Sports News Roundup: Kenin battles into French Open semi-finals; Hurricane could force Saints-Chargers out of New Orleans and more

Coe, a vocal supporter of athletes' right to protest, made his comment during a tour of the National Stadium in Tokyo, newly built for the 2020 summer Olympic Games now scheduled to be held in the city next year.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Kenin battles into French Open semi-finals

Fourth seed Sofia Kenin claimed her maiden French Open semi-final spot as she fought to a 6-4 4-6 6-0 victory against fellow American Danielle Collins on Wednesday. The Australian Open champion was kept on her toes for two sets by an opponent who had beaten her in their previous encounters before strolling through the decider to set up a clash with Czech seventh seed Petra Kvitova.

Cheptegei, Gidey demolish world records in Valencia

Ugandan Joshua Cheptegei smashed the men's 10,000 metres world record and Ethiopia's Letesenbet Gidey demolished the women's 5,000 metres mark as the Valencia World Record Day event lived up to its name on Wednesday. Cheptegei crossed the line at a near-empty Turia stadium in a stunning 26 minutes 11.02 seconds to beat the time of 26:17:53 set in 2005 by Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele by over six seconds.

Djokovic survives scare to beat Carreno Busta

World number one Novak Djokovic reached his 10th French Open semi-final but suffered an injury scare before beating Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta 4-6 6-2 6-3 6-4 on Wednesday. A month after being defaulted for inadvertently striking a line judge with a ball while playing Carreno Busta in the U.S. Open fourth round, the 33-year-old Serbian found himself in trouble once again.

MLB playoff notebook: Marlins' Sanchez no stranger to Braves

LOS ANGELES -- Miami Marlins right-hander Sixto Sanchez has not been around long, but by the end of the day Thursday, he will have a rich history against the Atlanta Braves. The 22-year old, with the shout-out-loud name and the 100 mph fastball, is scheduled to start Thursday in a win-or-go-home National League Division Series Game 3 for the Marlins at Houston's Minute Made Park.

Olympics: Tokyo organisers to save over $280 million with 'simplification' measures

Organisers of the rearranged Tokyo Olympics announced on Wednesday that they will be introducing cost-cutting measures to save 30 billion yen ($283 million) as they plan to be a 'role model' for future Games. In March, the Japanese government and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) postponed the Games until 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Athletes should be allowed to protest during Games: Coe

World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe said on Thursday he believes athletes should have the right to make gestures of political protest during the Olympic Games, contrary to official International Olympic Committee (IOC) policy. Coe, a vocal supporter of athletes' right to protest, made his comment during a tour of the National Stadium in Tokyo, newly built for the 2020 summer Olympic Games now scheduled to be held in the city next year.

Hurricane could force Saints-Chargers out of New Orleans

Contingency plans are being made in case Hurricane Delta forces the scheduled game in New Orleans between the Saints and Los Angeles Chargers on Monday to be relocated. ESPN reported Wednesday the game could be played instead at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Saints also could practice in Indianapolis, which the team has done to escape incoming weather challenges in previous seasons, and return to New Orleans for the game if conditions allow.

Practice makes perfect, as James fine-tunes strategy ahead of Game 5

An extra day off ahead of the NBA Finals Game 5 on Friday means more time for 16-time All-Star LeBron James to do what he loves best: prepare. After putting up 28 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists to extend the Los Angeles Lakers' lead over the Miami Heat to 3-1 in the NBA Finals on Tuesday, James said he relishes time spent fine-tuning his game - even under the pressure of a championship series.

Patriots cancel practice after another positive COVID-19 test

The New England Patriots cancelled a practice scheduled for Wednesday after reigning Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore tested positive for COVID-19, according to the National Football League's website. Gilmore, who played in the team's game on Monday against the Kansas City Chiefs, tested positive on Tuesday and underwent additional testing to confirm the result, the website reported.

Coaching is a family affair for Tsitsipas at Roland Garros

Stefanos Tsitsipas is coached by his father Apostolos but having his mother, who is also knowledgeable about tennis, around at the French Open has sometimes proved to be an overdose of information for the fifth-seeded Greek. Tsitsipas's father has been a regular at Roland Garros, wearing a mask bearing an image of his son, but the 22-year-old also has his mother Julia in Paris for this year's claycourt Grand Slam.

(With inputs from agencies.)