Stunning plot twists and drama aplenty

The GIST: Just one week into the prestigious Indian Wells Open hosted in California and every Canadian singles player has already been ousted from the tournament. So much for serving.

Auger-Aliassime vs. Alcaraz: World No. 31 Félix Auger-Aliassime was the final Canuck in contention but fell in straight sets to world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz yesterday, suffering a third-round exit.

• Ever since Auger-Aliassime’s early exit at the Australian Open in January, the 23-year-old hasn’t been able to find his footing on the hard court, an alarming trend in Canadian tennis so far this season.

Zooming out: The Canadians have enjoyed recent success with a 2022 Davis Cup title and 2023 Billie Jean King Cup victory, but injuries and inconsistencies have plagued the red and white, which begs the question: How will they break out of this slump before the difficult clay court season? Only time will tell.

Another Fredrik Backman book, another empty box of tissues. Us Against You is the gut-wrenching sequel to Beartown that follows a hockey community grappling with grief, anger, and violence in the aftermath of a tragedy.

We enjoyed Us Against You for all the reasons we loved the first book: beautiful writing, compelling personalities, and a roller coaster of emotions. Backman tackles dark themes with endless compassion, and the political sub-plot felt extra poignant with the upcoming election.

Though we would happily read a thousand more pages with these characters, nothing will ever compare to our first stay in Beartown.

• We’re giving this title four bang-bang-bang-bangs (if you know, you know) out of five.

March’s book club pick is Sidelined: Sports, Culture, and Being a Woman in America by Julie DiCaro. Read along on Fable, and join our book club list to stay up-to-date.

🎓🏀 NCAA women's basketball: Georgetown vs. No. 9 UConn — Tonight at 7 p.m. ET

• The Huskies have (unsurprisingly) rolled through Big East tournament play as they seek a fourth straight conference title, but they’ll still be hoping for the return of standout senior Aaliyah Edwards, who missed yesterday’s semi with a nose injury.

🏒 NHL: Washington Capitals vs. Winnipeg Jets — Tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET — Sportsnet Regional

• The new-look Central Division–contending Jets are primed to keep on flying when they host the middling Caps. Ready for takeoff.

🏀 NBA: Toronto Raptors vs. Denver Nuggets — Tonight at 9 p.m. ET — Sportsnet One

• Still hampered by injuries, the Raps have lost three straight, and it’ll sure be tough to snap the skid against Canada’s own Jamal Murray and the defending champion Nuggets. Time to bring their “eh” game.

Finding and funding tomorrow’s Olympic stars is RBC Training Ground’s game. Their free, open tryout-style qualifying events give underrepresented populations a shot at sports they may not have had access to growing up, all while building a supportive community.

• RBC Olympian and Team Canada boxer Tammara Thibeault said, “I come from an individual sport and spend a lot of time alone…It’s really cool to see people come together and compete against each other, but in a really healthy way.”

Think you could join one of the 13 Olympians who came up through RBC Training Ground? Find a free qualifying event near you and bring your best stuff — you could be on your way to Olympic glory before you know it.