Sports News Roundup: Florida teen Knighton tops Bolt's age group mark; Astros pound Red Sox in series opener and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Olympics-Australia's softball squad arrives in Japan as Japan widens vaccine rollout

Australia's softball squad arrived in Tokyo for a pre-Olympic camp on Tuesday, the first national team to come to Japan for training since the Games were postponed, even as a majority of Japanese oppose staging the Games due to COVID-19. Japan is battling a fourth wave of COVID-19 eight weeks out from the scheduled start of the 2020 Olympics, with 10 regions including Tokyo under a state of emergency until June 20, but the country's vaccine roll out has been slow.

MLB roundup: Astros pound Red Sox in series opener

Jose Urquidy delivered an exceptional outing in his return from the injured list while Kyle Tucker capped a productive month with another multi-hit and multi-RBI effort as the Houston Astros won the opener of their four-game home series against the Boston Red Sox 11-2 on Monday. Urquidy (4-2) missed two turns in the rotation after leaving his previous start against the Los Angeles Angels with right posterior shoulder discomfort on May 12. Urquidi had allowed two or fewer runs in four consecutive starts and resumed that excellent pitching, retiring the first 11 batters he faced before issuing a two-out walk to J.D. Martinez in the fourth inning.

NBA-Wizards ban supporter who ran onto court in 76ers game

A fan who ran onto the court before being tackled by security during Monday's NBA playoff game between Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers will be banned from the Capital One Arena, Wizards owners Monumental Sports & Entertainment said. Videos posted on social media showed the fan making his way to the court in the third quarter and jumping up to touch the backboard before being tackled to the ground by a security guard and led away.

Brazil tapped to host Copa America as pandemic-hit Argentina withdraws

The Copa America will take place in Brazil next month, the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) said on Monday, although President Jair Bolsonaro's chief of staff said ongoing talks might not reach a formal conclusion until the next day. The surprise announcement, which would mean relocating the competition from one South American coronavirus hotspot to another, means the world's oldest international tournament could kick-off as planned on June 13, with the final on July 10.

Tennis-Medvedev gets monkey off his back with first French Open win

Daniil Medvedev's first-ever victory at the French Open on Monday has banished any doubts the second seed may have had about his chances at the claycourt Grand Slam, filling him with confidence for the rest of the tournament. The Russian beat Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik 6-3 6-3 7-5 on Monday, to finally win his first match at Roland Garros on his fifth attempt.

Fellow athletes rally around Osaka after French Open withdrawal

Leading figures in tennis and sport have rallied to support Naomi Osaka after the women's world number two withdrew from the French Open in a row about post-match media duties, saying she had been suffering from "depression" and "anxiety". One of the biggest names in sport, Osaka stunned the tennis world when she pulled out of the Grand Slam after being fined and threatened with expulsion for refusing to show up at an obligatory news conference on Sunday.

As Japan loses training camps, Olympics buzz fades

Ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the Japanese city of Kamo spent 70 million yen ($640,000) on horizontal bars, gymnastic mats and other upgrades to training facilities for 42 Russian gymnasts and coaches who now won't becoming. The team scrapped plans for pre-Olympics training in Japan because of the resurgent COVID-19 pandemic, local officials said. Officials in the northwestern city of 25,000 say they regret the lost opportunity to host the team, even more than the money spent.

PREVIEW-Tennis-Top seeds take centre stage on day three at Roland Garros

Defending champion Rafa Nadal and Serbia's Novak Djokovic headline day three of the French Open on Tuesday, with women's top seed Ash Barty also in first-round action at Roland Garros. Nadal, who is seeking a record-extending 14th title at his favourite Grand Slam, is seeded third this year and in the same half of the draw as top seed Djokovic.

Athletics: Florida teen Knighton tops Bolt's age group mark

Florida teenager Erriyon Knighton toppled Usain Bolt's 200m marks for athletes under 18 at an American Track League meeting on Monday, while world champion Grant Holloway dominated a quality 110m hurdles field. Knighton, 17, ran down Olympic 100m favourite Trayvon Bromell to win the 200m in 20.11, shaving 0.02 seconds off Bolt's 2003 time.

Tennis-Serena survives scare in French Open's first night match

American Serena Williams survived a scare in the first-ever night session match at the French Open as she edged out Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu 7-6(6) 6-2 in the first round on Monday. Organisers have introduced night matches under the Philippe Chatrier Court lights this year to provide some late drama for the fans but the match was played in an empty stadium because of a COVID-19 curfew in the French capital.

(With inputs from agencies.)