Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.
Tennis-Medvedev grinds down Shapovalov in Cincinnati
World number one Daniil Medvedev wore down Denis Shapovalov 7-5 7-5 to reach the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Open on Thursday ahead of his U.S. Open title defence. The Russian top seed was joined in the last eight by Stefanos Tsitsipas, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Borna Coric but his compatriot Andrey Rublev, the sixth seed, was ousted by Taylor Fritz.
Tennis-Medvedev not against off-court coaching but sees little impact
World number one Daniil Medvedev is not against the ATP Tour’s trial of off-court coaching but the Russian said on Thursday he does not see it having much of an impact. The trial, which began last month, allows an individual to coach a player both verbally and non-verbally from a designated seat provided that it does not interrupt play or hinder an opponent.
U.S. college sports league Big Ten strikes multi-year TV deals
College sports league The Big Ten Conference said on Wednesday it has struck multi-year television rights deals for its football, basketball and other intercollegiate games. The agreements with CBS, FOX, NBC and NBCUniversal’s Peacock give The Big Ten, which includes football powerhouses Ohio State and the University of Michigan, a solid lead in the race to capitalize on the surging interest in collegiate football.
Tennis-‘Relieved’ Raducanu back swinging freely ahead of U.S. Open defence
Emma Raducanu will head into her U.S. Open title defence in just over a week relieved that she is swinging freely again and playing the same brand of attacking tennis that took her to a maiden Grand Slam title last year. The 19-year-old put in ruthless performances at the Cincinnati Open to beat former major winners Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka before exiting the tournament with a loss to world number eight Jessica Pegula.
NFL – Browns’ Watson to serve an 11-game suspension
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will be suspended 11 games without pay and fined $5 million for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy, the league said on Thursday, a harsher punishment than the six-game ban previously recommended. An independent disciplinary officer found this month that Watson had violated league policy in “various ways”. It decided he should be suspended six games but did not hand him a fine.
Tennis-Swiatek, Raducanu, Kontaveit ousted in Cincinnati
World number one Iga Swiatek and reigning U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu were both knocked out of the Cincinnati Open on Thursday, while second seed Anett Kontaveit also had her preparations for Flushing Meadows cut short in the round of 16. Raducanu had beaten former Grand Slam champions Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka in the previous two rounds but was brought down to earth with a bump in a 7-5 6-4 defeat by Jessica Pegula, the highest-ranked American at eighth in the world.
Athletics-Briton Asher-Smith calls for more research into how periods affect performance
Dina Asher-Smith has called for more funding for studies on how a woman’s period can affect athletic performance after the British sprinter pulled up with a cramp during her 100 metres title defence at the European Championships in Munich. Asher-Smith pulled up midway through Tuesday’s race with a a cramp in her calf and finished last. The 26-year-old returned to action later in the week to qualify for Friday’s 200m final.
Basketball-MVP candidate Wilson gunning to become WNBA’s ‘unguardable’ threat
The Las Vegas Aces’ defensive force of nature A’ja Wilson said on Thursday that a brand-new mindset helped her to the best season of her career, as she rolls through the WNBA playoffs a leading candidate in the MVP race. Averaging 19.5 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game in the regular season, the 2020 MVP is gunning to bring home a maiden WNBA title for the Ace, after focusing on a singular personal goal – becoming “unguardable”.
Boxing-Usyk the favourite ahead of Joshua rematch
Ukraine’s defending champion Oleksandr Usyk is attracting the money ahead of his “Rage on the Red Sea” heavyweight world title rematch with Britain’s Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia on Saturday. British bookmaker William Hill had Usyk as the 4/7 favourite, with 80% of customers backing the Ukrainian to win by knockout or stoppage. Joshua was down as a 13/8 underdog, with a draw at 16/1.
MLB roundup: Braves complete series win over Mets
Michael Harris II drove in the go-ahead run with a seeing-eye double in the seventh inning to send the Atlanta Braves to a 3-2 win over the visiting New York Mets on Thursday. The victory gave the Braves a 3-1 series win and cut the Mets’ lead in the National League East to 3 1/2 games. It is the first time the Mets have lost a series to a division opponent this season.
(With inputs from agencies.)