Reuters Sports News Summary
Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.
Kuchar leads by two shots at Riviera as Woods falls nine behind
Matt Kuchar was not at his best but did enough to maintain the lead in the second round at the Genesis Open on Friday, as Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott loomed large in the rear view mirror in perfect winter conditions in southern California. On a day when tournament host Tiger Woods frittered away several shots with some poor wedge play and fell nine shots from the lead, Kuchar compiled a respectable two-under-par 69 at Riviera in Los Angeles.
Bertens advances, Bencic eliminated in St. Petersburg
Defending champion and No. 2 seed Kiki Bertens beat Russian qualifier Anastasia Potapova 6-4, 7-6 (3) on Friday to move into the semifinals of the St. Petersburg Ladies' Trophy in Russia. Bertens, the world No. 8, fought back from a 5-2 second-set deficit and also saved three set points in the one-hour, 53-minute match.
Carreno Busta, Auger-Aliassime into Rotterdam semis
Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta overcame a gritty challenge from Italian Jannik Sinner to win 7-5 3-6 7-6(6) in a marathon clash to reach the Rotterdam Open semi-finals on Friday. Carreno Busta squandered three match points while leading 5-4 in the final set before saving two himself at 6-4 down in the tiebreak to advance in two hours and 45 minutes and set up an encounter with Canadian teenager Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Coleman sprints to season's fastest 60 meters at U.S. champs
World record holder Christian Coleman overcame a sluggish start to run the season's fastest 60m in the preliminaries of the U.S. championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Friday. Coleman, the Tokyo Olympic 100 meters favorite as the world champion, went on to win comfortably in 6.48 seconds despite easing up early in his first meeting of the season.
Woods to skip Mexico City World Golf Championships event
Tiger Woods will not play next week's World Golf Championships (WGC) event in Mexico City. His name was the most prominent of several big names missing from the field released by the PGA Tour on Friday.
Celebrity lawyer Michael Avenatti is found guilty in Nike extortion case
A U.S. jury on Friday found Michael Avenatti guilty in a criminal trial accusing the celebrity lawyer of trying to extort Nike Inc out of millions of dollars and defraud a youth basketball coach he represented. Jurors in Manhattan federal court needed 2-1/2 days to decide the fate of Avenatti, a brash lawyer all but unknown until two years ago when he began representing adult film actress Stormy Daniels in lawsuits against U.S. President Donald Trump and making hundreds of television appearances.
Tokyo 2020 holds torch relay rehearsal
Japanese actress Satomi Ishihara performed the first 'torch kiss' handover of the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics torch relay on Saturday during a rehearsal on the outskirts of the capital. Ishihara's handover in Hamura City formed part of a dress rehearsal for Tokyo 2020 organizers, who mimicked three legs of the relay that will last for 121 days in the build up to the Olympics that begin on July 24.
Horse racing: Long shot Kentucky Derby winner Country House retired
Kentucky Derby winner Country House has been retired due to a hoof injury and subsequent infection, his ownership group announced on Friday. The colt won the biggest race in the United States in 2019 as a 65/1 long shot when Maximum Security was controversially disqualified for interference after being first past the post.
Browns' Garrett reiterates Rudolph used racial slur
Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett reiterated this week that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph directed a racial slur at him prior to the melee at the end of the game between the teams in November. "He called me the N-word," Garrett told ESPN reporter Mina Kimes in an interview on Outside the Lines that aired Thursday. "He called me a 'stupid N-word.'"
Bryant named Basketball Hall of Fame finalist, three weeks after death
Three weeks after Kobe Bryant, one of the most dominant players in NBA history, was killed with his daughter and seven others in a helicopter crash, the global sports icon was named a finalist to the Basketball Hall of Fame. Bryant, fourth all time in NBA scoring, played for the Los Angeles Lakers during an illustrious 20-year career that was highlighted by five NBA championships, two NBA Finals MVPs and one league MVP.
