Five US multiple major champions seek first Masters win

Oil prices climbed and stocks fell Thursday on fears over the nascent US-Iran ceasefire after Tehran threatened to resume hostilities after Israel launched a major bombardment of Lebanon.

Equity markets across the globe soared and crude plunged Wednesday after US President Donald Trump announced the two-week halt in the war, and the Islamic republic said it would reopen the Strait of Hormuz as peace talks took place.

But with the deal less than a day old, cracks were already appearing as Tel Aviv said it did not include Israel's fight against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon as it continued attacks on its northern neighbour.

That view was echoed by Vice President JD Vance, who said: "If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart... over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them, and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that's ultimately their choice."

Iran said that broke terms of the deal as reports said the vital Hormuz waterway -- through which a fifth of world oil and gas passes -- was shut again. However, that came as Tehran announced alternative routes for ships travelling through the Strait, citing the risk of sea mines.

The country's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf posted on X that the "workable basis on which to negotiate" had already been violated, making further talks "unreasonable".

He listed three alleged US violations of the truce plan: the continued attacks in Lebanon, a drone entering Iranian airspace and a denial of the country's right to enrichment.

Hezbollah said Thursday it had fired rockets towards Israel in response to its "violation". 

Meanwhile, a senior US official said Tehran's 10-point plan was not the same set of conditions the White House had agreed to.

Fears that the ceasefire could fall apart while crude remains stuck in Hormuz saw West Texas Intermediate oil jump around three percent Thursday, having plunged more than 16 percent the day before. Brent was up more than two percent following a 13 percent drop.

Equities also gave up some of their gains.

Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Singapore, Seoul and Taipei were all down.

Attention is also turning to crunch talks in Pakistan that are expected on Friday or Saturday, with Vance leading the US delegation.

"Many questions remain with the 10-point plan that Trump has received from Iran (which includes Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz, US acceptance of Iran's uranium enrichment programme, the end of all sanctions and withdrawal of the US military from the Gulf region) is at odds with Trump's 15-point peace plan," wrote National Australia Bank's Skye Masters.

Still, observers warned that an end to the conflict would not see a quick return to normal, with crude prices still elevated and key regional infrastructure targeted that could take billions of dollars and at least months to repair.

Shipping journal Lloyd's List estimated around 800 ships have been stuck in the Gulf since the end of February, when hostilities broke out. 

Still, FOREX.com analyst Fawad Razaqzada said: "Investors are confident that oil prices could ease further and the Strait of Hormuz will re-open again and hopefully stay open beyond the two-week ceasefire period."

- Key figures at around 0230 GMT -

West Texas Intermediate: UP 3.0 percent at $97.22 a barrel

Brent North Sea Crude: UP 2.5 percent at $97.11 a barrel

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.6 percent at 55,997.18 (break)

Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.5 percent at 25,757.20

Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.6 percent at 3,972.21

Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1660 from $1.1667 on Wednesday

Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3390 from $1.3405

Dollar/yen: UP at 158.85 yen from 158.35 yen

Euro/pound: DOWN at 87.08 pence from 87.22 pence

dan/lga

Japan is fighting back against online abuse of athletes and sports authorities have a warning for trolls planning to target competitors at this year's Asian Games: You are being watched.

Online abuse is felt by athletes all over the world, affecting their performances and mental health, leaving them fearing for their safety and even causing them to quit their sports.

Japan is no exception and efforts are belatedly being made to tackle the problem, from dedicated lawyers to teams monitoring social media for offensive posts.

"Even a single negative comment can cut deeply," Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) official Misa Chida told AFP.

"Athletes don't want to see things like that, so a lot of them choose not to look at social media at all, and that means they miss the 99 percent of messages that are supportive.

"That's a real shame."

Chida was part of a dedicated team of JOC officials monitoring social media at the Milan-Cortina Olympics in February.

Six staff members in Milan and 22 in Tokyo checked around the clock for posts abusing Japanese athletes, using both manual and AI searches.

They worked in conjunction with Meta -- owner of Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp -- and Japanese company LINE Yahoo.

The team asked social media companies to take down almost 2,000 posts, and succeeded in having nearly 600 removed.

Social media companies have often been accused of not doing enough to crack down on abuse on their platforms.

The JOC said they plan to repeat their monitoring activities at their home Asian Games, which are being held in Nagoya and the wider Aichi area on September 19-October 4.

On top of that, Asian Games organisers told AFP that they will run a wider monitoring programme aimed at protecting athletes from all competing countries.

