Petra Kvitova denied Elena Rybakina a rare ‘Sunshine Double’ by beating the Kazakh in straight sets to win the Miami Open title on Sunday.
In the Premier League, after Manchester City beat Liverpool 4-1, table-toppers Arsenal moved back to an eight-point lead after a 4-1 win over Leeds United. Meanwhile, Chelsea have slumped to the second half of the table after losing 2-0 to Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge.
Here’s a look at the key stories from international sporting events through the day for 2 April, 2023:
Petra Kvitova wins Miami Open
Petra Kvitova drew on all her experience to claim her 30th WTA singles title with a straight sets Miami Open victory over Elena Rybakina on Saturday.
Czech Kvitova, appearing in her first Miami final at the age of 33, triumphed 7-6 (16/14) 6-2 at Hard Rock Stadium, a victory which will return the two-time Wimbledon champion to the top 10 in the world rankings.
Rybakina came into the final on a career-best 13-match winning streak after winning the title at Indian Wells and was looking for the rare “Sunshine Double” of both WTA 1000 events.
It was a tight, serve-dominated battle until Kvitova broke to go 5-4 up but Rybakina, who represents Kazakhstan, immediately broke back.
That set up a tie-break and having a 7-0 perfect record in those contests this season, reigning Wimbledon champion Rybakina would have been confident of her chances but Kvitova’s serve was strong and her determination stronger still.
The tie-break was a thrilling 22-minute, 28-second, 30-point shoot-out in which Kvitova saved five set points to emerge triumphant when Rybakina hit a return into the net.
Kvitova, a left-handed player, took that momentum into the second set, breaking early to go 2-0 up and from then on she never looked like letting her opponent, 11 years her junior, back into the contest.
This was the Czech player’s ninth Masters 1000 title.
Arsenal defeat Leeds
Arsenal reestablished an eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League as Gabriel Jesus’s first goals since October inspired a 4-1 rout of Leeds on Saturday.
Mikel Arteta’s side had seen their advantage trimmed to five points by second placed Manchester City’s 4-1 win against Liverpool earlier in the day.
Jesus was the headline act for Arsenal as he replaced the ill Bukayo Saka in the starting line-up and ensured the in-form England forward wasn’t missed in the slightest.
The Brazilian put Arsenal ahead with a penalty late in the first half, ending a 14-game drought with his sixth goal since joining from title rivals City last year.
Ben White, a former Leeds loanee, doubled Arsenal’s advantage early in the second half.
Making just his second start since surgery on the knee injury he suffered at last year’s World Cup, Jesus struck again with a predatory effort, underlining the importance of his return to fitness as the title race approaches its climax.
Rasmus Kristensen got one back for Leeds, but Granit Xhaka’s late header capped yet another ruthless Arsenal performance.
After surrendering top spot with a 3-1 defeat against City in February, Arsenal have responded impressively, showing a maturity and composure far beyond the Gunners’ teams that routinely underachieved in recent years.
Arsenal, who last won the title in 2004, have played a game more than City and still have to travel to Manchester to face Pep Guardiola’s champions on April 26.
Chelsea lose to Aston Villa
Chelsea suffered a 2-0 loss at home to Aston Villa on Saturday, sending the Blues into the bottom half of the Premier League table.
Ollie Watkins gave Villa an early lead before a superb strike by John McGinn, fresh from starring in Scotland’s shock Euro 2024 win over Spain, made it 2-0 in the 56th minute with Chelsea booed off the field by their own fans come full-time at Stamford Bridge.
Defeat saw Villa leapfrog the hosts into ninth place, with the result leaving Chelsea, for so long used to being title-contenders, in 11th – below local rivals Fulham – and five points off any European spot.
Verstappen wins chaotic Australian Grand Prix
Max Verstappen held off a revived Lewis Hamilton to steer his Red Bull to a chaotic win at the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday and tighten his grip on the world championship.
The world champion began from pole and despite being passed by Mercedes pair George Russell and Hamilton at the start, he kept his cool to win a race red flagged three times, with multiple crashes.
Hamilton came home second ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, who made it three podiums from three this year.
“We had a very poor start, lap one I was careful as I had a lot to lose,” said Dutchman Verstappen, who won the season-opening race in Bahrain and came second in Jeddah a fortnight ago.
“After that, the pace of the car was quick. With these red flags, I don’t know, I don’t really understand. It was a bit of a mess but we had good pace and we won, so that’s important.
It was a disastrous day for Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, last year’s winner, who spun out on the first lap, while Russell’s car caught fire on lap 19 and his race too was over.
Victory was Verstappen’s maiden win in Melbourne and Red Bull’s first in Australia since Sebastian Vettel’s 2011 triumph.
