Hurricanes, Pesce agree to six more years

The Carolina Hurricanes and defenseman Brett Pesce agreed to a sixyear contract extension. Under terms of the deal announced Tuesday and taking effect in 2018-19, Pesce will make $4.025 million per season. The 22-yearold Pesce had 18 assists and 20 points last season.

Top-seeded Simona Halep defeated Sloane Stephens 7-6 (3), 6-0 in her opening match at the Citi Open in Washington. Halep will face Mariana Duque-Marino in the second round. Stephens played only her second match of the season after missing nearly a year beause of a stress fracture in her foot. Ekaterina Makarova stopped Jamie Loeb 7-6 (4), 6-3, and Monica Puig beat Louisa Chirico 6-4, 6-4. A rain delay pushed the women’s night matches to Wednesday.

On the men’s side, eighth-seeded Jack Sock beat Marius Copil 7-6 (2), 7-6 (6).

At Stanford, American CoCo Vandeweghe advanced to the second round of the Bank of the West Classic when Ajla Tomljanovic retired during the second set of their match. Vandeweghe won the first set 6-2. American Catherine Bellis beat France’s Alize Cornet, 6-3, 6-2.

For the second consecutive year, high school football participation at the 11-player level decreased by more than 3,000 students in California, according to the California Interscholastic Federation’s annual sports participation survey, released Tuesday.

In 2015, there were 100,205 participants, 3,520 fewer than the previous year. In 2016, there were 97,079, a drop of 3,126. Eight-player football participation increased by 196.

“I don’t think it’s a concern but reflects concerns by parents and reflects a national trend in youth sports,” said Roger Blake, executive director of the CIF. “Kids are still playing sports. They’re just playing other things.”

Overall sports participation at the high school level increased for the fifth consecutive year to an all-time high of 785,357 in California. It was up by 0.78%. Lacrosse saw the largest percentage increase among individual sports, a combined 7.40% or 1,245 participants, including an increase of 12.4% — 940 players — among girls. Football remains the most popular sport for boys and soccer for girls.

Washington Mystics forward Elena Delle Donne tore a ligament in her left thumb and will be sidelined at least two weeks, the team said. She tore the ulnar collateral ligament during a game against the Atlanta Dream on Sunday. Delle Donne will have surgery Wednesday and is expected to return by the end of the season.