Sports News Roundup: Golf-Tired Rahm working on Spanish-inspired Masters Champions dinner; NHL roundup: Islanders beat Habs, clinch playoff berth and more

Svitolina returned to the WTA Tour at the Charleston Open last week following the birth of her daughter Skai with husband and fellow tennis player Gael Monfils and lost a tough three-setter against Yulia Putintseva. Soccer-Iraqi player gets two-year ban for 'trying to attack referee' Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya midfielder Ibrahim Bayesh has been suspended for two years for trying to attack a referee after being sent off in a game on Sunday, the Iraqi Football Association said.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Golf-Tired Rahm working on Spanish-inspired Masters Champions dinner

Jon Rahm may have put his Masters celebration plans on hold so he can play this week's PGA Tour event at Hilton Head Island in South Carolina but the Spaniard is already thinking about his Champions Dinner menu choice. A tradition of Masters week is the previous year's winner choosing what is served when former champions gather on the Tuesday of tournament week in the clubhouse at Augusta National Golf Club.

NHL roundup: Islanders beat Habs, clinch playoff berth

Brock Nelson scored two goals to help the New York Islanders clinch a playoff berth with a 4-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday in Elmont, N.Y. Hudson Fasching and captain Anders Lee also tallied and Ilya Sorokin made 17 saves for the Islanders, who won three of their final four games to move into the top wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Noah Dobson logged two assists. New York holds a one-point lead over the Florida Panthers, who host the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday in their regular-season finale.

MLB roundup: Rays make it 12 straight wins to open season

Taj Bradley won his major league debut with five solid innings, and the Tampa Bay Rays extended their winning streak to a dozen games with a 9-7 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday in St. Petersburg, Fla. The Rays' run of 12 consecutive victories to start the season is the third-best mark in modern-era major league history, trailing the 13-win streaks turned in by the Milwaukee Brewers (1987) and Atlanta Braves (1982). Bradley (1-0) allowed three runs and five hits while whiffing eight and walking one.

Cricket-Dhoni hampered by knee injury, says Fleming

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been hampered by a knee injury during the Indian Premier League campaign but the Chennai Super Kings captain is still delivering vital runs for his team, coach Stephen Fleming said. Former India captain Dhoni, who has led Chennai to four IPL titles, has scored 58 runs in three innings at a strike rate of 215, the sixth-highest among batters this season.

Tennis-Murray says focus must be on Ukraine war, not Wimbledon U-turn

The war in Ukraine and the plight of its tennis players must be at the forefront of discussions at Wimbledon, not the Grand Slam's decision to reverse its ban on Russian and Belarusian players, former world number one Andy Murray said. Wimbledon was the only Grand Slam to ban competitors from Russia and its ally Belarus in 2022 after the invasion, which Moscow calls a "special operation", but has said they could return as neutrals this year.

Soccer-Finnish businessman Zilliacus drops out of Manchester United bidding

Finnish businessman Thomas Zilliacus has dropped out of the bidding for Manchester United, saying delays in the sale process will make it difficult for a new owner to build a winning team. United's American owners, the Glazer family, launched a formal sale process late last year, with several bids received in February and March.

Soccer-Benzema strikes again as Real Madrid beat 10-man Chelsea 2-0

A tap-in by Karim Benzema and a powerful strike by substitute Marco Asensio earned European champions Real Madrid a 2-0 win over 10-man Chelsea in their Champions League quarter-final, first leg in the Spanish capital on Wednesday. Benzema, the scourge of Chelsea at the same stage of the competition last season, converted from point blank range in the 21st minute when Kepa Arrizabalaga saved from Vinicius Junior but could only touch the ball in the direction of the Frenchman.

Tennis-Zverev beats Bautista Agut, Medvedev powers on in Monte Carlo

Alexander Zverev continued to rebuild his confidence on clay with a 6-4 6-4 victory over Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut in the Monte Carlo Masters second round on Wednesday and will next face in-form Daniil Medvedev. German 13th seed Zverev, who suffered a serious ankle injury in the French Open semi-finals last year, won his second match in as many days in his first appearance on the red dirt since the Roland Garros drama.

Tennis-New mother Svitolina ramps up return with win on ITF circuit

Ukraine's Elina Svitolina secured her first victory as a mother, beating Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-4 6-2 in an ITF World Tennis Tour clash in Chiasso, Switzerland on Wednesday as she steps up her preparations for the French Open starting next month. Svitolina returned to the WTA Tour at the Charleston Open last week following the birth of her daughter Skai with husband and fellow tennis player Gael Monfils and lost a tough three-setter against Yulia Putintseva.

Soccer-Iraqi player gets two-year ban for 'trying to attack referee'

Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya midfielder Ibrahim Bayesh has been suspended for two years for trying to attack a referee after being sent off in a game on Sunday, the Iraqi Football Association said. Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya lost 3-2 to Al-Kahraba after a last-gasp goal, to drop to second place in the league.