Sports News Roundup: Tsitsipas in cruise control at French Open, Djokovic row simmers; Nuggets stand between Heat, history in NBA Finals and more

Wiegman unveiled her selection 50 days before the World Cup kicks off in Australia and New Zealand on July 20. MLB roundup: Cubs clamp down on Rays again Kyle Hendricks allowed one run over five innings in his second 2023 start and Mike Tauchman's tiebreaking RBI single in the sixth made the Tampa Bay Rays pay for some shoddy defense, sending the host Chicago Cubs to a 2-1 victory on Tuesday night.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Soccer-Wiegman names England squad for Women's World Cup

Bethany England and Millie Bright were included in England manager Sarina Wiegman's 23-player squad for the Women's World Cup on Wednesday as the Dutch coach dealt with missing a number of key players due to injury. Wiegman unveiled her selection 50 days before the World Cup kicks off in Australia and New Zealand on July 20.

MLB roundup: Cubs clamp down on Rays again

Kyle Hendricks allowed one run over five innings in his second 2023 start and Mike Tauchman's tiebreaking RBI single in the sixth made the Tampa Bay Rays pay for some shoddy defense, sending the host Chicago Cubs to a 2-1 victory on Tuesday night. Hendricks returned from a shoulder injury last Thursday, allowing five runs - three earned - in 4 1/3 innings against the New York Mets, in his first start since July 5. On Tuesday, he looked more comfortable, yielding only a fifth-inning run, plus six hits and three walks while striking out three.

Badminton-BWF to consider allowing Russians and Belarusians to compete as neutrals

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) will consider allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals in international competitions, the sport's governing body said on Wednesday, a month after they had extended the ban. The BWF first banned Russian and Belarusian athletes in March last year after Russia invaded Ukraine. Belarus is being used as a key staging ground for Russia's war in Ukraine, which Moscow terms a "special operation".

Basketball-Nuggets stand between Heat, history in NBA Finals

The Miami Heat have the chance to make history when the NBA Finals kick off on Thursday, facing a well-rested Denver Nuggets squad that is uninterested in letting the Heat's Cinderella story go any further. Miami would be the first eighth seed to lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy after opening their improbable playoff run with a compelling 4-1 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, who had boasted the best record in the league.

Tennis-Tsitsipas in cruise control at French Open, Djokovic row simmers

Stefanos Tsitsipas enjoyed an incident-free path into the third round of the French Open with a win over Roberto Carballes Baena on Wednesday but all eyes will be on Novak Djokovoic later as a political row sparked by the two-times champion intensified. Tsitsipas is chasing his first Grand Slam title and made a sluggish start to his campaign against Jiri Vesely but the fifth seed looked back to his best against Carballes Baena, as he came through a mid-match test to beat the Spaniard 6-3 7-6(4) 6-2.

Tennis-Kosovo Olympic Committee seeks IOC disciplinary action against Djokovic

Kosovo Olympic authorities have asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to open disciplinary proceedings against Novak Djokovic, accusing the Serbian of stirring up political tension by saying "Kosovo is the heart of Serbia" at the French Open. Djokovic wrote the message on a camera lens following his first-round win on Monday, the same day that 30 NATO peacekeeping troops were hurt in clashes with Serb protesters in the Kosovo town of Zvecan - where Djokovic's father grew up.

Tennis-Second seed Sabalenka tames qualifier Shymanovich to advance

World number two Aryna Sabalenka fought off a determined challenge from fellow Belarusian Iryna Shymanovich on Wednesday to move into the French Open third round with a 7-5 6-2 victory as she eyes the world number one spot. The 25-year-old, who will take over top spot from Poland's Iga Swiatek with victory at the Paris Grand Slam, did not have an easy start with qualifier Shymanovich, ranked 214th, matching her power with every groundstroke.

Cuba's first female umpire team breaks into male-dominated baseball

Cuba's first all-female umpire team is winning plaudits as they officiate top-tier baseball games in a sport that is a national obsession on the island and long dominated by men. Former baseball and softball player Janet Moreno has blazed a solitary trail for 18 seasons as Cuba's first top-league female umpire, but was joined by three others a few months ago.

Soccer-Man City's Guardiola named LMA, Premier League Manager of the Year

Pep Guardiola was named the League Managers Association (LMA) and Premier League Manager of the Year on Tuesday after guiding Manchester City to the Premier League title. Guardiola led City to their fifth league crown in six seasons and the club are set to face Manchester United in the FA Cup final on Saturday and Inter Milan in the Champions League final a week later.

Tennis-French hopes down the drain as Garcia stumbles out of Roland Garros

French hopes of a Roland Garros singles' champion were all but extinguished as Russian Anna Blinkova sent fifth seed Caroline Garcia tumbling out with a 4-6 6-3 7-5 second-round victory on Wednesday. Blinkova, who had already knocked Garcia out in Paris in 2019, prevailed on her ninth match point to end a tussle that lasted nearly three hours.

(With inputs from agencies.)