MIAMI GARDENS: World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and third-seeded Coco Gauff eased through their second round matches at the Miami Open on Thursday but seventh seed Elena Rybakina crashed out to American Ashlyn Krueger.

Sabalenka beat Bulgaria’s Viktoriya Tomova 6-3 6-0 in a contest which lasted just 58 minutes while Gauff made even shorter work of her match, beating 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 6-0 6-0 in just 47 minutes.

For Sabalenka, who was beaten in the Indian Wells final by Russian 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva on Sunday, it was a comfortable start to her bid in South Florida.

“I’m super happy to get this win. A bit tricky with the conditions, and I didn’t have much time to adjust, so just happy with the performance today,” said the Belarussian, who said the contrast with conditions in California was striking.

“I feel like it’s a bit slower here, probably because of the balls, everything, it’s much heavier on the body.

“Then it was windy. It was a bit like different stadium. It’s just like everything new, and I had few days to adjust. That was a bit tricky, but I think I handled pretty well. So happy to get through,” she added.

Gauff, who has made a slow start to the season, said it had simply been a case of everything falling into place for her from the outset.

“I was definitely playing well today, and maybe she wasn’t playing her peak great tennis. I don’t think anyone who is playing their best tennis will have that scoreline today, so I’m not going to sit here and say she played her best tennis,” she said.

Gauff, who suffered a surprise exit to Belinda Bencic at Indian Wells last week, said she wasn’t trying to prove any point about her form.

“I know where I personally stand in my game. Yes, it’s not been up to my standards, but at the same time, you know, we are just March and our season ends in November. There is a lot of time to improve.

“Today I wasn’t going in with that in my mind. It just happened to be a great day for me,” she said.

Krueger, the 20-year-old Texan, claimed her first win over a top-10 opponent beating 2023 Miami Open finalist Rybakina 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in 1 hour and 50 minutes.

The American, ranked 40th in the world, will face Canadian Leylah Fernandez in the next round.

Defending champion Danielle Collins survived some late nerves to get past Romanian Sorana Cirstea 6-4 7-6 (7/3) and book her place in the round of 32.

Naomi Osaka, the 2022 Miami finalist, defeated 24th seed Liudmila Samsonova 6-2 6-4 to earn a meetup with American wildcard Halley Baptiste.

Baptiste enjoyed an upset 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 win over 12th seeded Russian Daria Kasatkina.

In the men’s draw, exciting 18-year-old Brazilian talent Joao Fonseca enjoyed plenty of support from compatriots in the crowd in a 6-7 (1/7) 6-3, 6-4 win over Learner Tien.

With the Brazilian flags waving and football-style chanting, Fonseca’s big hitting proved too much for the 19-year-old Californian.

“I knew it was going to be a difficult match. I knew Learner was going to fight until the end, he’s a great fighter. He knows how to play, he’s very smart,” said Fonseca.

“So I needed to go until the end and I just went to it hard and the Brazilian crowd was with me today,” Fonseca said.

In an all-American clash, Reilly Opelka beat Christopher Eubanks 6-3 7-6 (7/4) to improve to 4-0 in their head-to-head record.

The tall Opelka won all 26 of his first-serve points in the second set and wrapped up the 85-minute win with an ace.

BOSTON: Private equity mogul William Chisholm agreed to buy the Boston Celtics on Thursday in a deal that values the NBA’s reigning champions and the most-decorated franchise in league history at a minimum of $6.1 billion — the largest price ever for American professional sports team.

If the deal is approved by the NBA’s board of governors this summer, the sale would top the $6.05 billion paid for the NFL’s Washington Commanders in 2023.

A Massachusetts native and graduate of Dartmouth College and Penn’s Wharton School of business, Chisholm is the managing partner of California-based Symphony Technology Group. The new ownership group also includes Boston businessmen Rob Hale, who is a current Celtics shareholder, and Bruce Beal Jr.

“Growing up on the North Shore and attending college in New England, I have been a die-hard Celtics fan my entire life,” Chisholm said in a statement. “I understand how important the Celtics are to the city of Boston — the role the team plays in the community is different than any other city in the country. I also understand that there is a responsibility as a leader of the organization to the people of Boston, and I am up for this challenge.”

Wyc Grousbeck, whose family leads the ownership group that bought the team in 2002 for $360 million, said Chisholm asked him to stay on as CEO and Governor for the next three seasons, “and I am glad to do so.”

“Bill is a terrific person and a true Celtics fan, born and raised here in the Boston area,” Grousbeck said. “His love for the team and the city of Boston, along with his chemistry with the rest of the Celtics leadership, make him a natural choice to be the next Governor and controlling owner of the team. I know he appreciates the importance of the Celtics and burns with a passion to win on the court while being totally committed to the community. Quite simply, he wants to be a great owner.”

The agreement calls for a two-part sale in which Chisholm would acquire at least 51 percent of the team upon approval by the NBA’s board of governors, which could come as soon as this summer. Current owners would have the option to retain the remainder of their shares until 2028, when they would be sold at a price that could be up to 20 percent higher, based on a formula determined by league revenue growth.

That would value the team at $7.3 billion. Chisholm outbid at least two other groups; one was led by current Celtics minority partner Steve Pagliuca, who said he put together a record, fully guaranteed bid with deep resources and no debt to “ensure we can always compete for championships, luxury taxes be damned.”

“It is a bid of true fans, deeply connected to Boston’s community, and we’ve been saddened to find out that we have not been selected,” he said in a statement. “I will never stop being a Celtic, and if the announced transaction does not end up being finalized, my partners and I are ready to check back into the game and bring it home, to help continue what the Celtics do best — win.”

Sportico and ESPN were among those first reporting the sale agreement.

The record price for an NBA team was the $4 billion mortgage firm owner Mat Ishbia paid for the Phoenix Suns in 2023. But the Celtics are one of the league’s flagship franchises, winning their unprecedented 18th NBA title last June and among the favorites to win again this season with young stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown — successors to a tradition of championship-winning Hall of Famers running from Bob Cousy to Bill Russell to Larry Bird to Paul Pierce.

Shortly after beating the Dallas Mavericks for the NBA title last summer, Grousbeck announced that the team would be put up for sale.

“My partners and I have immense respect for Wyc, the entire Grousbeck family and their indelible contributions to the Celtics organization over the last 23 years,” Chisholm said. “We look forward to learning from Wyc and partnering with Brad Stevens, Joe Mazzulla and the talented team and staff to build upon their success as we work to bring more championships home to Boston.”