sports
SportsAFP NewsHalep closes in on first Rome title with semi-final berth
Top seed Simona Halep advanced to the semi-finals of the Italian Open for the fifth time on Saturday after Kazakh rival Yulia Putintseva retired injured while trailing during their match on Saturday.
SportsAFP NewsDjokovic made to work before reaching Italian Open semi-finals
Top men's seed Novak Djokovic dropped a set before fighting off German qualifier Dominik Koepfer to reach the semi-finals of the Italian Open on Saturday.
SportsAFP NewsBordeaux-Begles edge Edinburgh as Castres are disqualified in Challenge Cup
Bordeaux-Begles reached a European semi-final for the first time after beating visiting Edinburgh 23-14 as Castres were disqualified on Saturday in the Challenge Cup.
SportsAFP NewsSuarez unlikely to join Juve because of passport delay - Pirlo
Andrea Pirlo said Saturday that Barcelona striker Luis Suarez's move to Juventus was unlikely to go ahead because of delays in the Uruguayan's bid to get an Italian passport.
SportsAFP NewsAguero could miss two months of Man City's season
Manchester City's record goalscorer Sergio Aguero could be out of action for a further two months, according to manager Pep Guardiola.
SportsAFP NewsVinales grabs second Misano pole with lap record
Maverick Vinales took pole position at Misano for the second straight week in qualifying Saturday for the Emilia-Romagna MotoGP.
SportsAFP NewsCalvert-Lewin treble fires Everton as West Brom implode
Dominic Calvert-Lewin hit a hat-trick and James Rodriguez bagged his first Premier League goal as Everton crushed 10-man West Bromwich Albion 5-2 to extend their perfect start to the season on Saturday.
SportsAFP NewsBayern Munich won't break bank to keep Alaba, warns Kahn
Bayern Munich board member Oliver Kahn has warned that the European champions will not agree a new contract with David Alaba at any price as the defender is stalling over signing a contract extension having been linked to Manchester City.
SportsAFP NewsRuud battles into semi-finals to end Italian hopes in Rome
Norway's Casper Ruud battled past Italian fourth seed Matteo Berrettini to reach the semi-finals of the Italian Open on Saturday.
SportsAFP NewsToyota set off from pole in quest for third Le Mans title
Toyota set off from pole in pursuit of a third consecutive Le Mans 24 Hours race which got underway at 1230 GMT Saturday in front of empty stands with Covid-19 keeping away the motorsport classic's normal crowd of 250,000 diehard fans.
SportsAFP NewsZidane confirms Bale in talks with Tottenham, says deal 'still not closed'
Zinedine Zidane confirmed on Saturday that Gareth Bale is in London to secure a return to Tottenham but said the deal is "still not closed".
SportsAFP NewsBrumbies cling on to beat Reds and win Super Rugby AU title
The ACT Brumbies withstood a late onslaught to edge a gutsy Queensland Reds 28-23 and clinch the Super Rugby AU title Saturday, solidifying their status as the kings of Australian rugby.
SportsAFP NewsVilla sign Lyon forward Traore
Aston Villa signed Burkina Faso forward Bertrand Traore from Lyon for a reported £17 million ($21 million) on Saturday.
SportsAFP NewsChelsea loan Zappacosta to Genoa
Chelsea defender Davide Zappacosta joined Italian side Genoa on a season-long loan on Saturday.
- SportsThe Associated Press
Friday Sports in Brief
MAMARONECK, N.Y. (AP) -- Patrick Reed made enough birdies to account for the inevitable bogeys.
SportsYahoo SportsLeBron James’ reaction to MVP voting: ‘It pissed me off’
The Lakers superstar wasn’t upset about Giannis Antetokounmpo winning, but at the disparity in the voting.
SportsAFP NewsLakers dominate Nuggets in NBA Western finals opener
Anthony Davis scored 37 points and pulled down 10 rebounds as the Los Angeles Lakers dominated the Denver Nuggets 126-114 on Friday in game one of the NBA Western Conference finals.
SportsThe Associated PressHistoric year: Antetokounmpo wins 2nd straight NBA MVP award
Giannis Antetokounmpo's historic year earned him a historic awards sweep. The Milwaukee forward is the NBA's Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive season, receiving that award Friday. The 25-year-old Antetokounmpo becomes just the third player in league history to win MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season, joining only Hall of Famers Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon.
SportsAFP NewsGreen grabs share of lead in LPGA Portland defense
Australia's Hannah Green launched her LPGA Portland Classic title defense with a six-under par 66, sharing the first-round lead with American Cydney Clanton.
SportsYahoo SportsLakers do what Clippers couldn't, hold onto big lead for Game 1 win
It was all Lakers after the first quarter.
SportsAFP NewsBlack gymnast says career derailed by racism in Brazil
Brazilian gymnast Angelo Assumpcao still wonders how far he could have gone if not for the decision he says derailed his career: speaking out against the racism he was subjected to by his white teammates.
SportsThe Associated PressBaylor-Houston, FAU-Ga Southern postponed day before games
Baylor's season opener against Houston, scheduled less than a week ago, was one of two Bowl Subdivision games postponed Friday - the day before before they were supposed to play. Baylor was supposed to play last Saturday against Louisiana Tech, which had widespread COVID-19 positive tests.
SportsAFP NewsDjokovic, Nadal into last eight as Italian Open prepares for fans
World number one Novak Djokovic and defending champion Rafael Nadal welcomed the decision to allow a limited number of fans to watch the Italian Open as the top men's seeds advanced to the quarter-finals on Friday.
SportsAFP NewsReed loves a good fight and US Open gives him one
Patrick Reed enjoys grinding his way through a difficult golf course and Friday's second round of the US Open at Winged Foot gave him just the challenge he wanted.
SportsAFP NewsTiger ready for rest before defending Masters, Zozo titles
Tiger Woods departed Winged Foot disappointed and frustrated after missing the cut Friday at the 120th US Open, but already looking forward to defending his Masters title in November.
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