Off the wire

TENNIS Medvedev, Ozaka advance

Daniil Medvedev is one win away from returning to No. 1. And Naomi Osaka is two wins away from being a tournament champion again. Shaking off a slow start, the top-seeded Medvedev reached the quarterfinals of the Miami Open on Tuesday by defeating Jenson Brooksby of the U.S. 7-5, 6-1. Medvedev will face No. 8 seed and defending Miami champion Hubert Hurkacz in the quarters. If Medvedev prevails there, he’ll be assured of supplanting Novak Djokovic and returning to No. 1 in the world. Hurkacz prevailed over Lloyd Harris 7-6 (3), 6-2 and improved to 11-1 all-time in Miami. No. 2 Alexander Zverev of Germany and No. 6 Casper Ruud of Norway will meet in another quarterfinal. Zverev beat Thanasi Kokkinakis of Australia 6-4, 6-4, while Ruud ousted 10th-seeded Cameron Norrie of Britain 6-3, 6-4. No. 9 Jannik Sinner of Italy also advanced, beating Nick Kyrgios of Australia 7-6 (3), 6-3. Sinner will play Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina in the quarterfinals. Cerundolo beat No. 28 Frances Tiafoe of the U.S. 6-7 (2), 7-6 (3). In women’s quarterfinal play, the unseeded Osaka — who hasn’t won a tournament since the 2021 Australian Open — defeated No. 9 Danielle Collins 6-2, 6-1. Next up for Osaka is No. 22 Belinda Bencic, who took a 6-1, 6-2 win over Daria Saville.

FOOTBALL Dalton to Saints

The New Orleans Saints have signed veteran quarterback Andy Dalton, giving New Orleans a second experienced QB behind returning starter Jameis Winston. Dalton, whose signing was announced Tuesday by Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis, is a former starter in Cincinnati and is now with his fourth team in four years after spending his first eight with the Bengals. Dalton, 34, played for Dallas in 2020 and last season played in eight games with six starts for Chicago, completing 63.1% of his passes for 1,515 yards with 8 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. Dalton is 7769-2 as a starter. The signing gives New Orleans three full-time QBs, including 2021 fourth-round draft pick Ian Book. Taysom Hill, who was 7-2 as a starting quarterback in relief of Drew Brees and Winston during the past two seasons, also returns but is expected to serve in a more traditional tight end role in 2022.

Bears sign Siemian

The Chicago Bears signed veteran quarterback Trevor Siemian to a two-year contract Tuesday to back up Justin Fields. Siemian has appeared in 33 games and started 29 while throwing for 6,843 yards, 41 touchdowns and 27 interceptions for the Denver Broncos (2015-17), New York Jets (2019) and New Orleans Saints (2020-21). He starred at Northwestern before getting drafted by Denver in the seventh round in 2015. Fields is coming off a shaky rookie season after Chicago traded up to draft him with the No. 11 overall pick. The Bears also have Super Bowl 52 MVP Nick Foles on their roster.

Ravens extend Harbaugh

The Baltimore Ravens have signed Coach John Harbaugh to a three-year contract extension through 2025, the team announced Tuesday. Harbaugh is entering his 15th season at the helm. Baltimore went 8-9 in 2021 — the second losing record of his tenure — when injures derailed what looked like a promising season. The Ravens are 148-96 under Harbaugh, plus a Super Bowl victory at the end of the 2012 season.

Schools OK’d to join Sun Belt

Conference USA has agreed to allow Marshall, Old Dominion and Southern Miss to expedite their move to the Sun Belt Conference. The resolution announced in a brief, joint statement Tuesday allows the three schools to withdraw from Conference USA by the end of the current academic year. Marshall, Old Dominion and Southern Miss accepted invitations to the Sun Belt during the fall. Each announced last month they planned to terminate memberships in C-USA on June 30 to join their new conference. C-USA then filed a request for arbitration and said the three schools were contractually obligated to stay put for another year, prompting Marshall, Old Dominion and Southern Miss to file their own court complaints against the league. The Sun Belt’s expansion from 10 to 14 football schools also includes James Madison, which announced in February it is moving from the second-tier FCS to the FBS level this summer. The Dukes went 12-2 last fall and reached the national semifinals for the fifth time in the past six seasons. In early March, the Sun Belt released a composite schedule with the four new additions. The season kicks off Sept. 2 when Old Dominion hosts Virginia Tech of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The next day, Southern Miss will host Liberty, Marshall will host Norfolk State, and James Madison hosts Middle Tennessee. The Sun Belt, which also has Arkansas State as a football-playing member, did not immediately reply to an emailed request for comment Tuesday night.

BASEBALL Marte gets new deal

The Arizona Diamondbacks announced Tuesday that they had finalized a $76 million, five-year contract with Ketel Marte that begins in the 2023 season and includes a team option for the 2028 that could be worth up to $13 million. It’s a significant financial commitment for a franchise that’s chasing bigger spenders like the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres in the National League West. “I don’t think it’s lost on anyone that he’s our best player,” General Manager Mike Hazen said. “We have talked about what we need to do to win, and turn around from where we are today, and you do that with elite players.” Marte, 28, has clearly been Arizona’s best hitter over the past few seasons. He batted .318 with 29 doubles and 14 home runs last season despite being limited to 90 games because of hamstring injuries. He was one of the best players in baseball in 2019, hitting .329 with 32 home runs and finishing fourth in the NL MVP voting. Marte is also a good defender at multiple positions though the Diamondbacks hope to play him mostly at second base this season.

White Sox, Phillies have trade

The Chicago White Sox added to their outfield depth Tuesday, acquiring Adam Haseley in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies. Chicago sent minor league pitcher McKinley Moore to Philadelphia for Haseley, a .264 hitter over parts of three big league seasons. Outfielder Blake Rutherford was designed for assignment by the reigning American League Central champions to make room on their 40-man roster.