Aryna Sabalenka’s boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov has died at the age of 42.
Koltsov, a former ice hockey player who competed in the NHL for the Pittsburgh Penguins, had been a regular presence supporting Sabalenka at tournaments.
He was in Miami when he died, and the Miami-Dade Police Department said in a statement: “According to investigators, on Monday, March 18, 2024, at approximately 12:39am, Bal Harbour Police and Fire Rescue were dispatched to the St Regis Bal Harbour Resort.
View this post on Instagram“The Miami-Dade Police Department, Homicide Bureau, responded and has taken over the investigation of the apparent suicide of Mr Konstantin Koltsov. No foul play is suspected.”
The world number two frequently referenced Koltsov on social media in pictures and messages.
The news was announced by Russia ice hockey team Salavat Yulaev Ufa, where Koltsov had been assistant coach.
A statement on the club’s website read: “It is with deep sorrow that we inform you that Salavat Yulaev coach Konstantin Koltsov has passed away. He was a strong and cheerful person, he was loved and respected by players, colleagues, and fans.
“Konstantin Evgenievich forever wrote himself into the history of our club. Koltsov won the Russian Championship and the Gagarin Cup as part of Salavat Yulaev and did a great job on the team’s coaching staff.
View this post on Instagram“The hockey club Salavat Yulaev expresses its condolences to the family and friends of Konstantin Evgenievich Koltsov.”
Koltsov represented Belarus at the 2002 and 2010 Winter Olympics and was also a coach of the national team.
A statement on the federation’s website read: “The Belarusian Hockey Federation expresses its deepest condolences to the family, friends and everyone who knew and worked with Konstantin Evgenievich.”
The Pittsburgh Penguins also paid tribute, saying in a statement on their website: “The Penguins extend their deepest condolences to the family and friends of former Penguins forward, Konstantin Koltsov.
“The native of Belarus was the Penguins’ first-round draft choice in 1999 and was with the team from 2003-2006, playing 144 NHL games.”
Pictures showed tributes to Koltsov outside Ufa Arena laid by fans of Salavat Yulaev.
Sabalenka, who won her second grand slam title at the Australian Open in January, is in Miami and is due to play her first match at the Miami Open later this week, although her participation must now be in severe doubt.
It is the second tragedy to hit the 25-year-old Belarusian, whose father Sergey, also a former ice hockey player, died in 2019 at the age of 43.
Sabalenka’s victory at the Australian Open fulfilled the dream she shared with her father of winning two slam titles by the age of 25 and, speaking in Melbourne, she said: “It was really important. Of course he’s my biggest motivation. He’s been everything for me.”
Nicky Henderson has raised the faint possibility of Constitution Hill returning to action at the Punchestown Festival.
Last season’s brilliant Champion Hurdle winner had been a short price to defend his crown at Cheltenham last week, but a fortnight before the Festival a poor workout at Kempton led to the discovery of mucus in his scope.
There was a brief glimmer of hope he would come right in time for Cheltenham, but he was ultimately the first in a host of Henderson big guns to be ruled out of the showpiece meeting.
Henderson ran six horses on the first day of Cheltenham, five of which were pulled up. The only bright spot was Luccia finishing third in the Champion Hurdle, just three and a half lengths behind State Man, arguably making Constitution Hill’s absence even harder to bear.
One by one Henderson’s main chances were withdrawn, with Shishkin not even declared for Friday’s Gold Cup. Jonbon was taken out of the Champion Chase while Sir Gino also missed the Triumph Hurdle.
Henderson was keen to point out that a very trying week was made a fraction more bearable due to the understanding shown by the racing industry as a whole.
“My owners were brilliant, very understanding, as were the media and everyone else in racing and for that I’ll be forever grateful,” he told the PA news agency.
While in hindsight Constitution Hill’s absence might have been a blessing given how Henderson’s week went, there may be green shoots of recovery. He also saddled a winner at Kempton on Saturday through Persian Time.
“He had his blood done yesterday, as he has done every Monday since what happened at Kempton,” said Henderson.
“It has kept on improving to the point where it is as near normal as it could possibly get without being 100 per cent. It is 99 per cent, which is a long way from where it started.
“He is back in routine exercise and has joined in at the back of the team this week.
“What he had and what the others had are two completely different things. He was pretty unwell, whereas all the others are very well but have a problem. I think it’s been well documented we have a problem.
“His blood tests told us he was unwell and given he’s so laid-back at home it was a good job we took him to Kempton.
“Now he’s better and his bloods are almost back to normality he can resume exercise, but he hasn’t galloped yet.
“We’ll tick along, you can take it he won’t be going to Aintree but if he continues and his work progresses with it, there is the possibility he could go to Punchestown which both Michael (Buckley, owner) and I would love to do if possible.
