Kevin Durant was a full participant in the Phoenix Suns' intense workout on Thursday, signalling his debut in his new colours is just around the corner.
Head coach Monty Williams called Thursday's session the longest and most intense workout the Suns have had since training camp, as they shook off some cobwebs coming out of the All-Star break.
Durant has not played since suffering a knee injury on January 8, and while he was recovering, he was traded to Phoenix in exchange for Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and four first-round draft picks.
He has already been ruled out of Friday's home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but the two-time NBA Finals MVP is expected to return during the following four-game road trip, and ESPN is indicating it will likely be Wednesday against the Charlotte Hornets.
Speaking to the media after seeing Durant in live action, Williams was inspired by the future Hall-of-Famer's work ethic.
"When guys watch him work, I think it's something that inspires people to get after it in their own workouts," he said. "Because they're not going to find anybody that goes as hard as Kevin. When he's doing his individual stuff it's amazing to watch."
Starting center Deandre Ayton agreed, highlighting that the level in practice has taken a leap.
"I think everybody's competitive level has risen a little bit," he said. "The atmosphere around the facility has, I won't say gotten intense, but it's definitely a little denser when it comes to business.
"Ain't no more playing games or, you know, less smiles, more seriousness and getting a job done."
Franchise player Devin Booker stayed back and played some one-on-one with Durant after their main session, and while he would not indicate who get the better of the duel, he said he is excited to see how other teams try to deal with the duo.
"It was hard to put into words, I can't wait until we do it against other teams," he said. "A lot of teams have one good defender or two good defenders, now you have to find who you're going to put them on."
The Suns came out of the All-Star break sitting fifth in the Western Conference at 32-28.
World number two Carlos Alcaraz had to come from a set behind to defeat Fabio Fognini 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 6-4 on Thursday to advance to the Rio Open quarter-final.
The 19-year-old phenom has now won all five of his matches in 2023 after winning last week's Argentina Open, and the 2022 Rio champion is now three wins away from defending his title at South America's only ATP 500 event.
Against Fognini, Alcaraz lost the first set despite creating 11 break point opportunities, as his Italian opponent converted all four of his own chances in a back-and-forth battle.
The Spaniard tightened up his service game down the stretch, only allowing Fognini one break point opportunity from the second and third frames combined, and he will now play Dusan Lajovic following his 6-2 6-4 win against Serbian compatriot Laslo Djere.
Chile's Nicolas Jarry is still yet to lose a set in the tournament, following up his impressive upset of third seed Lorenzo Musetti with a 6-2 6-2 triumph over Pedro Martinez.
Jarry will get a crack at another seeded opponent next when he takes on Argentina's sixth seed Sebastian Baez, who emerged victorious 7-5 7-6 (8-6) after two gruelling sets against Peru's Juan Pablo Varillas.
Fourth seed Francisco Cerundolo was eliminated 6-1 4-6 6-1 by Bernabe Zapata Miralles, who will meet Albert Ramos-Vinolas in an all-Spanish quarter-final after he fought off Daniel Elahi Galan 6-2 6-4.
Billy Horschel and Joseph Bramlett are co-leaders at five under after Thursday's opening round of the Honda Classic.
Horschel came into the event as the second-highest ranked player in the field, at world number 19, as many of the world's best opted to take the week off ahead of bigger prize pools at the upcoming Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players.
Looking to capitalise on the weaker field, Horschel posted six birdies and one bogey during his first trip this week around PGA National in his home state of Florida. Meanwhile, Bramlett went bogey-free for his 65, joining Horschel at the summit after a birdie on his final hole.
Rounding out an all-American top-five are Pierceson Coody, Justin Suh and Carson Young tied for third at four under, and Young still has three holes to play after his round was cut short by fading light.
The only player in the field ranked higher than Horschel – world number 18 Im Sung-jae – is part of the logjam at three under that includes English duo Ben Taylor and Matt Wallace, while world number 20 Shane Lowry headlines the group one further back with Australia's Min Woo Lee.
Defending champion Sepp Straka made a safe start at one under, with last season's title the first and only of his PGA Tour career so far.
