Sports
Sorana Cirstea upsets Aryna Sabalenka in Rome for first victory over No. 1
Mar 8, 2026; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Sorana Cirstea (ROU) during her third round match against Linda Noskova (CZE) in the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Sorana Cirstea has announced she will retire after the season but the 36-year-old Romanian sure isn’t just cruising through tournaments in the meantime.
Cirstea defeated a world No. 1 for the first time since turning professional in 2006 when she rallied for a 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory over top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday in an Italian Open third-round match in Rome.
“I’m very, very happy,” Cirstea said. “Aryna is an amazing player. I thought I played really well today. I’m working really, really hard. It’s nice to have this result as payoff.”
Cirstea’s previous highest-ranked victory was also over Sabalenka, when the latter was No. 2 in the world in 2023. That upset came in the Miami Open quarterfinals.
Cirstea won her fourth career title earlier this year when she prevailed in a tournament in Romania. She isn’t playing like someone winding down her career as she improved her record to 25-7 this season.
But she said her stellar play hasn’t led her to question the retirement decision.
“Maybe if I win the tournament, I promise I’ll think about it,” Cirstea said with a smile.
Sabalenka sailed through the opening set before the tide turned.
She was dealing with pain in her lower back and even used a medical timeout while losing 4-3 in the final set.
“Felt like my body was limiting me from performing on the highest level,” Sabalenka said. “She stepped in and played incredible tennis. Didn’t really give me much opportunities. … But I guess we never lose, we only learn, so it’s OK.
“Probably it’s my lower back, connected to the hip, which is limiting me from the full rotation.”
While Sabalenka turns her focus to mending her body, Cirstea moves on to face No. 13 seed Linda Noskova of Czechia. Noskova sailed to a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova on Saturday.
In another upset, No. 21 Elise Mertens of Belgium took over No. 9 Jasmine Paolini of Italy 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3. Mertens had a 3-0 edge in aces and converted 5 of 8 break points.
No. 3 Coco Gauff recovered from a slow start to post a 5-7, 6-0, 6-4 victory over Argentina’s Solana Sierra. No. 8 Mirra Andreeva of Russia fought off Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic for a 6-1, 4-6, 6-0 win.
Also, Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia rallied for a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 triumph over Zheng Qinwen of China.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Bears signing free agent WR Scotty Miller
Oct 16, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Scotty Miller (13) runs with the ball against Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Josh Newton (28) during the second quarter at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images The Chicago Bears are signing free agent wide receiver Scotty Miller, his representatives confirmed Saturday to ESPN.
Financial terms for the 28-year-old veteran were not disclosed by agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey.
Miller caught nine passes for 62 yards and no touchdowns in 13 games (no starts) for Pittsburgh last season.
He has 99 catches for 1,216 yards and six TDs in 93 games (nine starts) with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2019-22), Atlanta Falcons (2023) and Steelers (2024-25).
The Buccaneers drafted Miller in the sixth round in 2019, and he helped them win a Super Bowl the next season.
The Bears’ wide receiver depth chart includes Rome Odunze and 2026 third-round draft pick Zavion Thomas.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Minnesota United put strong form up against Austin FC
Apr 25, 2026; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota United FC forward Kelvin Yeboah (9) dribbles during the first half against Los Angeles Football Club at Allianz Field. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images After losing just once in their previous seven MLS matches, Minnesota United will play host to Austin FC at Saint Paul, Minn., on Sunday.
Minnesota United (6-3-2, 20 points) are in the midst of a 5-1-1 stretch since March 22, with their only blemish a 1-0 loss to Los Angeles FC on April 25. The success has come despite limited involvement from midfielder James Rodriguez.
Colombia’s national team captain is signed with the Loons through June 30, ahead of the upcoming World Cup, and has an option through December. But he has zero goal involvements in just four appearances and 103 minutes.
