Iga Swiatek stormed into the last eight at the Dubai Tennis Championships with an emphatic victory over Liudmila Samsonova.

It only took 76 minutes for the number one seed to record a 6-1 6-0 triumph on Wednesday, continuing a fine run after her triumph in Qatar last week.

Swiatek had only narrowly beaten Samsonova in an epic three-set encounter in the Stuttgart semi-finals last year, but was completely dominant this time around at the WTA 1000 event.

Samsonova struggled in recording a first-serve percentage of just 58.5, and Swiatek was ruthless in winning 19 of 22 points on the Russian's second serve.

Swiatek did not even have to fend off a break point in cruising to victory and will play Karolina Pliskova in the quarters.

Pliskova, the two-time grand slam finalist, battled to a 7-5 6-7 (6-8) 6-2 win over Anhelina Kalinina to reach the last eight in Dubai for the fifth time in her career.

There were also two American successes, with Madison Keys needing only 57 minutes to beat Victoria Azarenka, who appeared to be struggling with her movement.

Keys had lost all of her previous four meetings with Azarenka but triumphed 6-2 6-1 in routine fashion.

And Jessica Pegula joined her compatriot in progressing, winning her first career meeting with Ana Bogdan in straight sets.

Elsewhere, 2019 winner Belinda Bencic crashed out, with Karolina Muchova, who also knocked out Maria Sakkari this week, triumphing 6-1 6-4 to book a quarter-final date with Pegula.

Former Australia assistant coach Dan McKellar has departed the Wallabies to take charge of Leicester Tigers from next season.

The former Brumbies boss will become the permanent successor to England coach Steve Borthwick at the Premiership Rugby club.

McKellar exits the backroom staff of new Australia boss Eddie Jones, who returned to the top job at the Wallabies following his own exit at Twickenham.

The 46-year-old's arrival at Welford Road signals the end of a coaching reshuffle between the club and the two nations, just months ahead of the Rugby World Cup.

"We are delighted to be able to confirm Dan McKellar's appointment to the head coach role at Leicester Tigers from next season," club chief executive officer Andrea Pinchen said.

"This has been a rigorous process, over a period of almost six months, and always been about ensuring that we found the very best coach to lead this club into the future.

"His style of coaching, his interactions and passion for wanting to improve players, his interest in developing Tigers-made players and our connection with our community has shown he understands the uniqueness of this club.

"Dan is committed to long-term success at Leicester Tigers, and we are looking forward to welcoming him and his family in the summer, before getting to work together."

McKellar will not take charge until the end of the 2022-23 campaign at Leicester, with the Tigers set to continue under interim boss Richard Wigglesworth.

The former scrum-half is then set to link up with former coach Borthwick and fellow assistant Kevin Sinfield as part of the national set-up ahead of the World Cup.

After losing their opening Six Nations game to Scotland, England bounced back to give their new boss a maiden victory against Italy earlier this month.

They next play Wales on Saturday, before games with holders France and championship favourites Ireland in March.

Charlotte Hornets wing Miles Bridges hopes to return to the NBA next month, having not played all season while under an NBA investigation.

The 24-year-old was arrested in June for felony domestic violence and in November pleaded no contest to the charge. He was sentenced to three years of probation and no jail time.

Bridges was accused of assaulting his then-girlfriend in front of their two children. Two other charges were dismissed, but he has remained under NBA investigation with the threat of disciplinary action.

"It's been a long process," Bridges told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "I might be back in March."

Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak said earlier this month that they were letting the investigation take its course before making any decisions on Bridges' future.

"I don’t know when the investigation is going to end," Kupchak said. "When the investigation ends, we will have more information and we’ll go from there."

Bridges averaged career highs of 20.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists in the 2021-22 season before the arrest, coming just days before he entered restricted free agency.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy will have to wait for elbow surgery after reportedly being advised that the inflammation is still lingering.

Purdy was the most impressive rookie quarterback in the league this past season after injuries to Week 1 starter Trey Lance and backup Jimmy Garoppolo pushed him to the top of the depth chart.

The very last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft went on to win his first eight starts for the 49ers, guiding them through to the NFC Championship Game, where he would suffer a serious elbow injury.

It occurred when he was hit on his throwing arm, overextending his elbow and ultimately producing an injury – a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) – usually seen in baseball pitchers.

The timeline for a typical UCL repair is six months, so it was scheduled for February 22 to give him a chance to recover in time for preseason camp in early August.

But Purdy was given bad news on the eve of that date, with NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reporting that the doctor recommended postponing the surgery because of persistent inflammation in the elbow.

The report states the parties will reconvene in March to re-assess the situation, and while he is still expected to make a full recovery in time for Week 1, any further delays would begin to eat into his preseason.

New Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken says he is not worried if quarterback Lamar Jackson skips offseason workouts if he receives their franchise tag.

Jackson's contractual situation with the Ravens remains unresolved, after Baltimore opted against handing the 2019 MVP a new five-year contract in 2022, with the QB playing out the fifth-year option of his rookie deal in 2022.

The Ravens were previously public in their confidence that they would secure Jackson to a new long-term deal, but nothing has been forthcoming, with no talks taking place since last offseason.

Jackson is understood to want a fully guaranteed five-year contract – similar to the outlier deal handed to Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson – which the Ravens are not willing to meet, meaning one of the parties will need to budge to agree to a new deal.

The NFL's franchise tag window opened on Tuesday running until March 7, with the Ravens expected to place the tag on their QB to prevent Jackson from becoming an unrestricted free agent should they be unable to agree to a new deal in the next fortnight.

That scenario may lead to Jackson, who represents himself in negotiations without an agent, opting to skip Ravens' offseason workouts and training camp and only report to practice in the week prior to the regular season.

"Sure, he'll be behind, but it's still just football," Monken told reporters. "Sometimes we make this out to be way too much. We'll cater to what he knows and play."

Monken was speaking at his introductory press conference, having only been appointed to the role last week replacing Greg Roman.

The new offensive coordinator would naturally need time to build rapport with Jackson, which that hypothetical scenario would not afford him.

"I mean it's like any player, the more time you spend with them, the more comfortable they get with any system," Monken said. "That's more relationship, and that's part of it.

"There's a big part of that relationship from a quarterback, coordinator, playcaller, position coach where they're comfortable and there's a trust. And that's built over time."

Jackson's past two seasons have ended prematurely due to injuries, with the Ravens missing the playoffs in 2021 following a late slump, while they lost to the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card round in 2022.

The Ravens QB threw a career-best 36 touchdowns with a 66.1 per cent completion rate in his MVP-winning 2019 season from 15 starts, but only managed 16 and 17 TDs from 12 and 12 starts in his past two seasons respectively.

"He's got an elite skill set," Monken said. "I think he's underrated as a passer in terms of his ability to make plays and throw it down the field."

Sunday's Argentina Open champion Carlos Alcaraz was one game away from victory against Mateus Alves before heavy rain halted play at the Rio Open first round on Tuesday.

Alcaraz led 6-4 5-3 over the Brazilian wildcard, but was denied a shot at victory as rain interrupted play, which ultimately suspended for the day. Alcaraz's match is scheduled to resume on Wednesday afternoon local time.

The 2022 US Open champion had triumphed last week in Buenos Aires in his first tournament since November following injuries that kept him out of the 2023 Australian Open. Alcaraz is the reigning Rio Open champion.

Cameron Norrie, who Alcaraz beat in the Argentina Open final, progressed with a 7-5 6-1 win over Juan Manuel Cerundolo in one hour and 29 minutes.

Norrie had rallied from a 5-3 deficit in the first set to claim the opening frame, winning 10 of the final 11 games for victory.

Italian veteran Fabio Fognini's charge into the second round was also delayed on the brink of triumph, leading 6-2 5-2 against Chilean qualifier Tomas Barrios Vera when rain intervened.

Fourth seed Francisco Cerundolo won 4-6 6-3 6-3 over Roberto Carbellas Baena while Colombia's Daniel Galan and Peru's Juan Pablo Varillas were also winners on Tuesday.

Tiger Woods got some backing on Tuesday from two-time LPGA major winner and Solheim Cup captain Suzann Pettersen when asked about his controversial tampon stunt at the Genesis Invitational.

Woods received backlash after cameras caught him handing a tampon to playing partner Justin Thomas after out-driving him.

The 15-time major champion apologised when asked about the motive behind the joke, saying he did not intend to cause offence.

"If I offended anybody in any way, shape or form, I'm sorry," he said. "It was not intended to be that way. 

"It was just – we play pranks on one another all the time, and virally, I think this did not come across that way, but between us it was different."

Speaking to the media after being named the European Solheim Cup captain for the next two editions of the event, Pettersen said she knows Woods, and believes his "boyish" humour had no malice.

"I know Tiger quite well," she said. "I don't know Justin Thomas as well, but I know kind of Tiger's humour, and that's a very probably boyish joke between the two of them and I don't really take it too personal.

"I think that was supposed to be a gag between the two of them and unfortunately some cameras caught it in the heat of the moment. I don't know, I don't think he meant to be offensive in any way.

"I'm pretty easy on stuff like that. I'm sure it was meant as a joke, not as a harassment to women in general."

Pettersen's vice-captain, Dame Laura Davies, acknowledged that the joke was sexist, but said "it's just banter on a golf course".

