Sports News Roundup: Soccer-Pochettino asks Chelsea owners to be patient; Soccer-Ten Hag not in need of assurances over Man Utd future and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Spring training roundup: Shohei Ohtani homers in Dodgers debut

Shohei Ohtani belted an opposite-field home run in the fifth inning of his first spring training game with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who went on to a 9-6 win over the visiting Chicago White Sox on Tuesday in Phoenix. Ohtani took Dominic Leone to left with a high-arching shot in his third at-bat of his Dodgers debut, cutting the deficit at the time to 4-3. Ohtani, signed in the offseason on a record $700 million deal, also struck out in the first and scored a runner on a double-play grounder in the third.

ATP roundup: Daniil Medvedev wins to begin Dubai title defense

Reigning champion Daniil Medvedev recorded a 6-3, 7-5 win over Alexander Shevchenko of Kazakhstan on Tuesday in the first round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Medvedev had withdrawn from two recent tournaments due to fatigue and a right foot injury, making this the top-seeded Russian's first on-court appearance since losing to Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open final.

Blazers C Deandre Ayton exits game vs. Heat

Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton exited Tuesday night's game against the Miami Heat due to a sprained right hand. Ayton was involved in a collision with Miami's Kevin Love late in the first quarter and fell hard to the floor. He ended up playing 19 minutes in the first half but didn't return to the court for the beginning of the third quarter, with Duop Reath starting in his place.

Soccer-Ten Hag not in need of assurances over Man Utd future

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag said he does not require promises of job security from new co-owner Jim Ratcliffe amid uncertainty over his future, adding that he is focused on ensuring the club continues to progress and improve. Ten Hag was hired in 2022 and guided United to a third-place finish in the Premier League as well as the League Cup title in his first season, but their current campaign has been less convincing.

Soccer-Pochettino asks Chelsea owners to be patient

Manager Mauricio Pochettino implored Chelsea's owners to be patient and afford him the time needed to get back to winning ways and turn around the Premier League club's fortunes. The Argentine manager is under immense pressure following Sunday's 1-0 defeat to Liverpool in the League Cup final, with two-times Champions League winners Chelsea also sitting 11th in the league standings and facing a tough task to qualify for European football.

Athletics-Canadian teenager Morales Williams' world indoor 400 record not ratified

Christopher Morales Williams' world indoor record in the 400 metres cannot be ratified due to issues with the starting blocks, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) said on Tuesday. The 19-year-old Canadian clocked a time of 44.49 seconds at the NCAA's Southeastern Conference championships on Saturday in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Falcons' Raheem Morris, Terry Fontenot: All QB options on table

INDIANAPOLIS -- As the Atlanta Falcons settle in for the NFL Scouting Combine this week, team brass tackled the quarterback question head-on. "If we had better quarterback play last year," new head coach Raheem Morris said Tuesday, "I might not be standing here."

CONCACAF Champions Cup: 10-man Union advance

Mikael Uhre knocked in a goal off a corner kick in the 94th minute, lifting the 10-man Philadelphia Union past Costa Rica's Saprissa on Tuesday in the conclusion of a CONCACAF Champions Cup first-round series at Chester, Pa. Saprissa leveled the two-match, total-goals series at 5-5 by outscoring Philadelphia 3-2 in regulation on Tuesday.

WTA roundup: Anhelina Kalinina advances at ATX Open

No. 1 seed Anhelina Kalinina of Ukraine faced little resistance on Tuesday, cruising to a 6-3, 6-2 sweep of Czech Sara Bejlek in the first round of the ATX Open in Austin, Texas. Kalinina never trailed in the match, winning 14 of 16 first-service points. She won three of the final four games of the first set, then kept rolling in the second, where she raced to a 5-1 lead.

Warriors hand Steve Kerr multi-year contract extension

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr signed a multi-year contract extension, the team announced on Tuesday. Financial terms were not disclosed by the Warriors, however ESPN reported the two-year deal will make Kerr the highest-paid head coach in the league with an annual salary of $17.5 million.