I Dig Sports
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Bukayo Saka is "ready to go" as his side prepare to face Fulham in the Premier League on Tuesday.
Saka, who underwent surgery for a hamstring injury in December, has spent a lengthy spell on the sideline for Arsenal but is fit to return against Fulham.
The 23-year-old sustained a tear to the muscle in his right leg during the first half Arsenal's 5-1 win at Crystal Palace.
Teenager Mensik denies Djokovic 100th title in Miami
It has been some rise for Mensik, who broke into the top 100 in February 2024 by reaching the Qatar Open final.
In Miami he beat three top-10 players in Djokovic, Britain's Jack Draper and American Taylor Fritz to lift the biggest title of his career, and handled the pressure of the occasion well.
After a five-and-a-half hour rain delay before the final, settling into a rhythm was not easy, but Mensik adjusted quicker than Djokovic.
He broke Djokovic at the first opportunity and his first serve popped as he rushed out to a 4-1 lead.
Djokovic, by contrast, had a rough start. He fell twice, had to apply eye drops after being bothered by swelling under his right eye and resorted to using sawdust to help him grip his racquet in the humidity.
However, his serve improved as the set progressed and his backhand slice in particular trouble Mensik, who eventually handed the break back.
A tie-break felt inevitable and Djokovic paid for a poor start to it, although he saved two set points before Mensik smashed his way to the opener.
The match was following a similar pattern to their previous meeting in Shanghai last year, when Mensik took the first set on a breaker before fading in the next two.
However, this time he kept up the intensity. Mensik did not face a break point in the second set and the heat and humidity began to take a toll on Djokovic.
Breathing heavily and wiping his face on a towel between every point, Djokovic could only watch as Mensik sent three excellent serves past him to force a tie-break, before the Serb whacked his thigh with his racquet after dropping the opening point in it.
If the point was short, then it was Djokovic who came out on top. But Mensik dug in to the long rallies, sending Djokovic darting around at the back of court and ultimately setting up three match points.
The first one went by as Djokovic sent a superb return right onto the baseline, but Mensik ensured a fitting end with a serve out wide to clinch the second.
He will now rise to a career-high of 24th in the world rankings.
For Djokovic, the wait for a first ATP title since 2023 goes on, but there were signs that his serve in particular has improved under coach Andy Murray.
With Aoibheann Reilly, 24, linking well with the 21-year-old pair of O'Brien and Dalton, Ireland have a youthful nine-10-12 axis.
"They're inexperienced but there's skill and talent," added Downey.
"They're malleable and they can be coached.
"There's leadership and there's great depth from those young players."
Ireland are next in action against England in Cork on 12 April before finishing their campaign with trips to Wales and Scotland.
Sitting third in the standings after the big win in Parma, Ireland will hope to finish strongly before turning their attention to the World Cup which starts in August.
Ireland, who failed to qualify for the last World Cup, will be in a pool with Spain, Japan and New Zealand at the tournament in England.
"You have to look at areas that don't go right for you and when you right the wrongs, that's how you grow," concluded Peat.
"The growth from last week to this week, they're the key moments that will extract the potential from this team.
"Hopefully they'll kick on the rest of the tournament and then the bigger picture is the World Cup."
Marc Marquezs winless streak to kick off the MotoGP season came to an end on Sunday at Texas Circuit of The Americas.
Varying track conditions between the rain and dry caused plenty of strategic calls and chaos among the leaders early on as many riders elected for their dry bikes.
Defending champion Francesco Bagnaia took advantage of a Marquez mistake after lap nine, which saw Marquez lose control of his bike and fall down the running order.
Marquez would be unable to continue shortly after due to a damaged bike.
Marquezs brother, Alex Marquez, placed runner-up ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio.
In the teams home race, Trackhouse Racings A.J. Ogura placed ninth while teammate Raul Fernandez placed 12th.
MARTINSVILLE, Va. Erik Jones and the No. 43 Legacy Motor Club team have been disqualified from Sundays NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway.
During post-race inspection, NASCAR found Jones No. 43 Toyota to be too light as it failed to meet the minimum weight requirement.
NEWS: The No. 43 car has been disqualified following post-race inspection at @MartinsvilleSwy for failing to meet the minimum weight requirement and will be scored in the 38th position.
NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 31, 2025
Jones, who initially finished 24th, was disqualified and negated to 38th in the running order.
The veteran driver has yet to score a top-10 finish this season.
MARTINSVILLE, Va. It didnt take Denny Hamlin long to find the recipe for success in Sundays Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway.
