Two-time NBA All-Star Ja Morant is the Memphis Grizzlies player whose home was burglarized by the seven men from Chile charged in federal court with orchestrating break-ins at the homes of prominent professional athletes around the country, a league source confirmed to ESPN's Tim MacMahon.

The Daily Memphian reported earlier Thursday that a senior law enforcement official familiar with the investigation confirmed Morant was "Professional Athlete 6" identified in an FBI complaint filed Jan. 30 in Tampa, Florida.

During pregame availability Thursday evening in Indianapolis, Memphis officials said Morant had no comment about the news. The Grizzlies were to play at the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night in their first game since the All-Star break.

The FBI complaint doesn't name the athletes and lists only burglaries already made public involving the Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals, Bobby Portis of the Milwaukee Bucks, and players for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the NBA's Grizzlies.

According to the complaint, the Grizzlies player's home was burglarized sometime after 4 p.m. on Dec. 19. The Grizzlies beat the Golden State Warriors 144-93 that night in Memphis. The burglars stole "jewelry, watches and luxury bags valued" at about $1 million, according to the complaint.

A spokesperson for the Shelby County Sheriff's Office said deputies responded to a reported burglary Dec. 20 at a home in an unincorporated part of the county. Deputies declined to release the name of the player or the address during an active investigation.

Some of the men were arrested in January after a traffic stop in Ohio on state charges for allegedly breaking into the home of Burrow, the Bengals quarterback. In that case, four of the men were found to be in the country illegally, according to a court affidavit filed in Clark County, Ohio. The men took photos of themselves with some of the loot. The groups often separated into smaller units to commit multiple burglaries, according to the FBI.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Nearly two weeks after the Los Angeles Lakers rescinded their trade for center Mark Williams with the Charlotte Hornets because, sources told ESPN, the 7-foot center failed his physical examination with L.A., his agent issued a statement Thursday disputing the Lakers' decision.

"The overwhelming sentiment, after conferring with multiple, nationally recognized doctors, is that the Los Angeles Lakers should not have failed Mark Williams on his physical," Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management said in the statement. "Mark was ready and able to play for them and should have been given that opportunity."

When asked for a response to Schwartz's statement by ESPN, the Lakers declined to comment.

Williams returned to the court against the Lakers on Wednesday, posting 10 points, nine rebounds and two assists in 29 minutes in the Hornets' 100-97 win. It was Williams' first game action for Charlotte since the trade, which initially sent Lakers rookie forward Dalton Knecht, a 2030 pick swap and L.A.'s 2031 first-round pick to the Hornets for the 23-year-old big man.

Williams hadn't played since Feb. 5 for the Hornets and was listed on the injury report with "return to play conditioning" before being upgraded to available.

Williams, a third-year veteran who is averaging 15.3 points on 58.1% shooting, 9.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists this season, told Fox Sports on Wednesday that he didn't believe concern about his health was the sole reason the Lakers nixed the deal.

"I don't think it was solely because of my physical," Williams said. "I felt like I could have contributed to them. But, obviously, they had second thoughts."

LeBron James, who dunked over Williams in Wednesday's game, was asked what it was like to face the center so soon after the Lakers had him on their team.

"He was never a teammate," James said. "He never stepped into the locker room. He never came [in]. We never seen him. We know the trade went down, but we never seen him. So when it got rescinded, it was just back to what it was before. So, it was no different."

After the trade was rescinded, the Lakers have had to reintegrate Knecht into the rotation and find center depth by other means. L.A. waived Christian Wood, the stretch big who has been sidelined this season after knee surgery, to sign the 7-foot Alex Len after he was waived by the Sacramento Kings. Len is averaging 2.0 points on 40% shooting and 4.0 rebounds in 16.0 minutes through his two games with L.A.

Williams posted a carousel of photographs to Instagram on Thursday -- including one photo of him attacking the rim versus the Lakers -- and included a caption with the social media missive. It read: "There's Always Peace When You Know The Truth."

