Former world number one Naomi Osaka moved into the Miami Open semi-finals with a straight-set win over American Danielle Collins.

Australian Open finalist Collins appeared to be struggling with a neck injury throughout the match.

Osaka will play Belinda Bencic of Switzerland in the semi-finals.

Olympic champion Bencic beat Australia's Daria Saville 6-1 6-2 to reach the last four.

Osaka, who was reduced to tears by a heckler during her second-round exit at Indian Wells this month, is playing just her fourth event since taking a break from tennis in September, and has dropped to 77th in the world rankings.

"This was my first night match so I didn't know what the conditions were like but I was fine and the fans were great," said the 24-year-old.

"I'm glad that, in a way, I don't have a good ranking, because I'm able to play the matches that I need to play. I feel like I'm the type of person that plays better with more matches, so actually having back-to-back matches benefits me a lot."

Semi-final opponent Bencic, 25, has also not lost a set so far in Miami and has beaten Osaka in four of their previous five meetings, most recently at the 2019 US Open.

"I get really emotional when I play people around my age or younger," Osaka added. "I don't know if it's like this thing that I want to be better than them, but I just automatically put a lot of pressure on myself.

"I think my mentality was a very big part in my losses back then. Hopefully, it will be better, because I feel like I have kind of worked through it. So hopefully on Thursday, it will be more about tennis. "

Sarah-Jane Perry and Gina Kennedy lead home hopes in Hull
By ALAN THATCHER – Squash Mad Editor

Mohamed ElShorbagy and Joel Makin both suffered surprise defeats on the day the top seeds joined the fray in the second round of the Allam British Open in Hull.

Germany’s World No.18 Raphael Kandra claimed one of the biggest wins of his career as he overcame three-time champion ElShorbagy. And Britain’s highest-ranked male player Makin fell to 35-year-old Colombian Miguel Rodriguez, who won his sole British Open title in Hull in 2018.

Kandra, 31, reached the semi finals of the iconic tournament back in 2018, beating Nick Matthew on Yorkshire soil to bring the curtain down on the English legend’s involvement in his final appearance in a tournament he won three times.

Here, Kandra produced a performance reminiscent of that week in Hull as he overcame ElShorbagy by a 4-11, 11-6, 7-11, 11-5, 11-5 scoreline to send the World No.3 to a surprise exit at the Allam Sport Centre.

It’s the first time since the 2013 British Open that ElShorbagy has failed to make it beyond the second round of this tournament, while Kandra advances to the third round of this event for the third time, where he will line up against Switzerland’s Nicolas Mueller.

“It feels fantastic, I have been waiting for a while,” said Kandra. “I am quite an on-and-off player. I cause problems for the top guys. Sometimes I sneak the win and sometimes I lose and then sometimes I lose to players ranked below me.

“My whole career has had a lot of ups and downs and I have a lot of memories from 2018, when I made the semi-finals. I love this stage, I love the crowd, and I felt good today. All credit [to ElShorbagy], he was still fighting to the end, it shows how professional he is, but I am so happy to be through.”

Meanwhile, Welsh No.8 seed Makin also bowed out of the tournament after he fell to Rodriguez in a gruelling five-game contest.

Like Kandra, Rodriguez has an affinity for the British Open and became the first South American ever to win the event four years ago. Rodriguez won a high-quality battle and he will now take on Egypt’s Youssef Soliman for a place in the last eight.

“This was just my target for this event, to play that match like a final,” said Rodriguez.

“It’s so tricky on these courts and Joel is so physically fit, he’s very hard to break down. But I thought I played the smarter squash when it counted today, and I’m just very pleased to win today and play again tomorrow.”

In a surprise quirk of the draw, No.4 seed Mostafa Asal met Fares Dessouky in a repeat of the recent GillenMarkets Canary Wharf Classic final. Asal gained revenge for his defeat in London by winning an 88-minute battle 11-9, 8-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-7.

A relieved Asal said: “I am really happy to play the British Open. This is the third time and I am loving Hull, the tournament as well! Thanks to the crowd, because from the beginning they are there, like it is the final of a Gold event or something.

“I am happy to get my revenge. In the final at Canary Wharf, all credit to him because he played some superb squash, but I was not prepared for the final. It was a tough battle today, tough mentally for me. I wanted to get my revenge, and I am happy to go through.

