AUTO RACING
Sergio Perez took his first career pole position at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as Formula One continued amid heavy scrutiny, the day after an attack on a nearby oil depot.
Perez edged the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. on his final lap, pushing his own Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen – the world champion – down to fourth.
But most of Saturday was focused on F1’s decision to continue at a circuit about seven miles from the bombed, smoke-covered depot. The attack Friday happened during F1’s first practice session of the weekend, and smoke could be seen billowing in the background of the circuit.
Drivers met multiple times Friday for about four hours before deciding early Saturday morning to compete. Sainz said racing was the right decision but that F1’s controversial participation in Saudi Arabia can’t be ignored once the series globe-trots away to Australia and then Europe.
“There will need to be discussions after this race,” the Spanish driver said. “Because what has happened in the last 24 hours is definitely a point of discussion.”
Seven-time series champion Lewis Hamilton and other drivers previously expressed their concerns about racing in the region, mainly concerning Saudi Arabia’s human rights record.
TRUCKS: Zane Smith picked up a Truck Series win at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, when a three-wide move for the lead went awry and Smith sailed past his rivals for the victory in double overtime.
Kyle Busch led a race-high 31 of the 46 laps around the permanent road course and was desperately trying to stretch his fuel to the finish when the race went haywire. Alex Bowman moved from third alongside Stewart Friesen, who tried to defend the pass by diving inside of Busch.
All three trucks were side-by-side as the drivers dove into a turn. Unable to maneuver through, the trucks slid off course and Smith shot past the leaders to take over the top spot.
TENNIS
MIAMI OPEN: Daniil Medvedev opened his quest at trying to reclaim the world’s No. 1 ranking by topping Andy Murray 6-4, 6-2 in the second round.
The top-seeded Medvedev, who can overtake Novak Djokovic by reaching the semifinals, never faced a break point in any of his nine service games.
Meanwhile, Naomi Osaka moved into the fourth round without ever taking the court. Osaka, the former women’s No. 1-ranked player, got a walkover victory when Karolina Muchova withdrew, citing a need for recovery.
GOLF
PGA: Ben Martin shot a 2-under 70 to hold onto a two-shot lead in the PGA Tour’s Corales Puntacana Championship in the Dominican Republic.
Martin had five birdies and three bogeys to take a 14-under 202 total into the final round.
Chad Ramey was second after a 69.
EUROPEAN TOUR: Matthew Jordan and Adrian Meronk share the lead heading into the final round at the Qatar Masters, with Kalle Samooja one stroke back after shooting 6-under 66 in the third round.
Jordan (70) and Meronk (72) had 54-hole totals of 8-under 208 at Doha Golf Club as both search for their first European tour win.
FIGURE SKATING
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: Olympic men’s bronze medalist Shoma Uno won the gold medal, while Vincent Zhou of the U.S. catapulted from sixth after his short program to earn the bronze in Montpellier, France.
Uno finished with 312.48 points to easily outdistance Yuma Kagiyama, who finished second to his Japanese teammate in both the short program and free skate. Kagiyama had 297.60 points, while Zhou finished with 277.38.
In ice dancing, Olympic champs Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron delivered a memorable performance for their home fans, shattering the world record with a total of 229.82 points. Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue were second with 222.39 points in the final competition of their career together, while American teammates Madison Chock and Evan Bates finished third.
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