Sports News Roundup: Tennis-Clinical Rybakina eases past Halep to reach Wimbledon final; Tennis-Double delight as Krawczyk and Skupski retain Wimbledon title and more

Spieth, who won the British Open at Royal Birkdale in 2017 and just missed out on a play-off at St Andrews in 2015, carded a 68 in the first round of the Scottish Open on Thursday in calm conditions that helped Cameron Tringale fire a nine-under 61. Tennis-Injured Nadal pulls out of Wimbledon, sends Kyrgios into final Rafa Nadal's hopes of completing a rare calendar year Grand Slam ended on Thursday when the Spaniard pulled out of his highly-anticipated Wimbledon semi-final showdown against Australian Nick Kyrgios with an abdominal strain.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Tennis-Clinical Rybakina eases past Halep to reach Wimbledon final

There was little in Elena Rybakina's understated celebration - the clenched fist and slow stroll to the net - to suggest she had produced the performance of her life to demolish former champion Simona Halep and reach the Wimbledon final on Thursday. Yet by romping into Saturday's showpiece, her maiden Grand Slam final, with a 6-3 6-3 win that was as clinical as it was brutal, she set up a showdown with Tunisian Ons Jabeur that few would have predicted at the tournament's outset.

Tennis-Double delight as Krawczyk and Skupski retain Wimbledon title

American-British duo Desirae Krawczyk and Neal Skupski clinched their second straight Wimbledon mixed doubles title on Thursday after sweeping aside Australia's Matthew Ebden and Sam Stosur 6-4 6-3 on Centre Court. The second seeds edged a close first set and stepped up their game in the second, roaring back from an early breakdown to win four consecutive games and wrap up victory in an hour and 27 minutes.

Soccer-Verdict due in the corruption trial of Blatter and Platini

Swiss judges are set to rule on Friday in the corruption trial of ex-FIFA president Sepp Blatter and France's former football hero Michel Platini, once among soccer's most powerful figures. Prosecutors accuse Blatter, a Swiss who led global soccer body FIFA for 17 years, and Platini, a former France national team captain, and manager, of unlawfully arranging for FIFA to pay the Frenchman two million Swiss francs ($2.06 million) in 2011.

Tennis-Djokovic is ready to take on the crowd and Norrie as Kyrgios awaits

While Australian maverick Nick Kyrgios enjoys a day off following Rafa Nadal's withdrawal, Novak Djokovic will bid to continue his Wimbledon juggernaut against local hope Cameron Norrie in the lone men's semi-final on Friday. The 27-year-old Kyrgios will have four days of rest before he plays his maiden major final against Djokovic or Norrie after his semi-final opponent Nadal was forced to pull out due to an abdominal injury on Thursday.

Golf-St Andrews needs the wind or Open might be a 'wedge contest': Spieth

Jordan Spieth says the 150th British Open at St Andrew's could be reduced to a "wedge contest" unless the wind offers the Old Course some protection. Spieth, who won the British Open at Royal Birkdale in 2017 and just missed out on a play-off at St Andrews in 2015, carded a 68 in the first round of the Scottish Open on Thursday in calm conditions that helped Cameron Tringale fire a nine-under 61.

Tennis-Injured Nadal pulls out of Wimbledon, sends Kyrgios into final

Rafa Nadal's hopes of completing a rare calendar-year Grand Slam ended on Thursday when the Spaniard pulled out of his highly-anticipated Wimbledon semi-final showdown against Australian Nick Kyrgios with an abdominal strain. Nadal won the Australian and French Opens back-to-back this year for the first time in his career and was bidding to become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to complete the calendar-year slam.

Canadiens select Juraj Slafkovsky No. 1 overall in the NHL draft

The Canadiens received a mixed reaction from the crowd in Montreal on Thursday after selecting Slovakian forward Juraj Slafkovsky of TPS Turku with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. Shane Wright of the Ontario Hockey League's Kingston Frontenacs was the consensus No. 1 selection for years leading up to this draft. Instead, Wright fell to the Seattle Kraken at No. 4 overall.

Tennis-Fritz not looking for 'handouts' after Nadal defeat

Taylor Fritz has rejected suggestions from fans that Rafa Nadal should have retired from their Wimbledon quarter-final due to injury and let the American progress to the semis. Nadal beat Fritz 3-6 7-5 3-6 7-5 7-6 (10-4) on Wednesday despite the 22-time Grand Slam winner appearing close to retiring due to an abdominal injury.

NBA-Celtics acquiring Brogdon could be 'trade of the summer,' says Green

Golden State Warriors power forward Draymond Green said on Thursday the Celtics are poised to be even more dangerous next season after Boston acquired point guard Malcolm Brogdon. Green's Warriors defeated the Celtics last month to win the NBA championship in a series during which Boston did not have a true point guard and struggled with turnovers.

Tennis-Australia wary of embracing 'Nincompoop Nick' Kyrgios

Nick Kyrgios's transformation from doubles entertainer to Grand Slam singles finalist is one of the more remarkable tennis stories of the year but Australian fans could be excused a little caution before embracing his Wimbledon success. His response to Rafa Nadal withdrawing from their Wimbledon semi-final on Thursday was charged with the sort of respect that has defined the interaction between top players in this golden era of men's tennis.