Iga Swiatek avoided another shock defeat against Filipina teenager Alexandra Eala by fighting back to win their Madrid Open second-round match.

World number two Swiatek, who was stunned by Eala in Miami last month, won 4-6 6-4 6-2 on the Spanish clay.

Swiatek lost in the Stuttgart quarter-finals last week and, having received a bye in the Madrid first round, produced some edgy groundstrokes in a poor first set.

A tally of 25 unforced errors indicated it was a performance nowhere near befitting of the WTA Tour's dominant clay-court player of recent seasons.

Mistakes continued to come as the 23-year-old from Poland fell a break down early in the second set.

Swiatek, who is the reigning Madrid champion and has a host of ranking points to defend over the European clay swing, looked in serious trouble.

It felt like the same story as when 19-year-old Eala, then ranked outside the world's top 100, beat her on the Miami hard courts.

But five-time major champion Swiatek refocused and realigned to break back, then took control as her improved power and precision from the baseline overwhelmed Eala.

Born in Salford to a Welsh mother, Lydiate was brought up with a farming background in Llandrindod Wells, before joining what was then the Newport Gwent Dragons' academy.

His professional career could have been ended before it had barely begun when he broke his neck in a European match in Perpignan.

It was not the only time he had to overcome a major injury setback, with a serious knee injury in February 2021 appearing to signal the end of his Wales hopes, only for Lydiate to recover and help his country to a first ever win in South Africa the following year.

Renowned for his defensive chop-tackling abilities, the quietly spoken Lydiate formed part of a formidable back row for much of his international career, mostly at blind-side flanker alongside Taulupe Faletau, Sam Warburton and Justin Tipuric.

He also captained his country against Italy and England in 2016 and Georgia in 2017.

At club level he moved from Dragons to Racing Metro in 2013, before returning from Paris a year later to join the Ospreys, for whom he made 90 appearances.

He returned to the Gwent region 10 years after departing, developing his farming career alongside his rugby, and will run out in a Dragons shirt for the 106th time at the Swansea.com stadium.

"I've got a lot of respect for DL, he's a man of grace and humility and he works hard," said Dragons head coach Filo Tiatia, a former playing colleague at the Ospreys.

"A British and Irish Lion, played for Wales, had a nasty injury and came through to become the man he is now.

"He's an awesome proud father, he's on the farm and he's been awesome to work with.

"We're really looking forward to seeing him going back to the Ospreys on the weekend, enjoy the moments at his old stomping ground and leave some fingerprints on his last game. Then we've got a plan for his coaching role."

Lydiate has already been helping with coaching the breakdown area for the Dragons.

"I can't speak highly enough of Dan, he's a great professional and more importantly a great person, someone whom I've grown close to over the last two years," said club captain Angus O'Brien.

"He's great in the environment, he's got a wealth of experience and has really brought it forward for the younger boys, so it'll be amazing if he's around as a coach."

Bristol back rower Steven Luatua has signed a new contract with the club to stay through the 2025-26 season.

Luatua is one of Bristol's longest-serving players and is set to make his 150th appearance for the club this weekend away against Northampton.

The 33-year-old joined the Bears in 2017 when they were still in the Championship and was the first signing director of rugby Pat Lam made for the club.

"He's been here as long as myself and he's been brilliant," Lam told BBC Radio Bristol.

"A lot of fans talk about him being the best signing and that's on the work that he's done on and off the field. He's a fantastic leader and he's captained the team 90 times, a high success rate.

"Everyone looks up to him, the referees talk highly of him, opposition have a lot of respect for him. It's great that he's continuing his journey with us."

Bayern Munich midfielder/forward Thomas Müller has rejected a contract offer from FC Cincinnati, a source confirmed to ESPN.

The news was first reported by German publication Bild.

Müller, 35, announced earlier this month that he will leave Bayern as a free agent when his contract expires this summer.

Cincinnati owns Müller's MLS discovery rights, a mechanism that acts as a right of first refusal for the team, though those rights can be traded to another MLS team in exchange for salary cap space.

Cincinnati's current roster structure only allows for it to have two Designated Players, but the club could opt to modify that structure to allow a third when the summer transfer window opens on July 24.

Müller is a Bayern Munich legend having won 12 Bundesliga titles, six German Cups, eight German Super Cups and two UEFA Champions League titles. He has scored over 260 goals for the Bavarian giants in over 780 appearances across all competitions.

