Off the wire

TENNIS Djokovic out

An erratic Novak Djokovic suffered a surprise 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 defeat against Daniil Medvedev in the Monte Carlo Masters quarterfinals on Friday. The top-ranked Serb, who has won the tournament twice, looked out of sorts and produced 47 unforced errors. Defending champion Rafael Nadal was not at his best, either. But the second-ranked Spaniard rallied from 4-1 down against unseeded Guido Pella to win 7-6 (1), 6-3 and move closer to a record-extending 12th title here. Nadal next plays No. 9 Borna Coric of Croatia or No. 13 Fabio Fognini of Italy. They were playing their quarterfinal later Friday. Earlier, the 10th-seeded Medvedev was appearing in the last eight of a Masters tournament for the first time but Djokovic struggled more in the windy conditions. At times it looked like Djokovic would take control and he clinched the second set with two aces. But his shot-making was below its usual high standards and his drop shot rarely worked. The 14th-ranked Medvedev is chasing a fifth career title. The 23-year-old Russian next faces the unseeded Dusan Lajovic, who also reached a Masters semifinal for the first time when he beat Italian qualifier Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 7-5.

GOLF Lowry leads Heritage

Shane Lowry led the RBC Heritage at 9-under par with two holes left when the rain-delayed second round was suspended Friday because of darkness. Trey Mullinax was a stroke back after a 68. Top-ranked Dustin Johnson and Emiliano Grillo were 7 under after 67s. Lowry moved in front with a two-putt birdie on the par-5 15th. There was a delay of 3 hours, 43 minutes when strong storms that caused problems elsewhere in the Southeast this week struck Harbour Town Golf Links at Hilton Head Island, S.C. Lowry opened with a 65 to take the first-round lead Thursday. The Irishman birdied his first two holes to get to 8 under before play was halted due to rain and wind. Johnson, second at the Masters last week, had his fifth round in the 60s in his past six here. Grillo had an albatross on the par-5 fifth hole when he holed his 254-yard second shot. It was the second albatross at Harbour Town since 2007. Andrew Landry (Arkansas Razorbacks) shot a 71 and was 2 under going into the weekend. Austin Cook (Jonesboro, Razorbacks) was 3 over with six holes left to play.

Rain disrupts tourney

Robby Shelton fired a 5-under 67 on Friday at the Web.com Tour’s Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Championship at Prattville, Ala., and leads the pack by five strokes. A three-hour delay, caused by heavy rains Thursday night, disrupted tee times Friday and half the field was unable to finish their rounds when play was suspended because of darkness. The second round will resume at 7 a.m. today. Nicolas Echavarria (Arkansas Razorbacks) was 2 under through eight holes. David Lingmerth (Razorbacks) shot a 1-under 71 and was even going into the weekend. Sebastian Cappelen (Razorbacks), Ethan Tracy (Razorbacks), Matt Atkins (Henderson State) and Patrick Sullivan (Maumelle, UALR) did not make the cut.

Darkness halts Classic

Scott McCarron topped the leaderboard at 4 under with two holes left Friday when first-round play in the rain-delayed Mitsubishi Electric Classic was suspended because of darkness. The start of the PGA Tour Champions event was delayed more than four hours because of 23/4 inches of rain overnight and severe weather in the morning at TPC Sugarloaf at Duluth, Ga. McCarron birdied Nos. 2, 3 and 5 before dropping a stroke on the par-4 sixth. He will resume play this morning with a 118-yard third shot on the par-5 eighth. Bob May was a stroke back with seven holes remaining, and Sandy Lyle was 2 under with three to go. Bernhard Langer was even par with four holes left, a week after tying for 62nd in the Masters. Defending champion Steve Flesch was 5 over with four holes left. Glen Day (Little Rock) shot a 1-over 73. John Daly (Dardanelle, Arkansas Razorbacks) had a 4-over 76. Ken Duke (Arkadelphia, Henderson State) was 2 over with six holes remaining.

Ji leads by two

Eun-Hee Ji rebounded from a bogey on the par-4 18th with a pitchin eagle on the par-5 first and shot a 7-under 65 to take a two-stroke lead over Nelly Korda on Thursday in the Lotte Championship at Kapolei, Hawaii. Ji had a 15-under 129 total to break the tournament 36-hole record by five strokes. She played her final nine in the afternoon at Ko Olina in 6-under 30, following the eagle with birdies on four of the next seven holes. Korda birdied four of her final five in the breezy morning session in a 68, also finishing on No. 9. Defending champion Brooke Henderson (68) and 2016 winner Minjee Lee (68) were tied for third at 11 under. Azahara Munoz (66) and Moriya Jutanugarn (67) were 10 under. Stacy Lewis (Arkansas Razorbacks) shot a 5-under 67 and is tied for 12th at 6 under. Gaby Lopez (Razorbacks) had a 3-under 69 and is 3 under after two rounds.

BASKETBALL Winston to return

Michigan State All-America guard Cassius Winston is returning for his senior year and Nick Ward is entering the NBA Draft and plans to end his college career. The school announced the decisions Friday. Winston, the Big Ten player of the year, averaged nearly 19 points per game as a junior and broke a Big Ten single-season record with 291 assists. He led the Spartans to the Final Four after helping them win the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles. Ward averaged nearly 13 points and six-plus rebounds per game in a season stunted by a broken left hand. He entered his name in the NBA draft last year after his sophomore season and chose to return to college.

N.C.’s Hatchell resigns

North Carolina women’s basketball Coach Sylvia Hatchell has resigned after an external review found she had made “racially insensitive” comments and applied “undue influence” regarding players’ ability to compete through medical issues. The school issued a release late Thursday announcing the Hall of Famer’s resignation and findings from the review by a Charlotte-based law firm. The review also reported “a breakdown of connectivity between the players and Hatchell” after 28 interviews of current players and program personnel. Hatchell and her coaching staff had been on paid administrative leave since April 1, with UNC announcing the review amid player concerns to “assess the culture” of the program. In statements, Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham said the program “needed to be taken in a new direction” while Hatchell called it “a bittersweet day.”

NCAA Transfer proposal rejected

A proposal to require a graduate transfer to count against a team’s scholarship total for two years in football and basketball has been rejected by the NCAA. The Division I Council on Friday voted down a proposal that could have tapped the brakes on the de facto free agency created by a rule originally intended to give athletes more freedom to pursue graduate degrees. NCAA rules require football and basketball players to sit out a season after transferring, but those who complete a degree are permitted to transfer and play immediately. The proposed change would have locked schools into a two-year scholarship commitment regardless of how much eligibility a grad transfer had remaining. An exception would have been made if the athlete completed degree requirements before the second season. The council did pass a new rule that will go into effect this fall semester, allowing athletes who have enrolled in summer school and are on scholarship to transfer and be immediately eligible at a new school if their head coaches leave. Previously, athletes in that situation would have needed a waiver from the NCAA to avoid sitting out a season. The council also voted to allow walk-on athletes to transfer and be immediately eligible at a new school.