National Sports

SANTIAGO DEL ESTERO, Argentina (AP) — Lionel Messi scored a hat trick and surpassed 100 career goals for Argentina with three in the first half of Tuesday's international friendly against Curacao.

MIAMI — Canada’s Leylah Fernandez and American partner Taylor Townsend advanced to the Miami Open women's doubles semifinals Tuesday with a 2-6, 7-6 (4), 10-8 win over Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia and Lyudmyla Kichenok of Ukraine.

The Canadian government committed $13.8 million in Tuesday's budget to addressing safe sport issues that have dominated headlines over the last year. Federal sport minister Pascale St-Onge has said the sport system is in crisis.

VANCOUVER — NHL players refusing to participate in Pride nights around the league shows hockey still isn't safe for a number of LGBTQ people, says one of the first male professional players to publicly come out as gay.

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Yusei Kikuchi put in one last strong pitching performance this spring as the Toronto Blue Jays ended their Grapefruit League campaign Tuesday with a 6-5 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.

TORONTO — The Toronto Arrows have traded the rights to veteran forward Kyle Baillie to Old Glory D.C. and signed Canadian sevens international wing D’Shawn Bowen and centre Dawson Fatoric for the remainder of the Major League Rugby season.

MONTREAL — Mark Weightman is back as president and chief executive officer of the Montreal Alouettes. The club announced Weightman's appointment Tuesday. He will take office April 11. This will mark Weightman's second stint with Montreal.

Two teams from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League lead the Canadian Hockey League’s top 10 rankings ahead of the 2023 playoffs. The Gatineau Olympiques, after finishing the QMJHL regular season on a 23-0-1 run, are ranked No.

MIAMI — Canadian tennis player Bianca Andreescu provided an injury update of sorts on Tuesday, saying she's still waiting on official test results after injuring her lower left leg at the Miami Open. Andreescu, from Mississauga, Ont.

TORONTO — The name might be different, but the goal remains the same for jockey Luis Contreras. Since 1952, the opening leg of Canada's Triple Crown was known as the Queen's Plate, in honour of Queen Elizabeth II.