ALMOST exactly five years to the day since Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) was hit for six and humiliated in Barcelona, it was more pain in Spain for the French champions, as they slipped out of the Champions League in all too familiar fashion.

DEVIN Booker returned from a four-game COVID-protocol absence and had a near triple-double, helping the Phoenix Suns clinch the NBA’s first playoff spot with a 111-90 win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday night.

MANCHESTER, England — Manchester City sailed through to the Champions League quarter-finals after they played out a 0-0 draw against Sporting in their last-16 second leg on Wednesday, progressing 5-0 on aggregate.

MAJOR League Baseball (MLB) canceled the second week of the regular season on Wednesday after MLB and the Players Association (MLBPA) failed to reach a deal on a collective bargaining agreement (CBA).

RIDING the emotional and poignant comments of his daughter, Sam, 15-time major champion Tiger Woods was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame on Wednesday night at Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) Tour headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.

INDIAN WELLS — World number two Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, the tournament announced on Wednesday, in the latest setback for the player due to his refusal to take the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine.

Considering the bated breath with which the Sixers’ homestand against the Nets is being awaited, the schedule fittingly has it as one of just two matches on tap today.

MULTI-TITLED coach Ramil de Jesus will make his much awaited return to the Premier Volleyball League after more than a decade as his F2 Logistics clashes with Black Mamba Army on Wednesday at the start of the league’s second pro-season at the Paco Arena in Manila.

SORSOGON CITY — Defending champion George Oconer and 2019 titlist Ronald Oranza will try to spearhead the Navy Standard Insurance team minus its former team captain as they race in the 11th LBC Ronda Pilipinas, which hits the road with a 10-stage race tomorrow here and ends on March 20 in Baguio City.

NATIONAL esports team backer Smart Communications, Inc., further bolstered its mission for the country’s esports promotion and development with the launch of GIGA Arena.

SYDNEY FC dashed Kaya FC-Iloilo’s dream of making a second straight appearance in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League main tournament with a comprehensive 5-0 romp in Tuesday’s Preliminary Round Playoff at the Netstrata Jubilee Stadium in Sydney.

ALEX M. Eala slightly moved up in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) ladder after gallant stands in three straight tournaments in France.