Sports News Roundup: MLB roundup: Salvador Perez breaks single-season HR mark for catchers; 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-Federer says 'feeling strong' after knee surgery Swiss great Roger Federer said he has faced no setbacks and is recovering well after his latest knee operation.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

MLB roundup: Salvador Perez breaks single-season HR mark for catchers

Salvador Perez set a major league record for homers in a season by a primary catcher as the visiting Kansas City Royals cruised over the Cleveland Indians 7-2 on Monday in the first game of a doubleheader. Perez's towering, a two-run blast in the fifth inning was his 46th homer of the season, moving him past Hall of Famer Johnny Bench for the record. The bench had 45 homers for the Cincinnati Reds in 1970.

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.

Cricket-'Western bloc' has let Pakistan down, board chief says

Pakistan has been let down by the "Western bloc" and the back-to-back pullouts by New Zealand and England could have a "domino effect" for cricket in the South Asian country, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja said. England on Monday canceled their men's and women's team's tour of Pakistan next month citing "mental and physical well-being" of the players.

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-Federer says 'feeling strong' after knee surgery

Swiss great Roger Federer said he has faced no setbacks and is recovering well after his latest knee operation. Federer, who pulled out of the U.S. Open, said in August he would be sidelined for many months because he needed more knee surgery in order to resume playing.

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.

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.

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