Andy Murray and Daniil Medvedev sealed their place in the Qatar Open semi-finals while top seed Andrey Rublev was upset 4-6 6-4 6-3 by Jiri Lehecka.
Rublev won this tournament in 2020 and looked to be on his way to the final four after a strong opening set put him ahead.
But Lehecka battled back in the second to level the match and then found a crucial break in the second game of the deciding set to seize the advantage.
It was a lead he would not relinquish, holding his nerve despite watching a pair of match points come and go to clinch victory and knock out the world number five.
Lehecka will meet Murray in the semi-finals after the Brit came from a set down to see off Alexandre Muller 4-6 6-1 6-2 and keep his hopes of winning the Qatar Open for a third time alive after back-to-back titles in 2008 and 2009.
A tough opener had Murray facing a deficit against the world number 170, but a typically gutsy display saw him pull off the comeback and reach his first tour-level semi-final since June 2022, when he lost in the Stuttgart Open final to Matteo Berrettini.
Medvedev sealed his place in the final four with a hard-fought 6-2 4-6 7-5 win over Christopher O'Connell.
The world number eight triumphed for the seventh straight match, but did not have it all his own way against his Australian opponent, needing a crucial break with the final set tied at five games each to put himself back into the ascendancy.
Felix Auger-Aliassime awaits Medvedev in the next round after prevailing over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in straight sets.
The world number nine out-aced his opponent eight to two to author a 6-4 7-6 (7-5) victory after one hour and 48 minutes, and he will look to improve on his dismal record against Medvedev on Friday, having lost all five of his meetings against the Russian.
At the Open 13 Provence, top seed Hubert Hurkacz reached the quarter-final after rallying from a set down to see off Leandro Riedi 4-6 6-3 6-2.
Second seed Jannik Sinner was forced to withdraw through illness, sending wildcard Frenchman Arthur Fils into the final eight, where he will meet Stan Wawrinka.
Alex De Minaur teed up a clash with Benjamin Bonzi by cruising past Alexander Ritschard 6-3 6-3, while world number 25 Grigor Dimitrov will play Alexander Bublik on Friday after beating Gijs Brouwer in straight sets.
Tennis Jamaica has announced the renewal of its partnership with National Commercial Bank Jamaica Limited (NCB) for the next staging of its highly successful Amateur Tennis series, which kicks off with the first event set for March 4 – 11, 2023.
The series of ten tournaments will be played at the NCB Wellness and Recreational Centre in Kingston, and will see amateurs of varying levels competing in a variety of divisions namely, Men’s Class 1, 2 and 3 and Ladies A and B.
Each tournament will also see the introduction of a Men’s Class 1A event, which will allow local professionals to showcase their skills in an exhibition round robin format while gaining invaluable match practice and experience. While the majority of events will focus on singles competition, there will also be events dedicated solely to Doubles competition as well.
Tennis Jamaica President, John P. Azar, was elated to welcome NCB back on board for a second year.
“The NCB Amateur series was one of our many highlights of 2022. It allowed players of all levels to come out in a competitive yet friendly atmosphere. I have no doubt that the 2023 series will be even more successful as each of the last events were record-setting, with an increased number of entries each time, and there is no doubt that the players are raring to go and get back on the courts,” he said.
Azar was quick to point out that NCB’s support had not been limited to the Amateur Series.
“Even with the best plans and ambitions, we are powerless without the support of our valued sponsors, led by NCB. They have been consistent in their support of a variety of our developmental programs and I see it as a belief in the Tennis Jamaica brand and what we are doing. I cannot thank NCB enough for their invaluable and ongoing support,” Azar added.
Brand and Sponsorship Manager at NCB, Marion Carter, also shared her enthusiasm for the partnership, stating, “We are thrilled to be continuing our partnership with Tennis Jamaica for the 2023 Amateur Tennis Series. Supporting the development of sports in Jamaica is very important to us as we see more young Jamaicans turning to this field as a viable career and wealth-creation option for them and their families. We believe that the NCB Amateur Tennis Series is an excellent platform for players of all levels to showcase their skills and compete in an environment that is geared towards their development.”
