Sports News Roundup: Golf-Ishikawa has one last chance to qualify for Tokyo Olympics; US swimmers King, Murphy heading to Tokyo to defend gold medals and more

Osaka withdrew from the French Open before the second round in the wake of controversy caused by her decision to skip mandatory post-match news conferences at the tournament. Japan to decide soon on domestic spectators at Olympics Japan will decide this month on whether to allow domestic spectators at the Tokyo Olympics, the government's chief spokesman said on Wednesday, following media reports a proposal to allow up to 10,000 people at events was under consideration.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Golf-Ishikawa has one last chance to qualify for Tokyo Olympics

Fourteen years after becoming the youngest winner on Japan's golf tour as a humble 15-year-old amateur, Ryo Ishikawa is on the verge of missing out on his dream of playing at the Olympics on home soil. Only a very high finish at this week's U.S. Open can earn Ishikawa the second spot on the Japan team alongside Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama for the Olympic golf tournament at Kasumigaseki Golf Club.

Olympics-US swimmers King, Murphy heading to Tokyo to defend gold medals

Lilly King and Ryan Murphy are headed to Tokyo to defend their Olympic titles after the two world record holders won their events at the United States Olympic Swimming Trials on Tuesday. Murphy, winner of three gold at the 2016 Rio Games, touched first in the 100 metres backstroke in 52.33 seconds ahead of Hunter Armstrong.

Tennis-Osaka must find 'safe space' to overcome issues, says Evert

Japan's world number two Naomi Osaka must take the time to be in a "safe space" and seek help to figure out the dilemma she finds herself in, according to American tennis great Chris Evert. Osaka withdrew from the French Open before the second round in the wake of controversy caused by her decision to skip mandatory post-match news conferences at the tournament.

Japan to decide soon on domestic spectators at Olympics

Japan will decide this month on whether to allow domestic spectators at the Tokyo Olympics, the government's chief spokesman said on Wednesday, following media reports a proposal to allow up to 10,000 people at events was under consideration. The final call will be made taking into account coronavirus infection conditions and the prevalence of virus variants, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told reporters when asked about the reports.

Olympics-Australia swim trials calendar shift to reap Tokyo rewards - Rooney

Australia broke with tradition to hold its swimming trials just six weeks before the start of the 2020 Olympics and former world champion Giaan Rooney said the move could reap rich rewards in Tokyo after disappointments at London and Rio. Australia has typically held its trials up to six months before an Olympics but that gap has been drastically cut this year with swimmers vying for Tokyo spots this week in Adelaide.

Boxing-Wilder and Fury trade barbs ahead of trilogy fight

WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury vowed to run Deontay Wilder down while the challenger said blood will be shed as the fighters came face-to-face in an odd press conference ahead of their July 24 trilogy fight in Las Vegas. Fury (30-0-1) first fought former long-time heavyweight champion Wilder (42-1-1) to a draw in 2018 and took the WBC title from him in a rematch in February 2020 with a seventh-round stoppage.

MLB roundup: Astros top Rangers on Jose Altuve's 10th-inning slam

Jose Altuve clubbed a walk-off grand slam in the 10th inning as the Houston Astros rallied for a 6-3 victory over the visiting Texas Rangers on Tuesday. Altuve socked his 13th home run into the Crawford Boxes in left field off Texas reliever Demarcus Evans (0-2), answering the solo run Texas scored off Astros closer Ryan Pressly (3-1) in the top of the 10th.

Olympics-Pin enthusiasts lament loss of trading chances in Tokyo

At every Olympics, away from the hordes of cheering spectators and the athletes competing for medals, pin enthusiasts lay out dozens of badges on corkboards or soft cloth in hopes of making a trade. The tradition of trading in the metal keepsakes that represent various sports, cities or competing countries has been around since the early 20th century when athletes and sports officials first swapped their lapel pins as a sign of friendship.

Soccer-Portugal's record-breaking Ronaldo sinks battling Hungary

Cristiano Ronaldo struck a late double to help holders Portugal get off to a winning start with a 3-0 victory over Hungary in front of a 67,000 crowd on Tuesday as the forward became the all-time leading scorer at European Championship finals. Hungary rode a wave of early pressure from Portugal in the Group F clash and had a goal ruled out for offside shortly before Portugal's Raphael Guerreiro broke the deadlock at the other end with a deflected effort in the 84th minute.

Japan minister proposes cap of 10,000 spectators at major events - Jiji

Japan's minister in charge of coronavirus measures has proposed to limit spectators to 10,000 at major events, Jiji Press said on Wednesday, ahead of a decision scheduled for this month on domestic spectators for the summer Olympics. Large venues in the capital, Tokyo, are now allowed only up to 5,000, or half their capacity as part of virus curbs that run until June 20, the prefecture's government says.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)