Sports News Roundup: Afghan basketball star makes debut in Spain after leaving Kabul; Tennis-Sabalenka tests positive for COVID-19, out of Indian Wells and more

Sabalenka, who lost to Canadian teenager Leylah Fernandez in the U.S. Open semifinal last month, was the top seed in the women's draw at the Indian Wells after world number one Ash Barty pulled out from the WTA 1000 event near Los Angeles. Soccer-Southgate urges Grealish to start scoring for England Manchester City midfielder Jack Grealish faces a "big challenge" to find his debut goal for England, coach Gareth Southgate said ahead of their forthcoming World Cup qualifiers.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Afghan basketball star makes debut in Spain after leaving Kabul

The captain of the Afghan women's wheelchair basketball team made her debut for her new Spanish side on Saturday to cheers and applause just over a month after fleeing Kabul when the Taliban came to power. Nilofar Bayat, 28, and her husband Ramesh Naik Zai, 27, were offered the chance to play for Bidaideak Bilbao BSR, a wheelchair basketball team in the northern city of Bilbao.

Tennis-Sabalenka tests positive for COVID-19, out of Indian Wells

World number two Aryna Sabalenka will not play at the Indian Wells tournament after testing positive for COVID-19, the 23-year-old said. Sabalenka, who lost to Canadian teenager Leylah Fernandez in the U.S. Open semifinal last month, was the top seed in the women's draw at the Indian Wells after world number one Ash Barty pulled out from the WTA 1000 event near Los Angeles.

Soccer-Southgate urges Grealish to start scoring for England

Manchester City midfielder Jack Grealish faces a "big challenge" to find his debut goal for England, coach Gareth Southgate said ahead of their forthcoming World Cup qualifiers. Southgate was happy with Grealish's start to life at new club Manchester City, where he has bagged two goals and two assists in all competitions after his British record transfer from Aston Villa.

MLB roundup: Angels put crimp in Mariners’ playoff hopes

Luis Quijada came on in relief with runners at the corners and no outs in the seventh inning and struck out the next three hitters as the visiting Los Angeles Angels damaged the Seattle Mariners' playoff hopes with a 2-1 victory Friday. Brandon Marsh hit a two-run double in the third inning as the Angels won for just the fourth time in their past 14 games.

Soccer-Liverpool boss Klopp compares vaccine refusal to drink-driving

Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp likened refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine to drink-driving, saying such people endanger others. Klopp said he took the vaccine to protect not just himself but "all the people around me". The 54-year-old also said that 99% of his Liverpool players are vaccinated and that he did not have to convince anyone to do so.

Baseball-Wildcard race bringing MLB season to a crazy end

After six months and 161 games, Major League Baseball will need all 162 contests to bring the postseason picture into focus with the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, and Seattle Mariners chasing two American League wildcard spots. It will be all to play for on Sunday with the Yankees (91-70) and Red Sox (91-70) holding a one-game advantage on the Blue Jays (90-71).

Figure skating-Shoma overcomes shaky start to win at Japan Open

Olympic silver medallist Shoma Uno recovered from a shaky start to win the men's free skate final at the Japan Open, as the 23-year-old ramps up his preparation ahead of the Beijing 2022 winter Games. Shoma, who won silver at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympics, fell on his first quad attempt but landed the other three quad jumps to earn 181.21 points, finishing ahead of Sato Shun on 179.32 on Saturday.

Soccer-Keno scores late as Atletico beat Internacional 1-0

Keno scored late in the second half for Atletico Mineiro to give the Belo Horizonte side a 1-0 win over Internacional and help them extend their lead at the top of Brazil's Serie A to 11 points. Just four days after they were knocked out of the Copa Libertadores at the semi-final stage, Atletico bounced back with substitute Keno's 78th-minute goal the difference between the sides.

Padres' collapse could lead to dismissal of manager Jayce Tingler

The late-season collapse of the San Diego Padres is expected to mark the end of Jayce Tingler's two-year stint as manager. Major League Baseball Network reported Saturday that Tingler "will be relieved of his managerial duties." It is known that San Diego general manager A.J. Preller is considering a change.

WTA roundup: Alison Van Uytvanck wins Nur-Sultan title

No. 2 seed Alison Van Uytvanck of Belgium rallied for a 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 win Saturday over top seed and home favorite Yulia Putintseva in the Astana Open final in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. Van Uytvanck improved to 5-0 in her career in the WTA finals and defeated Putintseva for the first time in their five head-to-head meetings. It was her first title since Tashkent in 2019.

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