Sports News Summary: Indonesia excels at Asiad; Celtic's Irving ready for camp

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Williams gets warm welcome and win in U.S. Open return

Serena Williams took the first cautious step towards a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title with a 6-4 6-0 first-round win over Magda Linette on Monday as an excited U.S. Open crowd welcomed the new tennis mother back to the 'Big Apple'. It was not the imposing performance many have come to expect from Williams as the six-time champion continued to scrape the rust off her game following the birth of her first child.

Browns' Jackson rebukes DC Williams for comments

Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson had sharp words for defensive coordinator Gregg Williams on Monday, a day after Williams said that cornerback Denzel Ward's back injury was caused by "stupid" tackling. "Gregg doesn't get to do just what he wants to do," Jackson told reporters Monday. "I mean, we'll work through all of that. But our players, there's a certain way we do want them to tackle because of size, structure and all that. We don't want a guy to get hurt or anything like that.

Olympic champ Bolt expects nerves for Mariners debut

Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt expects an onset of nerves when he makes his debut for Australia's Central Coast Mariners against an amateur side on Friday and says he is still short of fitness and struggling with the speed of the game. Mariners coach Mike Mulvey confirmed the eight-time Olympic gold medalist would play in a pre-season match that will be televised live by a local broadcaster and is tipped to draw a crowd of over 10,000 to Central Coast Stadium.

MLB roundup: Astros beat A's in opener

George Springer keyed an outburst in the third inning before Alex Bregman sparked another in the eighth as the Houston Astros claimed the opener of a key three-game series with the visiting Oakland Athletics 11-4 on Monday at Minute Maid Park. Houston extended its winning streak to six games and pushed its lead over the Athletics in the American League West to 2 1/2 games with two games remaining in the season series. The Astros did so by rallying from a 4-0 deficit.

Nadal through to round two after Ferrer retires

Defending champion Rafa Nadal progressed to the second round of the U.S. Open on Monday after fellow Spaniard David Ferrer retired midway through the second set due to a calf injury. Nadal, the world number one, breezed through the first set without facing a break point but the 36-year-old Ferrer fought back in the second, breaking Nadal twice before the injury forced him to stop with the score at 6-3 3-4.

Titans' Walker confident he'll play in opener

Tennessee Titans tight end Delanie Walker told reporters Monday he remains "very confident" he'll be ready for the Sept. 9 season opener despite likely sitting out the whole preseason. Walker has not practised since limping off the field on Aug. 16 with what's believed to be a foot or toe injury. The Titans, who have been extremely tight-lipped about injuries under new head coach Mike Vrabel, have said only that Walker was evaluated for a lower-body injury.

NFL notebook: Beckham signs megadeal with Giants

The New York Giants signed Odell Beckham Jr. to a five-year extension, the team announced Monday, reportedly making him the highest-paid wideout in NFL history. According to multiple reports, the deal has a base value of $90 million, with an additional $5 million available through incentives. The contract includes $65 million guaranteed for injury and $41 million fully guaranteed at signing. According to NFL Network, the deal averages $20 million over the first three seasons.

Badminton a smash hit as Indonesia excels at Asian Games

By far the loudest cheers at the main cluster of Asian Games venues in the heart of the Indonesian capital Jakarta over the last couple of weeks have been heard rising from the badminton arena. Hugely popular in the Southeast Asian host nation, badminton has attracted thousands of spectators – and millions more on television - making it among the most-watched of the two-week event's 45 sports and 167 disciplines.

Celtics' Irving, Hayward ready for camp

Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving and forward Gordon Hayward are both healthy enough to be full participants when training camp opens next month, according to general manager Danny Ainge. "I don't want to hype it up too much, but I'm saying that if our training camp were starting today, that they would be here today going full speed," Ainge told ESPN on Monday. "It's not like they need an extra month. I think that they know they have an extra month, so they are sort of pacing themselves. They're playing as if to build up to that opening day of training camp (Sept. 26)."

Venus outlasts Kuznetsova in brutal U.S. Open heat

Two-times U.S. Open champion Venus Williams outlasted Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3 5-7 6-3 in a marathon battle on a brutally hot day at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday to reach the U.S. Open second round. The 16th-seeded Williams came out strong in the first set, firing winners and attacking the net to put pressure on the Russian, who won the tournament in 2004.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)