Sports News Roundup: Aaron Judge homers twice to rally Yanks; Djokovic battles past Dimitrov in Rome, Swiatek cruises 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.

Tennis-Nadal turns down claycourt event wildcard as French Open looms

Rafa Nadal has turned down a wildcard offer for next week's Challenger tournament in Bordeaux as the Spaniard's participation in the French Open hangs in the balance, the claycourt event director said on Sunday. Nadal has been struggling with a hip injury he suffered at the Australian Open in January, and fears the Spaniard may miss the Paris Grand Slam grew after he pulled out of this week's Italian Open.

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.

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.

Tennis-Djokovic battles past Dimitrov in Rome, Swiatek cruises

Novak Djokovic continued his Italian Open title defence with a 6-3 4-6 6-1 victory over Bulgarian 26th seed Grigor Dimitrov on Sunday while women's champion Iga Swiatek dished out another "bagel" as she defeated Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko. Djokovic, who will lose his world number one ranking at the end of the Masters 1000 tournament to Carlos Alcaraz, overcame a sluggish start and a late comeback attempt by familiar opponent Dimitrov to get over the line in their third-round meeting.

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.

Soccer-More to come from Nunez, says Liverpool's Klopp

Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp has urged patience with Darwin Nunez amid the Uruguayan forward's struggles in front of goal, saying the 23-year-old would have enjoyed a more prolific debut season if the Premier League side had been at their best. Nunez has scored 15 goals in 42 appearances since being signed last year for an initial fee of 75 million euros ($82.56 million). He has scored one goal in his last 11 games.

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.

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.