I Dig Sports
The International Tennis Federation has settled its dispute with Gerard Pique's investment company after their multi-billion dollar deal to organise the Davis Cup ended abruptly in 2023.
Kosmos, founded by the former Barcelona defender, and the ITF announced a 25-year, $3bn (2.25bn) partnership in 2018 in a bid to revamp the men's national team tournament.
The ITF said at the time of the deal that it would safeguard the historic Davis Cup and provide an extra $25m a year for the global development of the sport.
The partnership with the 2010 World Cup winner's company also saw the format of the 123-year-old tournament change to an end-of-season 'World Cup-style' event, a change that proved controversial among players.
But the partnership was terminated in 2023 when Kosmos sought to renegotiate the deal, with the ITF saying it had "ensured financial contingencies are in place" for the competition which began in 1900.
Kosmos then filed a lawsuit at the Court of Arbitration for Sport accusing the ITF of an 'unjustified termination' of the contract and claiming damages.
However, resolution has been achieved, with the ITF stating: "Kosmos and the ITF have reached an amicable resolution regarding their previous contractual disagreements related to the organisation of the Davis Cup.
"Both organisations wish each other success in their future projects."
'Raducanu needs lasting plan to build on Miami progress'
Raducanu is part of the Great Britain team which will compete in the Billie Jean King Cup qualifying round in early April, and will be able to spend the next two weeks working with the LTA coaching team.
But she will need a more lasting plan swiftly.
Her clay-court season could take in Stuttgart, Madrid and Rome before the French Open, and there will be very little respite in the schedule before the end of October.
That plan does not need to revolve around one person.
Many top players employ more than one coach, usually because it is very hard for any one individual to commit to more than 30 weeks on the road each year.
Jack Draper ended last summers partnership with Wayne Ferreira as he preferred the "one voice" of James Trotman, but now travels to some events with Alex Ward.
Perhaps things could have worked out differently with Cavaday if an additional coach had been brought into the team when his health problems first arose in the spring of 2024.
Exposure to different personalities and ways of thinking has always been appealing to Raducanu, but the period with Cavaday offered her stability and calmness.
They liked each other, having first established a coaching partnership when Raducanu was a girl. Cavaday was a good sounding board, and there was evidence from her play last spring and summer that the two could flourish in future.
Djokovic into last four with 'great' win over Korda
It is a first semi-final appearance for Djokovic at this tournament since 2016 and, with Carlos Alcaraz, Jack Draper and Daniil Medvedev among a host of top-10 seeds already out, the draw has opened up for the Serb to add another Miami title.
Djokovic efficiently took the opening set on Thursday, breaking his opponent's serve in the eighth game.
But the 24-time Grand Slam champion had to dig deep in the second, with some impressive serving allowing him to recover from 5-2 down to force a tie-break and clinch the win.
"Best serving performance for me so far," Djokovic said. "I was quite nervous because you never know what comes from Korda - he's so aggressive and talented.
"I was on my back foot, waiting for his error rather than dictating from the back of the court. When I needed a first serve I got it but a tense match and great performance."
Earlier on Thursday, unseeded Czech Jakub Mensik beat 17th seed Arthur Fils 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 to book a semi-final against American Taylor Fritz, who secured a gruelling 7-5 6-7 (7-9) 7-5 win against Italian 29th seed Matteo Berrettini.
Sabalenka to face Pegula in Miami final as Eala beaten
Aside from two mistimed overheads and an ambitious 'tweener' shot which did not have enough power to trouble her opponent, Sabalenka barely put a foot wrong as she surged to victory in just one hour and 13 minutes.
"Super happy that I was able to give myself another chance, another final, another opportunity to hold a trophy," Sabalenka said.
"She's an incredible player so I knew I would have to work for every point."
Sabalenka has reached her fourth final in 2025, winning in Brisbane in January before defeats by American Madison Keys at the Australian Open then by Andreeva at Indian Wells two weeks ago.
Filipino Eala, ranked 140th in the world, had only two WTA main draw victories before arriving in Miami, yet she beat three Grand Slam winners in Jelena Ostapenko, Keys and world number two Iga Swiatek on her way to the last four.
The lowest-ranked semi-finalist in Miami Open history pushed Pegula to the brink in a contest lasting two hours and 24 minutes, breaking three times to win the second set.
"To have a week like this, the stars need to align and they did this week, and hopefully I can keep that up - that is my goal now, to keep this up," she said.
