Sports News Roundup: NHL roundup: John Carlson's 4-point night carries Capitals; Golf-Major interest as Woods returns to Masters and more

With COVID-19 restrictions lifted and Woods returning from a serious leg injury, fans are set to pour into Augusta National and most at some point will find their way to Woods who partners South African Louis Oosthuizen and Chile's Joaquin Niemann. WTA roundup: Top seeds advance at Charleston The top two seeded players, Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and Paula Badosa of Spain, earned second-round wins Wednesday in the rain-delayed Credit One Charleston Open in Charleston, S.C. Sabalenka, the No. 1 seed, defeated American Alison Riske, 7-6 (3), 6-4 in the season's first clay-court event for her first victory since late February.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

NHL roundup: John Carlson's 4-point night carries Capitals

Defenseman John Carlson had two power-play goals and two assists as the Washington Capitals salvaged a game in the season series by defeating the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 on Wednesday. Alex Ovechkin eclipsed the 1,400-point milestone with a goal and an assist, Martin Fehervary tallied and Evgeny Kuznetsov had two assists for the Capitals (38-22-10, 86 points), who finished the season 1-1-1 against Tampa Bay.

Golf-Major interest as Woods returns to Masters

The Masters officially gets underway on Thursday at 8 am ET (1200 GMT) when Jose Maria Olazabal hits the opening tee shot but for many golf fans, the year's first major will not truly begin until just over two hours later when Tiger Woods appears on the tee. With COVID-19 restrictions lifted and Woods returning from a serious leg injury, fans are set to pour into Augusta National, and most at some point will find their way to Woods who partners South African Louis Oosthuizen and Chile's Joaquin Niemann.

WTA roundup: Top seeds advance at Charleston

The top two seeded players, Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and Paula Badosa of Spain, earned second-round wins Wednesday in the rain-delayed Credit One Charleston Open in Charleston, S.C. Sabalenka, the No. 1 seed, defeated American Alison Riske, 7-6 (3), 6-4 in the season's first clay-court event for her first victory since late February. No. 2 seed Badosa advanced with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Hungary's Anna Bondar in the round of 32.

Tennis-Evert calls for mental health discussions after player outbursts

Former world number one Chris Evert has called for discussions on the toll tennis is taking on players' mental health following a spate of angry outbursts and emotional breakdowns on the court. German Alexander Zverev was thrown out of a tournament in Acapulco in February after smashing his racket against the umpire's chair during an expletive-laden tirade, while Australian Nick Kyrgios was fined for his outbursts at Indian Wells and Miami last month.

Motor racing-Verstappen wary off-track demands could hurt performance

Formula One world champion Max Verstappen said he will try to keep his off-track commitments in check and focus on his day job as a racer, wary that his title defense might suffer from too many distractions. The Dutch Red Bull driver is hot property for media, sponsors and fans after his 2021 triumph, and the relaxation of biosecurity protocols could mean more demands on his time.

NBA roundup: Kevin Durant's triple-double powers Nets' rally

Kevin Durant scored 23 of his 32 points in the second half as the visiting Brooklyn Nets rallied for a 110-98 victory over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night. The Knicks, who led by 21 points in the third quarter, held a 96-94 edge on a free throw by RJ Barrett with 5:11 remaining but were outscored 16-2 the rest of the way.

ATP roundup: Reilly Opelka advances to Houston quarterfinals

Third-seeded Reilly Opelka rallied to reach the quarterfinals of the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship in Houston, beating qualifier Mitchell Krueger 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 in an all-U.S. matchup on Wednesday. Opelka finished with a 15-1 edge in aces, and he took advantage of all three of his breakpoints.

Swimming-Canada's MacNeil to skip individual events at worlds to prioritize mental health

Canada's Olympic champion Maggie MacNeil said she will only compete in relay events at June's swimming world championships in Hungary to prioritize her mental health. MacNeil won the women's 100m butterfly at the Canadian trials on Wednesday with a time of 57.13, saying after her win that she had only competed to be eligible for team events.

Cricket Captain Cummins carries his golden touch into the IPL

There seems practically nothing that Pat Cummins cannot achieve these days and his latest batting heroics in the Indian Premier League (IPL) only served to confirm that his Midas touch has not deserted him yet. Teammates and opponents rubbed their eyes in disbelief on Wednesday as the Australia test captain, a fast bowler by trade, belted a 14-ball half-century for the Kolkata Knight Riders, the joint quickest in the history of the IPL.

Soccer - Maradona's 'Hand of God' shirt expected to fetch $5.23 million at auction

The shirt worn by Diego Maradona when he scored two of the most famous goals in footballing history was put up for auction on Wednesday but its sale was complicated by claims from his family that the wrong shirt is going under the hammer. Maradona wore the No. 10 shirt in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final against England in Mexico. Six minutes into the second half he put Argentina ahead by sneakily punching the ball into the net, a goal made famous as the "Hand of God."