Osaka’s 23-match win streak ended
MIAMI » As Naomi Osaka’s 23-match winning streak neared an end Wednesday, she paused before serving to crane her neck and study the sky, as if seeking intervention from above.
Then she carried on, and so did No. 23-seeded Maria Sakkari, who upset Osaka 6-0, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open.
“The more stuff like this happens, the more I’ll learn from it,” the No. 2-ranked Osaka said.
The defeat was her first since February 2020, and ended any chance of reclaiming the No. 1 ranking this week from Ash Barty.
Against Sakkari, the only Greek woman ranked in the top 250, Osaka lost 15 consecutive points on her serve to fall behind and blew a 4-1 lead in the second set.
Jannik Sinner, a 19-year-old Italian seeded 21st, earned his first semifinal berth in an ATP Tour top-level event by beating No. 32-seeded Alexander Bublik 7-6 (5), 6-4.
Detectives find cause of Tiger’s crash but won’t reveal
LOS ANGELES » The Los Angeles County sheriff says detectives have determined what caused Tiger
Woods to crash his SUV last month in Southern California but would not release details, citing unspecified privacy concerns for the golf star.
Woods suffered serious injuries in the Feb. 23 crash when he struck a raised median around 7 a.m. in Rolling Hills Estates, just outside Los Angeles.
Sheriff Alex Villanueva has been criticized for his comments about the crash, calling it “purely an accident” and saying there was no evidence of impairment.
“We have all the contents of the black box, we’ve got everything,” Villanueva said. “It’s completed, signed, sealed and delivered. However, we can’t release it without the permission of the people involved in the collision.”
Germany beaten
DUISBURG, GERMANY » Germany lost a World Cup qualifying game for the first time in 20 years as the 2014 champion was beaten 2-1 by North Macedonia.
Germany leveled after Goran Pandev’s opening goal in first-half stoppage time but had no answer to Eljif Elmas’ 85th-minute winner for North Macedonia, which moved above Germany into second place in Group J. Armenia is the surprise leader as the only team to win all three games so far, after coming from behind to beat Romania 3-2.
Blackhawks’ Bowman named as GM of U.S. Olympic team
With an opportunity to draw from what he considers the deepest pool of American-born talent ever assembled, Stan Bowman welcomes expectations that come with being the general manager of USA Hockey’s 2022 Olympic men’s national team.
“I’m humbled and honored and can’t wait to get started,” the threetime Stanley Cup-winning Chicago Blackhawks GM said upon being selected for the U.S. team post.
The NHL still needs to resolve several issues with the International Olympic Committee before giving the OK to have its players compete at the 2022 Beijing Games. Formal talks aren’t expected to resume until after the Tokyo Games.
Source: Seahawks, Lockett reach 4-year extension
SEATTLE » Tyler Lockett is sticking around with the Seattle Seahawks, and likely as Russell Wilson’s favorite target, for the foreseeable future.
The Seahawks and Lockett have agreed to a four-year contract extension that includes $37 million guaranteed, according to a person with knowledge of the deal.