Sports News Roundup: Spring training roundup: Angels' Mickey Moniak homers twice; Tennis-Lajovic upsets Murray in first round of Miami Open and more

Desmond Bane (20 points, seven assists) scored on the ensuing Memphis possession. Tennis-Defending champion Swiatek pulls out of Miami Open Iga Swiatek has withdrawn from the Miami Open due to a rib injury, the world number one and defending champion said on Wednesday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Spring training roundup: Angels' Mickey Moniak homers twice

Mickey Moniak slammed two homers and drove in six runs as the Los Angeles Angels won a slugfest with the Colorado Rockies 10-9 on Wednesday in a spring training game in Scottsdale, Ariz. Left fielder Moniak, who also doubled in going 3-for-3, hit a 421-foot shot in the second inning and a 384-foot homer in the sixth.

Tennis-Lajovic upsets Murray in first round of Miami Open

Serbian Dusan Lajovic beat Andy Murray 6-4 7-5 at the Miami Open on Wednesday, sending the Briton packing in the first round with his first hardcourt win of the season. Lajovic thrust his fists to the air after surviving a 16-shot rally on the final point, setting up a meeting with American Maxime Cressy, who won their only prior encounter.

Baseball-World Baseball Classic final smashes US viewership records

The riveting World Baseball Classic (WBC) final that saw Japan beat the U.S. 3-2 on Tuesday in Miami drew a combined audience of 5.2 million in the U.S., a record for a WBC game, Major League Baseball said on Wednesday. Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout in a showdown between two of the game's best players to seal Japan's third win in five editions of the global showcase.

Soccer-Lazio to ban three fans for life over 'antisemitic' behaviour

Lazio will ban three fans for life from attending any games at the Stadio Olimpico due to antisemitic behaviour during the Rome derby on Sunday. Authorities reviewed security camera footage to identify a fan wearing a Lazio shirt with the name 'Hitlerson' and the number 88, a reference to the 'Heil Hitler' salute, during their 1-0 win over AS Roma.

NBA roundup: Ja Morant contributes off bench in Grizzlies' win

Jaren Jackson Jr. scored a season-high 37 points while Ja Morant added 17 off the bench in his return from an eight-game suspension as the Memphis Grizzlies secured the Southwest Division title with a 130-125 victory over the visiting Houston Rockets on Wednesday. Jackson gave the Grizzlies a 120-116 lead by making three free throws and Memphis won a critical replay reversal when a foul against Morant was overturned and given to Rockets center Alperen Sengun, who fouled out with 1:26 left after pairing 25 points with eight rebounds. Desmond Bane (20 points, seven assists) scored on the ensuing Memphis possession.

Tennis-Defending champion Swiatek pulls out of Miami Open

Iga Swiatek has withdrawn from the Miami Open due to a rib injury, the world number one and defending champion said on Wednesday. Top seed Swiatek was due to begin her campaign against American Claire Liu in the second round on Thursday after being given a bye in the first round.

Olympics-IOC and Games cannot be referees in political disputes - Bach

The Olympic Games and its ruling body, the International Olympic Committee, cannot be referees in global political disputes, its president Thomas Bach said on Wednesday, defending the IOC's plans to includes Russian and Belarusian athletes at the Paris 2024 Games. Speaking at a political forum, Bach said the Games should stay away from politics otherwise they would lose their uniting powers, citing examples of past boycotts in the 1970s and 1980s.

Soccer-Ronaldo talks up Saudi league's competitiveness

Cristiano Ronaldo said he has been surprised by the level of competitiveness in the Saudi Pro League since joining Al Nassr in January. "I think you should look at the (Saudi Pro League) in a different way," he told reporters. "I'm not going to say that the league is a Premier League, that would be a lie.

Tennis-Andreescu downs Raducanu in Miami Open battle of Grand Slam winners

Canada's Bianca Andreescu beat Britain's Emma Raducanu 6-3 3-6 6-2 at the Miami Open on Wednesday in a first-round clash of former U.S. Open champions looking to recapture top form after a spate of injuries. Andreescu, coming off a third-round loss to world number one Iga Swiatek at Indian Wells, served seven aces and saved 11 of the 12 break points she faced against Raducanu to set up a clash with Greek seventh seed Maria Sakkari.

Tennis-Murray says Alcaraz can play at the top for as long as he wants

Former world number one Andy Murray said Carlos Alcaraz has all the attributes to stay at the top of men's tennis for as long as he wants and hopes the Spaniard stays fit enough to keep playing with the style that drove him to the top of the rankings. Alcaraz won the U.S. Open in September and became the youngest player to top the world rankings at 19 but suffered an abdominal issue at the Paris Masters in November and pulled out of the Australian Open with a leg problem.

(With inputs from agencies.)