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Unrivaled: Kelsey Plum hits game-winner in Phantom’s 72-68 win, clinch top seed in playoffs

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Kelsey Plum hit the game-winning shot for Phantom in a 72-68 win over Rose in Unrivaled on Friday night. The victory clinched the top seed for Phantom in the Unrivaled playoffs, who finish the regular season 11-3.

With the target score set at 72 after Phantom finished the third quarter with a 60-56 lead, Rose cut its deficit to 64-63 on a layup by Sug Sutton. Plum and Angel Reese then traded 3-pointers to keep it a one-point game at 67-66. But Plum then followed with another 3 to put Phantom one basket away from the win.

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A Lexie Hull layup made it a 70-68 game, but Rose couldn’t get the defensive stop it needed on Phantom’s next possession. Dribbling off a screen by Kiki Iriafen at the left wing, Plum drove into the lane and hit a short jumper over Hull for the win.

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Berrios building up to rejoin Blue Jays after WBC denials, ‘weird’ injury

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DUNEDIN, Fla. – The atmosphere at Hiram Bithorn Stadium during Puerto Rico’s World Baseball Classic games is special, so when José Berríos was denied insurance for pool play, the decision hit the Toronto Blue Jays right-hander “really, really hard.”

A chance to pitch for the national team, at home, in front of children Valentina, Sebastian and Diego Jose, would have meant so much to the family, and a similar opportunity may not come up again.

“That’s the tough part,” Berríos said. “But I guess I understand what the situation is, dealing with the process. The beginning was frustrating, but my kids still had a chance to go to the games in Puerto Rico for that first round. They enjoyed every game. They were so pumped up. They learned. So, that’s great.

“Being there and pitching in front of them, that’s something I’m going to miss. But there’s nothing I can do.”

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The same applies to the even bigger shock Berríos received when he was denied insurance a second time, ahead of the WBC quarterfinals, when an MRI revealed the stress fracture in his right elbow, causing him to open a season on the injured list for the first time.

The 31-year-old had made three spring starts to that point, his velocity increasing each time out, and had no idea the injury was there.

Berríos was progressing so well this spring, the Puerto Rican team built him into their plans for the quarterfinals, with manager Yadier Molina revealing that he’d piggyback behind Seth Lugo before word of the insurance denial dropped hours later.

If not for the preceding physical, Berríos would have continued to pitch unaware of the stress fracture.

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“It was weird, knowing I’ve been throwing the ball pretty well, felt strong, healthy,” Berríos said of his initial reaction to the news. “Then I saw the picture, I saw what I got there, but how I’m feeling is still weird, because I feel great. They stopped me from pitching. They wanted to make sure I feel great, and nothing is going to get worse, so that’s why I stopped.”

He and the Blue Jays charted a path forward during a visit to specialist Dr. Keith Meister last week, when “I asked him multiple times, like four or five times, ‘Do I need surgery?’” Berríos relayed. “He said no each time. He told me that I can throw the ball, just keep building back up and feeling healthy and great.”

Berríos is doing precisely that now, playing catch, building up his arm strength while the stress fracture heals. A bullpen is slated for next Friday, when the Blue Jays open the season at home against the Athletics. His hope is to miss no more than a month.

A year ago, Berríos received the opening-day assignment to begin an uneven season that saw him post a 3.83 ERA through his first 22 starts, but a 5.31 mark through his final nine outings ahead of his first injured-list stint in 10 big-league seasons. Elbow inflammation kept him on the sidelines throughout the post-season and he controversially left the team before the World Series in what he described this spring as “a bad decision” that he apologized for this spring.

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The injuries may simply be the toll of a decade of durability catching up with him – he made 30 starts in each of the seven previous full seasons plus the maximum of 12 outings during the pandemic summer of 2020 – although he doesn’t necessarily think that’s the case.

“I mean, some players avoid that, so hopefully I can keep avoiding that, too,” he said. “Nothing’s been major, no surgery. But to be out there, playing every game is a great stress, not just for the pitchers but the position players, too. We are like a champion, trying to keep ourselves and our bodies healthy out there every day.”

Berríos is working back to that goal, confident that what he felt were gains with his fastball and his command will be there again once he’s ready to get back up on a mound.

“My breaking ball and changeup were there, too,” he said. “I’ve been feeling pretty well, ready to compete and I was so close. So, just waiting for the lights to turn on.”

