Sports News Roundup: Tennis-Djokovic to kick off ATP Finals campaign against Ruud; Motor racing-F1 waives Brazil GP curfew after freight delays and more

Haas team boss Guenther Steiner told reporters the overnight curfew had been waived and scrutineering times adjusted as a result of the problems, which he had heard were due to bad weather in Mexico. Tennis-Kontaveit and Pliskova win to kick off WTA Finals Anett Kontaveit's sensational late season form continued as she rolled past Barbora Krejcikova 6-3 6-4 while Karolina Pliskova outlasted Garbine Muguruza 4-6 6-2 7-6(6) as the WTA Finals got underway in Guadalajara on Wednesday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Tennis-Djokovic to kick off ATP Finals campaign against Ruud

Novak Djokovic will begin his campaign against Norwegian debutant Casper Ruud on Monday with the Serbian world number one aiming to match Roger Federer's record of six ATP Finals titles.

The season-ending men's event is played between the top eight men's singles players and doubles teams and will be held in Turin, Italy with the final scheduled for Nov. 21.

Motor racing-F1 waives Brazil GP curfew after freight delays

Formula One teams prepared to work late into the night on Thursday to get their cars ready for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix after freight, including engines, was delayed in reaching Brazil from last weekend's race in Mexico City. Haas team boss Guenther Steiner told reporters the overnight curfew had been waived and scrutineering times adjusted as a result of the problems, which he had heard were due to bad weather in Mexico.

Tennis-Kontaveit and Pliskova win to kick off WTA Finals

Anett Kontaveit's sensational late-season form continued as she rolled past Barbora Krejcikova 6-3 6-4 while Karolina Pliskova outlasted Garbine Muguruza 4-6 6-2 7-6(6) as the WTA Finals got underway in Guadalajara on Wednesday. The 25-year-old Estonian Kontaveit captured the 30-minute first set with an ace out wide and sealed the win when an error-prone Krejcikova sent a backhand into the net on match point.

NFL-'No brainer' to get quarterback Newton back, says Panthers coach

Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule said it was a "no brainer" to have quarterback Cam Newton rejoin the team after dropping him in 2020. The former first overall draft pick, who was cut by the team after nine seasons, makes his return as starter Sam Darnold sits out with a shoulder injury for the next four to six weeks.

China's Xi is expected to invite Biden to Beijing Winter Olympics, CNBC reports

Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to invite his U.S. counterpart, Joe Biden, to attend the Beijing Winter Olympics in February next year, CNBC reported https://cnb.cx/3HcexCI on Thursday, citing two people familiar with the matter. Xi is likely to extend his personal invitation to Biden when the two leaders meet during a virtual summit, expected to be held next week, according to the report.

Tennis-Badosa stuns top seed Sabalenka, Sakkari beats Swiatek at WTA Finals

Paula Badosa overcame a slow start to take down Belarusian top seed Aryna Sabalenka after Maria Sakkari continued her dominance of Iga Swiatek in the round-robin stage of the WTA Finals in Guadalajara, Mexico on Thursday. Badosa stunned world number two Sabalenka 6-4 6-0 after winning the last 10 games, while Sakkari secured a comfortable 6-2 6-4 win over Poland's Swiatek.

Two foreign athletes test positive for COVID-19 in run-up to Beijing Winter Olympics

Two foreign athletes have tested positive for COVID-19 during test events for the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, Huang Chun, an official of the Games organizing committee, said on Friday. Both are lugers of the same nationality and have been transferred to quarantine hotels, he told a news briefing in the Chinese capital.

NFL-Super Bowl-contending Rams land wide receiver Odell Beckham

The Los Angeles Rams said on Thursday they agreed to terms with three-time Pro Bowl selection Odell Beckham Jr. in a deal that will bring the wide receiver to the Super Bowl-contending NFL club. Beckham, 29, became a free agent after the Cleveland Browns released him last week, leading to rampant speculation about where he would end up.

NBA roundup: Warriors' Andrew Wiggins stars in win over Wolves

Andrew Wiggins scorched his old team for a season-high 35 points Wednesday night as the Golden State Warriors overcame a career-best 48-point performance by the Minnesota Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards for a 123-110 victory at San Francisco. Stephen Curry chipped in with 25 points for the Warriors, who won a sixth straight despite losing Draymond Green for the rest of the game in the third quarter with a bruised right thigh.

Olympics - Beijing's 'Ice Cube' capacity capped at 20% as COVID-19 measure

Attendance for curling events at Beijing's "Ice Cube" will be limited to 20% of capacity as a COVID-19 prevention measure, the venue's general manager told China's Global Times newspaper in an article published late on Thursday. The Games will take place from Feb. 4-20, without overseas spectators, and organizers have yet to announce arrangements for local attendees, as China sticks with a zero-COVID policy using some of the world's most stringent measures.

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