“If you were to ask me his primary objective I would most likely say it’s the Fighting Fifth next autumn, but if we can get to Punchestown then we will.”
He added: “Where we are mystified is that we thought they were well, their work was great but 10 days before Cheltenham they weren’t running well and everyone picked up on that, but we put it down to the ground and not being the ‘A team’.
“All appeared to be fine and all the tests were fine, but then we discovered the horses we were running were running dreadful.
“Every trainer in the country dreads this sort of thing, and for it to happen last week couldn’t have been worse, the timing was horrendous.
“Everybody has been through the mill, but as a team and family we at Seven Barrows would just like to thank everyone for how understanding everyone has been and for that we will be forever grateful. I wasn’t looking for sympathy, just a bit of understanding.
“We’ve been having massive meetings about how we get through this and we’ll take it easy this week and regroup next week and see where we are.
“We’ll see if we can get the main protagonists to Aintree. Sir Gino, Shishkin and Jonbon, they’ve all missed their dance. The next dance is Aintree and the one after that is Punchestown but they’ll only run in one, they would have done anyway.
“I love Punchestown and I love Aintree, they don’t quite have the pressure of Cheltenham but they are still Grade Ones so let’s try to get there.”
Great Britain will play Canada, Finland and Argentina in the group stage of the Davis Cup Finals in Manchester in September.
Leon Smith’s side will hope for a less nail-biting conclusion than in the same city last year, when Dan Evans and Neal Skupski saved match points to beat France in the deciding match in front of a jubilant record crowd, and the draw appears to have been relatively kind.
Canada, led by Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov, were champions in 2022 but lack strength in depth.
Finland were last year’s surprise package, making it through to the semi-finals for the first time, while Argentina boast three top-30 players, but indoor hard courts should favour Britain.
The ties will take place at the AO Arena from September 10 to 15, with the top two teams progressing to November’s Final Eight event.
Having beaten France, Australia and Switzerland last year, Britain fell at the first hurdle in Malaga, losing out to Novak Djokovic’s Serbia.
Defending champions Italy will host a group in Bologna also featuring the Netherlands, Belgium and Brazil, while Australia, Czech Republic, France and Spain will contest a heavyweight Group B in Valencia.
The final group, containing Germany, USA, Slovakia and Chile, will take place in the Chinese city of Zhuhai.
Adrian Keatley’s smart performer Ballymount Boy is pencilled in for a step up in trip as he limbers up for the impending Flat season.
The Camacho colt enjoyed a good two-year-old campaign, winning a Hamilton maiden before catching the eye when finishing just a length behind Vandeek in the Group Two Richmond Stakes at Goodwood.
Vandeek subsequently went on to score twice at Group One level in the Prix Morny and the Middle Park, while Ballymount Boy was runner-up in the Acomb and then the winner of the Listed Prospect Stakes at Doncaster on his final start of the term.
After the Goodwood run Ballymount Boy was purchased by Wathnan Racing, who have appointed James Doyle as their retained rider.
Doyle partnered the imposing Ballymount Boy during his Doncaster victory and is set to sit on him ahead of the new season as plans are formulated for his three-year-old campaign.
After running predominantly over six furlongs last season, Keatley’s charge has emerged from his winter break looking like he will eventually appreciate further and both the Greenham and the Craven Stakes are possible targets.
Keatley said: “James Doyle is going to come and sit on him next week and we will finalise plans closer to the time, but the Greenham is a possibility I think, or he could end up going to Newmarket in April.
“He’s a fine horse, he looks more like a seven-furlong horse or a miler this year than he did last year.
“Last year he was built like a big, strong, sprinting two-year-old – I think he’s leaner this time around and hopefully he can keep progressing from where he is now.
“We were happy to finish off the season how we did with him last year and we’re hoping he can pick up where he left off.”
Ronnie O’Sullivan battled through to the last 32 of the World Open with a 5-3 win over Michael White.
The world number one was not at his best, despite back-to-back century breaks, but got the job done in Yushan.
It looked like being a straightforward evening’s work in China for O’Sullivan when he produced breaks of 129 and 106 to move into a 3-1 lead.
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But Welshman White battled back and had the chance to earn a decider when he twice found himself in the balls after two uncharacteristic O’Sullivan misses – the second of which saw him hit the table with his cue in frustration.
But O’Sullivan won a safety battle to ensure he progressed in eight frames.
Judd Trump remained on course for back-to-back titles after a routine 5-2 triumph over Sanderson Lam.
Trump won this event when it was last staged in 2019 – before a four-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic – and is looking a good bet to repeat the feat.