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Katie Boulter and Cameron Norrie knocked out to end British hopes at Miami Open

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Katie Boulter, Cameron Norrie and Fran Jones all exited the Miami Open, ending British hopes in the singles events.

Norrie, who replaced Jack Draper as British No 1 last week, pushed American Alex Michelsen to three sets in their second-round encounter before falling 7-5 6-7(4-7) 6-4.

The 30-year-old has rediscovered some of his best tennis in the ‘Sunshine Double’ of Indian Wells and Miami, beating Alex de Minaur in California before his run was ended by Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals, but was narrowly edged out here.

He lost a tight first set as 21-year-old Michelsen broke in the 12th game, before coming back from 3-0 down in the second set to force and win a tie-break.

But Michelsen broke again in the third game of the third set and kept his nose in front to make the third round, where he will play Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo.

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Boulter’s good run in Miami – where she reached the third round of a WTA 1000 tournament for the first time in over a year – came to an end at the hands of 13th seed Karolina Muchova.

Cameron Norrie's run was ended by Alex Michelsen
Cameron Norrie’s run was ended by Alex Michelsen (Getty Images)

The former French Open finalist broke twice in the first set and once again in the second set to win 6-3 7-5 and set up a last-16 meeting with young talent Alexandra Eala.

British No 4 Jones achieved a childhood dream by beating Venus Williams in the first round but retired with illness against another American, world No 5 Jessica Pegula, in the second.

Jones was unwell throughout her win over Williams and was frequently heard coughing on court, and continued to be affected by a chest infection as she retired at 6-1, 3-0 down against Pegula.

She said: “I didn’t want to lose the opportunity to play Venus, but it’s a whole different ball game playing Jess.

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Naomi Osaka cast doubt on whether she will continue to persevere with tennis after an opening-match loss in Miami
Naomi Osaka cast doubt on whether she will continue to persevere with tennis after an opening-match loss in Miami (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

“You need to be 10 out of 10 to compete against her and I’m probably a four out of 10 today. If I’m not able to give my everything out there, I don’t see the point when I’m already battling my general fitness as it is.”

Jones has endured a frustrating stop-start career as a result of physical issues caused by a rare genetic condition, Ectrodactyly Ectodermal Dysplasia (EEC), which means she has three fingers and a thumb on each hand and seven toes.

The 25-year-old broke into the top 100 last year and earned her biggest career win against world No 15 Emma Navarro in Auckland at the start of this season, but is frequently stymied by injury and illness problems, as was the case in Miami.

Elsewhere former major champion Naomi Osaka cast doubt on whether she will continue competing if she continues to endure early losses, after losing 7-5 6-4 to Australian rising star Talia Gibson.

Talia Gibson has now beaten four top-20 players - Osaka, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Clara Tauson and Jasmine Paolini - in the space of three weeks
Talia Gibson has now beaten four top-20 players – Osaka, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Clara Tauson and Jasmine Paolini – in the space of three weeks (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

Seeded 16th, Osaka received a first-round bye but was comprehensively outplayed by the 21-year-old, who has now beaten four top-20 players in the space of three weeks.

Afterwards Osaka said she was struggling to balance motherhood – she gave birth to daughter Shai in July 2023 – with attempting to get back to the top of the sport.

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“I feel like this also is a dilemma for me,” she said. “Obviously, I would love to play, but like I said last year … for me, my daughter is very important, and I want to be a mum. I want to be the best mum I can, but sometimes I feel like I know what I have to do to become a really good player, and it’s very difficult.

“I’m not going to stay on tour if I’m losing in the first round. I’d rather just be a great mum and be there for my daughter. Because for me, I want to win titles and I want to be the best player I can, but if I have to sacrifice having a lot of time with my daughter, I’d rather not do it.”

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Cyclist Debora Silvestri breaks five ribs in horror Milan-San Remo crash

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Italian cyclist Debora Silvestri is recovering in hospital after breaking five breaks and fracturing her shoulder in a horrific crash at Milan-San Remo on Saturday.

The Laboral Kutxa rider took evasive action to avoid a pile-up after several riders went down and crashed into a roadside barrier on the descent of the famous Cipressa climb.

But Silvestri came off worse as she went over the barrier and fell several feet down the bank, falling headfirst onto a lower section of road.

Her team said she was conscious as she was taken to hospital and later released a statement saying she was “currently stable”.

They added: “She will remain hospitalised for the next few hours under medical supervision, and further tests will be conducted to assess the extent of the injuries.”

