Update on the latest sports
APTENNIS-AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Nadal meets Tsitsipas in quarterfinal
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Rafael Nadal’s sore back seems to be improving as he heads into the Australian Open quarterfinals with an eye on a men’s-record 21st Grand Slam singles title. The Spanish left-hander’s opponent will be Stefanos Tsitsipas, who did not need to hit a shot in the fourth round because No. 9 Matteo Berrettini withdrew with an injury.
The other quarterfinal on their half of the draw will be No. 4 Daniil Medvedev, the 2019 U.S. Open runner-up, against No. 7 Andrey Rublev in an all-Russian matchup.
There’s also a one-nation women’s quarterfinal between Americans Jennifer Brady and Jessica Pegula. They are good friends off the court and have played doubles together. Brady has not dropped a set through four matches at the Australian Open so far.
The other women’s quarterfinal has top-ranked Ash Barty of Australia playing Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic. Barty is bidding to reach her second successive Australian Open semifinal and win her home Grand Slam for the first time. Both players are unbeaten in 2021 and have not dropped a set this tournament.
In Tuesday action:
— Defending champion Novak Djokovic beat sixth-seeded Alexander Zverev 6-7 (6), 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (6) to reach the Australian Open semifinals for the ninth time. The top-ranked Djokovic has never lost at Melbourne Park after making it to the last four. He will next play Aslan Karatsev after the No. 114-ranked Russian qualifier beat Grigor Dimitrov to become the first man in the professional era to reach the semifinals at his first Grand Slam tournament.
— Serena Williams returned to the Australian Open semifinals for the first time since she won the tournament in 2017. Williams claimed the last five games and beat No. 2 seed Simona Halep 6-3, 6-3 in the quarterfinals despite 33 unforced errors. She set up a showdown with Naomi Osaka for a spot in the final. Osaka advanced by overpowering Hsieh Su-wei 6-2, 6-2. Williams is seeking a record-tying 24th major singles championship.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NBA
More Spurs games canceled amid outbreak
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (AP) — The NBA says the San Antonio Spurs are dealing with a coronavirus outbreak among four players and that means the Spurs won’t play until the middle of next week at the earliest.
The NBA has postponed five more games: the next three for the Spurs — at Cleveland on Wednesday, at New York on Saturday and at Indiana on Monday — as well as the next two for the Charlotte Hornets while contact tracing is completed. The Hornets were scheduled to play host to Chicago on Wednesday and Denver on Friday.
In other virus-related developments in the NBA:
— The mayor of Atlanta is raising concerns about the notion of fans coming to the city for the NBA All-Star Game and skills competitions on March 7. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms says, “People should not travel to Atlanta to party.”
— The Milwaukee Bucks will start having a limited number of spectators at their home games beginning Tuesday night against the Toronto Raptors. Bucks officials are phasing in the process by having only players’ families and invited guests at their next three games. They’ll have 250 spectators Tuesday, 500 for Thursday’s game with Toronto and 750 for Friday’s game with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Members of the general public will be allowed to attend games starting Sunday when the Bucks face the Sacramento Kings.
NBA-SCHEDULE
Bucks back home, hoping to end losing streak
MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks begin an eight-game homestand looking to recover from three straight losses on the road. The Bucks are 16-and-11 so far this season. Last year after 27 games, they were 24-and-3 with an 18-game winning streak.
Also on the NBA schedule:
— The Los Angeles Lakers are in Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves. The Lakers will be missing Anthony Davis, who is out indefinitely after aggravating the injury to his Achilles tendon.
— The Phoenix Suns, winners of six in a row, host the Brooklyn Nets, who beat Sacramento by 11 points Monday even with injured Kevin Durant watching from the bench.
— The Boston Celtics, who’ve lost 10 of their last 16, host the Denver Nuggets, winners of three straight.
— The New Orleans Pelicans, on a three-game losing streak, are in Memphis to play the Grizzlies. New Orleans won their last matchup, 118-109, earlier this month.
— The Portland Trail Blazers, winners of four straight, are in Oklahoma City. The Thunder is coming off of a five-point win over the Bucks Sunday night.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Boston College-Georgia Tech game postponed
BOSTON (AP) — The Boston College men’s basketball game at Georgia Tech scheduled for Wednesday has been postponed. No makeup date has been announced.
The Atlantic Coast Conference said the postponement was due to the continued quarantines and contact tracing within the Boston College program.
The postponement delays the debut of Scott Spinelli as the Eagles’ interim coach. The school fired coach Jim Christian on Monday. Athletic director Pat Kraft said Spinelli, who had been an assistant, will coach the remainder of the season. Boston College is 3-13 overall and 1-9 in the ACC.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Stars postpone second game
DALLAS (AP) — The Dallas Stars have postponed a second consecutive game against the Nashville Predators after further consultation with city officials over widespread power outages attributed to extreme winter weather. The club made the latest decision almost 12 hours before the game scheduled for Tuesday night. The postponement of Monday night’s game wasn’t announced until less than an hour before puck drop. The Stars had been getting criticized on social media about going forward with Monday’s game as tens of thousands of Dallas-area residents went most of the day without power in frigid temperatures.
