UConn coach Dan Hurley was thrilled to have come through on his promise of doing "something big" after his team's NCAA title triumph.

The Huskies beat San Diego State 76-59 in Houston on Monday, capping their brilliant tournament with a sixth straight double-digit win, maintaining their perfect 5-0 record in National Championship games.

Of UConn's five titles, four have been won in Texas, while the last one came in 2014.

Hurley took over UConn in 2018, and said this was the vision he had sold to the university and its players.

"Obviously a dream come true for all of us," he told reporters.

"It's part of the programme, we sold the vision – I sold the vision to the university that I could put together a special group of people, a coaching staff, and unbelievable players like this, so it feels great to come through.

"This was our vision, this was our dream, this is what we said when we recruited these guys – to get together and do something big. It's just great to come through on promises made to these players and the university. It was an honour to play against San Diego State, too.

"It was probably the most physical, toughest team we’ve played this year – certainly one of the best. I've just got so much admiration for how they play and their coach, he's one of the best coaches in the country."

Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher was gracious in defeat.

He said: "First of all I congratulate coach Danny Hurley and UConn Huskies. Very deserving. They've played at an elite level the entire tournament.

"We battled, we battled back to five in the second half but gave them too much separation. We weren't at our best. We had to be at our best to win the game. A lot of that has to do with UConn."

Dutcher, though, had few complaints with how his team performed through the championship.

"I'm proud of our guys. These guys have given me everything they've had," he added.

"These guys are what it’s all about – college athletics. Good people, good students and they're really good players.

"We can feel good about the things we did. We're disappointed in the loss, but there's a brotherhood in the locker room that will never be divided by a margin of victory or not winning at all. That brotherhood is going to last a lifetime, I told them that."

Shohei Ohtani homered for the second straight game with a go-ahead fifth-inning two-run blast in the Los Angeles Angels 7-3 in over the Seattle Mariners on Monday.

The Japanese two-way star creamed George Kirby's 1-1 pitch over right-center field for a 431-foot blast with a runner, Mike Trout, on first base to put the Angels up 4-2.

Kirby only surrendered one long ball during the final three months of last season, making Ohtani's shot more spectacular, having earlier grounded out with his first two at-bats.

Ohtani had hammered a solo shot in the fifth inning of the 6-0 win over the Oakland Athletics on Sunday, with the Angels improving to 3-1 with their third straight triumph.

Taylor Ward's eighth-inning two-run shot all but settled Monday's contest after Eugenio Suarez's RBI single in the fifth cut the margin to one run.

Suarez also managed an RBI double in the first inning to put Seattle 1-0 up. The Mariners managed five hits for the game, with Angels starting pitcher Reid Detmers tossing down seven strikeouts.

Ohtani and Ward got the accolades for their blasts, but Brandon Drury went three-of-five with one RBI, driving in Hunter Renfroe with a ninth-inning double.

Tigers win as Alvarez makes Astros history

Matt Vierling scored a tie-breaking two-run homer in the 11th inning as the Detroit Tigers edged the Houston Astros 7-6 for their first win of the new season.

The Tigers had spurned a 4-0 fifth-inning lead, with the Astros launching a four-run fifth-inning rally which was ended by Vierling's backhand catch, before the late drama as the game went to extras.

Yordan Alvarez had led the world champions' fifth-inning rally with a monster three-run blast, which was his 100th career home run.

Alvarez reached 100 homers in only 372 games which is a franchise record, beating Lance Berkman's 452.

Rays and Twins stay perfect

The Tampa Bay Rays maintained their perfect record with a 6-2 win over the Washington Nationals led by outfielder Luke Raley.

Raley blasted two home runs for the game, with a first-inning two-run shot followed by another blast at the top of the eighth over left field.

Drew Rasmussen was outstanding on the mound, with six scoreless innings with two hits and seven strikeouts as well as a brilliant piece of backhand fielding in the fifth.