“We’ve had a couple different unforeseen circumstances that have made him unavailable for selection, and then there’s obviously the team performance,” Minnesota coach Cameron Knowles told SiriusXM on Friday. “It’s difficult to change a winning team, and we’ve been really consistent with the lineup selection and leaned on a smaller group of guys for some heavy minutes.”
Austin FC (3-4-4, 13 points) have won their last two matches following an 0-5-3 stretch across all competitions. The road has not been kind to the Verde, who are 0-3-2 away from home this season.
“I think we’re in a moment where we’ve played good away games, but we haven’t gotten the win yet, and I think we have to have a complete performance against (Minnesota) in order (to) get a good result,” Austin coach Nico Estevez said.
Austin welcomed back striker Brandon Vazquez during last week’s 2-0 win over St. Louis City, marking his first action since an ACL tear on July 8, 2025.
“When a player has been a long time recovering from an injury like Brandon, (given) his personality as a player inside the locker room and how loved he is, it’s always going to create a positive impact,” Estevez said.
Austin will be without Jayden Nelson (inflammation) on Sunday. Robert Taylor (knee) is day-to-day and will be reevaluated ahead of Sunday’s contest after missing Austin’s last three matches.
Kelvin Yeboah scored a brace for Minnesota in a come-from-behind 3-2 road win against the Columbus Crew last weekend, bringing his team-high goal total to seven. Myrto Uzuni leads Austin with four goals.
Austin’s last road win in MLS play came on Sept. 7, 2025 against Sporting Kansas City, although they did earn a 2-1 victory at Minnesota in U.S. Open Cup play 10 days later.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Dynamo carry positive momentum into showdown at LAFC
Feb 28, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Dynamo FC forward Guilherme (20) and Los Angeles FC midfielder Stephen Eustaquio (46) battle for the ball during the second half at Shell Energy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images The Houston Dynamo have recovered from a slow start and look to win for the fourth time in five MLS matches when they visit Los Angeles FC on Sunday night.
Houston has recorded three 1-0 victories during the stretch and has allowed two goals during the span, which began after it was walloped 6-2 by the host Colorado Rapids on April 11.
The Dynamo (5-5-0, 15 points) were a vastly different team in the rematch in Houston on May 2, allowing just two shots on target in the one-goal victory as Jonathan Bond recorded his third shutout of the season.
“Last game, I felt that was our best performance,” Dynamo coach Ben Olsen said. “The technical side, the group defense, the tactical side. … I thought it was a step in the right direction to get closer to what we’re going to be.”
Lawrence Ennali scored his third goal of the season in the 72nd minute. He ripped a right-footed blast from well beyond the box into the upper portion of the net.
“Never scored a goal like that before,” Ennali said. “I hope there are many more to come.”
Guilherme, a midfielder, leads Houston with five goals.
Los Angeles FC (6-2-3, 21 points) defeated the Dynamo 2-0 in Houston on Feb. 28 with Mark Delgado scoring in the 56th minute and Stephen Eustaquio tacking on another in the 82nd minute. The Dynamo finished the match with just nine players as Antonio Carlos drew a red card in the second minute of first-half stoppage time and Agustin Bouzat was shown red in the 76th minute.
LAFC was outscored 4-0 by host Toluca FC on Wednesday to fall by a 5-2 aggregate score and be eliminated from the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals.
The match on Wednesday was scoreless until Toluca scored four second-half goals.
“We played eight (Champions Cup) games and we were excellent until the second half,” LAFC coach Marc Dos Santos said. “So in the whole competition we played one bad really half and it was the second half. …
“We can learn a lot from this. We’ve got to be strong because Sunday we play again.”
Los Angeles will be without star forward Denis Bouanga, who was suspended for the match due to yellow-card accumulation. Bouanga leads LAFC with five goals.
LAFC scored two late goals to gain a 2-2 draw with host San Diego FC on May 2. Bouanga scored in the 82nd minute and Ryan Hollingshead scored the equalizer in the 14th and final minute of second-half stoppage time.
–Field Level Media
Bears signing free agent WR Scotty Miller
Minnesota United put strong form up against Austin FC