AUSTIN, Texas -- San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is expected to miss the remainder of the season with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder, the team announced Thursday.

The Spurs said in a statement that the condition, a form of a blood clot, was discovered after Wembanyama returned to San Antonio after the All-Star Game. The condition is typically treated with blood-thinning medication, which usually precludes a player from participating in a contact sport such as basketball.

Wembanyama started feeling symptomatic recently but believed he would feel better after two days off following the All-Star Game, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania. When symptoms persisted, Wembanyama underwent a battery of tests that showed the clot.

A team source told ESPN that the Spurs are optimistic that Wembanyama will make a full recovery by the beginning of the 2025-26 season.

"It's tough," Spurs point guard Chris Paul said. "Tough more than anything, I think for all of us, knowing how much he means to our team, but more so knowing how much he means to the game and how much he loves to play."

Wembanyama, the reigning Rookie of the Year and a first-time All-Star this season, was averaging 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and a league-leading 3.8 blocks in 46 games for the 23-29 Spurs.

The team said in its statement that updates on Wembanyama's condition would be provided as appropriate.

"I think everybody understands that basketball is what we do and not who we are," Paul said. "So life and everything is so much more important, but for us, we know losing a big part of our team like that is [made up for] by committee. And trust me, you can't replace Vic. I can't stand on a guy's shoulders and block every shot that comes to the rim.

"Aside from his basketball ability, his charisma and what he brings into the locker room I think is what we'll miss the most."

Wembanyama will not be eligible for All-NBA, Defensive Player of the Year and other major awards because he did not meet the 65-game minimum. Wembanyama had been a -2000 favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year at ESPN BET and had attracted over three times as many bets to win the award prior to the Spurs' announcement. Afterward, Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. moved from +2500 to Defensive Player of the Year favorite at -130.

Wembanyama's departure is a second big loss for the Spurs this season, coming about 3 months after coach Gregg Popovich had a stroke and was forced to take an indefinite leave from the sideline.

Wembanyama had already taken 403 3-pointers and blocked 176 shots this season. No player in NBA history has ever finished a season with those numbers, and Wembanyama did it before the All-Star break.

Information from ESPN's David Purdum and The Associated Press was used in this report.

One by one, the San Antonio Spurs strolled into the Moody Center on Thursday afternoon for a shootaround, minutes after the Phoenix Suns left the floor.

One notable absence stood out: generational superstar Victor Wembanyama, who didn't accompany the team to Austin, Texas, for its two-game set against the Suns and Detroit Pistons. As the team warmed up on the floor, San Antonio's brass geared up behind the scenes to drop a bombshell announcement that Wembanyama would likely miss the rest of the 2024-25 regular season because of deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder.

When Wembanyama last spoke on Sunday night in San Francisco to close out NBA All-Star Weekend, he discussed wanting to "forget a little bit about basketball for 48 hours."

Within that span, he received the diagnosis.

"[It's] tough more than anything for all of us, knowing how much he means to our team," point guard Chris Paul said. "But more so knowing how much he means to the game and how much he loves to play."

The first-time All-Star was named the unanimous Rookie of the Year last season and finished as a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year. He was the favorite to take home the defensive award this season, leading the league with 3.8 blocks per game.

Just last month, Wembanyama played a pair of games in his native France, and both contests sold out within 24 hours, the NBA announced, and fans from 53 countries and territories purchased tickets -- a record for any NBA event.

In just his second season, Wembanyama was rising to global superstar status. On Saturday, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards was asked whether he saw himself as a future face of the NBA when the current generation retires.

"No, not really," the three-time All-Star said. "That's what they've got Wemby for."

But now Wembanyama will miss the final 30 games of the regular season. San Antonio hoped to seriously make a push for a berth in the play-in tournament, especially after trading for speedy guard De'Aaron Fox. Instead, the Spurs' season sits in limbo with their best player out and razor-thin depth in the frontcourt.

