Sports News Roundup: Tennis-Kyrgios soaks up acclaim after proving doubters wrong; Tennis-Injured Nadal unsure if he can play semis against Kyrgios and more

Struggling with an abdominal injury, Nadal appeared close to retiring mid-match but found the will to beat Fritz 3-6 7-5 3-6 7-5 7-6 (10-4) in four hours and 20 minutes to set up a semi-final showdown against Australian maverick Nick Kyrgios. Tennis-Emotions on hold as Mum Tatjana takes on Aunt Ons When barbecue buddies Ons Jabeur and Tatjana Maria step on to Centre Court for their Wimbledon semi-final on Thursday, the loyalties of an eight-year-old German girl who will be sitting in the players' box will be severely tested.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Tennis-Kyrgios soaks up acclaim after proving doubters wrong

Nick Kyrgios has waited a long time to seriously challenge for a Grand Slam title since rocking up at Wimbledon as a teenager in 2014 and reaching the quarter-finals. The intervening years have taken the maverick Australian to some dark places and he continues to make headlines for the wrong reasons, even during this fortnight with Tuesday's news that he faces a charge of the alleged assault in Canberra.

Tennis-Injured Nadal unsure if he can play semis against Kyrgios

Rafa Nadal provided no assurance that he would be able to turn up for his Wimbledon semi-final on Friday against Australian Nick Kyrgios after the Spaniard played through an abdominal injury to beat Taylor Fritz in an absorbing contest. Struggling with a physical ailment, Nadal appeared close to retiring mid-match on Wednesday on Centre Court but he found the will to beat Fritz in four hours and 20 minutes.

Tennis-Ailing Nadal finds mental steel to edge Fritz in Wimbledon epic

A hurting Rafa Nadal exhibited heroic mental strength to edge American 11th seed Taylor Fritz in a final set tiebreaker during a captivating Wimbledon quarter-final on Wednesday to keep alive his quest for a calendar-year Grand Slam. Struggling with an abdominal injury, Nadal appeared close to retiring mid-match but found the will to beat Fritz 3-6 7-5 3-6 7-5 7-6 (10-4) in four hours and 20 minutes to set up a semi-final showdown against Australian maverick Nick Kyrgios.

Tennis-Emotions on hold as Mum Tatjana takes on Aunt Ons

When barbecue buddies Ons Jabeur and Tatjana Maria step onto Centre Court for their Wimbledon semi-final on Thursday, the loyalties of an eight-year-old German girl who will be sitting in the players' box will be severely tested. Mum-of-two Maria's run to the last four has been the feel-good story of these championships, with the 103rd-ranked German finally making the grade at the 49th attempt.

Soccer-England makes a winning start in front of a record Euro crowd

The women's European Championship got underway with pre-game fireworks for a tournament-record crowd but there was little sparkle from hosts England as they labored to a 1-0 win over Austria at Old Trafford on Wednesday. The crowd of 68,871 was the largest for a European Championship game, beating the previous best of 41,301 from the Euro 2013 final in Sweden, and the enthusiasm of the heavily youthful and noisy supporters fired England to a lively start.

Tennis-Halep demolishes Anisimova to reach Wimbledon semi-finals

For almost 45 minutes, Simona Halep handed out a public flogging to a shell-shocked Amanda Anisimova in their Wimbledon quarter-final on Wednesday. It was getting so bad for Anisimova, that her fellow American John McEnroe quipped while commentating: "This is bordering on embarrassing... this will be over in 10 minutes."

Biden calls wife of WNBA's Griner, says her detention is 'intolerable'

U.S. President Joe Biden told Brittney Griner's wife in a call on Wednesday that he is working to secure the WNBA basketball star's release from Russia as soon as possible, describing her detention on drug charges as "intolerable." Griner, who had been playing for a Russian club during the off-season, was arrested at a Moscow airport on Feb. 17 when a search of her luggage allegedly revealed cannabis oil vape cartridges.

Games-NZ boxer Nyika out of Commonwealth Games with a hand injury

New Zealand boxer David Nyika will not have the chance to fight for a third straight Commonwealth Games gold medal after pulling out of this year's event in England with a hand injury, the country's Olympic committee (NZOC) said on Thursday.

Tokyo Olympics heavyweight bronze medallist Nyika, 26, bruised bone marrow in his left hand after recent bouts in Australia and faces a six-week recovery period, ruling him out of the July 28-Aug. 8 Games in Birmingham.

Tennis-Composed Kyrgios overpowers Garin to set up Nadal semi-final

Nick Kyrgios reached the first Grand Slam semi-final of his chequered career with a comfortable 6-4 6-3 7-6(5) victory over Chile's Cristian Garin at Wimbledon on Wednesday, setting up a mouth-watering clash with Rafa Nadal. The unseeded 27-year-old lost the opening nine points on Court One but ultimately had too much firepower for Garin who had hoped to become Chile's first Wimbledon semi-finalist.

Beal Deal: Wizards sign All-Star to $251M pact with rare no-trade clause

Bradley Beal got everything he wanted from the Washington Wizards. Beal declined his option for the 2022-23 season and officially signed a new five-year deal on Wednesday valued at a maximum $251 million with another unique element: the NBA's first true no-trade clause.

(With inputs from agencies.)