Cam Thomas was surprised by Kyrie Irving's trade demand, but it has not changed how he feels about his Brooklyn Nets teammate.
Irving's request for a trade was lodged on Friday and has led to a flurry of interest ahead of Thursday's trade deadline.
The Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns are among the franchises attributed with an interest in Irving, with the Nets mulling over their options as they seek to remain competitive ahead of the imminent return from injury of Kevin Durant.
While Irving's demand caught his teammates off guard, Thomas insisted the 30-year-old was still his "brother".
"Yeah, of course, everybody was surprised, but it's not my business, that's still my brother at the end of the day," he told reporters.
"He's one of the few guys who I really consider a brother in basketball. Just a big brother who I can look up to and ask anything to.
"So, whatever happens, happens, but he's still my brother no matter what at the end of the day."
Asked whether he has spoken directly to Irving, Thomas added: "For what? That's his business. I'm trying to get ready for a game.
"At the end of the day, he's made the best decision for himself. Whatever he does, I'm going to be supporting him, be happy for him, still call him and everything, but right now, they've got their own business going on."
Irving was absent from the Nets' 125-123 victory against the Washington Wizards on Saturday due to right calf soreness. Thomas was the standout figure in that game, with the 21-year-old stepping off the bench to score 44 points.
Dominic Thiem insists Novak Djokovic must be regarded as the greatest tennis player of all time, ruling Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal out of contention.
Despite a hamstring issue, Djokovic became the joint-most successful male player in grand slam history last week as he moved level with Nadal on 22 titles following his record-extending 10th Australian Open triumph.
Along with retired 20-time major winner Federer, Djokovic and Nadal find themselves in the long-running debate to determine the greatest player in history.
But 2020 US Open champion Thiem, who believes the number of major wins must be the decisive factor in the conversation, is confident Djokovic will soon leave his two great rivals firmly behind.
"In my opinion, the grand slam titles should be the defining criteria when determining the best of all time, they are the four most important tournaments in tennis," the Austrian said.
"Everything else is fine, but it's not the same. The slams are what counts, so the GOAT will probably be the one with the most grand slams.
"I am not very surprised [by Djokovic's Melbourne triumph]. Djokovic still looks young – physically and mentally, because of the way he moves on the court. It's like he was 25 years old.
"We have to be honest, he is the best, so his victory was not very surprising."
Zhu Lin captured her first singles title on the WTA Tour with a 6-4 6-4 victory over Lesia Tsurenko in Sunday's Thailand Open final in Hua Hin.
Zhu, playing in her first Tour-level final at the age of 29, produced a polished display against the Ukrainian, who had toppled top seed Bianca Andreescu in the last four.
Tsurenko got off to a miserable start as Zhu broke in the first game, but she soon responded with a break of her own in a topsy-turvy opening set.
Six of the last seven games played in the opener resulted in breaks of serve, with Zhu coming out on top before taking charge in the second.
Zhu was in the ascendency after three successive breaks when she forced her first championship point with a big forehand winner to end an epic rally, though Tsurenko recovered to force yet another break as the momentum shifted again.
However, Zhu, who will move into the top 50 of the world rankings as a result of her successful campaign in Thailand, hit back once more before converting her third championship point with an emphatic forehand to seal her maiden title.
The NBA has handed out bans to Austin Rivers, Mo Bamba and Jalen Suggs for their roles in an on-court brawl during the Orlando Magic's 127-120 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.
Rivers and Bamba became involved in an altercation late in the third quarter, with both men throwing punches before Magic guard Suggs pulled Rivers to the ground.
All three players were ejected in the aftermath of the incident, with Timberwolves duo Jaden McDaniels and Taurean Prince joining them after getting too involved in the melee.
Bamba will face the most severe punishment after the league said he continued to "engage with Rivers in a hostile manner" outside the locker rooms following the brawl.
The Orlando center will serve a four-game suspension without pay, while Rivers has been given a similar three-game ban.
Bamba's team-mate Suggs will miss one game for escalating the confrontation by grabbing Rivers around the neck, the league said, with that ban to be served when the Magic face the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday.
McDaniels, meanwhile, has been fined $20,000 for his actions, which included running into the melee to push Bamba from behind.
