Sports News Roundup: Djokovic and Federer named in Olympic tournament; Barty wins Blinkova battle to reach Wimbledon third round and more

At 17, Gauff will become the youngest American tennis player to compete at the Summer Games since Jennifer Capriati won the women's singles gold medal in Barcelona in 1992 at age 16. Olympics-Japan PM says no spectators possible as Samoa withdraws weightlifters Japan's prime minister said on Thursday it was possible the Olympics would be held without spectators as Samoa withdrew its weightlifting team from the Games, in the latest setback for Tokyo's fraught efforts to stage the world's biggest sporting event during a pandemic.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Olympics-Djokovic and Federer named in Olympic tournament

World number one Novak Djokovic and 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer were both named on the list of players for the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday -- a boost for a tournament hit by high-profile withdrawals. Women's world number one Ash Barty and Japan's Naomi Osaka head the field in the women's singles.

Tennis-Barty wins Blinkova battle to reach Wimbledon third round

World number one Ash Barty moved into the third round at Wimbledon but not without a battle as she overcame spirited Russian Anna Blinkova and her own inconsistency in a 6-4 6-3 win on Thursday. The top seed never looked in danger against the 89th-ranked Blinkova, but it was still not plain sailing for the Australian scrapper.

Tennis-Fun day at the office for Zverev as he reaches third round

The business of trying to win your first Grand Slam title can be a tough one as Alexander Zverev is all too aware. Despite being only 24, the German, seeded fourth at Wimbledon, is playing in his 24th Grand Slam tournament and so far it has been a slow grind.

Knocked down by a pandemic, baseball gets back up in America

With the coronavirus at bay and the dreaded New York Yankees in town, the 37,000 screaming, mostly maskless Major League Baseball fans of the hometown Boston Red Sox finally had something to hate more than the pandemic. After limits on attendance ended at 109-year-old Fenway Park in late May, the Red Sox drew middling crowds in the low 20,000s until the longtime rival Yankees made Friday, June 25, the stadium's first sellout since the fall of 2019.

Coco Gauff, Tommy Paul lead U.S. teams for Tokyo Olympics

Coco Gauff and Tommy Paul lead the U.S. men's and women's tennis teams announced Thursday for the Tokyo Olympics. At 17, Gauff will become the youngest American tennis player to compete at the Summer Games since Jennifer Capriati won the women's singles gold medal in Barcelona in 1992 at age 16.

Olympics-Japan PM says no spectators possible as Samoa withdraws weightlifters

Japan's prime minister said on Thursday it was possible the Olympics would be held without spectators as Samoa withdrew its weightlifting team from the Games, in the latest setback for Tokyo's fraught efforts to stage the world's biggest sporting event during a pandemic. Eleven Samoan athletes have qualified for the Games, but of them only three, its weightlifters, are based in Samoa and have been barred from attending the event set to start later this month, the Pacific island nation's Olympic committee president Patrick Fepuleai told Reuters.

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.

Tennis-Struggling Svitolina joins exodus of women's seeds at Wimbledon

Ukraine's Elina Svitolina admitted she was struggling mentally with the demands of trying to win her first Grand Slam title as she joined the exodus of top seeds at Wimbledon on Thursday. The world number five, seeded three, was beaten 6-3 6-4 in the second round by Poland's Magda Linette, meaning that six of the top 10 seeds have already departed in the women's draw.

Tennis-Gauff sees off Vesnina to cruise into third round

American teenager Coco Gauff marched into the third round of Wimbledon with a convincing 6-4 6-3 victory over Russian Elena Vesnina on Centre Court on Thursday. Vesnina, a former doubles number one, at 34 is twice Gauff's age and one of many mothers at Wimbledon. She returned to the Tour from maternity leave after nearly three years in April with a protected ranking.

Euro soccer tournament under fire for helping spread COVID-19

The Euro 2020 soccer tournament was on Thursday blamed for a surge in coronavirus cases as fans have flocked to stadiums, bars and spectator zones across Europe to watch the action while the pandemic still raged. Germany's interior minister called European soccer's governing body UEFA "utterly irresponsible" for allowing big crowds at the tournament.