Our NBA insiders break down the rest of what this news means for Wembanyama, the Spurs and the rest of the NBA.

What can we expect from the Spurs for the rest of the season?

The Spurs' season is over if San Antonio's best player is unavailable. The Spurs' playoff drought is likely to extend to six seasons, after they had missed the postseason just four times previously since joining the NBA in 1976-77 -- and never in back-to-back seasons.

Wembanyama draws so much attention that few noticed in recent weeks the shocking lack of depth for the Spurs in the frontcourt. It's a situation that worsened when the team had to move Zach Collins in the trade for Fox. Charles Bassey served as the No. 2 center on the roster behind Wembanyama, but he suffered a sprained left MCL on Feb. 3.

The Spurs signed Bismack Biyombo to a 10-day contract for depth, and it's likely he'll end up with a standard contract in the coming days. The Spurs spent a good portion of the All-Star break internally studying which rotations and combinations of players would work best as they prepared for the stretch run of the season looking to make a run at a play-in spot. Obviously, those combinations heavily involved Wembanyama and new addition Fox. The Spurs rank No. 11 in the league in rebounding with Wembanyama averaging 11 per game. Expect that number to dip sharply. -- Michael C. Wright

What is DVT?

A deep vein thrombosis, or DVT, is a fancy name for a blood clot that forms a blockage within a vein. There are several potential causes for these types of clots, including a genetic clotting disorder (which would be rare in an elite athlete at this level) or immobilization (for instance, when a limb is immobilized for a period of time after surgery, there can be an increased risk of clot formation), neither of which appears likely in this case. Clots can also result from direct trauma to the area (a traumatic event resulting in bleeding or swelling can elevate the risk of clot formation) or, absent the above causes and particularly when a clot forms in the shoulder area of a young overhead athlete, venous thoracic outlet syndrome, also known as effort thrombosis, should be considered. Venous thoracic outlet syndrome occurs when the first rib, or occasionally an extra rib, creates compression over the blood vessels as they exit the neck region under the clavicle (collarbone) and travel through the shoulder to the arm and hand. Overhead athletes -- most notably baseball pitchers, softball players, volleyball players, rowers and swimmers -- are particularly susceptible to DVTs in the shoulder area due to thoracic outlet syndrome, and while it is not as common for basketball players, it certainly can occur.

Treatment depends on the root cause. According to Dr. Jason Lee, chief of vascular surgery at Stanford Health Care, who treats high-performance athletes with these conditions, treatment can include any combination of blood thinners (for a time period ranging from one to six months), thrombolysis (a catheter-based procedure to dissolve a clot) and, in the presence of rib compression, a potential first rib resection to prevent future episodes.

Most importantly, with the appropriate treatment, according to Lee, "athletes with this condition have an extremely high likelihood of returning to full pre-injury peak performance without limitation in their abilities." -- Stephania Bell

What does this mean for Wembanyama's future?

There have been a number of high-profile athletes, including numerous basketball players, who have been diagnosed with blood clots and were able to proceed with great careers. When a blood clot is diagnosed, two things become important: First, you must get on anticoagulant medication immediately to prevent more clotting and mitigate the risk of a clot traveling to your heart or lungs. This medication is typically needed for around six months and comes with a restriction on certain activities, including contact sports. That is why it is known today that Wembanyama will be out for the rest of the season.

Second, there is a need to try to identify the cause of the clot. In Wembanyama's case, the Spurs have announced that the clot was discovered in his shoulder. Most often clots develop in the lower legs. Sometimes young athletes can develop a clot in their arms or shoulders as a result of repetitive motion. This was the case in 2019 for Brandon Ingram with the New Orleans Pelicans. Ingram was diagnosed that March, missed the rest of the season and was cleared to play by opening night of the following season. The Spurs are optimistic Wembanyama will make a full recovery by the beginning of next season, a team source told ESPN's Tim MacMahon.