Jacque Vaughn believes the Brooklyn Nets proved what they want to be by fighting back to defeat the Washington Wizards on Saturday.
Cam Thomas scored 44 points from the bench as the Nets overturned a 23-point deficit at Barclays Center.
The Nets were without star players Kevin Durant, Ben Simmons and Kyrie Irving, the latter missing with a calf issue having this week requested a trade.
Irving was not in attendance, with Vaughn saying "we were all in agreement on him not being here", as the Nets coach hailed his team's mental fortitude.
"We stacked the deck, I think, at mentally challenging them tonight," he told reporters.
"We didn't get off to the start that we wanted to, but we responded. We talked about it at half-time that it was more than the physical piece of this game that we were missing, it was the mental piece of this game.
"Definitely a shift in our mentality. And we got rewarded for it.
"It's proof, it's evidence of who we want to be as a team. We talked about what day of the week, what state we're in, how many guys are available.
"It just doesn't matter. You have the ability and the choice to lock in and play and the group that we had did that."
Thomas' points haul was a career-best tally for the 21-year-old, who has played 35 times this season but is yet to make a start.
Edmond Sumner added 29 points but used his post-match press conference to laud his team-mate's match-winning efforts.
"I'm watching him score after score. Cam's a guy that once he gets that type of rhythm, you've just got to let him go," Sumner said.
"He can run off 10, 15, 20 straight. In the fourth quarter, he really picked it up and got it. Get it going, Cam. Go to work my guy. I love it."
Saturday's game marked an 11th start of the season for Sumner, who can empathise with Thomas when it comes to a lack of opportunities.
Sumner added: "People don't see what we really go through every day.
"It's hard not playing games when you're busting your butt every day – it's hard. For you to always stay mentally happy, it's tough.
"I know how hard he works, how talented he is. We stay ready every day, we compete against each other almost every day, so that was huge.
"I love that everybody on this team was happy for him and then we let him go to work."
Stephen Curry's knee injury suffered during Saturday's win over the Dallas Mavericks is a "concern" for Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
The reigning NBA champions had enough to close out the game, beating the Mavs 119-113 at Chase Center.
But Curry – who recorded 21 points, seven assists and six rebounds – was forced off in the third quarter.
Defending a drive, Curry was involved in a collision that instantly caused him obvious discomfort and prevented him from continuing.
The Warriors confirmed X-ray results came back negative, but more examinations are required to understand the full nature of the injury.
"Any time a guy's going to get an MRI there's a concern level, for sure," Kerr said. "So we'll just have to wait and see the results.
"This has happened many, many times over the years. So, fingers crossed he's OK."
Curry hurt the same knee only two days before against the Denver Nuggets, though Kerr was unsure if the two injuries had any form of relation.
If Curry does require a spell on the sidelines, Kerr and the Warriors can at least study their game from his last prolonged absence earlier this season when a shoulder injury forced him to miss 11 games.
"If he's out, then we move forward and we do have some games to look at, some game film to look at," Kerr added. "We'll be ready, regardless."
Curry's exit coincided with a significant drop-off for the Warriors, who went from 20 points up to having just a five-point lead with a little over 90 seconds left.
It is not the first time the Warriors have been unconvincing when trying to close a game out, with Draymond Green suggesting the players need to take more responsibility.
"When we get down the stretch, we stop doing the things that work," he said. "When the game is going down the stretch, it's hard for Steve [Kerr] to get a call in every time.
"You're under pressure, it's intense, you're in the game, you're not really focused on what's coming from the sidelines. We've got to do a better job closing down the stretch."
This victory took the Warriors to 27-26 for the season, leaving them seventh in the Western Conference.
LeBron James said it was a "duh" question when asked if Kyrie Irving is a player the Los Angeles Lakers should move for before the trade deadline.
Irving has requested a trade away from the Brooklyn Nets ahead of the deadline next week.
The eight-time All-Star did not feature for the Nets on Saturday due to a calf issue, though his absence was not felt too keenly in a comeback win over the Washington Wizards.
James scored 27 points to edge closer to breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time record, yet it was not enough to help the Lakers avoid a 126-131 reverse to the New Orleans Pelicans.