Azar added: “I cannot stress enough the importance of tournaments in the development of players. The presence of events such as these encourages players to practice even harder in an effort to showcase their skills. It is wonderful to see the camaraderie and fellowship between the tennis family and nothing brings that out as well as friendly but fierce competition.”
Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka lost for the first time in 14 matches, and Coco Gauff set up a semi-final clash with Iga Swiatek at the Dubai Tennis Championships on Thursday.
Sabalenka fought back from a set down to end the title defence of Jelena Ostapenko a day earlier, but she came up short against Barbora Krejcikova as her Czech opponent overcame a tough first set to run out a 0-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-1 victor.
Sabalenka, playing in her first event since claiming a maiden grand slam title in Melbourne, romped into the lead by breaking Krejcikova's serve three times to go a set ahead.
But the world number two was pegged back in the second as Krejcikova battled to force a tie-break, which she dominated to level the match.
Krejcikova then completed the shock victory in style, breaking the second seed twice in the final set before clinching the win on her third match point to end Sabalenka's run of 13 straight triumphs.
Karolina Muchova's withdrawal due to an abdominal injury means it is Jessica Pegula who will face Krejcikova in the semi-finals on Friday.
After Swiatek reached the final four by virtue of Karolina Pliskova pulling out because of an illness, Gauff set up a sixth meeting with the world number one by beating Madison Keys 6-2 7-5.
In those five previous clashes between the pair, Gauff is yet to win a set.
But after cruising past Keys, doing so by converting four of five break points and winning 90 per cent of her service games, Gauff is confident of improving her dismal record against Swiatek on Friday.
"All five times, I did something wrong," Gauff said. "To be honest, she's playing great tennis and there's a reason she's world number one.
"Tomorrow I have no pressure. I just have to play my game. I definitely think I've gotten better since the last time I played her.
"Ranking is just a number at the end of the day. You just have to step on the court believing you can win, and that's what I'm going to do tomorrow."
Courtney Lawes is poised to make his England return at the Principality Stadium, while Dan Biggar drops to the bench as Warren Gatland has made nine changes to his team for the Six Nations clash on Saturday.
Lock Lawes has been named among the replacements after recovering from injury and is set to make his first appearance for the Red Rose since captaining his country for the series victory in Australia last year.
Anthony Watson has got the nod to start on the left wing ahead of Ollie Hassell-Collins in the only change to the team that beat Italy 31-14 before the weekend off.
That means Marcus Smith is on the bench once again, with captain Owen Farrell staying at fly-half.
Warren Gatland has wielded the axe following a 35-7 hammered at the hands of Scotland, fly-half Biggar among those to lose his place. George North, Liam Williams and Wyn Jones miss out altogether.
Centre Mason Grady will make his senior bow, Owen Williams comes in at number 10 and the fit-again Louis Rees-Zammit is back on the wing.
It was confirmed on Wednesday that the game will go ahead following a threat of strike action from Wales players, who will attempt to get up and running following defeats to Ireland and Scotland.
Wales team: Leigh Halfpenny, Josh Adams, Mason Grady, Joe Hawkins, Louis Rees-Zammit, Owen Williams, Tomos Williams; Gareth Thomas, Ken Owens (captain), Tomas Francis, Adam Beard, Alun Wyn Jones, Christ Tshiunza, Justin Tipuric, Taulupe Faletau.
Replacements: Bradley Roberts, Rhys Carre, Dillon Lewis, Dafydd Jenkins, Tommy Reffell, Kieran Hardy, Dan Biggar, Nick Tompkins.
England team: Freddie Steward, Max Malins, Henry Slade, Ollie Lawrence, Anthony Watson, Owen Farrell (captain), Jack van Poortvliet; Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Kyle Sinckler, Maro Itoje, Ollie Chessum, Lewis Ludlam, Jack Willis, Alex Dombrandt.
Replacements: Jack Walker, Mako Vunipola, Dan Cole, Courtney Lawes, Ben Curry, Alex Mitchell, Marcus Smith, Henry Arundell.
