WITH all the attention still firmly on world number one Ash Barty’s abrupt retirement, the show carried on at the Miami Open, as Naomi Osaka recorded a 6-3, 6-4 first-round win over Australia’s Astra Sharma on Wednesday.

Barty, a three-time Grand Slam winner and twice champion in Miami, announced she was retiring from tennis at age 25, just two months after she picked up her third major title at home in Australia, stunning competitors at the Masters 1000 tournament.

“I feel really happy for her. I know last year was quite tough,” Osaka told reporters after her victory at what she calls her “home tournament,” where her thundering serve helped her make light work of Sharma.

The Japanese power-hitter next faces three-times major winner Angelique Kerber of Germany, who had a first-round bye.

Elsewhere in the day’s action, Shelby Rogers outlasted fellow American Amanda Anisimova (3-6, 6-0, 6-3) to set up a clash with Latvian Jelena Ostapenko, while Czech Karolina Muchova beat compatriot Tereza Martincova (7-6(3), 7-6(3)) despite producing a half-dozen double faults.

She will face 19-year-old Canadian Leylah Fernandez in the second round, after the 2021 US Open finalist advanced on a bye.

On the men’s side, 20-year-old wild card Jack Draper set up an all-British second-round affair with world number 12 Cameron Norrie after fending off France’s Gilles Simon (7-5, 6-1).

“I’ve played a lot with Cam in the UK. He’s one of the guys who has been great with me as a young Brit. I think he’s always supporting, always sending me messages,” said Draper. “Hopefully, I can give him a run for his money.”

Belgian David Goffin breezed by Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena (6-2, 6-3) to meet Pablo Carreno Busta next. — Reuters

THE Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) values the contribution of the academe in the promotion and development of women in sports with a special webisode of Rise Up! Shape Up! featuring physical education (PE) teachers and coaches on Saturday, March 26.

The episode entitled “Women Wielding Influence and Motivation in PE Classes and School Playing Fields” is proud to guest Dr. Lumna Trinidad of Tarlac State University, and teacher-coaches Marissa Austria, Stephanie Pagarigan, and Anne Daphien Baisa at 7 p.m.

Dr. Trinidad will share her personal experiences engaging in sports at an early age and how she was able to use her sports skill outside the playing field.

Ms. Austria, a Master Teacher II and MAPEH coordinator in Las Piñas East National High School is a former archer of the Philippine Normal University (PNU) and represented the country in several international com-petitions from 1996 to 1998. Currently, she is a continental judge in the World Archery Asia and was part of the officiating during the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. Ms. Austria will share her thoughts and insights on influencing and motivating children to be champions in sports and life.

On the other hand, coach Ms. Pagarigan and coach Ms. Baisa will speak on the Art of Planning and Establishing Influence among Players and will share the importance of sports in developing life skills.

“Through the influence of our teachers and coaches, we understand that sports are indeed a tool in developing athleticism, healthy competition, and sports mindedness that children can apply in improving the quality of their life,” shared PSC Women in Sports oversight commissioner Celia Kiram. The lady commissioner will also present the history of Physical Education in her regular segment “K-Isport.”

ROGER Fortaleza, former Southeast Asian Games silver medalist and secretary-general of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines or the precursor to the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP), passed away on Thursday due to lingering illness.

He was 62.

Until his death, Mr. Fortaleza was a three-star International Referee-Judge and snared a silver as a national boxer in the 1977 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia before serving as ABAP secretary-general under then president Manny Lopez more than decade ago.

“The entire boxing community mourns the death of a dedicated boxing man and a good friend,” said ABAP president Ed Picson.

Mr. Fortaleza is survived by wife Rosemarie and children Renzanne, Reygel and Edrian.

THE Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has received declarations of interest from Britain and Ireland, Russia and Turkey to host the European Championship in 2028, the governing body said on Wednesday.

Russia and Turkey have declared their interest in hosting Euro 2032, UEFA added, and Italy has also announced its intention to bid for that tournament.

Governing bodies FIFA and UEFA have suspended Russian clubs and national teams from international competition — pending an appeal by the Russian Football Union (RFU) to the Court of Arbitration of Sport — following its invasion of Ukraine.

“The UEFA Executive Committee will remain on standby to convene further extraordinary meetings, on a regular ongoing basis where required — in addition to its already-scheduled meetings of 7 April and 10 May — to reassess the legal and factual situation as it evolves and adopt further decisions as necessary, including in light of the declaration of interest expressed by the Russian Football Union for hosting the UEFA EURO,” a UEFA spokesperson said. — Reuters

NUMBER two-ranked ONE women’s atomweight contender Denice “Lycan Queen” Zamboanga is confident that she’s going to win her rematch with Ham Seo Hee at ONE X tomorrow.

After all, the 25-year-old Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expert didn’t take the split decision loss to Ms. Ham in their ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix quarter final encounter at “ONE: EMPOWER” lightly.

This time, she wants to dictate what will happen against her nemesis at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

“It was one of the darkest days for me as I’ve been saying ever since then that I won that fight,” the Marrok Force competitor revealed. “But it happened already, and it’s just a story now. What I can do for this upcoming re-match is to [rewrite] history.”