"We now understand what kinds of comments appear on a daily basis and how they upset athletes," said JOC official Hirofumi Takeshita.

"We've learned how much energy we need to devote to this."

- 'Hope your family dies' -

The JOC is not the first sporting organisation to carry out a social media monitoring programme.

The International Olympic Committee ran one in more than 35 languages at the 2024 Paris Games and there have also been initiatives in football and tennis.

"As awareness of these initiatives grows among athletes, staff and everyone working on the ground, that in itself contributes to a greater sense of psychological safety," said Chida.

Japan has been relatively late to the party, according to lawyer Shun Takahashi, who leads a seven-strong legal group dedicated to protecting athletes from online abuse.

Takahashi says his group, founded in 2024, is a "safe haven" for athletes, many of whom feel uncomfortable talking about the issue.

"They worry that showing vulnerability might lead a coach to bench them or that others will see them as weak," he said.

"Many athletes are raised with the idea that they must always be strong and they don't want to be perceived otherwise."

Takahashi's group offered support in the case of Taiki Sekine, a professional baseball player who last year took legal action against online abusers.

Sekine, who received messages such as "I hope your whole family dies in an accident", has won several settlements and lodged criminal complaints against the worst cases.

The domestic nature of Sekine's case made it easier to prosecute than social media abuse that crosses international borders.

- Long way to go -

Takahashi says legal action has "a deterrent effect" on online trolls, many of whom he says are in their teens or early 20s.

"It makes them realise the risk involved," he said.

But while Japan is now taking a proactive approach to online abuse, those involved say there is still a long way to go.

Less than a third of the posts that the JOC's Olympic monitoring team requested be deleted were actually taken down by social media companies.

Takeshita said the tech firms were "very cooperative" but admitted their view of which posts were offensive did not always match up.

"Yes, there was a gap, but it was a gap that we were able to identify by actually doing this work," he said.

"That's better than having an unidentified gap that never gets bridged. Now that we know where the differences lie, we can work to close them."

amk/pst

For weeks now, the global tech industry has been waiting for a major artificial intelligence launch from DeepSeek, seen as a benchmark for China's progress in the fast-moving field.

More than a year has passed since the startup put Chinese AI on the map in early 2025 with a low-cost chatbot that performed at a similar level to US rivals.

But despite reports and rumours about its imminent release, DeepSeek's next-generation "V4" model is nowhere in sight.

Speculation is also swirling over the geopolitical implications of which computer chips were chosen to train and power the new system: world-leading US designs or made-in-China alternatives that the country is racing to develop.

"It's important to know because at one level, it is a signal of China's AI self-sufficiency trajectory," Wei Sun, principal AI analyst at Counterpoint Research, told AFP.

Tech news outlet The Information reported last week that V4 can be run on the latest chips made by China's Huawei.

Such a shift would mark a milestone for China in its bid to beat US restrictions on the export of top-of-the-range AI chips from Californian titan Nvidia to the country.

The report cited five people with direct knowledge of large orders for Huawei chips, made in preparation for the DeepSeek launch by tech giants including Alibaba, ByteDance and Tencent.

AFP contacted DeepSeek, Huawei, Alibaba, ByteDance and Tencent but none were able to comment.

- 'Wake-up call' -

DeepSeek started life in 2023 as a side project of a hedge fund that had access to a cache of powerful Nvidia processors.

It shot to attention in January 2025 with its R1 deep-reasoning chatbot, which sent US tech shares tumbling with President Donald Trump calling it a "wake-up call" for American firms.

R1 was based on DeepSeek's last major AI model, V3, which was released in December 2024.

The company's affordable, customisable AI tools have been widely adopted in China, and are also popular in emerging markets such as Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

Stephen Wu, founder of the Carthage Capital fund, told AFP that V4 -- said to be multimodal, meaning it can generate text, pictures and video -- could again shock US tech valuations.

"I expect the upcoming DeepSeek V4 release will not just be a software update; it will be a highly capable, open-source model that handles massive context windows at a fraction of the cost," he predicted.

But DeepSeek's reputation as a company at the frontier of AI technology is also at stake.

Its models previously relied on Nvidia chips, so a move to collaborate with domestic chipmakers would require "substantial re-engineering", Wei said.

"That transition can slow development cycles and introduce performance trade-offs, especially for V4, a model expected to be state-of-the-art."

- Training vs inference -

The US cites national security concerns as the reason for its export ban on Nvidia's most powerful AI processors to China.

