Reuters Sports News Summary

Hanson got the first goal of the season six minutes before the break as Ella Toone picked her out with a superb pass and she slotted the ball home to put United in front to the delight of the 2,000-strong home crowd. Tennis-Halep outlasts Rybakina in three-set thriller at U.S. Open Romania's twice Grand Slam winner Simona Halep outlasted Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina 7-6(11) 4-6 6-3 in a dramatic third-round showdown at the U.S. Open on Friday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Tennis - U.S. Open order of play on Saturday

Order of play on the main show courts on the sixth day of the U.S. Open on Saturday (play starts at 1500 GMT/11 AM ET unless stated, prefix number denotes seeding): ARTHUR ASHE STADIUM (1600 GMT/12 PM ET)

Tennis-Muguruza beats Azarenka to reach U.S. Open fourth round

Garbine Muguruza pushed past one of the best players to ever grace the Flushing Meadows hardcourts on Friday, taming Victoria Azarenka 6-4 3-6 6-2 to reach the fourth round of the U.S. Open for only the second time. Muguruza, a Grand Slam winner at the French Open and Wimbledon, has never enjoyed much success in New York exiting in either the first or second round in seven of her previous eight visits.

Tennis - Alcaraz upsets Tsitsipas to reach U.S. Open fourth round

Fearless Carlos Alcaraz would not be distracted by a Stefanos Tsitsipas mid-match bathroom break holding his focus to upset the Greek third seed 6-3 6-4 7-6 (2) 0-6 7-6 (5) on Friday and advancing to the fourth round of the U.S. Open. Having assumed the role of villain at this year's U.S. Open over his lengthy well-timed trips to the washroom that have been criticized as strategic delay tactics, Tsitsipas threw everything he had at the 18-year-old Spaniard.

Motor racing - Hamilton hails 'epic' Zandvoort as Dutch track returns to F1

Lewis Hamilton and his Formula One rivals were buzzing on Friday as the sport returned to Zandvoort for the first Dutch Grand Prix in 36 years, although the likely lack of overtaking possibilities remained a concern. "Oh man, the track is epic," said Mercedes' seven-times world champion, who last raced at the seaside circuit in his Formula Three days.

Tennis - Kerber defeats Stephens in the battle of the U.S. Open champs

German Angelique Kerber triumphed in the battle of the former champions on Friday, downing Sloane Stephens 5-7 6-2 6-3 to reach the fourth round of the U.S. Open for the first time since 2018. The 16th-seeded hadn't taken a set off of Stephens in their last five meetings and it looked as though history would repeat itself as Kerber committed 18 unforced errors and a double fault in the first set.

Tennis-Medvedev continues U.S. Open sprint with third-round win

Russian Daniil Medvedev ripped through third-round opponent Pablo Andujar 6-0 6-4 6-3 on Friday, his third win in under two hours at this year's U.S. Open. The world number two held the unseeded Spaniard to five points in the first set, putting up just three unforced errors in a stretch of superb play in his bid for a maiden major title two years after he lost in the final to Rafa Nadal.

Soccer - Manchester United kick off Women's Super League with win over Reading

Manchester United got their FA Women's Super League season off to a flying start with a 2-0 win over Reading thanks to a goal in each half from Kirsty Hanson and Ona Batlle. Hanson got the first goal of the season six minutes before the break as Ella Toone picked her out with a superb pass and she slotted the ball home to put United in front to the delight of the 2,000-strong home crowd.

Tennis-Halep outlasts Rybakina in three-set thriller at U.S. Open

Romania's twice Grand Slam winner Simona Halep outlasted Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina 7-6(11) 4-6 6-3 in a dramatic third-round showdown at the U.S. Open on Friday. Twelfth seed Halep saved four set points before converting on her seventh courtesy of a double fault by Rybakina in an epic, 18-minute first-set tiebreak in front of a rapt and roaring crowd inside Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Soccer - UEFA set to oppose FIFA over biennial World Cup

Proposals to hold the World Cup every two years, being pushed by governing body FIFA, are set to be opposed by UEFA and Europe's leading clubs, sources have told Reuters. Arsene Wenger, FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development, has been promoting the idea as part of the organisation's review of the international match calendar and this week repeated his support for the change from the established four year cycle.

Soccer - Iheanacho nets brace as Nigeria beat Liberia in World Cup qualifier

Striker Kelechi Iheanacho scored twice as Nigeria defeated Liberia 2-0 to make a winning start to their 2022 World Cup Group C qualification campaign, while there was also success for Cameroon and Tunisia on Friday. Nigeria were heavy favourites for victory in Lagos and took the lead midway through the first half when Iheanacho unleashed a low drive into the net after being teed-up by Alex Iwobi.