World champion Luca Brecel is through after a 5-2 victory over Oliver Brown, while home favourite Ding Junhui beat Liu Hongyu by the same score.
However, John Higgins is out after a 5-3 loss to Jackson Page.
Brilliant Arkle winner Gaelic Warrior may be back out quickly for the WillowWarm Gold Cup at Fairyhouse on March 31.
Stablemate and subsequent dual Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs ran at both meetings as a novice, falling at the last when well clear in the Turners Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham before strolling to victory a month later.
The two races are closer together this season at just 19 days apart but trainer Willie Mullins has not completely ruled it out.
“We did it two years ago, we brought a horse back from Cheltenham to win this, so it can be done. I’ll see how Gaelic Warrior is,” said Mullins.
“He has a huge amount of ability. He won the three-mile novice hurdle at Punchestown that Galopin Des Champs won so I was never worried about his stamina, but the fact he can do this over a shorter trip is fantastic, it shows he has class.
“Ted Walsh always said a good Gold Cup winner could win a Champion Chase, as that is how you separate the ordinary Gold Cup winners from the very good ones, and this fellow has that type of ability, I think.”
Should Gaelic Warrior be given more time to recuperate, Blood Destiny is likely to try to give Mullins a sixth successive win in the race.
“I’m looking at Blood Destiny, he’s one that could go there. This race has been on my mind a while for him. We’d been trying him at two miles but a different way of riding him – we held him up in Navan – might suit for this race, I think,” he said.
“He has the speed when you need it so if Gaelic Warrior doesn’t come back for it, Blood Destiny could be a good substitute.”
Of his other entries in the Grade One, he added: “Facile Vega disappointed me at Cheltenham, I need to find out what is wrong with him.
“His home work suggests he has the ability I think he has. Indeed, his last three bits of work before Cheltenham, we thought he had a really good chance. Maybe we left our race at Closutton because his work was fantastic but he is taking a lot of working out.
“Fact To File had a hard enough race so I doubt he’d run, but Hercule Du Seuil worked well this morning.
“Il Etait Temps is a good, hardy horse and he could come back for it as well. If the ground came up nice and dry, I might let Sharjah take his chance and Tactical Move has the ability and is a nice type for that race.”
The other Grade One event at the Easter meeting is the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Honeysuckle Mares Novice Hurdle in which Jade De Grugy may attempt to atone for her Cheltenham defeat at the hands of Golden Ace.
“Jade De Grugy could run. I think you could say all the three Irish horses in her race were all marking one another. No one wanted to commit but then it was great to see Jeremy Scott winning, he had a great fan club there and it added a bit of atmosphere to the day,” said Mullins.
“Sometimes I don’t like coming back with a mare so soon as Cheltenham takes a lot out of them. Laurina managed to win both races, though.
“We have A Penny A Hundred with a chance, Cuta Des As with a chance but Fun Fun Fun could be the one as she didn’t go to Cheltenham.
“This is a Grade One and while it’s lovely to win in Cheltenham, I like to win Grade Ones, especially with mares, so it’s more important to go to Fairyhouse. We certainly did a lot of thinking this year regarding what we were keeping back for this, Cheltenham is only a Grade Two.
“If Jade De Grugy doesn’t make it back, I’d say Fun Fun Fun could be the one.”
City Of Troy could be seen at Saratoga this year, if everything goes as hoped with the red-hot Classic favourite.
Unbeaten in his three juvenile starts, the Aidan O’Brien-trained Dewhurst winner is set to reappear in the Qipco 2000 Guineas back at Newmarket on May 4.
Labelled “our Frankel” by co-owner Michael Tabor, the Justify colt is also favourite for the Betfred Derby at Epsom on June 1.
And if he is still on track after those engagements, an exciting trip for a dirt assignment could be on the agenda.
“We are particularly happy with how well he has wintered. He’s working away on bad ground at the minute as they all are obliged to,” the Ballydoyle handler said in a stable tour on Attheraces.com.
“He seems to handle it and handled a good cut in the ground in the Dewhurst, but as anyone can see he is a particularly beautiful mover which is what makes it so exciting to see what he does when he meets firmer ground. The better the ground, the better he’ll be.
“He’ll go away for a gallop in the next week or 10 days, that is always an important step for the Guineas horses. It was great for him to get the experience of the undulations of both the July course and the Rowley Mile at Newmarket last season. That will all stand to him in the 2000 Guineas.
“We’ll play it race-by-race, but you’d have to be made of stone not to be dreaming of the Derby if all goes to plan at Newmarket. After that, he could even go to somewhere like Saratoga for a Grade One on the dirt. He’s that type, he could do anything, but we’ll take it one race at a time.
“We have an unbelievable group of three-year-olds this year, but he has always been the leader. Horses like him are very rare.”