The Rays are 4-0, with the Minnesota Twins (4-0) the only other remaining team with an unbeaten record after their 11-1 victory over the Miami Marlins.

Former world number three Elina Svitolina's first game back on the WTA Tour in more than 12 months ended in a near three-hour defeat to Yulia Putintseva in the Charleston Open first round on Monday.

Svitolina, 28, had been off the tour for a combination of injury and pregnancy, but was back in action for the first time since giving birth to her and male tennis player Gael Monfils' daughter Skai in October.

The Ukrainian, who reached both the Wimbledon and US Open semi-finals in 2019, won the first set after rallying back from 3-1 down in a tie-break

But the Kazakh world number 47 responded and prevailed 6-7 (3-7) 6-2 6-4 in two hours and 48 minutes, with Putintseva sapping her opponent's energy with frequent drop shots.

Former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin was on track for victory in a topsy-turvy clash with Aliaksandra Sasnovich before rain intervened, forcing it to be re-scheduled for Tuesday with the American leading 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 3-0.

World number 50 Sloane Stephens fought back after an early scare to beat qualifier Louisa Chirico 3-6 6-1 6-2, while Alize Cornet breezed past Fiona Crawley 6-0 6-2.

Jil Teichman was one of three seeds to lose in the first round, going down 6-2 3-6 6-2 to 17-year-old Linda Fruhvirtova.

Ukrainian 11th seed Anhelina Kalinina lost 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 to Anna Kalinskaya, while 10th seed Zhang Shuai was beaten 6-4 1-6 6-3 by Julia Grabher.

Eugenie Bouchard returned for the first time since the 2023 Australian Open due to injury with a win over Ylena In-Albon 6-3 6-2 at the Copa Colsanitas in Bogota.

Third seed Nuria Parrizas Diaz was knocked out by Briton Francesca Jones, who is ranked 817th in the world, 7-6 (7-3) 6-1 in a major shock.

UConn secured their fifth NCAA Division title on the back of double-doubles from Adama Sanogo and Tristen Newton in a 76-59 victory over San Diego State in Texas on Monday.

The Huskies capped their brilliant NCAA tournament with a sixth straight double-digit win, maintaining their perfect 5-0 record in National Championship games. It was also the fourth time UConn has claimed the national crown in Texas.

It ends San Diego State's wonderful campaign having made the National Championship game for the first time in their history.

Newton top scored with 19 points along with 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals, while Sanogo added 17 points and 10 rebounds. Jordan Hawkins contributed 16 points. Malian big man Sanogo won the tournament's Most Outstanding Player award.

The Huskies shot 23-of-53 from the field, along with 24-of-27 from the free-throw line, opening up a 36-24 half-time lead and never looking back.

The Aztecs got within five points at 60-55 with 5:19 left in the second half, but UConn immediately responded with a Hawkins three-pointer.

Keshad Johnson top scored for the Aztecs with 14 points, while Darrion Trammell and Final Four hero Lamont Butler both added 13 points. SDSU shot six-of-23 from three-point range.

Huskies head coach Dan Hurley said: "We knew we were best team in the tournament going in and we just needed to play to our level."

UConn's triumph means they draw level with Duke and Indiana for fourth-most all-time in NCAA history, having lifted the title in 1999, 2004, 2011, 2014 and now 2023.

UConn secured their fifth NCAA Division title on the back of double-doubles from Adama Sanogo and Tristen Newton in a 76-59 victory over San Diego State in Texas on Monday.

The Huskies capped their brilliant NCAA tournament with a sixth straight double-digit win, maintaining their perfect 5-0 record in National Championship games. It was also the fourth time UConn has claimed the national crown in Texas.

It ends San Diego State's wonderful campaign having made the National Championship game for the first time in their history.

Newton top scored with 19 points along with 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals, while Sanogo added 17 points and 10 rebounds. Jordan Hawkins contributed 16 points. Malian big man Sanogo won the tournament's Most Outstanding Player award.

The Huskies shot 23-of-53 from the field, along with 24-of-27 from the free-throw line, opening up a 36-24 half-time lead and never looking back.

