Sports News Roundup: Tennis-South Korean 58-year-old wheelchair player suspended for doping; Tennis-Alcaraz dominates Lajovic, Andreescu breezes past Kenin in Miami and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Tennis-South Korean 58-year-old wheelchair player suspended for doping

A 58-year-old South Korean wheelchair tennis player has been banned for 12 months after he was found to have violated doping rules, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) said on Monday. A sample taken from Kim Kyu-Seung in November 2021 was found to contain a prohibited substance and Kim "promptly admitted the charge," according to the ITF.

Tennis-Alcaraz dominates Lajovic, Andreescu breezes past Kenin in Miami

Carlos Alcaraz swatted aside Serbian Dusan Lajovic 6-0 7-6(5) to keep his title defense on track at the Miami Open on Sunday, as Canadian Bianca Andreescu cruised past American Sofia Kenin in straight sets. Spain's teen phenom won Indian Wells to retake the top ranking last week and kept the momentum going at Hard Rock Stadium as he fired off 26 winners to set up a fourth-round meeting with Australian Open semi-finalist Tommy Paul.

NHL-Sabres' Russian defenseman Lyubushkin to skip Pride Night warm-up

Russian defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin will not take part in the Buffalo Sabres' pre-game warm-up during the team's Pride Night later on Monday due to safety concerns after his birth country's anti-gay laws were amended last December, the NHL team said. NHL Pride Night events have been under an unwelcome spotlight in recent months as a handful of players, and even some teams, have objected to participating for reasons that include religious beliefs and Russian law.

Soccer-Messi statue to stand next to Maradona, Pele at CONMEBOL museum

Lionel Messi stepped out of Diego Maradona's shadow by leading Argentina to World Cup victory last year and a statue of the diminutive forward will stand alongside those of his predecessor and Brazil great Pele at the South American federation's museum. Messi, holding a replica of the World Cup trophy, stood beside the life-size statue at an unveiling ceremony at the South American Football Federation (CONMEBOL) headquarters in Luque, Paraguay before the Copa Libertadores draw on Monday.

Cricket-New Zealand-Sri Lanka ODI washed out by Christchurch rain

The second one-day international between New Zealand and Sri Lanka was washed out by persistent Christchurch rain on Tuesday in a further blow to the tourists' slender hopes of automatic qualification for this year's World Cup. Sri Lanka, world champions in 1996, will receive only five points from the abandoned match, rather than the 10 they could have earned for a win, as they jockey with South Africa and West Indies for the final automatic slot.

NBA roundup: Nuggets hold off Sixers for 4th straight win

Nikola Jokic had 25 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists for his 29th triple-double of the season, leading the host Denver Nuggets to a 116-111 victory over the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night. Jamal Murray added 19 points, Bruce Brown scored 18, Michael Porter Jr. supplied 15 and Aaron Gordon 12 for Denver. The Nuggets have won four straight.

NHL roundup: Matt Boldy's hat trick leads Wild over Kraken

Matt Boldy scored his second hat trick in nine days as the Minnesota Wild defeated the Seattle Kraken 5-1 Monday night in St. Paul, Minn. Jake Middleton and Ryan Hartman also scored and Marcus Johansson, Jared Spurgeon and Joel Eriksson Ek had two assists apiece for the Central Division-leading Wild, who improved to 15-1-4 in their past 20 games and pulled within three points of Western Conference-leading Vegas. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury made 35 saves.

Soccer-FIFA to pay clubs $355 million for sending players to 2026 and 2030 World Cups

FIFA's compensation paid to clubs that release players for the men's World Cup has been increased by nearly 70% to $355 million for the 2026 and 2030 tournaments, the global soccer governing body and the European Club Association (ECA) said on Monday. The Club Benefits Programme affords clubs a share of national team competition revenues in return for releasing players and also protects clubs in case their players are injured on international duty.

Tennis-Andreescu leaves court in wheelchair, Tsitsipas into Miami last 16

Former U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu left the court in a wheelchair at the Miami Open on Monday after retiring hurt from her last 16 match against Ekaterina Alexandrova, while Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Cristian Garin to reach the fourth round. After the first set was hit by a two-hour rain delay, Canadian Andreescu went down in the third game of the second, grabbing her left ankle.

Soccer-Ballon d'Or winner Putellas back in training after long-term knee injury

Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas completed part of the training session with her Barcelona women's team mates on Monday as she continues to recover from a knee injury. The Spain midfielder injured her knee in July before the women's European Championship.

(With inputs from agencies.)