Sports
Alexander Blockx maintains form, wins Rome opener in 3 sets
Mar 2, 2026; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Alexander Blockx (BEL) hits a shot during his qualifying match against Martin Landaluce (ESP) during the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images After his run to the semifinals last week in Madrid, Belgian up-and-comer Alexander Blockx had to sweat out a 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 win against Italian Federico Cina for his opening match at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Thursday in Rome.
Blockx, 21, had the best showing at an ATP Masters 1000 event of his young career when he took down top-10 opponent Felix Auger-Aliassime on his way to the Madrid semis.
But he found himself a set down after losing two of the three break points he faced in the opening frame against Cina, ranked 225th in the world. Blockx recovered by storming through the second set, and he finished with 12 aces while winning 39 of his 47 first-service points (83.0%).
“It was really, really tough. I’ve been playing at altitude for the past two weeks, in Munich and Madrid, so it went a bit faster there than here,” Blockx said post-match. “I felt like my positioning on the court was still like I was playing at altitude in the first set. That made it difficult for me, and I felt like I was giving him too much time to do his thing.
“Then in the second set, I just stepped in two steps closer, and then I felt like the match flipped over. In the third set, at the beginning it was a bit tight for both of us, and then once I saved a break point at 2-2, I felt like it really went my way. I served it out well.”
Blockx also committed just 20 unforced errors to Cina’s 34 and moved on to face No. 29 seed Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands, one of 32 seeded players to receive first-round byes.
Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic stood out as he defeated Greek stalwart Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 7-6 (4). Machac absorbed eight aces from Tsitsipas by being even sharper on his own serve, where he won an astounding 42 of 46 first-service points (91.3%).
“I was playing really great from the start of the match,” Machac said. “You have to play aggressively against Stefanos. I was trying to play my game and served very well and I am happy with my performance today.”
In the longest match of the day, Spanish qualifier Pablo Llamas Ruiz outlasted Ethan Quinn 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 in two and a half hours.
Two Italians moved on to the second round. Mattia Bellucci defeated Argentina’s Roman Andres Burruchaga 6-4, 6-4, and in an all-Italian clash, qualifier Andrea Pellegrino rallied past wild card Luca Nardi 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Other first-round winners included Frenchmen Terence Atmane and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, Miomir Kecmanovic and Hamad Medjedovic of Serbia, Marin Cilic and Dino Prizmic of Croatia, Argentina’s Mariano Navone and Thiago Agustin Tirante, Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia, Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, Ignacio Buse of Peru, Cristian Garin of Chile, Austria’s Sebastian Ofner and Australia’s Alexei Popyrin.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Veteran QB Taylor Heinicke announces retirement
Dec 24, 2022; Santa Clara, California, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Taylor Heinicke (4) throws the football during the second quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images Veteran quarterback Taylor Heinicke, who went from undrafted to a playoff starter in the NFL, announced his retirement on Thursday.
“For 25 years, I had the pleasure to play this great sport of football,” Heinicke wrote in an Instagram post. “It has taught me a lot, not only about myself but about life as well. Many ups and downs throughout the years, but the ups outweigh the downs tenfold. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would’ve been able to live this life.
“Thank you to all who have supported me in this journey. Thank you all who have believed in me. And thank you to those who gave me the opportunity to live out my childhood dream. Excited for this next chapter of my life!”
Heinicke, 33, signed with the then-Washington Football Team in 2020 after appearing in seven games (one start) over the 2017 and 2018 seasons with the Houston Texans and Carolina Panthers, respectively.
A month after signing to the practice squad, he started Washington’s wild-card playoff game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Jan. 9, 2021, completing 26 of 44 passes for 306 yards, a touchdown and an interception in a 31-23 loss.
That performance led Washington to sign Heinicke to a two-year contract. He made 15 of his 29 career starts in 2021 for Washington, completing 65% of his passes for 3,419 yards, 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He also ran for 313 yards in 2021, finishing with a 7-8 record as a starter.
Heinicke last played for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2024 and was released from the team during preseason ahead of the 2025 season.
