuma's early opener, Francis Coquelin had an effort ruled out for offside and Gerard Moreno struck the post.

At the other end, Bayern did not muster a shot on target until the 59th minute; prior to this match, their first such effort had arrived by the 12th minute on average this season.

Despite winning, the scoreline was of concern to Emery – even if Bayern have lost their past five ties in which they were beaten in the first leg, including four against Spanish teams.

"We are here to try to compete and reach the semi-finals," said Emery after Villarreal's first home knockout win in the competition since April 2006.

"We are against the favourites, against a team that hadn't lost, but if we play an almost perfect game like today, we can beat them. If it had been perfect, we would have beaten them by more.

"We have to play another 90 minutes and find continuity. We are not going to dwell on how well we played, that we have won and that we have competed and been better against Bayern.

"We have to be demanding and, at the same time, as the professionals that we are, we want to go one step further. And those steps we are taking do not stop.

"We are going to try to play a 90-minute game, with what it will demand, with what it will require, with the difficulty that we will find more than today, in order to overcome them.

"In 90 minutes today, I'm satisfied that the fans have experienced a historic moment by playing a quarter-final against Bayern Munich, that they have experienced it before and repeated it again and that we played a good game and won, but there are still the second 90 minutes.

"It's part of the game that you have a second goal that is offside, it's part of the game that they have chances and you stop them, it's part of the game that you score a goal, it's part of the game that you have chances and don't score them.

"You cannot think about what has happened and what could have happened. The result is 1-0. It is a good result but logically insufficient. The difficulty there will be greater.

"They are the favourites, they are a great team. It's not normal for them to lose, but they do lose from time to time – even by more goals, rarely, very rarely. Mostly, they win by many goals. We can be happy but at the same time cautious."

He added: "We have 90 minutes left and I want to beat Bayern Munich. Knowing that it is very difficult, I want to do it and I want to work for it.

"And if I don't beat them, I'm not going to be satisfied, I'm going to be frustrated, regardless of whether we played a good game [in the first leg]."

Karim Benzema is playing "the season of his life" as Real Madrid team-mates queued up to praise the inspirational captain after his latest Champions League hat-trick.

French frontman Benzema hit all three of his side's goals in their 3-1 victory at Chelsea on Wednesday, the first leg of a quarter-final tie over which Madrid now have firm control.

That performance in London saw Benzema advance to 37 goals and 13 assists in 36 games this season. His goal involvements total of 50 puts him top of all players from Europe's top five leagues, with Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski second on the list with 49 involvements (45 goals, four assists).

Ten of those goals from Benzema have come in his past four games, with Champions League hat-tricks against Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea sandwiching LaLiga doubles against Real Mallorca and Celta Vigo.

When he was absent against Barcelona due to injury, Madrid looked lost without their talisman and were thumped 4-0 in El Clasico.

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel sounded a despondent note after the game, warning of the danger of his team being destroyed in next week's second leg if they deliver another lacklustre display.

But Madrid were delighted with the outcome, with star defender David Alaba raving about the 34-year-old Benzema's match-winning turn.

"What he's doing this season is incredible," Alaba said after the game. "I can see how hard he works, and he's having the season of his life, he's very focused and is hungry to score goals. He prepares very well for every game, particularly matches like tonight's. I'm delighted to have him as a team-mate."

Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois spoke of Madrid's "important result" and pinpointed the hat-trick hero, saying: "To go far in the Champions League you need a player like Benzema."

The win at Stamford Bridge will have resonated around Europe, with LaLiga leaders Madrid chasing a 14th European Cup/Champions League triumph this season.

Two early headers from Benzema put Madrid in firm control, before he spurned the chance of a first-half hat-trick when firing wide shortly before the break.

The veteran former Lyon man made up for that miss when he seized on a shocking pass from goalkeeper Edouard Mendy to fire in Madrid's third in the first minute of the second half.

Brazilian midfielder Casemiro said it was important to acknowledge Benzema is going through a special phase in his career.

"Firstly, we've got to talk about Karim’s magic," said Casemiro, quoted on Madrid's official website.

"We simply have to continue to enjoy the player that he is, we appreciate his quality and the player that he is, but many people only see his goals and we see his quality, the type of person he is, and it's extremely important for us that we continue to enjoy having him.

"It was a whole team effort, in terms of the effort, reading the game, knowing how to play, and I think that we understood the game well."

Thibaut Courtois defended Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy after his error gave Real Madrid a two-goal lead in their Champions League quarter-final tie.

Chelsea had rallied after Karim Benzema's sensational quickfire double put Madrid 2-0 up at Stamford Bridge, with Kai Havertz responding shortly before half-time.

