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Medvedev, Alcaraz advance to Miami
Open quarterfinals
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. | Defending Miami Open champion Daniil Medvedev won his 350th career match to move into the quarterfinals for a fourth straight year, beating Dominik Koepfer 7-6 (5), 6-0 on Tuesday.
Top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz also advanced with ease in a 6-3, 6-3 win over No. 23 seed Lorenzo Musetti.
Alcaraz, who beat Musetti in less than 90 minutes and looked comfortable as ever on the court, said he’s “probably” playing his best tennis since last summer. That ankle injury from last month is no longer a concern, he said.
“I don’t know if this is the best game that I’m playing, but without a doubt it’s the best feeling,” the Wimbledon champion said. “I’m feeling great on the court. I’m moving great. … I’m not thinking about the ankle anymore on the court.”
Alcaraz will face No. 11 seed Grigor Dimitrov on Thursday in the quarterfinals. Dimitrov beat No. 8 seed Hubert Hurkacz 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3) to advance.
No. 3 seed Medvedev, after a tight opening set, pulled away to win his ninth straight match in south Florida and continue his run at back-to-back titles.
Medvedev trailed 4-0 in the tiebreaker before rallying to take the set. He said he used that momentum to get out to a fast start and finish his milestone victory.
“I would say before the match, the desire to win is the same, but for sure, the feeling of winning, and during the match while you’re winning, is different,” he said. “The feelings are different, but the desire is the same and that’s what keeps me going.”
Medvedev goes for victory No. 351 on Wednesday against Nicolas Jarry, the No. 22 seed who ousted No. 7 seed Casper Ruud 7-6 (3), 6-3.
Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner, seeded No. 2, improved to 19-1 in matches this year with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Christopher O’Connell to reach the quarterfinals.
In the middle of the match, commentators said a spectator had fainted in the 82 degree temperatures and play was stopped. Sinner came to the sideline and passed up drinks and towels to the person.
Also advancing was Tomas Machac, who reached the quarterfinals to face Sinner with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Matteo Arnaldi.
On the women’s side, two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka defeated Yulia Putintseva 7-6 (4), 1-6, 6-3 to make the semifinals. It was the second time that Azarenka, 34, has made it to the semifinals this season after going that far just once in 2023. She has won the Miami Open three times.
No. 4 seed Elena Rybakina plays No. 8 seed Maria Sakkari on Tuesday night.
MLS and referees reach seven-year labor deal, ending 37-day lockout
NEW YORK | Major League Soccer and its referees announced a seven-year labor contract Tuesday, ending a 37-day lockout that led to the use of replacement officials.
Match officials will average a 28.36% increase this year, followed by hikes of 3% in 2025, 6% in 2026, 3% each in 2027 and 2029, and 4% apiece in 2029 and 2030, according to Peter Manikowski, president of the Professional Soccer Referees Association. He said a top-scale referee will earn a minimum $200,000 starting in 2028.
The Professional Referee Organization, which supplies match officials to MLS, the NWSL and some lower-tier leagues, locked out officials on Feb. 18, three days ahead of the MLS opener, after the union rejected a tentative five-year deal to replace the expired deal.
PRO and the union, which has about 260 members, said they had ratified an agreement reached last week that runs until Jan. 31, 2031.
Replacement officials were used in the first 69 games over the opening five weeks of this season, drawing some criticism.
“Human beings make individual mistakes, but it’s the avoidance of mistakes and it’s the situational awareness that make our officials the most experienced and the best ones in North America, in some cases in the world,” Manikowski said. “It’s not what happens on an individual call, but what leads up to that which is, I think a big change that folks will see on the field of play this coming weekend.”
PRO did not have any comment beyond a prepared statement.
MLS also used replacement officials for the first two weeks of its 2014 season before reaching a five-year contract after the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service entered talks.
March Madness:
TV ratings slightly
up over last year
The first three days of the NCAA Tournament attracted record ratings, only to see the momentum stifled due to Sunday’s games being blowouts.
Overall, the tournament is averaging 9.07 million viewers on CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. That is a slight increase over the 9.05 million average at this point last year.
Through Saturday, the tournament averaged 9.0 million, making it the most-watched through that stage.
Sunday’s games averaged 8.91 million, an 8% decrease over last year. The average winning margin of the eight games was 18.9 points, including Duke’s 93-55 blowout of James Madison and Purdue’s 106-67 rout of Utah State, both on CBS.
Saturday’s eight second-round games averaged 10.8 million, making it the most-watched second round Saturday in tournament history. The Michigan State-North Carolina game — an 85-59 victory by the Tar Heels — drew 10.02 million, the most-watched, second-round Saturday game since Kentucky-Indiana in 2016.
Thursday’s first round averaged 8.5 million, the most-watched since 2015. Friday’s averaged 8.6 million, the second-most just behind last year’s 8.8 million.
CBS and TNT Sports should be able to regain some momentum during the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight with all four top seeds still alive and many traditional, blueblood programs still in the field.
Clark, Iowa claim another record with most-viewed first-round game
BRISTOL, Conn. | Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes can claim another record — the most-viewed first-round game in women’s NCAA Tournament history.
The Hawkeyes’ 91-65 win over Holy Cross on Saturday averaged 3.23 million viewers on ABC, according to Nielsen. The viewership surpassed the 2.50 million who watched last year’s Elite Eight game between Iowa and Louisville, making this the most-viewed women’s tournament game ever — excluding Final Four contests and title games.
It was the third Iowa game this season where the viewer average was over 3 million. The seven Iowa games on network television — ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox — have averaged 2.27 million. Iowa’s regional semifinal game against Colorado on Saturday will be on ABC.
According to ESPN, 1.5 billion total minutes were viewed on television and streaming platforms during the first round. That is the most on record in women’s tournament history and a 70% increase over last year.
Connecticut’s game against Jackson State, which preceded the Iowa contest, averaged 1.1 million on ABC, the third-most viewed first-round game on record.
Defending champion LSU’s win over Rice on Friday averaged 762,400 on ESPN, making it the most-watched weekday first-round game on record.
Cardinals place Dylan Carlson on injured list, will start Victor Scott
St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Dylan Carlson will begin the season on the injured list with a sprained left shoulder, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Tuesday.
Carlson was injured in a collision Monday with right fielder Jordan Walker. Prospect Victor Scott will be the opening-day starter in center field.
Carlson’s injury is the latest setback to the Cardinals’ outfield. Tommy Edman, who was originally expected to start in center field, is on the IL with a wrist injury. Left fielder Lars Nootbaar received the same designation because of fractured ribs.
Carlson had taken advantage of Edman’s absence to lead the Cardinals in spring training with three home runs and 13 RBIs.
—From AP reports