“When Mohamed [ElShorbagy] lost today, I think all the top seeds got a bit panicked, all credit to Rapha. I love to come here every year, but to play Fares first round is unbelievable, seeing as I just played him in the final at Canary Wharf.”

Elsewhere, World No.6 Diego Elias came back from two games down to overcome Youssef Ibrahim, while world No.25 Patrick Rooney is the last remaining Englishman in the draw after he got the better of former World No.3 Omar Mosaad to reach the third round of the British Open for the first time. Home hopes Adrian Waller, George Parker, Nick Wall and Nathan Lake all fell by the wayside.

In the women’s event, 2019 champion Nouran Gohar got her event off to a winning start as she overcame Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam.

Subramaniam dug in her heels and posed Gohar plenty of problems after a slow start, but Gohar’s extra quality made the difference as she closed out the wins in four games.

“It is one of my favourite courts, I like to play here and I feel comfortable,” said Gohar, who will overtake Nour El Sherbini as the women’s World No.1 on April 1.

“Siva played very well and took it on from the very beginning. It wasn’t easy, for sure, but I just had to dig in and find a way to win in the end.

“Physically, I am feeling good. Since Windy City, I have had back-to-back events, with Black Ball and the Nationals, and now straight to here. I am happy with the way my body is holding itself, and fingers crossed it can hold up until the end of this tournament.”

Gohar will take on USA’s Sabrina Sobhy after the American accounted for Wales’ Emily Whitlock.

In another USA-Wales battle, Olivia Fiechter beat Tesni Evans 3-11, 6-11, 11-6, 11-3, 11-4.

England No.1 Sarah-Jane Perry overcame close friend Lisa Aitken from Scotland to set up a third round clash with Egypt’s Farida Mohamed, who beat Hollie Naughton of Canada.

“It is really hard playing one of your closest friends,” Perry said. “I have a lot of friends on Tour, but Lisa is definitely one of the closest, so it is really tough. It is a lot easier out there when you’re warming up, when you can focus on what you’re doing.

“I was really pleased, not with the first few rallies though as Lisa came out like an absolute bullet there. Once I got into that first game, then I was pleased with it.”

World No.11 Georgina Kennedy continued her excellent run of form by beating America’s Olivia Clyne in four games, taking control after losing the opening game to reach the third round here for the first time.

Egypt’s Salma Hany became the first women’s seed to exit the tournament after she fell to India’s Joshna Chinappa.

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2022 Allam British Open, University of Hull, Yorkshire, England.

Men’s Second Round:
[1] Ali Farag (ENG) bt [WC] Nick Wall (ENG) 3-0: 11-6, 11-5, 12-10 (26m)
Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt George Parker (ENG) 3-2: 11-8, 8-11, 11-7, 11-13, 11-4 (66m)
Baptiste Masotti (FRA) bt Borja Golan (ESP) 3-0: 11-6, 11-4, 11-9 (37m)
[5] Tarek Momen (EGY) bt Eain Yow Ng (MAS) 3-0: 11-7, 11-8, 11-9 (37m)
[7] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) bt Todd Harrity (USA) 3-2: 4-11, 8-11, 11-5, 11-9, 11-7 (56m)
Mazen Hesham (EGY) bt Mohamed ElSherbini (EGY) 3-0: 11-9, 11-5, 11-8 (28m)
Nicolas Mueller (SUI) bt Ramit Tandon (IND) 3-0: 14-12, 11-5, 11-4 (30m)
Raphael Kandra (GER) v [3] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) 3-2: 4-11, 11-6, 7-11, 11-5, 11-5 (51m)
[4] Mostafa Asal (EGY) bt Fares Dessouky (EGY) 3-2: 11-9, 8-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-7 (88m)
Patrick Rooney (ENG) bt Omar Mosaad (EGY) 3-1: 11-4, 11-5, 9-11, 11-7 (50m)
Youssef Soliman (EGY) bt Adrian Waller (ENG) 3-0: 13-11, 13-11, 11-9 (53m)
Miguel Rodriguez (COL) bt [8] Joel Makin (WAL) 3-2: 5-11, 11-3, 3-11, 11-9, 11-5 (85m)
[6] Diego Elias (PER) bt Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) 3-2: 8-11, 4-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-4 (59m)
Shahjahan Khan (USA) bt Sebastien Bonmalais (FRA) 3-1: 11-7, 13-11, 5-11, 11-6 (59m)
Gregoire Marche (FRA) bt Moustafa El Sirty (EGY) 3-0: 11-5, 11-9, 11-1 (33m)
[2] Paul Coll (NZL) bt Nathan Lake (ENG) 3-0: 11-3, 11-4, 11-3 (33m)

