Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.
Soccer-Dortmund’s title hopes all but dead after 4-1 loss to Leipzig
RB Leipzig’s Konrad Laimer scored twice and set up a third goal for a stunning 4-1 victory at second-placed Borussia Dortmund on Saturday that all but killed off the hosts’ slim title hopes. The result left Dortmund nine points behind leaders Bayern Munich, 4-1 winners at Freiburg, with six games remaining.
Basketball-Argentine Ginobili headlines Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022
Argentine Manu Ginobili, one of the most decorated international players in basketball history, headlined the Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022 that was announced on Saturday. Ginobili won four National Basketball Association titles during a 16-season run with the San Antonio Spurs and an Olympic gold medal.
Motorcycling-Espargaro claims maiden pole for Aprilia at Argentine GP
Aleix Espargaro claimed a first MotoGP pole for Aprilia as the Spaniard held off a late charge from Pramac Ducati’s Jorge Martin to earn top spot in qualifying at the Argentine Grand Prix on Saturday. The two were joined on the front row at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit by Luca Marini of VR46, the team owned by former world champion Valentino Rossi.
Cricket-Healy routs England, Australia set 357 for victory
Opener Alyssa Healy bludgeoned England’s bowlers in a furious 170 as Australia set a mammoth victory target of 357 in the Women’s World Cup final in Christchurch on Sunday. Four days after smashing 129 in the semi-final against West Indies, wicketkeeper-batter Healy blasted 26 fours in a belligerent 138-ball knock at Hagley Oval as six-times champions Australia finished on 356 for five after England won the toss and elected to field.
Tennis-Swiatek demolishes Osaka in Miami final, completes ‘Sunshine Double’
Poland’s Iga Swiatek will take over the world number one ranking in style as she kept her remarkable winning run intact with a 6-4 6-0 win over Japan’s Naomi Osaka in the Miami Open final on Saturday. The Polish second seed, who will take over the world number one ranking next week, did not drop a set in Miami and has now won 17 consecutive matches dating back to her championship run at the Qatar Open in February.
Tennis-Osaka falls short in Miami but finds comfort in loss
Naomi Osaka was certainly disappointed on Saturday after falling in straight sets to Iga Swiatek in the Miami Open final, but the four-time Grand Slam champion said she may leave Florida with something more valuable than the winner’s trophy. Osaka only dropped one set en route to the final, where her impressive run came to an abrupt end as she fell 6-4 6-0, but the 24-year-old Japanese player said she learned a valuable lesson while falling short.
Soccer-Australian leagues sign deal to combat online abuse
Football clubs in Australia will use artificial intelligence to combat online abuse after the A-Leagues and Professional Footballers Australia signed a partnership with safeguarding platform GoBubble. Under the initiative, all social media channels across the entire league including those belonging to individual players will be shielded from offensive language using GoBubble’s technology.
Tennis-Winning streak keeps Miami Open champion Swiatek high on confidence
Poland’s Iga Swiatek said she has gained more confidence by keeping her remarkable winning run intact after defeating Naomi Osaka in the Miami Open final on Saturday. Swiatek, who will be the new world number one on Monday, beat four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka 6-4 6-0.
NHL roundup: Knights solidify wild-card position with win over Kraken
Jack Eichel had his first multi-goal game with Vegas, tallying twice, as the Golden Knights defeated the host Seattle Kraken 5-2 on Friday night. Logan Thompson’s bid for a second straight shutout was thwarted at 10:44 of the third period as Seattle’s Alex Wennberg took a drop pass from Jared McCann and beat the screened goaltender from the slot. Thompson made 26 saves.
Soccer-Man City stay ahead of Liverpool, Brentford stun Chelsea
Manchester City maintained their slim advantage at the top of the Premier League with a routine 2-0 win at Burnley on Saturday as Liverpool eased past Watford 2-0 to keep their title ambitions very much alive. Brentford pulled off a stunning 4-1 victory at Chelsea with Christian Eriksen among the scorers and Manchester United were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw by Leicester City at Old Trafford.
(With inputs from agencies.)