Osaka's 23-match win streak ends against Sakkari in Miami
Maria Sakkari, of Greece, reacts after winning a point against Naomi Osaka, of Japan, during the quarterfinals of the Miami Open tennis tournament, Wednesday, March 31, 2021, in Miami Gardens, Fla. Sakkari won 6-0, 6-4. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)MIAMI – As Naomi Osaka's 23-match winning streak neared an end Wednesday, she paused before serving to crane her neck and study the sky, as if seeking intervention from above. 23-seeded Maria Sakkari, who upset Osaka 6-0, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open. Good job.”Osaka made just 41% of her first serves and paid a price, because Sakkari aggressively attacked the second set. “I just did what I had to do.”Osaka took a 40-0 lead in the opening game, but didn’t win another point on her serve until the second set.
Barty, Medvedev rise to challenge on tough day at Miami Open
Barty didn't wilt, ousting Sabalenka 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3 for her third three-set win in four matches at the tournament. Medvedev beat Tiafoe 6-4, 6-3, and has gone 10-1 in sets against the American in their past four head-to-head matchups. Ad“Everywhere in the world there are different conditions and at times it suits you more than other places,” Barty said. Medvedev had 11 aces and showed no signs of wear, two days after cramping in the heat during a third-round win. 21 seed Jannik Sinner of Italy in the quarterfinals; Sinner advanced with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Emil Ruusuvuori of Finland.
Barty goes distance, tops Azarenka to reach Miami quarters
Ashleigh Barty of Australia, returns to Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, during the Miami Open tennis tournament, Monday, March 29, 2021, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)MIAMI – Ash Barty is tough to beat under any circumstances, especially when she’s on the ropes. The world’s top-ranked player has reached the Miami Open quarterfinals, getting there by holding off 14th-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-1, 1-6, 6-2. This, too, was cool: The match lived up to its showdown potential, with the reigning Miami Open champion and current world No. 1 in Barty facing someone who has won the Miami title three times and a previous world No. Svitolina will play unseeded Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia in the quarters; Sevastova was a 6-1, 7-5 winner over wild-card Ana Konjuh of Croatia.
Hobbled Daniil Medvedev limps to 3rd-round win at Miami Open
Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, walks gingerly to the net after defeating Alexei Popyrin, of Australia, during the Miami Open tennis tournament, Sunday, March 28, 2021, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)MIAMI – Daniil Medvedev could barely walk, much less run. The top-ranked Medvedev held his final two service games despite being hobbled by cramps and beat Alexei Popyrin 7-6 (3), 6-7 (7), 6-4 in the third round at the Miami Open. “Winning a Grand Slam final in straight sets doesn’t feel the way I felt after the match point today,” he said with a grin. Medvedev failed to convert three match points in the second set after taking a 5-2 lead. When Popyrin misfired on a backhand on the final point, Medvedev shuffled to the net with a smile that turned into a wince.
Tsitsipas, with Big Three missing, makes 4th round in Miami
Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece returns to Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia during the Miami Open tennis tournament, Saturday, March 27, 2021, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)MIAMI – For tennis up-and-comers like Stefanos Tsitsipas, the draw at the Miami Open began to look a lot less daunting even before the tournament began. “It’s a first test to see how it is playing without them,” Tsitsipas said after his third-round victory Saturday. 2-seeded Tsitsipas is among those with the best chance to take advantage, and he looked the part against Damir Dzumhur, winning 6-1, 6-4. “I created a lot of opportunities with my serve — I wasn’t rushing at all, finding the right angles and executing it perfectly,” Tsitsipas said. In women's play, top-ranked Ash Barty and three-time champion Victoria Azarenka advanced to a round of 16 showdown.