Before City Of Troy is unwrapped for the season, O’Brien has important business in Dubai on Saturday week, with dual Derby, Irish Champion Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Turf hero Auguste Rodin set for the Sheema Classic.
He said: “Everything is running really smoothly with him. He leaves here for Dubai this weekend and the Sheema Classic on March 30 is his target. We’ve been really happy with him since his gallop at Dundalk late last month. We feel he has matured well from three to four and it goes without saying that we are very excited to get him going again.
“The horse did all his own talking on the track last year, but we really do think that he’s a very important horse for the thoroughbred breed. It is a huge thrill to have him back for this year and we can’t wait to see him race.
“If all goes smoothly in Dubai, we have it in our head that he could come back for the Tattersalls Gold Cup and then drive on to the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot.”
Having dominated the Cheltenham Festival, Willie Mullins has set his sights on the Boylesports Irish Grand National on April 1 – with unexposed novice Nick Rockett likely to be all the rage.
The champion trainer is seeking a third win overall in the richest jumps’ race run in Ireland and back-to-back victories after the unlikely success of I Am Maximus 12 months ago.
Nick Rockett has been allotted 10st 13lb in the weights by handicapper Sandy Shaw, with Gordon Elliott’s Galway Plate winner Ash Tree Meadow top of the pile.
Three Cheltenham Festival victors are towards the top in Corbetts Cross (11st 10lb), Inothewayurthinkin (11st 9lb) and Limerick Lace (11st 7lb), but having kept his powder dry, Mullins might just have the ideal candidate.
“Nick Rockett has performed well around Fairyhouse and I love horses for courses,” said Mullins.
“Paul (Townend) was very happy the last day he won around the course and we thought instead of going to Cheltenham that we should maybe aim for Fairyhouse. That’s what we have been doing and we are very happy with how he is.
“He jumps, has won over the track, is a novice coming up the ranks, has a nice weight and Paul is very happy to ride him. That is more than enough and he ticks all the right boxes, I think.
“We have to get him there in the right order and at the moment I am very happy with him.”
Regarding his other entries, Mullins said: “This race comes into play for Stattler now, if he’d run at Cheltenham (Cross Country Chase was abandoned) he would maybe have gone to Aintree, but he’s now in the running to run here.
“Monkfish was disappointing at Cheltenham so wouldn’t come here, Mr Incredible only ran the other day so it’s too close, the same with Adamantly Chosen. Embassy Gardens and James Du Berlais the same.
“Bronn was disappointing in Naas, but if I could get him back right he could go there. Minella Cocooner has run well there, has the credentials, stays all day and has a nice weight as well.
“Ontheropes is 36 (on the ballot) but I think he is more or less in and is our other likely runner.
“It took us a long time to win it. My father had won it four times so it was an itch that needed scratching and then winning it with Burrows Saint for Rich Ricci and with Ruby Walsh, that capped it.
“It gave me as much pleasure as winning any race.”
For Shaw, Mullins’ comments have him “shaking in his boots”.
“An awful lot handicap themselves and it is obviously the novices that we look to as they are the ones that have more improvement in them,” he said.
“The three Cheltenham winners are in but we can reassess them, the difference is that Willie’s Nick Rockett didn’t go – he has me shaking in my boots the way he’s talking!
“He’s been held back and it was certainly the right thing to do, I think. Novices are always hard to rate because you have to rate them on what they have done, not on what we think they might do so there is a chance Nick Rockett could be well handicapped.
“The only thing is he has only run seven times in his life. He’s unexposed as a result, but it will be a question of if he can handle the hurly burly of the race. Other than that he does look the one. He could have a few pounds up his sleeve, we’ll just have to wait and see.”
Jamaica’s Samuel Ricketts emerged champion at Cuba’s Torneo International competition when he defeated top seeded Yeison Alvarez two sets to one in Sunday's final in Havana.
After ousting the third seed Matthew Abela in the semis 21-17 21-3 in just 37 minutes on Saturday, the second seeded Ricketts outplayed Alvarez in the final 21-18 7-21 21-19 in the hour-long title decider.
In women’s play, Jamaican Tahlia Richardson advanced to the semis where she was narrowly beaten 12-21 23-21 27-25 by Nikte Sotomayor, the Guatemalan top seed who lost the final to Cuban Taymara Pupo.
Guyanese Priyanna Ramdhani reached the quarterfinals where she lost to Pupo.
D'Angelo Russell earned the plaudits of coach Darvin Ham after he tied Nick Van Exel's franchise record for 3s in a single season for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Russell went 6-for-10 from the 3-point line in a 136-105 demolition job of the Atlanta Hawks on Monday.
The 28-year-old finish with 27 points and 10 assists as the Lakers bounced back from successive defeats.