"The ongoing wait for DeepSeek V4 points to friction in scaling advanced models without unrestricted access to top-tier Nvidia hardware," Wu said.

But some reports allege that DeepSeek skirted the ban to train V4 using thousands of Nvidia's top-end Blackwell chips, dismantled in third countries and smuggled to China.

Training AI models requires huge amounts of computing power -- much more than for processing generative AI queries, which is known as inference.

AFP has contacted DeepSeek for comment. Nvidia did not respond to a comment request but told The Information it had not seen evidence of this and "such smuggling seems farfetched".

Another Chinese AI startup, Zhipu, in January unveiled an image generator that it said had been entirely trained on Huawei chips.

And Alibaba said this week it would open a new data centre for AI training and inference in southern China, powered by 10,000 of its own chips and operated by China Telecom.

As for DeepSeek, "if they have successfully trained V4 entirely on Huawei silicon, it signals a material shift in the geopolitical tech landscape", Wu said.

kaf-ll/lkd/lga

A US appeals court on Wednesday denied Anthropic's request to put on hold a move by the Pentagon to label it a supply chain risk, but ordered the AI startup's legal battle with the Department of War to be put on a fast track.

"On one side is relatively contained risk of financial harm to a single private company," the three-member appellate panel here reasoned.

"On the other side is judicial management of how, and through whom, the Department of War secures vital AI technology during an active military conflict."

The ruling stems from the Pentagon designating Anthropic, creator of the Claude AI model, as a national security supply chain risk -- a label typically reserved for organizations from unfriendly foreign countries.

The AI startup sought a stay of the action in appellate court here and also sued the Department of War in federal court in Northern California.

The appellate panel stated in its ruling that requiring the Department of War to prolong its use of Anthropic AI directly or through contractors "strikes us as a substantial judicial imposition on military operations."

However, the appeals court agreed that Anthropic raised "substantial challenges" to the sanctions and ordered that proceedings in the underlying case be expedited.

"We're grateful the court recognized these issues need to be resolved quickly and remain confident the courts will ultimately agree that these supply chain designations were unlawful," an Anthropic spokesperson told AFP.

"While this case was necessary to protect Anthropic, our customers, and our partners, our focus remains on working productively with the government to ensure all Americans benefit from safe, reliable AI."

In the suit filed in San Francisco, federal Judge Rita Lin temporarily froze the sanctions, reasoning that President Donald Trump's administration likely violated the law in blacklisting the AI powerhouse for expressing unease about the Pentagon's use of its technology.

In her ruling, she said the government's designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk was "likely both contrary to law and arbitrary and capricious."

The dispute erupted in February after Anthropic infuriated Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth by insisting its technology should not be used for mass surveillance or fully autonomous weapons systems.

The tech sector has largely supported Anthropic in the wake of the punitive measures.

gc-bl/msp

South Korean K-pop megastars BTS will kick off their world tour on Thursday, riding the momentum of a chart-topping comeback album and a landmark performance in the heart of Seoul.

The seven-member group -- widely regarded as the world's biggest boy band -- took to the stage together for the first time last month following a years-long hiatus prompted by mandatory military service, after releasing their latest studio album "ARIRANG".

The performance, staged on the doorstep of the historic Gyeongbokgung Palace, drew more than 100,000 fans to central Seoul, the group's label said, while its Netflix livestream attracted an estimated 18.4 million viewers worldwide, according to the streaming giant.

Spanning 85 shows in 34 cities worldwide, the highly anticipated tour, kicking off in BTS leader RM's hometown Goyang, is set to be a major money-spinner for BTS, potentially outdoing Taylor Swift's recent Eras Tour, according to analysts.

Their latest album "ARIRANG" is billed as reflecting the maturing boy band's Korean identity. It is named after the traditional Korean folk song about longing and separation, often dubbed South Korea's unofficial national anthem.

Ahead of the tour, the group has moved beyond themes of adolescent pain and internal conflict, entering "a realm of looking more deeply" into themselves, Kim Jeong-seob, the author of "The universe of BTS", told AFP.

BTS -- short for Bulletproof Boy Scouts in Korean -- have already championed UNICEF campaigns, the Black Lives Matter movement and efforts to combat anti-Asian racism.

Describing the tour as the start of a "new chapter", Kim said current global issues -- such as wars and ethnic and religious conflicts -- could be reflected in their work, conveyed in more indirect ways.