Hamlin grabbed the lead on Lap 126 of 400 in the seventh NASCAR Cup Series race of the season and never looked back.
With flawless work from his pit crew, the driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota led 274 of the last 275 lapswith the only exception a lap credited to pole winner Christopher Bell, who raced side-by-side with Hamlin after the final restart on Lap 326.
Hamlin pulled away toward the end of the final 75-lap green-flag run and beat Bell, his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, to the finish line by 4.617 seconds.
The victory was Hamlins sixth at the 0.526-mile short track, most among full-time active drivers, but his first at Martinsville since 2015. It was his first win of the season and the 55th of his career, tying him with Rusty Wallace for 11th on the career victory list.
The win was also Hamlins first with crew chief Chris Gayle, who took over the pit box on the No. 11 Toyota this season. Hamlin has now won Cup races with seven different crew chiefs.
You know, Chris Gayle, all the engineers, the pit crew, everybody really on that wall right there, just deciding they were going to come here with a different approach than what weve been over the last few years, said Hamlin, who won at Martinsville for the first time with the Gen 7 race car.
It was just amazing. The car was great. It did everything I needed it to do. Just so happy to win with Chris, get 55 Obviously, back here in Martinsville where I spent so many years racing late models and whatnotgosh, I love winning here.
Bells No. 20 Toyota was too loose over the final run to keep up with Hamlins No. 11 Camry.
We were back and forth on balance a little bit, Bell said. I asked to be freer throughout the whole race. That last run, I just went a little bit too loose and lost my drive off (the corners).
It was a great weekend for Joe Gibbs Racing. Showed a lot of pace. All four of the cars were really good. Really happy to kind of get back up front. The last two weeks have been rough for this 20 team Really happy for Denny. Hes the Martinsville master. Second is not that bad.
Bubba Wallace finished third for the second straight race, as Toyotas claimed the top three finishing positions at the paper-clip-shaped track.
That final restart, I let that second (place) get away, said Wallace, who drives for the 23XI Racing team co-owned by Hamlin and NBA legend Michael Jordan.
I dont know if I had anything for Denny. It would have been fun to try.
But all in all, hell of a day for Toyota. Top three. Thats nice. Keep the momentum going, having fun.
Chase Elliott came home fourth, followed by Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson.
Ross Chastain, Ryan Preece, Joey Logano, Chase Briscoe and Todd Gilliland completed the top 10.
Before Hamlin took control, a debris caution on Lap 31 resulted in a dramatic change to the running order. Josh Berry led a group of six drivers who stayed on the track under caution, and maintained the top spot for 40 laps, the first circuits led by the No. 21 Wood Brothers car at Martinsville since 2005.
A caution for Chris Bueschers spin on the frontstretch ended Berrys stint at the front. A collision with Wallaces No. 23 Toyota on pit road and subsequent alternator issues cost Berry two laps and took him out of the mix.
Logano stayed on the track under the Lap 71 yellow and won the first 80-lap stage over Alex Bowman in a two-lap sprint, but it was an up-and-down day for the reigning Cup champion.
On Lap 317, Briscoes Toyota bounced off the inside curbing in Turn 3 and sent Loganos Ford spinning toward the outside wall. Logano pitted for fresh tires, restarted 25th and drove back to eighth place by lap 400, scoring his first top 10 of the season.
William Byron, who finished 22nd after a lengthy pit stop under the first caution, retained the series lead by 17 points over Larson.
Ryan Preece keeps stacking together solid finishes with his new team, RFK Racing.
After scoring his first top-five finish with the team two races ago at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, it was the start of positive momentum.
A ninth-place effort at Homestead-Miami Speedway was a solidification that the No. 60 team was on the right track.
However, Sundays NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway may have proven to be the inkling that the team is ready to contend.
Despite starting 21st on the grid around the paperclip-shaped track, Preece remained patient throughout the 400-lap race.
Preece managed to rally up to seventh by the end of Stage One, however, spent the majority of the second stage mired back in the 20s.
A mirage of caution flags transpired throughout the final stint, which allowed Preece to claw his way back to the top 10 by races end.
I didnt expect that one, Preece said. Honestly, it all started with me messing up in qualifying and putting us back there. Ultimately, we got some great stage points and some great calls and great adjustments on the box and we got this Fastenal Ford Mustang where it needed to be.
Weve got some work to do to be able to drive through like some other cars do, but I think weve got some good ideas and obviously a little luck went our way today. Im proud of everybody on this Fastenal Ford Mustang and everybody at RFK. Weve just got to keep working and keep grinding.
