Reuters Sports News Summary

Minnesota's Kaapo Kahkonen made 39 saves to win his third consecutive start. Soccer-Leaders Man City beat Chelsea, Coutinho scores on Villa debut Runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City took a step closer to a fourth title in five seasons with a 1-0 win over second-placed Chelsea on Saturday, opening up a 13-point lead over the London club at the top.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

NFL-Twice Super Bowl champion Manning finds freedom off the football field

Twice Super Bowl champion Eli Manning is an expert at silencing critics from gridiron to the stands of his third-grade daughter's basketball game. The mild-mannered, four-time Pro Bowler defined an era of New York Giants football, cutting a contrast to the National Football League's big personalities before retiring in January 2020 with a long list of franchise records.

Tennis-Nadal wants clarity in Djokovic case, players tired of saga

Rafa Nadal said on Saturday "too many questions" still needed to be answered concerning Novak Djokovic's bid to play at the Australian Open, while other leading players lamented how the saga had overshadowed the year's first Grand Slam. The lead-up to the tournament has been completely dominated by world number one Djokovic's battle to compete at Melbourne Park in the face of a government trying to deport him after cancelling his visa twice.

Tennis-Chris Evert reveals ovarian cancer diagnosis

Former world number one Chris Evert said on Friday she was diagnosed with stage 1 ovarian cancer last month. "I wanted to share my stage 1 ovarian cancer diagnosis and the story behind it as a way to help others," the 67-year-old wrote on Twitter.

Soccer-Seville derby abandoned after Sevilla player is hit by pole

A Spanish Cup clash between rivals Sevilla and Real Betis was abandoned on Saturday after Sevilla player Joan Jordan was struck in the head by an object thrown from the stands. Video replays showed a pole-shaped object hitting Jordan on the head moments after Nabil Fekir had equalised for hosts Betis to draw the last 16 tie level at 1-1 at the Estadio Benito Villamarin.

Figure skating-Russian teen Valieva wins European title ahead of Beijing Games

Russia's 15-year-old Kamila Valieva won the European figure skating championships in Estonia on Saturday, solidifying her status as the gold-medal favourite for next month's Beijing Olympics. Valieva finished with a total of 259.06 points -- achieving a 90.45 score in the women's short programme on Thursday and 168.61 in the free skate event on Saturday.

Djokovic escorted by immigration officers to hearing to decide Australian fate

Novak Djokovic left a hotel for asylum seekers on Sunday morning headed for a federal court hearing that will decide once and for all whether he can stay in Australia and defend his Open title. Djokovic was driven out of the hotel, accompanied by Australian immigration officers about 8:30 a.m. local time.

Cricket-Kohli gives up India test captaincy in surprise move

Virat Kohli shocked Indian cricket on Saturday by abruptly resigning as the national side's test captain, after leading the team to several memorable victories in his seven years in charge. The 33-year-old, India's most successful test captain, took to Twitter to announce his decision a day after India's 2-1 series defeat in South Africa.

Snowboarding-American White makes podium at Laax, compatriot Kim retains title

Three-time Olympic champion Shaun White made his first podium since the 2018 Pyeongchang Games on Saturday, finishing third at the Laax Open snowboard halfpipe in Switzerland where fellow American Chloe Kim retained her title. White, who finished behind Beijing 2022 favourite Ayumu Hirano of Japan and Swiss Jan Scherrer, is heading to his fifth Olympic Games.

NHL roundup: Wild score twice in four seconds, dump Ducks

Matt Boldy and Mats Zuccarello scored four seconds apart in the third period Friday to highlight the Minnesota Wild's 7-3 rout of the Anaheim Ducks in Saint Paul, Minn. Zuccarello had two goals and an assist, while Boldy and Ryan Hartman each notched a goal and an assist. Victor Rask, Matt Dumba and Kevin Fiala also scored, and Kirill Kaprizov had two assists for the Wild. Minnesota's Kaapo Kahkonen made 39 saves to win his third consecutive start.

Soccer-Leaders Man City beat Chelsea, Coutinho scores on Villa debut

Runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City took a step closer to a fourth title in five seasons with a 1-0 win over second-placed Chelsea on Saturday, opening up a 13-point lead over the London club at the top. Philippe Coutinho enjoyed a dream debut for Aston Villa as he came off the bench to inspire a 2-2 comeback draw at home to Manchester United, scoring a late equaliser.