Goyang, about 16 kilometres (10 miles) northwest of Seoul, has  already turned into a purple-lit celebration zone ahead of the concert, with landmarks such as Ilsan Lake Park lit up nightly in tribute to BTS and their global fanbase, known as ARMY.

The shows will be held at Goyang Stadium on April 9, 11 and 12, with about 40,000 attendees per night -- around 120,000 in total. 

"ARMYs, there's talk of rain on Thursday, the day of the concert, and now that I'm here at the venue, it feels quite cold!" BTS member Jimin said on Tuesday on their superfan platform, ahead of the concert.

"To all the ARMYs coming to watch, please make sure to dress warmly!!"

- Future of K-culture -

The group's latest album "ARIRANG" — also the name of the tour — has already cemented their comeback success.

They recently became the first K-pop act to top the US Billboard 200 for two consecutive weeks with the album, while its tracks also secured top spots across multiple Spotify charts, including Top Songs Global and Top 50 Global. 

Many K-pop boy bands have faced career downturns after completing mandatory military service, in a fiercely competitive industry where momentum is hard to regain.

But BTS are proving that is not going to be the case for them, said American sociologist Sam Richards, a professor at Pennsylvania State University.

"This is extremely significant for the future of K-culture and the nation of Korea because it means that unprecedented growth in soft power will continue," he told AFP.

Behind BTS's continued dominance is the strength of ARMY, widely known as one of the most organised fan communities in the world.

The group's official community on Weverse has over 34 million members, while their Instagram following is over 80 million.

"The guys built their following through social media and direct fan engagement before the industry fully understood how to do that, particularly with platforms like Twitter and SoundCloud," Jeff Benjamin, Billboard's K-pop columnist, told AFP. 

"ARMY were never made to feel like consumers, but like they were friends and participants in BTS' story, making the group's rise feel personal to millions of people in a way that superstardom doesn't typically resonate."

sjh-cdl/lkd/lga

The world's top golfers are gearing up for a demanding test at Augusta National, where firm, fast conditions await in Thursday's opening round of the 90th Masters.

Longer rolls on the fairways will be countered by difficulty keeping approach shots on Augusta's undulating greens, which promise to be lightning-fast.

"It's about patience like it always is around here," defending champion Rory McIlroy said, adding that if the dry, windy conditions persist "double digits under par would be an amazing (final) score."

Honorary starters Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson tee off at 7:25 a.m. (1125 GMT) to launch the battle for the green jacket, with McIlroy off at 10:31 a.m.

World number one Scottie Scheffler, a four-time major winner and two-time Masters champion, tees off at 1:44 p.m. in the penultimate group.

"I'm excited to get the week going," Scheffler said. "The golf course looks like it's going to get pretty firm and fast, so it should be an exciting tournament.

"Feeling pretty prepared. My prep work is mostly done. Just get out there and start competing."

Two-time major winner Jon Rahm of Spain says players must "embrace it and go out there and play good golf" on the formidable layout under the Georgia pines.

"With how much control they have over the agronomy here they can do whatever they want. Most likely going to go with firm and difficult," Rahm said. 

"It's in such good shape and so healthy they could make it one of those Masters where the winner is six-, seven-under."

Fred Couples, the 1992 Masters champion, sees a shotmaking premium in such conditions.

"It's such a demanding course. You can make a bogey any hole," Couples said.

It won't take much to send shots rolling off target, and that's when the trouble starts.

"When you get out of position around this golf course, that's one of the greatest challenges -- getting the ball back in position and trying to make your par," Scheffler said.

It won't help that breezy conditions are expected for round one, adding to the pressures for the field of 91.

"When it's windy it's all you could want," Couples said. "It's spectacular. The greens are getting faster. That's what you want -- to play as tough as it can."

As 2017 Masters winner Sergio Garcia put it: "This course tests you every single hole. When it's windy the wind switches and it's really tricky."

Sweden's Alex Noren likes the risk versus reward decision-making that Augusta demands.

"It's always a lot of thinking here, but it's even more when it's dry," he said. "It's going to be interesting."

- 'You know what' -

Two-time US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, who edged McIlroy at the 2024 US Open only to lose to him in Sunday's final Masters group last year, wants to build his rivalry with the five-time major winner from Northern Ireland.

"Do I respect him as an individual, 100 percent. Do I want to beat him every time I see him? Absolutely. There's no question about it," DeChambeau said.

"What's so brilliant about the game of golf is that juxtaposition, having that sportsmanlike respect and then wanting to just absolutely beat the living you know what out of him."