Last March, Ausar Thompson of the Pistons was diagnosed with a blood clot in his leg. He missed the rest of the season and was cleared to return to play last November. Ingram, Thompson and, eventually, Wembanyama, will have to be cleared by the NBA's fitness-to-play panel, which is made up of three doctors who review the individual case. -- Brian Windhorst

How does this affect Wembanyama's contract and the Spurs' free agency plans?

After this season, Wembanyama has two years and $26.1 million remaining on the rookie scale contract he signed after being drafted in 2023. And, despite the season-ending injury, his $16.9 million team option for 2026-27 is expected to get exercised before Oct. 31.

Starting in the 2026 offseason, Wembanyama will be eligible to sign a five-year, $271 million rookie extension, the first year of which would start in 2027-28. If Wembanyama is named MVP, DPOY or to one of the three All-NBA teams in 2026-27, the extension would increase to $326 million.

Despite uncertainty around the injury, look for the Spurs to continue building around their generational star this summer. San Antonio chose to accelerate its rebuild at the trade deadline, acquiring Fox in a move designed to help the franchise contend for the postseason now as well as push open a title-contending window.

"It just shows that they're not here to waste time," Wembanyama said after the Fox trade. "We're moving forward. I think it's a good step in the building of our future."

Besides the health of Wembanyama, the focus in the offseason is signing Fox to an extension. Fox is eligible starting Aug. 3 to sign a four-year, $229 million extension. The Spurs could also add two lottery picks in June; their own and Atlanta's. Currently, San Antonio has a 3% chance to land the top pick. -- Bobby Marks

What does this mean for the Spurs' guard trio?

There was an expectation the Spurs would have to make a decision about whether to ask Paul to come off the bench so Fox and Stephon Castle could start in the backcourt. But it was already unlikely the Spurs would make that move out of deference for Paul, a future Hall of Famer, not to mention the fact the club had already promised him before he arrived in San Antonio that he would start this season.

Now the Spurs are in a situation where they need to put their best players on the floor to make a push for the play-in tournament. That means there's a good chance we'll see plenty of Paul, Fox and Castle on the floor together for significant stretches. The truth is the Spurs don't have many great answers at this point, but they've already spent a big part of the season playing small with Wembanyama as the only big on the floor. So, this isn't necessarily uncharted territory. -- Wright

What does this mean for the Spurs' play-in -- or lottery -- hopes?

At 23-29, San Antonio's realistic play-in hopes had already begun to fade. The Spurs are not only 3.5 games back of the 10th spot in the Western Conference but would also need to pass the Suns and hold off the Portland Trail Blazers, who are equally close in the standings in 13th.

Without Wembanyama, that kind of run surely isn't in the cards. Instead, the more interesting question now might be how high San Antonio can get in the lottery standings. The Spurs would enter the lottery in the 10th spot if the season ended today, the same position from which the Atlanta Hawks jumped up to No. 1 last year.

San Antonio and Portland are both sitting on 23 wins, albeit with three more games remaining for the Spurs than the Blazers, while the Chicago Bulls are eighth at 22-33. Moving to eighth in the lottery would double San Antonio's chances of landing the No. 1 pick, not counting the more remote possibility of the Hawks (currently No. 12) moving up with a pick the Spurs own outright.

The draft is sure to offer San Antonio more prospects to add to its core, but with a little more lottery luck, the Spurs might land another player with star potential to pair with Wembanyama and Fox. -- Kevin Pelton

What is the impact on the NBA's award races?

Before Thursday, Wembanyama was the overwhelming favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year, for which he would have become the youngest winner in league history. But his injury means he won't reach the 65-game minimum to qualify for postseason awards, and the new favorite in his stead is much less clear.

As Pelton noted this week, the DPOY has come from a top-five defense every season since 2006-07. But the top five teams in defensive rating this season -- the Thunder, Clippers, Magic, Rockets and Celtics -- are all so strong because of a collective team effort rather than one particular standout stopper.

