Sports News Roundup: Tennis-Bee invasion forces Alcaraz v Zverev match to be suspended; Baseball-MLB star Ohtani shares photo of wife as Dodgers head to South Korea and more

The reviews center around quarterback Kirk Cousins agreeing to a four-year, $180 million contract with the Falcons, and running back Saquon Barkley signing a three-year, $37.75 million deal with the Eagles. Tennis-Alcaraz dodges bee invasion to set up Sinner semi at Indian Wells Carlos Alcaraz looked back at his best as he swatted aside a swarm of bees and world number six Alexander Zverev to reach the semi-finals at Indian Wells on Thursday, setting up a clash with the in-form Jannik Sinner.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Tennis-Bee invasion forces Alcaraz v Zverev match to be suspended

"Bees stop play" is not an announcement usually heard by professional tennis players but Carlos Alcaraz made a beeline for the exit after thousands of the insects swarmed centre court during his Indian Wells quarter-final against Alexander Zverev on Thursday. The Spaniard was about to serve at 1-1 in the first set when the pesky insects started circling around the court and after making futile attempts to swat away the bees with his racket, Alcaraz ran for cover into the locker room.

Nets' Ben Simmons has season-ending back surgery

Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery Thursday to alleviate a nerve impingement in his lower back. Simmons, 27, is expected to make a full recovery by training camp in the fall.

Spring training roundup: Casey Mize, Tigers cruise past Yanks 7-0

Casey Mize outpitched Marcus Stroman as the Detroit Tigers rolled to a 7-0 victory over the visiting New York Yankees in spring training action Thursday in Lakeland, Fla. Mize (2-1) allowed two hits, walked two and struck out four over four innings, while Stroman (0-2) gave up five runs (four earned) and seven hits with three walks and four whiffs in 4 1/3 innings.

Olympics-Appeals could further delay awarding of figure skating gold to US

Awarding of the 2022 Beijing Olympic figure skating team gold to the United States after Russia was stripped of the medals for doping could be delayed by appeals, said U.S. Olympic officials on Thursday, putting plans for a Paris celebration in jeopardy. After two years of legal wrangling the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled in January that teenager Kamila Valieva, a member of the Russian squad, receive a four-year doping ban that elevated the U.S. to gold and Japan to silver.

Tennis-Stung into action, Alcaraz flees the bees at Indian Wells

Carlos Alcaraz said he surprised himself by staying focused despite being stung on the forehead at Indian Wells on Thursday after the Spaniard's quarter-final against Alexander Zverev was interrupted by a swarm of bees. The world number two was serving in the third game of the match when the bees descended upon him. The 20-year-old tried swatting them away with his racket but eventually ran for cover after being stung.

NFL looking into Falcons, Eagles for possible tampering

The NFL is looking into potential tampering by the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles prior to the start of free agency, a league spokesperson said Thursday. The reviews center around quarterback Kirk Cousins agreeing to a four-year, $180 million contract with the Falcons, and running back Saquon Barkley signing a three-year, $37.75 million deal with the Eagles.

Tennis-Alcaraz dodges bee invasion to set up Sinner semi at Indian Wells

Carlos Alcaraz looked back at his best as he swatted aside a swarm of bees and world number six Alexander Zverev to reach the semi-finals at Indian Wells on Thursday, setting up a clash with the in-form Jannik Sinner. The world number two took the interruption to clear the bees from the court in his stride before racing past Zverev 6-3 6-1 in little more than 90 minutes to keep his title defence on track.

Tennis-Error-prone Gauff, Swiatek into Indian Wells semis

Third seed Coco Gauff served up 17 double faults but still managed to beat China's Yuan Yue 6-4 6-3 at Indian Wells on Thursday to reach the semi-finals in the Californian desert for the first time. A day after her 20th birthday, Gauff had to rally from 3-1 down in the second set before setting up a clash with ninth seed Maria Sakkari, who ended American Emma Navarro's run with a 5-7 6-2 6-4 victory.

Baseball-MLB star Ohtani shares photo of wife as Dodgers head to South Korea

Shohei Ohtani and his Los Angeles Dodgers side shared photographs of the Major League Baseball star's wife on social media for the first time on Friday, as the team boarded a plane to head to South Korea for the MLB season opener next week. There has been widespread speculation over the marital status of Ohtani, the dual-threat MLB star and a national hero in Japan. The identify of his wife was a hot topic across Japanese print and social media on Friday after pictures emerged showing the couple together.

Report: San Diego Wave being sold for league record $113 million

The San Diego Wave are being sold in a deal that places the club's value at $113 million, Sportico reported Thursday. Billionaire Ron Burkle is selling the club to the Levine Leichtman family in a two-part deal that could later place the transaction at $120 million.

(With inputs from agencies.)