Craig Casey and Ross Byrne will make their first Six Nations starts for Ireland when they travel to Rome to face Italy on Saturday.
With Johnny Sexton out with a groin injury and Conor Murray dropped to the bench, Casey and Byrne will pair at half-back as coach Andy Farrell makes six changes to the team that beat France last time out.
Ronan Kelleher replaces Rob Herring at hooker, while Jack Conan comes in for Peter O'Mahony and Bundee Aki earns a start after coming off the bench in the first two games, replacing Stuart McCloskey.
Dan Sheehan is fit again and has been named among the replacements.
James Ryan will captain the side in Sexton's absence as Ireland look to make it three wins from three following victories against Wales and France.
Ireland have won 22 of their previous 23 matches against Italy in the Six Nations, including the last nine in a row, with their only defeat in that spell coming in Rome in 2013, which was the last time Italy won at home in the competition against anyone.
Italy have made three changes from the side that lost to England in their last game, with fly-half Paolo Garbisi back in for Tommaso Allan.
Coach Kieran Crowley has also recalled Pierre Bruno to the left wing, while Simone Ferrari is in for Marco Riccioni at tighthead prop.
Italy XV: Ange Capuozzo, Edoardo Padovani, Juan Ignacio Brex, Tommaso Menoncello, Pierre Bruno, Paolo Garbisi, Stephen Varney; Danilo Fischetti, Giacomo Nicotera, Simone Ferrari, Niccolo Cannone, Federico Ruzza, Sebastian Negri, Michele Lamaro (c), Lorenzo Cannone.
Replacements: Luca Bigi, Federico Zani, Marco Riccioni, Edoardo Iachizzi, Giovanni Pettinelli, Alessandro Fusco, Luca Morisi, Tommaso Allan
Ireland XV: Hugo Keenan, Mack Hansen, Garry Ringrose, Bundee Aki, James Lowe, Ross Byrne, Craig Casey; Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher, Finlay Bealham, Iain Henderson, James Ryan (c), Caelan Doris, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan.
Replacements: Dan Sheehan, Dave Kilcoyne, Tom O'Toole, Ryan Baird, Peter O'Mahony, Conor Murray, Jack Crowley, Stuart McCloskey.
Russell Westbrook is relishing another new challenge and is ready to "fit right in" with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Westbrook's Los Angeles Lakers exit was confirmed before the trade deadline and he cleared waivers to join city rivals the Clippers on Wednesday.
The Clippers are fourth in the Western Conference at 33-28 and are set to have Westbrook, 34, available for their first game after the All-Star break when they face the Sacramento Kings on Friday.
Nine-time NBA All-Star Westbrook is in no doubt he still has a lot to offer.
The 2017 NBA MVP said: "For me, it's just finding my way to be able to help other guys. It's something I truly embrace, and that's what I will do – make sure I can make the game easy for all these guys that are here, find out their spots, what they like, what they don't like.
"And that's going to be a process for me, but I'm ready for the challenge and looking forward to it."
Westbrook added: "I think the most important thing is coming in, keeping the pace high, using my speed and ability to get into the paint [and] get those guys easy shots [is] where I think I can help out a lot. Everything else, I'll fit right in and continue what they have going on right now."
Clippers head coach Ty Lue does not want Westbrook to change his game in order to fit in.
"If he's doing too much or not enough, I'll let him know," Lue added. "But we want him to be the player that he is, the MVP, the Hall of Famer, everything he brings every single night.
"We want him to be that person, that player. And then we've just got to make sure that it's in the confines of our team and what we're trying to do team-wise."
Boston Bruins winger Brad Marchand says they could not "care less about any regular-season records" as hype swirls about breaking the long-standing NHL points record.
The NHL-leading Bruins possess a 43-8-5 record through 56 games, putting them on track for 133 points which would eclipse the record during an 80-game season of 132 points set by the Montreal Canadiens in 1976-77.
Boston are also on pace for 63 wins which would surpass the single-season record of 62 victories held by both the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings and the 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning.
But Marchand downplayed the significance of those milestones within the playing group who were focused on bigger targets.
"People have talked a lot about some of these records, that we could potentially hit or we have hit," Marchand told ESPN.