McIlroy enjoyed hosting the Masters Champions Dinner, admitting to nerves before his speech.

"I wanted it to be about all of us as a collective group. I wanted to convey how grateful I was to be there," said McIlroy, who admitted putting a dent in the Augusta National wine cellar.

"It put more of a dent in my wallet," McIlroy joked.

js/bb

The Grand National is a radically different challenge than it was when Mick Fitzgerald rode Rough Quest to victory in 1996, but he told AFP you have "to evolve or you die".

The National, raced over four miles and with its 30 daunting fences, is a race that transcends horse racing, attracting once-a-year punters and a large global television audience.

However, there have been a series of modifications in recent years -- a reaction to animal welfare groups' concerns -- the latest in 2024.

These included shortening the run-up to the first fence and modifying several others, including one of the signature obstacles, Becher's Brook.

They also reduced the maximum number of runners from 40 to 34.

"If someone was to say we have to make these changes so the National can last 100 years then so be it," Fitzgerald told AFP by phone on Tuesday.

"One has to evolve or die -- to give a little so one can carry on."

Fitzgerald has bitter experience of how a fall in the National can have an impact.

Having experienced the greatest moment of a hugely successful career in 1996, he suffered serious spinal injuries in the 2008 edition which led to him retiring later that year.

The 55-year-old Irishman compared the changes to anti-smoking regulations, admitting "times have changed".

"It is like smoking," he said. "Back in the day one could smoke in pubs, planes and cinemas.

"If somebody said to you today 'Go ahead, smoke on the plane' you would reply 'You are kidding me'.

"Times have changed, as they have with the National.

"The risk has been reduced, but it was inevitable it would be, as people's attitudes have changed as to what is acceptable."

- 'Reality check' -

Fitzgerald, who also won a Cheltenham Gold Cup and Champion Chase, said the race still retains some of its aura.

"It is still a unique test," he said.

"I am not going to dress it up as still being the greatest race. though it is the greatest steeplechase, but it is not the same test it was 20-30 years ago.

"The fences are obviously not the same, the horses jump them differently.

"Most horses could get round these days whereas in the old days you needed a horse of a certain type to navigate the course."

Minutes after crossing the line on Rough Quest 30 years ago, when asked what it was like to win, Fitzgerald memorably said: "After that... even sex is an anticlimax!"

He still believes the jockey who wins on Saturday will occupy a status apart from his rivals.

"If someone who knows little about racing asks you what you do for a living and you reply 'jockey', they will ask you not about did you win a Gold Cup or a Derby but the Grand National," he said.

"It has a unique fascination for people.

"Absolutely it makes a difference to have that on your CV. Gives you a bit of kudos.

"You have succeeded where some of the legends of the sport fell short -- John Francome, Peter Scudamore and Jonjo O'Neill."

Jockeys will pay their annual visit to a children's hospital in Liverpool on the eve of the National.

"It is a reality check," said Fitzgerald, who is a patron of the hospital.

"It makes one realise galloping round a track does not matter, when you see the parents and their seriously ill children.

"You realise what is really important in life."

pi/jc

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen told Prime Minister Mark Carney on Wednesday that "teamwork is willingness" during an Earth-to-space call celebrating the achievements of the historic lunar journey.

"Willingness is a huge ingredient in a successful team," said the Artemis II crewmember, who added he can't wait to share more images and experiences with the people of Canada upon return. The splashdown is scheduled for Friday.

Hansen is the first non-American to ever fly around the Moon, a journey he took on NASA's Artemis II mission along with American colleagues Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch and Victor Glover.

"Canadians are so proud of what you're doing and the collaboration," Carney said. "I'm thrilled. I'm absolutely thrilled to be speaking with you, Jeremy and the crew. We've all been watching and inspired by what you're doing."

During the event Carney asked Hansen to expand on previous comments on the risks and rewards of space travel -- "You said the other day that this mission is a risk for a good reason, which really struck me."

"You've got lots of young people watching," Carney added. "It's a positive challenge for this generation."

"Risk is necessary -- but calculated risk, well-thought out risk and risk that you balance with others," Hansen responded.

The prime minister also probed Hansen on one burning issue: "A lot of Canadians just wanted one point of reassurance, that the preference is for maple syrup over nutella on your pancakes in the morning."

Carney was referring to a viral image of a jar of nutella floating through the Orion space capsule, and his question had the crew in fits of laughter.

