Sports News Roundup: Astros pound Red Sox in series opener; NBA stars urged to end China endorsements over forced labor and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

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. Urquidy 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 stars urged to end China endorsements over forced labor

A U.S. congressional commission on Tuesday called on American basketball stars to end endorsements of Chinese sportswear firms that use cotton grown in China's Xinjiang region, warning against complicity in forced labor they say takes place there. In a letter to the National Basketball Players Association, the chairs of the bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China said more than a dozen NBA players had deals with the China-based ANTA, Li-Ning, and Peak sportswear firms prior to the publication of recent Western media articles saying the companies had backed continued use of Xinjiang cotton.

PREVIEW-Tennis-Serena resumes hunt for 24th slam title on French Open Day 4

Seventh seed Serena Williams is back in action on day four of the French Open, where she takes on unseeded Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu in the second round. Williams, who is chasing an elusive 24th Grand Slam singles title, won her last major at the 2017 Australian Open.

Soccer-Missing semis would be seen as failure for England, says Southgate

England manager Gareth Southgate said on Tuesday his side will be considered to have failed if they do not reach the semi-finals of Euro 2020. England made the last four of the 2018 World Cup in Russia and London's Wembley Stadium will host the semi-finals and final as well as some group stage games.

Tennis-Nadal, Djokovic ease through as Roland Garros continues without Osaka

Highlights of the third day at the French Open, the second Grand Slam of the year, on Tuesday (all times GMT). Claycourt master Rafael Nadal and world number one Novak Djokovic cantered into the second round of the French Open where the shockwaves of Naomi Osaka's withdrawal were still felt.

Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy powers Lightning to 2-0 series lead over Hurricanes

Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 31 shots in a masterful performance as the Tampa Bay Lightning claimed a 2-1 victory against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 2 for its second road victory of the second-round series Tuesday night in Raleigh, N.C. It was nearly Vasilevskiy's second shutout in the Lightning's last three games until Andrei Svechnikov scored with 1:30 remaining as Carolina went with an extra skater.

S.Korea appeals to IOC over disputed islands on Japan Olympics map

South Korea asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to pressure Japan to remove a reference to South Korea-controlled islands as Japanese territory on the Tokyo Games website, an official with Seoul's Olympic Committee said on Wednesday. The Korean Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC) sent a letter late Tuesday asking the IOC to "actively mediate" the dispute, which has sparked outrage and protests in South Korea less than two months out from the start of the Games.

Major League Baseball is sued for moving All-Star Game out of Georgia

A conservative group representing small businesses has sued Major League Baseball and its players' union over the decision to move next month's All-Star Game out of Georgia in response to that state's new voting restrictions. In a Monday night complaint, Job Creators Network said the defendants violated a 150-year-old federal civil rights law designed to combat the Ku Klux Klan by "purposefully and maliciously" choosing to punish small business owners by moving the game, rather than seek relief from state lawmakers.

Tennis-Osaka should be applauded for prioritising mental health - Stephens

Naomi Osaka should be supported and applauded for her decision to withdraw from the French Open to focus on her mental health, former U.S. Open champion and WTA Players' Council member Sloane Stephens said on Tuesday. Japan's Osaka left the claycourt Grand Slam on Monday after refusing to attend the mandatory post-match press conferences and revealing she had been suffering from bouts of depression for three years.

Tennis-Top-ranked Barty fights through injury to advance past Pera

World number one Ash Barty fought through a hip injury and a tricky opponent in American Bernarda Pera with a 6-4 3-6 6-2 victory on her return to the French Open on Tuesday. Returning to the Philippe Chatrier court for the first time since her maiden Grand Slam win in 2019, the 25-year-old Australian seemed to be cruising against the 70th-ranked Pera when she was up 5-2 in the opening set.

(With inputs from agencies.)