"Nobody cares about those in this room. We couldn't care less about any of these regular-season records because they really don't mean anything.
"Before we were going through this season, if you asked any of the guys on this team who owned any of those records, nobody would know, because nobody cares, because it's not about the regular season.
"As soon as somebody brings it up, it's in one ear and out the other."
Marchand added that lifting the Stanley Cup was the goal, rather than records or finishing atop the standings after the regular season.
"If you win the Presidents' Trophy but you don't win the Cup, nobody cares," he said. "That's what we know on this team."
LeBron James spoke during the All-Star break of the Los Angeles Lakers' ability to "compete versus anyone in the Western Conference", buoyed by their prior results.
The Lakers won two of their final three games before the break, including a victory on the road against defending champions the Golden State Warriors.
Now, as the season resumes, the two teams meet again in LA, each needing a win.
Even with that minor upturn in form, the Lakers were left 2.5 games outside the play-in places. The Warriors, the ninth seeds, are little better off.
Missing out on the playoffs again is "just not part of my DNA", James added, meaning progress must now be swift.
The Lakers will hope then the "precautionary" decision to remove James from the All-Star Game due to injury is just that.
Although their previous win against the Warriors came without the all-time NBA scoring leader, it was on his return against the New Orleans Pelicans that the Lakers really impressed.
James appeared for the first time alongside new recruit D'Angelo Russell, while Anthony Davis joined the four-time Finals MVP in the starting lineup for only the 24th time this season.
Getting all three men on the floor together consistently will be key to any unlikely success story.
Against a Warriors team still missing Stephen Curry, a show of strength could set up a big second half to the season.
PIVOTAL PERFORMERS
Los Angeles Lakers – D'Angelo Russell
Whether Russell can make the difference for the Lakers is another matter. But the team need that to be the case. His arrival, with Russell Westbrook departing, is the big change most likely to alter the course of the season.
The early signs are at least promising – he has averaged 17.3 points but only 1.7 turnovers through his first three games.
That is a level of efficiency not seen before in Russell's career – including in the half-season he spent with the Warriors – but should be enough to keep James happy, which is more than can be said for Westbrook, whose 3.5 turnovers per game were actually down on his career average.
Golden State Warriors – Jordan Poole
While Curry remains out, the Warriors will have to rely on Poole to provide their scoring threat.
More than half of his 35 starts this year (20) have come when Curry has been out of the lineup, in which games Poole has averaged 27.6 points per game.
It figures that Poole should be more influential when team-mates do not have Curry to instead look to, with the 23-year-old attempting 10.1 threes per game without the superstar alongside him.
Taking the ball and the shots counts for little, however, if Poole cannot get the Warriors enough wins to stay competitive. They are 9-11 this year when Poole starts but Curry does not.
KEY BATTLE – Lakers at the crunch?
Not helped by having a key man missing, the Warriors have repeatedly been frustrated by the way they have ended games of late.
The previous Lakers game was the source of some frustration as Golden State appeared set to recover from a tough third quarter before another wobble in the fourth.
In fact, across their past eight games that have been late and close – within four points in the last two minutes of the final quarter – the Warriors have been outscored in those scenarios in six.
If the Lakers can stick with the Warriors, they look the better bet to come through late on.
HEAD TO HEAD
The teams have split the series so far this year, with the Warriors' win on opening night followed by that home defeat. All time, the Lakers have a 259-173 lead over the Warriors in the regular season.
Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham says the team's goal is to reach the playoffs rather than falling into a play-in situation as they look to revive their season after the All-Star break.
The Lakers are currently 13th in the Western Conference with a 27-32 record ahead of their resumption against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.
Despite the Lakers' lowly rank in the west, they are only 2.0 games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder as the 10th seed, which earns a play-in berth.
But LA are also only 3.5 games behind the sixth-placed Dallas Mavericks, for the final of the guaranteed playoffs spots, offering hope for a side which drastically changed its roster prior to the break.
Russell Westbrook has departed, while they acquired D'Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt to bolster their squad.
