Sports News Roundup: MLB roundup: Aaron Judge homers twice to rally Yanks; Tennis-Alcaraz powers to victory over Ramos-Vinolas on Rome debut and more

Kyle Higashioka and Judge hit two-run homers in the fifth to knock out Shane McClanahan early before the Yankees were sparked by rookie Anthony Volpe in the sixth. Soccer-Guardiola backs Haaland to fire when Man City host Real Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has backed striker Erling Haaland to rediscover his best form when they host Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final after the Norwegian failed to find the net at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

MLB roundup: Aaron Judge homers twice to rally Yanks

Aaron Judge hit his second two-run homer of the game in the sixth inning as the New York Yankees rallied from a six-run deficit and then held on for a 9-8 victory over the visiting Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees won for the eighth time in 11 games by pulling off their biggest comeback this year after starter Nestor Cortes allowed Yandy Diaz's first career grand slam. Kyle Higashioka and Judge hit two-run homers in the fifth to knock out Shane McClanahan early before the Yankees were sparked by rookie Anthony Volpe in the sixth.

Tennis-Alcaraz powers to victory over Ramos-Vinolas on Rome debut

World number two Carlos Alcaraz marked his Italian Open debut by shaking off a sluggish start to emerge with an efficient 6-4 6-1 second-round win over unseeded Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas on a rain-affected Saturday in Rome. Barcelona and Madrid champion Alcaraz, who is chasing his fifth title of 2023 and fourth on clay ahead of Roland Garros, overcame an early loss of serve amid heavy conditions at the Foro Italico to level up the opening set at 2-2.

Soccer-Guardiola backs Haaland to fire when Man City host Real

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has backed striker Erling Haaland to rediscover his best form when they host Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final after the Norwegian failed to find the net at the Santiago Bernabeu. Haaland has scored a record 51 goals in all competitions in the current campaign but was kept quiet by Real defender Antonio Rudiger in the 1-1 first-leg draw last Tuesday.

Real Madrid lose $440 million sponsorship battle with Abu Dhabi fund

Spanish soccer's Real Madrid have lost a $440 million court battle with Abu Dhabi sovereign investor Mubadala over the proposed sponsorship of its stadium in Madrid, sources with knowledge of the case told Reuters. Real Madrid had claimed 400 million euros ($440 million) from Mubadala because it said the Abu Dhabi sovereign investor failed to honour a sponsorship deal under which it would acquire rights to name the Santiago Bernabeu stadium for 20 years.

Basketball-Griner plays in WNBA for first time since Russia detention

Brittney Griner played with her Phoenix Mercury for the first time since 2021 on Friday, taking the court far sooner than she expected for their preseason game against the Los Angeles Sparks, after nearly 10 months of detention in Russia. The two-time Olympic gold medalist was released from a Russian penal colony in a high-profile prisoner exchange with the United States late last year after she was arrested in February 2022 on drug charges.

Tennis-Alcaraz says focus will not change as French Open top seed

Carlos Alcaraz said being the top seed at the French Open was "crazy", something he would not have believed years ago, but the Spaniard will not dwell too much on his position heading into the year's second Grand Slam. Alcaraz, who turned 20 this month, captured the U.S. Open title in September to become the youngest man to top the world rankings. He will leapfrog Novak Djokovic into the number one spot again after the ongoing Italian Open.

Soccer-PSG close in on French title as AC Ajaccio go down

Paris St Germain edged closer to a record 11th French title when they beat AC Ajaccio 5-0 at home on Saturday, sending the Corsican side into Ligue 2 as Lionel Messi faced the wrath of the Parc des Princes. Messi, who started after a club-imposed suspension for missing training last month, was booed by the fans before and during a one-sided encounter that took PSG to 81 points with three games left, thanks to goals by Fabian Ruiz, Achraf Hakimi, a double by Kylian Mbappe and Mohamed Youssouf's own goal.

Basketball-Toronto rolls out welcome mat for WNBA's first Canada game

The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) held a game in Canada for the first time on Saturday in what amounted to a celebration of women's basketball while perhaps planting the seeds for an expansion franchise. The sold-out pre-season game played at the home of the NBA's Toronto Raptors offered the latest sign that there is a growing appetite in Canada's biggest city and financial capital for professional women's basketball.

Soccer-Ten Hag says Garnacho must push for Man Utd starting role

Manchester United's Argentine winger Alejandro Garnacho must push for a starting spot in the Premier League side after an impressive debut season in which the 18-year-old has scored five goals, manager Erik ten Hag said. Garnacho, who has also made four assists, marked his return from an ankle injury by coming off the bench to score in added time and seal a 2-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.

Cricket-Pooran proving himself as Lucknow's finisher in IPL

Nicholas Pooran has unlocked his potential in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as a finisher for Lucknow Super Giants, former West Indies player Ian Bishop said after the batsman hit an unbeaten 44 off 13 balls in a seven-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad. Pooran, released by Hyderabad last year, returned to haunt his former team on Saturday and was particularly severe on part-time spinner Abhishek Sharma, with three huge sixes in the 16th over to help Lucknow get closer to their target of 183.