Thiago Monteiro enjoyed a memorable victory on Monday as he defeated former world number three Dominic Thiem 6-1 3-6 7-6 (7-2) in his opening match of the Rio Open.

The highest-ranked Brazilian in the field made a winning start at South America's only ATP 500 event, but he had to work for it, emerging victorious after an 88-minute third set.

A raucous crowd cheered on every point down the stretch, and after saving four break point opportunities to force a tiebreaker, he jumped ahead to a 5-1 advantage and served it out.

He will face the winner between second seed Cameron Norrie and rising Argentine talent Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the next round.

Meanwhile, the top seed in action on Monday – third seed Lorenzo Musetti – continued his recent rough stretch of form with a disappointing 6-4 6-1 defeat at the hands of Chile's Nicolas Jarry.

Musetti, already ranked 18th in the world at 20 years old, has now lost four of his past five matches, while Jarry has won eight out of 10.

Jarry will play Spain's Pedro Martinez in the second round after he spoiled a potential all-Chilean matchup, eliminating Cristian Garin 7-6 (7-0) 6-4.

The only other Brazilian in action, Joao Fonseca, had no luck against Slovakia's Alex Molcan as he went down 6-0 6-3, while Bolivia's Hugo Dellien was similarly dominant in his 6-0 6-2 trouncing of Portugal's Joao Sousa.

After taking a set off world number two Carlos Alcaraz at last week's Argentina Open, Laslo Djere advanced into the second round as Facundo Bagnis retired in the second set while trailing 6-2 3-2.

Bam Adebayo is thrilled about the Miami Heat securing Kevin Love following his buyout with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Love fills an urgent need for a shooter in the frontcourt, as he will slot in as the only player on the Heat roster taller than six-foot-five while averaging at least one made three-pointer per game.

The five-time All-Star is also leading the league this season in defensive rebounding percentage, but had found himself out of the Cavaliers' rotation leading into the All-Star break as they prioritised their youth.

Love, a champion in 2016 when his Cavs came back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals, is averaging career-lows in both points (8.5) and rebounds (6.8), but Adebayo believes he will bring value that extends beyond just his minutes on the floor.

"It's exciting. We've got fresh legs on the team," he said. "We've got a guy like Kevin Love, who has been through those wars, came back from 3-1.

"You've got a battle-tested guy like that who has won – it's big for us. He's really underrated as a team player.

"He's underrated for what he does. I know what he'll bring to our team will make us more successful."

Adebayo has spent time with Love previously as they trained together with Team USA in the lead-up to the 2020 Olympic Games.

He went on to compare Love to Heat stalwart Udonis Haslem, with the 42-year-old now in his 20th season in Miami, providing leadership from the bench despite only actually playing in 17 combined games since the end of the 2018-19 season.

"[Love is] smart, he stretches the floor, and you can learn from a guy like that, having a guy like that in your corner," Adebayo said. "Him and 'UD', two different walks of life, but now they're kind of going down the same road. 

"Having guys like that, it'll help me tremendously. He's an all-around great person."

Miami will come out of the All-Star break sitting seventh in the Eastern Conference with a record of 32-27.

New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge declined to put a figure on the number of home runs he hopes to hit in 2023 but says "you never know" if he can better last season's historic return.

Judge last season broke Roger Maris Sr's long-standing American League and Yankees single-season record of 61 home runs from 1961, blasting 62 across the regular season.

When asked on Monday if he could hit 62 home runs again in the 2023 season, Judge replied "we'll see" with a wry grin.

"I don't like putting a number on it," Judge told reporters. "I just like going out there trying to control what I can control, but you never know what could happen. So, we'll see about 62."

Judge added: "I've got some goals written down but my individual stats always take care of themselves when I'm focused on the team. The game tells you what you need to do.

"After everything that transpired last season, I'll try do what I did last year, I'll try to take it one at-bat at a time."

Yankees manager Aaron Boone backed Judge for another "MVP-caliber season" irrespective of how many home runs he hits.

