Reuters Sports News Summary

09/09/2016 0:59

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Castro leads by one at weather-hit BMW

Roberto Castro upstaged some of the biggest names in golf to take a one-shot lead at the rain-hit BMW Championship on Thursday with a seven-under-par 65, while defending champ Jason Day ended the day eight strokes back after a six bogey 73. FedEx Cup points leader Patrick Reed managed a respectable two-under 70 while Rory McIlroy, winner of the Deutsche Bank Championship on Monday, was three-under after 10 holes.

Rested Djokovic big favorite against Monfils

World number one Novak Djokovic, the only member of the so-called "Big Four" to reach Friday's semi-finals of the U.S. Open, also has the distinction of being the least tested of the last four at Flushing Meadows. Serbian top seed Djokovic goes against 10th-seeded Frenchman Gael Monfils, while number three Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland takes on sixth seed Kei Nishikori of Japan to set up the men's final at the year's last, and rather unusual, grand slam.

Denver Broncos' Marshall kneels in protest during national anthem

Denver Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall became the latest athlete to kneel during the U.S. national anthem in protest for social justice before his team's game versus the Carolina Panthers on Thursday. Marshall's action during "The Star Spangled Banner" follows a series of similar protests by other athletes, led by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who did not stand for the song before his NFL team's last two pre-season games to protest against racial injustice and police brutality.

Liberty takeover offers a longer-term vision for F1

Liberty Media's takeover of Formula One promises a long-term strategy for the cash-rich sport with a sharper focus on new media markets and another attempt to expand in North America. The deal, valued at $8 billion including debt, gives an American media and telecoms business effective control of a sport rather than the more customary situation of such companies paying up to buy rights to screen live events.

Clijsters, Roddick headline Hall of Fame nominations

Former world number one players Kim Clijsters and Andy Roddick headlined the list of nominees up for induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The Class of 2017 will be announced early next year, the Newport, Rhode Island-based Hall of Fame said on Thursday.

Lochte banned for 10 months by USOC

American swimmer Ryan Lochte has been suspended for 10 months and will miss next year's world championships for his part in a scandal involving the U.S. athlete and three other swimmers at the Rio Olympics, the United States Olympic Committee said on Thursday. Lochte, who won gold in the 4x200 meters freestyle relay in Rio, will also forfeit bonus money from the Games, monthly funding he receives from USOC and USA Swimming and will not be allowed access to USOC training centers.

Serena stunned by Pliskova in U.S. Open semis

For the second straight year Serena Williams saw her bid for a seventh U.S. Open title halted in the semi-finals with a 6-2 7-6(5) loss to Karolina Pliskova on Thursday that also ended her long reign as world number one. A year ago Williams went into the semi-finals on the cusp of a rare calendar-year grand slam but was the victim of one of the biggest upsets in tennis history when Roberta Vinci, a 300-to-1 longshot, prevailed.

Kerber celebrates number one by reaching U.S. Open final

Reaching top of the world seems to agree with Angelique Kerber, who celebrated her ascension to the number one ranking with a 6-4 6-3 win over Caroline Wozniacki on Thursday to advance to Saturday's U.S. Open final. The German left-hander was assured of becoming number one when the new rankings come out on Monday after top-seeded American Serena Williams was defeated by Czech 10th seed Karolina Pliskova 6-2 7-6(5) in the earlier semi-final.

Pacquiao made retirement U-turn to continue his 'journey'

While Manny Pacquiao's political career became a priority after he announced his "retirement" from the ring in April, he says the lure of continuing his journey in boxing ultimately led to his comeback. Seven months after defeating American Timothy Bradley in Las Vegas in his much trumpeted farewell to the sport, the Filipino southpaw will return to the same city in November to challenge World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Jessie Vargas.

Rio police seek charges against 10 in ticket scalping ring

Brazilian police recommended on Thursday that 10 people be charged in a ticket-touting ring uncovered at the Rio Games, including the man who until recently was Europe's top Olympic official. They also said they hope International Olympic Committee head Thomas Bach will provide witness testimony in the case, although they added that he is not a suspect.

09/09/2016 0:59