Sports News Roundup: Rockies' power too much for Diamondbacks; Surging Jets hand Leafs third straight loss and more

Federer, 39, is making his long-awaited comeback at the Qatar Open -- where he plays Britain's Dan Evans in the second round -- after two knee surgeries ended his season last year. Paul Pierce, Chris Bosh headline 2021 HOF finalists NBA stars Chris Bosh and Paul Pierce, WNBA great Lauren Jackson and Villanova coach Jay Wright are among the 14 finalists announced Tuesday for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's Class of 2021.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Spring training roundup: Rockies' power too much for Diamondbacks

The Colorado Rockies showed their power potential with four early home runs, three off Arizona Diamondbacks starter Luke Weaver, and rolled to an 11-4 victory in eight innings Tuesday in Scottsdale, Ariz. Second baseman Brendan Rodgers, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2015 draft by Colorado, hit a long homer in the second and doubled in the fourth in his attempt to win a starting spot.

NHL roundup: Surging Jets hand Leafs third straight loss

Andrew Copp had a goal and an assist while Connor Hellebuyck sparkled with a 36-save performance as the visiting Winnipeg Jets claimed a 4-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night. Neal Pionk had three assists and Nikolaj Ehlers collected two assists for the Jets, who have won seven of nine games and vaulted into second place, behind Toronto, in the North Division. Winnipeg also got goals from Josh Morrissey, Kyle Connor and Mason Appleton.

U.S. women to face Sweden in April for Olympics tune-up

The top-ranked U.S. women's team will head to Europe in April to face Sweden as part of their preparations for the Tokyo Olympics where they will try to reclaim the gold medal that eluded them at the 2016 Rio Games, U.S. Soccer announced on Tuesday. U.S. Soccer said fans will not be allowed at the April 10 game in Stockholm and that they are currently finalizing a second match in Europe to be played on April 13.

Sailing: A tale of two starts, America's Cup all square after day one

Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa were all squares at 1-1 after the first two races of the 36th America's Cup off the coast of Auckland on Wednesday, an opening day that promised a thrilling contest for the oldest trophy in international sport. Defender TNZ won the first race in the best-of-13 match by 31 seconds after Luna Rossa fluffed the start but the Italian challengers charged back to take the second by seven seconds.

Japan to keep foreign spectators away from Tokyo Olympics, sources say

Japan has decided to stage this summer's Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics without overseas spectators due to public concern about COVID-19, two government sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Wednesday. The Olympics, postponed by a year because of the pandemic, are scheduled for July 23 to Aug. 8 and the Paralympics from Aug. 24 to Sept. 5. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has said a decision on spectators would be made by the end of March.

Buyers of Olympic village condos left out in the cold after delayed Games

When Tokyo won the right to host the Olympic Games, enthusiastic buyers flocked to purchase luxury condominiums planned for the sprawling development that will house athletes during the event. But with the Olympics delayed for a year because of the global pandemic, and with uncertainty still clouding the Games, buyers' excitement has turned into frustration. Even as move-in dates have been pushed back by a year, they say they have heard little from the property companies.

Meyers Leonard to stay away from Heat amid investigation into slur Center

Meyers Leonard will stay away from the Miami Heat indefinitely as the team and the NBA investigate his use of an anti-Semitic slur during a video-game livestream on Tuesday. Leonard issued a public apology as the Heat and the NBA both condemned his earlier comments.

Gronk brings sports memorabilia into digital age with NFT trading cards

Super Bowl champion Rob Gronkowski this week will become the first pro athlete to launch a set of his own digital trading cards, telling Reuters he expects the rarest one to fetch "millions." The Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end's cards are part of a wildly popular new type of digital asset known as a non-fungible token (NFTs).

Federer sets eyes on Olympics as long as knee holds up

Roger Federer is targeting a third Olympic medal at the Tokyo Games this year after missing out in 2016 due to injury as he looks to gain momentum when he returns to the court this week after 13 months on the sidelines with a knee problem. Federer, 39, is making his long-awaited comeback at the Qatar Open -- where he plays Britain's Dan Evans in the second round -- after two knee surgeries ended his season last year.

Paul Pierce, Chris Bosh headline 2021 HOF finalists NBA stars

Chris Bosh and Paul Pierce, WNBA great Lauren Jackson and Villanova coach Jay Wright are among the 14 finalists announced Tuesday for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's Class of 2021. Those four are among the nine first-time finalists up for election, along with five previous finalists.