A day of big comebacks and early elimination at Match Play

AUSTIN, TEXAS » The format is fickle enough even before that notorious Texas wind arrived. Kevin Kisner, Mackenzie Hughes and even Sergio Garcia showed how quickly fortunes can change Thursday in the Dell Technologies Match Play.

Kisner added to his record of most matches won since the move to Austin Country Club in 2016 when he poured in three birdies over the last four holes and rallied from 2 down on the back nine to beat Luke List on the final hole.

“Yesterday was a lot more fun on the head,” Kisner said of his 4-and-3 win in the opening session. “But today, I love that grind. I love being in that moment. I love having the ball in my hand trying to grind it out, and I feel like I have an advantage when it’s going that way.”

Hughes was in a similar predicament against Max Homa, until he won four straight holes along the back — twice helped by Homa mistakes — and held on for a 2-up win to keep his hopes alive of advancing to the weekend.

“There are gusts that blow 25 and then it could lay down and blow 10. But if you’re over the ball thinking it’s going to be 10 and then it’s 25, it creates indecision,” Hughes said. “I kind of got in my head earlier in that back nine a lot of pars and the occasional birdie were going to be good enough.”

They were among five players who trailed by at least 2 holes on the back nine and rallied to win, joining Lucas Herbert over Xander Schauffele, Takumi Kanaya over Tony Finau and Min Woo Lee over Thomas Pieters. Bubba Watson was 1 down with two holes to play when he made a 35-foot birdie on the par-3 17th and won the 18th with a par to beat Webb Simpson.

Barty signs off on tennis at 25, ranked No. 1

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA Ash Barty signaled the end of the photo opportunities at her retirement news conference in her typically lowfuss, matter-of-fact style: “Righto, that’ll do.”

A day after revealing in a video posted on social media that she was quitting the women’s tennis tour after spending the last two years atop the rankings, and winning two of the last three Grand Slam singles titles, the 25-year-old Barty held a news conference Thursday in downtown Brisbane.

Barty’s decision to retire surprised almost everyone involved in the sport, from fans to players and officials, and prompted the obvious question: why now?

In the Instagram video she’d alluded to the dreams and challenges that lay ahead for Ash Barty the person, rather than Ash Barty the player. Those who pressed for a few more details in the official news conference were met with a repeated response: “You’ll have to wait and see. Be patient.”

So no major updates and still plenty of speculation about what’s next for Barty, who has asked to be removed from the WTA rankings.

She has a wedding date locked in — she announced her engagement to aspiring golfer Garry Kissick last November — but she’s not making it public yet.

Another future project is spending more time working with Indigenous children, Barty said, because “that’s what lights me up inside.”

Another day, another win for Naomi Osaka at Miami Open

MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. » Two days, two wins and making it look easy.

Naomi Osaka sure seems like herself again.

The former world No. 1 is through to the third round at the Miami Open, easily handling 13th-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany 6-2, 6-3 on Thursday. It was every bit as one-sided as the score made it seem, with Osaka winning 89% of first-serve points and 61 of the 100 points played in the match overall.

“It means a lot to me,” said Osaka, unseeded in Miami after falling to No. 77 in the world because she’s missed considerable time to focus on her mental health in recent years. “She’s the first high-seeded player I’ve beaten this year.”

And when it comes to high-ranked opponents, the drought was even longer.

Kerber is ranked 15th in the world; the last time Osaka defeated a top-15 ranked player was when she topped then-No. 10 Serena Williams in the 2021 Australian Open semifinals. Osaka went on to win that tournament and hasn’t been to a final since, but her win over Kerber — who had been 4-1 against Osaka entering Thursday — certainly made her look the part of a Miami contender.

Baffert switches 4 Kentucky Derby hopefuls to other trainers

ARCADIA » Bob Baffert has transferred four of his promising 3-year-old colts to other trainers, which will allow them to earn qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby while the Hall of Fame trainer appeals his 90-day suspension.

Baffert on Thursday transferred Messier, Doppelganger and McLaren Vale to trainer Tim Yakteen, who is based at Santa Anita. Blackadder was sent to Kentucky to train under Rodolphe Brisset. All four colts are owned by SF Racing LLC and others.

“We salute Bob for making the tough but necessary decision that will allow them to prove themselves as top talents in racing this year,” said Tom Ryan of SF Racing LLC.

The moves came four days after a Kentucky judge denied Baffert’s request to stay his 90-day suspension but delayed it until April 4 to allow his attorneys to seek emergency relief through the state’s Court of Appeals.

Kentucky Horse Racing Commission stewards last month suspended Baffert for 90 days, fined him $7,500, and disqualified Medina Spirit for having the corticosteroid betamethasone in his system when he won the Kentucky Derby last year. Baffert’s suspension was originally set to begin March 8.

Baffert’s attorneys said they would immediately appeal to the Kentucky Court of Appeals