Reuters Sports News Summary

Commissioner Manfred defends COVID-19 safety protocols after players test positive Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred defended the sport's COVID-19 safety protocols on Monday as positive coronavirus tests on the Miami Marlins threatened to derail the season days after it began.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. MLB roundup: Padres, A's complete series wins

Fernando Tatis Jr. capped a five-run fourth inning with a bases-loaded triple Monday afternoon, leading the San Diego Padres to a 6-2 victory over the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks. The Padres won three of the four games in the season-opening series. NFL: COVID-19 remains 'major challenge' as camps prepare to open, commissioner says

National Football League (NFL) Commissioner Roger Goodell has said the new coronavirus still poses challenges to the league as it prepares to open training camps for all players on Tuesday. With pre-season games canceled and fan attendance limited in many stadiums across the United States, "the NFL in 2020 will not look like other years," he wrote in an open letter to fans. German Kerber looks to rekindle success with coach Beltz

Angelique Kerber has parted ways with Dieter Kindlmann and rehired Torben Beltz as her coach, the former world number one's management team have said, restoring a partnership that helped the German win two of her three Grand Slam titles. The 32-year-old has not won a title since picking up her third Grand Slam at Wimbledon in 2018 under then coach Wim Fissette. CONCACAF unveils rejigged qualifying format for 2022 World Cup

CONCACAF has unveiled a new qualification format for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after COVID-19 forced a rejig of the usual system, the governing body for soccer in North and Central America and the Caribbean said on Monday. The new format, which will feature all 35 of the region's members, has been split into three rounds with the first being played in October and November with teams ranked from No. 6 to No. 35 in CONCACAF as of July 16 drawn into six groups of five. Eagles honor Bryant with practice facility mural

The Philadelphia Eagles have paid tribute to the late Kobe Bryant with a mural featuring the former NBA great's "10 rules" on a wall at their practice facility. Eagles wide receiver Alshon Jeffery shared a photo of the mural on Instagram, which showed images of Bryant from his days in Lower Merion and Los Angeles, as well as one in an Eagles uniform, with "Kobe's 10 Rules" painted in the middle. Nets' Irving launches fund to assist WNBA players

Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving has committed $1.5 million to support WNBA players who decided to skip the 2020 season for health, personal, professional or safety-related reasons. The fund is being administered by the KAI Empowerment Initiative, which Irving launched Monday. The NBA veteran contributed all of the money. Australian Open postponed from November due to COVID-19

The Australian Open, the country's oldest and most prestigious golf event, has been postponed from its scheduled staging in November due to COVID-19, organisers said on Tuesday. Golf Australia had planned to stage the 105th edition at Melbourne's Kingston Heath Golf Club later this year but were now looking at other dates in early 2021, the governing body said. Miami Dolphins put three players on COVID-19 list

The Miami Dolphins have put three players on their "reserve/COVID-19" list, meaning the players have either tested positive for the virus or have been in close contact with an infected person, the team said on Monday. Long snapper Blake Ferguson, defensive tackle Benito Jones and cornerback Cordrea Tankersley were added to the list. Major League Baseball season roiled by COVID-19 postponements

Just four days after beginning a truncated coronavirus-delayed season, Major League Baseball ran into a serious obstacle on Monday with the postponement of scheduled games due to a COVID-19 outbreak among Miami Marlins players. The postponement of the games in Philadelphia and Miami was a potentially ominous development for MLB and other major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada hoping to forge ahead during the pandemic. The National Basketball Association and National Hockey League are set to resume play this week after a hiatus of more than four months, while National Football League training camps are opening. Commissioner Manfred defends COVID-19 safety protocols after players test positive

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred defended the sport's COVID-19 safety protocols on Monday as positive coronavirus tests on the Miami Marlins threatened to derail the season days after it began. "Most of the owners realize that we built protocols anticipating that we would have positive tests at some point during the season," Manfred told MLB Network https://twitter.com/MLBNetwork/status/1287893850833457152. "The protocols were built in order to allow us to continue to play through those positives. ... We believe the protocols are adequate to keep our players safe."