Now Jaren Jackson Jr. -- leader of the seventh-ranked Grizzlies defense -- has a chance to claim his second DPOY trophy, and Evan Mobley -- leader of the eighth-ranked Cavaliers defense -- has a chance to win his first. Mobley is not as young as Wembanyama, but he would still tie for the youngest DPOY winner ever.

There are significant financial incentives if Jackson or Mobley wins DPOY. Jackson would become eligible to sign a five-year, $345 million supermax, while the rookie extension Mobley signed last offseason would increase from $224 million to $269 million.

Big men typically lead the DPOY race, but other potential candidates in Wembanyama's absence come from lower on the positional spectrum. Hawks guard Dyson Daniels is on the verge of becoming the first player since Alvin Robertson in 1990-91 to average three steals per game. Amen Thompson (1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks per game) is creating havoc on a nightly basis for the Rockets. And Luguentz Dort takes on the toughest defensive assignments for the Thunder, who might finish the season with the best era-adjusted defensive rating in NBA history; his case looks a lot like Marcus Smart's when the former Celtics guard won in 2021-22.

The injury also robs Wembanyama of a near-guaranteed spot on an All-NBA team this spring and a legitimate shot at a first-team nod. He had a chance to join Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Tim Duncan and Rick Barry as the only players in NBA history to be first-teamers in their age-21 season; now he'll have to wait another year to match those legends. -- Zach Kram

How does this impact your fantasy basketball team?

Wembanyama was the clear centerpiece of the Spurs' production at both ends of the court, leading the team with 24.3 PPG and 11.0 RPG and leading the NBA with 3.8 BPG. With Wembanyama out, either 6-foot-8 Jeremy Sochan or 25-year-old journeyman Sandro Mamukelashvili moves to the top of the center depth chart. Sochan has the higher upside, and has been a regular starter at various positions in his three-year NBA career. As a small-ball starting center, he would have nightly double-double potential with upside for positive contributions in assists and about a steal and a 3-pointer per game. If named the starter, Sochan would be worthy of fantasy hoops flex consideration.

The Spurs' offense would presumably move more through their backcourt, with Fox fully capable of returning to the type of usage that had him average a career-best 26.6 PPG last season.

It would also make sense for the Spurs, already 12th in the Western Conference and now less likely to make a run to the play-in, to lean more on their younger players than their veterans moving forward.

This would mean boosts to the fantasy status of Castle and 24-year old Devin Vassell on the wing, and perhaps a step backward for Paul and 32-year-old Harrison Barnes.

Fox is already an impact fantasy hoops producer, but Vassell and Castle could solidify themselves as full-time flex starters with potentially increased roles. -- Andre Snellings

Who's the DPOY favorite now?

Wembanyama was the runaway favorite to win DPOY this season, listed at -2000 on ESPN BET before the injury announcement.

The field for this award is now led by Jackson, who moved from +2500 this morning to -130, and Mobley, who moved from +3000 to +110, clear favorites over Daniels (+1800) and Dort (+2000). Wembanyama will no longer be eligible for the award since he won't meet the 65-game minimum requirement.

The other major player award impacted by Wembanyama's injury is Rookie of the Year. Castle, Wembanyama's teammate, entered the day as the favorite to win the award at +110. But with his expected increase in usage, Castle is now the odds-on favorite (-180). -- Snellings

ESPN's coverage of Major League Baseball games will conclude at the end of the 2025 season, it was announced on Thursday.

There was a March 1 deadline for MLB and ESPN to opt out of the final three years of their contract. The sides agreed to a seven-year deal in 2021 that averaged $550 million per season.

"We are grateful for our longstanding relationship with Major League Baseball and proud of how ESPN's coverage super-serves fans," the network said in a statement. "In making this decision, we applied the same discipline and fiscal responsibility that has built ESPN's industry-leading live events portfolio as we continue to grow our audience across linear, digital and social platforms.