Men’s Third Round (Top Half, March 30):
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) v Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
Baptiste Masotti (FRA) v [5] Tarek Momen (EGY)
[7] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) v Mazen Hesham (EGY)
Nicolas Mueller (SUI) v Raphael Kandra (GER)

Men’s Third Round (Bottom Half, March 31):
[4] Mostafa Asal (EGY) v Patrick Rooney (ENG)
Youssef Soliman (EGY) v Miguel Rodriguez (COL)
[6] Diego Elias (PER) v Shahjahan Khan (USA)
Gregoire Marche (FRA) v [2] Paul Coll (NZL)

Women’s Second Round:
[2] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bt Cindy Merlo (SUI) 3-0: 11-3, 11-7, 11-5 (23m)
Georgina Kennedy (ENG) bt Olivia Clyne (USA) 3-1: 6-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-2 (33m)
Tinne Gilis (BEL) bt Milou van der Heijden (NED) 3-0: 11-6, 11-8, 11-6 (30m)
Joshna Chinappa (IND) bt [6] Salma Hany (EGY) 3-2: 2-11, 15-13, 9-11, 11-5, 11-6 (49m)
[5] Joelle King (NZL) bt Lucy Turmel (ENG) 3-0: 11-8, 11-8, 15-13 (70m)
Nada Abbas (EGY) bt Danielle Letourneau (CAN) 3-0: 11-4, 11-8, 12-10 (29m)
Farida Mohamed (EGY) bt Hollie Naughton (CAN) 3-1: 11-8, 4-11, 11-9, 11-8 (36m)
[4] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bt Lisa Aitken (SCO) 3-0: 11-6, 12-10, 11-5 (30m)
[3] Amanda Sobhy (USA) bt Emily Whitlock (WAL) 3-: 11-2, 11-5, 11-4 (21m)
Jasmine Hutton (ENG) bt Alexandra Fuller (RSA) 3-0: 11-6, 11-4, 11-4 (24m)
Olivia Fiechter (USA) bt Tesni Evans (WAL) 3-2: 3-11, 6-11, 11-6, 11-3, 11-4 (44m)
[7] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bt Hana Ramadan (EGY) 3-1: 5-11, 14-12, 11-8, 11-7 (41m)
[8] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt Nadine Shahin (EGY) 3-0: 11-9, 11-5, 11-7 (23m)
Nele Gilis (BEL) bt Rachel Arnold (MAS) 3-0: 11-2, 11-4, 11-2 (23m)
Sabrina Sobhy (USA) bt Aifa Azman (MAS) 3-0: 11-6, 11-8, 11-6 (24m)
[1] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) 3-1: 11-3, 7-11, 11-5, 11-7 (35m)

Women’s Third Round (Top Half, March 30):
[2] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) v Georgina Kennedy (ENG)
Tinne Gilis (BEL) v Joshna Chinappa (IND)
[5] Joelle King (NZL) v Nada Abbas (EGY)
Farida Mohamed (EGY) v [4] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)

Women’s Third Round (Bottom Half, March 31):
[3] Amanda Sobhy (USA) v Jasmine Hutton (ENG)
Olivia Fiechter (USA) v [7] Rowan Elaraby (EGY)
[8] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) v Nele Gilis (BEL)
Sabrina Sobhy (USA) v [1] Nouran Gohar (EGY)

Pictures courtesy of PSA

Gareth Southgate has branded England fans booing Harry Maguire "an absolute joke" after he was targeted by some supporters during Tuesday's 3-0 win over Ivory Coast.

The Manchester United defender was jeered as his name was announced in the starting line-up before kick-off at Wembley and also after his first touch in an incident which somewhat marred a routine win courtesy of goals from Ollie Watkins, Raheem Sterling and Tyrone Mings.

