Alcaraz Powers into Indian Wells Quarter-finals; Draper Upsets Djokovic

11 March 2026, US, Indian Wells: Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz celebrates defeating Norway's Casper Ruud during their men's singles round of 16 match at the BNP Paribas Open held at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells. Photo: Charles Baus/CSM via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
11 March 2026, US, Indian Wells: Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz celebrates defeating Norway's Casper Ruud during their men's singles round of 16 match at the BNP Paribas Open held at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells. Photo: Charles Baus/CSM via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
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Alcaraz Powers into Indian Wells Quarter-finals; Draper Upsets Djokovic

11 March 2026, US, Indian Wells: Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz celebrates defeating Norway's Casper Ruud during their men's singles round of 16 match at the BNP Paribas Open held at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells. Photo: Charles Baus/CSM via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
11 March 2026, US, Indian Wells: Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz celebrates defeating Norway's Casper Ruud during their men's singles round of 16 match at the BNP Paribas Open held at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells. Photo: Charles Baus/CSM via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

World number one Carlos Alcaraz continued his dominant run at Indian Wells, beating Norway's Casper Ruud 6-1 7-6(2), while Jack Draper upset world number three Novak Djokovic 4-6 6-4 7-6(5) on Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals in the California desert.

Alcaraz relied on a near-flawless service game to seize control of the match, racing through the opening set in just 37 minutes after breaking Ruud's serve three times.

Thirteenth-seeded Ruud raised his level in the second set and forced a tiebreak, hoping to push the match to a decider, but Alcaraz kept his foot on the gas to seal his 15th consecutive victory of the season to reach the quarter-finals for a fifth straight year.

"The conditions were difficult to be honest. Today the ball was tough to control but we both played great," two-time champion Alcaraz said in his on-court interview.

"My first set was incredible I'm really happy of playing that kind of level, really happy to get through and hopefully I'll play this level on the next round."

Alcaraz will next face 2021 champion Cameron Norrie, ⁠who earlier beat ⁠Australia's Rinky Hijikata 6-4 6-2, with the Spaniard looking to avenge a defeat to the Briton at last year's Paris Masters.

Defending champion Draper claimed one of the biggest wins of his career by beating Djokovic in a deciding-set tie-break after two hours and 35 minutes.

Draper, who trailed after dropping the opener 6–4, stormed into the second set by breaking Djokovic early and surviving multiple break points before sealing it with aggressive baseline play.

Djokovic won a stunning 26-shot rally at 30-all in the opening game of the decider, but Draper surged to leads of 3-1 and 5-3 before the 38-year-old Serb battled back to ⁠5-5 and then broke the Briton as he first served for the match.

The 24-year-old kept his composure, forced the tie-break and dominated it to close out a statement victory.

"I still don't feel like I'm playing anywhere near the way I want to play," Draper said in an on-court interview, according to Reuters.

"I came out here tonight and I won that match through determination and trying to problem-solve and do my best and have a great attitude.

"I'm proud of the way I regrouped. I haven't been playing on the tour (in) a long time, so to put away guys who are top players, it's something that comes with confidence."

Draper will next face Russian 11th seed Daniil Medvedev, who beat Alex Michelsen 6-2 6-4 in a commanding performance, needing just one hour and 27 minutes to dismantle the American and maintain his strong form after winning last month's Dubai Open.

World number two Iga Swiatek delivered a dominant 6-2 6-0 victory over Czech 13th seed Karolina Muchova, ⁠reeling off 10 consecutive games ⁠to secure her fifth win over the Czech, whom she also beat at the same stage of the tournament last year.

"I felt I was playing better and better, just great," Swiatek said.

"I love playing here ... It's a great place to play tennis, hopefully I can keep doing that until the end."

Swiatek, chasing a third Indian Wells title, will face ninth seed Elina Svitolina in the quarter-finals after the Ukrainian advanced when Katerina Siniakova retired injured.

American fifth seed Jessica Pegula overcame Belinda Bencic 6-3 7-6(5) to secure her first victory in five meetings between the pair.

Pegula, coming off a dramatic comeback win over Jelena Ostapenko, took control as she clinched the opening set - her first ever against the Swiss - before edging a tightly contested tiebreak to close out the match.

