The day in sports: 31st March

1. Murray beats Ferrer to win Miami Masters:

British second seed Andy Murray won the ATP Miami Masters title on Sunday, saving a match point in the penultimate game in defeating Spanish third seed David Ferrer 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/1).

Murray captured his 26th career tour title, and second of the year having taken the Brisbane crown, after a grueling two hours and 45 minutes.

2. Di Canio named Sunderland boss:

Paolo Di Canio was named the new coach of Premier League strugglers Sunderland, a move which sparked the resignation from the club board of an ex-foreign minister outraged by the Italian’s right-wing views. Di Canio replaced Martin O’Neill, who was sacked on Saturday.

3. Liverpool comeback leaves Villa in peril:

Liverpool came from behind to win 2-1 at Aston Villa on Sunday in an entertaining game that kept Paul Lambert’s side entrenched in the Premier League relegation zone.

Christian Benteke put Villa ahead with a crisp strike in the first half but Jordan Henderson equalised early in the second period before Steven Gerrard claimed Liverpool’s winner from the penalty spot.

4. With NBA superstars sidelined, Heat beat Spurs:

Miami superstars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade sat out the NBA’s marquee match-up against San Antonio, but Chris Bosh provided enough star power to lift the Heat to an 88-86 victory.

5. Pakistan drops Younis from Champions Trophy squad:

Pakistan on Sunday omitted out-of-form Younis Khan from a 30-man initial squad for the eight-nation Champions Trophy after the middle order batsman flopped in recent one-day matches.

6. Points holds on to win Houston Open golf:

D.A. Points celebrates his par putt on the 18th green during the final round of the Houston Open in Texas on March 31, 2013. He stayed steady after a lengthy rain delay, firing a six-under par 66 for a one-stroke victory in the $6.2 million event.

7. Bolt coasts to 150m victory in Rio:

Jamaican runner Usain Bolt (R) competes in Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on March 31, 2013. Bolt cruised to victory in a 150-metres race held on Rio’s Copacabana beach on Sunday, timing 14.42 seconds.

8. ‘Spartacus’ Cancellara puts rivals to the sword:

Swiss cyclist Fabian Cancellara celebrates as he crosses the finish line of the 97th edition of the Tour of Flanders one-day cycling race on March 31, 2013. The 32-year-old 2008 Olympic time-trial champion — nicknamed ‘Spartacus’ — came home clear at the end of the 256km ride from Bruges ahead of Slovakian Peter Sagan while Jurgen Roelandts of Belgium was third.

You can check the rest of the ‘Day in Sports’ series here.

And you can also have a look at the SportsKeeda calendar.