"I'll take that as a yes," Carney said, also extending an invitation to visit Ottawa, the Canadian capital.

"Don't look too closely right now," the prime minister added. "You'll notice that it's still pretty white, but the snow is going to go."

mdo/mjf

New Zealand's self-described "fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo-acapella-rap-funk-comedy-folk duo" Flight of the Conchords sold out their first shows in eight years in minutes this week, sparking a frenzy among fans.

Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement formed the musical comedy act in 1998, soaring to worldwide fame off the back of their HBO comedy series of the same name with tunes including "Business Time" and "Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros".

The duo announced on Tuesday four shows to be held at Wellington venue Meow Nui from next week -- their first gig since 2018.

Tickets went on sale on Wednesday and sold out within half an hour.

The shows will be a warm up for the band as they prepare for the Netflix is a Joke Festival in Los Angeles in May, where they will perform two shows.

McKenzie told state broadcaster RNZ last month that the pair were in "hysterics" trying to remember their own songs.

"We ended up watching ourselves. We have to pull up YouTube clips to remember how to play our songs," McKenzie told RNZ.

"We're like a bad covers band of ourselves."

Many fans had hurt feelings after missing out on tickets for the Hiphopopotamus and Rhymenoceros' Wellington shows.

One posted on popular Wellington Facebook page Vic Deals saying they were "not above selling an organ or two" in order to get tickets.

Another person offered to "sell a limb", and several people are considering heading to the venue anyway.

"We should all band together and just have a massive listening party outside the venue".

It will be business time for the Flight of the Conchords when their first show begins next Thursday.

bes/oho/tc

Daniil Medvedev slipped to an embarrassing 6-0, 6-0 thrashing by Matteo Berrettini in the Monte Carlo Masters second round on Wednesday, as Alexander Zverev dug deep to beat Cristian Garin.

Medvedev completely unravelled against Berrettini after missing two break points in the opening game, making 30 unforced errors and serving five double faults.

Medvedev did not win more than two points in any of the last 11 games and his frustrations boiled over in the second set, smashing his racquet into the court four times.

Berrettini wrapped up the double-bagel victory, the first such defeat of former world number one Medvedev's career, in just 49 minutes.

"I think it was one of the best performances of my life," Berrettini said.

"I think I missed three shots in the entire match and it is not easy against a tricky player like Daniil. I think the game plan was perfect and my weapons were working."

The former Wimbledon runner-up, now ranked 90th, will face Joao Fonseca in the last 16 after the Brazilian teenager beat Arthur Rinderknech 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.

World number three Zverev, who is hoping to complete the set of all three clay-court Masters 1000 titles this week, staged a late comeback to edge out Chilean qualifier Garin 4-6, 6-4, 7-5.

Zverev has reached the semi-finals at each of the Australian Open, Indian Wells and the Miami Open this year but was in danger of a shock exit after losing the first set and then trailing 4-0 in the third.

Garin also served for the match when 5-3 ahead in the deciding set, but Zverev broke and then sealed victory as he reeled off five consecutive games.

He had to stave off three break points in a nervy 12th game to avoid a tie-break, but eventually got the job done on his third match point.

"My level was not there at all to be honest," Zverev said after taking two hours and 50 minutes to get over the line.

"But it was my first clay-court match in 11 months. I didn't have much time to prepare as I played well in Miami.

"I am happy to get the win. It was a tough match and he is someone playing well, especially here."

The 28-year-old will face unseeded Belgian Zizou Bergs, who downed 2023 champion Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-1, in round three.

Zverev has not won an ATP title since Munich 12 months ago, while the last of his seven Masters triumphs came in Paris in 2024.

- Musetti sent packing -

Fourth seed Lorenzo Musetti slumped to a 7-6 (8/6), 7-5 defeat by Monaco's Valentin Vacherot in just his second match since retiring from his Australian Open quarter-final in January with an upper leg injury.

Musetti lost on his return at Indian Wells last month and then withdrew from Miami with an arm issue.

He finished runner-up in Monte Carlo last year to Carlos Alcaraz and reached the last four at Roland Garros, Madrid and Rome, but suffered an early exit to start this season's European clay swing.

Sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime advanced past Marin Cilic in straight sets, while 2024 finalist Casper Ruud got the better of tricky Frenchman Corentin Moutet.

Czech 11th seed Jiri Lehecka came from a set down to beat Chile's Alejandro Tabilo, but two other seeds, Flavio Cobolli and Francisco Cerundolo, both lost.

aco/jc-mw/nf