While the Lakers sit a lowly 13th in the Western Conference, with a 25-29 record for the season, they might still harbour hopes of a championship push should they get on a run and make the playoffs.
In January, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said "there's no resource we'll hold onto" if an opportunity to win a championship was there, and a possible trade for Irving might just fall into that category.
For James, it is a no-brainer, though he emphasised it is not his call.
"That's a Rob question," James said when asked about the possibility of reuniting with Irving, whom he reached three NBA Finals with while at the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"You've got to see [Pelinka] when you all get back to L.A. I don't speak for our front office.
"My mindset is whatever line-up or whatever group that we have is to make sure we prepare ourselves the best way we can to go out and win.
"Obviously, that's a – what's the word you use – 'Duh' question when you talk about a player that like that."
One player who could be used as a makeweight in a potential trade is Russell Westbrook.
The 2017 NBA MVP had 15 points, four assists and four rebounds from the bench on Saturday, though was not called upon by Darvin Ham in the final quarter.
There is plenty of speculation over his future, but asked if he was feeling extra pressure, Westbrook replied: "I do not.
"That's not up to me. I've known this was a business since I was 18, 19-years old, since I got into it.
"My dad taught me that at that age, getting to this league is a business, and people make whatever decision they make, that's up to them.
"I've been all in since day one. I'm very supportive of my team-mates. I compete every night. I'll make sure I'm ready and professional, like I always have been and always will be."
James echoed the sentiment, adding: "It shouldn't be an issue. The trade deadline happens every single year.
"You go out and focus, no matter what happens. You're still a professional."
As for making history, James could break the points record on Tuesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
"I just want to win, you know. You play the game the right way and see what happens," he said.
"I'm tired as hell, [but] I'll be ready to go on Tuesday."
Cam Thomas starred off the bench as the depleted Brooklyn Nets came from behind to defeat the Washington Wizards 125-123 on Saturday.
Already without Ben Simmons and talisman Kevin Durant, the Nets were dealt a further blow when Kyrie Irving was ruled out due to a calf problem.
Irving's injury came just a day after news broke of his wish to leave the Nets, with the point guard having handed in a trade request.
The former Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics star was not in attendance at the Barclays Center, though that decision was a joint one with the team's management.
A bleak end to the week looked set to be compounded as the Warriors held a healthy 23-point lead, yet the Nets fought back partly thanks to Thomas' efforts.
He scored a career-high, game-leading 44 points, while Edmond Sumner chipped in with 29 as the Wizards – who lost to the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday – became the first team in the past 25 seasons to throw away 20+ point leads on consecutive days.
Kristaps Porzingis top scored for the Wizards with 38 points.
James gets closer but Pelicans end losing streak
LeBron James is now just 36 points away from breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's long-standing NBA record, yet his efforts were not enough for the Los Angeles Lakers against the New Orleans Pelicans.
James added 27 more points to his total on Saturday, though the Lakers lost 131-126 to a Pelicans team that had suffered 10 straight defeats.
While Anthony Davis was the Lakers' standout performer with a double-double of 34 points and 14 rebounds, Brandon Ingram's 35-point haul led the Pelicans, who moved onto .500 for the season.
Curry concern for Warriors
Stephen Curry scored 21 points, added six rebounds and provided seven assists but hobbled out of the Golden State Warriors' 119-113 win over the Dallas Mavericks with a knee injury in the third quarter.
Curry must now await results of an MRI scan, which is set to take place on Sunday, to determine the severity of the issue.
Reigning NBA champions Golden State nevertheless got the job done without him in the final quarter, getting over the line against a Dallas side missing their star man Luka Doncic.
Draymond Green's 17 points, nine rebounds and nine assists were crucial, with Spencer Dinwiddie's game-high 25 points not enough for the Mavs, who have lost seven in 11.
Nuggets tie with Celtics
The Boston Celtics lost for the fourth time in six games on Friday and the Denver Nuggets capitalised to tie level as joint-NBA leaders.
Denver beat the Atlanta Hawks 128-108, with Nikola Jokic (14 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists) claiming his 18th triple-double of the season while Jamal Murray turned on the style with his season-best tally of 41 points.
