Sports News Roundup: Tennis-U.S. ban fuels Djokovic's Wimbledon motivation; Tennis-Tsitsipas delighted with a breakthrough title win on grass and more

World number six Tsitsipas, who has only enjoyed moderate success on grass, toppled Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4 3-6 7-6(2) in a major boost ahead of Wimbledon, where the 23-year-old has never gone past the fourth round. Tennis-Kvitova surges past Ostapenko to claim Eastbourne crown, Fritz wins men's title Twice Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova geared up for this year's tournament in style as she sailed past former Roland Garros winner Jelena Ostapenko 6-3 6-2 to capture the WTA 500 Eastbourne International crown on Saturday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Tennis-U.S. ban fuels Djokovic's Wimbledon motivation

Defending champion Novak Djokovic says he will be extra motivated to claim a fourth successive Wimbledon title as it could be his last Grand Slam action of the year. The 35-year-old Serb missed the Australian Open after being deported for not having been vaccinated against COVID-19 and will not be allowed to compete at the U.S. Open for the same reason.

Tennis-Tsitsipas delighted with a breakthrough title win on grass

Stefanos Tsitsipas said that his victory in the final of the Mallorca Championships on Saturday was a major milestone in his career as the Greek claimed his maiden grasscourt title leading up to Wimbledon next week. World number six Tsitsipas, who has only enjoyed moderate success on grass, toppled Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4 3-6 7-6(2) in a major boost ahead of Wimbledon, where the 23-year-old has never gone past the fourth round.

Tennis-Kvitova surges past Ostapenko to claim Eastbourne crown, Fritz wins men's title

Twice Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova geared up for this year's tournament in style as she sailed past former Roland Garros winner Jelena Ostapenko 6-3 6-2 to capture the WTA 500 Eastbourne International crown on Saturday. It was a 29th career title and the first in more than a year for the 32-year-old Czech as she underlined her status as an outside contender for Wimbledon, which begins on Monday.

Swimming-American Ress wins 50m backstroke gold after review, McIntosh takes 400m medley

American Justin Ress won gold in the 50m backstrokes in dramatic circumstances at the world championships in Budapest on Saturday after officials overturned his initial disqualification following a lengthy review. The victory was earlier awarded to compatriot Hunter Armstrong after it was ruled that no part of Ress's body was above the water as he reached first for the wall.

Athletics-McLaughlin breaks own 400 meters hurdles record with 'Track Town, USA' magic

Focus, skill, and a little bit of "Track Town, USA" magic propelled Sydney McLaughlin to break her own world record - again - in the 400 meters hurdles on Saturday. The Olympic gold medallist won the U.S. championships final in 51.41 seconds at Hayward Field, improving upon her own benchmark time at the American track haven of Eugene, Oregon.

Athletics-McLaughlin breaks own hurdles record, Norman clinches men's 400 meters

Sydney McLaughlin smashed yet another world record in the 400 meters hurdles at the U.S. championships on Saturday, while Michael Norman won the men's 400 meters. In her final national championship race, Allyson Felix, the most decorated woman in track history, finished sixth in the 400.

Cricket-England strike late to seize control of Headingley test

England's bowlers struck three times in quick succession late on day three to take control of the final test against New Zealand at Headingley on Saturday and stay on course for a 3-0 series sweep. The tourists were on 168-5 and led England by 137 runs when rain brought a premature halt to the day's play.

Tennis-Coric withdraws from Wimbledon with a shoulder injury

Croatia's Borna Coric has withdrawn from Wimbledon because of a shoulder injury, tournament organizers said on Saturday. The 25-year-old, who was drawn to play 12th seed Diego Schwartzman in the first round, will be replaced by a lucky loser from the qualifying tournament.

Athletics-Felix thinks of women's rights, and future as she runs the last U.S. race

There was a bit of sadness as legendary sprinter Allyson Felix stepped off the track on Saturday after her final U.S. championships. "But I think more than anything this season showed me that I have no doubts about walking away," said America's most decorated track and field athlete who is nearing the end of 19 amazing seasons.

Tennis-Fit-again Murray full of belief ahead of Wimbledon

Andy Murray has shaken off the abdominal injury which threatened his participation at Wimbledon, the former world number one said on Saturday before declaring that there was still a lot of "good tennis" left in him. Murray, who won the grasscourt Grand Slam in 2013 and 2016, sustained the injury during his Stuttgart Open final defeat by Italian Matteo Berrettini earlier this month, after impressive wins over Stefanos Tsitsipas and Nick Kyrgios.

(With inputs from agencies.)