Reuters Sports News Summary

Lukaku struck in the 20th minute to put his side 3-0 up after goals by Timo Werner and Callum Hudson-Odoi had put the European champions in control at Stamford Bridge. Figure skating-Chen in position for sixth consecutive U.S. national title Nathan Chen, the gold medal favourite for next month's Beijing Olympics, got his bid for a sixth consecutive national title off to a solid start on Saturday with a dominant short program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Nashville.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Djokovic argues he had Australia green light because of recent COVID infection

Tennis world number one Novak Djokovic said in a legal challenge on Saturday to being refused entry to Australia that he had been given medical exemption from vaccination against COVID-19 because he had contracted the illness last month. In a court filing ahead of a hearing on Monday over his visa cancellation Djokovic said he had received the exemption from tournament organiser Tennis Australia, with a follow-up letter from the Department of Home Affairs saying he was allowed into the country.

Soccer-Lukaku on target as Chelsea crush Chesterfield in FA Cup

Romelu Lukaku scored for Chelsea in a 5-1 FA Cup third-round victory over minor league Chesterfield on Saturday -- his first goal since upsetting manager Thomas Tuchel in a television interview. Lukaku struck in the 20th minute to put his side 3-0 up after goals by Timo Werner and Callum Hudson-Odoi had put the European champions in control at Stamford Bridge.

Figure skating-Chen in position for sixth consecutive U.S. national title

Nathan Chen, the gold medal favourite for next month's Beijing Olympics, got his bid for a sixth consecutive national title off to a solid start on Saturday with a dominant short program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Nashville. Chen delivered a personal best score of 115.39 in the short program during which he performed a quadruple lutz-triple toe loop combination, to sit atop the field going into Sunday when the competition concludes with the free skate.

Soccer-Newcastle humiliated by Cambridge in FA Cup, holders Leicester through

Newcastle United suffered a humiliating 1-0 home defeat by third-tier Cambridge United but holders Leicester City began their defence of the FA Cup by trouncing Premier League rivals Watford 4-1 in the third round on Saturday. Chelsea, last season's runners-up, romped to a 5-1 home win against fifth-tier Chesterfield with Romelu Lukaku amongst the goals at Stamford Bridge.

Soccer-Insigne arrival could bring in new era of MLS transfers, says Toronto president

Toronto FC's ability to land Lorenzo Insigne during his prime has obliterated any notion that Major League Soccer (MLS) is merely a final stop for international players on the downside of their careers, the Canadian club's president said on Saturday. Toronto FC President Bill Manning, speaking on a video call to discuss Insigne's four-year contract which will begin on July 1, said he expected the signing of the Napoli captain to have a trickle-down effect across MLS.

Soccer-Turbulent Cup of Nations to finally get underway in Cameroon

After a turbulent build-up, and still under a cloud of doubt, the Africa Cup of Nations finals gets underway in Cameroon on Sunday but with the tournament’s long-term future in doubt. Africa’s support for FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s proposal to change the frequency of the World Cup to every two years threatens the Cup of Nations, which is already biennial.

Tennis player Voracova left Australia after visa issues, Czech ministry says

Czech tennis player Renata Voracova left Australia on Saturday, the Czech Foreign Ministry said, after complications with visas that got her swept up in a furore over the handling of the country's COVID-19 vaccine exemptions. Voracova joined men's number one Novak Djokovic in Australian immigration detention on Thursday, despite already having been allowed into the country and playing in a match before having her visa cancelled.

Tennis-Nadal happy with 'positive attitude' on return from injury

Rafa Nadal said his game needed more consistency after his return from injury as the Spaniard reached the final of the Melbourne Summer Set 1 on Saturday, but added that he was delighted with the attitude he had shown this week. The 20-times major winner was made to toil by the aggressive Finn Emil Ruusuvuori in a 6-4 7-5 win nL1N2TO078 at the Rod Laver Arena that witnessed some heavy hitting from the baseline by both players.

Soccer-Dortmund late goals earn 3-2 comeback win at Frankfurt

Borussia Dortmund struck twice in the final three minutes with Jude Bellingham and Mo Dahoud to complete a comeback from two goals down and snatch a 3-2 win at Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday as the Bundesliga restarted following the winter break. Bellingham headed in an 87th minute equaliser before Dahoud curled in the winner in the 89th minute to send Dortmund to 37 points and cut the gap to leaders Bayern Munich to six. Bayern lost 2-1 to Borussia Moenchengladbach on Friday.

Figure skating-Liu named to U.S. Olympic team one day after positive COVID-19 test

Two-time national champion Alysa Liu was named to the U.S. figure skating team for next month's Beijing Winter Olympics on Saturday, a day after a positive COVID-19 test forced her to withdraw from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Nashville. The 16-year-old Liu, who is fully vaccinated, was in third place following Thursday's short program but her positive test kept her out of Friday's free skate.