Sports News Roundup: Tennis-Ruud, Swiatek gain momentum at French Open as Sinner punished; Soccer-Pulisic spearheads U.S. squad for CONCACAF Nations League title defence and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Tennis-Ruud, Swiatek gain momentum at French Open as Sinner punished

Fourth seed Casper Ruud and holder Iga Swiatek stayed on course to reach consecutive finals at the French Open while a couple of unheralded names in the women's draw continued to show their immense potential on a sunny Thursday at Roland Garros. Elena Rybakina also booked a third round spot with a 6-3 6-3 victory over rising Czech teenager Linda Noskova with the fourth seed and Wimbledon champion dazzling again on Parisian clay as one of the top contenders for the Grand Slam title.

Soccer-Pulisic spearheads U.S. squad for CONCACAF Nations League title defence

United States' Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic will spearhead their CONCACAF Nations League title defence when the Final Four kick off on June 15 in Las Vegas, with U.S. Soccer naming their training camp squad on Thursday. The U.S. beat Mexico in extra time two years ago to clinch the title and will have a rematch with their rivals in the semi-finals. The winners will face Panama or Canada in the championship match.

Tennis: Sabalenka, Djokovic hoping to steer clear of controversy

With Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic in action on Friday, day six of the French Open could once again see off-court issues grabbing the headlines despite both players having made clear their desire to put controversy in the rear-view mirror. Sabalenka's two matches so far have been overshadowed by the fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with the Belarusian refusing to answer questions about it in a press conference after beating compatriot Iryna Shymanovich on Wednesday.

Horse racing: Churchill Downs announces measures to improve horse safety

Churchill Downs Racetrack unveiled a number of safety initiatives and precautionary measures on Thursday following a recent series of horse deaths at the home of the Kentucky Derby.

Effective immediately, there will be a pause on incentives such as trainer start bonuses and purse pay-out allocations to every race finisher through last place. Purse pay-outs will now be limited to the top five finishers.

Soccer-Ronaldo 'happy' in Saudi Arabia, wants other top players to join him

Cristiano Ronaldo concedes he did not expect to finish the season empty-handed at Al Nassr but the Portuguese forward says he is happy in Saudi Arabia and hopes other big-name players will follow him to the league for the next campaign. Ronaldo signed a 2-1/2 year contract estimated by media to be worth more than 200 million euros ($220.16 million) with Al Nassr, making his debut in January.

Soccer-Man Utd desperate to stop Man City's treble march in unique FA Cup final

All roads from Manchester lead to Wembley Stadium on Saturday for the first ever FA Cup final between the city's arch-rivals -- a fitting climax to the domestic season and a clash loaded with significance for both clubs. For Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, a first FA Cup triumph since 2019 would put them one game away from repeating Manchester United's treble of 1999 -- to date the only season in which a club won the English title, FA Cup and Champions League.

Athletics: De Grasse, other sprinters decry US high schoolers being penalized for celebrating

Andre De Grasse has thrown his Olympic champion weight behind a call to stop the punishment of young track athletes in the United States for celebrating victories, with the Tokyo 200 metres winner saying kids should be allowed to have fun.

Brody Buffington, a senior at Catoctin High School in Maryland, had his school's 4x200-metres relay team disqualified after anchoring them to victory at last weekend's State Championships. In videos viewed more than a million times, Buffington raises one finger in celebration a few meters from the finish line.

MLB roundup: Corbin Carroll, D-backs sink Rockies

Corbin Carroll's two-run single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning gave the Arizona Diamondbacks a 5-4 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Thursday in Phoenix. Gabriel Moreno started the ninth-inning rally when he was walked by Colorado closer Pierce Johnson (0-2) with one out. Ketel Marte followed with his second double of the game one out later to move Moreno to third. Carroll then ripped his walk-off single to center field to plate both Moreno and Marte.

Michael Jordan's 1992 Olympic practice jersey up for auction

A sweat-stained jersey worn by U.S. basketball legend Michael Jordan in a practice session at the 1992 Olympic Games will hit the auction block in Los Angeles in June, estimated to sell at between $400,000 and $600,000. The white jersey with red, white and blue trim and 'USA Basketball' on the front is signed by Jordan and will be auctioned as part of a "Sports Legends" collection of sports memorabilia and collectibles June 23-25.

Soccer-MLS side Inter Miami part ways with head coach Neville

Major League Soccer (MLS) side Inter Miami have sacked coach Phil Neville after a dismal run of 10 defeats and five wins this season has left them bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. Neville, who won six Premier League titles as a player with Manchester United and was part of their 1999 treble-winning side, joined the David Beckham co-owned club in 2021.

(With inputs from agencies.)