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Serge Aurier was sent off five minutes before half-time as England eased to a victory in front of 73,405 fans which continues their preparations for November's World Cup finals but Southgate was frustrated by the treatment of Maguire, who has been a mainstay of the team that reached the previous World Cup semifinals in 2018 and the Euro 2020 final.

He told Sky Sports: "I thought the reception was a joke, an absolute joke. The way he has performed for us has been absolutely phenomenal. I don't get it. We're either all in this together or we're not.

"He's in an England shirt and not only should you support a player in an England shirt regardless, but when you've played at the level he has for us and put the performances in he has, it should be total commitment behind him. I don't get it at all.

"His performance was pretty faultless really. He stepped out from the back really well for his first goal, was involved in the second one too. So, yeah. The team are totally united. We recognise everyone has difficult moments but he's a top player and he will come through it.

"They are real England fans and some are influenced by whatever -- social media or players that played previously who are influencing opinion. The club situation is obviously very difficult but he's in an England shirt. I remember decades ago a few players being booed in an England shirt and it's never been acceptable to me. Fans should always get behind their team."

Southgate continued the theme in his post-match news conference, adding: "Don't think for one minute the other players won't be looking at that thinking 'that could be me one day.'

"That's been one of the problems of playing for England. Players have thought 'do I want to go because when it turns a little bit difficult, the crowd are going to turn on me.'

"That happened with John Barnes here, that happened with Ashley Cole a couple of times, that happened with Raheem, now Harry. They are all outstanding players so how that is going to benefit anybody, I really don't understand.

"We need a Harry Maguire playing well if we are going to have a chance of doing well this winter.

"He played well and in my opinion he is the best centre back in his club as well. Where this is all starting or being fed? I am not sure. It is ludicrous. It is like every time he steps on a football field that every action is analysed to death. I can't remember a player having that spotlight on them at any point."

Manchester City midfielder Jack Grealish also threw his support behind Maguire.

"Personally I think it is ridiculous," he said. "Harry has been unbelievable for this country in the World Cup, the Euros, even tonight he was brilliant. "Our first two goals come from him driving out with the ball and then him driving a bit and playing the pass to Oliie. Not every centre back can have those qualities. He's been a fantastic servant for this country so I think it was ridiculous for him to get boos and it wasn't something the team liked."

Luis Suarez moved ahead of Lionel Messi as the top scorer in South American World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday with his 29th goal, a bicycle kick that helped Uruguay to a 2-0 win over Chile.

Messi failed to hit the net in Ecuador, where Argentina drew 1-1.

"Special night, special game, special shirt and a goal," Suarez wrote on social media alongside a picture of him holding his shirt from the match.

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"What more could I ask for in unique and unforgettable moments for my country?"

The South American Football Confederation said Suarez's 29 goals came in 62 games, two games more than Messi, and his latest was typically spectacular, a bicycle kick from four meters out with 11 minutes remaining.

Federico Valverde doubled Uruguay's lead in the final moments of the match to cement a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for the side under Diego Alonso.

Alonso took over from Oscar Tabarez in December last year after four successive defeats put their qualification hopes in jeopardy and he has since guided his new charges to four straight wins.

Uruguay finished third in the qualifying group behind Brazil and Argentina and ahead of Ecuador, who took the fourth automatic qualifying place.

CHICAGO -- Dariq Whitehead showed why he's headed to Duke and set to become part of the first freshman class since 1979 not to play under retiring Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski.

Cam Whitmore, meanwhile, put on a performance that should please Villanova coach Jay Wright.

Future Wildcat Whitmore scored 19 points, Whitehead took McDonald's All American Game MVP honors, and the East beat the West 105-81 at Wintrust Arena on Tuesday night.

The showcase event that has shined a light on greats including Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal and LeBron James made its return after being canceled the past two years because of the coronavirus pandemic. The current crop showed why they are the best high school players in the country, whether they were throwing down vicious dunks or making acrobatic layups.

Whitmore had eight rebounds. Whitehead wanted to show fans he is an all-around player and did just that with 13 points, seven rebounds and seven assists to help the East roll to an easy win.

"Coming into it the game, I didn't think of it so much as me getting stats,'' he said. "I just wanted to win the game, most importantly. That's something we emphasized.''

