CNN
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World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka was so sure that the umpire had made an incorrect call during her Stuttgart Open quarterfinal victory over Elise Mertens that she used a mobile phone to photograph the mark left by the ball.

Tied at three games each in the first set but down two break points, Sabalenka’s volley was called out. The Belarusian challenged the decision and umpire Miriam Bley went over to check the mark, but confirmed the original call.

During the changeover, an apparently bemused Sabalenka crossed the court to check the mark, before urging Bley to check it again. When the umpire refused, the three-time Grand Slam singles winner collected a phone from a member of her team and took a photograph of the mark in the clay, to a mixture of cheers and whistles from the crowd.

She promptly received a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Sabalenka said in her on-court interview afterward that she thought the umpire was irritated by the picture she took.

“When I gave her a handshake there was a very interesting look and a very strong handshake, never had it before,” Sabalenka said.

Asked whether she squeezed back, the 26-year-old replied: “No, it’s okay. Why would I play this game with someone like her?”

Seemingly unaffected by the controversy, Sabalenka broke back instantly and went on to win the match 6-4, 6-1.

The quarterfinal against Mertens, her former doubles partner, was Sabalenka’s first match at this year’s tournament after she got a bye through the first round and a walkover in the second. She will face No. 5 Jasmine Paolini in the semifinal on Sunday after the Italian beat No. 4 Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-3.

Elsewhere at the Stuttgart Open, Jelena Ostapenko beat world No. 2 Iga Świątek 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 to extend her remarkable record over the Polish player to six wins and no losses.

“I have so much respect to her and her team and everything she is doing for tennis,” said the world No. 24. “But every time I step on the court with her it’s another battle. I’m ready for it. Even if I don’t feel great on the day, I will just fight and leave it all on the court.”

CNN
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Teenage phenom Vaibhav Suryavanshi became the youngest ever cricketer to appear in the Indian Premier League (IPL) when he made his debut for the Rajasthan Royals on Saturday at the age of just 14 years and 23 days.

Suryavanshi, who was opening the batting for the Royals against the Lucknow Super Giants, promptly hit his first ball for six to the delight of the packed crowd at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.

He eventually scored 34 off 20 balls before he was stumped by Rishabh Pant off Aiden Markram’s delivery in the ninth over, ending an 85-run partnership he shared with Yashasvi Jaiswal for the first wicket.

And as Suryavanshi walked off, television cameras caught him wiping away a tear, perhaps caught in the enormity of the moment.

The IPL is India’s most lucrative sporting competition and one of the biggest leagues in the world, valued at $12 billion in 2024, according to Reuters.

Even Google CEO Sundar Pichai congratulated Suryavanshi on his debut, posting on X: “Woke up to watch an 8th grader play in the IPL!!!! What a debut!”

Despite the history-making day for Suryavanshi, the Royals succumbed to an agonizing two-run loss against the Super Giants.

“It was important to give Vaibhav the opportunity when the right moment presented itself and I think today was the day,” Sairaj Bahutule, the Rajasthan Royals spin bowling coach, said after Saturday’s game, according to the franchise.

“Vaibhav is a great kid with a good head on his shoulders. He almost has a 360-degree game. He is courageous, brave and always wants to dominate. He doesn’t care much for who is bowling to him. His philosophy is see the ball and hit the ball.”

Before making his debut, Suryavanshi had already made history last November as the youngest player to have his rights purchased at the IPL auction. The Royals bought them for 11 million Indian rupees (around $130,000) after a bidding spree with the Delhi Capitals forced his price up.

CNN
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The NBA Playoffs officially tipped off with a sizzling four-game slate on Saturday.

In the night’s finale, the Los Angeles Lakers fell to a heavy defeat in front of their home fans, losing 117-95 to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 of their Western Conference best-of-seven series.

The Lakers hit the halftime break reeling, down 59-48, and things only got worse as Minnesota jumped out with an 11-0 run in the third to extend the lead to 22. Anthony Edwards, who finished with 22 points, eight rebounds and nine assists, torched the Lakers with a 3-pointer that stretched the lead to 27 points with just over five minutes left in the third.

But the Lakers, sparked by their new superstar Luka Dončić, refused to go quietly. A 13-3 run clawed them back into the fight, and Dončić sent the crowd at Crypto.Com Arena into a frenzy, drilling a halfcourt buzzer-beater at the end of the third to cut the deficit to 94-78.

Minnesota weathered the Lakers surge, countering with a 12-2 run in the fourth quarter to shut down any hopes of a comeback.

Jaden McDaniels led the Wolves’ charge with 25 points and nine rebounds, while Julius Randle added 16 points. The Timberwolves knocked down a franchise playoff-record 21 3-pointers.

For the Lakers, Dončić finished with eight rebounds and game-high 37 points – tying George Mikan for the second-highest haul in a Laker postseason debut. LeBron James contributed 19 points in the loss.

“I’m not sure physically we were ready, if that makes sense,” said Lakers head coach JJ Redick. “And really, when they started playing with a lot of thrust and physicality, we just didn’t respond immediately to that, and then that stretch from the start of the second through four, five minutes to go in the third.

“We lost that stretch by 34, so that’s a blowout.”

Both teams will return to the court for Game 2 on Tuesday, April 22.

Elsewhere, the New York Knicks stunned the Detroit Pistons at Madison Square Garden, orchestrating a 21-0 run in the fourth quarter to erase an 11-point deficit and seal Game 1, 123-112.

Jalen Brunson scored a game-high 34 points, overcoming early shooting struggles and a late injury scare to hand the Pistons an NBA record-extending 14th straight playoff loss.

Brunson started the first half shooting 2-of-13 from the field, but finished 12-for-27, including eight points in the game-clinching run. In the fourth quarter, the star guard appeared to tweak his right ankle on several occasions, before going to the locker room to change his shoes

“Obviously, we didn’t end the third quarter the way we wanted to, but there was never a doubt that we’re going to just lay down and not fight,” Brunson said after the game. “We had to find a way to figure things out and keep battling and I mean, it turned around quickly.”

Both squads will return to the court on Monday in New York.

It was a back-and-forth battle between the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 1, with the Nuggets escaping with a 112-110 win in overtime.

The Clippers took a 15-point lead in the first half but the Nuggets battled back and by the final minutes of regulation the teams were trading the lead back and forth.

Neither team was willing to give an inch and, in the end, 48 minutes was not enough to settle things.

In overtime, the decisive moment came from an unlikely source in Christian Braun, who hit a 3-pointer with a minute left to put Denver up by four.

Pesky defense from veteran Russell Westbrook created a key turnover to let the Nuggets ice it from the free-throw line.

In the first game of the four-game slate, the Indiana Pacers’ strong first half set the pace en route to a 117-98 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.

In a rematch of last year’s first-round series, the Pacers held a 67-43 lead at halftime and never looked back to win Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first-round series.

Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 25 points and seven rebounds, while Tyrese Haliburton added 10 points and 12 assists in the win.

For the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 36 points and 12 rebounds in the loss. Milwaukee was without star guard Damian Lillard, who missed the contest with deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. According to reports, Lillard could come back to play in either Game 2 or 3.