Sharapova ‘settled down, able to focus’
Kristina Mladenovic of France upset two-time defending champion Angelique Kerber 6-2, 7-5 to join Maria Sharapova in the quarter-finals of the Porsche Grand Prix on Thursday in Stuttgart, Germany.
Sharapova advanced earlier by beating fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova 7-5, 6-1 in her second match after a 15-month doping ban.
Less than 24 hours after beating Roberta Vinci in straight sets in her highly anticipated first match, Sharapova said she “felt settled down a little bit. I was able to focus on the game.”
Nadal, Murray advance
Defending champion Rafael Nadal defeated Kevin Anderson 6-3, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals of the Barcelona Open while Andy Murray struggled to join him on Thursday.
Murray had his hands full getting past Feliciano Lopez 6-4, 6-4.
Jeter still in on Marlins
Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred says two groups are still bidding to buy the Miami Marlins from Jeffrey Loria.
One of the groups includes former New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.
Manfred said: “The timeline is relatively short. It would be measured in days, not months.”
Ground broken for museum
Ground has been broken in New York City for the Jackie Robinson Museum after a 10-year wait caused by the recession.
Rachel Robinson, the wife of the Hall of Famer, attended Thursday’s ceremony in Manhattan along with her daughter, Sharon, and baseball commissioner Rob Manfred. About $23.5 million has been raised to build the museum, scheduled to open in spring 2019. Robinson broke baseball’s colour barrier in 1947. He died in 1972.
Teen’s dream to come true
T.J. Owuanibe is known as “the kid with the football” at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C.
On Thursday night, he was “the kid announcing the first selection” for the Baltimore Ravens at the NFL draft.
The 14-year-old Grade 8 student from Baltimore was diagnosed two years ago with brain cancer.
He recently told the Make-A-Wish organization that his dream was to stand up on the draft stage with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and tell the world who his favourite team was choosing with its first-round pick.