Third seed Elena Rybakina advanced to the quarter-finals after Sonay Kartal retired while trailing 6-4 4-3.

Rybakina, the 2023 champion, controlled most of the match, surging to a double-break lead in the opening set and steadying after Kartal took multiple medical timeouts.

Although the Briton briefly recovered to level the second set at 3-3, Rybakina broke in the seventh game before Kartal stopped.

Rybakina next faces Pegula, a rematch of their Australian Open semifinal.



Bayern Faces Tough Leverkusen Test in Bundesliga after 6-1 Win and Injury Concerns

Bayern Munich's players celebrate at the end of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 1st leg soccer match between Atalanta BC and FC Bayern Munich at the Bergamo Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, 10 March 2026.  EPA/MICHELE MARAVIGLIA
Bayern Munich's players celebrate at the end of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 1st leg soccer match between Atalanta BC and FC Bayern Munich at the Bergamo Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, 10 March 2026. EPA/MICHELE MARAVIGLIA
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Bayern Faces Tough Leverkusen Test in Bundesliga after 6-1 Win and Injury Concerns

Bayern Munich's players celebrate at the end of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 1st leg soccer match between Atalanta BC and FC Bayern Munich at the Bergamo Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, 10 March 2026.  EPA/MICHELE MARAVIGLIA
Bayern Munich's players celebrate at the end of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 1st leg soccer match between Atalanta BC and FC Bayern Munich at the Bergamo Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, 10 March 2026. EPA/MICHELE MARAVIGLIA

Bayern Munich is heading to Bayern Leverkusen in the Bundesliga after contrasting Champions League games in midweek for the two clubs.

Bayern was on rampant form in a 6-1 win at Atalanta overshadowed by injuries in the first leg of their round of 16 matchup, while Leverkusen had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Premier League leader Arsenal which kept its hopes alive.

Bayern leads the Bundesliga by 11 points with nine games remaining, The Associated Press reported.

Key matchups There aren't many tricky away trips for Bayern in the Bundesliga these days, but Leverkusen is one of them. Bayern hasn't won there in the league since October 2021, though Vincent Kompany's team did get a victory in a Champions League playoff last year.

Hoffenheim is flying high in third, which would be its best finish since Julian Nagelsmann coached the team in 2017-18. Saturday's opponent Wolfsburg is having a nightmarish campaign in the relegation zone as Dieter Hecking becomes the team's third coach of the season.

In a tight Champions League qualification fight, fourth-place Stuttgart is unbeaten in four Bundesliga games as it takes on fifth-place Leipzig, which is unbeaten in five, on Sunday.

Players to watch Deniz Undav has scored in his last four Bundesliga games to take him to 15 goals for the season. Even if he's got half of Kane's tally of Bundesliga goals for Bayern, it's enough for second in the standings. Undav's run of form could help him make his case for a return to the Germany squad in time for the World Cup.

Nico Schlotterbeck could be one of the most in-demand defenders on the transfer market this off-season, with no obvious progress on renewing a Borussia Dortmund contract which expires next year, though a decision to let midfielder Julian Brandt leave might free up some funds. Dortmund plays Augsburg on Sunday.

Who's out Manuel Neuer's return from a calf injury lasted just 45 minutes last week before the Bayern goalkeeping great picked up another calf injury which kept him out of Tuesday's Champions League win at Atalanta. Jonas Urbig stepped in but was hurt in a heavy collision with an opponent, so third-choice Sven Ulreich may start.

Kane has missed two games with a calf issue but is set to return, though Alphonso Davies has pulled a hamstring and Bayern said Jamal Musiala was experiencing pain related to an ankle injury from last year. It wasn't immediately clear how seriously that would affect Musiala.

Off the field Two bizarre disciplinary cases are getting German fans talking. The national soccer federation is investigating Cologne for its announcer making comments over the PA system loudly condemning refereeing decisions that went against the team.

Second-division Preussen Muenster faces a disciplinary case over a masked fan who unplugged the referee's video monitor during a penalty review against the team.


