Reuters Sports News Summary

09/05/2016 19:53

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Shorten men's matches, says former Player Council head

Tennis must consider shortening matches in a bid to engage with a younger fanbase and avoid losing television viewers, according to former ATP Player Council president and doubles specialist Eric Butorac. The 35-year-old American, who was succeeded by world number one Novak Djokovic as president, said speed of play is high on the agenda for the new board, which also includes two-time reigning Olympic champion Andy Murray of Britain.

McIlroy overhauls Casey to triumph in Boston

Rory McIlroy ended a 16-month title drought on the PGA Tour with a brilliant last-day charge as he won the Deutsche Bank Championship by two shots on Monday in Norton, Massachusetts. A distant six strokes behind overnight leader Paul Casey heading into the final round at the TPC Boston, McIlroy fired a sparkling six-under-par 65 in blustery conditions to post a 15-under total of 269.

Del Potro into U.S. Open quarters after Thiem retires

Juan Martin del Potro's summer renaissance continued on Monday as the unseeded Argentine advanced into the U.S. Open quarter-finals when Austrian eighth seed Dominic Thiem quit their match with an injury. Del Potro, the 2009 U.S. Open winner, whose career has been interrupted by a string of wrist surgeries and needed a wild card to get into the year's last grand slam, has made the most of his opportunity by reaching the last eight without dropping a set.

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.

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 defends Kaepernick's right to protest even if message obscured

U.S. President Barack Obama said on Monday that NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick was exercising his constitutional right by refusing to stand for the national anthem, although he added that the nature of the protest could make it hard for some to hear his message. Kaepernick sparked controversy last month when he remained seated before a preseason game during the traditional rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner," saying it was a protest against racial injustice and police brutality. During a second game last week, the San Francisco 49er took one knee instead of standing.

Halep tops rival Suarez Navarro to reach quarters

Fifth-seeded Simona Halep beat 11th-seeded Spanish rival Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2 7-5 on Monday to reach the quarter-finals of the U.S. Open on Monday. The 24-year-old Romanian was broken serving for the match at 5-4 but she broke right back, and after falling behind 0-30 in the 12th game swept the last four points in a row to end it.

Brazil police ready formal accusation in Irish ticket scandal

Brazilian police said on Monday they have "overwhelming" proof the former head of the Olympic Council of Ireland led an illegal ticketing ring at the Rio Games and are preparing to make a formal accusation later in the week. Patrick Hickey will be accused, along with Kevin Mallon, a director of international sports hospitality company THG Sports, with scalping, ambush marketing and criminal association, said Rio de Janeiro police chief Ricardo Barbosa.

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.

Pliskova ends hopes of Williams sisters' showdown

Karolina Pliskova ruined any chance of another Flushing Meadows sister showdown as she claimed a dramatic 4-6 6-4 7-6(3) win over sixth-seeded Venus Williams on Monday to reach the U.S. Open quarter-finals. At 36-years-old and the oldest remaining player in the draw, Williams battled until the bitter end as her 24-year-old Czech opponent needed five match points and nearly two-and-a-half hours in a seething Arthur Ashe Stadium to put away the twice champion.

09/05/2016 19:53