This season he has recorded six goals and six assists in all competitions.

At international level, Müller has scored 45 goals in 131 appearances for Germany, and was part of the side that claimed the 2014 World Cup.

The 2025 NWSL season is already five weeks old, which can only mean one thing: the return of ESPN's NWSL MVP Tracker!

We will be checking in on the developing MVP race periodically throughout the season as the form of top players ebbs and flows. Who is positioning themselves to be the league MVP? We're here to tell you, all season long.

Our methodology is a combination of not just data, but observation because (1) numbers aren't the entire story, and (2) it allows us to analyze players across all positions.

Yes, goal-scorers inherently get much of the attention and often win the MVP award. There really wasn't any arguing with Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga claiming the award last year after she set a new league scoring record, but all players are eligible to win the MVP award and can earn a spot on our shortlist.

Whether history repeats itself and another goalscorer is named the MVP at the end of the year remains to be seen, but undoubtedly, there are a host of familiar names on our first in-season edition of these rankings. (Several of our preseason MVP predictions look like good shouts early on).

Of note: There are prominent players who we expect to make their way onto this list when or if they get healthy. Thus far, however, their time on the field can't warrant inclusion -- Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman, whose back problems have resurfaced, is the top player that list.

With that, let's get to the ranking!

11. Rebeca Bernal, Washington Spirit defender

The arrival of Bernal added depth and versatility to a Spirit team that came within a whisker of winning the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship last year.

The Mexican international can play as a centerback or a holding midfielder, providing the Spirit with the flexibility to line up in a three-back or four-back formation, and also allowing head coach Jonatan Giraldez to make mid-game adjustments without necessarily burning a substitution. All of that has been necessary considering the Spirit's injury list has grown to what could be a competitive starting 11 by itself.

Bernal ranks third in the league in clearances and eighth in aerials, per TruMedia. She's still adapting to the league and should only get better in time.

10. Lorena, Kansas City Current goalkeeper

This time last year, Kansas City was winning games while bleeding goals. The Current's back four was a mess and there were uncertainties in net. Lorena, along with a solidified unit in front of her, has made sure that Kansas City's perfect start to 2025 is a holistic offensive and defensive effort.

The Brazilian newcomer leads the league in goals against, having conceded only once in five games. She has her defense to thank for that, in part, but she has also been otherworldly when called upon to make jaw-dropping saves, as she did in the team's best win of the season to date, over the Washington Spirit.

9. Haley McCutcheon, Orlando Pride midfielder

If you thought this list would be without a stalwart box-to-box midfielder who embodies much of what the NWSL is about, you must be new here.

Haley McCutcheon is not a name that will jump out to any casual fan. She provides neither the flair nor the statistical tally of teammates Barbra Banda and Marta, but McCutcheon is the do-everything midfielder for an Orlando team filled with stars. She has increasingly gotten on the score sheet dating back to last year.

McCutcheon is a jack of all trades, ranking in the 75th percentile or better in almost every offensive statistical category tracked by TruMedia. The kicker? Roughly the same can be said about her defensive metrics.

8. Lo'eau LaBonta, Kansas City Current midfielder

Keeping with the theme -- and not to sound like a broken record from last year -- Kansas City's midfield is so impressive not because of how it controls possession, but because of how productive and incisive it is. LaBonta is the leader of that effort.

Yes, she is authoritative from the penalty spot and always entertaining in the celebration that follows, but she is also the heart and soul of a Current team that (stop me if you've heard this before) looks unstoppable right now. Kansas City wins games in transition, and LaBonta is the two-way midfielder orchestrating those game-changing moments on each side of the ball.

7. Ashley Hatch, Washington Spirit forward

The 2021 NWSL Golden Boot winner is back in form after a disappointing couple of years on a personal level.

Three of her four goals thus far this season have been game-winners, which has helped Washington keep pace in the Shield race despite their many injuries. Her brace against Bay FC in late March was particularly impressive as she adjusted her body to find the ball and evoked memories of the poaching goal-scorer that has given NWSL defenses fits.

Washington has been without Ouleye Sarr and (mostly) Trinity Rodman, which has placed more of the scoring burden on Hatch. Thus far, she has delivered. She is also valuable on the defensive side of the ball as the Spirit's first line of confrontation.