Alonso Fears More Pain in China with Struggling Aston Martin

Fernando Alonso expects a difficult weekend in his Aston Martin in China. Paul Crock / AFP
Fernando Alonso expects a difficult weekend in his Aston Martin in China. Paul Crock / AFP
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Alonso Fears More Pain in China with Struggling Aston Martin

Fernando Alonso expects a difficult weekend in his Aston Martin in China. Paul Crock / AFP
Fernando Alonso expects a difficult weekend in his Aston Martin in China. Paul Crock / AFP

Fernando Alonso said Thursday he expects another difficult weekend wrestling with his new Aston Martin at the Chinese Grand Prix after failing to finish the season-opener in Australia.

Silverstone-based Aston Martin endured a horror start after serious issues with their Honda power unit and a lack of spare parts, said AFP.

Two-time world champion Alonso and teammate Lance Stroll had to endure extreme vibration in the chassis caused by the power unit, which was feared could cause the drivers permanent nerve damage.

"The situation unfortunately didn't change within four or five days since Melbourne, so it will be a difficult weekend," Alonso told reporters at the Shanghai International Circuit.

"We'll limit the laps in one or two sessions as we are short on parts. We need laps, to find the window on the chassis side.

"I'll be happy if we leave China with a more or less normal practice, more or less normal qualifying."

The Spaniard could not put a timeframe on when improvements might come.

"What can I do within the team? Work harder, help Honda as much as I can," said Alonso.

"We can allocate resources to help Honda with the power unit. We are one team, it is a bumpy start that I hope won't last too long.

"We are pushing, we have very talented people in the team, so I hope within a couple of grands prix, we can have a normal weekend.

"To be competitive will take more time. Once we fix the reliability, we will be behind on power and things."

The 44-year-old veteran has been in Formula One for more than two decades and has driven vastly different iterations of cars from the old V10 petrol engines through to the current complex hybrid configuration.

Despite the issues, he said was embracing the challenge of the new cars enthusiastically in what could be his final season on the grid.

His Aston Martin contract expires at the end of 2026.

"Do we enjoy driving these cars? Yes, because we love racing," Alonso said.

"I do four or five 24-hour races because I love racing and I love driving. So if you jump into an F1 car, you enjoy going fast.

"But it is a challenge, a different challenge.

"I was super lucky to race in (the last) era and I feel lucky to race in both."


Verstappen Jokes New F1 Cars 'More Like Mario Kart'

Max Verstappen arrives at the paddock ahead of the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai. Jade GAO / AFP
Max Verstappen arrives at the paddock ahead of the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai. Jade GAO / AFP
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Verstappen Jokes New F1 Cars 'More Like Mario Kart'

Max Verstappen arrives at the paddock ahead of the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai. Jade GAO / AFP
Max Verstappen arrives at the paddock ahead of the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai. Jade GAO / AFP

Four-time world champion Max Verstappen said Thursday he was not having much fun driving the new era of Formula One cars, joking he was "practicing with Mario Kart" because it was more realistic than his simulator.

The Red Bull driver crashed in qualifying in the season-opener in Australia last weekend before having to carve his way from 20th on the grid to finish a creditable sixth.

The new cars require battery management and energy harvesting with a 50-50 split between conventional and electrical power, AFP said.

They also have features such as straight-line mode, active aero, overtake and boost buttons, which Verstappen reckons are nearer to a video game.

"I swapped the simulator for my Nintendo Switch. I'm practicing with Mario Kart, actually. Finding the mushrooms is going quite well, the blue shells are a bit more difficult."

Verstappen announced this week that he would be driving in the Nurburgring 24-hour race this year.

"I wish I had a bit more fun for sure," he said of Formula One at the moment.

"I mean, I get to race the Nordschleife (Nurburgring) and I hope in the coming years I can do Spa and hopefully Le Mans.

"So I'm combining stuff and I'm also doing other stuff that is a lot of fun.

"It's a bit conflicted because I don't really enjoy to drive the car, but I do enjoy working with all the people in the team and from the engine department as well."

He did express optimism that things would improve as the new rules and regulations were adjusted and said drivers were already in discussions over changes.

"I hope, of course, that it gets better," said the Dutchman.

"I've had discussions with F1 and the FIA and I think we are working towards something that will improve everything."