Russell has now shot 183 3-pointers this season, tying Van Exel's all-time single-season Lakers record, which was set in 1994-95. To get there, Russell had to surpass the late Kobe Bryant, who sunk 180 3s in the 2005-06 campaign.
It left Ham to laud the star guard, with the Lakers coach saying: "He has a green room. Not a green light [to shoot]. A green room.
"His prowess from the 3-point line, you know, it's really, really elite. And we need every bit of it."
Russell added: "It's really cool, honestly, just to know that, to get credit for it.
"It's just really cool. I said I don't want to underdo it, understate it, overdo it. I just feel like it's really cool to just be a part of something like that.
"I think I did something like that in Brooklyn, as well. Just to get credit for your game and what you work through and showcase it every night."
Indeed, Russell set the Nets' record for 3s in a season, with 234 in the 2018-19 campaign.
Russell's teammate Anthony Davis looks forward to a new franchise record being set when the Lakers face the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.
"He's able to get going and fill up the stat sheet with his scoring, and it's a big thing for him, big thing for us as a team," Davis said Russell.
"Obviously, there's been a lot going on around D-Lo, and just to be able to do that and us embrace him and he sees that, feels the love, that's good for him."
David Menuisier is keen to plunder more cross-Channel prize money with star three-year-old colts Sunway and Devil’s Point this spring.
The former signed off his juvenile campaign with a valuable Group One triumph in the Criterium International over a mile at Saint-Cloud.
Devil’s Point, meanwhile, warmed up for his Futurity second at Doncaster behind Ancient Wisdom by finishing a fair fourth in Group Three company at the same French track.
Both are entered in the Qipco 2000 Guineas and Menuisier insists he would not be scared of taking on City Of Troy at Newmarket, declaring: “He’s only made of flesh and bones like all the rest.”
However, the West Sussex-based handler is currently exploring other options in his native country.
Menuisier said: “Sunway could well start in the Prix Fontainebleau on April 14 at Longchamp, but he will also be entered in the La Force, which is over nine furlongs on April 7.
“That’s because a lot of the big guns are going to meet on the 14th in the Fontainebleau and I always like to think outside of the box.
“So, the La Force could be a good alternative, because I think the horse will stay really well and his main target in the first half of the season will be the Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby).
“It’s early days, but to me that’s his first big target, whether we run in the Poule (d’Essai des Poulains, French 2000 Guineas) before that, we could – I’m still open minded on which way we go.”
Devil’s Point was prominent throughout the Futurity before being outstayed by Ancient Wisdom at Doncaster on heavy going.
On his plans, Menuisier added: “Devil’s Point is likely to run in the Prix Djebel in France at Deauville on April 9, which is a Group Three over seven furlongs and should suit him really well.
“He’s entered in the 2000 Guineas, he’s entered in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains and he’s entered also in the German Guineas, but it will all depend on his first run and I’ll take it from there.
“We’ve been discussing it with the owners for the best part of six months and we are not completely convinced that he stays a mile very well.
“Even in the Futurity, he came to win his race and I thought then he wasn’t really seeing out the trip.
“So, that’s why I want to start over seven first of all and then after that there’s a chance that we might even drop in trip.”
Former World Series champion Chase Utley has promised a “fantastic experience” when Major League Baseball returns to London this summer.
The 2024 MLB season officially gets under way on Wednesday with a two-game series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres in Seoul before the regular season begins on March 28.
This summer, on the weekend of June 8-9, the latest MLB London series will take place when the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies go head-to-head in England’s capital.
London Stadium will host two matches between the sides in what will be the third time the sport has been taken to Britain after previous series in 2019 and last year.
Utley, who helped Philadelphia claim 2008 World Series success, said: “You’ll have the Phillies and Mets, two fantastic teams, two rivals in the same division.
“They’ve been rivals for around like 70 years and you’ll see some of the best players in the world.
“You’ll see fireworks, activities on the field in between innings, live music, you’ll have American-standard baseball food, which consists of hotdogs, nachos and burgers!
“Overall, it’s just a fantastic experience.”
Utley was in Brent Cross last week at The 108, a state-of-the-art dedicated indoor baseball facility, and put England white-ball captain Jos Buttler through his paces before he learned some of the key principles of cricket.
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The sporting crossover occurred due to cricket heading across the pond this summer when the T20 World Cup is hosted in America and West Indies during the same time of the latest MLB London series.
Former second baseman Utley retired in 2018 and splits his time between the United States and his new London home as part of his ambassador role for MLB Europe.
The 45-year-old feels cricket is slowly starting to break through in the USA, adding: “It’s probably as much as baseball penetrates here in the UK, so a bit, yes.
