Andy Murray (left) struggles in 6-3, 6-3 loss to Borna Coric in Madrid Open.
TENNIS Coric tops Murray
Andy Murray’s struggles continued with a 6-3, 6-3 loss to lucky loser Borna Coric in the third round of the Madrid Open on Thursday, while defending champion Novak Djokovic and four-time champion Rafael
Nadal made it to the quarterfinals. Djokovic defeated Spanish veteran Feliciano Lopez Murray 6-4, 7-5, while Nadal eased past Nick Kyrgios of Australia 6-3, 6-1. The 59th-ranked Coric became the first lucky loser to reach the quarterfinals in Madrid. He only made it to the main draw after Richard
Gasquet withdrew because of a back injury. Murray, who lost last year’s final to Djokovic in Madrid, had 28 unforced errors in a disappointing outing under the closed roof of the center court in Madrid. He was broken three consecutive times in the first set, and once in the second to give Coric a 5-3 lead that he converted to close out the match. The fifth-ranked Nadal will play ninth-seeded David Goffin of Belgium, who cruised to a 6-4, 6-2 victory over fifth-seeded Milos Raonic of Canada. The other quarterfinal will be played between Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay, who defeated
Benoit Paire of France 7-5, 0-6, 6-1, and Alexander Zverev of Germany, who beat Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-4. On the women’s side, third-seeded Simona Halep of Romania reached the semifinals by beating Coco Vandeweghe of the U.S. 6-1, 6-1 in less than an hour. Halep will play Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia, who defeated
Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands 6-3, 6-3. Kristina Mladenovic of France advanced to the final four by overcoming seven double faults to beat Sorana Cirstea of Romania 6-4, 6-4. Mladenovic will play eighth-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, who easily defeated Canadian Eugenie Bouchard 6-4, 6-0.
FOOTBALL Cardinals sign Gabbert
The Arizona Cardinals officially announced the signing Thursday of quarterback Blaine Gabbert to a one-year contract. Gabbert presumably will compete for the backup job behind starter Carson Palmer, 37, but for now is the No. 3 quarterback on the roster. Drew Stanton has filled the backup role since Coach Bruce Arians came to the Cardinals in 2013 and is 6-3 as a starter in relief of Palmer. Jacksonville made Gabbert the 10th-overall pick in the draft out of Missouri in 2011. He played three seasons with the Jaguars and the last three with San Francisco. He opened last season as the 49ers’ starter but his inconsistent play during their 1-4 start led to his benching in favor of Colin Kaepernick, who remains unsigned for the coming season. Gabbert has played in 43 games in his NFL career, 40 as a starter. He has thrown for 38 touchdowns with 37 interceptions. In other Cardinals news, the team announced Thursday it has released Daryl Washington, the linebacker who had been reinstated by the NFL after three seasons away from the game. The team said in a statement that after meeting with Washington, “we have collectively decided it was best to release Daryl and give him an opportunity to continue his career elsewhere.” Washington was suspended by the league for multiple violations of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy as well as a domestic violence incident. The 30-year-old linebacker last played in a game in December 2013.
Gordon denied reinstatement
A person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press that Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon has been denied reinstatement by the NFL. The person, speaking Thursday on condition of anonymity because the decision has not been announced publicly, said Gordon can reapply for reinstatement in the fall. Gordon has been suspended several times by the league, including the current ban for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. He also was suspended for 10 games in 2014, then for the 2015 season, all for substance abuse violations. Now 26, Gordon rejoined the Browns last summer, then entered a rehab facility in September. After leading the NFL in yards receiving in 2013, Gordon barely has played, getting into only five games in 2014.
No plans to honor Romo
Owner Jerry Jones said the Dallas Cowboys have no current plans to honor quarterback Tony Romo, who walked away from the game to pursue a career in broadcasting. Jones said it’s more about timing and the attention surrounding Romo’s decision than a lack of interest. He said they will do something for Romo in the future, though he couldn’t commit to it happening during the 2017 season. Romo has been honored by the Dallas Mavericks and recognized last week by state lawmakers in Austin. Romo has yet to formally file his retirement papers with the NFL.
Broncos start baby club
The Denver Broncos have launched a newborn club for families to commemorate their babies’ births, and it includes this feature: members are immediately added to the team’s season ticket waiting list. That waiting list already has more than 75,000 names on it. So, these babies might get to buy season tickets by the time they’re having kids — or even grandkids — of their own. Membership to the Broncos Newborn Club is $25 and also includes a team logo baby beanie, a commemorative gift certificate, monthly milestone markers and a night light.
Dreaming has 1st gallop
Always Dreaming took his first gallop Thursday morning over the dirt at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, 11 days before the May 20 Preakness. Trainer Todd Pletcher watched through binoculars for any sign of the unruliness the bay colt demonstrated at Churchill Downs. Pletcher said he saw an extremely fit horse going about his business on a nearly empty track. “He was focused and on the bridle, but he wasn’t as super-aggressive as he was at Churchill,” Pletcher said after the 6 a.m. gallop. “It’s one of those things where you want him to be a little aggressive but not quite as much as he was at Churchill. That’s why we came in early.” Pletcher is so pleased that he said he plans to maintain the same routine — 6 a.m. gallops with exercise rider Nick Bush aboard — right up until Preakness Day with no harder workouts. The trainer arrived in Baltimore on Wednesday afternoon and plans to remain for the duration of preparations for the Preakness, one of the few major American races he has never won.
Canada beats France
Canada rallied to beat France 3-2 on Thursday night in Group B play in the world hockey championship at Paris, breaking a tie early in the third period when the puck deflected past goalie Florian Hardy off French teammate Jonathan Janil. Marc-Edouard Vlasic was credited with the goal. The defending champion Canadians (4-0) tied it at 2 on Claude Giroux’s power-play goal late in the second period. Hardy made 32 saves, and Canada’s Chad Johnson stopped 22 shots. In Group A in Cologne, Germany, Russia scored three goals in a 1:10 span in the second period in a 3-0 victory over Denmark. Bogdan Kiselevich, Sergei Plotnikov and Nikita Gusev scored for Russia. Gabriel Landeskog and Elias Lindholm scored in Sweden’s 2-0 victory over Latvia.
Guarnier wins 1st stage
Defending champion Megan Guarnier won the opening stage of the women’s Tour of California, pulling away from a reduced bunch on the final uphill climb to the finish. Boels-Dolmans teammate Anna van der Breggen was second and Astana’s Arlenis Sierra was third. Guarnier took advantage of a lead-out from teammates Amy Pieters and Karol-Ann Canuel that delivered her in position at the base of the final climb.