The Nuggets are now tied with the Eastern Conference-leading Celtics on 37-16 for the season and have won 19 of their last 20 home games.
Kyrie Irving's trade request to the Brooklyn Nets caught his teammates off guard, according to Nic Claxton.
Having failed to agree a fresh long-term deal with the franchise, and in the final year of his four-year agreement, Irving has demanded a trade.
Suitors are growing, with ESPN reporting the Los Angeles Clippers have joined the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns in the hunt for his services.
Brooklyn are mulling over their options as they seek to remain competitive ahead of the imminent return of Kevin Durant, ahead of Thursday's trade deadline.
Irving's request led to plenty of surprise among fans, a feeling that was shared by center Claxton.
"I was taking a nap. I looked in one of my group chats and I saw it," he said on Saturday. "I was like, 'Wow'. It just caught me off guard. But it is what it is.
"We're just like everybody else, we were caught off guard, but I can't judge a grown man for his decisions.
"At the end of the day, he's doing what's best for him. I stand by him, and I stand with my teammates here in this locker room."
Irving did not play in Saturday's game against the Washington Wizards due to right calf soreness, where the Nets moved to 31-20 after a 125-123 victory.
Matthew Tkachuk enjoyed home comforts in the NHL All-Star Game, named MVP as the Atlantic Division beat the Central Division 7-5 on Saturday.
The Florida Panthers winger had seven points on the day, including five in the semi-final win over the Metropolitan Division, as he starred in front of the Panthers fans in Florida.
It was Tkachuk's second All-Star victory, having helped the Pacific Division win the 2020 All-Star title in his hometown of St. Louis.
Victory in Florida was a special occasion for Tkachuk, who hopes his teammates on the day enjoyed similar feelings.
"It's been an honour to play in front of them this whole year, and it's great that the other players in the league can see what a great place this is to play," he said, "I'm as happy as can be here."
Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin was another who shone, hitting a hat trick in the final, and he certainly had the same enjoyable experience.
"It was so much fun. I'm proud of how we won it. What a great group of guys. It was just a great weekend."
Victory for the Atlantic was their first after six previous ties in the divisional format, having fallen in the final in 2020.
Play at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am was suspended shortly after midday Pacific time (PT) on Saturday after strong winds, but not before Peter Malnati had taken a two-shot lead.
The decision was taken to suspend play at all three courses in the interest of fairness, with the winds so strong that balls on the ninth green at Monterey Peninsula Country Club would not stay still.
It had been hoped the third round could resume at 2pm PT, but it was soon confirmed that play had been suspended for the day, with the third round to resume at 8am PT on Sunday.
Malnati was playing his third round at Pebble Beach Golf Links, and carded six birdies and six pars from his 12 holes before play was suspended, taking him to the top of the leaderboard heading into Sunday on 12 under par overall.
Joseph Bramlett (after 13 holes) and Keith Mitchell (after 10 holes) sit tied for second on 10 under, with the former struggling after a good start.
Bramlett – also playing at Pebble Beach on Saturday along with former footballer Gareth Bale as his amateur – was three under for the round from his first eight holes, before bogeying three of the next five, albeit with birdies on the other two.
The leaders from the first two rounds, Hank Lebioda and Kurt Kitayama, are tied fourth on nine under, with Leboda one under for the round after 11 holes at Spyglass Hill Golf Course, while Kitayama is even par after nine holes on the same course.
Winds reportedly reached 40mph on Saturday, and the suspension means play is likely to go into Monday.
Mitchell had words of praise for his amateur team-mate, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, saying: "The guy was out practicing in the rain and the wind this afternoon when everybody was inside. I can’t imagine him not showing up [tomorrow]. The weather's better tomorrow morning than in Buffalo right now, I can promise you that."
Another NFL star, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, heads the amateur leaderboard on 25 under par, which is made all the more impressive considering his pro, Ben Silverman, is two over. The duo lead Malnati and FedEx president Don Colleran by three shots.
Singles victories from Rowland “Randy” Phillips and Blaise Bicknell gave hosts Jamaica a 2-0 lead over Estonia after day one of their group two Davis Cup tie at the Eric Bell National tennis Centre on Saturday.
