Sports News Roundup: Boxing-Alvarez, Golovkin set for trilogy fight in September; Tennis-Tsitsipas survives first-round scare to progress in Paris and more

The ATP and WTA last week took away ranking points from Wimbledon following the organisers' decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from participating in the wake of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, which Russia calls a 'special operation'. Soccer-UK govt issues licence for Chelsea sale to Boehly-led consortium The British government has issued a licence that permits the sale of Chelsea to a consortium led by Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly and backed by Clearlake Capital, sports minister Nadine Dorries said on Wednesday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Boxing-Alvarez, Golovkin set for trilogy fight in September

Canelo Alvarez will return to super middleweight and face Gennady Golovkin in their trilogy fight on Sep. 17, promoters Matchroom Boxing said. Alvarez, who holds all four major belts at super middleweight, stepped up to light heavyweight earlier this month but was beaten by Russian Dmitry Bivol in only the second loss of his career.

Tennis-Tsitsipas survives first-round scare to progress in Paris

Last year's runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas survived a first-round scare at the French Open, beating Italian Lorenzo Musetti 5-7 4-6 6-2 6-3 6-2 to advance into the second round on Tuesday. The Greek fourth seed was out of sorts in the first two sets before finding his range to set up a meeting against Czech Zdenek Kolar.

MLB roundup: Joc Pederson (3 HRs, 8 RBIs) leads Giants past Mets

Joc Pederson capped a three-homer, an eight-RBI night with a game-tying single in the ninth inning, and Brandon Crawford followed with the winning hit to lift the host San Francisco Giants to a 13-12 win over the New York Mets on Tuesday. The Giants, who snapped a five-game losing streak, led 8-2 entering the seventh inning but fell behind 11-8 when the Mets scored seven runs in the top of the eighth. Francisco Lindor's three-run triple-capped New York's big frame.

Tennis-Medvedev puzzled by chance to claim No.1 ranking despite Wimbledon ban

Russian Daniil Medvedev still yearns to play at Wimbledon next month and finds the situation "very strange" that he could climb to the top of the men's rankings even if excluded from the grasscourt Grand Slam, the world number two said on Tuesday. The ATP and WTA last week took away ranking points from Wimbledon following the organizers' decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from participating in the wake of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, which Russia calls a 'special operation'.

Soccer-UK govt issues license for Chelsea sale to Boehly-led consortium

The British government has issued a license that permits the sale of Chelsea to a consortium led by Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly and backed by Clearlake Capital, sports minister Nadine Dorries said on Wednesday. Current owner Roman Abramovich is subject to sanctions by the British government. He put the London club up for sale in early March following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a "special military operation".

Rugby-'We've got a chance', Force eye playoffs after Moana win

Western Force will head home from New Zealand on Wednesday determined to grasp their opportunity after rebounding from three heavy losses with a victory over Moana Pasifika that remarkably kept their Super Rugby season alive. The Perth-based side, who were outscored 168-46 in their three previous matches against New Zealand opposition, gave themselves a glimmer of a playoff spot with a 48-28 win over Moana in Auckland on Tuesday night.

Tennis-Simon draws inspiration from Tsonga in grueling French Open win

Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga's battling performance in the final match of his career proved to be a source of inspiration for compatriot Gilles Simon, who defeated Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta in a grueling five-setter at the French Open. Former world number six Simon, playing after Tsonga's loss to Casper Ruud on Tuesday, said his former Davis Cup teammate's spirited showing had spurred him on to a 6-4 6-4 4-6 1-6 6-4 first-round win.

Exclusive: Tennis-It's like we do not exist, says Ukrainian Kostyuk

Kyiv-born Marta Kostyuk criticized the WTA players' council on Tuesday for failing to consult Ukrainian players on the decision to strip Wimbledon of ranking points, and branded Belarusian Victoria Azarenka's place among the council members "ridiculous". The men's and women's tennis governing bodies last week took away ranking points from the grasscourt Grand Slam after its organizers decided to exclude players from Russia and Belarus in the wake of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

NBA-Warriors coach Kerr calls for gun control after Texas school shooting

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr refused to talk about basketball at a pre-game news conference on Tuesday and instead called for stricter gun control after the killing of at least 18 children and an adult in a Texas school shooting. Authorities said an 18-year-old gunman opened fire at an elementary school in south Texas, about 80 miles (130 km) west of San Antonio before he apparently was killed by police officers.

Soccer-Liverpool's Klopp named LMA, Premier League Manager of the Year

Liverpool's Juergen Klopp was recognized for his side's tilt at an unprecedented quadruple this season as he was named the League Managers Association (LMA) and Premier League Manager of the Year on Tuesday. Liverpool won the League Cup and FA Cup and will play Real Madrid in the Champions League final on Saturday. They came up just short in the Premier League title race, finishing a point behind champions Manchester City.

(With inputs from agencies.)