"The biggest thing for him is making sure he's going to the post and keeping him healthy," Boone said. "If that's the case, greatness will find its way.

"Whether it's not 60 homers again or 62 homers again, whatever it is, if he's healthy he's going to go out there and have an MVP-caliber season. There's no doubt in my mind about that. I don't worry about a hangover."

Judge was confirmed as the Yankees' 16th captain in December having signed a nine-year, $360million contract to stay in the Bronx.

The 30-year-old was excited by that "incredible title" but determined to lead the Yankees to World Series glory, which has eluded them during Judge's time with the franchise and since 2009.

"That sound in the clubhouse after a [season-ending] loss is probably the worst feeling a ballplayer can have," Judge said.

"You don't know what to say. You don't know what to do. All of a sudden you're going from, every day preparing for this game, and this is the most important game of your life, and all of a sudden you're done and the offseason begins.

"Every year that we don't finish what we started, it wears on us in different ways. Each season is a little different: If it’s getting kicked out at the Wild Card game, to the ALCS game, to the ALDS, they all sting, but they sting in different ways.

"As the years go on, and you make improvements from what you did last year and it's, 'We weren't able to do this, let's improve on that' – and you fail again and fail again. But I think every failure kind of pushes you towards that ultimate goal."

Patrick Beverley confirmed on Monday that he will be signing for the rest of the season with the Chicago Bulls.

Beverley, 34, began the season with the Los Angeles Lakers, starting all 45 of his appearances before being traded to the Orlando Magic at the deadline in exchange for Mo Bamba.

With the Magic in the midst of a youth revolution and in the advanced stages of their rebuild, they decided to negotiate a buyout with Beverley to allow him to head elsewhere.

A defensive specialist, Beverley is a three-time NBA All-Defense selection (one First Team, two Second Teams), while also boasting a solid career three-point percentage of 37.6.

Unfortunately, his shooting has dipped over the past couple of seasons, setting a career-worst mark of 34.3 per cent in 2021-22, and he is only slightly better this campaign at 34.8.

Meanwhile, his combined steals and blocks figure of 1.5 is his lowest since the 2018-19 season, and tied for the second-lowest of his career.

He has not been at his best this season on a tumultuous Lakers team, but he theoretically fills a couple of needs for the Bulls, and is excited to return to his hometown.

Chicago are averaging the fewest made three-pointers per game (10.3) and the fewest attempts (28.8) – areas Beverley will provide a boost in compared to current starting point guard Ayo Dosunmu.

Dosunmu is averaging 0.8 made threes per game at a mediocre 32.4 per cent clip, and while Beverley's percentages are down, he is still making 1.2 per game.

The move also helps the Bulls lean into their strong suit this season, as they sit 24th in offensive rating, but are seventh in defense.

Beverley will join Alex Caruso to make a menacing defensive back-court, with Caruso emerging as an advanced stats darling on that end of the floor.

Caruso is seventh in the league in steal percentage (1.7 per cent), while sitting third in defensive box plus/minus, and a clear number one overall in defensive RAPTOR.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has "avoided serious damage" after further testing on his injured right wrist ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks' run to the playoffs.

Antetokounmpo played only 20 seconds in Sunday's All-Star Game where Team Giannis won 184-175 over Team LeBron in Utah.

The Greek forward exited with a wrist injury that he had initially suffered in Thursday's win over the Chicago Bulls trying to block a Coby White shot.

The 28-year-old had also opted out of Saturday's skills challenge, replaced by Bucks team-mate Jrue Holiday.

Antetokounmpo's right wrist was wrapped while standing on the sidelines supporting his team throughout the All-Star Game.

ESPN reported that he would be heading for further testing in New York, with The Athletic's Shams Charania saying on Monday the player had "avoided serious damage in his right wrist after further testing", adding: "Antetokounmpo could miss some games, but an overall sigh of relief for the Bucks..."

"Taking it day-by-day, try to get healthy," Antetokounmpo told reporters after Sunday's game. "You know, obviously I had the incident three days ago. I don't think it's smart in any way to play a lot of minutes in the All-Star Game.