6. Barbra Banda, Orlando Pride forward

Banda has three goals and one assist, which is just about the pace to be expected from one of the league's best forwards. She remains a game-changing player who can slip behind defenses and drift off of the shoulders of defenders to finish plays spectacularly, and her relationship with Marta continues to prove fruitful.

The Washington Spirit's defensive combination of Bernal and Tara McKeown did well to shut down Banda in last week's NWSL Championship rematch, but Banda is still every bit the dominant player she was last year, and she's likely to stay right near the top of this list all season long.

5. Alyssa Thompson, Angel City FC forward

Is any player more improved year over year than Alyssa Thompson? The Angel City forward has three goals and one assist in four games as she has menaced opposing defenses on the dribble and in transition.

Thompson is adept at slipping behind defenders on the back shoulder, sharp on the dribble, and increasingly accurate at shooting from distance. Her upper-90 banger against the Seattle Reign a few weeks ago was the exclamation mark to her ascent, and don't forget: She's still only 20 years old.

To the point about her value: Look at how Angel City struggled without her last week. They lost 4-0 at home to NJ/NY Gotham FC, and they were without an answer for how to fill the void left by Thompson.

4. Temwa Chawinga, Kansas City Current forward

Last year's league MVP is just as dangerous in the new year. Chawinga leads the NWSL with 4.3 expected goals, per TruMedia, and she has scored three times. She remains the single most exceptional player in the NWSL who can change games, a forward who makes almost everyone else on the field look like they are standing still.

This year looks a lot like last year thus far, to the tune of Chawinga recently matching her own previous record of scoring in eight straight games (a streak that began in 2024).

Chawinga will challenge for both the Golden Boot and MVP award again. If she can put together a season remotely close to last year's 20-goal output, she will insert herself into Sam Kerr territory as arguably the league's most dominant player. She's certainly off to the right start on that journey.

3. Esther González, NJ/NY Gotham FC forward

There really is no other forward like Esther Gonzalez. She scored another brace last week against Angel City -- her second in as many games -- all while continuing her trend of being the most free-flowing forward in the league. At one point in the first half, she was literally closer to her own goal than all 11 Angel City players, playing a 1-2 passing combination with her centerbacks.

Esther is an anomaly, a proverbial unicorn. She continues to score goals with her head despite her listed 5-foot-5 frame, she's exceptionally gifted on the ball, and she has a vision for the game that allows her to see plays develop before most other players.

She's also crucial to Gotham's success. The "Super Team" designation barely lasted a year, and Gotham got off to a slightly shaky start this season, but Esther remains the constant, reliable leader who gets things done.

2. Delphine Cascarino, San Diego Wave winger

We told you to watch out for Cascarino in our preseason rankings, and she has proven why thus far. Her brace over the weekend added to three assists on the season for one of the best wingers -- and players -- in the NWSL right now.

San Diego looks vastly improved this year under new head coach Jonas Eidevall after half a season of no direction (or coach) in 2024, and Cascarino is one of the primary beneficiaries. She's electric on the flanks, frequently beating defenders to the endline and combining with Gia Corley and Kenza Dali, two other names to watch going forward.

Ultimately, Cascarino could be the reason San Diego returns to the playoffs.

1. Debinha, Kansas City Current forward/midfielder

One of the great injustices of the NWSL's history is that Debinha, who was a focal point for arguably the greatest team in league history (the 2018-19 North Carolina Courage) has never been named MVP. She was among the best players in the world at the time.

It would be harsh to call last year a relative struggle for Debinha, but undoubtedly, the attention on the Current was elsewhere, namely with Chawinga.

Five games into the new year, the 33-year-old Debinha has pulled a page from Brazilian compatriot Marta's book of anti-aging. Debinha is back to her prime, and she's setting the pace in the MVP race. She leads the league in chances created (16), per TruMedia, and she has added to her game by improving defensively in a Kansas City system that demands a lot from its front six. Look only to her goal on opening day, when she expertly pressured two Portland Thorns midfielders to win the ball and start the transition sequence, as evidence.

It's the opening stretch of a marathon season, but Debinha has set the pace.

Carlo Ancelotti is once again the front-runner for Brazil's vacant coaching job, sources told ESPN Brasil.

Brazil's Football Confederation (CBF) fired coach Dorival Júnior last month and had considered Al Hilal manager Jorge Jesus as a potential replacement.

