Sports News Roundup: Baseball-Fans rejoice in Tokyo as Japan's WBC victory accompanies cherry blossom bloom; Tennis-Djokovic has 'no regrets' about missing US events over COVID vaccine status and more

Then Wade came to the plate and collected his second hit of the day. Baseball-WBC win the best moment of my life, says Japan's Ohtani Shohei Ohtani described Japan's triumph over the United States in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) final as the best moment of his life and said he has already set his sights on the next edition of the global showcase in 2026.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Baseball-Fans rejoice in Tokyo as Japan's WBC victory accompanies cherry blossom bloom

With cherry blossoms reaching full bloom in Tokyo, Japanese sports fans erupted in jubilation on Wednesday after their countrymen defeated Team USA to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC). Over a hundred people gathered near Shimbashi Station in the city centre to get special newspaper editions celebrating the victory. The scene quickly turned chaotic, with police officers jumping in to help hand out copies.

Tennis-Djokovic has 'no regrets' about missing US events over COVID vaccine status

Novak Djokovic said he had no regrets about missing tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami due to his COVID-19 vaccination status but hoped that he would be allowed into the United States later this year for the U.S. Open Grand Slam. The U.S. currently bars unvaccinated foreigners from entering the country, though the policy is expected to be lifted when the government ends its COVID emergency declarations in May.

NHL roundup: Alex Ovechkin hits 40 goals for record 13th time

On a night he was honored for passing one NHL legend, Washington's Alex Ovechkin made history by eclipsing another. However, the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets stole the show with a stunning 7-6 overtime win over the Capitals on Tuesday night. Jack Roslovic took advantage of a T.J. Oshie turnover and scored his second goal of the night 2:43 into overtime, giving the Blue Jackets (22-41-7, 51 points) the win on a night when they trailed 3-0 and 5-3.

Basketball-New York's iconic 'Captain' Reed dies at 80

Hall of Famer Willis Reed, the beloved former New York Knicks player who won two championships, has died at the age of 80, the National Basketball Retired Players Association said on Tuesday. The seven-time All-Star spent his decade-long career with the Knicks, where he famously took the court in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers despite suffering a leg injury earlier.

Baseball-Japan's Ohtani strikes out Trout to seal World Baseball Classic win

Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout in a showdown between two of the game's best players to seal Japan's 3-2 victory over the United States in a riveting World Baseball Classic (WBC) final at Miami's LoanDepot Park on Tuesday. Baseball is the United States' national pastime but Japan's win over the defending WBC champions means they have won three of five editions of the global showcase.

Tennis-Sabalenka found it tough to face 'hate' in locker room

Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka said she struggled to understand the "hate" she encountered in the locker room amid strained relations between some players following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The world number two has previously said she has nothing against Ukrainian people and felt bad for them as Moscow's action rages on. Belarus has been a staging area for the invasion, which Moscow calls a "special military operation".

Spring training roundup: A's yield inside-the-park HR, rally past Angels

Tyler Wade knocked a go-ahead RBI double to left in the top of the ninth, and the Oakland Athletics hung on to beat the host Los Angeles Angels 6-5 in a spring training game on Tuesday in Tempe, Ariz. Cristian Pache started the rally earlier in the ninth when his double-play grounder scored the tying run and put Jose Escorche on third. Then Wade came to the plate and collected his second hit of the day.

Baseball-WBC win the best moment of my life, says Japan's Ohtani

Shohei Ohtani described Japan's triumph over the United States in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) final as the best moment of his life and said he has already set his sights on the next edition of the global showcase in 2026. Ohtani struck out Mike Trout, the U.S. captain and his Los Angeles Angels team mate, to seal a thrilling 3-2 victory as Japan won their third WBC title on Tuesday.

NBA roundup: Paul George gets hurt in Clippers' loss

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points against his former team and Jalen Williams added 20 as the Oklahoma City Thunder continued to solidify their playoff standing Tuesday with a 101-100 victory over the host Los Angeles Clippers. Josh Giddey scored 13 points and Isaiah Joe added 12 as the Thunder won for the eighth time in their past 10 games.

Soccer-Ancelotti a 'big possibility' for Brazil job - Ederson

The uncertainty over who will become Brazil's next coach has caused anxiety among the squad, goalkeeper Ederson said, adding that he and his team mates had discussed the "big possibility" of Carlo Ancelotti taking the top job. Tite exited the role after Brazil went out of the World Cup quarter-finals in Qatar. Brazil's federation issued a statement in February denying a report they had reached a verbal agreement with Ancelotti, who is under contract at Real Madrid until 2024.