"As we have been throughout the process, we remain open to exploring new ways to serve MLB fans across our platforms beyond 2025."

ESPN has carried MLB games since 1990 but cut back its coverage in the current contract to 30 regular-season games -- mostly on Sunday night -- and the wild-card postseason series. ESPN also had the Home Run Derby and 10 spring training games.

The previous eight-year deal, which ran from 2014 through 2021, saw ESPN broadcast up to 90 regular-season games. ESPN also stopped airing the daily "Baseball Tonight" highlights and news show in 2017.

"Unfortunately in recent years, we have seen ESPN scale back their baseball coverage and investment in a way that is not consistent with the sport's appeal or performance on their platform," MLB said in a statement. "Given that MLB provides strong viewership, valuable demographics, and the exclusive right to cover unique events like the Home Run Derby, ESPN's demand to reduce rights fees is simply unacceptable. As a result, we have mutually agreed to terminate our agreement."

MLB said in its statement that there is "significant interest from both traditional media companies and streaming services who would like to obtain rights to MLB games."

"We will be exploring those opportunities for a new agreement which would start in the 2026 season following the conclusion of ESPN's agreement at the end of this year," the league said.

ESPN is still open to pursuing a deal with a reduced rights fee after seeing deals struck with Apple and Roku. Apple pays $85 million per season for a Friday night package it has aired since 2022, while Roku's deal for Sunday afternoon games is worth $10 million per year.

MLB receives an average of $729 million from Fox and $470 million from Turner Sports per year under deals that expire after the 2028 season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Chicago Cubs pitcher Cody Poteet became the first player to challenge a ball/strike call in a major league game when he asked for a review of a fastball to Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Max Muncy in the bottom of the first inning of their opening spring game Thursday.

Poteet, acquired from the New York Yankees for Cody Bellinger over the winter, thought the low fastball caught the corner of the plate, but plate umpire Tony Randazzo disagreed, calling it a ball. Per MLB rules this spring, Poteet tapped his head indicating he wanted a review, and quickly the pitch and its location were shown on the scoreboard. The call was reversed, and instead of a 1-1 count, Muncy fell to 0-2 before striking out.

"I was pretty positive it was strike and the umpire balled it," Muncy said afterward. "I knew it was going to get overturned, and I went, 'Oh, man, I'm going to be the first one.' Great."

Major League Baseball is testing its automatic ball and strike system for the first time during spring training after several years of using it in the minor leagues.

Instead of robots calling every pitch, teams can challenge two calls per game with the ability to retain a successful challenge. Only the pitcher, catcher or hitter can challenge a call and must do so without help from the dugout. Tapping their head is the indication they want to challenge a call.

Poteet spent time in the minors last season and so was familiar with the system.

"I thought it caught a good part of the plate," he said. "So thought it was worth using one of them. It's nice to know that it was a strike and not to be the first one to get it wrong, I guess."

Later in the game, Dodgers batter Sean McLain challenged a ball call, but it was upheld. That ratio -- one overturned and one upheld -- matches the split in the minors, where 50% of calls were overturned. Games there averaged about four challenges per contest, though Thursday's had only two.

Muncy was asked whether the system could work at the major league level during the regular season and postseason. The league has already stated it won't implement it past spring training this year but could as soon as 2026.

"I think the idea is very interesting of it to me," Muncy said. "I feel like you have to be a hundred percent certain to challenge."

Five stadiums in Arizona and eight in Florida will have the technology for the challenge system, and 60% of Cactus and Grapefruit league games will feature it. MLB will poll players and coaches after the spring in order to help determine if or when the system will become permanent in the big leagues.

"I feel like every strike matters ... so I thought it was a good time to use it today," Poteet said.

The Cubs beat the Dodgers 12-4. The teams have a rematch Friday before playing each other again to open the season in Japan in March.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Bobby Miller was hit in the head by a line drive on Thursday during the team's spring training against the Chicago Cubs, but was able to walk off the field.

