Sports News Roundup: Soccer-Dutch government to send official delegation to Qatar World Cup; Tennis-Gauff, Garcia into WTA Finals after Sabalenka defeat in Guadalajara and more

The Warriors, who kicked off their NBA title defence with a 123-109 win against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, have been a dominant force under head coach Steve Kerr, winning four championships in the last eight years. Soccer-Confident Kepa relishing Chelsea run after fifth straight clean sheet Goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga said his confidence has been boosted by getting a run of starts for Chelsea after he kept a fifth straight clean sheet in Wednesday's 0-0 Premier League draw with Brentford.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Soccer-Dutch government to send official delegation to Qatar World Cup

The Dutch government confirmed on Wednesday that it would send a delegation to the Qatar World Cup in November despite a parliamentary vote urging it not to do so due to concerns over the Gulf country's treatment of migrant workers. Qatar, where migrant workers and foreigners make up the majority of the 2.8 million population, has come under severe scrutiny from human rights groups over the migrant issue in the run-up to the tournament, which kicks off on Nov. 20.

Tennis-Gauff, Garcia into WTA Finals after Sabalenka defeat in Guadalajara

Coco Gauff and Caroline Garcia qualified for the WTA Finals after Aryna Sabalenka lost to Liudmila Samsonova in the Guadalajara Open second round on Wednesday. Russian Samsonova, who has won 20 of her last 22 matches, smacked 21 winners and broke the powerful Belarusian four times en route to a 6-4 2-6 6-2 upset win over the world number four.

Cricket-Hosts Australia ready to click in T20 World Cup defence

Defending champions Australia have had a patchy buildup to their T20 World Cup defence but few would dare underestimate Aaron Finch's men when they flick the switch to tournament mode this week. An underdone Australia gelled superbly during last year's triumph in the United Arab Emirates and 14 of that 15-man squad will bid for back-to-back titles on home pitches over the next few weeks.

Soccer-Maradona's 1986 World Cup final shirt returns to Argentina

Thirty-six years after Diego Maradona helped Argentina beat Germany to lift the World Cup in Mexico City, the shirt he wore in the game has returned to his homeland. Germany's Lothar Matthaeus, who swapped shirts with Maradona, donated the jersey to the Argentine embassy in Madrid in August and it was handed over to the country's football association (AFA) by collector Marcelo Ordas on Wednesday.

Golf-Los Angeles Country Club to host 2039 U.S. Open

The Los Angeles Country Club will host the 2039 U.S. Open and 2032 U.S. Women's Open, the United States Golf Association (USGA) said on Wednesday. The Los Angeles Country Club, located on the edge of Beverly Hills, will host next year's U.S. Open on the famed North Course which was returned to its original George C. Thomas Jr. layout by architect Gil Hanse during a 2010 restoration project.

Golf-British Open runner-up Young named PGA Tour rookie of the year

American Cameron Young was named the PGA Tour's rookie of the year in a vote by his peers following a season in which he recorded five runner-up finishes, including at the British Open, the U.S.-based circuit said on Wednesday. Young, who capped a closing 65 with a 17-foot eagle putt to finish second at the British Open, was selected for the Arnold Palmer Award over South Korea's Tom Kim and American Sahith Theegala, receiving 94% of the membership vote.

Soccer-Nunez earns points for Liverpool, Man Utd outclass Tottenham

Liverpool maintained their new-found momentum as Darwin Nunez scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory over West Ham United in the Premier League, but high-flying Tottenham Hotspur suffered a reality check with a 2-0 loss at Manchester United on Wednesday. Chelsea's run of four successive league wins came to an end as they were held to a 0-0 draw at Brentford.

Athletics-McColgan's recent 10K records invalid after course found to be 150m short

Eilish McColgan's latest European and British 10,000m records set at the Great Scottish Run earlier this month have been invalidated after the Glasgow course was found to be 150m short, organisers said on Wednesday. Commonwealth Games champion McColgan had finished the Oct. 2 race in 30 minutes and 18 seconds but organisers said the course was "not laid out in line with the previously agreed plans" and apologised to the Scottish runner as well as the participants.

NBA-Thompson reveals Barcelona influence in Warriors success

Golden State Warriors' impressive ball movement in recent seasons has been inspired by Spanish LaLiga side Barcelona's "tiki-taka" brand of soccer, says shooting guard Klay Thompson. The Warriors, who kicked off their NBA title defence with a 123-109 win against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, have been a dominant force under head coach Steve Kerr, winning four championships in the last eight years.

Soccer-Confident Kepa relishing Chelsea run after fifth straight clean sheet

Goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga said his confidence has been boosted by getting a run of starts for Chelsea after he kept a fifth straight clean sheet in Wednesday's 0-0 Premier League draw with Brentford. The Spaniard, who became the world's most expensive goalkeeper when he joined Chelsea for 80 million euros ($78.05 million) in 2018, had been second-choice behind Edouard Mendy in the last two seasons.

(With inputs from agencies.)