Reuters Sports News Summary
Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.
Top 25 roundup: No. 5 Kentucky takes down No. 1 Tennessee
PJ Washington scored 23 points, Keldon Johnson added 19 and No. 5 Kentucky flexed its muscles in taking down No. 1 Tennessee 86-69 in a Southeastern Conference showdown Saturday night in Lexington, Ky. The Wildcats (21-4, 10-2 SEC) had a plus-13 rebounding edge and 16 more points in the paint while ending the Volunteers' school-record 19-game winning streak. Tennessee (23-2, 11-1) dropped into a tie for first in the SEC with No. 19 LSU.
NHL roundup: Devils score final 4 goals, top Wild in OT
Nico Hischier scored with 1:41 left in overtime Friday night to cap a big comeback by the New Jersey Devils, who scored the final four goals to stun the Minnesota Wild 5-4 in St. Paul, Minn. The Devils, who trailed 4-1 with fewer than two minutes left in the second period, salvaged the finale of a three-game Western Conference road trip by winning for just the second time in the last seven games (2-4-1).
MLB notebook: Sabathia retiring after 2019 season
New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia, a Cy Young Award winner and the major league's active leader in strikeouts and innings pitched, confirmed Saturday this will be his final season. Sabathia made the announcement at a press conference from the Yankees' spring training facility in Tampa, Fla.
ATP roundup: Wawrinka snaps 20-month finals drought
Switzerland's Stan Wawrinka defeated top-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 on Saturday to reach the championship match of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, Netherlands. It's the 33-year-old Wawrinka's 28th appearance in a tour-level final, but his first since the 2017 French Open and his first since undergoing two surgeries on his left knee in August 2017.
Golf: Kuchar hopes belated caddie payment preserves reputation
Matt Kuchar said on Saturday he had been stubborn and hard-headed over the furor surrounding his $5,000 payout to a substitute caddie from his Mayakoba Classic winner's take, but hoped the incident would not ruin his reputation. David Ortiz, a local caddie at Mayakoba filling in for Kuchar's regular bagman, had helped the American to his first PGA Tour victory in four years in Mexico in November and a winner's check for almost $1.3 million.
Mertens stuns Halep to lift Qatar Open title
Belgium's Elise Mertens rallied from a set down to beat top seed Simona Halep 3-6 6-4 6-3 and clinch her first Premier-level title at the Qatar Open on Saturday. After both players dropped their opening service game, Halep took control of the encounter by winning 18 consecutive points from 3-3 to clinch the first set.
Tennis: Opelka stings top seed Isner again to reach New York Open final
Reilly Opelka saved six match points and blasted 43 aces to hand John Isner another crushing loss as he stunned the top seed 6-7(8) 7-6(14) 7-6(4) in the semi-finals of the New York Open on Saturday. Opelka had delivered a similar tough defeat to fellow American Isner in the opening round of the Australian Open last month when he edged out a four-set win with each set finishing in a tiebreak.
U.S. quarterback Kaepernick settles grievance case with NFL
Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who sparked a national debate when he protested against racial injustice by kneeling during the U.S. national anthem, has resolved a pending grievance with the league, the two sides said on Friday. The attorney for Kaepernick, who filed the grievance in October 2017, and the league said in a joint statement that the resolution was subject to a confidentiality agreement and so there would be no further comment by either party.
NFL notebook: Tebow gave advice to QB Murray
Deciding between an NFL or MLB career might have been difficult, but Kyler Murray found one pro athlete with a common bond, as well as a Heisman Trophy, who could give him some major league advice. Tim Tebow, the former NFL quarterback who is a college football analyst for ESPN and baseball minor league outfielder, interviewed Murray during the football season.
Wawrinka outlasts Nishikori in Rotterdam, faces Monfils in final
Three-times Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka battled past Kei Nishikori 6-2 4-6 6-4 at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam on Saturday to set up a final against Frenchman Gael Monfils. Swiss Wawrinka, who reached his first final since undergoing two knee surgeries in 2017, fired 35 winners, including eight aces to triumph in just over two hours.
