Off the wire

TENNIS Azarenka advances

Victoria Azarenka won the first match on the stadium court at the new site of the Miami Open by beating Dominika Cibulkova 6-2, 3-6, 6-4. The unseeded Azarenka is a three-time Miami Open champion. After a oneday delay because of rain, the tournament started Wednesday at the Miami Dolphins’ complex. The 13,800-seat stadium was mostly empty for the opening match, but bigger crowds are expected when seeded players begin taking the court. They have firstround byes. Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony before the first stadium match.

FOOTBALL Siemian, Jets agree

Quarterback Trevor Siemian and the New York Jets have agreed to terms on a one-year deal, making him the backup to second-year quarterback Sam Darnold. A person with direct knowledge of the contract said it is worth $2 million, with a maximum value of $3 million with incentives. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the team had not announced the signing. The Jets also have Davis Webb on their roster, but were in the market for a veteran because Josh McCown is an unrestricted free agent and is mulling retirement. McCown, who turns 40 on July 4, wrote in a statement last week released by agent Mike McCartney that he still has a strong desire to play football but wanted to spend time with his family to determine if he would want to continue playing this season. Siemian, 27, spent last season with Minnesota, but was with Denver the previous three years. He has 30 touchdown passes and 24 interceptions in 26 games, including 25 starts.

AAF title game moved

The Alliance of American Football is moving its championship game from Las Vegas to Frisco, Texas. The new eight-team spring league, which plays its seventh set of games this weekend, said Wednesday that the April 27 title match will switch to The Ford Center at the Star, which is owned by Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys. “The Alliance has built a foundation of high-quality football, revolutionary technology and world-class partnerships with the NFL, CBS and Turner Sports,” Jones said. “It was only natural that we at the Cowboys organization would want to join that great group of partners.” Originally, the title game was set for Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, an aging college facility. But when Tom Dundon, owner of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, joined the Alliance last month as chairman, he helped arrange for the championship game’s move to Texas during a meeting with Jones at the NFL combine. Pro Football Hall of Fame executive Bill Polian and TV-film producer Charlie Ebersol are co-founders of the Alliance, whose games have been televised by CBS, CBS Sports Network, Turner Sports and NFL Network.

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS Dillashaw gives up belt

TJ Dillashaw has surrendered the UFC 135-pound championship because of an “adverse finding” in his last drug test. Dillashaw posted on social media that he would give up the belt after he was informed by the New York State Athletic Commission and the United States Anti-Doping Agency of the results of his test leading up to his last fight in January. Dillashaw suffered a first-round loss to Henry Cejudo and failed to become a two-division champion. The 33-year-old Dillashaw (16-4) had cut 10 pounds of weight to fight Cejudo. Dillashaw used a program devised by a triathlete math professor and performance specialist to cut some serious weight in his attempt to hold championships in two weight classes. He’s a two-time bantamweight champion and won the title for a second time when he defeated Cody Garbrandt at UFC 217 in November 2017.