Reuters Sports News Summary

McDowell was named in the 48-player field alongside former world number one Dustin Johnson and past major champion Sergio Garcia for the circuit's opening event, scheduled for June 9-11 at the Centurion Club outside London. Tennis-Swiatek shakes off early nerves to reach French Open semi-finals World number one Iga Swiatek shook off some early nerves to extend her winning series to a staggering 33 as she beat American Jessica Pegula 6-3 6-2 to book her spot in the French Open semi-finals on Wednesday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Golf-McIlroy unimpressed by lineup for inaugural LIV Golf event

Rory McIlroy on Wednesday dismissed the field for the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational Series as "nothing to jump up and down about" and said players joining the Saudi-funded breakaway circuit need not face severe punishment. There has been speculation that golfers who defect to the LIV Golf Series could face lifetime bans from the PGA Tour and DP World Tour but McIlroy feels such action would be too harsh.

Golf-McDowell says consequences of joining LIV Golf are 'scary'

Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell said the consequences of joining the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series are "concerning" and "scary" but he hopes that the breakaway circuit's plan works out. McDowell was named in the 48-player field alongside former world number one Dustin Johnson and past major champion Sergio Garcia for the circuit's opening event, scheduled for June 9-11 at the Centurion Club outside London.

Tennis-Swiatek shakes off early nerves to reach French Open semi-finals

World number one Iga Swiatek shook off some early nerves to extend her winning series to a staggering 33 as she beat American Jessica Pegula 6-3 6-2 to book her spot in the French Open semi-finals on Wednesday. Swiatek, who turned 21 on Tuesday, is on the longest unbeaten run in the women's tour since Serena Williams bagged 34 victories in succession in 2013.

Soccer-Lingard to leave Manchester United at the end of June

Manchester United attacking midfielder Jesse Lingard will leave the club when his contract expires at the end of this month, the Premier League club announced on Wednesday. Lingard, an academy graduate, will end his 20-year association with the club having initially joined their Under-9s team in 2001. The England international, who made his United debut in 2014, scored 35 goals in more than 200 appearances.

Tennis-Unsure of what comes after Paris, Nadal focuses on next French Open challenge

Knowing this French Open could be his last, Rafael Nadal had already turned his thoughts to his Roland Garros semi-final match minutes after beating Novak Djokovic in an epic quarter- final on Tuesday. The 13-time French champion is chasing a record-extending 22nd men's Grand Slam title. But time might be running out for the Spaniard, who has been suffering from a chronic foot injury that had put his participation in the claycourt major in doubt.

Soccer-Ukrainian diaspora descends on Glasgow for World Cup playoff

Decked out in blue and yellow shirts and flags, Ukrainians from around the world have arrived in Glasgow to support their country's national team in their World Cup qualifier against Scotland on Wednesday. While at first glance, the gatherings in pubs and bars looked like the build up to any other international match, inevitably the mood is tempered by constant reminders of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Macron backs interior minister over Champions League fiasco

French President Emmanuel Macron has backed his interior minister in a row over events surrounding and responsibility for chaotic scenes at Sunday's Champions League Soccer final in Paris. Gerald Darmanin is under fire over crowd trouble and a heavy-handed police response at European soccer's season-ending showpiece between Liverpool and Real Madrid, which was delayed by more than 30 minutes after officers forcefully held back people trying to enter the ground.

French minister: One British fan arrested for violence during Champions League trouble

One British fan was arrested for violence, among 14 British people arrested over the crowd trouble at last weekend's Champions League soccer final between Liverpool and Real Madrid, according to slides to be presented by French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin to the French Senate. The detail comes amid a dispute between Britain and France over who was to blame for the disorder, with many Liverpool fans asserting they had caused no trouble, while France has blamed Liverpool fans turning up en masse with fake tickets for contributing to chaos at the stadium.

MLB roundup: Jays top White Sox for sixth straight win

Alejandro Kirk hit a pair of two-run home runs and the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the visiting Chicago White Sox 6-5 on Tuesday to extend their winning streak to six games. Teoscar Hernandez added two doubles and two RBIs for Toronto in the opener of a three-game series.

Soccer-RedBird aims high after swooping on AC Milan

U.S. investment firm RedBird Capital Partners has agreed a 1.2 billion euro ($1.3 billion) deal to buy AC Milan and wants the seven-times European Cup champions to rival the continent's soccer elite again. Milan have just won the Italian Serie A league title for the first time in 11 years and RedBird founder Gerry Cardinale said on Wednesday that he wanted to build on that success.