Reuters Sports News Summary

Seven-times world champion Hamilton, 36, has closed the gap to his 24-year-old rival to eight points in their clash of the generations after resounding back-to-back wins in Brazil and Qatar. Tennis-WTA suspends tournaments in China over Peng Shuai worries The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) said on Wednesday it will suspend lucrative tournaments in China immediately due to concerns over the treatment of former doubles world number one Peng Shuai and the safety of other players.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Rugby-Rugby Sevens league set for 2022 launch in Las Vegas

A new U.S. rugby union sevens league will launch next October, which organisers said on Wednesday would pit 12 top international teams against four new U.S. franchises, with sides playing to win their share of $1 million prize money. A newly-formed U.S. company, The Rugby Football League, said the U.S. Rugby Sevens Major League would start in Las Vegas.

Former Cy Young Award winner LaMarr Hoyt dies at 66

Former American League Cy Young Award winner LaMarr Hoyt has died. He was 66. The Chicago White Sox announced Hoyt's death on Wednesday. The club said he died in his hometown of Columbia, S.C., on Monday after a lengthy illness.

Former Brooklyn Dodger Don Demeter dies at 86

Don Demeter, who was a World Series champion with the Dodgers and was one of the last living Brooklyn Dodgers, has died at the age of 86. Demeter played his rookie year in Brooklyn in 1956 before spending the next three seasons and change in Los Angeles after the Dodgers relocated.

Athletics-Thompson-Herah, Warholm named athletes of the year

Jamaican Elaine Thompson-Herah and Norway's Karsten Warholm were crowned world athletes of the year on Wednesday after both produced astonishing, ground-breaking performances at the Olympic Games and beyond. Thompson-Herah became the first woman to win back to back Olympic sprint doubles when she retained her 100m and 200m titles in Tokyo and capped a memorable Games with gold in the 4x100m relay. Her 100m time of 10.61 seconds and her 200m time of 21.53 were both the second-fastest in history.

Tennis-Inspired Djokovic powers Serbia into Davis Cup semi-finals

Imperious Novak Djokovic sent Serbia into a Davis Cup semi-final against Croatia as the world number one inspired a comeback victory over Kazakhstan in Madrid on Wednesday. Serbia had their backs to the wall when Kazakh veteran Mikhail Kukushkin beat debutant Miomir Kecmanovic in a three-hour epic in the first singles rubber.

Motor racing-LA Coliseum race could pave the way to NASCAR's future

NASCAR's ambitious plan to build a temporary quarter-mile asphalt track inside Los Angeles's historic Memorial Coliseum for its February race will help to determine whether it can stage its events anywhere in the world, officials told Reuters. NASCAR will break ground on the first-of-its-kind project on Dec. 20 and will hold its "Clash at the Coliseum" exhibition race on Feb. 6, the weekend before the Super Bowl is played in Los Angeles.

Motor racing-Hamilton chasing hat-trick to set up last-race showdown

Red Bull's Max Verstappen has his first shot at winning the Formula One title in Sunday's inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix but Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton is chasing a hat-trick of wins to take the battle down to the wire in Abu Dhabi. Seven-times world champion Hamilton, 36, has closed the gap to his 24-year-old rival to eight points in their clash of the generations after resounding back-to-back wins in Brazil and Qatar.

Tennis-WTA suspends tournaments in China over Peng Shuai worries

The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) said on Wednesday it will suspend lucrative tournaments in China immediately due to concerns over the treatment of former doubles world number one Peng Shuai and the safety of other players. The decision, which was applauded by many current and former tennis players, could cost the U.S.-headquartered WTA hundreds of millions of dollars in broadcasting and sponsorship.

Tennis-WTA 'on the right side of history' in Peng Shuai case, says Billie Jean King

Women's Tennis Association (WTA) founder Billie Jean King said the organisation was on "the right side of history" after it suspended tournaments in China due to concerns over the treatment of Peng Shuai. WTA CEO Steve Simon made the announcement on Wednesday, citing concerns over Peng, a former double's world number one, after she posted a message on social media alleging that China's former Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli had sexually assaulted her.

Tennis-Federer must prepare mentally for final match, says Berdych

Roger Federer has nothing left to prove as he sets his sights on a comeback next year but the 40-year-old must be mentally prepared for playing his final match, according to one of his former rivals Thomas Berdych. Swiss maestro Federer has not played since losing in the Wimbledon quarter-finals in July and underwent a third knee operation in the summer, saying last month that he was looking at mid-2022 as a likely return date.

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