She now wants to use that result to push herself to a better performance when she steps inside the Circle with Ham at ONE’s tenth-anniversary event.

“If you come from a loss, you’ll have that hunger, that urge to train harder. You want to prove that loss cannot define you,” Ms. Zamboanga said.

That said, the ferocious fighter with an 8-1 career mixed martial arts record has kept herself busy since her last appearance in ONE Championship.

“I’ve been training hard since then. I missed the Circle, and I cannot wait to be back to show everyone how much I have improved,” she expressed.

While her routine mainly stayed the same, she did make changes to her regimen specifically for her upcoming showdown with the 23-8 Ms. Ham. But don’t expect her to give away any secrets.

“I cannot mention [the changes],” Ms. Zamboanga admitted. “But what I can say is that it’s been a hard and fun training camp. I’m ready.” “Lycan Queen” has all the right to want redemption after how her first encounter with Ham unfolded. However, the fighting pride of the Philippines remained professional with her message to the South Korean leading up to their second bout.

“You’re a great athlete, and it’s my pleasure to have a rematch with you,” she said. “Let’s give them a great fight. Let’s write history. I can’t wait to share the Circle with you again. See you soon.”

JORDAN Brand continues to support the growth of basketball in the Philippines and the world by expanding its portfolio on the court with the sponsorship of Ateneo de Manila University’s Blue Eagles men’s, women’s and high school basketball teams.

With this agreement, Ateneo de Manila University becomes Southeast Asia’s first-ever university and the only one outside of the United States to don the Jordan Jumpman on its jerseys, shorts, tees and jackets. The athletic ap-parel, which includes jerseys with a fit and cut uniquely suited to female players, will become the official uniform of the Blue Eagles basketball team during the much-awaited UAAP (University Athletic Association of the Philippines) Season 84 season.

Rooted in the pursuit of excellence and to inspire the next generation of players, the partnership will unite the two basketball through shared DNA of achieving greatness on their own terms, creating opportunities for all and building a level playing field.

“It’s exciting to announce Jordan Brand’s only university partnership outside of North America, because there are few places in the world where basketball culture shows up like it does in Manila,” says Jordan Brand President, Craig Williams. “It is so crucial to invest in young people, and in partnership with Ateneo de Manila University, we can inspire young people through our shared love of the game.”

Commenting on the country’s tremendous talent potential, Ateneo de Manila University’s Head Athletic Director Emmanuel Fernandez says: “Investment in the country’s youth and building inclusivity can spearhead basketball culture and translate our passion into profession. As one of the most successful basketball programs, Ateneo Basketball has always strived for excellence. Being associated with a prestigious brand such as Jordan is an acknowl-edgement of this excellence, which will no doubt fuel the desires of many aspiring Pinoy and Pinay players in their own pursuit of greatness. We are all still inspired by MJ’s legacy and his undying love for the game.”

Local artists and Ateneo alumni Gica Tam and Mikki dela Rea were engaged to specifically develop designs for Custom 23, a customization service exclusively available at Jordan Manila. The unique designs by Gica and Mikki are inspired by their love for the game, Ateneo’s culture, energy, passion and everything that surrounds that through their lens.

Don’t look now, but the Nets may yet be finishing the season with All-Star Kyrie Irving finally able to play in home games. As first reported by Politico and picked up by other major news organizations, New York mayor Eric Adams is set to provide athletes with exemptions to the private sector mandate barring unvaccinated employees from reporting for work in the city. Considering that the said protocol provides no other restrictions, the di-chotomy becomes apparent in sporting events; unjabbed players of host teams cannot suit up, but are allowed to be in the venue, anyway, along with spectators and visitors whose vaccination status does not need to be checked.

Significantly, Irving himself underscored the absurdity of the situation by sitting courtside in back-to-back matches at the Barclays Center, including one in which the Nets took on the Knicks, two weeks ago. To add injury to insult, the National Basketball Association then fined the franchise for affording him access to the locker room after the contest. As an aside, rumors have him also participating in practices on the sly, in contravention of the mandate held over from the previous dispensation.

In any case, Adams’ decision provides a compromise to the need for businesses, and vaccinated employees in those businesses, to feel safe, and to the reality that shades of gray envelop the implementation of COVID-19-related health measures. The interplay between collective safety and individual civil liberties is no more apparent than among government officials charged with ensuring both.

The easy answer would be for Irving and other sports personalities to get inoculated, a not inconsiderate development given the proven science behind the action. Unfortunately, these count with the holdouts who believe in — and, worse, help spread — the misinformation, which effectively gets perpetuated because of their status as public figures. From this vantage point, the problem, therefore, lies not in Adams, but in those who refuse the injection.

Interestingly, the exemption figures to be subject to monitoring, and because it’s slated to be in effect by administrative fiat, it can likewise be withdrawn the same way. The number of cases keeps fluctuating, in part precisely because of the elusiveness of total immunity. And, for that, the finger needs to be pointed at Irving and his ilk.

ANTHONY L. CUAYCONG has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.