Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. With another semi-final reached, England can't hide their belief

England are heading to Lyon for a women's World Cup semi-final after their 3-0 win over Norway on Thursday and there is no hiding their conviction that they have a real chance of claiming their first title. With over seven million watching the game back home, including on a big screen at the annual Glastonbury music festival, the 'Lionesses' have clearly connected with the English public. MLB roundup: Kimbrel nails save in Cubs debut

Closer Craig Kimbrel shut down the visiting Atlanta Braves in his Chicago debut as the Cubs earned a 9-7, come-from-behind win for a split of the four-game series between the division-leading clubs. Kimbrel, signed on June 7 to a three-year, $43 million contract after he sat in free agency through the offseason and beyond, allowed a two-out double to Ronald Acuna Jr. and walked Dansby Swanson. He retired Freddie Freeman on a sharp grounder to first base to end the game and earn his 334th career save. NFL notebook: Lawson to pay for funeral of slain girl

Buffalo Bills defensive end Shaq Lawson will pay for the funeral of an 11-year-old girl who was killed this week when gunshots hit her home in Anderson, S.C. "It could have been my little sister," Lawson told the Greenville News late Wednesday. "I've got a little sister around that age, and it could have been one of my family members." Celebrations gone wrong put Dutch star at risk

Netherlands striker Lieke Martens was hurt while celebrating her late winning goal against Japan in the women's World Cup last 16 putting her at risk of missing the quarter-final against Italy on Saturday. Martens, who was named player of the year by FIFA in 2017 when the Dutch won the European Championship, sat out training on Friday for a second successive day with a painful foot after team mate Jill Roord jumped on it when they were celebrating. Wimbledon ditches plastic wrapping for restrung racquets

Many of the traditions of the Wimbledon tennis championships have endured for decades but this year one familiar courtside sight will be missing. No longer will players be taking new racquets out of polythene wrapping bags when they break a string or want a replacement. The future can wait, Wimbledon's big three refusing to budge

They say it's high time the new generation start blazing a trail in men's tennis yet as the All England Club opens its doors for another Wimbledon fortnight Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal retain a vice-like grip on power. Led by swashbuckling Greek 20-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas a queue of brash young talents has formed, all trying to be the man to smash the triopoly and officially usher in a new era. 'They don't get bigger than this': Fans gear up for France-USA showdown

Paris' Parc des Princes stadium can hold 48,000 people at full capacity and every seat is expected to be taken on Friday night as hosts France take on the U.S. defending champions in a highly anticipated women's World Cup quarter-final. Amid a heatwave in France -- with temperatures hitting a record-high 45 degrees centigrade -- supporters of the U.S. team and Les Bleues were gearing up for a big game. Droit de réponse from Arabsat

Arabsat sent Reuters the following response to our article of June 17 headlined "French court sees no 'clear and illegal disruption' in Gulf sports piracy case". Although we do not agree with some of the statements, we are required to publish this text under French law. "It is untrue to assert, as reuters.com does in its article entitled "French court sees no 'clear and illegal disruption' in Gulf sports piracy case", that "A judgment of 13 June by the Paris Court (...) found that the beoutQ signals were available on the Arabsat frequencies and accessible from French territory, on the basis of the conclusions of a firm retained by beIN". Stars, surprises comprise All-Star starting rosters

The starting lineups for this summer's Major League Baseball All-Star Game were announced Thursday night, with several surprises getting the nod. Unheralded free agent signees Hunter Pence and DJ LeMahieu were among the names unveiled at their respective positions. LeMahieu, the New York Yankees' second baseman, and Pence, the Texas Rangers' designated hitter, will each suit up for the American League. Teenager Gauff handed dream Wimbledon debut against Venus

Fifteen-year-old American Cori 'Coco' Gauff's dream came true on Friday when she was drawn to play idol and five-time champion Venus Williams in the Wimbledon first round. The day before, a few miles away at the sprawling Roehampton complex, Gauff had become the youngest player to survive three rounds of qualifying in the professional era.