Reuters Sports News Summary

Six anxious teams went into the final weekend hoping to avoid the drop, with five breathing sighs of relief when Ronaldo-owned Valladolid's 0-0 draw at home to Getafe ensured they finished 18th, ending their season-long LaLiga stay. Tennis-Jabeur 'not so far' from her best after injury-plagued season Ons Jabeur is still not at the level that saw her play some scintillating tennis last year, but the Tunisian seventh seed said she was learning to grind out wins as she continues her quest for a first Grand Slam title at the French Open.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Motor racing-Verstappen wins in Spain to continue Red Bull sweep

Max Verstappen won the Spanish Grand Prix from pole position on Sunday to stretch his Formula One lead to 53 points and continue Red Bull's sweep of the season with the team's seventh success in as many races. Seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton was second for Mercedes, but 24.09 seconds behind, with team mate George Russell completing the podium on a cloudy but dry afternoon at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya.

Motor racing-Perez need not put pressure on himself, says Horner

Formula One championship leader Max Verstappen was simply unbeatable in Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix and team mate Sergio Perez should put less pressure on himself, Red Bull boss Christian Horner said. Double world champion Verstappen is now 53 points clear of the Mexican -- still his closest title rival -- after seven of 22 races and could skip the next two and still be top of the standings.

Soccer-Valladolid down after intense LaLiga relegation battle, Barca lose to Celta

Real Valladolid were relegated from LaLiga on the final day of the season on Sunday, while champions Barcelona ended their campaign with a 2-1 defeat at strugglers Celta Vigo. Six anxious teams went into the final weekend hoping to avoid the drop, with five breathing sighs of relief when Ronaldo-owned Valladolid's 0-0 draw at home to Getafe ensured they finished 18th, ending their season-long LaLiga stay.

Tennis-Jabeur 'not so far' from her best after injury-plagued season

Ons Jabeur is still not at the level that saw her play some scintillating tennis last year, but the Tunisian seventh seed said she was learning to grind out wins as she continues her quest for a first Grand Slam title at the French Open. Jabeur, who had runners-up finishes at last year's Wimbledon and U.S. Open, has endured a stop-start season in which she had minor knee surgery before winning the title in Charleston and skipping the Madrid Open with a calf problem.

Soccer-Milan's Ibrahimovic hangs up his boots at 41

AC Milan's Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic said on Sunday he had decided to end his playing career at the age of 41 after a trophy-laden career at some of Europe's top clubs. The extrovert Swede's Milan contract expires at the end of June and will not be renewed following a season plagued by injuries, prompting him to end a remarkable career.

Basketball-'We ain't so super': Time for Liberty to wake up, says Brondello

New York Liberty are a long way from living up to the superteam hype after they squandered a 19-point lead in an 86-82 loss to Chicago Sky on Sunday, coach Sandy Brondello said. The club made headlines with an off-season acquisition spree that included Breanna Stewart, who scored highest average points per game in the league in 2022, and 2021 MVP Jonquel Jones, prompting huge fanfare around their bid for a maiden WNBA title.

Tennis-Tsitsipas blasts past Ofner to make French Open quarter-finals

Stefanos Tsitsipas stepped up his bid for an elusive first Grand Slam title as the Greek fifth seed dismantled Austrian qualifier Sebastian Ofner 7-5 6-3 6-0 on Sunday to book his place in the French Open quarter-finals. Tsitsipas was left broken-hearted after a five-sets defeat by Novak Djokovic in the 2021 Roland Garros final before another loss to the Serbian at January's Australian Open, but the 24-year-old has barely put a foot wrong in Paris this year.

NHL-Vegas ready to turn up the heat after Game 1 win, says Cassidy

The Golden Knights have far more to offer after beating the underdog Florida Panthers 5-2 to open the Stanley Cup Finals, Las Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said on Sunday. Tied at two apiece through the first two periods, defenceman Zach Whitecloud whipped a wrist shot through traffic for the go-ahead goal in the third with captain Mark Stone and Reilly Smith adding to the advantage in Saturday's affair.

Soccer-Benzema scores on farewell but Real held at home by Bilbao

Real Madrid's Karim Benzema netted a penalty in his final LaLiga game at the Bernabeu but was unable to inspire them to victory as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Athletic Bilbao on Sunday. Earlier on Sunday, Real announced that Ballon d'Or winner Benzema will leave the club as a free agent in the close season after 14 trophy-laden years, with the French striker linked with a move to Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad.

Tennis-Djokovic, Alcaraz on track for French Open showdown, Sabalenka snubs press again

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz inched closer to a blockbuster French Open semi-final showdown with imperious wins on Sunday as Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka skipped another press conference due to being asked to comment on the war in Ukraine earlier in the tournament. Djokovic, who is chasing a men's record 23rd Grand Slam to leapfrog Spaniard Rafa Nadal in the injured champion's absence, blazed past Peruvian marathon man Juan Pablo Varillas 6-3 6-2 6-2 in a lopsided last-eight clash.

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