“Here, obviously football, from what I’ve seen in a short amount of time, is the sport that for sure everyone watches and then cricket is second place to that.
“In America, you have American Football and then you have basketball or you have baseball that are kind of bounced back and forth.
“It’s exciting to see that cricket is going to the United States to play because I’ve seen some amateurs playing in the park. You’re starting to see it more and more over the last few years that I was there.”
The next goal for Utley is to actually watch a cricket match live after brushing up his knowledge with Buttler last Wednesday when the meaning of ‘Bazball’ alongside the difference between Test and white-ball cricket was discussed.
“I’ve watched a fair share but I still haven’t seen it in person,” Utley said.
“At some point I need to see it in person. I’ve watched it on TV and it took me a little while, but I imagine it’s the same for watching baseball.
“It takes you a while to understand the nuances, the terminology and actually what is going on in the moment, but once you can wrap your head around it and make some sense, it’s very entertaining.”
New York Mets will play Philadelphia Phillies in the MLB World Tour: London Series 2024 on June 8-9 at London Stadium. Tickets are on sale now at ticketmaster.co.uk/MLB
Emma Raducanu has suffered another injury setback after withdrawing from the Miami Open ahead of her first-round match.
The 21-year-old, who was given a wild card, was set to play China’s Wang Xiyu on Tuesday but has been forced to pull out of the tournament due to a low back injury, the WTA has announced.
It is another blow for Raducanu in her attempts to establish herself as a consistent presence on the WTA Tour.
View this post on InstagramThe former US Open champion spent the second half of last year recovering from ankle and wrist surgery that saw her sidelined from May, the latest in a long line of injury problems since winning at Flushing Meadows in 2021.
She made her return at the start of this year and showed promising signs by making the third round of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells before losing to Aryna Sabalenka.
Raducanu’s withdrawal in Miami casts doubt over her availability for Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup tie with France on April 12-13.
Emma Raducanu has suffered another injury setback after withdrawing from the Miami Open ahead of her first-round match.
The 21-year-old, who was given a wild card, was set to play China’s Wang Xiyu on Tuesday but has pulled out of the tournament amid reports of a lower back injury.
It is another blow for Raducanu in her attempts to establish herself as a consistent presence on the WTA Tour.
View this post on InstagramThe former US Open champion spent the second half of last year recovering from ankle and wrist surgery that saw her sidelined from May, the latest in a long line of injury problems since winning at Flushing Meadows in 2021.
She made her return at the start of this year and showed promising signs by making the third round of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells before losing to Aryna Sabalenka.
Raducanu’s withdrawal in Miami casts doubt over her availability for Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup tie with France on April 12-13.
Alex Ovechkin scored twice to reach the 20-goal mark for the 19th time in his career and help the resurgent Washington Capitals earn an important 5-2 victory over the Calgary Flames on Monday.
Ovechkin's 20th and 21st goals of the season, both of which came on power plays in the second period, sparked the Capitals' third straight win. Washington is now 10-4-1 since Feb. 17 and one point ahead of the slumping Detroit Red Wings in the race for the Eastern Conference's final wild-card spot.
Dylan Strome and Tom Wilson each contributed a goal and an assist to the victory, with Strome recording the lone goal of a first period in which Washington goaltender Charlie Lindgren made 12 of his 34 saves.
Ovechkin's goals came 3:18 apart in the second period and pushed the Capitals' lead to 3-0. The future Hall of Famer became the sixth player in NHL history with 19 seasons of 20 or more goals.
Kevin Rooney put Calgary on the board with 9:19 remaining in the second before Hendrix Lapierre restored Washington's three-goal advantage with 5:38 left in the period.
The Flames fought back by recording 13 third-period shots and pulled to within 4-2 when MacKenzie Weegar rocketed the puck past Lindgren 7:13 into the frame.
Lindgren stood tall the rest of the way, however, before Wilson put the game out of reach with an empty-net goal with 2:29 left.
Dustin Wolf stopped 28 of 32 shots for Calgary, which had a two-game winning streak halted.
Skinner's hat trick helps Sabres rout Kraken
Jeff Skinner recorded a hat trick and helped the Buffalo Sabres to a fast start which carried them to a 6-2 drubbing of the Seattle Kraken.
Skinner, Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch all had goals in the first 5:41 of the game to spark Buffalo's fourth win in its last five outings. The surge has moved the Sabres within four points of a play-off spot in the Eastern Conference.
Thompson and Tuch added assists during Buffalo's early barrage, which came after Jordan Eberle gave Seattle a quick 1–0 lead just 24 seconds into the contest.
Thompson tied the game a mere 25 seconds later, however, and Skinner and Tuch soon followed with goals as the Sabres scored on three of their first four shots to prompt the Kraken to pull goaltender Joey Daccord less than six minutes in.