"Take a break here, take care of it, and hopefully I can be available for my team when they need me."

The Bucks are second in the Eastern Conference with a 41-17 record on the back of a 12-game win streak, with their next game after the All-Star break coming on Friday against the Miami Heat.

Antetokounmpo is averaging 31.8 points (third in the NBA), 12.2 rebounds (second in the NBA) and 5.4 assists this season.

The agent of Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani believes the baseball unicorn has "earned the right" to explore free agency.

Ohtani, 28, is the only player in Major League Baseball who excels as both a pitcher and a hitter, earning an All-Star selection in both categories last season.

He struck out 219 batters in 2022 – the sixth-most in the majors – while also tying for 11th on the home run leaderboard with 34 dingers. His 80 combined home runs over the past two seasons trails only Aaron Judge (101).

The six-foot-four Japanese sensation led all players in Wins Above Replacement (WAR) in 2021, and it took Judge breaking the American League home run record in 2022 to unseat him as number one.

Ohtani will play for a $30million salary this season ahead of what will almost certainly be a record-breaking contract, but agent Nez Balelo gave no indication that his client is leaning towards staying in Anaheim.

When asked if he would be open to negotiating a long-term extension during spring training, Balelo said he is open to anything, but will not make a commitment.

"I've always been open to it," he said. "But there's several layers to this one, and Shohei's earned the right to play through the year, explore free agency, and we'll see where it shakes out."

Asked if that meant a spring training deal was actually unlikely, Balelo was again not willing to go one way or the other.

"I've said it before, I'll say it again – we're taking it one day at a time," he said. "I'm not putting the cart before the horse on this one."

Ohtani has been weighed down by poor Angels teams and has never made the playoffs – something he may be growing tired of.

"He's so competitive, like all great players are, so of course they want to experience the postseason, of course they'd love to be in the World Series," Balelo said. "But is that the deciding factor? I don't know. We'll just have to wait and see.

"Shohei's been here five years, now this is his final year, and now we have free agency, so of course there's gonna be a lot of questions.

"What does he wanna do? Where's he gonna go? All of it. And I've said this so many times and Shohei has said it as well – we really take it day by day, one day at a time.

"I've always wanted him to enjoy this ride that he's on. I've wanted him to embrace it. That's what he's done. We're gonna continue that."

Whoever eventually secures Ohtani long-term will almost certainly have to eclipse the nine-year, $360m benchmark set by Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees this offseason.

Andy Murray saved three match points before seal a thrilling comeback victory over Lorenzo Sonego at the Qatar Open.

Making his first competitive appearance since his run to the third round of the Australian Open, Murray rallied after losing the first set to clinch a 4-6 6-1 7-6 (7-4) win in Monday's first-round contest.

The three-time grand slam winner – given a wildcard for the event in Doha – was the master of his own downfall in the opener as a double-fault handed Sonego the decisive break.

Having failed to force a single break point in the first set, Murray dominated the second but was facing an early exit when Sonego forced three match points in the decider, only for the momentum to swing again as the former world number one took it to a tie-break.

Sonego raced into a 3-0 lead, but Murray again came roaring back, squandering one match point when he flicked a backhand into the net but making no mistake second time around.

Murray will face fourth seed Alexander Zverev in the second round, as he bids to reach his first tour-level quarter-final of the season.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina saw off Constant Lestienne 6-4 6-3, while Murray's fellow Brit Liam Broady saw off qualifier Oleksii Krutykh 6-0 4-6 7-6 (7-2).

Australian duo Jason Kubler and Christopher O'Connell also progressed in Doha.

Stan Wawrinka moved into the last 16 of the Open 13 with a 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 6-4 victory over Zizou Bergs.

Benjamin Bonzi and Alexander Bublik were the other first-round winners, ousting Luca Van Assche and Filip Krajinovic respectively in Marseille.

