Sports News Roundup: ESPN to launch 'NBA Today' on Oct. 18; Megan Rapinoe, other women athletes back abortion rights at U.S. Supreme Court and more

Raducanu did not drop a set throughout the tournament in New York this month as she beat Leylah Fernandez to become the first British woman to win a major singles title for 44 years. Tennis-Barty among first three qualifiers for WTA Finals Defending champion Ash Barty, world number two Aryna Sabalenka and French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova have all qualified for the season-ending WTA Finals in Mexico, the WTA said on Monday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

ESPN to launch 'NBA Today' on Oct. 18

ESPN will debut "NBA Today," an hour-long panel show, on Oct. 18 -- the day before the start of the 2021-22 season. Malika Andrews will host "NBA Today," joined by network NBA analysts Kendrick Perkins, Chiney Ogwumike, and Vince Carter along with ESPN senior writer Zach Lowe. ESPN basketball reporters will take part, too.

Megan Rapinoe, other women athletes back abortion rights at U.S. Supreme Court

A group of prominent women athletes including soccer star Megan Rapinoe and basketball standouts Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird on Monday urged the U.S. Supreme Court to protect abortion rights in a case involving Mississippi's Republican-backed bid to ban the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Abortion opponents have asked the court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that recognized a woman's right to end a pregnancy and made abortion legal nationwide after it was outlawed in certain states.

Tennis-British tennis must build on Raducanu success, says Murray

British tennis must capitalize on Emma Raducanu's U.S. Open triumph and make the sport more accessible to ensure the wait for another Grand Slam champion is not too long, former world number one Andy Murray said. Raducanu did not drop a set throughout the tournament in New York this month as she beat Leylah Fernandez to become the first British woman to win a major singles title for 44 years.

Tennis-Barty among first three qualifiers for WTA Finals

Defending champion Ash Barty, world number two Aryna Sabalenka, and French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova have all qualified for the season-ending WTA Finals in Mexico, the WTA said on Monday. Five more singles players have yet to be named for the finals, which will be contested by the world's top eight singles players and eight doubles teams.

Cycling - Van Dijk beats Olympic medallists to win time trial title

Ellen van Dijk of the Netherlands won the women's time trial at the road cycling world championships in Bruges on Monday, beating Tokyo Olympic medallists Marlen Reusser of Switzerland and compatriot Annemiek Van Vleuten to claim the title. Van Dijk, world time trial champion in 2013, set a time of 36:05.28 on the 30.3km flat course from Knokke-Heist on the North Sea coast to the center of Bruges to claim her second rainbow jersey.

Soccer-Taking a knee is losing strength, says Chelsea defender Alonso

Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso has stopped taking the knee before matches this season because the anti-racism gesture is "losing a bit of strength", the 30-year-old said. Players and staff have been taking a knee prior to kickoff since the league returned to action in June last year to show their support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Golf-Poker faced Ryder Cup captains unwilling to tip hands

The Ryder Cup does not begin until Friday but the gamesmanship was well underway at Whistling Straits on Monday as European captain Padraig Harrington and his U.S. opposite number Steve Stricker put their poker faces on, refusing to tip their hands. Players will spend the next three days getting a feel for the rugged layout that hugs the Lake Michigan shore with practices providing an endless source of speculation over possible pairings until all is revealed by the two captains ahead of Friday's opening session.

Michael Jordan raises stake in sports gambling data company Sportradar

Basketball great Michael Jordan will increase his investment in Sportradar Group AG and will serve as a special adviser to the company's board, the sports gambling data company said on Monday. The company's shares rose 3.4% in extended trading.

Soccer-Beckham's son Romeo makes pro debut for Inter Miami's reserve team

Former England captain David Beckham's son Romeo has begun to follow in his father's footsteps with the 19-year-old making his professional soccer debut for Inter Miami's reserve team over the weekend. Romeo, one of Beckham's five children with wife and fashion designer Victoria, played for American third-tier club Fort Lauderdale in their 2-2 draw with South Georgia Tormenta on Sunday.

MLB roundup: Cardinals edge Padres for 8th straight win

Edmundo Sosa, Harrison Bader, and Dylan Carlson each drove in two runs, and the St. Louis Cardinals edged the visiting San Diego Padres 8-7 Sunday to complete a three-game sweep. Tyler O'Neill scored three runs and drove in another for the Cardinals, who extended their winning streak to eight games.