Being stung on the forehead when a swarm of bees invaded the court couldn’t stop him, neither could a dodgy ankle,
Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner or a bad start against the dangerous Daniil Medvedev in the final. Carlos Alcaraz successfully defended his title at Indian Wells, beating the
Russian world No.4 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 after going 3-0 down in the opening set. Now the 20-year-old Spaniard is looking to complete a Sunshine Series double when the action switches from the west coast of the
United States to
Florida for this week’s Miami Open. Alcaraz shouldn’t have any trouble reaching the last eight where he could play Hubert Hurkacz or Gregor Dimitrov and can eliminate whichever one of Holger Rune, Alexander Zverev or possibly Felix Auger-Aliassime meets him in the semi-finals. The second half of the draw features defending champion Medvedev, Sinner and Casper Ruud but whoever the current world No.2 faces in the final will have his work cut out to triumph. Alcaraz hadn’t won a title since his victory over
Novak Djokovic in that unforgettable showdown in front of an admiring Centre Court at
Wimbledon last summer until lifting the trophy at Indian Wells. But now he no longer has his tail between his legs and is playing his best tennis, so he will be difficult to stop and although 2/1 across the board is no real value he is a worthy favourite and most definitely the one to beat. Iga Swiatek is even shorter to win the women’s title in Miami at no better than 8/5 with Bet Victor and we’re taking her on as she faces a potentially tricky quarter-final with Jessica Pegula. If Swiatek emerges from that there’s an equally tough semi-final in store with Coco Gauff, Elina Svitolina, Marta Kostyuk, Naomi Osaka and Ons Jabeur all capable of giving her a run for her money if they advance that far. United’s FA Cup thriller can lead to strong
Premier League finish I flew 10 hours to the 'world’s leading lifestyle destination' – here's my verdict Swerve the short-priced Dodgers to win the World Series Swarm of bees halt Indian Wells
Tennis match with Carlos Alcaraz 'stung on the head' Maria Sakkari, beaten by Swiatek in the final in
California at the weekend, is in the other half of the draw but may run out of steam in Miami and the preference is for the rested world No.4 Elena Rybakina, who missed Indian Wells, to take the title at 5/1 with Bet Victor. • March Madness is upon us with the best college
basketball teams slam dunking it out to reach the Sweet 16, Elite Eight and Final Four before deciding who will be national champions. It can be a volatile tournament as last year’s tip, the
Arizona Wildcats, suffered a shock first-round elimination but the Purdue Boilermakers can go all the way this time around at an easy to find 13/2. • Scottie Scheffler deposited winnings into our betting accounts for a second straight Sunday when he followed his victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational by defending his Players Championship title with an electric eight-under final round at Sawgrass. The world No.1 is 5/1 to win a second green jacket at the Masters next month with William Hill, Ladbrokes, Coral and Betfred. MORE : Emma Raducanu suffers fresh injury blow and pulls out of Miami Open MORE :
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