Ancelotti, whose contract with Real Madrid runs until June 2026, has been CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues' preferred choice to lead Brazil ever since Tite stepped down after the 2022 World Cup.

Although Ancelotti has publicly reiterated his desire to continue at Madrid, his position has come under intense pressure since Madrid's 5-1 aggregate elimination at the hands of Arsenal in the Champions League quarterfinals.

Madrid are still in the race for LaLiga but are four points off leaders Barça with five games left.

The CBF are closely monitoring Saturday's Copa del Rey final between Real Madrid and Barcelona, knowing that a defeat could lead to Ancelotti's dismissal.

When asked about his future, Ancelotti recently said: "There's nothing to say. We'll talk about it at the end of the season."

Source told ESPN that talks between CBF representatives and Ancelotti's entourage have resumed in recent weeks.

An agent and two Brazilian intermediaries are in Madrid and as well as sending daily reports, they have held talks with Ancelotti's son, Davide, and the coach's representatives about the Brazil job.

The source confirmed that neither the CBF nor Ancelotti will make a move until the Italian manager's future at Madrid is resolved.

The CBF has officially denied the presence of any representatives in Europe and state that "the matter is being dealt exclusively by Rodrigo Caetano, the men's national team coordinator and by CBF president Rodrigues" and that "no other person is authorized to speak about the case on behalf of the confederation."

Rodrigues also stressed that the CBF's technical commission is monitoring matches on site and producing reports aimed at providing information on the coach to be chosen.

Rodrigues' aim is to name the new manager in the coming weeks to prepare for the next squad announcement on May 26 for the June FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Sources said that Brazilian forwards Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo, who already work with Ancelotti at Madrid, would also welcome the arrival of the experienced tactician to the national team.

While Ancelotti is the No. 1 candidate, the CBF is not ruling out Jorge Jesus as a contender.

The former Flamengo manager has a contract with Al Hilal until after the FIFA Club World Cup but could reach an agreement to leave the Saudi outfit next month to guide Brazil.

NBA Hall of Famer and Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd has joined the ownership group of Everton, the Premier League club announced Thursday.

Kidd has joined Roundhouse Capital Holdings, which is part of The Friedkin Group -- the U.S. firm that completed its takeover of Everton in December.

Kidd, 52, has been hailed as an "incredible resource for Everton" by executive chairman Marc Watts and joins with extensive experience in the NBA, on and off the court. Kidd was a 10-time NBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medal winner with the U.S. national team, and has since coached the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and Mavericks.

Everton are 13th in the Premier League but have been in impressive form since the appointment of David Moyes as manager this year, and they are about to move into a new 52,888-capacity riverfront stadium in Liverpool.

"I'm honoured to be joining Everton's ownership at such an important moment," Kidd said in a statement. "With a new stadium on the horizon and a bright future ahead, it's a great moment to come on board."

Watts added in the statement: "As one of the NBA's greatest players and now a successful coach, his knowledge and winning mentality will be an incredible resource for Everton.

"He is a respected leader and household name for many sports fans and will bring a deeper understanding of high performance as we collectively strive to build a brighter future."

The Friedkin Group acquired Everton from British-Iranian billionaire Farhad Moshiri following a long-running ownership saga. They also own Serie A club AS Roma.

Everton have been an ever-present in England's top league since 1954.

Kidd becomes the latest high-profile figure from American sports to get involved in English soccer.

In 2023, NFL great Tom Brady became a minority owner of Birmingham and chairman of its advisory board.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James bought a small stake in Liverpool in 2011, and PGA Tour golfers Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas are investors in 49ers Enterprises, which owns Leeds United.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

PHILADELPHIA -- Ryan Howard was a rookie with the Philadelphia Phillies just putting baseball on notice with his moonshot home runs when he met Buck O'Neil, a champion of Black ballplayers during a monumental, eight-decade career on and off the field.

Howard was introduced to O'Neil as a modern-day Josh Gibson, one of the Negro Leagues' greatest players, who hit .466 for the 1943 Homestead Grays. Howard, who hit at least 45 homers four times in his career, was too embarrassed to accept the comparison.

"Mr. O'Neil was like, 'Do you got that power?' I said, 'Yes sir, I do,'" Howard said. "He told me: 'Don't be ashamed of it. Let it out.' It was great, just hearing the stories from and just being in his presence."