His teammate and winner in Saudi Arabia Sergio Perez sliced through the field to come fifth after qualifying last due to brake issues, behind Lance Stroll in the other Aston Martin.
The Red Bull triumph came despite unbelievable late drama that saw a red flag come out when Verstappen had a comfortable lead from Hamilton and Alonso with two laps left, meaning they had a bunched restart for an all-out attack to the finish.
But it descended into chaos when Alonso was clipped by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz as they jostled for position and sent into a spin, which caused a flow on effect with multiple other cars coming to grief.
Sainz was given a five-second penalty, eventually finishing 12th, and the race stopped again.
It resumed after a lengthy delay for single lap behind a safety car – with no overtaking allowed – in the order of the previous start with only 12 cars left.
“I didn’t expect to be second so I’m super grateful for it,” said seven-time world champion Hamilton.
“I’m driving as best I can and working as hard as I can but still, considering we’ve been down on performance and in straight pace, for us to be up there fighting with Aston is amazing.”
On a fine day, Lando Norris in a McLaren was sixth, Niko Hulkenberg in the Haas seventh and rookie Oscar Piastri, in the other McLaren, an encouraging eighth on his home circuit.
With Red Bull’s undeniable speed advantage, it was crucial for Russell and Hamilton to get a strong start.
And they did just that with both scorching past a tentative Verstappen on the first corner before Leclerc spun at Turn 3 and the safety car came out.
They resumed with Hamilton pressing Russell before the safety car was deployed again on lap seven when Williams’ Alexander Albon lost control, leaving gravel on the track, with a red flag eventually needed.
They got underway again from a standing start with Hamilton initially keeping Verstappen at bay.
But it only a matter of time before the Dutchman made his move and he surged into the lead on lap 12.
Once more a safety car was needed when Russell’s car broke down, but Verstappen was in charge now and pulling clear.
By the halfway mark, he was seven seconds ahead with the battle seemingly all about who came second between Hamilton and Alonso.
But there was more drama when Kevin Magnussen lost the rear tyre of his Haas and the red flag came out again at the death.
Sri Lanka seal dramatic Super Over T20 win against New Zealand
Sri Lanka claimed a dramatic Super Over win in the opening match of their three-game Twenty20 series against New Zealand on Sunday to earn their first victory on tour.
The match went to a tie-break decider after both teams chalked up 196 runs in a high-scoring thriller at Auckland’s Eden Park.
New Zealand only made 8-2 off a tight Super Over bowled by spinner Maheesh Theekshana before Charith Asalanka smashed a six off the second ball of Sri Lanka’s response, then sealed victory with a four.
“That was a really nervous game and at the end, it’s our day,” said Asalanka.
“I tried to hit boundaries because I back myself.
“Momentum is most important for a team like us, a young team, and we’re hoping to do well,” he said ahead of the second T20 game in Dunedin on Wednesday before the three-game series concludes in Queenstown next Saturday.
The nail-biter in Auckland handed Sri Lanka their first win on a month-long tour of New Zealand after losing both the Test and one-day international series by the same 2-0 scoreline.
Black Caps tailender Ish Sodhi had earlier set up the Super Over finish when he tied the scores by calmly hoisting the last ball of their 50 overs for six off Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka.
It completed a run chase that always looked unlikely for the home side but came alive when Rachin Ravindra scored 26 off 13 balls to follow key knocks from Daryl Mitchell (66 off 44) and Mark Chapman (33 off 23).
It left New Zealand needing 13 to win off the final over, a task that became harder to achieve when Adam Milne fell to the first delivery bowled by Shanaka.
“To climb our way back in our innings was outstanding and I thought for ‘Ish’ to hit that six was quite dramatic but it wasn’t meant to be,” said New Zealand captain Tom Latham.
“Super Overs can go either way, but we fell on the wrong side today.”
Theekshana was a key performer for Sri Lanka with the ball, conceding 1-22 off four miserly overs, while fellow spinner Wanindu Hasaranga took 2-30 as New Zealand struggled for enough momentum through the early overs.
Left-hander Asalanka top-scored in Sri Lanka’s 196-5, striking six sixes in a rapid 67 off 41 balls.
He put on 103 for the fourth wicket with Kusal Perera, who returned from a long-term shoulder injury in style.
The experienced Perera scored a controlled 53 not out off 45 balls in what was his first match for Sri Lanka in any format since the 2021 T20 World Cup, having spent nearly 18 months out.
Kusal Mendis started the run-fest by blasting 25 off just nine deliveries, having lost opening partner Pathum Nissanka to the first ball of the match bowled by Milne.
New Zealand struggled for timing in the Super Over, losing the wickets of Jimmy Neesham and Mark Chapman, who struck a lone boundary.
With text inputs from AFP
Updated through the day
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