But the Blues' hard work was undone almost immediately after the interval, as Mendy's slack pass to Antonio Rudiger invited a challenge from Benzema, who was then able to fire into an open goal to complete his hat-trick.

It was Mendy's first error leading to a goal in the Champions League and only his third across all competitions in two seasons since joining Chelsea.

Although Chelsea had 57.3 per cent of the possession and 20 shots to Madrid's eight, the home side could not hit back again and now face a huge uphill task in the second leg in Spain.

Mendy at least had the sympathy of former Chelsea man Courtois, his opposite number in the Madrid goal.

"The problem if you make a bad pass as a goalkeeper is that there's no one behind, they steal the ball and score," Courtois said.

"He shouldn't be blamed, but a mistake by a goalkeeper is talked about a lot."

As much as 37.5 per cent of the game was played in Madrid's third of the pitch, but Chelsea created chances worth just 1.35 expected goals, even if Courtois would have been more comfortable with the visitors playing further upfield.

"We defended well," he said. "Maybe at times we were too deep and they took advantage of that to create chances. We have to improve on that and move the defensive line a bit higher up.

"We have to make sure we play well in the return leg."

Courtois should find a more supportive crowd in that return leg, having been jeered by the Chelsea fans on Wednesday in his first match back at Stamford Bridge in front of supporters.

The Belgium keeper left Chelsea for Madrid in a €35million transfer in 2018.

"Obviously it's a Champions League game, it's not a friendly," he said of the response.

"I didn't like how my departure from the club was explained, but I think I had really good moments at Stamford Bridge and I've got very fond memories of my time at Chelsea."

Adam Silver is concerned by what he sees as "a trend" of the NBA's best players spending too much time on the sideline.

NBA commissioner Silver was speaking at a news conference following a two-day meeting with the league's board of governors.

Last year's NBA MVP Nikola Jokic was one of 11 players to play every game in the shortened 72-game 2020-21 regular season.

But only five players are on course to complete the full 82 games this year – and none of them could be considered superstars.

While Jokic has still played a good number in 73, MVP rivals Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo have been limited to 66 and 65 games respectively.

Stephen Curry has played in 64, Luka Doncic and James Harden in 63, LeBron James in 56, Kevin Durant in 53 and Kyrie Irving, chiefly due to the vaccine protocol that was in place in New York for much of the season, in 27.

Harden (37.2 minutes), James (also 37.2), Irving (37.5) and Durant (37.1) have at least seen plenty of time on the floor when they have been available, although the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers have spent much of the season hovering around the play-in line.

While Silver acknowledged injuries were a factor, he suggested this sort of motivation was key to seeing the best of the league's stars.

Antetokounmpo (32.9 this year) has long played limited minutes in the regular season, while Kawhi Leonard – prior to the injury that has kept him out of this season – was allowed regular periods of rest with the Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Clippers in order to prepare for the playoffs.

"The greater concern to me is a trend of star players not participating in a full complement of games," Silver said.

"I think that's something we, together with the Players Association, need to address. I'm not standing here saying I have a great solution.

"Part of the issue is injuries. One of the things we have focused on at the league office and we had begun to spend a lot of time on pre-pandemic [is]: are there things we can do in terms of sharing information, resources around the league to improve best practices, rehabilitation?

"The other way we can get at it, in terms of player participation, is creating other incentives.

"The play-in tournament, I thought, was a beginning of creating renewed incentives for teams to remain competitive and be fighting for playoff position. It might be through in-season tournaments and changes in format where we can get at it."

Carlo Ancelotti is as impressed by Karim Benzema's leadership and personality as his outstanding goalscoring exploits after another dominant Champions League display.

Benzema became the fourth player in Champions League history to score a hat-trick in consecutive performances on Wednesday.

The France forward netted all three Real Madrid goals in their 3-1 win at Chelsea in the first leg of their quarter-final, having also hit a treble against Paris Saint-Germain in the last-16 second leg.

This was the first hat-trick against Chelsea in any European competition and moved Benzema to 11 goals for the campaign – the most by any Frenchman in the European Cup or Champions League in a single season.

Benzema has 37 goals across all competitions in 2021-22, but the two headers that gave Madrid a two-goal lead at Stamford Bridge have to count among his best.

Now 34, Benzema has never scored more in a season – 32 in 2011-12 was his previous best – but head coach Ancelotti sought to highlight how important he is to the team in other ways. The striker wore the captain's armband in the absence of Marcelo on Wednesday.

"Karim improves every day like a fine wine," said Ancelotti, who returned to the touchline after testing negative for coronavirus.

"He's more and more of a leader in the team, in the group, and I think that's the biggest difference. He shows his personality more, he knows that he is very important to us and he is an example for all."