The Aztecs got within five points at 60-55 with 5:19 left in the second half, but UConn immediately responded with a Hawkins three-pointer.

Keshad Johnson top scored for the Aztecs with 14 points, while Darrion Trammell and Final Four hero Lamont Butler both added 13 points. SDSU shot six-of-23 from three-point range.

Huskies head coach Dan Hurley said: "We knew we were best team in the tournament going in and we just needed to play to our level."

UConn's triumph means they draw level with Duke and Indiana for fourth-most all-time in NCAA history, having lifted the title in 1999, 2004, 2011, 2014 and now 2023.

Sixth seed Jason Kubler made light work of 39-year-old Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in the first round of the Houston Open while Americans Steve Johnson and Denis Kudla advanced on Monday.

Kubler and Verdasco endured a 71-minute first-set tussle, which the Australian edged 9-7 in a tie-break before dominating the second frame, dishing out a bagel in 29 minutes to win 7-6 (9-7) 6-0.

World number 71 Kubler progressed to the second round where he will take on Colombia's Daniel Elahi Galan who defeated China's Zhang Zhizhen 6-2 6-3.

Johnson set up a second-round clash with American compatriot and top seed Frances Tiafoe after getting the better of Facundo Bagnis 7-6 (7-5) 1-6 6-1 in one hour and 55 minutes.

USA's Kudla also progressed with a hard-fought 6-4 4-6 6-4 victory over Australia's Aleksandar Vukic in just under two hours.

Dutchman Gijs Brouwer won 6-4 6-4 over Aleksandar Kovacevic, setting up a meeting with big-serving fourth seed John Isner.

Cristian Stellini rued Tottenham's lack of control as they began life without Antonio Conte by drawing 1-1 away to struggling Everton on Monday.

Harry Kane's 68th-minute penalty looked to have been enough for Spurs to make a winning start under Stellini.

But Michael Keane's superb late strike from distance seized a crucial point for the Toffees at Goodison Park, frustrating their visitors.

Stellini was especially irritated by the result, particularly given Spurs' man advantage for most of the second half after Abdoulaye Doucoure's red card.

"My feeling now is that we have lost two points," he told Sky Sports. "We had an [extra] man against them, we needed to control the game.

"We tried to do [that] but not in the way I expect. With 11 players, we have to do much better. You control the game with the ball, not without."

Spurs were also reduced to 10 men in the final stages when Lucas Moura was dismissed for a late lunge on Keane before his equaliser.

Stellini, who was stood near Doucoure when he pushed Kane in the face to earn his red, believed both calls were fair from referee David Coote.

"I think Harry conceded a lot of tackles today before the red card," he said. "Lucas, his tackle was too dangerous. Both of the red cards are clear for me."

Despite missing out on a win, the draw moved Tottenham back into the top four, level on 50 points with Newcastle United and Manchester United.

Their rivals have two games in hand each, but Stellini believes Spurs can draw on their experience from last season's battle for Champions League qualification.

"It will be a tough race," he conceded. "But one year ago, we had 51 points. We were fifth, and today, we are fourth.

"We are in the same position [as] last season. We have to be ready to fight. Now we think about the next game."

Michael Keane's sensational stoppage-time strike salvaged a 1-1 draw for Everton as Cristian Stellini was denied three points in his first match since stepping into Antonio Conte's void.

The defender scored a 25-yard screamer to snatch a point for the Toffees at Goodison Park against a Spurs side who had otherwise looked set for a win that would have lifted them up to third.

Harry Kane had earlier scored from the penalty spot to give Spurs the lead shortly after he had been involved in an altercation that saw Abdoulaye Doucoure sent off.

Lucas Moura's was given his marching orders as well, and then Keane intervened to spark raucous scenes for Sean Dyche's men.

Hugo Gaston fought back from a set down to beat Jan-Lennard Struff at the Grand Prix Hassan II.