"I think it's misplaced jokes, a laddy kind of joke," she said. "Maybe he misread the situation – I personally am not offended by it.

"People seem to be looking for things to worry about. It's a shame it happened. We are talking about this rather than them entertaining thousands of people – I'm sure Tiger meant no harm by it. 

"I can't believe there was any malice in it. It was really poorly judged, I am sure he would regret he did it now. He will be disappointed that he has been shown to be a bit sexist with what he did. 

"It's just a bit of fun, it's just banter on a golf course. When Tiger does it, unfortunately, everything gets magnified."

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown says the franchise can trade him if they do not re-sign quarterback Jalen Hurts.

Brown and Hurts struck up an outstanding combination during the 2022 season as the Eagles reached the Super Bowl. The pair linked up for 10 passing touchdowns, almost half of Hurts' 22 for the regular season.

Hurts is eligible for a contract extension as he enters the final year of his rookie deal, having had a career-high 66.3 QBR in 2022.

Earlier this week, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said Hurts' prospective contract extension a "priority" and Brown called on him to "get it done".

"They have to give Jalen a house, the building, the State," Brown said jokingly on the Raw Room podcast. "They gotta pay him.

"Listen, I love Philly. And what I'm about to say, you do not pay this man, just ship me off wherever he's [about to] go. Listen, so you're talking about pressure? Howie, get it done."

Hurts, 24, enjoyed a career-best year in his third NFL campaign, rushing in 13 touchdowns along with his 22 passing TDs in the regular season while registering 11 combined interceptions and fumbles.

His 165 carries were the second-most by a QB in a single season, trailing only Lamar Jackson's 176 during his 2019 MVP season, and only Cam Newton's 2011 season saw a quarterback rush for more touchdowns (14).

It was also the first time in Eagles history that the franchise won 14 games in a regular season, although they had two 13-3 seasons before the league added a 17th game in 2021.

"I'm definitely going to do everything in my power to play as long with Jalen as I can, him and DeVonta [Smith]," Brown said.

"Me and DeVonta, man, we're a great tandem. I'm definitely going to try to keep that going as long as I can. [Smith is] up and rising on another level. shoot, at some point he's gonna be up [for his own contract], so definitely you wanna try to keep the team together."

Emil Ruusuvuori consigned Dan Evans to a first-round exit at the Qatar Open with a straight-sets victory on Tuesday.

Finn Ruusuvuori ousted the sixth seed with a 7-5 6-4 victory in Doha with a powerful display.

There were 26 winners from the racket of Ruusuvuori, who had only come out on top in one of his previous eight matches against top-30 opponents.

Ruusuvuori's next assignment will be a meeting with Jiri Lehecka, who saw off qualifier Damir Dzumhur 6-3 7-6 (7-3).

Roberto Bautista Agut, the fifth seed from Spain, saw the back of Marton Fucsovics 7-6 (9-7) 5-7 6-4.

Botic van de Zandschulp, Tallon Griekspoor and Soonwoo Kwon also made it through to round two.

Maxime Cressy had to dig deep to make it out of the first round of the Open 13, beating Geoffrey Blancaneaux 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-4).

The fifth seed from the United States was joined in the last 16 by David Goffin, who defeated qualifier Lukas Klein 6-2 6-4.

Eighth seed Marc-Andrea Huesler made an early departure after going down in straight sets to Gregoire Barrere in Marseille.

The Atlanta Hawks announced on Monday they had fired head coach Nate McMillan after reaching the All-Star break with a 29-30 record.

It was meant to be an exciting season in Atlanta as McMillan prepared for his second full campaign in charge, having taken over from Lloyd Pierce shortly after the All-Star break in the 2020-21 season.

That year, after taking charge, McMillan led the Hawks to a blistering 27-11 finish, earning the fifth seed in the East and going on to make the Eastern Conference Finals after winning series against both the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers.

They took a step back the following season, finishing eighth in the East with a first-round playoff exit, and they continued trending in the wrong direction this time around.

At least with last season's disappointing end, the team could point to the fact that they had the league's second-best offense in the regular season, but were just weighed down by the fifth-worst defense.

Now the Hawks sit 16th in offense and 21st in defense, lacking any kind of identity. With the trade deadline having already passed, this is the group Atlanta will have to win with down the home stretch, and ultimately the franchise decided McMillan had run out of ideas on how to right the ship.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, assistant coach Joe Prunty will take over as interim head coach while they conduct a "wide-ranging" search for a permanent solution.

Wojnarowski claims the Hawks are looking for a coach who has shown an ability to develop players, produce a top-10 offense and defense, and take accountability.

He states former Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder is viewed as a top candidate, while The Athletic's Shams Charania adds Milwaukee Bucks associate head coach Charles Lee – who spent four seasons as a Hawks assistant before following Mike Budenholzer to Milwaukee – is also a "serious candidate".

