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No. 2 seed Katerina Siniakova survived a first-round scare on Monday at the Livesport Prague Open in her native Czech Republic.
Siniakova outlasted American qualifier Louisa Chirico, ranked No. 228 in the world, for a 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 victory in 2 hours and 26 minutes. She offset her seven aces with seven double faults but saved eight of 12 break points.
Czech countrywoman and No. 1 seed Linda Noskova had no such trouble in a 6-3, 6-2 win over Katarina Zavatska of Ukraine. Also advancing to the second round were Poland's No. 4 seed Magda Linette and No. 6 Magdalena Frech, while lucky loser Kathinka von Deichmann of Liechtenstein upset No. 8 Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia 6-4, 6-4.
UniCredit Iasi Open
American qualifier Varvara Lepchenko rallied for a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 upset of sixth-seeded Italian Martina Trevisan in the opening round in Iasi, Romania.
Lepchenko took advantage of 12 double faults and broke Trevisan's serve 11 times in a marathon match that lasted 3 hours and 8 minutes. Lepchenko trailed 4-3 in the second set and 2-1 in the third.
No. 3 seed Jaqueline Cristian of Romania defeated Italy's Nuria Brancaccio 6-2, 6-4. Fifth-seeded Elina Avanesyan cruised 6-1, 6-2 over Spain's Leyre Romero Gormaz. France's Chloe Paquet knocked out No. 7 Maria Lourdes Carle of Argentina, while No. 8 Anna Bondar of Hungary was a 6-3, 6-1 winner over Belgian Marie Benoit.
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Teenager makes incredible history with Miami Open win
Jakub Mensik has quickly gone from a Cinderella story to a legitimate force in the tennis world. The 19-year-old started the year by upsetting a few big guns at the Australian Open. It took him only a few more months of reps to start rewriting the history books. On Sunday, Mensik stunned Novak Djokovic, 7-6, 7-6, in the final of the Miami Open to clinch his first career ATP title. Entering the match as the World No. 54, Mensik became the lowest-ranked player ever to win the Miami Open and only the second teenager outside the top 20 to capture a Masters 1000 event since Michael Chang in 1990. The win was so monumental that Mensik jumped 30 spots to a career-high World No. 24. For Mensik, the victory was extra special as it came against his childhood idol, Djokovic. However, he doesn't plan to rest on his laurels and is hungry for more success. “I know that this is not the end and I know that this is just the beginning for me," he said, via ATP Tour. "I'm still 19 years old, so I have all of my career in front of me. It feels really great to have this [trophy] next to me, but it's not just about the one title, one tournament, I'm hungry for more. Right now I will celebrate, rest. When I come back home, I go back to work and try to get better and better." Historically, most players win their first ATP title at a lesser ATP 250 or ATP 1000 event. However, Mensik pulled off a Masters 1000 win, becoming only the fourth player to capture 1000 ATP points with their maiden title — a possible harbinger of the success that awaits him. Mensik has four victories over top-10-ranked players in 2025, overcoming Djokovic, Taylor Fritz, Jack Draper and Casper Ruud. The Czech will likely finish the year as a top-10-ranked player at his current trajectory and possibly make a deep run at a slam. He's a name to look out for as the tennis season unfolds.
NFL Draft expert explains perfect situation for Jaxson Dart
The two big quarterback names in the 2025 NFL Draft are Miami's Cam Ward and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, but Ole Miss Jaxson Dart could end up being a sneaky-good selection for a team that's willing to take a chance on him — perhaps even in Round 1. Dart has everything you look for in a modern NFL quarterback. He's 6-foot-2, 225 pounds and has a blend of athleticism, arm strength and confidence that make NFL quarterbacks great. Again, Ward and Sanders are getting all the hype, and they're likely top-five picks when all is said and done, but NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. believes Dart can absolutely be a player in the league. Speaking with Field Yates on "First Draft," Kiper revealed that he believes Dart is the 15th to 17th best player in this draft. That means he's definitely worth a first-round pick by talent alone, but more than anything, Kiper believes that he needs to end up in the right situation in order to eventually thrive in the league. "Jaxson Dart has a really good skillset and he has the attitude, the approach I like. And, I think you look at the ability to come from that RPO offense? I think he has that talent,” Kiper Jr. said (h/t On3). “I think he’s the kind of guy you talk about, if he gets in the right offense and he gets a year to basically sit and watch and learn, has a little bit of time and isn’t force-fed, like we expect some quarterbacks to automatically be? With him, I think the time will be there if he goes to the right organization.” Which team could that be? The Pittsburgh Steelers have pick No. 21 and they're in desperate need of a long-term answer at quarterback. They may be hesitant to take a quarterback in Round 1 considering their recent failure with Kenny Pickett, but if Dart is around in Round 2 he could be a great fit for them. The Seattle Seahawks at No. 18 could be another good option, as Dart could sit behind the newly signed Sam Darnold. If the Browns pass on a quarterback at pick No. 2 overall, perhaps they'd go for Dart with the first pick in the second round. There are options and Dart does have the chance to end up in a good position where he can sit, learn and develop into a star. "Jaxson Dart, to me, is very intriguing. I like the skillset and I love the mindset as well with this kid," Kiper said.
