Sports News Roundup: Barty bounces into fourth round on empty court; Nadal eases past Norrie into last 16 and more

NBA roundup: Luka Doncic scores 46 in Mavs' win Luka Doncic scored a career-high 46 points and Kristaps Porzingis added 36 as the host Dallas Mavericks won their fourth straight game, beating the New Orleans Pelicans 143-130 on Friday night.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Barty bounces into fourth round on empty court

World number one Ash Barty overcame a stumbling start to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open with a 6-2 6-4 victory over Ekaterina Alexandrova at an empty Margaret Court Arena on Saturday. The top seeded Australian was broken in her first service game but quickly rallied to take the first set when the Russian slapped the ball into the net for her 16th unforced error.

Nadal eases past Norrie into last 16

Second seed Rafa Nadal overcame some stiff early resistance from Britain's Cameron Norrie before easing into the fourth round of the Australian Open with a 7-5 6-2 7-5 victory on Saturday. After being heckled by a loud-mouthed fan in his previous round win against Michael Mmoh, Nadal enjoyed an incident-free evening in an empty Rod Laver Arena to reach the round of 16 at a Grand Slam for the 49th time in his career.

Tokyo Olympics chief quits, apologises again over sexist remarks

Tokyo 2020 Olympics chief Yoshiro Mori resigned on Friday and apologised again for sexist remarks that sparked a global outcry, leaving the troubled Olympics searching for a chief five months from the opening ceremony. The resignation of the 83-year-old former prime minister further erodes confidence in organisers' ability to pull off the postponed Summer Games during a coronavirus pandemic.

Australian Open day six

Highlights of day six of the Australian Open tennis championships at Melbourne Park on Saturday. Times local (GMT +11): 1112 PLAY UNDERWAY AT EMPTY STADIUMS

Injured Djokovic's Australian Open record bid hangs in balance

The Australian Open rolls on amid a Melbourne lockdown, but the tournament risks losing its greatest champion in the first week as fans wait to hear if Novak Djokovic will be fit to play on Sunday. Djokovic suffered a muscle tear in his third-round, five-set epic against Taylor Fritz, and the world number one skipped practice on Saturday in a bid to recover in time to resume his quest for a record-extending ninth title at Melbourne Park.

Tsitsipas strolls into fourth round with easy win over Ymer

Fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas put in a dominant performance, keeping things "clean and simple" to thrash Swede Mikael Ymer 6-4 6-1 6-1 and canter into the fourth round of the Australian Open on Saturday. The 22-year-olds were hitting partners during their mandatory 14-day quarantine after arriving Down Under. Conditions were not much different on Saturday, with no spectators allowed due to the five-day lockdown in Melbourne.

Players switch back to COVID-mode as fans exit Australian Open

As boisterous crowds made way for deafening silence at the Australian Open on Saturday, players did not have to do too much adjusting as they abruptly switched back to the "new normal" of the COVID-19 pandemic. Victoria, of which Melbourne is the capital, entered a five-day lockdown on Saturday to contain a COVID-19 outbreak. Authorities allowed the Australian Open to continue but without the presence of fans.

Tennis: No longer the young American, Pegula keen to make up for lost time

Jessica Pegula considered giving up tennis after being sidelined through injury for long spells earlier in her career and the American said she is determined to make every second count at the Australian Open after reaching the fourth round on Saturday. Pegula, who is making her main draw debut at Melbourne Park, advanced with a 6-2 6-1 victory over France's Kristina Mladenovic on Saturday, setting up a meeting with fifth seed Elina Svitolina.

NBA roundup: Luka Doncic scores 46 in Mavs' win

Luka Doncic scored a career-high 46 points and Kristaps Porzingis added 36 as the host Dallas Mavericks won their fourth straight game, beating the New Orleans Pelicans 143-130 on Friday night. Doncic made 17 of 30 field-goal attempts, including 5 of 8 from 3-point range, and Porzingis was 13 of 21, including 8 of 13 from beyond the arc. Dorian Finney-Smith added 14, Jalen Brunson had 13 and Josh Richardson 11 as the Mavericks won a shootout with the Pelicans' Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.

Fognini tames De Minaur to set up Nadal clash

Italian 16th seed Fabio Fognini put in a clinical performance to stroll past Alex de Minaur 6-4 6-3 6-4 into the fourth round of the Australian Open on Saturday, ending the host nation's challenge in the men's singles draw. Two days after saving a match point to beat compatriot Salvatore Caruso in five sets, the 33-year-old Fognini raised his level a notch in his first meeting against the 21st seed De Minaur, the highest-ranked men's player in Australia.