Sports News Roundup: Tennis-Swiatek skips Berlin event with shoulder issue, targets Wimbledon; Soccer-Ecuador keep World Cup spot after FIFA dismisses Chile complaint and more

The two-times Wimbledon champion stepped up his preparation for the grasscourt major starting this month by battling through a tight opening set against world number five Tsitsipas before rolling back the years in the second set to complete the win. Soccer-Ecuador keep World Cup spot after FIFA dismisses Chile complaint Ecuador will play at the 2022 World Cup after FIFA dismissed Chile's claims that they had fielded an ineligible player in the qualifiers, world soccer's governing body said on Friday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Tennis-Swiatek skips Berlin event with shoulder issue, targets Wimbledon

French Open champion Iga Swiatek will skip next week's Berlin Open WTA 500 tournament due to a shoulder issue, but the world number one said on Friday that she hopes to be fully fit for Wimbledon starting later this month. Poland's Swiatek defeated American Coco Gauff 6-1 6-3 in the Roland Garros final last week to win her second Grand Slam title following a triumph in Paris in 2020.

Tennis-Murray produces grass masterclass to beat Tsitsipas in Stuttgart

Former world number one Andy Murray secured his first victory over a top-five opponent in six years with a 7-6(4) 6-3 win over Greek top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas to reach the semi-finals of the Stuttgart Open on Friday. The two-times Wimbledon champion stepped up his preparation for the grasscourt major starting this month by battling through a tight opening set against world number five Tsitsipas before rolling back the years in the second set to complete the win.

Soccer-Ecuador keep World Cup spot after FIFA dismisses Chile complaint

Ecuador will play at the 2022 World Cup after FIFA dismissed Chile's claims that they had fielded an ineligible player in the qualifiers, world soccer's governing body said on Friday. The Chilean Football Federation (ANFP) last month said it had proof that Ecuador's Byron Castillo was born in Tumaco, Colombia in 1995, and not in the Ecuadorean city of General Villamil Playas in 1998 as stated on his official documents.

Athletics-Olympic marathon champion Jepchirchir targeting 2023 world record attempt

Olympic marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir said she could target the London, Berlin or Chicago marathons for a world record attempt next year as she builds on a blockbuster run. The 28-year-old Kenyan set the sport ablaze when she won the New York City Marathon just 13 weeks after claiming gold in Tokyo, the first athlete to win the Olympic marathon and the five-borough race in the same year.

Golf-Schwartzel leads chase for $4 million LIV jackpot

South African Charl Schwartzel and compatriot Hennie Du Plessis led the chase for the record $4 million winners' cheque after round two of the opening LIV Invitational event on Friday.

Schwartzel, who led after Thursday's opening round, produced another dazzling round to stay top of the leaderboard by three strokes from Du Plessis.

Motor racing-Leclerc ends opening day of Azerbaijan practice fastest for Ferrari

Charles Leclerc pushed Red Bull rival Sergio Perez off the top of the timesheets to end Friday practice for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with the fastest time for Ferrari. The Monegasque, who had trailed Perez at the end of the first session, pulled out a one minute, 43.224-second lap in the second hour of running to end the day 0.248 seconds clear of the Mexican.

Motorcycling-Father and son take Isle of Man TT deaths to five for 2022

The death toll at the 2022 Isle of Man TT motorcycle races rose to five on Friday after organisers said British father and son sidecar riders Roger and Bradley Stockton were killed in a crash. The pair, 56 and 21 respectively, were competing as driver and passenger in the second sidecar race when the incident happened on the final lap at Ago's Leap.

NFL-Washington fines Del Rio $100K for comments on U.S. Capitol attack

The Washington Commanders said on Friday they fined defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio $100,000 after he minimized last year's assault on the U.S. Capitol a "dust-up" compared to the 2020 racial justice protests that followed George Floyd's death. Del Rio, who has since apologized, made the comments this week when asked by reporters if he planned to address with the team a social media post in which he questioned why protests after the death of Floyd at the hands of police were not being discussed in the same way as the U.S. Capitol attack.

NBA-Curry leads Warriors past Celtics to level Finals series

Stephen Curry erupted for 43 points as the Golden State Warriors beat the Boston Celtics 107-97 on Friday to even the best-of-seven Finals series 2-2. Curry, who was questionable to even play in the game after he injured his foot in Wednesday's Game Three, carried his squad to the gritty road win in front of a hostile crowd at TD Garden in Boston.

Soccer-Shamans back Peru ahead of World Cup playoff against Australia

Thirteen Peruvian shamans gathered on Friday to perform spiritual rituals with rattles, smoke and flowers in support of the national soccer team ahead of their World Cup playoff against Australia in Qatar. Peru take on the Socceroos at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan on Monday, with the winners taking one of the last spots at the World Cup finals in the Gulf state later this year.

(With inputs from agencies.)