Browns owner says team 'took a big swing and miss' with Deshaun Watson
A report from January indicated that at least some veteran players with the Cleveland Browns at that time were done with quarterback Deshaun Watson after he suffered a torn Achilles on Oct. 20 and then tore the Achilles again during his recovery. While speaking with reporters on Monday, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam seemed to close the door on the club's disastrous Watson era. "We took a big swing and miss with Deshaun," Haslam acknowledged, as shared by Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "We thought we had the quarterback. We didn’t, and we gave up a lot of draft picks to get him. So, we’ve got to dig ourselves out of that hole." The Browns controversially sent three first-round picks and other draft assets to the Houston Texans to acquire Watson in March 2022 after he sat out the 2021 season amid his desire to be traded. Allegations of sexual misconduct during massage sessions hovered over Watson's status when Cleveland gave him a fully guaranteed five-year, $230M contract to accept the trade, and he ultimately served an 11-game suspension related to those accusations in 2022. Two grand juries declined to pursue criminal charges against Watson before he was suspended. Watson's 2023 campaign ended prematurely because of a shoulder injury, and he was one of the league's worst starting quarterbacks this past season before he went down with the torn Achilles. Many who cover the team believe Watson will never play another meaningful down of football with the Browns even if the club doesn't select a signal-caller such as Colorado's Shedeur Sanders with the second pick of the 2025 draft. In total, Watson has made just 19 regular-season starts since the end of the 2020 campaign. "He’s had three horrific injuries in what, a 15-month period, right? Shoulder, tears his Achilles and re-tears his Achilles," Haslam said about Watson. "I think the focus now is on getting him healthy, and how long does that take, and when can he be healthy? So, that’s the main thing we’d be focused on." Outsiders may never know exactly what was said during conversations involving Haslam, Browns co-owner Dee Haslam, general manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski back in the fall of 2021 that resulted in the team replacing fan-favorite Baker Mayfield with Watson. On Monday, Jimmy Haslam accepted the blame for that decision. "I’ve said this, I think, numerous times, [that the Watson move] was an entire organization decision, and it ends with Dee and I. So, hold us accountable," Jimmy Haslam added during his comments. One can't help but wonder if Watson, who hasn't been shy about sending strong messages to critics in the past, will respond to Haslam's comments.
Freddie Freeman aggravates injury in shower 'mishap'
Los Angeles Dodgers star Freddie Freeman was out of the lineup on Monday night after he suffered an unfortunate injury. Freeman was a late scratch from the lineup for L.A.'s first game of its home series against the Atlanta Braves. According to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed that Freeman had a "mishap" while entering the shower at his home and tweaked his surgically repaired right ankle. The star first baseman is considered day-to-day. Freeman underwent surgery on his right ankle after the Dodgers won the World Series last year. He initially suffered the injury toward the end of the regular season when he was trying to get back to first base on a pickoff attempt. The ailment did not stop Freeman from blasting a walk-off home run in Game 1 against the New York Yankees and winning World Series MVP. The 35-year-old Freeman admitted during spring training that he was still feeling effects from the ankle surgery and would likely need treatment for at least the first half of the 2025 season. Freeman did not play in either of L.A.'s Tokyo Series games against the Chicago Cubs on March 18 and March 19 after he experienced some pain related to a rib injury he suffered last season. He returned to play in all three of the Dodgers' games against the Detroit Tigers over the weekend and homered on both Friday and Saturday. Though he is coming off another productive year where he hit .282 with 22 home runs and 82 RBIs, it sounds like Freeman may need some scheduled days off this season.
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