Five games are still on the schedule:
— The Vegas Golden Knights and the Colorado Avalanche continue their four-game set in Las Vegas, before playing the third of the four games at Lake Tahoe later this week and then the finale in Denver next Monday. Vegas won the opener on Sunday, 1-0.
— The Pittsburgh Penguins are unbeaten at home so far this season — and three of their five wins there have come against the Washington Capitals. The two teams meet again in Pittsburgh tonight.
— The New York Islanders and the Buffalo Sabres complete a two-game set in Buffalo.
— The Minnesota Wild, who’ve had six games postponed because of COVID-19 cases within the team, are scheduled to skate at Los Angeles.
— The New York Rangers host the New Jersey Devils.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NHL
More Flyers practice
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Flyers returned to practice in limited quantities after a weeklong shutdown because of the virus.
The Flyers had 16 players on the ice for practice. General manager Chuck Fletcher expects eight more to be cleared for practice Wednesday.
Philadelphia has seven players on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list.
MLB-PHILLIES-HERRERA
Herrera gets an invite to spring training
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Former All-Star center fielder Odubel Herrera was among 31 non-roster players the Philadelphia Phillies have invited to spring training.
Herrera, who will earn $10 million this season, hasn’t played for the Phillies since 2019 when he was suspended under Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy. The charges against Herrera were dismissed but he was removed from the team’s 40-man roster last year and wasn’t part of the 60-player pool for the shortened season. He will report to the team’s minor league mini-camp.
Catcher Jeff Mathis signed a minor league deal with the Phillies on Tuesday and will join the major league camp. Mathis batted .161 in 24 games for Texas last season.
Elsewhere in the majors:
— The New York Mets have sent right-hander Corey Oswalt to te minors and released reliever Brad Brach. Oswalt cleared waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A Syracuse. Brach, a 34-year-old right-hander who was designated for assignment last week, is guaranteed a salary of just over $2 million this year. The 27-year-old Oswalt will attend major league spring training as a non-roster player. The two moves created roster spots for infielder Jonathan Villar and outfielder Albert Almora.
— Bullpen coach Matt Wise will serve as the Los Angeles Angels’ interim pitching coach. He replaces Mickey Callaway, who is being investigated by Major League Baseball over allegations of inappropriate behavior toward several women who work in sports media. New Angels executive Dom Chiti will fill in as Manager Joe Maddon’s bullpen coach while the investigation of Callaway is concluded.
— The Atlanta Braves beat Dansby Swanson in salary arbitration, and the shortstop will earn $6 million rather than his request for $6.7 million. The 27-year-old Swanson hit .274 with 10 homers and 35 RBIs last season in an NL-high 237 at-bats.
MLB-OBIT-BILLY CONIGLIARO
Billy Conigliaro, Bosox 1st pick, Tony’s brother, dies at 73
BOSTON (AP) — Billy Conigliaro, the first-ever Red Sox draft pick who started out in the Boston outfield with star-crossed brother Tony and later spent years taking care of him after a heart attack, has died. He was 73. Conigliaro’s family told the team he died at home in Beverly, Massachusetts.
Though he wound up winning a World Series ring with Oakland in 1973, Billy always remained a part of New England lore, forever connected by his local roots and the tragic events surrounding his older brother, powerful slugger Tony C.
Billy Conigliaro hit a career .256 with 40 home runs and 128 RBIs in five seasons.
NFL-DOLPHINS-SANDERS
Dolphins kicker signs extension
MIAMI (AP) — Miami Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders has signed a $22 million contract extension through 2026. The deal includes $10 million guaranteed.
Sanders is the Dolphins’ leader in career field goal percentage. He was chosen All-Pro after tying the franchise’s single-season points record with 144 in 2020. His 36 field goals made ranked second in the NFL and second in Dolphins history, and his field goal rate of 92% was a team record.
Sanders was a seventh-round pick by Miami in 2018.
Elsewhere in the NFL:
— A person familiar with the situation says the Carolina Panthers are releasing two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kawann Short. Short has played in just five games over the last two seasons due to separate shoulder injuries that twice landed him on injured reserve. He was set to count $20.8 million against this year’s salary cap. But by releasing him before June 1, the Panthers will save about $9 million.
NFL-CHIEFS-BRITT REID
Girl hurt in crash involving Chiefs coach Britt Reid awake
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The family of a 5-year-old girl left in a coma following a crash involving Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid says the girl is now awake. The news was delivered Monday in a post on the GoFundMe page for Ariel Young. The girl has been hospitalized since the Feb. 4 crash.
Reid is head coach Andy Reid’s son. Britt Reid was initially placed on administrative leave following the multi-vehicle crash. He’s no longer employed by the team.
Police said the crash happened near the team’s training complex next to Arrowhead Stadium when Reid’s truck slammed into two cars on the side of the road. Police say Reid admitted to having “two or three drinks” before the crash.