Duke-bound Mark Mitchell led the West with 19 points.

"Not having the games the last two years, I think it was just an honor that they could put on the games this year,'' he said. "We had to go through a lot of protocols. It was definitely all worth it in the end.''

Former NBA star Jermaine O'Neal sat courtside and Chicago rapper G Herbo was four chairs to his left. Lil Baby performed at halftime. The East had already put on quite a show by then, racing out to a 58-38 lead.

Whitehead nailed three 3s and had 11 points to go with five assists in the half. Whitmore scored nine points, and the 6-foot-7 guard from Archbishop Spalding near Baltimore punctuated it with a windmill dunk in the closing seconds that drew the loudest roar from the crowd until Lil Baby took the floor.

"When I first got on the big stage, playing in front of thousands of people, it was a little nerve-racking,'' Whitehead said. "I wasn't used to playing in front of tons of people. When I got used to it, it became something that you looked forward to. It also makes you go out and perform better, just knowing that you've got people paying to come watch you play.''

Anthony Black, who announced his commitment to Arkansas on Monday night on ESPN, giving Eric Musselman and the Razorbacks their third five-star prospect in the 2022 class, was on the West roster.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

DALLAS -- For the first time since the first week of the regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers find themselves on the outside of the play-in tournament looking in after Tuesday night's 128-110 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

Playing without LeBron James (left ankle sprain) and Anthony Davis (right midfoot sprain), the Lakers trailed by as many as 37 points as Luka Doncic recorded a 30-point triple-double through the first three quarters (34 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists).

"We just didn't execute well enough and play with enough toughness, IQ, intelligence, focus and fight," Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. "So, not acceptable and just a poor performance across the board. Coaches, players, everybody."

L.A. is currently No. 11 in the Western Conference with seven games remaining. The Lakers, at 31-44, have the same record as the No. 10 San Antonio Spurs, but the Spurs own the tiebreaker.

Looking ahead to the final stretch, the Lakers have gone 4-10 against their six remaining opponents (they play the Denver Nuggets twice). The Spurs have gone 5-11 against their six remaining opponents (they play the Portland Trail Blazers twice). The Nuggets (45-31) are No. 6 in the Western Conference standings. The Blazers (27-48) are No. 12 and will be out their star, Damian Lillard, for the rest of the season.

Vogel said James and Davis will both be re-evaluated Thursday to determine their availability for L.A.'s game against the Utah Jazz on Thursday night. Davis, who has been sidelined since Feb. 16, is targeting a return by Friday at home against the No. 9 New Orleans Pelicans, sources told ESPN.

Tuesday was about as bad as it has been for the Lakers in a season already full of disappointment. The 82 points they allowed in the first half were the second-most points allowed in a first half in franchise history, narrowly avoiding the record set when the Boston Celtics hung 83 on them in the first half on Feb. 27, 1959, according to data compiled by ESPN Stats & Info.

L.A.'s 26-point halftime deficit Tuesday combined with the 28 points the Pelicans outscored them by in the second half on Sunday represented the worst points differential, minus-54, over a two-half span for the Lakers in the shot-clock era.

"The standings are the results," Vogel said when asked if falling out of the play-in ups the Lakers' urgency. "We have to keep our focus on the process and the work and the things that are going to lead to the next win. That's the only place that our focus will be."

Russell Westbrook, who had 25 points, eight rebounds and six assists but was part of L.A. being outscored by 25 points in the 32 minutes he was on the floor, added another contentious postgame exchange with a reporter to his season resume.

When Westbrook was asked what changes for L.A. now that it has to fight to get back into the play-in tournament, he replied, "Nothing, man. Nothing."

After the reporter followed by asking why nothing has changed, Westbrook got up from his seat at the interview table and said, "What do you think should change?"

The reporter suggested "winning" as an answer, and Westbrook continued the back-and-forth by asking, "That's fine. You got an answer to winning? You got an answer to winning?"

As the exchange continued for a few more moments, Westbrook noticed a video camera pointed in his direction and changed his tone, offering a half-hug to the reporter, before leaving the room.

"We cool," he said. "Y'all gotta make sure to record that."

The Lakers are now 4-13 since the All-Star break, which is on pace to be the franchise's second-lowest win percentage post All-Star break in team history.

