Sports

9:18 AM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com The potential for a Rafael Nadal vs. Daniil Medvedev semifinal showdown. A blockbuster Naomi Osaka–Sloane Stephens first-round matchup. A full-capacity crowd. And a relaxed desert vibe to go with it all. It’s been three years (!) since the BNP Paribas Open has been played during its normally scheduled slot on

5:17 PM ET Ahead of their midweek Champions League showdown, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain endured mixed fortunes. Elsewhere, Jesse Marsch made his Premier League managerial debut, Thomas Muller scored an “unforgettable” own goal and Manchester United had a derby day they will want to forget. Here are Alex Kirkland, Ryan O’Hanlon, Andrew Cesare Richardson

8:23 PM ET Associated Press LAS VEGAS — Alex Bowman beat NASCAR champion Kyle Larson in a door-to-door overtime battle at Las Vegas Motor Speedway that sent Hendrick Motorsports to victory lane for the second consecutive week. The win Sunday was the first of the year for Bowman and seventh of his career. It was

1:36 AM ET Colby Covington utilized a clear strategy to wear down Jorge Masvidal over five rounds and earned a unanimous decision victory at UFC 272. Covington’s wrestling was simply too much for Masvidal, resulting in most of the fight being contested on the mat. Masvidal did have his moments, but they were few and

9:07 PM ET Associated Press LAS VEGAS — Ty Gibbs recovered from a nasty first-stage spat and a failed attempt at retaliation to win the Xfinity Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Gibbs took the lead for the first time Saturday on a restart with six laps remaining in another sloppy showing for NASCAR’s

1:46 PM ET Associated Press LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky racing officials have denied trainer Bob Baffert’s request to stay his suspension for a failed postrace drug test by Medina Spirit that led to his disqualification as Kentucky Derby winner. Kentucky Horse Racing Commission board members on Friday voted 10-0 with three abstentions against the stay

11:48 AM ET Associated Press Former Top 20 player Varvara Lepchenko was given a four-year doping suspension on Friday by the International Tennis Federation after she tested positive for a banned stimulant during a tournament last year. Her lawyer, Howard Jacobs, wrote in an email to The Associated Press that Lepchenko intends to appeal the

7:56 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Gennadiy Golovkin was the main attraction, a staple of HBO Boxing for nearly a decade, but just before he entered the ring in Inglewood, California, on a May 2015 night to face Willie Monroe Jr., there was a diminutive boxer from Nicaragua who had the industry buzzing. With a second-round

8:13 AM ET The PGA Tour heads to Arnie’s place, Bay Hill Club & Lodge, this week for the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau pulled out this week, citing an ongoing hand injury. Play begins Thursday. But a strong field will be at Bay Hill, a week before the Players Championship and a

10:16 PM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets star forward Kevin Durant spent part of his morning brushing off the notion that he wasn’t going to be a “savior” for his struggling team, then he almost did just that in a 113-107 loss to the Miami Heat on Thursday night. After missing a month and

6:45 AM ET INDIANAPOLIS — The on-field workouts begin Thursday at the NFL combine inside Lucas Oil Stadium ahead of the 2022 NFL draft. NFL Network will carry live coverage of on-field drills each night starting at 4 p.m. ET. ESPN’s NFL Live will originate from Indianapolis with 4 p.m. ET shows on Thursday and

7:00 AM ET ESPN staff Our college football reporters recently examined the biggest strength and the biggest question mark for every team in our 2022 Way-Too-Early Top 25. Now we turn our attention to spring practices and what to watch for as position battles get underway and teams try to fill some missing gaps and

7:00 AM ET Now that we’re into March, many eyes are on the NHL’s transaction wire as the 2022 trade deadline approaches on March 21. But, February was no slouch for excitement either, with a wild All-Star Weekend and a number of individual performances that highlighted both superstars and under-the-radar contributors around the league. For

5:08 PM ET No deal. The MLB lockout continues. Major League Baseball has announced the delay of the 2022 regular season after the MLBPA player leaders agreed unanimously not to accept MLB’s final proposal before the league’s 5 p.m. ET deadline. What’s next? Will Opening Day really be pushed back? Why can’t the owners and

2:39 PM ET Associated Press LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Embattled Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has sued Churchill Downs and track leadership in federal court, seeking to overturn his two-year suspension on grounds it violated his due process rights. The suit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court names Churchill Downs Inc., CEO William C. Carstanjen

12:26 PM ET UEFA has removed Russia’s teams from this year’s European competitions meaning they will not compete at this summer’s European Women’s Football Championships, while Spartak Moscow have been kicked out of the Europa League. The teams have been removed in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s women’s side were set to face

5:12 PM GMT Ireland kept the pressure on unbeaten Six Nations leaders France with a 57-6 thrashing of Italy on Sunday in a game that descended into farce after the visitors were forced to play most of it with 13 men. Ireland were 7-3 up when replacement hooker Hame Faiva, on for the injured Gianmarco

10:08 PM ET The knock on Islam Makhachev used to be that he lacked finishing instinct and was susceptible to getting caught. Adriano Martins knocked Makhachev out in Makhachev’s second UFC fight, back in 2015, at UFC 192. Makhachev quickly patched up some of those defensive holes, and he has not lost since fighting Martins,

9:09 PM GMT TWICKENHAM, London — In the end it was record-breaker Ben Youngs who brought order to the chaos. As Wales threatened the most incredible comeback, with the clock well over the appointed time, it was Youngs who kicked the ball dead to bring an end to a game which looked finished at least

8:38 PM ET Mike Coppinger Nick Parkinson Close •Reports on boxing for ESPN.co.uk, as well as several national newspapers•Has been reporting on British boxing for over 15 years•Appears on BoxNation’s Boxing Matters show Coming off a clear decision win over Jose Ramirez in May in which he captured the undisputed junior welterweight championship, Josh Taylor