The Lakers also have LeBron James and Anthony Davis fit again and ready to team up as they look for a charge, with the four-time NBA MVP earlier this week labelling their final 23 regular-season games as "the most important" games of his career.
"The goal is for us to come out and try to be the best version of ourselves each game, but definitely, if we can go and secure a spot, that is our goal right there," Ham told reporters.
"If we fall into a play-in situation, so be it. But our number one goal is to go secure a spot, not just throw games off here or there and just wish for a play-in. We want to go secure a spot."
The Lakers face two of their main rivals for those final Western Conference playoffs spots in their next two games, with the Warriors sitting ninth with a 29-29 record but they will be without star Stephen Curry to injury.
The Mavericks, who acquired Kyrie Irving prior to the Trade Deadline, are next on Sunday after Golden State.
"I mean we have to help ourselves first and foremost, and we only do that by winning games," Ham said.
"We've already put ourselves behind the eight ball enough, we don't want to get into a further situation where we're depending on teams in front of us to lose games and all the while we're dropping games.
"Winning is the focus. It's the only way we can help ourselves and take care of what we can control."
All-Star Davis said the Lakers needed to treat every remaining game as a "must-win" and play them like Game 7 of a series.
Carlos Alcaraz finished the job against Brazilian wild card Mateus Alves to set up a second-round meeting with Fabio Fognini at the Rio Open.
Alcaraz's first-round meeting with Alves was halted on Tuesday due to heavy rain with the 2022 US Open champion leading 6-4 5-3, but the Spaniard clinched victory on Wednesday 6-4 6-4.
The top seed will take on 35-year-old Italian Fognini, who also was made to wait to secure his progress due to the Tuesday rain, eventually triumphing 6-2 6-3 over Chilean qualifier Tomas Barrios Vera.
Second seed Cameron Norrie endured a tough second-round tussle with local Thiago Monteiro, needing two hours and 30 minutes to triumph 7-5 7-5.
The Briton prevailed in one hour and 25 minutes in the first set against the 83rd-ranked Brazilian, while he was broken when serving for the match at 5-4 in the second frame.
Norrie, however, rallied to break straight back before securing victory after successfully serving the match out on the second attempt.
Fifth seed Diego Schwartzman was the major casualty of the day's play, going down 6-1 6-4 to Serbia's Dusan Lajovic in one hour and 29 minutes.
Brazilian veteran Thomaz Bellucci farewelled the ATP Tour after losing 6-3 6-2 to sixth seed Sebastian Baez.
Albert Ramos Vinolas, Bernabe Zapata Miralles and Hugo Dellien were also winners on Wednesday, with the latter progressing into the quarter-finals to face Norrie.
Former Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder is among the candidates to take over at the Atlanta Hawks following Nate McMillan's firing.
Snyder has been linked with the vacant job since McMillan was fired on Tuesday and Hawks general manager Landry Fields confirmed he was being considered among a pool of options.
The 56-year-old led the Jazz from 2014 to 2022, guiding the side to six straight playoffs appearances, before parting ways at the end of last season with an overall 372-264 regular-season record.
"Quin is a part of that pool," Fields told reporters on Wednesday. "That's something that we will consider, for sure."
Snyder has an association with the Hawks, having worked there as an assistant coach in the 2013-14 season before taking up the Jazz gig.
The Hawks are hoping for a playoffs push, sitting eighth in the west with a 29-30 record at the All-Star break.
Fields said he could make a hire this season, with Snyder available having been out of a job since exiting the Jazz.
"It's a factor in the sense that I feel comfortable mentioning his name," Fields said when asked about Snyder's availability.
"But there are other candidates I don't want to mention because they are a part of other teams. I want to make sure I'm respectful of other teams."
The Hawks have confirmed assistant coach Joe Prunty will serve as interim coach at practice this week before their season resumes on Friday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Stephen Curry will not return from injury for at least another week, the Golden State Warriors confirmed on Wednesday.
Curry has missed the defending champions' past five games after injuring his left leg against the Dallas Mavericks.
He collided with McKinley Wright IV and suffered tears to his superior tibiofibular ligaments and interosseous membrane that were revealed by scans, as well as a contusion to his lower left leg.