That grind for the No. 60 team has proven to be key in its ascension as strength has become apparent in various aspects.
One of those was the 75-lap final stint of the race going caution-free, which can show signs of strengths and weaknesses in a race car. It certainly didnt sway Preece and the No. 60 Ford as they remained firmly in the top 10, finishing seventh by races end.
Honestly, they made the right adjustment when it mattered, Preece said. There are some guys that hit it early and then they fell off. For us, we were at our best there at the end, so Im just proud of everybody. Im happy. Were getting on a roll.
At first, this is a place I wanted to take advantage of for points because I felt like Martinsville is in my wheelhouse, so Im happy we did. I hate talking about points, but every bit matters.
Millican, Beckman & Anderson Secure Winternationals Victories
POMONA, Calif. Clay Millican edged out Tony Stewart in an explosive Top Fuel final round on Sunday for Rick Ware Racing, winning for the first time at historic In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip at the 65th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals.
Jack Beckman (Funny Car) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) also won the third of 20 races during the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.
Millican went 4.273-seconds at 189.71 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Mighty Fire Breaker/Parts Plus dragster before a wild engine explosion at the finish line, as Stewart drove into tire smoke almost immediately in the finals. It is the eighth career victory for Millican, who defeated Shawn Reed, Jasmine Salinas and No. 1 qualifier Brittany Force to reach the final round, and first in 2025.
Millican was also dynamite on the starting line during eliminations, including a lethal .038 against Stewart, denying the racing legend his first career Top Fuel victory and moving to sixth in points.
My crew chief (Jim Oberhofer) told me he had it loaded up and a couple things were going to happen. He said were going to win, were going to blow up and if we lose, were going to be a footnote in history, Millican said. Thank goodness were not a footnote in history. Tony Stewart is going to win one of these soon, but all I know is we won the Winternationals.
But boy, that final round was forever. When you blow it up and and we blew it up good and you got a HANS [head restraint] device on, youre stretching that HANS to its limits, trying to look over like, Is he coming or not? I couldnt get there quick enough. I promise I never let off the throttle, even though it wasnt running no more. But I had that thing buried. I was stomping on the loud pedal harder than normal. What a day.
Winning [the Winternationals] is one of the majors. It definitely is. Weve won Indy and now weve won here, and thats pretty dang cool. But to come out and win the way we did today, it was a total team effort. I pulled us out once, which rarely ever happens, and the team just stuck together.
Stewart reached the final round for the third time in his career and first this season after defeating reigning world champion Antron Brown, Doug Kalitta and points leader Shawn Langdon.
Funny Car
In Funny Car, Beckman handed John Force Racing its 300th Funny Car win after he went 4.015 at 302.88 in his 11,000-horsepower PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS to knock off Daniel Wilkerson in a historic championship round at the legendary facility and the home track for JFR. It is the 38th career win for Beckman, who replaced Force after his crash last year and has won the last two races in Pomona.
Force also won last years Winternationals, making the car a remarkable 12-0 in the last three Pomona races. The weekend belonged to Beckman, who won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge for the first time with two standout runs and then made a series of passes in the 3.80s to reach Sundays final.
He defeated Jeff Diehl, Chad Green and Matt Hagan to reach the championship round. There wasnt another 3.80s in the fold, but after Wilkerson had trouble at the starting line, Beckman recovered and rolled to his first victory of the season and 36th in his career. Its also the first time he has led the points since 2020, as Beckman continues to perform at a high level since replacing Force following his crash in June.
The car was amazing all weekend. We qualified fourth, but we got qualifying points every single round and ran 3.80s every round of eliminations until the final when the flawless part fell off a couple of hundred feet out and car shook the tires and knocked them loose, Beckman said. Thats where, as a driver, youve got to be ready to give one back to the team because theyd given me everything all weekend long.
It felt good to be able to pedal the thing and take it down there and have the car not blow up. Its pretty cool when they hand you a trophy, your car still intact, and get John Force Racing its 300th Funny car win.
Wilkerson reached the final round for the second time in his career thanks to round wins against J.R. Todd, Paul Lee and Funny Car rookie Spencer Hyde.
Pro Stock
There appears to be no stopping Pro Stocks Greg Anderson these days, especially at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, as the reigning world champion set the track record in the final round against KB Titan Racing teammate Dallas Glenn with a stellar run of 6.476 at 210.90 in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. That gives Anderson a remarkable 16 career wins in Pomona the second-most in NHRA history including the last two races.