Seattle got one goal back before the conclusion of the period when Matty Berniers converted a power play, but failed to solve Buffalo's Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen the rest of the way.
Luukkonen stopped 32 shots, including all 18 he faced in the third period.
After Owen Power's goal midway through the second period put Buffalo up 4-2, Skinner fired a shot past Seattle replacement netminder Philipp Grubauer just 42 seconds later.
Skinner completed his first hat trick of the season by beating Grubauer on a rush with 1:59 left to play.
Grubauer finished with 23 saves in Seattle's fifth consecutive loss (0-4-1).
Jalen Brunson scored 34 points, Miles McBride added a career-high 29, and the New York Knicks ran their winning streak to four games with Monday's 119-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors.
McBride, who entered the contest averaging just 6.5 points per game, buried 6 of 9 attempts from 3-point range and totalled 11 first-quarter points in a game the Knicks never trailed. New York also received a 10-point, 11-rebound, 11-assist triple-double from Josh Hart to extend their lead on fifth-place Orlando in the Eastern Conference to one game.
The Knicks opened the game on an 18-4 run and led by as many as 15 points in the first half, though Golden State closed out the second quarter on a 12-3 spurt to cut its deficit to 62-56 at the break.
Despite 15 second-half points from Klay Thompson, the Warriors never got closer than four points behind over the final two quarters as the Knicks continued to keep them at arm's length mainly due to the shot-making of Brunson, who recorded 20 points in the second half.
Golden State lost for the fourth time in six games despite 27 points from Stephen Curry and 18 from Thompson, who added a team-high eight assists. Rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis finished 9 of 9 from the field while compiling 19 points and nine rebounds off the bench for the Warriors.
76ers fend off Heat to gain ground in standings
Tyrese Maxey tallied 30 points and 10 assists to lead the way as the Philadelphia 76ers earned an important win by holding off the Miami Heat for a 98-91 victory.
The 76ers' second straight win, coupled with Indiana's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, moved Philadelphia a half game ahead of the Pacers for sixth place in the Eastern Conference. The top six teams in both conferences are guaranteed to avoid the play-in round and are assured of a quarterfinals series.
Kelly Oubre Jr. also posted a double-double for Philadelphia with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Kyle Lowry chipped in 16 points in his first meeting with the Heat since being traded by his former team in January.
The Heat took the court again without injured stars Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro but kept the game close until the Sixers began to pull away over the final seven minutes.
Buddy Hield's 3-pointer with 6:34 left snapped an 85-85 tie and ignited an 8-2 Philadelphia run that Oubre finished with a layup to give his team a 93-87 edge with 2:28 remaining.
The Heat missed nine of their final 10 field goal attempts and had their two-game winning streak snapped when the 76ers made three free throws in the final 18.3 seconds.
Philadelphia was clinging to a 53-51 lead early in the second half before ripping off 15 consecutive points - seven of which came courtesy of Maxey - to go up by double digits.
Miami responded in the fourth, however, by outscoring the Sixers by a 17-4 margin over a 3 1/2-minute stretch. Terry Rozier had eight points during the run along with a steal that led to Caleb Martin's dunk that tied the game at 85-85 with 6:54 left.
Rozier and Bam Adebayo led the Heat with 20 points each, with Adebayo adding 13 rebounds and six assists and Rozier recording eight rebounds.
Resilient Cavaliers pin key loss on Pacers
The Indiana Pacers were leap-frogged by the 76ers in the standings after being dealt a 108-103 loss by the Cleveland Cavaliers, who received big performances from Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen to overcome the absence of several missing pivotal players.
LeVert compiled 23 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds and Allen also had 23 points along with nine rebounds as Cleveland prevailed despite again playing without All-Star Donovan Mitchell and fellow starters Evan Mobley and Max Strus.
Indiana received 19 points and 12 rebounds from Pascal Siakam but had an off-shooting night as a team, as it connected on just 9 of 38 tries (23.7 per cent) from 3-point range.
Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers' top scorer this season, was held to 14 points on 4-of-14 shooting but did hand out 12 assists.
Indiana did shoot nearly 61 per cent from the field while building a 34-25 lead after one quarter, and was up by 15 points nearing the midway stage of the second before the Cavaliers roared back.
Cleveland outscored the Pacers by a 22-7 count over the remainder of the first half to tie the game at 54-54 at intermission, and later took a 72-62 advantage in the third quarter behind an 18-6 run.
Indiana rallied in the fourth quarter to knot the score at 103-103 on Haliburton's floater with 2:05 left, but LeVert put the Cavs back ahead with a basket on the ensuing possession.