Eala, a graduate of the Rafael Nadal Academy, will break into the world's top 100 for the first time next week.
'They will always be in the crowd' - England's Jones on parent loss
England centre Meg Jones says the loss of both her parents means they will be at Principality Stadium "in a different light" for the Women's Six Nations match against Wales on Saturday.
The 28-year-old lost her parents in quick succession, with her father passing away from lung cancer last summer before her mother died four months later.
Cardiff-born Jones, who starts at outside centre against Wales, will be playing her first Red Roses game since their deaths.
"I am aware you get a lot of firsts, this week [on Sunday] is the first Mother's Day and the first time I am in an England shirt without both of them," Jones told BBC Sport's Rugby Union Weekly.
"It is just about seeing them in a different light and I will always think they are in the crowd. I would never have seen them anyway.
"I'll have moments now where I think they are just at home and I will see them in a couple of weeks.
"They will just be in the crowd cheering me on like they always do."
Jones' mother struggled with alcoholism, which the England back says "spiralled" following her father's death.
The Leicester Tigers centre, who has been capped 21 times, now volunteers as a patron at charity The Living Room to help people tackle the problems her mother faced.
"The idea is to help people with drug and alcohol abuse to navigate through it because it is a really hard journey to do on your own, but you need the guidance to push you through that," she added.
"I am proud and honoured to say that I am affiliated with them."
Record crowd expected as Wales prepare to host England
A record crowd awaits as Wales take on the might of England at the Principality Stadium on Saturday.
The Red Roses arrive in Cardiff as the number-one ranked team in the world, with last weekend's victory over Italy their 21st successive Test win.
Under John Mitchell and new captain Zoe Aldcroft, they are going for their seventh consecutive Six Nations title and a fourth consecutive Grand Slam.
Very few teams have dominated their sport in such a way.
In contrast, Wales are looking to return to form which saw them rise to sixth in the world just a couple of years ago.
They have a new coach in Sean Lynn, and while he was a proven winner at Gloucester-Hartpury, patience is needed as this is only his second week in the job.
Still there were enough green shoots of promise in the opening-round loss to Scotland to suggest Wales are a team on the up.
But they will need every ounce of home support if they are going to challenge England and repeat the heroics of the class of 2015.
More than 18,000 tickets have already been sold for the game, a record for a Welsh women's team event in Wales.
The previous best attendance was 10,592, when Wales hosted Italy in the 2024 Six Nations at the Principality Stadium.
But there is still a way to go to beat the record for a womens sporting event in Wales.
More than 31,000 turned out to watch Team GB womens football team beat Cameroon 3-0 at the Principality during the London 2012 Olympics.
Speaking against the motion, RFU board member Wayne Barnes strenuously defended Sweeney's record in his six years in the role, and said his departure would leave a significant void at the top of English rugby.
"He takes all of those relationships, that experience and that influence with him," former referee Barnes said.
"The void would be filled by someone who does not know the landscape."
Barnes also insisted the majority of referees did not back the motion, despite the Rugby Football Referees' Union bringing the motion in the first place.
"This is a time for rugby to now come together," Barnes said. "I really hope we can start to celebrate the enormous positives there are in the game."
However, speaking on behalf of the RFU board, Barnes pledged the powers-that-be will continue to listen to the game in a bid to end months of discord and heal the cracks in English rugby.
"There is clearly a lot of work to be done to restore our relationship with the community game," he added. "We need to focus on restoring trust."
A second motion, which was brought forward by the RFU board, called for the expedition of governance reform, devolving more power to the community game.
This motion was passed by 554 votes to 127.
"These reforms will represent a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change the RFU," said Paula Carter, RFU board member and council member for Surrey.
Beaumont added: "Let us put this period of infighting behind us, and instead, unite behind a common mission to modernise the union and its structures.
"Members have now given us an overwhelming mandate to shake up the archaic structures of how the game is run here, which continue to hold us back.
"The RFU wants to modernise, and this is an unprecedented opportunity to do exactly that."
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. Christopher Bell will celebrate Throwback Weekend at Darlington Raceway by honoring his racing mentor, Rick Ferkel, with a pair of throwback schemes designed to replicate The Ohio Travelers most recognizable car designs.
Bell will pilot the No. 19 Sport Clips Toyota GR Supra in Saturdays Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200 NASCAR Xfinity Series race before sporting a vintage Ferkel sprint car look on his No. 20 DEWALT Toyota Camry XSE for Sundays NASCAR Cup Series race at the Track Too Tough to Tame.