O'Neil, who died in 2006, was long a champion of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. Howard, who won an NL MVP and a World Series with the Phillies, is ready to take up O'Neil's cause as the former slugger joined the push in helping the museum's expansion project.

The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is fundraising for a new 30,000-square-foot facility and campus, aimed at advancing the museum's mission of preserving the rich history of Negro Leagues baseball and its impact on social progress in the United States.

Howard and San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt announced their plans Thursday to join the Negro Leagues' "Pitch for the Future" in bringing greater awareness to the legacy of the Negro Leagues with a museum expansion.

Negro Leagues Baseball Museum president Bob Kendrick said he hoped to raise $30 million to complete the project.

"It's a tremendous indicator of the growth of his museum and the heightened interest in the subject matter that we've generated through the years and has dictated a need for us to grow in all phases of our operations," Kendrick said. "This is a byproduct of growth."

Interest in the Negro Leagues has spiked of late in large part because of its inclusion in the video game MLB The Show and when records for more than 2,300 players were incorporated last year into Major League Baseball statistics. The museum that was founded in a tiny, one-room office space in 1990 that attracts about 70,000 visitors each year - plus major leaguers who stop by during road trips - has outgrown its space at 18th and Vine.

Kendrick said the current space "wasn't designed to handle large crowds at any one time."

"In a perfect world, Kansas City will host the World Cup next year," Kendrick said, "and we would love to follow the energy and excitement of the World Cup with a grand opening of the Negro Leagues Museum in 2027. That might be a little bit ambitious, but it's doable."

Howard toured the museum long before he was one of the feared sluggers in the National League.

"It was my way of paying homage to the Negro Leagues and former Negro League players that didn't get the opportunity to play in the big leagues," Howard said.

Howard was always struck by the Field of Legends -- 13 life-size statues of the first Negro Leaguers inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York -- that deepened his understanding of the journey the players took to reach the Hall.

"I think that's why it's important to keep the story going, keep it alive," Howard said. "You've got to understand the history of Black baseball and how it correlates with baseball, in general, and Major League Baseball."

The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport found during its last published study that Black players represented just 6.2% of players on MLB opening day rosters in 2023, down from 7.2% in 2022. For the first time since 1950, shortly after Jackie Robinson broke the Major League Baseball color barrier, there were no U.S.-born Black players on the Houston Astros' or Philadelphia Phillies' roster in the 2022 World Series.

Former New York Mets slugger Darryl Strawberry said over the weekend that MLB needed to focus on developing and marketing the game within cities in order for the percentage of Black players to rise substantially.

Howard said connecting Black youth with baseball has long had its issues.

"It's tough, trying to help figure things out," Howard said. "I think there are now more young Black kids starting to get back into baseball. You have to be able to turn on the TV and see somebody that looks like you."

Howard was raised in Missouri and noted Black former St. Louis Cardinals stars such as Willie McGee, Vince Coleman and Terry Pendleton who helped ignite his interest in the sport. Howard and fellow NL MVP Jimmy Rollins were two Black stars and fan favorites with the Phillies when they won their last World Series in 2008.

Shildt was a frequent visitor of the museum when he managed the Cardinals and remained hopeful that expansion would provide the resources needed to educate a new generation of fans.

"There's a bigger story to tell," Shildt said. "What's taken place has been more grassroots oriented. They've been able to put it together without the resources to tell the full, big-picture story."

Scotland are six points behind the visitors, having lost three in a row since beating the Welsh on the opening weekend.

"This weekend is about finishing on a high," said head coach Bryan Easson. "It's about everything coming together post some really good performances and some really difficult stages in games.

"We've learned a lot about ourselves and now have an opportunity to put together those learnings on the pitch."

Scotland finished one point in the table behind the Irish in 2024, losing 15-12 in Belfast.

"Ireland are a very physical side and we have to fight fire with fire," added Easson. "I see it being tight - last year was a difficult one for us to take.

"We believe we can put Ireland under pressure if we get our processes right."

Scotland open their World Cup campaign against Wales in late August and will also meet Fiji and Canada, with matches taking place in Manchester and Exeter.

"We don't have long before we come back in for World Cup preparation," said Easson.

"I think we're on track. We've capped seven players in this Six Nations, we're working hard on growing the base around the squad."