Reuters Sports News Summary

Kern averaged 44.8 yards per punt last season. Tennis-No avoiding politics as Medvedev returns to Grand Slam stage Russian defending champion Daniil Medvedev said he was trying to "learn every day" as he began his U.S. Open title defence on Monday against the backdrop of his country's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Tennis-Ukraine's Snigur stuns former number one Halep in first round

Ukrainian qualifier Daria Snigur produced the performance of her career to upset twice Grand Slam winner Simona Halep 6-2 0-6 6-4 in the first round of the U.S. Open Monday. The 20-year-old Snigur showed poise beyond her years to break Halep in the opening game and again in the third as she capitalised on a mounting number of unforced errors from the Romanian.

Tennis-Carreno Busta downs former winner Thiem in U.S. Open first round

Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta sent 2020 champion Dominic Thiem packing 7-5 6-1 5-7 6-3 in the first round of the U.S. Open on Monday, as the Austrian wildcard struggled with his forehand on the long road back from injury. Thiem reached his first Tour-level semi-final in more than a year at last month's Swiss Open, a key milestone as he works to regain his form after a June 2021 wrist injury, but showed he still has work to do as he stumbled into 30 unforced forehand errors on Court 17.

Tennis-Andreescu gives Nike a dressing down at U.S. Open before issuing apology

Former U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu apologised to her sponsor Nike for an on-court outburst after her choice of wardrobe for Monday's first-round match landed her in a spot of bother amid windy conditions. Andreescu was out on the Grandstand court to play Harmony Tan but the winds at the open arena kept blowing her skirt up and affecting her shots, forcing the 22-year-old to approach the chair umpire and request an additional bathroom break to change.

NFL cuts roundup: Titans to release P Brett Kern

The Tennessee Titans have informed longtime punter Brett Kern that he will be released, ESPN reported Monday. Kern, 36, has punted for the Titans since 2009 and is a three-time Pro Bowler (2017, 2018, 2019). He was also first-team All-Pro in 2019. Kern averaged 44.8 yards per punt last season.

Tennis-No avoiding politics as Medvedev returns to Grand Slam stage

Russian defending champion Daniil Medvedev said he was trying to "learn every day" as he began his U.S. Open title defence on Monday against the backdrop of his country's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The world number one and his compatriots were banned from participating at Wimbledon amid the invasion that began Feb. 24, which Russia calls a "special military operation" aimed at preemptively safeguarding its security against NATO expansion.

Tennis-As Williams prepares to take U.S. Open court, everyone else a warm-up act

It's rare that a world number one and defending champion is the warm up act at the U.S. Open but that was the case on Monday as Daniil Medvedev played second fiddle to Serena Williams, who takes to the court later having hinted the match could be her last. Williams, 40, said in a Vogue article in early August that she was "evolving away from tennis" but has never confirmed the U.S. Open as her final event.

New Jersey man gets 3 years prison in Tom Brady Super Bowl ring fraud

A New Jersey man was sentenced on Monday to three years in prison after admitting he posed as a former New England Patriots football player to buy and sell Super Bowl rings, supposedly as gifts for the family of star quarterback Tom Brady. Scott Spina, 25, of Roseland, New Jersey, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge David Carter in Santa Ana, California, after pleading guilty in February to five felony counts of mail fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Tennis-Murray downs error-prone Cerundolo to reach U.S. Open second round

Andy Murray powered into the second round of the U.S. Open with a comfortable 7-5 6-3 6-3 win over Argentine Francisco Cerundolo on Monday, as the former world number one rolled back the years at the scene of his first Grand Slam triumph a decade ago. The 35-year-old Scot, who has battled various injuries in recent years, raced to a 5-2 lead early in the match but dropped his level slightly before edging a tight first set and breaking quickly in the next to put 24th seed Cerundolo under pressure on a sweltering hot Arthur Ashe Stadium court.

Tennis-Medvedev whacks aside American Kozlov to begin U.S. Open title defence

World number one Daniil Medvedev opened his U.S. Open title defence by walloping American Stefan Kozlov 6-2 6-4 6-0 in sweltering conditions on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday. The Russian had an inconsistent run-up to Flushing Meadows but was back to top form on the court where he won his maiden Grand Slam title a year ago, sending across 10 aces and neutralising Kozlov's serve.

Daniil Medvedev, Iga Swiatek heavy U.S. Open favorites

Top seeds Daniil Medvedev and Iga Swiatek were heavy favorites to claim their respective titles as play began at the U.S. Open on Monday. Medvedev was the +260 favorite at BetMGM to defend the men's title ahead of Spaniards Rafael Nadal (+400) and Carlos Alcaraz (+550). Medvedev claimed his first career Grand Slam title at last year's U.S. Open, where he denied Novak Djokovic from winning the "Calendar Slam."