Sports News Roundup: WTA roundup: Sofia Kenin comes from behind in Adelaide; N.Korea says won't attend Beijing Olympics, blames COVID-19 and 'hostile forces' and more

Going last of eight teams and skating to music from the 2018 film "The White Crow," the pair executed their side-by-side triple loop to perfection to earn a standing ovation from the Nashville crowd and a score of 79.39 from the judges. Djokovic in limbo as lawyers fight Australia ban; mother says he is 'prisoner' in hotel Novak Djokovic faced at least 72 hours holed up in a Melbourne hotel for immigration detainees after he was denied entry into Australia on Thursday amid a political firestorm over his medical exemption from COVID-19 vaccination requirements.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

WTA roundup: Sofia Kenin comes from behind in Adelaide

No. 6 seed Sofia Kenin rallied from a set down to oust Australian Ajla Tomljanovic 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 in the second round of the Adelaide International on Thursday. The 23-year-old American went 5-for-9 in converting break-point opportunities and saved 10 of 16 break points while absorbing Tomljanovic's 10 aces. The victory sets her up to face another Australian home-crowd favorite, world No. 1 Ash Barty, in the quarterfinals.

N.Korea says won't attend Beijing Olympics, blames COVID-19 and 'hostile forces'

In a letter to China, North Korea blamed "hostile forces" and COVID-19 risks for not being able to attend the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing and accused the United States of trying to prevent the Games' success, state media said on Friday. It was unclear whether the letter from North Korea's Olympic Committee and Sports Ministry was referring only to its athletes - who are not eligible to compete after North Korea was suspended from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) until the end of 2022 after failing to send a team to the Tokyo Olympics last year, citing COVID-19 concerns.

Figure skating-Cain-Gribble and LeDuc grab pairs lead at US Championships

Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc set a U.S. short program record on Thursday to take the lead at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the last competition before next month's Beijing Winter Olympics. Going last of eight teams and skating to music from the 2018 film "The White Crow," the pair executed their side-by-side triple loop to perfection to earn a standing ovation from the Nashville crowd and a score of 79.39 from the judges.

Djokovic in limbo as lawyers fight Australia ban; mother says he is 'prisoner' in hotel

Novak Djokovic faced at least 72 hours holed up in a Melbourne hotel for immigration detainees after he was denied entry into Australia on Thursday amid a political firestorm over his medical exemption from COVID-19 vaccination requirements. The tennis star, who is chasing a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam at the Australian Open, remained in the country after his lawyers launched an appeal seeking to overturn the federal government decision. A court agreed not to deport him before a full hearing scheduled for Monday.

Report: Super Bowl LVI unlikely to be moved from L.A.

Super Bowl LVI is highly unlikely to be moved away from SoFi Stadium in southern California, according to a report by the Sports Business Journal. Dallas television station WFAA reported on Wednesday night that the NFL was looking into the availability of stadiums outside of California, including the Cowboys' AT&T Stadium, in case a venue change is needed.

Kings fined $50K for incident at scorers' table

The NBA fined the Sacramento Kings $50,000 Thursday after assistant general manager Wes Wilcox confronted personnel at the official scorers' table during Sunday's 115-113 home victory over the Miami Heat. Wilcox was also fined $15,000 for violating league rules that prohibit team owners and executives from interacting with game-operations personnel.

ATP roundup: Canada, Russia to meet in ATP Cup semis

Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated world No. 3 Alexander Zverev of Germany 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 on Thursday to propel Canada into the semifinals of the ATP Cup in Germany. Russia, behind world No. 2 Daniil Medvedev, nabbed the final semifinal spot in a defeat of Italy.

Ducks-Red Wings postponed until Sunday

Thursday night's game between the Detroit Red Wings and host Anaheim Ducks has been postponed due to "COVID-related issues affecting the Ducks," the NHL announced. The game has been rescheduled for Sunday.

Djokovic waits in Australian detention as lawyers debate vaccination status

World number one Novak Djokovic spent a second day in immigration detention in Australia on Friday as his lawyers battled to secure his release to play in the Australian Open and be exempt from strict COVID-19 vaccination requirements. Australian Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews hit back at suggestions by Serbian supporters, including Djokovic's family, that he was being "held captive", stressing the star player is free to leave the country at any time.

Bucs respond to Antonio Brown's claims, release wideout

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers released Antonio Brown on Thursday afternoon, hours after the wideout shared receipts and even his bank account information that included text strings with head coach Bruce Arians and Tom Brady's personal fitness and nutrition guru. The move comes four days after Arians declared Brown was "no longer a Buc" following the latter's decision to make an abrupt exit during the third quarter of Sunday's game against the New York Jets.

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