The Pacers failed to score the rest of the way, and Isaac Okoro put Cleveland up by two possessions with a layup off a feed from Allen with 26.1 seconds remaining.
The San Francisco Giants and reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell have agreed to a two-year contract worth $62million, multiple media outlets reported Monday.
Snell will reportedly have the ability to opt out of the deal after one season and become a free agent again.
The left-hander won his second career Cy Young last season with the San Diego Padres after going 14-9 with a league-leading 2.25 ERA.
Snell, 31, won the AL Cy Young in 2018 after going 21-5 with a 1.89 ERA for the Tampa Bay Rays.
Singing Snell is the latest move in a busy offseason for the Giants as they try to catch up with their biggest rival, the Los Angeles Dodgers, in the NL West.
Earlier this offseason, the Giants spent over $250million in free agency to acquire South Korean outfielder Jung Hoo Lee, third baseman Matt Chapman, right-hander Jordan Hicks and slugging outfielder Jorge Soler.
In January, San Francisco traded for left-handed starter Robbie Ray, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery and could pitch later in 2024.
In 191 career starts, Snell is 71-55 with a 3.20 ERA and has 1,223 strikeouts in 992.2 innings pitched.
Dame Laura Kenny admitted a lack of hunger to pursue an unprecedented sixth Olympic gold medal contributed to her decision to announce her retirement from cycling at the age of 31.
Kenny, Britain’s most decorated female Olympian, faced an improbable task to reach a fourth Games in Paris this summer having not returned to training after giving birth to her second child.
Realistically, she required an extraordinary performance at next month’s Track Nations Cup in Canada to stand any chance of making the squad, and for Kenny it ultimately came down to a question of priorities.
“Going on to win another gold medal, as much as I would love to do that, it wasn’t giving me the energy I wanted anymore, it just wasn’t,” Kenny told BBC Breakfast.
“I wasn’t thinking, ‘I really want to go on and win one’. I was thinking, ‘I really want to stay at home with the children’.”
Kenny and her husband, Sir Jason Kenny – Britain’s most decorated Olympian – last year welcomed a second son to their family and she said spending time at home was proving increasingly alluring to her.
She added: “I always knew deep down I would know when was the right time. I have had an absolute blast but now is the time for me to hang that bike up.
“It’s been in my head a little while, the sacrifices of leaving the children and your family at home is really quite big and it really is a big decision to make.
“More and more, I was struggling to do that. More people asking me what races was I doing, what training camps was I going on – I didn’t want to go ultimately and that’s what it came down to.
“I knew the minute I was getting those feelings. Once I said to Jase, ‘I don’t think I want to ride a bike anymore’, I started to feel relief.”
Kenny won team pursuit and omnium gold at both the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games and madison gold at the 2020 Olympics, where she also won a silver medal in the team pursuit.
She is a seven-time world champion and 14-time European champion, won two Commonwealth Games titles and was British National Road Race champion in 2014.
Kenny said the “absolute highlight” of her career was the 2012 Games in London, during which her relationship with Jason also became public.
“I never thought I would go to a home Games, let alone go on to win two gold medals,” she said.
“When I look back, I’m like ‘wow, those two weeks did really change my life’.”
Tributes poured in following Kenny’s announcement, with former Olympic heptathlon champion Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill writing on Instagram: “Laura what an incredible career you have had!
“You are such a legend, always will be and you will continue inspiring! Enjoy this next chapter.”
Sprint great Mark Cavendish described Kenny as an “absolute legend”, while British Olympic Association chairman Sir Hugh Robertson wrote: “Dame Laura Kenny has been our greatest ever female Olympian and a huge part of cycling and Team GB’s success at London, Rio and Tokyo.
“However, as well as being an outstanding athlete, she has also been a wonderful personality. We will all miss her enormously and wish her, and her family, all the very best for the future.”
Kenny, made a Dame in the 2021 New Year’s Honours, hopes to be at this summer’s Paris Olympics “in some capacity” and wants to stay involved with the GB cycling team.
“There’s nothing set in stone but there are things I’m so interested in doing,” she added.
“Something to help the younger generation, whether that could be some kind of academy.
“I could never be a coach because that’s just too much pressure for me, but maybe something in the background that would help the youngsters have the opportunities I had.”
Great Britain team performance director Stephen Park paid tribute to Kenny, saying: “Laura hangs up her wheels as not just one of the sport’s greatest riders, but as one of the greatest sporting talents our country has ever produced.”
Park added: “Just as impressive, however, is the impact which Laura has had on her fellow riders on the GB cycling team and the next generation of Olympic hopefuls.
“She has been a beacon of inspiration for so many, young and old, and I’m sure that the entire British cycling community will join me in wishing her the very best in the next chapter of her life.”
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