"We just got our butt whooped. Straight up," Stanley Johnson said. "So, whatever spirit or whatever, they kicked our ass. It was 30 points pretty much the whole game. I don't know how else you want to put it. We got to be a lot better than that."

LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer sued The Athletic and former reporter Molly Knight on Tuesday, accusing them of "creating and spreading the false narrative" that he had fractured a woman's skull during a sexual encounter.

The 26-page complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles against The Athletic Media Co. and Knight, alleges two counts of defamation.

A woman obtained a protection order against Bauer under California's Domestic Violence Prevention Act last June as the result of an alleged assault that left the woman with "severe physical and emotional pain," said Marc Garelick, the woman's attorney.

Los Angeles prosecutors said in February they decided not to charge Bauer, determining there was insufficient evidence to win a conviction.

The Athletic reported last June 30 that "there were signs of a basilar skull fracture," citing a declaration by the woman.

The lawsuit says "CT scan results included in the medical records attached to the complainant's declaration and possessed by The Athletic definitively concluded that she had 'no acute fracture.'"

Athletic spokesman Taylor Patterson said in an email: "We are aware of legal action taken by Trevor Bauer. We're confident in our reporting and plan to defend against the claim."

Knight did not immediately respond to an email sent to an address on her website. She announced she was leaving The Athletic on July 30, 2021.

Bauer said of the woman during a video posted on YouTube in February: "The disturbing acts and conduct that she described simply did not occur."

The lawsuit claimed The Athletic and Knight defamed Bauer "by creating and spreading the false narrative that Mr. Bauer fractured the complainant's skull. There was no basis for that assertion because the complainant's own medical records -- which The Athletic possessed -- showed that she had no such fracture. Nonetheless, consistent with their prior and subsequent expressions of animus toward Mr. Bauer, The Athletic and Ms. Knight publicized that false attack.

"Defendants acted with actual malice because they deliberately ignored the truth -- which was evident in the medical records possessed by The Athletic -- and because the defendants' defamatory statements were part of a campaign to harass Mr. Bauer," the lawsuit said. The suit alleged The Athletic posted a link to the story on its Twitter account and Knight amplified "the inaccurate claim" on Twitter.

The lawsuit said The Athletic, after being contacted by Bauer's lawyer, published an update that said "Trevor Bauer's representatives emphasized that medical records showed that while the woman was initially diagnosed with signs of a basilar skull fracture, a subsequent CT scan found no acute fracture." The lawsuit said that "was insufficient and inaccurate" and that "an emergency room physician observed that the complainant presented with indications of a possible basilar skull fracture, which was ruled out by the only CT scans the woman had. "

Bauer sued G/O Media, the parent company of Deadspin, and Deadspin managing editor Chris Baud on March 3 in federal court in Manhattan, alleging they defamed him when Deadspin reported on July 6 that "an initial CT scan ... showed a fracture."

Bauer was placed on administrative leave last July 2 under the joint domestic violence and sexual assault policy of Major League Baseball and the players' association. The leave has been repeatedly extended and currently runs through April 16.

After winning his first Cy Young Award with the Cincinnati Reds in 2020, Bauer agreed to a $102 million, three-year contract to join his hometown Dodgers. He did not pitch after June 29 and finished with an 8-2 record and a 2.59 ERA in 17 appearances. He was paid his $28 million salary last year.

The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they have been victims of sexual assault.

Nick Kyrgios was docked a game on his way to defeat by Italy's Jannik Sinner in a fiery Miami Open last-16 match.

Kyrgios also complained about the court speed in a first set he lost after being docked a point in the tie-break.

He was docked the opening game of the second set for destroying his racquet, with Sinner keeping his cool and the lead to win 7-6 (7-3) 6-3.

Kyrgios, 26, called Bernardes an "absolute clown" moments after hitting a forehand wide on Sinner's first match point, refusing to shake hands with the official before making a quick exit.

Former British number one Tim Henman, who was on court in his role as an analyst for Amazon Prime, said the atmosphere was "a proper circus".

"For the vast part of the match Carlos Bernardes got it spot on," said Henman.

"He gave Nick a little bit of leeway in the first set but if behave like that you have to face the consequences."