Curry had planned a return "after the All-Star break", albeit without "a specific date".
The Warriors' superstar also ruled out playing against the Los Angeles Lakers in the team's first game back on Thursday, but his lay-off will extend beyond that.
An update from the Warriors read: "Stephen Curry, who has missed the last five games due to injury, was recently re-evaluated.
"The re-evaluation indicated that Stephen is making good progress. He has started various individual on-court workouts and will be re-evaluated in one week."
The Warriors are 29-29 for the season, sitting ninth in the Western Conference ahead of the season's resumption.
Andrey Rublev and Andy Murray battled to outlast their opponents at the Qatar Open, while Daniil Medvedev breezed into the quarter-finals.
Top seed Rublev, who won this tournament in 2020, responded to a first-set setback to rally to a 1-6 6-1 7-6 (8-6) win over Tallon Griekspoor on Wednesday.
The world number five was staring at a fourth opening-round defeat in five appearances this year but saved three match points en route to fighting back from 5-2 down in the decider.
Murray and fourth seed Alexander Zverev played out another three-set thriller in the Middle East, with the former world number one triumphing 7-6 (7-5) 2-6 7-5.
That clash lasted three hours and three minutes in another marathon match for Murray after defeating Italian Lorenzo Sonego in a final-set tie-break in the first round.
Medvedev (3) had no such difficulty in a comfortable 6-4 6-3 victory over world number 147 Liam Broady.
Second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime had to regain his composure during his debut in Doha, but ultimately prevailed 4-6 6-1 6-4 against Jason Kubler.
World number eight Auger-Aliassime had lost his only previous meeting with Kubler, and an upset was on the cards after the Canadian was broken in the third game and was unable to recover.
Yet he found his form with a blistering second set, reeling off five straight games to restore parity and keeping his cool in the decider.
That victory teed up a last-eight meeting with seventh seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who downed Kwon Soon-woo 6-3 6-2.
Jiri Lehecka will meet favourite Rublev after beating Emil Ruusuvuori 6-2 7-6 (7-2), while Botic Van De Zandschulp was shocked by world number 170 Alexandre Muller in a straight-sets defeat.
Elsewhere at the Open 13 Provence, fifth seed Maxime Cressy fell to a surprise second-round elimination after a 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-3 loss to home favourite Benjamin Bonzi.
There was no such luck for the other Frenchmen in Marseille as Alexander Bublik eased past Gregoire Barrere, while Stan Wawrinka beat Richard Gasquet 4-6 7-5 6-2 to reach the last eight.
Wales' Six Nations clash with England will go ahead this weekend after strike action was avoided following crunch talks on Wednesday.
Professional Rugby Board (PRB) chair Malcolm Wall confirmed an agreement had been reached with Welsh Rugby Players' Association (WRPA) chief executive officer Gareth Lewis over a series of key issues that had led to a realistic threat of the fixture not taking place.
The settlement of a significant contract dispute came after the PRB agreed a reduction to the 60-cap rule that governs international selection and revised the fixed-and-variable contract offer for players.
Only 25 international caps will be required for players before being able to play freely outside of Wales, and still be available for the national side, while Lewis will attend all PRB meetings.
A new contract agreement, under the newly proposed new Professional Rugby Agreement (PRA), will contain a fixed-only option, as well as a fixed-variable deal that Wales' professional sides will work under.
"We have listened to our players and have been able to resolve the three issues presented, quickly and efficiently," said Wall after the announcement.
"The six-year framework we have agreed has always had the players' best interests at heart and we have been happy to allay their understandable concerns with the adjustments described.
"Negotiations at PRB will continue in earnest as we seek to sign our new six-year PRA as soon as possible and we continue to be grateful to our professional players for their understanding and patience at this most critical time for the game in Wales."
Warren Gatland delayed his squad announcement on Tuesday amid ongoing discussions, with Wales players reportedly keen to have matters sorted by the following day.
Those plans came to fruition after negotiations between the four Wales professional sides and WRPA representatives at Principality Stadium, and a further meeting among international and club players.
