Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.
Tennis-Osaka cruises past Kerber to reach third round in Miami
Naomi Osaka beat Angelique Kerber 6-2 6-3 on Thursday in a one-sided clash of two former world number ones to reach the third round of the Miami Open, where Garbine Muguruza and Simona Halep withdrew with injuries. Four-times Grand Slam champion Osaka made a strong start against German 13th seed Kerber, grabbing an early break to go 2-0 up and dominating on serve in a 29-minute opening set.
Tennis-Thiem to return at claycourt Challenger event in Spain
Former U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem said he will make his return from a wrist injury at the ATP Challenger Tour claycourt event in Marbella, Spain which begins on Sunday. Thiem has not played since suffering the injury at the 2021 Mallorca Open and the 28-year-old, who has slipped to 50th in the world rankings, was unable to defend his U.S. Open crown last year.
Soccer-Ten-man Canada fail to clinch World Cup spot with loss to Costa Rica
Battling Costa Rica edged 10-man Canada 1-0 on Thursday to deny the North Americans their first chance to clinch a spot in the 2022 World Cup finals. Canada arrived in San Jose unbeaten in the final round of CONCACAF qualifying and looking to secure a berth in their first World Cup finals since 1986.
Golf-Barty has the talent to be Australian amateur champion, says Webb
Hall of Famer Karrie Webb says newly retired tennis player Ash Barty has the talent to be amateur golf champion of Australia one day, even if she doubts her fellow Queenslander would want to join the professional circuit. Barty, who stunned Australia by retiring as world number one at the age of 25 on Wednesday, enjoys her golf and was women’s champion at the Brookwater Golf Club during a furlough from tennis amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Figure skating – Americans Knierim and Frazier win pairs world title
Americans Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier performed a flawless free program to win the pair’s title at the figure skating world championships on Thursday. The duo finished sixth at last month’s Olympics but in the absence of the Russian and Chinese pairs, Knierim and Fraizier were clear favorites and they delivered.
Arizona, Oklahoma legislatures pass transgender sports bans
Arizona, Oklahoma, and Kentucky passed bills on Thursday that would ban transgender youth from participating in girls’ sports, the latest in a flurry of state legislation by Republicans on a heated election-year issue. In addition to the Republican-sponsored “Save Women’s Sports Act”, Arizona lawmakers passed legislation that would prohibit physicians from providing gender-affirming surgery to minors. Both bills are now headed to the desk of Governor Doug Ducey, also a Republican. Arizona passed a third bill, which would ban abortions after 15 weeks of gestation.
Tennis – Barty retirement a sign of the times, say sports industry experts
Ash Barty’s retirement from tennis is symptomatic of how the new generation of players view their careers and sport must rise to the challenge of ensuring a healthier overall environment to retain its top talent, industry experts have told Reuters. The Australian world number one announced her decision to retire on Wednesday. She said she had achieved everything she set out to and cited fatigue with life on the Tour.
Soccer – Portugal must respect North Macedonia as much as Italy, coach says
Portugal coach Fernando Santos said he warned many times that North Macedonia could shock Italy and he was proved right when they won their World Cup qualifying playoff semi-final 1-0 in Palermo on Thursday. North Macedonia will play the Portuguese in Porto on Tuesday after Portugal beat Turkey 3-1, with the winners advancing to this year’s World Cup in Qatar.
NYC Mayor Adams lifts vaccine mandate for pro athletes, performers
New York Mayor Eric Adams said on Thursday he was lifting the city’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for professional athletes and performers, allowing unvaccinated Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving to play at home and lifting a cloud ahead of Major League Baseball’s opening day. Adams said he signed an order exempting New York City-based athletes and performers from the city’s private employer vaccine mandate imposed by former Mayor Bill de Blasio. That mandate requires private-sector workers to show proof of vaccination.
(With inputs from agencies.)