Last week, Kyrgios was fined US$25,000 (£19,000) after a throwing a racquet at Indian Wells which bounced off the surface and nearly hit a ball boy.

How did the drama unfold?

The drama began when Kyrgios, who had played his opening three matches on Miami's centre court, started to criticise the speed of the surface on the grandstand court.

After being unable to take any of three break points in the early stages, Kyrgios became increasingly irate.

"Centre court is completely different to the grandstand for some unknown reason. It might as well be grass or clay. What a joke," he chuntered.

Kyrgios was given a first code violation for an audible obscenity at 4-4 in the first set, moments before the high volume on Bernardes' walkie-talkie disrupted the game.

"You should be fired on the spot. How's that possible? The fourth round of Miami, one of the biggest tournaments, and you guys can't do your job. It is embarrassing," shouted Kyrgios at the changeover.

"Get rid of every single staff and start over. I'll run the sport. I could do a hundred times better job."

At the next changeover, Kyrgios muttered: "The court is the worst, the crowd is the worst, everyone is the worst - when you're in the chair."

With neither player breaking serve, the first set went to a tie-break where Kyrgios was docked a point by Bernardes at 5-3 for something else he shouted.

On set point, the Australian produced a double fault and then angrily questioned the official about why he had been docked the point.

"What is unsportsmanlike?" Kyrgios repeatedly shouted, insisting he had been talking to his friend in the crowd.

Kyrgios demanded to speak with a tournament official before destroying his racquet - a third code violation which then leads to a game penalty.

With the threat of a disqualification looming, Kyrgios regained a level of concentration but was unable to win back the break which he had seen taken away.

"The biggest obstacle Kyrgios had was his opponent," added Henman.

"It was a proper circus out here. There were a lot of distraction, a lot of opportunities for Sinner to lose concertation and he didn't do that."

Sinner did not say a word amid the chaos and maintained his focus to complete an impressive win with a composed performance.

"I just tried to stay in the present moment," said the world number 11.

"I know he can raise his level immediately. I tried to stay calm somehow and I think I did a great performance."

Leicester took a big step towards joining London Irish in the Premiership Rugby Cup semi-finals with a 41-26 home win over the Exiles.

Irish had already secured their place in the last four but six Tigers tries helped end their 100% record.

Luke Mehson scored four tries as Wasps defeated Saracens 40-21, while already eliminated Sale beat Harlequins 34-29.

Henry Arundell gave Irish an early lead in the cross-group game at Leicester, as they looked to make it four wins out of four, before Bryce Hegarty levelled the score for the hosts.

Lucas Brooke then drove over the line for the Pool C winners, but the Tigers again responded, this time through Hosea Saumaki.

Juan Pablo Socino scored right before half-time to give Leicester the lead for the first time in the match before Sean Jansen added his first Tigers try early in the second half.

Full-back Hegarty scored and converted his second of the night before Philip Cokanasiga scored twice for Irish either side of a Charlie Clare touchdown.

Newcastle will almost certainly need a bonus-point victory against Northampton to displace Leicester at the top of Pool B, given the Tigers' vastly superior points difference.

In Coventry, Mehson was the star for Wasps as they ran in six tries to dismantle Saracens, but they need a very unlikely set of results in Wednesday's matches to have a chance of progress.

Nizaam Carr and Michael van Vuuren added further tries for the hosts, while Rotimi Segun, Sam Bryan and Samson Adejimi replied for Saracens, who finish bottom of pool C with one win from four matches.

Sale emerged as winners of an entertaining encounter at The Stoop, with Will Cliff, Kieran Wilkinson and Simon Hammersley giving the visitors a commanding lead despite Cassius Cleaves' score for Quins.

Wilkinson was then sin-binned in a dramatic finish to the first half which also saw Villiami Taulani score for Harlequins before Sale were reduced to 13 players, with Joe Carpenter also shown a yellow card.

Cleaves then added his second try of the game, but Jack Metcalf hit back straight away for the visitors as they re-took the lead going into the interval.

Ross Chisholm levelled the score immediately after the break, only to go off injured following a lengthy break in play after Carpenter had scored Sale's fifth try.

James Harper then extended the Sharks' lead and although Archie White scored late on for Quins, it was not enough to prevent defeat in their final pool match as their interest in the competition also came to an end.