The scary moment happened in the third inning when Michael Busch ripped a 105.5 mph liner that appeared to hit Miller on the right temple, where the hat meets the head. Miller immediately fell to the ground while holding his head, but quickly got up on his knees as medical staff rushed onto the field.

He exited the game, and was able to walk off the field on his own. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the ball "squared him up pretty good."

"He's going to be under concussion protocol," Roberts said. "We'll keep an eye on him tonight. I don't know what that means as far as going forward. Certainly, it's somewhat of a setback. We've got to make sure he feels OK going forward."

The 25-year-old right-hander entered spring training in the mix for a spot in the starting rotation, though its unclear how long he'll be out after Thursday's injury. He had a 2-4 record with an 8.52 ERA over 13 starts last season.

World number two Iga Swiatek is out of the Dubai Tennis Championships after a shock 6-3 6-3 quarter-final defeat by 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva.

The Russian teenager is the youngest-ever player to reach the last four of the tournament.

She was 3-1 down in the second set before reeling off five games in a row to beat Poland's Swiatek, a five-time Grand Slam winner, in one hour 36 minutes.

Andreeva set up a tie against either Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina or the United States' Sofia Kenin later on Thursday.

"Honestly, I was really nervous before the match and we played in Cincinnati last year [which Swiatek won] and it was pretty intense," Andreeva said.

"So I just told myself that I played great and I just need to continue to play aggressive and go for my shots.

"It was also not easy with all the fans [supporting Swiatek] but I think we were even. I had a lot of people supporting me."

Victory means the Russian has now beaten both of the world's top two ranked players in the past 12 months, having defeated world number one Aryna Sabalenka in last year's French Open quarter-finals.

The teenager becomes the youngest player since Nicole Vaidisova in 2007 to win five matches against players ranked in the top 10.

A man who "exhibited fixated behaviour" towards British tennis player Emma Raducanu was detained and given a restraining order, Dubai Police said.

An clearly upset Raducanu was seen hiding behind the umpire's chair two games into a second-round defeat at the Dubai Tennis Championships on Tuesday.

Raducanu, 22, had spotted the man in the first few rows of the stand during her match against Karolina Muchova.

Raducanu was approached by the same man, who gave her a letter and took a photograph, in a public area close to the tournament on Monday.

Dubai police said the man was detained before Raducanu decided not to press charges.

"Following Raducanu's complaint, Dubai Police detained a tourist who approached her, left her a note, took her photograph, and engaged in behaviour that caused her distress," Dubai police said.

"While Raducanu later chose to drop the charges, the individual signed a formal undertaking to maintain distance from her and has been banned from future tournaments."

Sherratt outlined why he had changed more than half the side.

"There are numerous reasons," said Sherratt.

"There were a couple of little injury doubts and then probably just in general, my mindset coming in was just to make sure I enjoy it and try to do things my way, with the way I think the game should be played.

"Some of the selections are geared towards that. It was important to pick a team that had some familiarity.

"I don't feel playing Ireland is a time to experiment, so just having those combinations together, who have got relationships and can talk to each other on the field and pick up each other's habits, is important."

Sherratt stated the return of Gloucester duo Anscombe and Llewellyn would compensate for the loss of experienced injured pair Liam Williams and Owen Watkin.

"I felt we needed some players who have relationships with each other and play with each other every week," said Sherratt.

"I've coached Gareth and Max so they know my style of play. That was an advantage.

"Gareth is very good at driving the week. With Tomos (Williams) and Gareth, I've got relationships with them and knew they'd grab what I was trying to do and spread it through the team. It's just that familiarity."

On the other end of the scale Sherratt was not afraid to blood Mee.

"He's looked brilliant this week," said Sherratt.

"I'm sure his family are proud of him and to see his face after selection was part of the reason you coach."