Bell credits Ferkel with giving him his introduction and break into the sprint car racing world. As Bell continued his climb up the ranks, he continued to rely on Ferkels guidance along the way.
Ferkel was also an original member of the World of Outlaws. Ferkel passed away on January 1, 2024, at the age of 84. Bell honors Ferkel on a regular basis with a special decal on the dash of his No. 20 car every weekend.
Rick really helped put me on the national scene by giving me my first opportunity in a full-blown sprint car, said Bell. He hired me to drive a sprint car when I was a 16-year-old kid. I moved in with him and his family for a while. After I left Rick Ferkel Racing, he became a life mentor, a driver coach, and someone that I would lean on every week for advice, and hed check in to see how I was doing. Rick always preached to me to make sure I drove as hard as I could at all times, and Im honored to get to pay tribute to Rick at Darlington.
Both of Bells Darlington car designs will feature a silver greenhouse area to mimic the look and feel of a sprint car wing. Ricks name will ride above the name rail and each car will emphasize the number 0 in honor of the man who made it legendary in sprint car racing.
Cathy Ferkel, Ricks wife of over 49 years, will be in attendance Darlington race weekend along with several of Ricks children and grandchildren.
CASA GRANDE, Ariz. After starting in Las Vegas and sweeping through California, Arizona is next on the docket for Kubota High Limit Racings campaign.
The Avanti Duel in the Desert brings the series to Central Arizona Raceway for the first time this weekend with a two-day show scheduled Friday and Saturday.
Approximately 30 sprint cars are expected with a wide cast of characters vying to become the fifth and potentially sixth different winner of the season with Kubota High Limit Racing. Corey Day, Kyle Larson, Brad Sweet and Aaron Reutzel have opened the year with four different winners in the opening four races.
For the series and a large majority of the High Rollers, Central Arizona is a new track to tackle.
NO MORE DROUGHT IN THE DESERT
Arizona has a decades-long deep relationship with winged sprint car racing, but its been a long six years since the last national touring series race in The Valley of the Sun. With Kubota High Limit Racing coming to Central Arizona Raceway, that drought thankfully ends this weekend.
Race fans in The Grand Canyon State are no stranger to the stars and cars of winged sprint cars, having seen 54 World of Outlaws races over the years at five different venues. Phoenixs Manzanita Speedway is the most well-known facility on the list but there were also events at Tucsons USA Raceway, Queen Creeks Arizona Speedway, Yumas Cocopah Speedway, and Chandlers Firebird Intl Raceway.
Central Arizona Raceway will bring Kubota High Limit Racing to Arizona for the first time.
PODIUM PERFECTION
The defending Kubota High Limit Racing champions continue to prove theyre still the team to beat. Through the opening four rounds, the Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 driven by Brad Sweet, has found the podium in every single race. There was a third at Las Vegas, a second at Tulare, a win at Kern, and another third at Perris.
The early-season success from The Big Cat has built a 45-point advantage over Clauson-Marshall Racing and Tyler Courtney as the series begins to head back east. The Grass Valley, Calif., native will face another new track this weekend as he races at Central Arizona Raceway for the first time in his career. Fear not for the No. 49, for they debuted at Kern last week and promptly won in their first try.
Sweet is already a two-time winged 410 winner in Arizona, having won World of Outlaws races at USA Raceway in 2014 and 2019.
MIND THE GAP
To stay in the title fight with Sweet and KKR, one must stay within reach as the season progresses. In the opening four races, theyve built a 45-point gap over Tyler Courtneys No. 7BC, a 54-point lead over Brent Marks No. 19, a 66-point margin over Rico Abreus No. 24, and a 77-point advantage over Aaron Reutzels No. 87.
As the No. 49 visits a new track, Central Arizona could provide an opportunity to pounce on The Big Cat.
For Sunshine Tyler Courtney, the only area you can pinpoint where the points are disappearing is Sweets unrivaled consistency on the podium. Behind Brad, Courtney is the only other driver to finish top-10 in all four of the opening races with results of fourth, ninth, sixth and seventh.
In Brent Marks case, escaping California with runs of third at Kern and fourth at Perris felt like a win for the Pennsylvania native who has long not seen eye-to-eye with the unique style of Golden State dirt tracks. At only
54-points behind following what was thought to be a daunting swing, Marks can really hone in on being the consistent finisher hes known to be.