He won the NHRA Finals last November against Glenn, a final-round matchup that has repeated itself the first three races of the 2025 campaign. Glenn won the first in Gainesville, but Anderson has taken the last two. While Phoenix was a wild and wacky final round, this one was much more conventional, as Anderson continued his torrid run this weekend. He was in the 6.40s throughout eliminations, including a 6.477 against Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the second round that initially broke the track record from 2014.
Anderson, the current points leader who also won the GESi Pro Stock No. 1 Qualifier Award for a second straight race, then broke it again in the championship round with a spectacular run, giving the six-time world champion his second victory this season and 108th in his marvelous career.
We set a [track] record in the final and this is the way you want to do it, Anderson said. You want to go out and earn it every single run, and you want to save your best for the final round, and thats what we did. These are proud days today, and just like three months ago here in the final round, you want to give your best shot in the final round against the toughest competition.
I love this place. Nine times out of 10 when we come here, you get friendly conditions like this, and I was able to drive better than I normally drive as far as reaction time goes. The slight cloud cover, the cool temperatures just feel good for a driver and that just plays more into my hand. are the conditions I need. I wish we could race here every weekend.
Glenn continued his impressive season as well, advancing to a third straight final round and 30th in his career after defeating Erica Enders, Matt Hartford and Deric Kramer.
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action April 11-13 with the 25th annual NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
WASHINGTON -- Alex Ovechkin is five goals from breaking Wayne Gretzky's NHL record after scoring the 890th of his career in the Washington Capitals' 8-5 loss Sunday to the Buffalo Sabres.
Ovechkin, Washington's captain who has sparked a renaissance season that has the Capitals in the first place in the Eastern Conference, got to the front of the net and deflected Rasmus Sandin's shot past James Reimer to pull the Capitals to within two at 9:11 of the third period.
He wasn't in the best of spirits, however, after the game. As comfortable as their 11-point lead is in the Metropolitan Division, the Capitals have lost three in a row as the postseason nears.
"Right now," Ovechkin told reporters, after being asked about No. 890, "we lost three in a row. It's a good thing it happens right now and not in the playoffs, but we just have to bounce back and find a way to win the games."
Washington coach Spencer Carbery was also not overflowing with reaction after the loss.
"We got what we deserved tonight," he said. "That's not who we are."
Ovechkin, 39, remains on pace to pass Gretzky's mark of 894 this spring, a record that seemed unapproachable. He has 37 goals this season and is on track to reach 40 for a 14th time, also the most in league history, despite sitting out 16 games because of a broken left fibula.
"Again, it's an insane number," Washington forward Aliaksei Protas said. "I don't think I'd ever get that, even in NHL 25 [the video game] ... he's chasing something special."
But, in the end, the day belonged to the Sabres. Alex Tuch and Tage Thompson each scored two goals as Buffalo won for just the 31st time this season.
"We were fighting to stay in that game, I didn't like any of our top-six again tonight," Carbery said. "It just hasn't looked great. Their underlying numbers haven't been great the last two games from our top-six."
Ovechkin continues his pursuit of Gretzky on Tuesday when the Capitals visit the Boston Bruins.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Bernardo Silva has said he believes even winning the FA Cup won't redeem Manchester City's season.
City secured their spot in the FA Cup semifinals on Sunday after a comeback 2-1 win at Bournemouth. In an eventful game at the Vitality Stadium, the hosts took the lead through Evanlison after Erling Haaland had missed a penalty earlier in the half.
The Norway international made amends after the break with a finish at the far post but had to go off near the hour mark because of injury. His replacement, Omar Marmoush, scored moments after coming on to book City a Wembley showdown against Nottingham Forest.
The FA Cup remains City's only chance at winning silverware this season. They faced early exits in the Carabao Cup and Champions League and are fifth in the Premier League, 22 points behind leaders Liverpool.
When asked by ESPN post-match on Sunday if winning the FA Cup would make the season a successful one, Silva said: "No, our standards are much higher than this.
"So of course we would be happy [to win the FA Cup] but it doesn't make the season good."
City's season cratered towards the end of 2024, when they went on a run of five successive defeats in all competitions. Their last game of the year -- a 2-0 win over Leicester City -- was their first league win in 14 matches.
City's form improved at the turn of the year with the arrival of new signings like Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez and Abdukodir Khusanov, all of whom were involved at the Vitality on Sunday.
When asked if their additions have helped the squad return to full-strength, Silva said: "Unfortunately, we had all the injuries, all the problems in the squad, which didn't help. But yeah, that's still no excuse.
"We own the bad months that we have. We don't make excuses. We should have done much better than that. And from now on, what we can control is our performances, and today was a good performance for the team."
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