Riverdale’s Tiafoe faces India’s top singles player
Frances Tiafoe, 20, of Riverdale in Prince George’s County matched up with India’s top-ranked singles player Prajnesh Gunneswaran in the opening round of the Australian Open late Sunday night. Gunneswaran qualified for his maiden Grand Slam after beating world No. 192 Yosuke Watanuki in the final round of qualifying. Tiafoe, now ranked 39th, earned the first Grand Slam match victory of BASEBALL: Representatives of MLB and the A’s met with Oklahoma junior QB and Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray in the hopes of convincing him to play professional baseball rather than pursue a career in the NFL, The Associated Press reported. Murray, whom the A’s drafted ninth overall in last year’s MLB amateur draft, reportedly is leaning toward foregoing his senior season at Oklahoma and entering the NFL draft. The deadline to declare is Monday. ESPN reported that MLB has given the A’s clearance to sign Murray to a major-league deal and offer him significant guaranteed money if he chooses baseball. Murray agreed to a minor-league deal with a $4.66 million signing bonus after the A’s drafted him.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Alabama will name Steve Sarkisian its offensive coordinator, ESPN reported Saturday night. Sarkisian, 44, previously was the Crimson Tide’s offensive analyst and coordinator in 2016 after head-coaching stints at Washington and USC. He spent the last two years as offensive coordinator for the NFL’s Falcons but he was was fired after the regular season. ... North Carolina State hired Tony Gibson as its co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach. Gibson spent the last five seasons as West Virginia defensive coordinator but he wasn’t retained by new coach Neal Brown. ... Alabama All-American S Deionte Thompson will forego his senior season and enter the NFL draft.
NFL: The Browns will name Todd Monken their offensive coordinator, ESPN reported. Monken, 52, spent the last three seasons as offensive coordinator of the Buccaneers. ... Former Dolphins G Bob Kuechenberg, a six-time Pro Bowler and member of the undefeated 1972 team, died Saturday at age 71. There was no cause of death. Kuechenberg, who played college football at Notre Dame, was a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and a member of the Dolphins’ Honor Roll.
SOCCER: Lionel Messi scored in the second half of Barcelona’s 3-0 victory over Eibar to take his all-time La Liga scoring record to 400 goals. Messi, 31, has 575 goals for the club in 658 appearances in all competitions. Barca held its five-point lead over second-place Atletico Madrid. ... Karim Benzema broke a finger during Real Madrid’s 2-1 win over Real Betis. ... Marcus Rashford scored and goalkeeper David de Gea made 11 saves to lead Manchester United to a 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur, which saw forward and England captain Harry Kane suffer an ankle injury in the match. The victory was the sixth straight for United in all competitions since new manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over the Premier League club, setting a team record. Sir Matt Busby won his first five matches to start the 1946-47 season. ... ... Argentine great Diego Maradona was released from a Buenos Aires hospital following surgery for stomach bleeding.
ALSO: 30th-seeded and 2008 champ Maria Sharapova of Russia routed qualifier Harriet Dart of Britain 6-0, 6-0 in the first round of the Australian Open in Melbourne. ... World Cup leader and seven-time defending champ Marcel Hirscher of Austria won a slalom in Adelboden, Switzerland to set a men’s record on the 52-year circuit for most wins by one skier at a single venue. It was Hirscher’s ninth victory in Adelboden.