Sports News Roundup: IOC says 2021 Olympics a go 'with or without COVID; Shapovalov seeks to turn the tables on Carreno Busta and more

Revitalised Azarenka downs Muchova to reach last eight Victoria Azarenka reached her first Grand Slam quarter-final in more than four years after rallying from a set down to beat Czech Karolina Muchova 5-7 6-1 6-4 in the fourth round of the U.S. Open on Monday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Johnson closing in on FedExCup title and $15 million payday

Dustin Johnson saw his five shot advantage trimmed to three but with nine holes to play at Atlanta's East Lake Golf Club he was still closing in on a first FedExCup championship and a $15 million payday. The final event of the 2019-20 PGA Tour season looked poised for a drama-free finish with Johnson starting the day five clear and maintaining his advantage with three birdies over his opening six holes.

Memories of defeat help Rublev gain revenge against Berrettini

Andrey Rublev delved into his mental notes from last year's defeat by Matteo Berrettini to turn the tables on his Italian opponent in a replay of their U.S. Open fourth-round meeting on Monday. Rublev rallied from the loss of the opening set to seal a 4-6 6-3 6-3 6-3 victory over the sixth seed in what was a stark contrast to last year's encounter at the same stage where the Russian was outclassed in straight sets.

Medvedev mauls Tiafoe to reach U.S. Open quarter-finals

Daniil Medvedev stormed into the U.S. Open quarter-finals with a dominant 6-4 6-1 6-0 win over a listless Frances Tiafoe at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday. The Russian third seed, who lost an epic five-set final to Rafa Nadal at Flushing Meadows last year, barely broke a sweat in the evening match as American Tiafoe's resistance crumbled after going down a break in the second set.

Revitalized Azarenka downs Muchova to reach last eight

Victoria Azarenka reached her first Grand Slam quarter-final in more than four years after rallying from a set down to beat Czech Karolina Muchova 5-7 6-1 6-4 in the fourth round of the U.S. Open on Monday. The 31-year-old twice Australian Open champion was broken three times in the opening set but 20th seed Muchova looked increasingly hampered by a problem with her upper left thigh on Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Highlights: U.S. Open day eight

Highlights of the eighth day at the U.S. Open in New York on Monday. The Grand Slam is being played without spectators due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Times ET; GMT-4): 1330 DE MINAUR THROUGH TO LAST EIGHT IN STRAIGHT SETS

Mertens takes down second seed Kenin to reach last eight

Belgian Elise Mertens continued her strong run in 2020 by taking down American second seed Sofia Kenin 6-3 6-3 on Monday to reach the U.S. Open quarter-finals for the second straight year. Mertens, seeded 16th, played solid from the baseline and kept the errors to a minimum to defeat Australian Open champion Kenin for the first time in three career meetings.

Djokovic urges angry fanbase not to turn on U.S. Open line judge

Novak Djokovic has pleaded for compassion for the line judge he struck in the throat with a ball at the U.S. Open on Monday after the female official faced a backlash from fans of the world number one on social media. The Serb was disqualified in the fourth round after he hit a ball reasonably hard to the back of the court in frustration after dropping serve in the first set against Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta, sending the official to the floor.

IOC says 2021 Olympics a go 'with or without COVID'

The postponed Tokyo Olympic Games will he held next year "with or without COVID," the vice-president of the International Olympic Committee said Monday. Speaking with Agence France-Presse, IOC VP John Coates said next year's games will held regardless of whether the world has a handle on the pandemic or not.

Shapovalov seeks to turn the tables on Carreno Busta

Denis Shapovalov takes on Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta for a place in the U.S. Open semi-finals on Tuesday and the 21-year-old expects another difficult outing against an opponent who has dominated him on hard courts. Shapovalov, who is seeking a first Grand Slam semi-final spot, has lost three of his four matches against Carreno Busta with his only victory coming on clay -- a surface that the Spaniard grew up on.

World number one and reigning champion Barty to skip French Open

Reigning champion Ash Barty will not play at the French Open later this month because of health concerns and a lack of preparation, the world number one said on Tuesday. Barty has not played a tournament match since February and also skipped the ongoing U.S. Open over health concerns relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.

(With inputs from agencies.)