Sports News Roundup: Baseball-Judge fires as Yankees make fast start; Motor racing-Verstappen fastest in first practice at Australian Grand Prix and more
Updated: 31-03-2023 10:43 IST | Created: 31-03-2023 10:29 IST
Max Verstappen Image Credit: Flickr
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Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.
Baseball-Judge fires as Yankees make fast start
American League MVP Aaron Judge kicked off the New York Yankees season in style on Thursday, launching a solo homer in his first at-bat of the year in a 5-0 win over the San Francisco Giants. The Bronx Bombers have not won the title since 2009 and fans were shattered when eventual champions Houston Astros stopped their last post-season cold with a clean sweep in the ALCS.
Motor racing-Verstappen fastest in first practice at Australian Grand Prix
Formula One world champion Max Verstappen topped the timesheets for Red Bull before taking a late spin at Albert Park in an eventful first free practice at the Australian Grand Prix on Friday. The Dutchman lapped the lakeside circuit in one minute, 18.790 seconds, nearly half a second quicker than second fastest Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes, as two red flags disrupted the session.
NFL-Bills safety Hamlin meets with U.S. President Biden
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin and his family visited U.S. President Joe Biden, the White House said on Thursday, months after he suffered a cardiac arrest during an NFL game. Hamlin, then aged 24, had to have his heartbeat restored on the field after making a tackle in the first quarter of the game against the Cincinnati Bengals in January, in an incident that sent shockwaves through the National Football League.
MLB roundup: Aaron Judge homers in Yankees' opening win
Aaron Judge homered in his first at-bat, Gerrit Cole struck out 11 in six sharp innings and the host New York Yankees beat the San Francisco Giants 5-0 on the Thursday in the season opener for both teams. After hitting an AL-record 62 home runs last season to break Roger Maris' record, Judge homered against the team he grew up rooting for and the team who courted him in free agency.
NHL-From Biden cabinet, Walsh hits the ice as head of NHLPA
Marty Walsh, new executive director of the NHL Players Association (NHLPA), got a taste of the challenges ahead on Thursday as he stick-handled around LGBTQ+ issues and what a World Cup of Hockey might look like without Russia. The former union organiser, mayor of Boston and until last month U.S. Labor Secretary in U.S. President Joe Biden's cabinet, Walsh has plenty of negotiation know-how and may need it to deal with a multi-national group of millionaire players and billionaire owners.
Tennis-WTA set to announce long-awaited decision on return to China
The WTA Tour's long-awaited decision on its return to China is "forthcoming" and the tournament schedule for the rest of the year is due in the coming weeks, the governing body of women's tennis told Reuters on Friday. The WTA had said in January the resumption of its operations in the country would hinge on a resolution to the Peng Shuai issue, with its officials not having met the Chinese former doubles world number one in person.
Tennis-Alcaraz dumps Fritz to reach Miami semis, Rybakina reaches final
Top seed Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev booked their spots in the Miami Open semi-finals with wins over American opponents on Thursday, while Elena Rybakina saw off world number three Jessica Pegula to reach the women's final. Taylor Fritz showed great fight but was unable to match Alcaraz's level, the defending champion taking control with an instant break of serve in each set on the way to a 6-4 6-2 win.
Tennis-Injured Sabalenka pulls out of Charleston
World number two Aryna Sabalenka said she has withdrawn from next week's Charleston Open after picking up an injury in Miami. The Australian Open champion was stunned 6-4 6-4 by unseeded Sorana Cirstea in the Miami Open quarter-finals on Wednesday after picking up the injury earlier in the tournament.
Tennis-'Big Three' will be missed but game will continue to thrive - Inglot
Tennis will miss the impact of the 'Big Three' both on and off the court when Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic join Roger Federer in retirement but the game has a bright future and will continue to thrive, former ATP Board member Alex Inglot told Reuters. Federer brought his career to an end last year at the age of 41 after winning 20 Grand Slam titles. Nadal and Djokovic, who have each won 22 majors, are both in their mid-30s.
Soccer-Former Canada Soccer head apologises to Sinclair, regrets incident
Former Canada Soccer president Nick Bontis does not remember using insulting language towards Christine Sinclair when she brought the women's soccer team's concerns to him but has apologised for the incident, he said on Thursday. Sinclair, the world's all-time leading international goal scorer, appeared before a parliamentary committee three weeks ago to speak about pay equity, equal treatment and other issues surrounding Canada Soccer.
(With inputs from agencies.)
Friday, March 31, 2023 at 4:59 am