Sports News Roundup: NBA roundup: Devin Booker scores 49, Suns clinch the top seed in West; Tennis-Osaka cruises past Kerber to reach third round in Miami and more

Barty, who stunned Australia by retiring as world number one at the age of 25 on Wednesday, enjoys her golf and was women's champion at the Brookwater Golf Club during a furlough from tennis amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Soccer - World Cup woes continue for Italy's European champions Italy broke English hearts last July as they won the European Championship final but after failing to qualify for the World Cup for the second straight tournament they have left fans thinking their Wembley triumph was a flash in the pan.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

NBA roundup: Devin Booker scores 49, Suns clinch top seed in West

Devin Booker scored a season-high 49 points and added 10 assists, Chris Paul had 17 points and 13 assists in his return to the lineup, and the visiting Phoenix Suns beat the Denver Nuggets 140-130 on Thursday night to clinch the top seed in the Western Conference. Mikal Bridges scored 22 points, Deandre Ayton had 16 points and Jae Crowder finished with 12 for the Suns (60-14), who have won seven straight.

Tennis-Osaka cruises past Kerber to reach third round in Miami

Naomi Osaka beat Angelique Kerber 6-2 6-3 on Thursday in a one-sided clash of two former world number ones to reach the third round of the Miami Open, where Garbine Muguruza and Simona Halep withdrew with injuries. Four-times Grand Slam champion Osaka made a strong start against German 13th seed Kerber, grabbing an early break to go 2-0 up and dominating on serve in a 29-minute opening set.

Tennis-Thiem to return at claycourt Challenger event in Spain

Former U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem said he will make his return from a wrist injury at the ATP Challenger Tour claycourt event in Marbella, Spain which begins on Sunday. Thiem has not played since suffering the injury at the 2021 Mallorca Open and the 28-year-old, who has slipped to 50th in the world rankings, was unable to defend his U.S. Open crown last year.

Soccer-Ten-man Canada fail to clinch World Cup spot with loss to Costa Rica

Battling Costa Rica edged 10-man Canada 1-0 on Thursday to deny the North Americans their first chance to clinch a spot in the 2022 World Cup finals. Canada arrived in San Jose unbeaten in the final round of CONCACAF qualifying and looking to secure a berth in their first World Cup finals since 1986.

Golf-Barty has the talent to be Australian amateur champion, says Webb

Hall of Famer Karrie Webb says newly retired tennis player Ash Barty has the talent to be amateur golf champion of Australia one day, even if she doubts her fellow Queenslander would want to join the professional circuit. Barty, who stunned Australia by retiring as world number one at the age of 25 on Wednesday, enjoys her golf and was women's champion at the Brookwater Golf Club during a furlough from tennis amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Soccer - World Cup woes continue for Italy's European champions

Italy broke English hearts last July as they won the European Championship final but after failing to qualify for the World Cup for the second straight tournament they have left fans thinking their Wembley triumph was a flash in the pan. For a country who have won the World Cup four times, Italy's recent record is a national embarrassment.

Figure skating - Americans Knierim and Frazier win a pairs world title

Americans Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier performed a flawless free program to win the pair's title at the figure skating world championships on Thursday. The duo finished sixth at last month's Olympics but in the absence of the Russian and Chinese pairs, Knierim and Fraizier were clear favorites and they delivered.

Arizona, Oklahoma legislatures pass transgender sports bans

Arizona, Oklahoma, and Kentucky passed bills on Thursday that would ban transgender youth from participating in girls' sports, the latest in a flurry of state legislation by Republicans on a heated election-year issue. In addition to the Republican-sponsored "Save Women's Sports Act", Arizona lawmakers passed legislation that would prohibit physicians from providing gender-affirming surgery to minors. Both bills are now headed to the desk of Governor Doug Ducey, also a Republican. Arizona passed a third bill, which would ban abortions after 15 weeks of gestation.

Tennis - Barty retirement a sign of the times, say sports industry experts

Ash Barty's retirement from tennis is symptomatic of how the new generation of players view their careers and sport must rise to the challenge of ensuring a healthier overall environment to retain its top talent, industry experts have told Reuters. The Australian world number one announced her decision to retire on Wednesday. She said she had achieved everything she set out to and cited fatigue with life on the Tour.

NYC Mayor Adams lifts vaccine mandate for pro athletes, performers

New York Mayor Eric Adams said on Thursday he was lifting the city's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for professional athletes and performers, allowing unvaccinated Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving to play at home and lifting a cloud ahead of Major League Baseball's opening day. Adams said he signed an order exempting New York City-based athletes and performers from the city's private employer vaccine mandate imposed by former Mayor Bill de Blasio. That mandate requires private-sector workers to show proof of vaccination.