Sports News Roundup: Nadal withdraws from Montreal hardcourt event; Gauff stays calm to stave off Osaka fightback in San Jose and more

World number three Nadal's quest for a calendar Grand Slam ended after he pulled out of his highly anticipated showdown against Australia's Nick Kyrgios less than 24 hours before the match. Lakers, LeBron James reportedly talk $98M extension LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are discussing a two-year extension worth $98 million, according to multiple reports.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Motor racing-McLaren told Ricciardo that Piastri will replace him-reports

McLaren have told Daniel Ricciardo that fellow Australian Oscar Piastri will be replacing him at the Formula One team next season, according to media reports on Friday. The http://www.racingnews365.com website cited Australian sources saying Ricciardo had been officially informed of his "de-hiring".

Women's soccer gear in demand after historic England win

Weekly sales of women's soccer gear have tripled since the start of the women's European Championship that ended on Sunday with an historic England win, according to retailer Fanatics Inc, which sold official merchandise for the tournament. The spike in sales demonstrates the growing appeal of the women's sportswear market, as social barriers are broken and participation levels increase. The previous England senior team success was the men's side winning the World Cup in 1966, at a time when women's football was banned in the country.

Motor racing-Iron Dames doing more than putting women in the driving seat

Sarah Bovy had some doubts when she and her team mates were told they would be racing in pink suits and a pink-liveried car this season, but success on the track with the Iron Dames swiftly dispelled any misgivings. The 33-year-old Belgian driver wrote her name in motorsport history at the Monza Six Hours last month as the first woman to secure a pole position in an FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) race.

Soccer-Huge Cucurella fee shows high price of a little Premier League experience

Chelsea committed a reported 62 million pounds ($74.72 million) on Friday to buy Spanish left back Marc Cucurella from Brighton & Hove Albion with the south coast club collecting a 46 million pound profit on a player they had signed just 12 months ago. The transfer is one of the most striking examples yet of just how much a player's value is impacted by having proven they can cope with the demands of the Premier League -- even for just one season.

Tennis-Gauff stays calm to stave off Osaka fightback in San Jose

American 18-year-old Coco Gauff found the poise to stall a fierce fightback from four-time major winner Naomi Osaka on Thursday, defeating the former world number one 6-4 6-4 to reach the Silicon Valley Classic quarter-finals. It was the fourth meeting between Japan's Osaka and Gauff, who finished runner-up in her maiden Grand Slam final at this year's French Open, with the American levelling the head-to-head record at 2-2.

INTERVIEW-Paralympics-Russia decision on Paris 2024 in November but situation unchanged-IPC chief

A decision on the participation of Russia and Belarus at the Paris 2024 Paralympics will be taken in November but the ongoing war in Ukraine means their ban from the Beijing 2022 winter Paralympics remains in place, the president of the International Paralympic Committee said on Friday. Athletes from Russia and Belarus were barred from competing in the Chinese capital on the eve of the Paralympics in March over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, for which Belarus has been a key staging area.

Tennis-Nadal withdraws from Montreal hardcourt event

Rafa Nadal has withdrawn from next week's U.S. Open tune-up event in Montreal, Canada due to the same abdominal strain which forced him to miss his Wimbledon semi-final last month, he said on Friday. World number three Nadal's quest for a calendar Grand Slam ended after he pulled out of his highly anticipated showdown against Australia's Nick Kyrgios less than 24 hours before the match.

Lakers, LeBron James reportedly talk $98M extension

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are discussing a two-year extension worth $98 million, according to multiple reports. James, 37, became eligible for a contract extension on Thursday and met with general manager Rob Pelinka.

MLB roundup: Angels hit 7 home runs, lose 8-7 to A's

Ramon Laureano drove in four runs and the Oakland Athletics survived seven solo home runs by the Los Angeles Angels -- two by Shohei Ohtani -- to win 8-7 in Anaheim, Calif., on Thursday. The teams combined for nine homers, but the Athletics got two-run bombs from Seth Brown and Laureano and also capitalized on eight walks from Angels pitching. The Angels became the first team in MLB history to score seven or more runs in a game all on solo homers, according to STATS.

Russia sentences Griner to 9 years in prison, White House calls for her release

A Russian court sentenced U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner to nine years in prison on Thursday after finding her guilty of deliberately bringing cannabis-infused vape cartridges into Russia, a ruling that U.S. President Joe Biden called "unacceptable." Griner was escorted out of the courtroom in handcuffs by police after the ruling, turning to reporters and saying: "I love my family".

(With inputs from agencies.)