Other names mentioned as potential hires were Golden State Warriors assistant and former Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson, Sacramento Kings assistant coach Jordi Fernandez, San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Mitch Johnson and G-League head coach Miles Simon.

The Phoenix Mercury told Brittney Griner she was "missed every day that she was gone" as her return to the team was officially confirmed on Tuesday.

Reports over the weekend revealed Griner was signing a one-year contract to rejoin the Mercury for the 2023 season, and that deal was announced in a team statement.

Griner spent the first nine seasons of her career in Phoenix but missed the entirety of the 2022 campaign after she was detained in Russia for 10 months.

The two-time Olympic gold medallist was arrested at Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport in February 2022 for bringing under a gram of cannabis oil into the country in vape cartridges.

Griner said she made an "honest mistake", with her lawyers arguing she was using the cannabis for medicinal purposes and was unaware of its illegal status in Russia.

She was subsequently jailed for nine years for drug possession and drug smuggling with criminal intent but was released in December in a prisoner exchange that saw convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout return to Russia.

Back in the United States, Griner quickly outlined her desire to return to the Mercury, and the team were delighted to do that deal.

"It's a great day for all of us to announce that Brittney Griner has officially signed to play for the Mercury in 2023," general manager Jim Pitman said.

"We missed BG every day that she was gone, and while basketball was not our primary concern, her presence on the floor, in our locker room, around our organisation and within our community was greatly missed.

"We will continue to use the resources of our organisation to support her, on and off the floor, and we are thrilled for her that she gets to return to basketball, which she loves so dearly.

"This is a special signing, and today is a special day for all of us."

Griner is a two-time WNBA scoring champion, averaging 17.7 points per game for her career.

Iga Swiatek continued her ruthless form as she progressed with ease to the WTA Dubai Tennis Championships third round on Tuesday.

The world number one cruised to a 6-1 6-1 triumph over 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez, just three days after winning the Qatar Ladies Open in Doha.

That marked Swiatek's 41st main-draw victory in WTA 1000 events in just her 53rd outing, only Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova (52 each) have won more than 40 such matches in fewer attempts.

The 21-year-old has won her last 35 hard-court matches against opponents ranked outside the world's top 30, though Swiatek said she had to adapt against Canada's Fernandez.

"It wasn't that easy for sure. It was much tougher than the score said," said Swiatek, who will look to make the fourth round for the first time in Dubai when she faces Liudmila Samsonova.

"In the second set ... I needed to go a level up. I didn't have much time to get used to the conditions, but I'm just happy I could play solid tennis."

Jessica Pegula, the third favourite at the tournament, defeated Viktoriya Tomova 6-2 5-7 6-1 to set up a third-round battle with Ana Bogdan, who overcame Shelby Rogers 7-6 (7-3) 6-3.

Fifth seed Coco Gauff coasted past Aliaksandra Sasnovich with a 6-0 6-4 victory, teeing up a meeting with Elena Rybakina, who slammed six aces in a 7-5 6-2 defeat of Marie Bouzkova.

World number two Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated Rybakina at this year's Australian Open final, made light work of lucky loser Lauren Davis in a straight-sets rout as she claimed her 12th straight win in 2023.

Dubai's defending champion Jelena Ostapenko will be the next challenge for Sabalenka after defeating 17-year-old Linda Fruhvirtova for her seventh straight win at the event.

Barbora Krejcikova saved four match points en route to a 6-4 4-6 7-5 win over seventh seed Daria Kasatkina and will meet Karolina Pliskova next after she downed sixth favourite Maria Sakkari in straight sets.

Belinda Bencic and Marta Kostyuk played out the match of the day as the former claimed a 6-7 (7-9) 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 triumph, with that clash taking three hours and 27 minutes – the second-longest on the WTA Tour this year.

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn has signed a multi-year contract extension.

The Nets have the NBA's fifth-best record at 32-19 since Vaughn replaced Steve Nash – initially as acting head coach – on November 1. 

Having helped stabilise the franchise during a turbulent campaign which has seen Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving depart for the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks respectively, Vaughn has been given the chance to lead the team for the long haul.

While the Nets did not reveal details of Vaughn's new deal per the team policy, a report from ESPN has claimed the contract will run through the 2026-27 season.

Brooklyn general manager Sean Marks said: "Jacque has made an immediate and immeasurable impact on our entire organisation since assuming the role of head coach earlier this season.

"On the court, he's clearly demonstrated his leadership through his ability to connect and communicate at a very high level while displaying tremendous instincts for the game. 

"As a person, they don't come any better than Jacque. We are thrilled to have Jacque lead the Nets for years to come."