Sports News Roundup: Hamilton leads Mercedes, WTA final, Khabib-Floyd boxing talk

Qualifier Ons Jabeur became the first Tunisian player to reach a WTA final when she beat fifth seed Anastasija Sevastova 6-3 3-6 6-3 at the Kremlin Cup on Friday

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Giants WR Beckham vows to improve but needs help

Odell Beckham Jr. is ready to do his part to get the New York Giants back on a winning path. But the outspoken wide receiver also said he can't do it alone.

Motor racing-Hamilton leads Mercedes one-two in wet U.S. first practice

Lewis Hamilton set the pace at a rainswept Circuit of the Americas on Friday as Mercedes dominated first practice for a U.S. Grand Prix that could crown him a five-times Formula One world champion. The Briton needs to score eight points more than Ferrari rival and fellow-four times champion Sebastian Vettel on Sunday and a third successive Mercedes one-two finish would do just that.

UFC's White dismisses Khabib-Floyd boxing talk

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov might want to fight boxing legend Floyd Mayweather, but UFC president Dana White doesn't want to hear about it. White told ESPN on Friday that the rumours of such a bout should be ignored, seemingly chalking it up to Mayweather's tendency toward self-promotion.

NFL notebook: With RB Fournette out, Jaguars acquire Hyde

With starting running back Leonard Fournette ruled out for his third straight game and limited to just 20 carries this season, the Jacksonville Jaguars have acquired Carlos Hyde from the Cleveland Browns for a fifth-round draft pick. Fournette suffered a hamstring injury in the season opener against the New York Giants and missed the next two games. He aggravated it in Week 4 when he returned to play against the New York Jets. Fournette's backup, T.J. Yeldon, also has been fighting injuries and the Jaguars lost Corey Grant with a foot injury.

WTA roundup: Goerges rallies to move into Luxembourg finals

Top-seeded German Julia Goerges rallied back from two points from defeat qualifier Eugenie Bouchard and reach the finals of the BGL BNP Paribas Luxembourg Open on Friday. Goerges will return to the final in Luxembourg for the first time since 2010 with her 6-7 (3), 7-5, 6-1 win. She will face Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, a 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (5) winner over Ukrainian teenager Dayana Yastremska in the final on Saturday.

Tennis: Jabeur becomes first Tunisian to reach WTA final

Qualifier Ons Jabeur became the first Tunisian player to reach a WTA final when she beat fifth seed Anastasija Sevastova 6-3 3-6 6-3 at the Kremlin Cup on Friday. She had already become the first Tunisian to reach a semi-final and continued her impressive form against the Latvian to set up a final against Russian Daria Kasatkina.

Price-less: Red Sox KO Astros to reach World Series

Red Sox centre fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. spoke with an earnestness that belied his influence on the American League Championship Series, a sincerity that did not fully reflect the potency of his bat or the damage he wrought in helping dethrone the defending champions. Even a hitless Game 5 could not diminish his impact. It was Bradley who slugged Boston to three consecutive wins prior to Thursday. It was Bradley who set the table for J.D. Martinez, Rafael Devers and David Price to put the finishing touches on the Houston Astros with a 4-1 victory at Minute Maid Park and 4-1 series win that clinched the Red Sox's 14th pennant.

Motor racing: Larson not giving up despite setback at Kansas

It is a situation that seemingly should make drivers feel unease, rankle their nerves and bring about second-guessing on how they ended up being on the brink of elimination from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs barring a win in this weekend's elimination race. And yet Kyle Larson isn't experiencing any of these feelings heading into Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway (2 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the Playoff's Round of 12 finale that will see four drivers knocked out of the postseason. In fact, Larson is almost relishing the prospect that he and his Chip Ganassi Racing team can now compete without concern and focus solely on doing whatever possible to reach Victory Lane.

Rihanna turns down Super Bowl show, backs Kaepernick

Pop superstar Rihanna declined an offer to perform at a Super Bowl halftime show because she supported former National Football League quarterback Colin Kaepernick and his protest against racial injustice, according to media reports. US Weekly and other reports cited an unnamed source as saying that the NFL and broadcaster CBS Corp "really wanted Rihanna to be next year's performer."

WADA not fit for purpose and should be replaced: Thompson

The World Anti-Doping Agency is not fit for purpose and should be replaced, Britain's double Olympic decathlon champion Daley Thompson has said following its decision last month to lift a ban on Russia's anti-doping body. RUSADA's 22-month suspension was removed by WADA subject to various conditions but drew widespread criticism from some athletes and anti-doping agencies.

(With inputs from Reuters)