Gaston rallied after dropping serve twice in the opening set, prevailing 3-6 6-4 7-5 to become the first player to book their spot in the last-16.

Jaume Munar followed suit with a 6-4 6-4 victory over Elliot Benchetrit.

Elsewhere, at the Estoril Open, victories for Pedro Cachin and Sebastian Baez set up a potential hat-trick of wins for Argentine players.

Cachin beat Tseng Chun-hsin 6-4 6-4 and Baez overcame Radu Albot 7-5 7-6 (7-3) but seventh seed Diego Schwartzman could not follow up with a win of his own, losing 6-3 7-6 (10-8) to Marco Cecchinato.

Fabio Fognini also booked his spot in the last 16 by beating compatriot Alessandro Giannessi in straight sets.

Graham Potter's Chelsea dismissal was "harsh" but ultimately the price of failing to meet expectations, according to Blues great Gus Poyet.

The former Brighton and Hove Albion manager was appointed to replace Thomas Tuchel last September as new co-owner Todd Boehly began to make his presence known at Stamford Bridge.

But after slipping to 11th in the Premier League with defeat to Aston Villa at the weekend, Potter was sacked just over six months into the job.

Poyet, a Chelsea cult hero and former Brighton boss himself, feels the decision to fire the 47-year-old was a tough one but ultimately unsurprising given their slide down the table.

"I think it was a difficult period," he told Stats Perform. "They had a few good results, especially in the Champions League, and it looked [like] a new beginning.

"But football nowadays, it depends on so many things. We don't analyse performances anymore, only a result. I think for Graham in particular, it's harsh.

"Brighton to Chelsea is a big change. That is a learning process, but at the same time, it's Chelsea. When you are in a team like Chelsea, with the money spent, you definitely cannot be 11th."

Having dismissed Champions League-winning coach Tuchel in order to install Potter, Poyet feels Boehly will be cautious when it comes to his next pick.

"He's learned that at Chelsea, it's important to win," Poyet added. "If Chelsea don't win, the fans are not going to be happy because the Chelsea fans are winners and they feel the need to win. 

"I think personality is very important. I think it's very important when a coach in the situation that Chelsea are now can start winning games, but at the same time they will develop young players.

"I don't know how many managers will walk into a club in the quarter-final of the Champions League. It's a dream job. But I think Chelsea first need to be clear what are the characteristics of the manager [they want]."

Graham Potter's Chelsea dismissal was "harsh" but ultimately the price of failing to meet expectations, according to Blues great Gus Poyet.

The former Brighton and Hove Albion manager was appointed to replace Thomas Tuchel last September as new co-owner Todd Boehly began to make his presence known at Stamford Bridge.

But after slipping to 11th in the Premier League with defeat to Aston Villa at the weekend, Potter was sacked just over six months into the job.

Poyet, a Chelsea cult hero and former Brighton boss himself, feels the decision to fire the 47-year-old was a tough one but ultimately unsurprising given their slide down the table.

"I think it was a difficult period," he told Stats Perform. "They had a few good results, especially in the Champions League, and it looked [like] a new beginning.

"But football nowadays, it depends on so many things. We don't analyse performances anymore, only a result. I think for Graham in particular, it's harsh.

"Brighton to Chelsea is a big change. That is a learning process, but at the same time, it's Chelsea. When you are in a team like Chelsea, with the money spent, you definitely cannot be 11th."

Having dismissed Champions League-winning coach Tuchel in order to install Potter, Poyet feels Boehly will be cautious when it comes to his next pick.

"He's learned that at Chelsea, it's important to win," Poyet added. "If Chelsea don't win, the fans are not going to be happy because the Chelsea fans are winners and they feel the need to win. 

"I think personality is very important. I think it's very important when a coach in the situation that Chelsea are now can start winning games, but at the same time they will develop young players.

"I don't know how many managers will walk into a club in the quarter-final of the Champions League. It's a dream job. But I think Chelsea first need to be clear what are the characteristics of the manager [they want]."