The day’s first match of the tie saw Jamaica’s Rowland “Randy” Phillips dominate Estonia’s top ranked player Kristjan Tamm 6-1, 6-1 in just one hour to give the hosts the lead.
“Very solid and consistent on my part,” said Phillips on his performance after the match.
Phillips noted that he did not expect such a one-sided match on paper as he is currently ranked 1387 in the ATP rankings while Tamm is much higher at 663.
“It went a lot better than expected. He’s a tough opponent and maybe he didn’t play his best today but I took advantage of my opportunities,” he said.
“I think the atmosphere unsettled him. The crowd helped me out a lot and gave me energy,” he added.
With Jamaica hosting a Davis Cup tie for the first time since 2007, Phillips also spoke about what it meant to play at home.
“Extremely special. It’s a dream come true. Looking over and seeing my family and friends after points kept me locked in and focused for sure,” Phillips said.
With Phillips already in the win column, it was time for Blaise Bicknell, Jamaica’s highest ranked player at number 769 in the ATP rankings, to take the court against Kenneth Raisma who is ranked number 1640.
It was the Estonian who was in the ascendancy early, racing out to a quick 3-0 lead before taking the first set 6-4.
Bicknell was not done, however, and rallied to take the second set by a similar score before overwhelming his Estonian counterpart in the third, winning 6-0 and securing the lead for the Jamaicans heading into Sunday. The match lasted an hour and 46 minutes.
Jamaica has a chance to clinch the tie on Sunday when Phillips and Bicknell take on Raisma and Jurgen Zopp in doubles.
The 34-year-old Zopp, who retired from professional tennis in 2020, achieved a career high ATP ranking of 71 back in 2012 and reached the third round of the French Open in 2018.
The match gets underway at 1:00pm (2:00pm ECT) and can be viewed on the SportsMax TV YouTube channel.
Steve Borthwick warned England must be prepared "go through some pain" after they were beaten by Scotland in his first game in charge at Twickenham on Saturday.
There was no dream start for Borthwick after he replaced the sacked Eddie Jones as Red Rose head coach in December, as Scotland retained the Calcutta Cup with a 29-23 win.
Duhan van der Merwe starred in an entertaining Six Nations clash, scoring a brilliant solo try in the first half and adding a second five minutes from time to give Gregor Townsend's side a bonus-point victory.
That is three consecutive wins for Scotland over England, who led by eight points early in the second half but were unable to see it out.
Borthwick said: "This is part of the growth of the team.
"We got ourselves in a position when we should have won the Test match in the second half. At 20-12 up, we shouldn't be letting that game get away from us. You have to go through some pain.
"Really good teams would go on and win that.
"We were playing against a Scotland team who have controlled this fixture in recent years. We need to make sure we limit chances and can shut them down."
Borthwick says it is not all doom and gloom after a losing start to his reign.
He added: "We saw some growth, particularly in the attacking side of the game. The game was quicker, but clearly we're disappointed in the result.
"The team in the autumn, if they conceded a couple of scores early didn't come back from that. These guys did.
"Unfortunately we let the opposition back in. We want to be a really successful team that wins Test matches. When you get to that level, you don't give the opposition the opportunities we did.
"I am disappointed for the supporters, who I thought were incredible for us today. We'll make sure we come back here in eight days' time and are a better team."
Brian Schottenheimer has replaced Kellen Moore as the Dallas Cowboys' offensive coordinator.
Moore left the Cowboys this week and has taken over as the OC for the Los Angeles Chargers.
Dallas on Saturday confirmed that Schottenheimer will fill the vacancy and he brings 22 seasons of NFL coaching experience to the role.
The son of legendary coach Marty Schottenheimer has been offensive consultant for the Cowboys, while he has also had spells with the likes of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams, Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets.
Schottenheimer will not be taking on play-calling duties, though, as Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones revealed head coach Mike McCarthy will take care of that.
McCarthy said of Schottenheimer's appointment: "I am very happy to have Brian take on this key role with our team.
"He has been an important part of our staff already and has a great grasp of where we are and where we want to go."
