Sports News Roundup: Soccer-Wins for Argentina, Brazil set up mouth-watering World Cup qualifier; MLB roundup: Giants end skid, move into tie for NL West lead and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Soccer-Wins for Argentina, Brazil set up mouth-watering World Cup qualifier

Victories for Brazil and Argentina on Thursday set the two sides up for an enticing World Cup qualifying clash in Sao Paulo this weekend. Argentina beat Venezuela 3-1 in Caracas to extend their unbeaten run to 21 games and know they can overcome Brazil on their home turf, having beaten them 1-0 in the Copa America final at the Maracana stadium in July.

MLB roundup: Giants end skid, move into tie for NL West lead

Darin Ruf broke an eighth-inning tie with a double after a video review overturned what would have been the third out and Thairo Estrada followed with a three-run home run as the San Francisco Giants salvaged one win in their four-game series against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers with a 5-1 victory on Thursday afternoon. The win snapped a four-game losing streak and allowed the Giants (85-49) to regain a tie for first place in the National League West with the idle Los Angeles Dodgers (85-49) on the eve of their showdown three-game series that begins Friday night in San Francisco.

Soccer - England players targeted with racial abuse - reports

England players were targeted with racial abuse by some Hungary supporters during Thursday's World Cup qualifier in Budapest on Thursday, British broadcasters reported. ITV and Sky Sports said their pitchside reporters heard racist 'monkey chants' aimed at England forward Raheem Sterling and substitute Jude Bellingham.

Tennis-Pliskova serves up thrilling win over Anisimova

Czech fourth seed Karolina Pliskova was on the verge of becoming an early casualty at the U.S. Open on Thursday but fired a record 24 aces to overcome Amanda Anisimova 7-5 6-7(5) 7-6(7) in a thrilling second round encounter. Pliskova bettered Julia Goerges's previous mark (21) for most aces in a women's match at Flushing Meadows set in 2019 and said her serve was key in getting her past the American.

Tennis-Andreescu, Shapovalov deliver one-two punch for Canada at U.S. Open

Bianca Andreescu and Denis Shapovalov flew the flag for Canada at the U.S. Open on Thursday by coming through their second-round matches on Louis Armstrong Stadium. Former champion Andreescu was down a break four times during her 6-4 6-4 win over American Lauren Davis but never folded, firing 19 winners as she bids to recapture the magic of her successful 2019 Flushing Meadows campaign.

Golf-Australia postpones top tournaments to 2022 due to COVID-19

Australia has postponed its biggest golf tournaments to 2022 due to COVID-19, organisers said on Friday. The Australian PGA Championship will be moved from a December slot to Jan. 13-16 in Brisbane, while the Nov. 25-28 Australian Open in Sydney has been pushed back to late-January or February.

Soccer: Ronaldo released by Portugal, gets Man United number seven jersey again

Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo has been released from the national team squad after picking up a one-game suspension following their 2-1 victory over Ireland on Wednesday, the country's football federation said in a statement.

The 36-year-old headed two late goals to give Portugal a 2-1 victory in their World Cup qualifier and received a caution for taking his shirt off while celebrating the winner, meaning he would miss the trip to Azerbaijan on Tuesday.

MLB roundup: Giants end skid, move into tie for NL West lead

In his first career start, C.J. Stroud threw for 294 yards and four second-half touchdowns as No. 4 Ohio State rallied to defeat Minnesota 45-31 on Thursday at Minneapolis in the season opener for each team. Stroud, who had never thrown a collegiate pass, was 13-for-22 with one interception for the Buckeyes, who trailed 14-10 at halftime and 21-17 in the third quarter.

Tennis-Sharper, more focused Djokovic advances to US Open third round

Novak Djokovic's bid for a 21st major title that would complete a calendar-year Grand Slam picked up the pace on Thursday as the world number one cruised into the U.S. Open third round with a 6-2 6-3 6-2 thrashing of Tallon Griekspoor. Having shaken off the rust in a spotty four-set opening match against 18-year-old Holger Rune on Tuesday, Djokovic was sharper and much more focused against the 25-year-old Dutchman.

Tennis-Barty storms into third round as U.S. Open mops up

World number one Ash Barty stormed into the third round of the U.S. Open by taming Danish teenager Clara Tauson 6-1 7-5 on Thursday, while the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center mopped up after a night of torrential rain and damaging winds. Brilliant sun and clear skies greeted Barty and Tauson as they kicked off the action on an Arthur Ashe Stadium court that 12 hours earlier had closed its retractable roof and battened down the hatches as remnants of Hurricane Ida pounded New York, shutting roads and trains in and out of the sprawling facility.

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