Federer out of Miami Open; will train to ‘work his way back’
FILE - In this Jan. 30, 2020 file photo, Switzerland's Roger Federer serves to Serbia's Novak Djokovic during their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia. Federers agent tells The Associated Press, Sunday, Dec. 27, that the 20-time Grand Slam champion is withdrawing from the Australian Open. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara, File)Roger Federer is withdrawing from this month’s Miami Open so he can spend extra time preparing to “work his way back out on tour,” his agent told The Associated Press on Monday. “After Doha and maybe Dubai, (Federer) will go back and do a training block to continue to slowly work his way back out on tour,” Godsick wrote. Federer beat John Isner 6-1, 6-4 in the final to win the Miami Open in 2019, the last time it was held.
Serena, Federer, Djokovic, Osaka headline Miami Open field
All rights reserved)Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams are lined up to compete in the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The Miami Open announced the field for next month’s event, and it will be star-studded. Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and a host of other stars headline this year’s entrants. Djokovic and Osaka are coming off Australian Open titles last weekend. The Miami Open begins play in front of a limited number of fans March 22 at Hard Rock Stadium.
The Latest: BC-Ga Tech men's hoops off, delays coach's debut
Boston College forward Andrew Kenny (23), who joined the team as a walk-on, congratulates teammates during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Wake Forest, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___The Boston College men’s basketball game at Georgia Tech scheduled for Wednesday has been postponed. The Atlantic Coast Conference said the postponement was due to the continued quarantines and contact tracing within the Boston College program. Boston College is 3-13 overall and 1-9 in the ACC. The Flyers are scheduled to face Boston on Sunday outdoors at Lake Tahoe as part of a league event.
72 tennis players in lockdown after virus cases on flights
Italian tennis player Simone Bolelli, left, and Argentina's Maximo Gonzalez are escorted to their training session in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 18, 2021. The number of players in hard quarantine swelled to 72 ahead of the Australian Open after a fifth positive coronavirus test was returned from the charter flights bringing players, coaches, officials and media to Melbourne for the season-opening tennis major. Some players have expressed anger at being classified as close contacts merely for being on board those flights with people who later tested positive. But local government, tennis and health authorities have said all players were warned of the risks in advance. The Australian Open starts Feb. 8 following a week of warmup tournaments at Melbourne Park and the ATP Cup.
Australian Open arrivals hit by 4 COVID-19 positive tests
Health authorities confirmed there'd been three positive tests for COVID-19 returned on Saturday, and another on Sunday. The Australian Open starts on Feb. 8. Kei Nishikori, the 2014 U.S. Open runner-up, and two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka were among a group of players who arrived on the flight from Los Angeles. Also, Americans Madison Keys and Tennys Sandgren returned positive tests, but Sandgren was given permission to fly after Australian health authorities determined he was no longer contagious though still shedding viral particles. South Australia health officials “confirmed that there is no one who has an active COVID-19 infection in the entire tennis cohort based in Adelaide,” the Australian Open said on Twitter.
COVID-19 patient in Miami-Dade remains on home quarantine, mayor says
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – After the Florida Department of Health announced the first COVID-19 case in Miami-Dade County on Wednesday night, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez said the patient was recovering at home. Epidemiologists have reported the respiratory illness affects patients differently, and while some patients can be asymptomatic, others can die. Two COVID-19 patients have died in Florida. Public health officials reported the Miami-Dade County patient is a 56-year-old man and his case is related to a recent trip. Public health officials also announced the positive COVID-19 cases in Florida surged to 31, including a new case in Broward County.
15-year-old Florida native is the youngest player to qualify for Wimbledon
Gauff will be the 12th youngest overall to play at the Wimbledon main draw, but the 11 others didn't make it through qualifying. The last 15-year-old to compete through a wild card slot at Wimbledon was Laura Robson in 2009, a British player who'd won Junior Wimbledon the year before. This year, she became the youngest woman to win a Grand Slam qualifying match in the French Open. If Gauff were to win Wimbledon this year, she'd be the youngest ever. Back in 1887, Charlotte "Lottie" Dod, at 15 years and 285 days old, set the record for the youngest woman to ever win a singles title at Wimbledon.