He finishes his career with 6,663 yards, 39 touchdowns and 28 interceptions in 42 games for the Texans, Panthers, Washington Commanders (2020-22), Atlanta Falcons (2023) and Chargers. Heinicke went 13-15-1 as an NFL starter.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Vikings agree to 1-year deal with former 49ers receiver Jauan Jennings
Dec 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings (15) runs to score a touchdown against the Chicago Bears in the second half at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images The Minnesota Vikings added to their receiver depth by agreeing to deal with former San Francisco 49ers receiver Jauan Jennings on Thursday.
The team didn’t disclose the terms, but The Athletic reported it’s a one-year deal with a base salary of $8 million with incentives which could pay Jennings as much as $13 million.
Jennings, 28, was a seventh-round pick by the 49ers in 2020 but became a critical member of their receiver corps. He broke out with 975 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 77 catches in 2024 and led all of San Francisco’s receivers with 643 yards last season, catching a team- and career-high nine touchdown passes.
Over five seasons of action with the 49ers, Jennings caught 210 passes for 2,581 yards and 22 touchdowns.
San Francisco elected not to re-sign him this offseason, allowing Minnesota to add to one of the better receiver rooms in the league as Jennings joins Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.
That’s a strong trio of options for whoever wins the Vikings’ quarterback competition between 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy and free-agent signee Kyler Murray.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Dominant Hurricanes blow past Flyers to take 3-0 series lead
May 7, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal (11) celebrates his goal with teammates against the Philadelphia Flyers during the first period in game three of the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images Jordan Staal and Andrei Svechnikov each had a goal and an assist Thursday as the visiting Carolina Hurricanes topped the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1 to take a commanding 3-0 lead in their best-of-seven second-round series.
Frederik Andersen made 18 saves and Jalen Chatfield scored the go-ahead goal for Carolina, which improved to 7-0 this postseason. The Hurricanes will go for a sweep when the teams reconvene in Philadelphia for Game 4 on Saturday.
After upsetting the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round, Philadelphia has had its hands full with the Hurricanes. Dan Vladar made 26 saves and Trevor Zegras scored the lone goal for the Flyers, who went 0-for-5 with the man advantage while allowing two power-play goals as well as a shorthanded tally.
With the game tied 1-1 late in the second, Philadelphia began a power play with an offensive zone draw, but it was Carolina that scored 11 seconds later. Jordan Martinook made a diving play to spring a 2-on-1, and Staal fed Chatfield for a one-timer that zipped just under the crossbar.
The Flyers failed to score on that power play, even though they had a two-man advantage for more than a minute of it.
The Hurricanes tacked on a pair of third-period goals – Svechnikov’s one-timer on a 4-on-3 power play and Nikolaj Ehlers’ wrister on a breakaway.
The Flyers pressured Andersen early with a handful of great chances in the first period.
Travis Konecny snuck behind the Carolina defense, only to have his shot skim off the post. Several minutes later, Porter Martone hit the crossbar. Then the rookie winger set up Alex Bump on a great opportunity on a 2-on-0 in front of the net, but Andersen was up to the challenge.
Finally, a shot by Rasmus Ristolainen slipped through Andersen and was about to cross the goal line when Jaccob Slavin swept it away at the last moment.
In the midst of the Flyers’ pressure, the Hurricanes took a 1-0 lead. A shot by Svechnikov hit off the boards and caromed back in front of the crease, where Staal swept the puck off Vladar and into the net.
Carolina led 1-0 after one period, but Philadelphia tied it up 2:31 into the second. A loose puck found its way to Zegras in the right circle, and he elevated a shot past Andersen to forge a 1-1 tie.
Emotions ran high throughout the third period, where 36 of the game’s 58 penalty minutes were given out. That included a game misconduct on Konecny with 2:19 left and 26 penalty minutes in the final three minutes when the game had been effectively decided.
–Field Level Media
Veteran QB Taylor Heinicke announces retirement
Vikings agree to 1-year deal with former 49ers receiver Jauan Jennings
