Sports News Roundup: Djokovic passes Tiafoe test to reach third round; Death knell sounded for Grand Slam line judges at Australian Open and more

The 40-year-old American, a seven-times Grand Slam winner and twice finalist at Melbourne Park, started the match with a taped left knee and twisted her right ankle trying to play an approach shot while trailing 1-5 in the opening set. Tokyo 2020 says executive board members to gather over Mori's remarks Organisers of the Tokyo Olympics will hold a gathering of executive board members later this week, the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee said on Wednesday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

U.S. safety board cites poor pilot decisions as likely cause of Kobe Bryant fatal crash

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Tuesday cited the pilot's "poor decision making" as the probable cause of the January 2020 helicopter crash that killed retired NBA star Kobe Bryant, his daughter and seven others, saying the pilot became disoriented and did not follow rules for flying in cloudy weather. The NTSB cited pilot Ara Zobayan's "poor decision to fly in excess of airspeed." It said the weather conditions were inconsistent with adverse weather training and resulted in the pilot's "spatial disorientation and loss of control."

Djokovic passes Tiafoe test to reach third round

Novak Djokovic's aura of invincibility at Rod Laver Arena wavered under the pressure of Frances Tiafoe but the Serbian rose to the challenge to claim a galvanising 6-3 6-7(3) 7-6(2) 6-3 win and reach the third round of the Australian Open. The double-defending champion has rarely been tested so early at his favourite Grand Slam but he had his hands full against American Tiafoe, whose sparkling tennis revived memories of his exhilarating run to the 2019 quarter-finals.

Death knell sounded for Grand Slam line judges at Australian Open

The Australian Open looks to have seen the last of the crouching officials scrutinising the lines of the tennis court after their replacement by technology for this year's tournament was largely welcomed by players. This year's Grand Slam at Melbourne Park is the first major to replace line judges with electronic line calling, a change brought about through necessity as part of a COVID-19 health measure to reduce the number of people required on-site.

Venus makes painful exit from Australian Open after rolling ankle Venus Williams refused to give up after suffering an injury against Italian Sara Errani and fought through pain before bowing out of the Australian Open second round with a 6-1 6-0 defeat on Wednesday. The 40-year-old American, a seven-times Grand Slam winner and twice finalist at Melbourne Park, started the match with a taped left knee and twisted her right ankle trying to play an approach shot while trailing 1-5 in the opening set.

Tokyo 2020 says executive board members to gather over Mori's remarks Organisers of the Tokyo Olympics will hold a gathering of executive board members later this week, the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee said on Wednesday. The meeting on Friday is for the members to express their opinions on comments by Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori that women talk too much, the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee said, remarks that attracted widespread criticism and calls for Mori's resignation.

Serena trying not to overthink things at Melbourne Park Serena Williams said she played better when she was not thinking quite as much after reaching the third round of the Australian Open for the 19th time with a 6-3 6-0 victory over Nina Stojanovic on Wednesday. The American, again sporting her distinctive one-legged leotard, needed to find her best game at times in the first set against a spirited Serbian 15 years her junior who was playing in her fourth Grand Slam.

Mavs stop playing anthem, per Cuban's decision The national anthem is no longer played before Dallas Mavericks home games, a decision team owner Mark Cuban confirmed Tuesday to The Athletic and ESPN. The team has played at the American Airlines Center 13 times between preseason and regular-season games for the 2020-21 campaign, and "The Star-Spangled Banner" didn't precede any of the contests. However, the Mavericks' 127-122 win over the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday marked the first time that fans were present -- albeit in limited numbers.

Los Angeles Super Bowl aims to bring back hope Following the first Super Bowl of the COVID-19 era and with vaccine distribution on the rise, preparations are underway to make next year's game in Los Angeles a triumphant return to normal. Sunday's championship game in Tampa and the week leading up to it were unlike any before, with no wacky opening media night, no highly-anticipated concert on the eve of the big game and just 25,000 mask-wearing fans in the stands.

Ryder Cup captain Harrington tests positive for COVID-19 Padraig Harrington, who will captain Team Europe at the Ryder Cup in September, has tested positive for COVID-19 and withdrawn from this week's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the PGA Tour said on Tuesday. The 49-year-old Harrington, who missed the cut at last week's Waste Management Phoenix Open after carding rounds of 71 and 73, must self-isolate before he can return to competition, the PGA Tour said in a statement.

MLB adds tip hotline in wake of harassment allegations After two recent cases of harassment charges leveled at personnel, Major League Baseball added an independently operated tip hotline Tuesday. In a post on its website, MLB wrote, in part, "MLB and its Clubs will continue to strive to create environments in which individuals feel accepted; and when they do not, they feel comfortable speaking up without fear of recrimination, retaliation, or ostracism.