This was a fourth consecutive win in matches against reigning European champions for Madrid, but Ancelotti warned against complacency heading into the second leg in Spain.

"The team played very well, it was a very good performance. We were brave, we showed personality," he said. "But we are only at half-time in the tie.

"We'll want to have the same approach when we come back, but you never know how it's going to go.

"Obviously, we have the advantage, but the tie is still open. Without the away goal rule, it's an advantage for Chelsea.

"I think we played better than them on the night, but there is still one game and anything can happen."

Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant was excited about the state of his club's local rivalry against the New York Knicks after going into Madison Square Garden and leaving with a 110-98 comeback win.

After conceding 67 points in the first half, the Nets clamped things down defensively after the break, giving up just 31 points in the last two quarters, including a dominant 38-16 final period.

Durant was spectacular, scoring 32 points (11-of-22 shooting) with 10 rebounds and 11 assists, while Patty Mills caught fire off the bench, hitting five three-pointers after struggling recently with his shot.

R.J. Barrett was the main man for the Knicks, scoring 23 points with seven rebounds and seven assists, but shot just seven-of-27 from the field as he struggled down the stretch.

Speaking to post-game media, Durant said he felt the animosity in the building towards himself and his team, and that he knows why.

"We know how much Knicks fans don't like us," he said. "Especially now, in this era of the Nets, with [Kyrie and I] not choosing the Knicks [in free agency]. 

"It definitely adds something to the rivalry… imagine the tweets I've been getting since I decided to come to the Nets, from Knicks fans. They're still pi**** off about the stuff I say, and the little jabs here and there.

"But like I said, it's always love in the streets when I see Knicks fans, it's always love at the games, but it's a good rivalry to be a part of.

"Everybody who steps in our building will realize how big these games are – it felt like a home game to us the last two times in [Madison Square] Garden, and it feels like a home game for the Knicks when they come to Barclays.

"It's good to be a part of this, it's a fun rivalry, and hopefully it continues to build, and we get more and more animosity between the fan bases. It will be good for the game."

Top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka won for the first time since late February, defeating Alison Riske 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 at the Charleston Open on Wednesday.

Losing her opening matches at the sunshine double of Miami and Indian Wells, after only taking five games off Iga Swiatek at the quarter-final in Doha, the world number five improved her head-to-head record with Riske to 5-0.

Sabalenka by no means cruised to victory, though, failing to close the match out at 5-2 in the second set. Riske had four break points to level at 5-5, but the 23-year-old powered through when she needed to, eventually closing out after an hour and 49 minutes.

Second-seeded Paula Badosa of Spain and ninth-seeded American Madison Keys also advanced to the third round at Charleston, with respective wins over Anna Bondar and Ulrikke Eikeri.

Badosa, who made the semi-finals in Charleston last year, overcame a mid-match rain delay to eventually win in an hour and 35 minutes.

Jessica Pegula continued her positive run of form after making the semi-finals in Miami, accounting for Jasmine Paolini with a 6-2 6-1 victory.

Other seeded winners included Belinda Bencic and Alize Cornet, while Elina Rybakina, Ajla Tomljanovic and Shuai Zhang were among seeds who lost on Wednesday.

The weather in South Carolina continued to be a problem at the first WTA clay-court event this season, however, as the match between Ons Jabeur and Emma Navarro was suspended due to heavy rain.

Meanwhile at the Copa Colsanitas in Bogota, Rebecca Peterson was the only seeded player in action on Wednesday, and lost 6-1 6-4 to Germany's Tatjana Maria.

The Brooklyn Nets came back from a 21-point deficit to storm home in the second half, defeating the New York Knicks 

The Nets' defense struggled early on, conceding 38 points in just the second quarter on the way to trailing 67-50 at half-time.

Knicks' R.J. Barrett was the best player in the first half, and went on to finish with 23 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, but after his side peaked at a 71-50 lead one minute into the third period, it was all downhill from there.

Brooklyn would hold New York to just 31 points in the entire second half, snatching the lead in the fourth quarter and riding a hot shooting performance from Patty Mills in his return to form.

Mills hit five-of-seven from long range off the bench, including a deep contested step-back with the shot clock winding down late in the fourth quarter, while superstar Kevin Durant was spectacular throughout.

Durant scored 32 points on 11-of-22 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds to go with his 11 assists, while Barrett's shooting tailed off badly, finishing with figures of seven-of-27 from the field and two-of-11 from deep.

The win moves Brooklyn's record to 42-38, which is the same record as the Atlanta Hawks, but the Nets hold the tie-breaker and would finish in the eight seed if the season ended today.