Lance Stroll will miss Formula One pre-season testing in Bahrain after the Aston Martin driver was involved in a minor accident while cycling in Spain.

The Canadian's team revealed on Monday that he had sustained injuries that will prevent him from getting behind the wheel this week.

Stroll will be assessed on a daily basis and the 24-year-old is expected to make a quick recovery.

The season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix will be staged a week on Sunday.

Stroll said: "I've had an unfortunate accident whilst training on my bike in preparation for the season.

"I am determined to get back in the car and I am excited about the season ahead with the team. I am motivated to bounce back from this setback as quickly as possible."

Aston Martin stated: "The team wishes Lance a speedy recovery and looks forward to his usual energy and commitment within the team."

Renaldo Hill is leaving the Los Angeles Chargers to join the Miami Dolphins, reuniting him with new Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.

Fangio confirmed the move on Monday at his introductory press conference.

Hill served as defensive coordinator for the Chargers the past two seasons and will now coach the Dolphins’ secondary and be their defensive pass-game coordinator.

In terms of job title, the move to Miami would be deemed a step down on the coaching hierarchy, but Hill gets to once again work with Fangio, who is widely considered one of the best defensive coaches in the NFL.

Hill worked as a defensive backs coach for the Denver Broncos in 2019 and '20 when Fangio was their head coach.

Fangio was hired as the Dolphins defensive coordinator last week.

The 44-year-old Hill was a defensive back in the NFL for 10 seasons – including three for the Dolphins from 2006-08. He also spent one season on the Miami coaching staff, serving as an assistant defensive backs coach in 2018.

The Chargers made slight improvements under Hill during his two years running the defense, moving from 23rd in total defense in 2021 (360.1 total yards per game) to 20th in total defense last season (346.1 total yards per game).

With Hill moving to Miami, the Chargers are promoting defensive backs coach Derrick Ansley to defensive coordinator.

The 41-year-old Ansley had been the Chargers defensive backs coach the past two seasons after serving as the defensive coordinator at the University of Tennessee at the collegiate level the previous two years.

Sorana Cirstea beat world number 12 Beatriz Haddad Maia in the longest WTA Tour match of the year so far at the Dubai Tennis Championships.

Liudmila Samsonova ousted Paula Badosa on Sunday in a three-set victory that lasted three hours and 22 minutes.

That record was exceeded by eight minutes a day later – Cirstea prevailing 4-6 7-6 (9-7) 7-5 in her first-round encounter with 11th seed Haddad Maia.

Cirstea, ranked 70th in the world, fended off two match points in the second-set tie-break and took that momentum into the decider.

Haddad Maia has lost four of her five meetings with Cirstea, though had defeated the Romanian in Adelaide in January.

"I fought really hard today. I really think I gave it all," Cirstea said.

"I have nothing left. Sometimes you just have to stay in there. Bia played amazing. You know, tennis is not fair sometimes. You play for three hours and a half, and it's a difference of a point.

"I wasn't planning to break the record! But Bia's been in great form, and I knew coming in she's a great fighter.

"I think this is what tennis is about, where all the work pays off. Sometimes it doesn't matter if it's a first round or a final, the joy is the same."

Another marathon encounter was played out between Veronika Kudermetova and Anhelina Kalinina, with the latter winning 6-3 5-7 7-5 in three hours and three minutes.

Karolina Muchova will face Cirstea in the next round after she saw off Bernarda Pera 6-1 6-4, with her victory including an early contender for shot of the tournament.

Muchova was scampering back towards the baseline as she looked set to lose a thrilling rally, only for the Czech to execute a perfect tweener lob.

Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka received a bye to round two, where she will face Lauren Davis after the American's victory over Jil Teichmann.

Jelena Ostapenko dispatched Katarina Zavatska 6-1 6-4 with the minimum of fuss, while Victoria Azarenka overcame Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets.

Azarenka has won 135 WTA-1000 main-draw matches in straights sets, at least three more than any other player.

