Reuters Sports News Summary

Kyrgios, who is ranked 22nd in the world and reached this year's Wimbledon final, was set to lead Australia in the joint ATP and WTA event, which is being held in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth and offers ranking points and $15 million in prize-money. Soccer-Man Utd defender Martinez back in training after World Cup win Manchester United centre back Lisandro Martinez returned to training on Wednesday after winning the World Cup with Argentina in Qatar, the Premier League club said.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Tennis-Kyrgios's late United Cup withdrawal surprises Australia team mates

Nick Kyrgios's late withdrawal from the inaugural edition of the United Cup took his own team mates by surprise on Wednesday as they were left in the dark until minutes before their pre-tournament news conference. Kyrgios, who is ranked 22nd in the world and reached this year's Wimbledon final, was set to lead Australia in the joint ATP and WTA event, which is being held in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth and offers ranking points and $15 million in prize-money.

Soccer-Man Utd defender Martinez back in training after World Cup win

Manchester United centre back Lisandro Martinez returned to training on Wednesday after winning the World Cup with Argentina in Qatar, the Premier League club said. Martinez was granted some time off by United after Argentina won the World Cup by beating France in the Dec. 18 final on penalties.

Alpine skiing-Kriechmayr claims downhill win in Bormio

Austria's Vincent Kriechmayr claimed his second downhill win of the season on Wednesday when he came first down the slopes in Bormio, Italy. Kriechmayr finished in a time of 1:54.68, 0.40 seconds ahead of Canadian James Crawford while Aleksander Aamodt Kilde took third place, 0.68 seconds behind Kriechmayr.

NBA-Doncic's historic triple-double helps Mavs to improbable win over Knicks

Luka Doncic became the first player in NBA history to record 60 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists in a game as he guided the Dallas Mavericks to an improbable comeback win in overtime against the New York Knicks on Tuesday. The Mavericks trailed 110-101 with less than 45 seconds left in the fourth quarter before Doncic stole the show, his intentional miss from the free throw line the highlight of a wild game.

Iranian chess player appears at Kazakhstan tournament without hijab for second day -Reuters witness

An Iranian chess player on Wednesday took part in an international tournament in Kazakhstan without a hijab for the second day running, according to a Reuters journalist present. A Reuters witness at the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan, saw Sara Khadem competing without a headscarf, a violation of Iran's laws governing female dress code.

Alpine skiing-Shiffrin completes giant slalom double for 79th World Cup win

American Mikaela Shiffrin secured a giant slalom double in Semmering, Austria on Wednesday to claim her 79th World Cup victory, moving her within three wins of compatriot Lindsey Vonn's women's record of 82. Shiffrin clocked a combined time of two minutes and 3.51 seconds to beat Switzerland's Lara Gut-Behrami by 0.10 seconds. It was back-to-back victories for Shiffrin who also won on Tuesday.

Soccer-Arsenal look real deal, Newcastle relentless and Tottenham fickle as battle resumes

After an unprecedented mid-season shutdown because of the Qatar World Cup, the Premier League burst back to life over the festive holiday with a bumper fixture package. The 44-day stoppage allowed top-flight managers time to gather their thoughts while those players not involved in Qatar could re-charge their batteries.

Amazon planning standalone app for sports content - The Information

Amazon.com Inc is working on a standalone app for watching sports content, the Information reported on Wednesday, citing a source with direct knowledge of the plan. Sports remains one of the biggest attractions for live viewing as U.S. audiences increasingly switch from pay TV subscriptions to streaming apps.

NHL roundup: Connor McDavid extends point streak to 16 in Oilers' win

Connor McDavid scored the winning goal in the third period to run his point-scoring streak to 16 games and lead the visiting Edmonton Oilers to an entertaining 2-1 victory over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday. Tyson Barrie also scored for the Oilers, who received a sparkling 46-save performance from goaltender Stuart Skinner. Twenty-four of those saves came in the third period. Mikael Backlund tallied for the Flames. Jacob Markstrom stopped 20 shots in a top-rate goaltending battle.

Soccer-Rashford on target again as Man United cruise past Forest

England striker Marcus Rashford continued his fine goalscoring form as Manchester United cruised to a 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Tuesday. Rashford, who scored three times for England at the World Cup in Qatar, set United on their way to victory with a well-placed finish from a corner in the 19th minute, before Anthony Martial doubled the hosts' lead three minutes later.