The stem of Rico Abreus distance can be traced back to Kern last week when the No. 24 was innocently caught in an opening-lap crash after starting ninth. He ultimately limped it home for 29 laps and finished 18th, a move that the now-veteran points racer understands gained him 12 points in the season-long battle over just giving up and accepting a DNF.
Reutzels gap was there from the start, suffering a mechanical failure in the opening laps of Las Vegas opener while Reutzel was taken to the hospital and Justin Sanders subbed for him, the Ridge & Sons Racing No. 87 was still competing for owner championship points.
His win at Perris Auto Speedway last weekend proved hes already bounced back and looks to be a threat all season long.
LEARNING LESSONS
Each of the four Rayce Rudeen Foundation Rookie of the Year contenders have shown their own flashes of speed and moments of brilliance in the young Kubota High Limit Racing season, but there have also been trials and tribulations of figuring out points racing with a national touring series for the first time, too.
Chase Randall, the 20-year-old native of Waco, Texas, has jumped out to the early lead for ROTY honors in his family-owned Albaugh No. 9r. A pair of dash appearances in California, highlighted by a season-best effort of sixth at Tulare have been the most notable performances for the kid they call The Quickest Chicken.
Danny Sams III, the 23-year-old native of North Port, Florida, has been easing into the process as he encounters nothing but new tracks to start his first year on tour. The No. 24D with mom and dad working on the car has earned three top-15 results.
Sye Lynch, the 27-year-old native of Apollo, Pa., has fought some early-season demons on his adventure out west and its nowhere indicative of the speed in his No. 42.
He made back-to-back dash appearances at Tulare and Kern, but his night was over by the time they hit the backstretch on the opening lap of the A-Main each time. The luck has to turn around at some point, and it could be this weekend.
Daison Pursley, the 20-year-old native of Locust Grove, Okla., is still understanding the little things about winged sprint car racing being the truest rookie of all four with around 30 career starts with a wing.
The Buch Motorsports No. 13 has rolled out of the box fast, but the smallest of margin errors racing in traffic led to three DNFs through California.
IRVINE, Calif. The lead investors behind RACER, announced Thursday afternoon they have acquired MAVTV and will rename the TV network RACER to create the most followed and diverse motorsports media platform in North America.
We have been partners for many years and over time the parties realized this made complete sense, said RACER Chairman of the Board Chris Dyson. The combination makes RACER the central multi-media motorsports hub for fans and provides brands with the most comprehensive array of marketing solutions to activate their involvement in the sport and its adjacent sectors.
C.J. Olivares, president of MAVTV and former executive of FUEL TV, Street League Skateboarding and World Surf League, will continue overseeing the networks expansion and will lead the brand transition of the network.
The combination will provide the Irvine-based RACER brand with a substantial additional base of operations in another of the United States motorsports and automotive centers, Indianapolis, where MAVTV is located. The company expects no changes to staffing or operations, ensuring continuity in operations and production.
This is an exciting day for motorsports media, said Olivares. We are deeply grateful to the Lucas family and Lucas Oil Products, whose support and vision shaped MAVTV into the success it is today. Now, under the RACER banner, we will redefine the way content for motorsports and its adjacent sectors is delivered and experienced, and establish the largest, most comprehensive motorsports media platform in North America.
The TV network and recently launched APP will combine to broadcast 300+ live races in 2025, along with race highlight shows, racing talk shows and additional racing programming, car collecting auction and build shows, automotive documentaries and lifestyle series, which aligns with RACERs expansion into the motorsports adjacent sectors of performance automotive, car culture, car collecting and off-road.
Since we completed our capital raise last September, our business, our content offering, our marketing solutions and our team have evolved rapidly. Additional signals of our change and our future are literally days away, and we cant wait to share those with the marketplace, as well, added RACER founder and Chief Executive Officer Paul Pfanner. This acquisition fortifies two of the four strategic pillars were pursuing as a brand, pillars we call follow and market, which relate to amassing the largest motorsports following in North America the most important motorsports and automotive market in the world and offering our partners, customers and brands the tools they need to succeed.
The rebrand from MAVTV to RACER will take place progressively over the next few months, allowing for the necessary television logistics and operational steps to be executed seamlessly. However, some branding elements, such as logos and digital assets, will change immediately to reflect the new brand identity.
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