Karolina Pliskova defeated Marketa Vondrousova to set up a meeting with Yulia Putintseva, with Ana Bodgan, Aliaksandra Sasnovich and Shelby Rogers also victorious.

Russell Westbrook will stay in California as he has opted to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Westbrook's time with the Los Angeles Lakers came to an end before the trade deadline as he was used as part of a deal with the Utah Jazz.

The 2017 NBA MVP struggled to rediscover his previous form after joining the Lakers in 2021, but has another chance to prove himself in L.A. with the Clippers.

According to a report from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Westbrook's agent, Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports, confirmed his client has chosen the Clippers as his next team, once he and the Jazz have finished negotiations on buying out the remaining $47million owed on his deal.

Westbrook made a name for himself with the Oklahoma City Thunder, including his standout season in 2016-17 when he averaged 31.6 points per game in the regular season from 81 appearances, as well as 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists.

He left Oklahoma in 2019 for one season with the Houston Rockets followed by one at the Washington Wizards before making the move to the Lakers as they looked to surround LeBron James with star power.

It did not work out, with Westbrook struggling in his first campaign, averaging just 18.5 points per game, while he has only started in three of his 52 appearances this season, averaging 15.9 points per game.

Westbrook – who had also talked with the Wizards, the Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat – will be reunited with former Thunder team-mate Paul George, who had expressed his desire for the 34-year-old to join him at the Clippers.

They sit fourth in the Western Conference on a record of 33-28.

Jon Rahm insists he does not need the validation of being the world's number one golfer after returning to the top of the rankings with his win at the Genesis Invitational.

Rahm held off Max Homa to claim his third PGA Tour title of 2023 on Sunday, having gone back-to-back at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and The American Express in January.

The Spaniard is the first player since Johnny Miller in 1975 to win three PGA Tour titles in a calendar year before the start of the March, while he has now triumphed on five of his last nine worldwide starts.

Rahm's win at California's Riviera Country Club – at a competition hosted by Tiger Woods – secured his fifth stint atop the world rankings, but the 28-year-old has little interest in that accolade.

"I've never had three PGA Tour wins in a season, and to do it this early on is incredible – and to do it at this golf course," he told reporters after his victory.

"You talk about the history of Riviera as a golf course, the history of Tiger Woods as a player… it's a pretty big deal. As a historian of the game, to win the tournament hosted by Tiger is pretty incredible.

"I've won five out of my last nine starts and I've won three tournaments already. 

"I don't a ranking to tell me… to validate anything, right? I'm having the best season of my life and hopefully I can keep it going." 

Cameron Norrie was not the only opponent Carlos Alcaraz had to overcome in the Argentina Open final, as he battled feelings of guilt after not doing "the right things" to recover from injury.

Alcaraz made it one title from one tournament in 2023 as he overcame Norrie 6-3 7-5 in Buenos Aires on Sunday.

Last year's US Open champion dropped just one set through the tournament as he marked his return to action in style, with the 19-year-old having missed the Australian Open due to a hamstring issue.

Alcaraz had not featured since November, and the world number two admitted he did not feel his application during his extended break was always as good as it should have been.

"This trophy is special. During those four months I had a hard time and I didn't do the right things off the court, and I felt a bit guilty after the injury," Alcaraz said.

"Fighting against this is not easy. Coming here, my first tournament after four months, and winning the first tournament since the US Open is very special for me."

Alcaraz won seven games on the bounce to swing the final in his favour, and believes he hit peak performance during the match.

"I felt very comfortable playing the final," Alcaraz added.

"I knew that it was going to be really difficult. I started really focussed on what I had to do at the beginning, my game, my level. 

"This is the level that I have to play in finals."

Alcaraz has already collected seven titles in his young career, with five of those coming on clay.

His idol and compatriot Rafael Nadal won 13 clay-court tournaments prior to turning 20.

Combined with Alcaraz's haul, that total of 18 betters the 13 managed by all other players combined on the ATP Tour in the 21st century before turning 20.

Alcaraz is now set to play in the Rio Open, where he is the reigning champion, this week.