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The 27-year-old posted on Instagram later: “Sure not the final I had imagined… I feel quite good, five ribs broken and a micro fracture on shoulder – could be worse.

“Time to recover but no worries, I will come back.”

The incident occurred less than 20km from the end of the 156km course at ‘La Classicissima’, one of cycling’s five Monuments, the most prestigious one-day races.

Two of the race favourites, former Tour de France champion Kasia Niewiadoma Phinney and Kim Le Court Pienaar, last year’s winner at Liege-Bastogne-Liege, went down in the crash.

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Niewiadoma Phinney was unable to continue but Le Court Pienaar, who initially remained at the scene to check on her fellow riders, was able to remount and finished 99th.

The race was won by Belgium’s Classics specialist Lotte Kopecky, who edged Switzerland’s Noemi Ruegg and Italian Eleonora Gasparrini in a five-rider sprint, with the latter two rounding out the podium.

The men’s race was won by double world champion Tadej Pogacar, who pipped Britain’s Tom Pidcock by a mere half a wheel at the end of 298km of racing.

Pogacar also went down in a crash which affected multiple top riders, including Wout van Aert, who recovered despite losing time waiting for a bike change to finish third.

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Jannik Sinner taking his shot at ‘Sunshine Double’ at Miami Open

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Tennis: Miami OpenMar 21, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Jannik Sinner (ITA) (L) shakes hands with Damir D?umhur (BIH) (R) at the net after their match on day five of the 2026 Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

World No. 2 Jannik Sinner continued his pursuit of the “Sunshine Double” by winning his opening match over Damir Dzumhur 6-3, 6-3 on Saturday at the Miami Open in Miami Gardens, Fla.

The Italian, coming off a victory at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., needed only 71 minutes to dispatch Dzumhur, ranked No. 76, from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Sinner, a 25-time winner on the ATP Tour, can be the first player to win the consecutive California and Florida tournaments — the “Sunshine Double” — since Roger Federer in 2017.

A winner of 12 straight matches at ATP Masters 1000 events, Sinner also has tied Novak Djokovic’s record with 24 consecutive sets won at that level.

“I feel like the scoreboard matters at times,” Sinner said of the latter streak. “For me, I try to improve as a player and put myself in the position to play as many matches as possible. I always treat every opponent in the same way, trying to come on court and do my best with a great attitude and trying to go for it.”

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Sinner, who won the Miami Open in 2024, had a distinct edge in aces (9-1) and winners (21-8), though each had 18 unforced errors. The Italian won 90% of his first serves (26 of 29), to 62% (23 of 37) for Dzumhur, who saved six of nine break points — to 1-for-1 for Sinner.

Third-seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany handled American wild card Martin Damm 6-2, 6-4 in just under 70 minutes.

Zverev did not face a break point and converted three of eight opportunities. Damm was undermined by more double faults (6-0) and unforced errors (22-8) and fewer winners (16-12).

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Kazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko knocked off eighth-seeded Ben Shelton 6-7 (3) 7-6 (3), 6-3 in a battle lasting two hours, 22 minutes.

The power-serving Shelton had 17 aces but also 44 unforced errors. Shevchenko had fewer aces (11) and winners (46-33) but also fewer unforced errors (24) as he saved all five break points on his serve.

Seventh-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada moved on following a tight 7-6 (3), 7-5 win over Marton Fucsovics of Hungary. Ninth-seeded Daniil Medvedev of Russia dropped the opening set before ousting Japanese wild card Rei Sakamoto 6-7 (10), 6-3, 6-1.

Also victorious on Saturday were 12th-seeded Jakub Mensik of the Czech Republic, 18th-seeded Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina, 19th-seeded Frances Tiafoe of the United States, 29th-seeded Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina, 30th-seeded Corentin Moutet of France and 31st-seeded Ugo Humbert of France as well as Spanish qualifier Rafael Jodar.

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A host of seeded players lost, with Russia’s Andrey Rublev (15th) falling to Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo, Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (16th) eliminated by France’s Quentin Halys, American Learner Tien (20th) downed by Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak, Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie (23st) ousted by American Alex Michelsen, Arthur Rinderknach (26th) losing to fellow Frenchman Terence Atmane and American Brandon Nakashima (27th) beaten by Croatia’s Marin Cilic.

–Field Level Media

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Watch Carabao Cup final for free – TV channel, live stream and kick-off time

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Watch Carabao Cup final for free – TV channel, live stream and kick-off time – Manchester Evening News