Koepka, others will miss Dell Match Play
Brooks Koepka and past finalist Gary Woodland were among five players from the top 64 in the world who will not be playing in the Dell Technologies Match Play next week at Austin Country Club.
Koepka is recovering from a strain in his right leg. The Match Play, which starts Wednesday, will be the third consecutive tournament the four-time major champion has not been able to play.
Woodland, Adam Scott, Justin Rose and Tiger Woods are the others from the top 64 in the world ranking who will not play, the least surprising being Woods. He only returned home to Florida this week to resume a long recovery from serious leg injuries in a Feb. 23 single-car crash.
More golf
Scott Hend and Kalle Samooja shared a one-shot lead after two rounds of the European Tour’s Kenya Open in Nairobi. Hend shot the joint best round of the day with a 7-under 64 to move 11 under overall. The Australian had eight birdies and only one bogey, which came on the final hole. Finland’s Samooja, who was tied for second overnight, carded a 66.
Tennis
Top-ranked Novak Djokovic pulled out of the upcoming Miami Open, citing coronavirus restrictions as he joined Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer on the sideline. The tournament begins Tuesday, with only 750 fans allowed on the grounds per session. The pandemic also is affecting attendance by players.
• Lloyd Harris continued his run of upsets at the Dubai Championships by beating third-seeded Denis Shapovalov, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (6), in the semifinals in United Arab Emirates. The 81st-ranked South African saved three of the four break points he faced for his seventh win in as many days, making him the first qualifier to reach the hardcourt tournament’s final.
• Margarita Gasparyan upset the top-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova, 6-2, 7-5, when Russian players filled the semifinals of the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy. The 126th-ranked Gasparyan saved three of the six break points she faced and broke Alexandrova six times for a lastfour clash with Vera Zvonareva.
Pro basketball
P.J. Tucker practiced with his new team after the Milwaukee Bucks officially announced they had acquired the 6-foot-5 forward along with guard Rodions Kurucs from the Houston Rockets The Bucks sent guard D.J. Augustin plus forward D.J. Wilson to Houston. As part of the trade, the Bucks gave up their 2021 and 2023 firstround picks and got back their own 2022 first-round pick and the Rockets’ 2021 second-round selection.
• Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George was fined $35,000 for saying conversations with referees are “just a bunch of lies” while questioning why more fouls weren’t called recently against Dallas in L.A.’s 105-89 loss to the Mavericks.
• Washington Wizards forward Davis Bertans is expected to miss about two weeks because of a strained right calf. The team said that Bertans had an MRI that revealed the extent of the injury.
College basketball
David Roddy had 17 points and eight rebounds and Isaiah Stevens added 14 points with nine assists as top-seeded Colorado State beat Buffalo, 75-73, in the first round of the NIT in Denton, Texas. Colorado State advances to play North Carolina State in the quarterfinals Thursday. ... Kenny Lofton Jr. scored 22 points and Amorie Archibald added 14 as No. 4-seeded Louisiana Tech shocked No. 1 Mississippi with a 70-61 win. Tech (21-7) came back from an 37-27 halftime deficit to upset the Rebels (1611).
• In WNIT games, Myia Clark scored 20 points to lead Saint Louis (13-4) to a 74-72 win against DePaul (14-9). ... Haley Cavinder led all scorers to lead Fresno State (17-10) to an upset of Missouri (9-12), 7875. The Bulldogs outscored the Tigers, 26-13, in the final ten minutes. ... Led by junior forward Shakira Austin’s 23 points and 12 rebounds, Mississippi beat Samford, 64-45. ...Kiara
Smith scored 21 points and Jordyn Merritt added 17 as Florida (12-13) held off Charlotte (10-11) in an upset bid with a 66-65 win.
Soccer
Kylian Mbappe will again meet Robert Lewandowski in the Champions League. The quarterfinal draw offers rematches from two of the past three finals. Defending champion Bayern Munich and Lewandowski, the FIFA player of the year, were drawn to face Paris SaintGermain. Real Madrid will play Liverpool, the team it beat 3-1 in the 2018 final to win a record-extending 13th European title. The first leg is in Munich on April 7.
Horse racing
Minella Indo held off stablemate A Plus Tard to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup in a dominant day for the Irish at Britain’s most prestigious jumps race.