Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. Athletics: Britain's Farah defends reputation after Salazar suspension

British Olympic champion Mo Farah defended his reputation at a news conference ahead of the Chicago Marathon on Friday after being bombarded with questions about his former coach Alberto Salazar who has been banned for doping violations. Farah, who has not been accused of any wrongdoing, worked from 2011 to 2017 with Salazar, who was given a four-year ban by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) on Sept. 30. WTA roundup: Gauff upsets top seed Bertens to reach semis in Austria

Coco Gauff upset World No. 8 and top tournament seed Kiki Bertens 7-6 (1), 6-4 on Friday at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz, sending the 15-year-old to her career-first WTA semifinal. The win over Bertens, of the Netherlands, also was her first-ever over a Top 10 opponent. The young American lost in the qualifying round last weekend and made it into the main draw only as a lucky loser. NHL roundup: Hurricanes make history with win

Erik Haula scored his fourth goal of the season to break a second-period tie, and the undefeated Carolina Hurricanes set some team history in a 5-2 victory against the New York Islanders on Friday night in Raleigh, N.C. The Hurricanes improved to 5-0-0 for the best five-game start in franchise history. NFL notebook: Big injury news for pair of RBs

As NFL teams released their final injury reports on Friday, a pair of names in particular raised some eyebrows -- one for his game status and the other for being on the injury report at all. First in Los Angeles, the Rams listed running back Todd Gurley as doubtful to play in Sunday's NFC West showdown against the San Francisco 49ers at the LA Memorial Coliseum. Gurley did not practice at all this week due to a left thigh contusion, and he has been limited in his touches all season because of lingering knee issues. Report: Dodgers manager Roberts to return in '20

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts will return to the team in 2020, despite the team's heartbreaking loss in the National League Division Series, the Los Angeles Times reported. TheTimes cited a pair of sources who confirmed Roberts' status. McKennie scores record hat-trick as U.S. hammer Cuba 7-0

Striker Weston McKennie scored the quickest hat-trick in U.S. soccer history on Friday as the home side hammered Cuba 7-0 in a Nations League match in Washington DC. The Schalke 04 forward got his first goal after just 30 seconds, scored a second four minutes later and then competed his hat-trick with 13 minutes gone. Fitzpatrick leads by one at Italian Open as Molinari, Lowry and Casey miss cut

Matthew Fitzpatrick, seeking to be a European Tour winner for the fifth straight year, took a step in the right direction when he earned a one-stroke halfway lead over Joachim Hansen at the Italian Open on Friday. Englishman Fitzpatrick carded six-under-par 65 to edge ahead of Dane Hansen (66) in the second round at Olgiata Golf Club in Rome, while first-round pacesetter Tapio Pulkkanen slipped four back with a pedestrian 72. NASCAR notebook: Milestone race causes Harvick to reflect on career

More than 18 years ago, Kevin Harvick was thrust into a career change he could not have anticipated a week earlier. After Dale Earnhardt's death on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, Harvick took over Earnhardt's vaunted Richard Childress Racing ride the following week at Rockingham -- albeit in a Chevrolet sporting the No. 29 in lieu of the trademark No. 3. Athletics: Shutting down Nike Oregon Project the 'right thing' - USADA

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has praised the decision to shut down the Nike Oregon Project (NOP), saying on Friday it was a necessary step after the elite distance running program's leader, Alberto Salazar, was suspended for doping violations. Nike on Thursday shuttered the famed program, with its stable of elite competitors who added to the company's authority in the world of distance running, calling it a "distraction" for its athletes. U.S. Olympic champion Dwyer retires after doping ban

American double Olympic champion Conor Dwyer on Friday said he was retiring from swimming on the day he was handed a 20-month doping ban that ruled him out of next year's Tokyo Olympics. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) earlier announced that an independent three-member panel of the American Arbitration Association (AAA) determined the suspension after Dwyer was found to have had testosterone pellets inserted in his body.

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