"I'm grateful to PRB members for the meaningful consultation that has taken place over the past days and weeks and for the compromises they have made in getting to this point," said WRPA's Lewis.
"The impasse that was reached this week is of course regrettable for all parties but, having now been granted a place within PRB, the players' voices can now be heard which will avoid any repeat of situations like this in the future.
"The players are now keen to put this matter behind them and concentrate on preparations for one of the biggest matches in the international sporting calendar in Cardiff on Saturday."
Welsh Rugby Union interim chief executive officer Nigel Walker added: "The PRB has been agile and receptive to the players' requests and the players have, equally, been responsible and reasonable in their dealings with the PRB which is a credit to all parties.
"We will all now put this matter behind us and I know the nation will also unite as one behind the team when they face England.
"The game is on and, whilst there is still some detail to discuss and some fine tuning to be done in our negotiations at PRB, this is undoubtedly been a linchpin moment from which we can build."
Wales are bottom of the table after losing to Ireland and Scotland at the start of Gatland's second spell as head coach.
Conor Benn will be reinstated to the WBC rankings after the organisation accepted his explanation that "highly-elevated" egg consumption could have been behind his failed drugs test.
The Briton was due to fight Chris Eurbank Jr in a high-profile contest last October, only for the bout to be pulled at short notice after he tested positive for the banned substance clomiphene.
A fight between the two was prohibited by the British Boxing Board of Control and eventually cancelled by promoters, with Benn subsequently struck from the WBC rankings.
But following an appeal, the WBC confirmed he would be reinstated on Wednesday after they did not find enough data to further support his suspension.
"The WBC found that there was no conclusive evidence that Mr. Benn engaged in intentional or knowing ingestion of clomiphene," said an official statement.
"[In addition,] there were no failures in the procedures related to sample collection, sample analysis, or violations of Mr. Benn’s B Sample rights that would justify questioning or invalidating the adverse finding.
"[Furthermore,] Mr. Benn’s documented and highly-elevated consumption of eggs during the times relevant to the sample collection, raised a reasonable explanation for the adverse finding."
Though Benn will return to the WBC rankings, he remains under investigation by the BBFoC and UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) and therefore is not licensed to box in the UK while those processes are ongoing.
However, he could now seek another country and a different jurisdiction in which to fight if he so chooses.
Eubank Jr suffered a third career loss last month in Manchester against Liam Smith, following the cancellation of his match with Benn.
Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka fought back from a set down to end the title defence of Jelena Ostapenko at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Sabalenka, playing in her first event since claiming a maiden grand slam title in Melbourne, recovered from falling behind in style to win 2-6 6-1 6-1 on Wednesday.
Ostapenko won the tournament last year and looked to be in with a chance of extending her winning streak in Dubai to seven matches.
But Sabalenka launched a strong recovery to reach the quarter-finals and extend a stunning run to start the season to 13 consecutive wins.
The second seed tightened up her game in the second and third sets and will face either Petra Kvitova or Barbora Krejcikova in the last eight.
Sabalenka had been broken three times by Ostapenko in the opening set, but she only had to fend off one break point from there.
"In the first set, she played unbelievable tennis and I couldn't do anything," Sabalenka said.
"I was looking at my team asking like, 'What can I do?', but somehow, I turned around this game and started playing really incredible tennis.
"She plays really fast, deep balls, and I tried to stay super low, stay focused, and try to put more balls in than she did. I'm so happy that I did it."
A lower back injury for Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina robbed supporters of what had looked like being a thrilling matchup against Coco Gauff.
The withdrawal of Rybakina meant Gauff progressed via a walkover and will face fellow American Madison Keys next.
Keys and Gauff have played twice before, winning one match apiece.
It was Gauff who won their most recent encounter in the third round of the US Open last year.
Top seed Iga Swiatek had earlier booked her place in the last eight, with the Pole's latest dominant showing in Dubai earning praise on social media from Andy Murray.
And news followed that Karolina Pliskova, her semi-final opponent, had been forced to withdraw.
Swiatek benefited from a walkover in the quarter-finals en route to winning the Qatar Open last week and is now only two wins away from another title.
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