Trae Young leads his Hawks in style

Atlanta has been arguably one of the league's most disappointing teams this year, but last season's Eastern Conference Finalists have found some form heading into the play-in tournament, beating the Washington Wizards 118-103 behind another spectacular showing from All-NBA point guard Trae Young.

Young, who in his past 10 games is averaging 29.7 points and 11.1 assists on shooting splits of 48/40/91, was again the best player on the floor against the Wizards, racking up an efficient 30 points (eight-of-17 shooting, 11-of-12 from the free throw line) to go with 11 assists.

Washington's Kristaps Porzingis also deserves a mention for his 26 points (eight-of-16 shooting) and 18 rebounds as the Wizards nearly broke even (minus three) in his 32 minutes played.

Celtics stifle struggling Bulls

The Boston Celtics have been the best defensive team in the NBA this season, and made life miserable for the Chicago Bulls for a 117-94 road win.

Both teams will make the playoffs, but while the Celtics have thrived in the second half of the season and look like a contender, the Bulls have stumbled, with no Chicago player scoring more than DeMar DeRozan's 16 points on six-of-16 shooting on Wednesday.

On a down night for Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown picked up the scoring load, finishing with 25 points on 10-of-21 shooting to go with four assists and four steals.

Nick Kyrgios continued his strong return to clay courts on Wednesday, defeating Tommy Paul 6-4 6-2 to progress to the quarter-finals of the US Men's Clay Court Championships in Houston.

Before Tuesday's victory over Mackenzie McDonald, Kyrgios had not played on clay since his infamous meltdown against Casper Ruud at the Rome Masters in 2019, where he threw a chair across the court and walked off during a change of ends.

The 26-year-old Australian wild card's serve kept him in relative control, saving all six break points he faced in the 70-minute match, as well as serving 10 aces and winning 88 per cent of points on his first serve.

"I had to be locked in today and I knew that I had to serve well," Kyrgios said post-match. "It's probably one of the better matches I've played on clay in my career, so I'm pretty happy with the way I came out here today, just put my head down and went to work.

"I've been serving really well, so I just wanted to keep to good habits."

The world number 94 will now face Michael Mmoh, who defeated Sam Querrey 6-2 6-4.

Meanwhile, third seed Reilly Opelka did it relatively tougher in the other all-American clash on Wednesday, coming back from a set down to defeat Mitchell Kreuger 3-6 6-2 6-4.

Opelka came into the match having lost just 13 service games in 19 matches this season, but was broken twice in the opening set against Krueger. The world number 18 has been dealing with a right shoulder injury that forced him to retire at the Miami Open against Francisco Cerundolo.

The 24-year-old still managed 15 aces for the match, including a big serve out wide in the Ad court on match point.

"He played well, I think he came out swinging," Opelka said afterwards. "I think he was free, I wasn't. It's a different situation.

"It was a good opportunity for him to play free and get a win and I'm a guy who hasn't always been the most consistent, especially changing surfaces, so I think it was a good win."

He will face Gijs Brouwer, who progressed past J.J. Wolf with a 6-1 6-1 win.

Rio Ferdinand labelled Karim Benzema the best striker in the world after Real Madrid's 3-1 win at Chelsea on Wednesday.

Benzema's hat-trick at Stamford Bridge was impressive alone as a feat, before even considering how clinically the French striker converted his chances and the fact it was his second Champions League treble in a row.

The 34-year-old became only the fourth player in Champions League history to score back-to-back hat-tricks after Cristiano Ronaldo (2017), Lionel Messi (2016) and Luiz Adriano (2014).

As well as his goalscoring output, the completeness of Benzema's game is what former Manchester United and England defender Ferdinand made particular reference to in his praise, and how he has thrived since Cristiano Ronaldo's departure in 2018.

"He is 34 and he is the best number nine in the world," Ferdinand said on BT Sport. "He is another level – goals, assists, link up play, slowing the game down.

"When Cristiano Ronaldo was there Benzema had the humility to sit in the background because he knew what it meant to the team, but now he has come out of the shadows."

Scoring only 12 goals across all competitions during Ronaldo's final season in Madrid, Benzema has netted over 25 in each season since and, with this hat-trick, is on 37 this term.

While the three-goal haul was pleasing for the France international, the team's performance and the win provided the ultimate satisfaction.

"I will remember it for a long time because they are magical nights, like the other day at the Bernabeu against Paris [Saint-Germain]," Benzema told Movistar.

"We entered the field today to win and we have shown who Real Madrid is. Things have gone well because we played well from the first minute to the last.

"All three are very important goals and I'm happier with the third because I missed one in the first half and I was thinking about it. It's very important to score goals."