Carolina Panthers running backs coach Jeff Nixon and Rams assistant head coach Thomas Brown were interviewed for the job, but Schottenheimer got the nod.
Kyrie Irving will miss the Brooklyn Nets' clash with the Washington Wizards due to injury just a day after he requested a trade.
Star Nets guard Irving reportedly told the team on Friday he wants to leave before the February 9 deadline, otherwise he will depart as a free agent in July.
The 30-year-old was not initially named among Brooklyn's absentees, but the Nets placed him on their injury report due to right-calf soreness on Saturday.
It will mark the third game of the season Irving has missed through injury, while he also served an eight-game suspension in November.
Irving has averaged 27.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists this season. Brooklyn will also be without Ben Simmons for a fourth straight game due to a sore left knee.
The Nets sit fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 31-20 record ahead of their clash with the 24-26 Wizards.
Conor McGregor will return to the UFC to fight for the first time since July 2021 later this year when he will go up against Michael Chandler.
McGregor, 34, has not competed in the octagon since he lost to Dustin Poirier, a fight in which he suffered a broken leg.
However, UFC president Dana White confirmed on Saturday that the Irishman will face Chandler later in 2023, though did not reveal a date or venue.
The fight will tie in to season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter, which will see McGregor and Chandler go head-to-head as coaches before ultimately fighting each other.
Coincidentally, Chandler will also be competing in his first bout since losing to Poirier at UFC 281 in November.
Duhan van der Merwe acknowledged even he was surprised by his magical first try after playing the starring role in Scotland's history-making Six Nations win over England.
The flying wing bolted in for two five-pointers in a 29-23 victory, giving Scotland back-to-back victories against England at Twickenham for the first time.
There was a touch of Jonah Lomu's greatness about both tries from Van der Merwe, as he ran from his own half for a remarkable first score before his power saw him shake off England bodies to snatch the late match-winning effort.
England came from behind to lead 13-12 at the interval, and then stretched that to 20-12 thanks to Max Malins' second try, but the Scots were not finished and Ben White brought them back into the game before Van der Merwe produced his second instalment of bulldozing heroics.
Van der Merwe told ITV: "We came here wanting to start the campaign off on a high. After the first half, we knew we had more in us and came out for the second half with a bang and managed to get the win over England so we're obviously buzzing.
"They scored quite early, and we said we just had to stay in the fight. We managed to get some points on the board and got some confidence from that."
Looking at his first slice of brilliance, destined to be remembered for many a year, Van der Merwe said: "As a winger you don't get a lot of opportunities, so I needed to take that opportunity.
"After I scored my first try, I was also quite surprised, so I will take that one any time of the day."
When it was put to him that he was rampaging through white shirts, showing no mercy, Van der Merwe said: "At the end of the day, I always say that's my job."
The South Africa-born player said Scotland must now build on their success, adding: "We spoke about getting our first win of the Six Nations and now we need to take some confidence from that and hopefully get our second win next week."
Coach Gregor Townsend echoed that sentiment, calling for a strong performance against Wales at Murrayfield next time out.
Townsend labelled Scotland's success "a brilliant win", with his team having now beaten England on the opening weekend of the championship for three successive years.
He feels there is still better to come, though, saying: "Our ceiling is a lot higher than that.
"We didn't get to play until well into the second half, and a lot of that was down to England's tactics and how they dominated possession, but most of it was down to us as well.
"We'll be better for today, and we've got to make sure that next week we put in a better performance, because the last two or three Six Nations we've not done that in round two."
England captain Owen Farrell said there were grounds for encouragement from what was Steve Borthwick's first game as head coach, after taking the reins from the sacked Eddie Jones in December.
Farrell said: "I think we started 11 days ago and there's been massive improvement over the 11 days, and trying to get that out on the field today, I thought we did that in large parts.
"There's some stuff we need to look at, and we need to get better at, but we'll have a look at that tomorrow and the day after. We'll make sure we get better from here.
"We stuck in the fight very well; even though Scotland played to the end and scored the try at the end, it never felt like we went away. We'll have a good look at it and make sure we build on it."
Alycia Parks will compete in her first ever WTA singles final after setting up a showdown against top seed Caroline Garcia at the Lyon Open.
