World number one Naomi Osaka was trying to find the positives after her Indian Wells WTA title defense went up in smoke on Tuesday.
The US and Australian Open champion found at least one.
“I didn’t lose in the first round. That’s a plus,” Osaka said after falling in the fourth round 6-3, 6-1 in just 66 minutes to red-hot Belinda Bencic of Switzerland.
Osaka conceded she didn’t play well, but she didn’t find the lopsided scoreline depressing because “I tried my best and I don’t really have any regrets.”
Osaka had won nine straight games at Indian Wells, but Martina Navratilova in 1990-91 remains the only women’s repeat winner in the event.
Osaka said the first title defense of her career had brought different challenges, and she thought she handled them well.
“I think I did well,” she said. “It’s just really exciting to come out here every day and for everyone to be so kind. There were so many fans, I think that that’s part of the experience. Yeah, I think I did well for my first time.”
She said she could see a change in herself since she arrived unheralded at Indian Wells last year and walked away with a victory that sparked a stellar 2018 campaign that included a win over Serena Williams in the US Open final.
“One of the biggest things is I wanted to be more mature,” she said when asked how she had changed.
“I feel like this is something I’m still working on, on and off the court. It’s one of the biggest goals that I have had my entire life.
“Because I might have thrown a few tantrums last year and this year it’s something I’m working on improving and I feel like it’s going well.
“I think I’m just more confident in myself.”
Osaka surprised the tennis world when she parted with coach Sascha Bajin shortly after winning the Australian Open and moving to number one in the world.
“I think it’s always a bit tricky whenever you change someone in the team, but I feel like for a first tournament we did really well,” she said of her partnership with Jenkins, a former US collegiate star who served as a hitting partner to Venus Williams from 2015 until the end of last season.
“We communicate well. So I think that’s a really big plus. I don’t think it’s going to be difficult. I think that we are all sort of on the same page, and we are all looking forward to Miami,” she said.
“Yeah, I think it should be good.”
The younger brother of Super Eagles defender Kenneth Omeruo, Lucky has been promoted into the first team at Spanish La Liga side CD Leganes.
Foreign base players that are invited into the Dream Team for the Olympics qualifier tie against Libya are will join the rest of the team in Tunisia.
The foreign players are Taiwo Awoniyi, who’s based in Belgium, midfielder Kelechi Nwakali who plies his trade with FC Porto B, Villarreal of attacker Samuel Chukwueze, Orji who is currently in MLS and Kingsley Michael.
“The players are due to depart their bases on March 17 and arrive in Tunisia the following day,” NFF official told brila.net.
Nigeria and Libya will battle it out in the first leg of the AFCON U-23 qualifier in Tunisia with the return leg to commence in Nigeria days later.
Nigeria-born Huddersfield’s star Philip Billing has been subjected to disgusting racial abuse on social media with a fan calling the midfielder a ‘black donkey’.
Billing took to Twitter to reveal the severe racist abuse he received via a private message on Instagram from user Mazza_Pazza and is now in the process of formalizing an official complaint through his representatives.
The supposed Huddersfield fan said: ‘Leave our f****** club, I never want to see you in a Town kit ever again you useless wanna be black donkey.’ 
Billing, 22, tweeted out a screenshot of the message with a thumbs down emoji on Tuesday night.
The former Denmark Under 21 international, who joined Huddersfield in 2014, has made 26 Premier League appearances for the Terriers so far this season.
Billing, who was born in Denmark and is of Nigerian descent, helped Huddersfield seal promotion to the Premier League during the 2016-17 campaign.
The towering midfielder is yet to play for Denmark’s senior side but has been capped at Under 19 and Under 21 level.
Samuel Oyedeji was a regular player under former solid miner boss Kabir Dogo has struggled to get enough minutes under his belt this season with Coach Bala Nikyu preferred to use other players in his position.
Speaking after he scored a wonderful free-kick in Nasarawa United mid-season friendly game with Road Safety FC, Oyedeji told www.brila.net that he’s ready to fight his way into the plan of the coach.
“I’m ready to fight for my place in the team because this is the team that I love so much and hopefully lets my situation will change”.
He added that he’s delighted to score goal after he came in the second half.
“It was a good goal, I’m happy about it but the most important thing for me is to play competitive matches and help the team achieve their objectives.”
Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo believes he was signed by Juventus for a special champions league night after helping the Italian Champions overturned two goals deficit against Athletico to book a place in the last eight.
Rivers United utility player Peter Ubakanma says he’s calmly waiting for his chance to put on the Green and White Jersey of Nigeria at a major tournament in the future.
Super Falcons attacker Asisat Oshoala was among the goal scorer for FC Barcelona Ladies who outclassed Real Sociedad 4-1 in their Liga Iberdrola clash at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper.
Oshoala who recently returned to the Club after National team assignment where she represents Nigerian in the tour of Cyprus put the Spanish giants ahead in the 18th minute of the encounter.
Oshoala has now scored four goals for the Club since joining the Catalans on loan from Chinese club Dalian Quanjian in January.
The former African Women Footballer of the year form in front of goal will delight National team Coach Thomas Dennerby who’s desperate to see his top players in good form before the World Cup where they will face hosts France, former champions Norway and new powerhouse Korea Republic in the Group stage.
The former Arsenal and Liverpool ladies forward also scored twice for the Super Falcons at the just concluded Cyprus Cup where they finished seventh.
Enyimba forward Wasiu Alalade has revealed that the camp of the Nigeria U23 national team has been one with keen competition for places as everyone has been given their best trying to edge each other to be considered by the coach.
Alalade speaking in a chat with www.brila.net said the number of players in camp is good enough reality check for any player to keep focus on the task of working so hard to keep his spot on the camp of the national U23 team.
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