TENNIS
Alcaraz upset in Miami
Eleventh-seeded Grigor Dimitrov came out strong against top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday night and went on to win 6-2, 6-4 in the Miami Open quarterfinals, his first victory over a top-five player in nearly five years. Fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev, who beat unseeded Fabian Marozsan 6-3, 7-5, will play Dimitrov in the semifinals Friday. Second-seeded Jannik Sinner will face No. 3 Daniil Medvedev in the other semifinal, a rematch of last year's final that Medvedev won. Alcaraz, the 2022 champion, entered this tournament off a victory over Medvedev at Indian Wells. But the world's second-ranked player had trouble finding his game against Dimitrov and became visibly frustrated numerous times in the first set. Alcaraz, however, didn't go away even after falling behind a break at 4-2 in the second set. He broke Dimitrov at love and then held serve to even the set at 4-4. But then Dimitrov won the final two games, breaking Alcaraz in the clincher. This was Dimitrov's first victory over a top-five player since he beat then-No. 3 Roger Federer in the quarterfinals of the 2019 U.S. Open. On the women's side, fourth-seeded Elena Rybakina once again had to go three sets, pushed to the edge before beating No. 27 Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 0-6, 7-6 (2) in the semifinals. Rybakina, ranked fourth on the WTA Tour, will face No. 14 Ekaterina Alexandrova or unseeded Danielle Collins in the final Saturday. Rybakina also made last year's final, losing in straight sets to Petra Kvitova.
GOLF
Korda in contention
Nelly Korda shot a 6-under 66 in the first round of the Ford Championship on Thursday, leaving her three shots back in a bid to win three consecutive LPGA Tour starts. A week after brutal wind outside Los Angeles in the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship, ideal scoring conditions greeted the players in the inaugural event at Seville Golf and Country Club in Gilbert, Ariz. Pajaree Anannarukan took advantage with a bogey-free, 9-under 63 after starting on the back nine at the 6,734-yard course in suburban Phoenix. She had a one-shot lead over Lilia Vu, Gabriela Ruffels, Isa Gabsa and former Arizona State players Azahara Munoz and Carlota Ciganda. The top-ranked Korda opened with four birdies in five holes and closed with a two-putt birdie on the par-5 18th as she tries to become the first LPGA Tour player to win three consecutive starts since Ariya Jutanugarn in 2016.
FOOTBALL
Packers sign veteran kicker
Veteran kicker Greg Joseph has signed with the Green Bay Packers after spending the past three seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. The Packers announced the Joseph signing on Thursday. His arrival provides competition for Anders Carlson, who struggled with consistency as a rookie kicker last season. Joseph, 29, went 24 of 30 on field-goal attempts last season while going 3 of 6 from 40 to 49 yards and 4 of 7 from at least 50 yards. He was 36 of 38 on extra-point attempts. For his career, Joseph has made 82.6% (100 of 121) of his field-goal attempts and 90.1% of his extra-point tries (146 of 162 in 67 regular-season games. That includes a career-long field goal of 61 yards.
BASKETBALL
T-wolves no longer for sale
The ownership transfer of the Minnesota Timberwolves slammed to a halt when Glen Taylor declared on Thursday he won't take the final step of his drawn-out $1.5 billion deal to hand Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez the majority stake because they didn't meet all of the deadlines in the sale conditions. Lore and Rodriguez, who agreed to the purchase nearly three years ago, strongly disputed Taylor's stance. They said he simply had cold feet about letting go. Lore, the e-commerce entrepreneur, and Rodriguez, the former Major League Baseball star, issued a joint statement expressing disappointment in Taylor and contending that they've upheld their end of the deal that was to also include the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx. Lore and Rodriguez already own a 40% stake. Taylor, who turns 83 on April 20, bought the Timberwolves for $88 million in 1994 to keep them in his native Minnesota after a deal the previous owners struck to move the team to New Orleans fell through.
BASEBALL
Cole added to 60-day IL
New York Yankees' ace Gerrit Cole was placed on the 60-day injured list with right elbow inflammation ahead of Thursday's game at Houston. The earliest the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner can pitch in the major leagues is May 27. The team announced on March 16 that the right-hander won't throw for three to four weeks due to nerve irritation and edema in his throwing elbow. New York placed infielder DJ LeMahieu on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Monday, with a bruised right foot.
Surgery for Guardians' reliever
Cleveland Guardians reliever Trevor Stephan had season-ending Tommy John surgery and could need up to 16 months to recover, the team said Thursday just hours before the opener. Stephan, who has been a dependable part of Cleveland's bullpen the past two seasons, had his right ulnar collateral ligament repaired and a bone spur addressed. The team said Dr. Keith Meister performed the operation in Dallas. The Guardians estimate the 28-year-old Stephan will be sidelined at least one year and up to 16 months.
Franco taken off Rays' roster
Tampa Bay All-Star shortstop Wander Franco was placed on administrative leave through June 1 under an agreement between Major League Baseball and the players' association while the investigation continues into an alleged relationship with a minor. Administrative leave is not disciplinary under the sport's joint domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy, and a player continues to be paid. Franco, who has a $2 million salary this year, has remained in his native Dominican Republic while authorities there investigate and he did not report to spring training. Franco has not played since Aug. 12. He was placed on the restricted list for a week on Aug. 14 while MLB launched an investigation following social media posts suggesting Franco was in a relationship with a minor. The Associated Press has not been able to verify the reported posts.