Sports News Roundup: Soccer-Manchester City top Deloitte Money League for second straight year; Basketball-WNBA to host first Canada game with Lynx-Sky preseason clash and more

In only her sixth main draw appearance at a Grand Slam, the world number 113 is the first U.S. qualifier to reach the third round in women's singles at Melbourne Park since three-times major winner Lindsay Davenport in 1993. NHL-Provorov was 'free to decide' to boycott Pride Night, says NHL The National Hockey League (NHL) said on Wednesday that players are free to decide which initiatives to support after Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov's boycott of the team's Pride Night festivities.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Soccer-Manchester City top Deloitte Money League for second straight year

Manchester City have topped the Deloitte Football Money League for the second year in a row as the world's highest revenue-generating club in the 2021-22 season in which fans returned to stadiums as COVID-19 restrictions were eased. Abu Dhabi-owned City generated total revenue of 731 million euros ($790.65 million), followed by Real Madrid (714 million euros) and Liverpool (702 million euros).

Basketball-WNBA to host first Canada game with Lynx-Sky preseason clash

The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) will host its first-ever game in Canada, a preseason showdown between four-times champions Minnesota Lynx and 2021 title-holders Chicago Sky at Toronto's Scotiabank Arena, the league said on Wednesday. The game is a "milestone" for the league, designed to grow the popularity of the women's sport outside the United States, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said, amid repeated calls for the league to expand.

Former Fox execs conspired to bribe FIFA officials, prosecution witness says

An Argentine businessman testified on Wednesday that two former 21st Century Fox executives and a sports marketing company conspired with him to bribe South American soccer officials and secure lucrative broadcasting rights. Alejandro Burzaco, pleaded guilty in 2015 to racketeering and other charges as part of a sprawling corruption probe at the highest echelons of global soccer.

Rugby-Amateur players send letter of claim in potential legal action over brain injuries

More than 55 amateur rugby union players sent a letter of claim to World Rugby, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) and England's Rugby Football Union (RFU) on Thursday to begin the pre-action phase of their lawsuit over possible brain injuries. The players allege that rugby's governing bodies negligently failed to protect them from concussion and non-concussion injuries that caused various neurological disorders, including early onset dementia, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease and motor neurone disease.

Tennis-American Volynets stuns ninth seed Kudermetova to reach third round

Qualifier Katie Volynets stunned ninth seed Veronika Kudermetova 6-4 2-6 6-2 on Thursday to storm into the Australian Open third round and continue the good start for American players at the year's opening Grand Slam. In only her sixth main draw appearance at a Grand Slam, the world number 113 is the first U.S. qualifier to reach the third round in women's singles at Melbourne Park since three-times major winner Lindsay Davenport in 1993.

NHL-Provorov was 'free to decide' to boycott Pride Night, says NHL

The National Hockey League (NHL) said on Wednesday that players are free to decide which initiatives to support after Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov's boycott of the team's Pride Night festivities. Provorov skipped the Flyers' pre-game skate on Tuesday when his team mates took the ice wearing Pride-themed warmup jerseys that featured player names and uniform numbers in rainbow colors while also using sticks wrapped in rainbow tape.

Tennis-Chardy drops the ball and fumes at chair umpire during defeat

Jeremy Chardy lost a bizarre point and with it, his cool, at the Australian Open on Thursday as the furious Frenchman accused the chair umpire of lying during his 6-4 6-4 6-1 second-round defeat by Briton Dan Evans. Facing a break point in the opening set a ball dropped out of Chardy's pocket midway through a rally and the Frenchman put a forehand into the net with his next shot to lose the point.

Soccer-Referees to explain VAR decisions to stadium and TV audiences

Referees will explain VAR decisions to stadium crowds and television audiences in a 12-month trial starting at next month's FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco, soccer's law-making body said on Wednesday. The International Football Association Board (IFAB) failed to agree, however, on trialling rugby-style temporary concussion substitutes.

NBA-NBA returns to Paris as French hopes of Olympic gold grow

The NBA returns to Paris on Thursday for the first time in three years amid growing optimism in France that the men's national team could win Olympic gold on home soil next year. Tickets to see the Chicago Bulls face the Detroit Pistons at Accor Arena sold out in minutes and the build up to the game has been "crazy in the best possible way," said George Aivazoglou, the NBA's head of fan engagement for Europe and the Middle East.

Australian Open 2023: Day four on Thursday

Highlights of the fourth day of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Thursday, all times local (GMT +11): 1445 MERTENS SETS UP SABALENKA REUNION

(With inputs from agencies.)