Latest - Serena Williams has been included on the entry list for the U.S. Open along with fellow former champion Novak Djokovic, who will not be able to compete due to his refusal to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Serena Williams Photo: ©Icon Sportswire (A Division of XML Team Solutions) All Rights Reserved
Williams, who returned to competition last month after a year-long absence, was added to the entry list for the Grand Slam in New York at the end of the month having been named in the draw for tune-up events in Toronto and Cincinnati.
The 23-times Grand Slam champion fell in the first round at Wimbledon and last appeared in the U.S. Open in 2020 when the six-time winner reached the semi-finals.
Eligible players are automatically entered into the main draw but that does little to help Djokovic, who retained his Wimbledon crown last month and is one back of Rafa Nadal's record of 22 Grand Slam titles.
Djokovic will not be able to participate in the year's final Grand Slam due to current rules under which travellers seeking to enter the United States have to be fully vaccinated and provide proof before boarding flights.
Almost 12,000 people have signed an online petition calling for the USTA to work with the country's government to allow Djokovic to compete in the U.S. Open despite his refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine.
Djokovic has said he was prepared to miss Grand Slam tournaments rather than take the COVID-19 vaccine.
-Reuters
Pakistan achieve run chase
Abdullah Shafique struck 160 not out in a fourth innings masterclass to help Pakistan pull off a stunning chase and register a four-wicket victory against Sri Lanka in the opening test in Galle.
The tourists began an intriguing final day needing 120 runs with seven wickets in hand to go 1-0 ahead in the two-test series.
Pakistan went on to accomplish their second highest successful chase of 342 riding Shafique's career-best knock, which included seven fours and a six.
Pakistan also jumped ahead of Sri Lanka in the World Test Championship standings with only South Africa (71.43%) and Australia (70%) above them.
The teams stay put in Galle for the second test beginning on Sunday.
-Reuters
IPL buys up South African league
Indian Premier League team owners have bought all six franchises of South Africa's new domestic T20 league, underlining IPL's expanding global footprint.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Reliance Industries Limited, which owns IPL's most successful team Mumbai Indians, bought the Newlands franchise of the league which is scheduled to get underway in January next year.
The owners of IPL heavyweight Chennai Super Kings purchased the Johannesburg franchise while JSW Sports, which owns Delhi Capitals, bagged Pretoria.
The owners of IPL's Lucknow Super Giants, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals successfully bid for the Durban, Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) and Paarl franchises respectively.
Three IPL franchise owners - of Kolkata, Rajasthan and Punjab - also own teams in the Caribbean Premier League.
The Kolkata franchise is also involved in the franchise-based Major League Cricket in the United States.
IPL's media rights for the next five years sold for a staggering $10 billion last month.
-Reuters
No change on Tour
Tadej Pogacar claimed victory in the 17th stage of the Tour de France but it was Jonas Vingegaard who came a step closer to the title as he finished on the defending champion's wheel to retain the overall leader's yellow jersey.
Pogacar's late acceleration at the top of the final climb, a 8-km effort at 7.8%, earned him his third win in this year's Tour and gave him a 10-second time bonus.
Vingegaard, however, picked up six seconds with his second place, meaning he still leads the Slovenian by a comfortable two minutes and 18 seconds going into Thursday final mountain stage, a gruelling Pyrenean trek to Hautacam.
There are 4 stages remaining.
-Reuters
Stenson moves to LIV
Henrik Stenson has been removed as Europe's Ryder Cup captain with immediate effect.
Henrik Stenson at the Open Championship. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The 46-year-old Swede has signed up for the new controversial Saudi-backed breakaway LIV Golf Series.
And, after discussions with Ryder Cup Europe officials, the decision was made to replace him as captain.
Meanwhile LIV Golf has announced 45 players for their next 48-man tournament - with three more top players to be named in the coming days.
It comes after reports that Stenson and former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama are set to join the controversial series.
The third event of the series, the LIV Golf Invitational Bedminster, will run from 29-31 July at Trump National Golf Club in New Jersey.
Speaking after winning The Open on Sunday, Cameron Smith did not rule out joining LIV Golf.
-BBC
Home nations to combine in sevens
England, Scotland and Wales will field joint men's and women's Britain teams from the 2022-23 World Rugby Sevens Series with a view toward improving their Olympic prospects, their respective governing bodies said.
Rugby sevens made its Olympic debut in Rio in 2016 and returned in Tokyo last year, with Britain's men's team winning silver in the inaugural edition, while the women's team finished fourth on both occasions.
The bodies added that the move has been ratified and mandated by World Rugby.
The men's 2022-23 series begins with a round of fixtures in Hong Kong between Nov. 4-6, while the women's series kicks off in Dubai in December.
-Reuters
Olympic payments to be investigated
Tokyo prosecutors are investigating payments from clothing retailer AOKI Holdings, an Olympic sponsor firm, to a company run by a former board member of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee.
The Yomiuri daily said the investigation is looking at whether payments of more than half a million dollars between 2017 and 2021 to a company run by Haruyuki Takahashi violated a law that prohibits public servants from taking money in relation to their positions.
Board members of the organising committee were considered as quasi-public servants.
However, Takahashi was quoted by the Nikkei business daily saying his company received fees for providing sports-related consulting to AOKI. As a member of the board, he was not involved in matters that concerned anyone's financial interests, including the sale of official licensed products, he told the newspaper.
The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office said it would not comment on an individual case.
-Reuters
Footballer off to Love Island
Football clubs are used to their pre-season preparations being disrupted when players switch teams in the transfer market, but English club Halifax Town are having to cope with an unusual departure -- their forward leaving to join the cast of dating reality show "Love Island".
Jamie Allen, who plays internationally for Montserrat, is heading to Spain to join the cast of the British show for the final days of the latest series.
Allen, who recently signed a contract extension with the National League (fifth tier) club, was announced today as one of four new "bombshells" to join the show.
His club seemed less impressed, however.
"The matter will be reviewed on his return," the Yorkshire club said in a statement on Twitter.
-Reuters
