Reuters Sports News Summary

08/27/2016 12:55

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Rosberg on pole for Belgian Grand Prix

Nico Rosberg seized pole position for Sunday's Belgian Formula One Grand Prix with a lap that was only just fast enough to guarantee him top spot at the end of a close-run qualifying session. The Mercedes driver lapped the 7-kilometer long Spa-Francorchamps circuit in one minute 46.744 seconds but had a battle on his hands, with Red Bull's Max Verstappen in hot pursuit, just 0.149 seconds behind.

Radwanska crushes Kvitova to ease into Connecticut final

Top seed Agnieszka Radwanska put on a dominant performance against double defending champion Petra Kvitova to ease into the final of the Connecticut Open with a 6-1 6-1 triumph on Friday.

Kvitova, who also won the event in 2012, was looking to join Venus Williams and Caroline Wozniacki as four-time winners of the tournament but the sixth-seeded Czech was completely overwhelmed by the Polish world number four.

Brazil court frees Ireland's Mallon arrested in Rio Olympic ticket scam

A Brazilian court said on Saturday it has authorized the release of Ireland's Kevin James Mallon, a director of international sports hospitality company THG who was arrested on Aug. 5 for the alleged illegal scalping of Olympic tickets. Mallon was being held along with the former head of the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) Patrick Hickey, who is still detained in a Rio prison.

Bautista Agut battles past Troicki

Roberto Bautista Agut will meet fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta in Winston-Salem Open final after he outplayed Serbian Viktor Troicki 7-5 6-7(2) 6-2 in a dramatic semi-final that lasted more than two hours in steamy afternoon heat. Bautista Agut appeared to be cruising after taking the first set and racing to 5-0 in the second.

NFL's 49ers support quarterback after he refused to stand for anthem

National League quarterback Colin Kaepernick of San Francisco 49ers refused to stand for the national anthem before a preseason game on Friday, drawing boos from some fans and criticism on social media, but his team said it backed his right to protest. Kaepernick, a former starter who led San Francisco to the 2013 Super Bowl but has since been demoted to backup, said he sat on the bench during the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" to make a statement about racial injustice in the United States.

Challenging early foes for Djokovic, Williams

Top seeds Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams face challenging early tests at the U.S. Open following Friday's draws for the year's last grand slam starting on Monday. Djokovic, who has been bothered by a wrist injury, faces towering Jerzy Janowicz of Poland in his opening match at Flushing Meadows, and is likely to meet 48th-ranked Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic in the second round.

Quintana grabs red jersey after Lagutin wins stage eight

Sergey Lagutin from Uzbekistan won stage eight of the Tour of Spain on Saturday while Colombian Nairo Quintana became the new overall leader, wresting the red jersey from compatriot Darwin Atapuma. Team Katusha rider Lagutin attacked in the final 200 meters of the flat stage from Villalpando to La Camperona to claim his first ever stage win in a Grand Tour, finishing 10 seconds ahead of Frenchman Axel Domont.

Jutanugarn grabs lead, eyes fifth title of the year

Thailand's Ariya Jutanugarn set her sights on a fifth victory this year as she moved to a three-stroke lead after the second round of the Canadian Women's Open on Friday. Jutanugarn completed the final two holes of her delayed first round in the morning, where she finished at four-under-par, then fired a bogey-free eight-under-par 64 in the second round to move to 12-under and take command. South Korea's Chun In-Gee (67) and Northern Ireland's Stephanie Meadow (69) trail her at nine-under.

Athletics: Kenya arrests three officials over Rio mismanagement

Kenya has arrested three top members of its Olympic committee, a Reuters witness said, after mismanagement of the contingent nearly derailed the country's participation in the Rio Games. The east African nation notched up its biggest ever haul of medals in Brazil but doping and organizational challenges had plagued its preparations in the run-up to the event.

Murray keen to win another grand slam before turning 30

With a second Wimbledon title in the bag, a second gold medal in his pocket and his biggest rival struggling with injury, Andy Murray believes he has a golden chance to add to his three grand slam titles. The second-ranked Scot, who has lost just twice since early May, is favored by some to dethrone an ailing Novak Djokovic next week and win a second U.S. Open title, though the Serbian top seed remains the favorite with bookmakers.

08/27/2016 12:55