TENNIS
Kerber advances
Angelique Kerber reached the quarterfinals at the Dubai Tennis Championships for the first time by beating Olympic champion Monica Puig 6-2, 6-3 on Wednesday. The top-seeded German is 3-1 against Puig, but the last time they played the Puerto Rican beat Kerber for the goal medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Kerber, who started the season as the No. 1-ranked player before Serena Williams won the Australian Open to reclaim the top spot, will return to the highest ranking if she wins the Dubai title this week. Kerber saved all five break points she faced against Puig, including in the final game of the first set when she trailed 0-40. In her final service game of the second set, she recovered from 15-40 to go ahead 5-3. Kerber will next play Ana Konjuh of Croatia, who beat eighth-seeded Elena Vesnina of Russia 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4). Also, seventh-seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine defeated Christina McHale of the United States 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. Svitolina will next face unseeded Lauren Davis of the United States, who beat Ekaterina Makarova of Russia 4-6, 6-1, 6-3.
Thiem reaches quarters
Second-seeded Dominic Thiem reached the quarterfinals of the Rio Open with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Dusan Lajovic. Thiem is now the clear favorite to win his eighth ATP singles title after top-seeded Kei Nishikori was beaten in the first round by Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci. Thiem faces a quarterfinal against Diego Schwartzman, who advanced Wednesday with a 6-4, 7-6 (1) victory over fellow Argentine Federico Delbonis. No. 5 Albert Ramos-Vinolas defeated Fabio Fognini 6-2, 6-3 to secure a quarterfinal spot. He will face Nicolas Kicker, who defeated Arthur De Greef 6-3, 6-3.
Medvedev in upset
Daniil Medvedev upset eighth-seeded Benoit Paire 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (4) in the first round of the Open 13 on Wednesday at Marseille, France, and defending champion Nick Kyrgios advanced to the quarterfinals. Medvedev, 21, rallied from a double break down in the decider after breaking his French opponent when Paire served for the match in the second set. Paire's fellow Frenchmen Richard Gasquet and Gilles Simon enjoyed better fortune at the indoor hard-court tournament while Kyrgios eased past Malek Jaziri 6-4, 6-2. The sixth-seeded Gasquet prevailed 7-5, 6-2 against Mikhail Youzhny and Simon joined him in the quarterfinals after beating Julien Benneteau 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 in an all-French match.
BASEBALL
Agreement on walks
The Major League Baseball Players' Association has agreed to Major League Baseball's proposal to have intentional walks without pitches this season. While the union has resisted many of MLB's proposed innovations, such as raising the bottom of the strike zone, installing pitch clocks and limiting trips to the mound, players are willing to accept the intentional walk change. "As part of a broader discussion with other moving pieces, the answer is yes," union head Tony Clark wrote Wednesday in an email to The Associated Press. "There are details, as part of that discussion, that are still being worked through, however." There were 932 intentional walks last year, including 600 in the National League, where batters are walked to bring the pitcher's slot to the plate. That averages out to about one every 2.6 games.
BASKETBALL
Paul may play today
Chris Paul has been cleared by doctors and could be back in the Los Angeles Clippers' lineup today at Golden State. Coach Doc Rivers said Wednesday that Paul "looked great" in practice a day earlier and the only remaining hurdle is how comfortable Paul feels after another practice. Paul has been out since Jan. 16 after tearing a ligament in his left thumb. The original timetable was six to eight weeks, so the star point guard could return slightly ahead of schedule. Paul's presence would restore the Clippers' lineup, which has been missing either him or Blake Griffin at times this season. The Clippers come out of the All-Star break on a four-game winning streak. After playing the West-leading Warriors, they host San Antonio, which has the second-best record in the Western Conference.
Bogdanovic to Wizards
A person familiar with the trade said the Washington Wizards have agreed to acquire Bojan Bogdanovic from the Brooklyn Nets. The person spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday on condition of anonymity because the trade had not been announced. The person said Washington will also get forward Chris McCullough in the deal and send a lottery-protected 2017 first-round pick, Marcus Thornton and Andrew Nicholson to Brooklyn. Bogdanovic, 27, is averaging a career-high 14.2 points a game as a starter for the struggling Nets. He will add scoring punch off the bench for the Wizards, who are in third place in the Eastern Conference. By adding Bogdanovic, a pending restricted free agent, Washington continues its push to challenge the NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors in the East.
GYMNASTICS
Doctor charged with assault
A Michigan sports doctor who treated elite female U.S. gymnasts was charged Wednesday with sexually assaulting nine girls, including some too reluctant to speak up about the alleged abuse years ago because he was considered a "god." Roughly two dozen charges were filed against Dr. Larry Nassar, the first criminal cases related to his work at Michigan State University where he was the preferred doctor for gymnasts in the region who had back or hip injuries. He's also being sued by dozens of women and girls, including 2000 Olympian Jamie Dantzscher. Nassar, 53, was a doctor for Indianapolis-based USA Gymnastics until summer 2015, accompanying the women's team at international competitions, including the Olympics. Michigan State fired him in September after he violated restrictions that were put in place in 2014 after a complaint. Nassar's attorneys declined to comment Wednesday. He has denied abuse and remains in jail without bond. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said Wednesday that more charges against Nassar are coming. Michigan State University Police Chief James Dunlap said he has more than a dozen people working on the Nassar investigation.
FOOTBALL
Ed Garvey dies
Ed Garvey, the lawyer who led the National Football League Players Association through strikes in 1974 and 1982, has died at age 76. Garvey was the players union counsel and executive director from 1971-83. Garvey graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1969 and joined the Minneapolis firm that later represented the fledgling NFLPA. Neither of the player strikes was particularly effective, and the 1982 walkout resulted in the season being shortened from 16 to nine games. The nationally known labor attorney was a political heavyweight in Wisconsin, where he returned in 1983. Garvey ran unsuccessfully as a Democrat against incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Robert Kasten. In 1998, he took on incumbent Gov. Tommy Thompson, but lost after a tough campaign. He later created a website that featured progressive political content. Funeral arrangements for Garvey are pending.
OLYMPICS
Budapest out of bidding
Budapest has pulled out of the bidding for the 2024 Summer Olympics, leaving only two candidates for the Games: Paris and Los Angeles. Two other formal bidders dropped out earlier -- Hamburg in 2015 and Rome in September. More than 250,000 people signed a petition demanding that Budapest drop its bid. The desire to host the Games has faded in recent years as more and more cities have concluded that the Games are a potential financial disaster. Host cities have been left with white elephant stadiums, billions in bills and fewer economic benefits than they expected. The international committee is scheduled to choose the host city for 2024 in September. Bookmakers have Paris as the favorite for the 2024 Games but rate Los Angeles as a close runner-up.
Sports on 02/23/2017