The American beat Maryna Zanevska 6-3 7-6 (7-4) on Saturday, hitting 35 winners and 13 aces on the way to victory.
Parks has risen through the ranks in the last year, and explained how a laid back attitude has been the secret to her success in France.
"I think the key was just staying focused, and taking my time out there," Parks said after her win. "Every time I got ahead of myself, I would kind of lose points, so I would tell myself to slow down.
"This whole week, I'm kind of relaxed this week and just kept playing my game and doing me."
The 22-year-old will face Garcia on Sunday after she eased to a 6-2 6-2 win against Camila Osorio in just an hour and 12 minutes.
At the Thailand Open, Lesia Tsurenko will take on China's Zhu Lin in the final after the Ukrainian came past top seed Bianca Andreescu.
The Canadian retired hurt in the second set, though Tsurenko already led 7-5 4-0.
"The way [Andreescu was] playing every point, like she has an idea in every point, so of course she's an amazing player," Tsurenko said. "It was a big challenge for me to handle this, and I was just saying to myself that I have to keep fighting, and this is probably the main key that worked today for me."
Zhu defeated compatriot Xinyu Wang 6-2 6-4 to advance to Sunday's final.
New coach, same outcome. Scotland had England's measure again on the opening weekend of the Six Nations as Steve Borthwick's debut as Red Rose boss ended in a 29-23 defeat at Twickenham, where Duhan van der Merwe put on a masterclass.
Borthwick, who took over from the sacked Eddie Jones in December, saw England suffer a fourth successive opening-weekend defeat in the championship, with the last three of those having come at the hands of Gregor Townsend's Scots.
This was a rip-roaring battle from the early stages. Scotland snatched a 15th-minute lead after a smart lineout move set up the chance near the England line. Huw Jones was halted, but Scotland got the ball moving again, with Sione Tuipulotu playing a clever kick through for Jones to dot down.
England banked their first try of the Borthwick era in the 24th minute when Max Malins dropped on a smart kick to the right corner by Marcus Smith.
Then came a glorious moment of skill from Van der Merwe, who ran from inside his own half and through the heart of England's team, dancing past one white shirt after another before scoring to the left of the posts. Pure magic on the big stage.
With Owen Farrell and Finn Russell missing consecutive conversions, Scotland's lead stood at 12-5, but that was trimmed when Malins dashed in for his second try, taking on a pass from Lewis Ludlam.
Farrell squandered another eminently kickable conversion chance, but he could hardly miss when England were awarded a penalty in front of the posts before the break, making no mistake to give the hosts a 13-12 interval lead.
Ellis Genge was England's close-range finisher after pressure was applied to the Scotland line early in the second half, with Farrell booting the extras; however, the Scots hit back in the 51st minute through Ben White, and Russell's kick made it a one-point game again.
Kyle Steyn dropped a high pass from Stuart Hogg as the Scots chased what would have been their fourth try, before Farrell and Russell exchanged penalties.
The Scots inside England's home roared as Van der Merwe gave Scotland the lead in the 74th minute, surging over in the left corner, ensuring his earlier heroics had not come in a losing cause. Russell added the extras, and this time England were done.
Super Scots rock Twickenham
Scotland have now won five of their last seven Six Nations openers, with Townsend's team losing only one of their last six Calcutta Cup games. They have beaten England three times in a row in the competition for the first time since a 1970-72 run of success. It turned into Van der Merwe's day, but team-mate Jones has now scored five tries in five Six Nations games against England. Only former England flyer Jason Robinson has managed more in this fixture, bagging six tries.
Van der Merwe try one for the ages
These teams met behind closed doors at Twickenham two years ago, with Scotland grabbing an 11-6 win and Van der Merwe scoring the game's only try. His sensational first try here would have been wasted on an empty stadium, with former Scotland captain John Barclay telling BBC Radio 5 Live: "That will go down as one of the best all-time individual tries."
What's next?
Scotland will look to build on this next week when they host a Wales side who were crushed by Ireland in their opener. England should net Borthwick a first win next weekend when Italy visit London, but the Azzurri beat Australia in November so cannot be underestimated.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
