Reuters Sports News Summary

09/05/2016 12:55

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Kerber reaches U.S. Open quarters, closes in on No.1 slot

Angelique Kerber won a battle of grand slam champions when the second seed powered her way into the quarter-finals of the U.S. Open on Sunday with a 6-3 7-5 win over Petra Kvitova. By reaching the last eight Kerber has put herself in position to end Serena Williams' long reign as world number one.

Djokovic shakes rust with romp into quarters

Top seed Novak Djokovic, starved for competitive action, feasted against unseeded Briton Kyle Edmund, gobbling up a large serving of points in a 6-2 6-1 6-4 romp on Sunday that put him into the U.S. Open quarter-finals. Djokovic had a second-round walkover as Czech Jiri Vesely withdrew due to injury, and was leading 4-2 in his third-round match when Russian Mikhail Youzhny retired with a leg ailment making it six days since his last full match.

France's Pouille upsets Nadal to reach quarters

Young Frenchman Lucas Pouille scored a stunning, five-set upset over 14-times grand slam singles champion Rafa Nadal, winning a climactic tiebreak 8-6 to reach the U.S. Open quarter-finals on Sunday. Displaying poise beyond his years, the 22-year-old Pouille took charge early and led two sets to one, then rebounded after sagging in the fourth set to win 6-1 2-6 6-4 3-6 7-6(6) in a four-hour struggle against the fourth seed.

Cycling: Drucker edges to stage victory, Quintana keeps gap with Froome

Jean-Pierre Drucker of Luxembourg sprinted his way to victory in stage 16 of the Tour of Spain with a perfectly timed finish, overtaking Daniele Bennati and Gianni Meersman in the final stretch of the 156.4 km flat stage from Alcaniz to Peniscola. There was no change at the top in the general classification, with Nairo Quintana maintaining his 3:37 lead over Tour de France champion Chris Froome by finishing with the Briton.

Obama says Kaepernick exercising constitutional right to make a point

U.S. President Barack Obama said on Monday that San Francisco 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick was exercising his constitutional right by not standing during the national anthem, although it might be a "tough thing" to stomach for people in the military or law enforcement. Kaepernick sparked controversy last month when he remained seated through the traditional rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" before a preseason game, and has continued with what he says is a protest against racial injustice and police brutality. Many Americans have denounced the gesture as a sign of disrespect to the flag, although he has drawn support from some people, including some fellow players.

Athletics: Spain's Hortelano taken to hospital after car crash

Spanish athlete Bruno Hortelano has suffered a serious hand injury in a car accident in Madrid and undergone an operation, his agent said on Monday. Hortelano holds the Spanish record for the 100 meters and 200 meters and won the 200 meter Gold medal at the European Championships in Amsterdam in July.

Keys locked out of U.S. Open quarters by Wozniacki

There was no great escape this time for Madison Keys as a resurgent Caroline Wozniacki locked the eighth seeded American out of the U.S. Open quarter-finals with a tidy 6-3 6-4 win on Sunday. Wozniacki, a U.S. Open finalist in 2009 and 2014 but unseeded this year after being sidelined for two months by an ankle injury, dominated from the start and wrapped up victory in a speedy 78 minutes on a sun-splashed Arthur Ashe Stadium court.

Casey closes in on Deutsche Bank win

By relinquishing his European Tour card to focus on the U.S. circuit Paul Casey gave up any chance of making this month's Ryder Cup team, but the Briton will feel that decision has been vindicated if he wins the Deutsche Bank Championship on Monday. Briton Casey made his home in the U.S. several years ago and lives in Arizona with his second wife Pollyanna and young son Lex. He gave up his European card for 2015, having been a member since 2001, as he felt he was spreading himself too thin trying to play both tours.

Williams sisters on collision course at U.S. Open

Serena and Venus Williams, the sisters with 29 grand slams and a stack of records between them, will try to maintain a collision course at the U.S. Open on Monday when they play their fourth-round matches. World number one and defending champion Serena, trying to break the record of 22 grand slam titles she shares with Steffi Graf, plays number 52 Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan.

Motor racing: Stroll emerges as a Williams contender

Canadian teenager Lance Stroll has emerged as a frontrunner to replace Felipe Massa at the Williams Formula One team next season after the Brazilian announced his retirement last week. Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 world champion who was the last Canadian to race for the British-based team, told Reuters at Monza that he believed the deal was all but done for the 17-year-old.

09/05/2016 12:55