Iga Swiatek is given extra security protection at the Miami Open after being verbally harassed

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Iga Swiatek is given extra security protection at the Miami Open after being verbally harassed

2025-03-27 06:23 Last Updated At：06:30

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Iga Swiatek was given extra security protection at the Miami Open after being verbally attacked during a practice session by a man who had sent the five-time Grand Slam champion harassing messages via social media.

“We monitor the network to catch these types of issues. Constructive criticism is one thing, and threats, hate speech or even disturbance during training is another — this cannot be condoned,” a statement from Swiatek's team said Wednesday. “We reported the matter to the tournament organizer, as well as to the WTA ... which reacted immediately and took additional precautions, such as additional security, for which we are very grateful.”

The episode — first reported by BBC Sport — comes a little more than a month after a stalker was removed from a match being played by 2021 U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu in Dubai.

“Ensuring the safety of the players is crucial — they are the ones at the center of the event — and it is our job to protect them,” the statement from Swiatek's team said.

The No. 2-seeded Swiatek lost to wild card Alexandra Eala in the quarterfinals Wednesday. Asked afterward whether the security situation disrupted her match preparation, Swiatek replied: “No, I wouldn't say so.”

“Player safety is our top priority. The WTA works closely with tournaments and their security teams on best practices for international sporting events to ensure the safety and well-being of all participants. There are comprehensive security protocols in place to make sure that any incidents are handled promptly and effectively," the WTA said. "The details of these are not something we discuss publicly, but we are steadfast in our commitment to maintaining a safe environment for players and everyone attending one of our events.”

The Miami Open issued a statement saying: “We take the safety and security of all players and tournament attendees extremely seriously. We constantly evaluate any potential threats and take every measure to respond appropriately. To ensure the effectiveness of these efforts, we do not disclose the details of our security operations.”

At the Dubai Championships last month, Raducanu said, she could barely breathe and her eyes filled with tears when a stalker who had approached her earlier in the tournament was in the stands during her match.

Raducanu spoke to the chair umpire, and the man was ejected from the court and later detained by police.

In 2022, an obsessive fan was given a restraining order after going to Raducanu's home three times.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Judge homers 3 times as Yanks go deep on Cortes' first 3 pitches and hit 9 HRs vs. Brewers

2025-03-30 06:29 Last Updated At：06:31

NEW YORK (AP) — Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three home runs on the first three pitches.

Aaron Judge followed Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger to combine for unprecedented fireworks Saturday, starting one of the most memorable days of Judge's already indelible career.

“It was electric, from the stadium crowd to just the guys in the dugout locked in and fired up,” Judge said after homering three times, including a grand slam, and setting a career high with eight RBIs in the New York Yankees' 20-9 rout of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Major League Baseball said this was the first time a team homered on its first three pitches since tracking of pitch counts began in 1988.

Before the game, Yankees manager Aaron Boone saw Reggie Jackson, who hit three home runs on three pitches in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series.

“Maybe it was that,” Boone said.

New York hit a team-record nine homers, matching the 1999 Cincinnati Reds against Philadelphia and one shy of the major league mark set by Toronto vs. Baltimore in 1987. The first of the Reds' homers that day was hit by Boone.

Austin Wells, Anthony Volpe, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Oswald Peraza also homered on the unusually warm 78-degree afternoon.

“Kind of a weird, crazy game,” Boone said.

Five of the homers were off old friend Nestor Cortes, dealt from the Yankees to Brewers in December, including four in the first inning. Cortes left the ballpark without speaking to reporters in what the Brewers said was a miscommunication.

“My heart goes out to him because he’s a great, great, young man, great teammate,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “Your heart just hurts for him.”

Wells homered in the first as the Yankees burst ahead 4-0 in the first four-homer first inning in team history. Volpe hit a three-run drive in the second for a 7-3 lead, and Judge's ninth career slam opened a 12-3 margin in the third against Connor Thomas.

Chisholm made it back-to-back long balls, and the Yankees became the first big league team to hit seven homers in the first three innings.

Judge added a two-run homer in the fourth off Thomas, who was making his big league debut.

With a chance to become the 19th player to hit four homers in a game, Judge hit a sixth-inning fly that short-hopped the right-field wall for an RBI double. The two-time AL MVP flied out to deep left in the eighth against former teammate Bauers, an outfielder and first baseman making a mop-up appearance.

“He told me when I was on deck, is he was going to hit me in the shoulder. He didn't want to see a fourth home run,” Judge said, smiling.

He flied out on a 55.3 mph offering.

“Gave him the best curveball I had and he still hit it pretty good,” Bauers said.

Batting leadoff for the first time in his 15-year major league career, Goldschmidt drove a fastball 413 feet into the Brewers’ bullpen in left field. Wells homered starting Thursday's opening win, also atop the lineup for the first time.

Goldschmidt had just gotten back to the dugout when Bellinger sent a fastball into the right-field bleachers.

“I was putting my equipment up and, yeah, I just heard it and looked up and I saw it flying out of there," Goldschmidt said.

Judge had to settle himself.

"Bleacher Creatures are jumping up and down. Kind of got to step out and catch your breath there for a second before you step in the box because it kind of gets the heart rate going a little bit," he said.

His first homer, on a cutter, went 468 feet and appeared to land in left field's second deck.

“It was like just bang! bang! bang!” Bellinger said.

Judge had his 40th multihomer game. While proud, he didn't want to make too much of one win, framing it within last year's World Series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He also noted the Yankees' sloppiness: five errors that led to four unearned runs and caused Max Fried to be removed with a high pitch count after 4 2/3 innings, costing him a chance to win in his Yankees debut.

“We’re on a mission,” Judge said. “A lot of guys are disappointed with what happened last year, myself included, and it starts with and preparing ourself now.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB