Digest

SOCCER

Swede signings bolster Benitez options at Dalian

Chinese Super League side Dalian Professional FC announced on Friday that it has completed the signings of four new players, including two from Sweden.

The Swedish recruits are winger Sam Larsson and defender Marcus Danielsson.

The 26-year-old Larsson joins from Dutch side Feyenoord, with whom he won the Dutch Cup in 2018. He has won four caps for Sweden.

The 30-year-old Danielsson has also been capped four times for his country, and arrives from Swedish side Djurgardens, having spent his entire career to date playing in his native country.

Dalian has also added two young domestic players to the club's roster for the 2020 season.

Eighteen-year-old striker Tao Qianglong, who received his first call-up to the national squad in August last year, joins from CSL rival Hebei China Fortune, while Lin Liangming arrives on loan from Portuguese side Maritimo.

The 22-year-old Lin signed a five-year contract with Real Madrid in 2015 and played for the club's reserve team in the 2016-2017 season before joining Spain's Almeria on loan.

Newly named Dalian Professional, known as Dalian Yifang last term, is coached by Rafa Benitez, who previously led Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Liverpool. The Spaniard notably guided the English club to the Champions League title in 2005.

BASKETBALL

Grizzlies sink Lakers as Morant moves up gears

The Memphis Grizzlies, clinging to the eighth and final playoff spot in the NBA Western Conference, snapped a five-game skid with a 105-88 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday.

Rookie Ja Morant scored 27 points and tied his season high with 14 assists for the Grizzlies, who led by as many as 22 points in the third quarter.

The victory in Memphis snapped the West-leading Lakers' seven-game winning streak.

The Grizzlies out-rebounded the Lakers 51-45 and harried Los Angeles into 16 turnovers leading to 22 Memphis points.

"They came out and played with a sense of desperation," Lakers star Anthony Davis said. "They wanted it more than us tonight, and it showed."

Dillon Brooks scored 24 points and Jonas Valanciunas added 22 points and 20 rebounds for the Grizzlies. LeBron James scored 19 points and Davis added 15 with nine rebounds.

HORSE RACING

Maximum Security locks up richest prize

American horse Maximum Security on Saturday won the $20 million Saudi Cup, the world's richest race, in a stunning comeback after being disqualified from the top spot in last year's Kentucky Derby.

The 4-year-old prevailed by three-quarters of a length over American champion Midnight Bisou at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh to take home the $10 million winner's share of the inaugural race.

"This is amazing, to win the race, to be here, to travel from far away and to have a victory for United States... This is something I don't have words for," winning jockey Luis Saez said. "This is the true Kentucky Derby winner. I'm so glad to be on the horse. This is a big deal."

Maximum Security won the Kentucky Derby last year but was then stunningly disqualified. Prior to Saturday's race, he had not shown much to suggest he could reproduce that performance.

TENNIS

Dominant Djokovic targeting new streak

Novak Djokovic set his sights on another marathon run of invincibility after capturing his 79th career title on Saturday.

The world No 1 claimed the Dubai Championships for the fifth time, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-4 in the final.

Djokovic is now on an 18-0 winning run this season, and 21-0 overall since late 2019, as he ended an eight-match win streak for his Greek opponent, who was champion the previous weekend in Marseille.

Djokovic claimed his third trophy of 2020 after helping Serbia to the ATP Cup and winning an eighth Australian Open.

It is the seventh time that the 32-year-old has won more than 20 matches on the trot. His record is 43 set in 2010 and 2011 with a run of 28 his next best, achieved on two occasions in 2013-14 and 2015.

"This has been one of the best starts of all seasons I've had. I feel great on the court," said Djokovic.

"I'm just grateful that I'm playing well, feeling well. I've won many matches now in a row. I'll try to keep that run going."

MARATHON

Ethiopia's Legese wins downsized Tokyo race

Birhanu Legese of Ethiopia won Sunday's Tokyo Marathon, a race that was scaled back as part of Japan's efforts to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

Legese crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 4 minutes and 15 seconds, 34 seconds ahead of compatriot Sisay Lemma.

Sunday's race was originally scheduled to have 38,000 participants but was limited to just over 200 elite runners due to concerns over the outbreak of the virus in Japan.

The Tokyo marathon is one of the biggest sporting events to be affected by the coronavirus.

Japanese authorities have canceled or postponed various other sporting events as concerns mount that the virus outbreak could affect this summer's Tokyo Olympics.

CYCLING

Dygert frustrated despite world record

American Chloe Dygert won women's pursuit gold at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Berlin on Saturday in a new world-record time, but admitted she was annoyed not to have gone faster.

The 23-year-old cross-discipline champion trimmed more than three seconds off the old 3-kilometer time set in 2018, winning the world title in 3 minutes 16.937 seconds.

The American pulverized German rival Lisa Brennauer, who came in over six seconds adrift.

"Today I really wanted to get a '14' (3 min 14 sec) so I'm a little bummed," she told cycling website Velonews.

"My all-time goal, I want to break 3:10. I think there are some huge gains to be made."

The women's 3-km pursuit is not on the Olympic roster but Dygert aims to race the team pursuit in Tokyo as well as the road race individual time trial.