Reuters Sports News Summary
Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.
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.
Reed two ahead at Barclays as Ryder Cup spot looms
Patrick Reed moved one step closer in his bid for a fifth PGA Tour win and an automatic selection for next month's Ryder Cup as he seized a two-stroke lead after Friday's second round of The Barclays in Farmingdale, New York. The burly American, co-leader with Scotland's Martin Laird overnight, mixed six birdies with three bogeys in bright sunshine to card a three-under-par 68 on the challenging layout at Bethpage Black.
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.
Russia to appeal against Rio ban in court
Russia will appeal in the Swiss Federal Court on Monday against the Court of Arbitration for Sport's (CAS) decision to uphold a blanket ban on their athletes from competing in next month's Rio Paralympics. "The appeal has been launched in the Swiss court," the Interfax news agency quoted Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) president Vladimir Lukin as saying on Friday.
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.
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.
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.
Rio court to return passports to Irish Olympic officials
A Rio de Janeiro court will return the passports of three members of the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) and they will be allowed to leave Brazil, a source in the Rio state security services said on Friday. The passports were seized by Brazilian police, along with computers, mobile phones and unused tickets as part of an investigation into allegations of an illegal Olympics ticketing scam.
Judge rejects prosecutor request to appeal Pistorius sentence
A South African judge dismissed on Friday a request by state prosecutors to appeal Oscar Pistorius' six-year murder sentence, the latest twist in a trial that has captured global headlines. The multiple gold medal-winning Paralympian, serving six years for murdering his girlfriend on Valentine's Day 2013, was not in court on Friday when the judge ruled that the state's petition had no reasonable prospects of success on appeal.
Ryder Cup captain Clarke calms Stenson injury concerns
Europe captain Darren Clarke has allayed fears over the fitness of British Open champion Henrik Stenson ahead of next month's Ryder Cup defense at Hazeltine, Minnesota. The Swede, who had surgery on his right knee at the end of last year, suffered a recurrence this week and was forced to pull out of The Barclays FedExCup series event in New York after shooting a three-over 74 in the opening round.
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