Sports News Roundup: Thorns sign 15-year-old Olivia Moultrie, who sued NWSL; Soccer-England boss Southgate heaps praise on 'fighter' Sterling and more

The 34-year-old described his 6-3 6-3 6-3 second-round win over twice Grand Slam runner-up Kevin Anderson as "almost flawless" and no one on Centre Court would disagree. MLB roundup: Trea Turner ties cycle record as Nationals roll Trea Turner went 4-for-4 and hit for the cycle for the third time in his career to lead the host Washington Nationals to a 15-6 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Thorns sign 15-year-old Olivia Moultrie, who sued NWSL

The Portland Thorns signed 15-year-old midfielder Olivia Moultrie to a three-year contract Wednesday, making her the youngest player in the history of the National Women's Soccer League. Moultrie filed a lawsuit against the NWSL in early May seeking to overturn the league's rule that players must be at least 18 years old, on the grounds that the rule violated antitrust law. The U.S. District judge in the case granted a preliminary injunction in case two weeks ago.

Soccer-England boss Southgate heaps praise on 'fighter' Sterling

England coach Gareth Southgate has praised Raheem Sterling's "incredible resilience and hunger" after the Manchester City forward helped them reach the quarter-finals of Euro 2020. Sterling has been one of England's top performers at the tournament, scoring three times in four games. He opened the scoring in Tuesday's 2-0 victory over Germany which set them on their way to the clash with Ukraine in Rome on Saturday.

Tennis-Gasquet relishing Wimbledon date with 'classic' Federer

When Richard Gasquet won his Wimbledon first-round match against Yuichi Sugita, the Frenchman killed two birds with one stone -- he earned a clash with eight-times champion Roger Federer and a match on the hallowed Centre Court turf. "When I was in the first round, I saw the draw. I knew I could play Roger in the second round," Gasquet told the ATP Tour website before Thursday's second-round match.

Soccer-Judge questions Brazil confederation over possible anti-gay prejudice

A Rio de Janeiro judge has given the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) 48 hours to explain why none of their players at the Copa America are wearing the No. 24 shirt, with the number often associated with homosexuals in the country. Reigning champions Brazil have registered a full squad of players for the Copa America but unlike the other nine teams none were given the No. 24 shirt, according to the plaintiffs in the case, the LGBT rights group Rainbow Citizens.

Tennis-Djokovic on a mission as he glides past Anderson

Top seed Novak Djokovic has begun Wimbledon like a man on a mission, which considering the history the Serb is trying to create should come as no surprise. The 34-year-old described his 6-3 6-3 6-3 second-round win over twice Grand Slam runner-up Kevin Anderson as "almost flawless" and no one on Centre Court would disagree.

MLB roundup: Trea Turner ties cycle record as Nationals roll

Trea Turner went 4-for-4 and hit for the cycle for the third time in his career to lead the host Washington Nationals to a 15-6 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday. Turner's triple in the sixth inning off Michael Wacha made him the fourth player in the major leagues' modern era (since 1900) to post three career cycles. Adrian Beltre, Bob Meusel and Babe Herman accomplished the feat before Turner, who was celebrating his 28th birthday Wednesday.

Olympics-Samoa govt pulls team from Tokyo Games - Radio New Zealand

Samoa has pulled its Olympics team from the Summer Games in Tokyo due to worries over the rising COVID-19 infections in host nation Japan, Radio New Zealand (RNZ) reported on Thursday.

A meeting has been scheduled to discuss the involvement of Samoa's Olympics team, RNZ added, without giving more details.

NHL-Lightning beat Canadiens to take 2-0 Stanley Cup Finals lead

Tampa Bay's Blake Coleman scored a diving, game-winning goal and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy saved 42 shots as the Lightning beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 to take a 2-0 series lead in the NHL's Stanley Cup Finals on Wednesday. Thrashed 5-1 in the opener, the Canadiens came out on a mission to avenge that defeat and outplayed the home team through the first 20 minutes but could find no way past the defending champions netminder Vasilevskiy.

Tennis-Murray pulls off Oscar-winning performance to keep alive Wimbledon dreams

Andy Murray appeared down and out on Wednesday but he was back doing what he likes best at Wimbledon, picking himself up and dusting himself down as he roared to a 6-3 4-6 4-6 6-4 6-2 second-round win over little-known German qualifier Oscar Otte. Before Wednesday, Murray had never lost a Grand Slam match to a player ranked as low as number 151 Otte and he had never been beaten before the third round at the All England Club.

Golf-Thomas, Nelly Korda to lead eight-member U.S. team at Olympics

Golfers Justin Thomas and Nelly Korda are set to lead the American charge at the Tokyo Olympics next month after USA Golf on Wednesday confirmed the eight athletes taking part. Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele and Bryson DeChambeau -- ranked two to five in the Olympic Golf Rankings behind Spaniard Jon Rahm -- made the cut last week.