Reuters Sports News Summary

The 35-year-old Frenchwoman brought back two bronze medals from the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games on the track and she now looks set to take part in the Paris 2024 Olympics after claiming the paracycling road race world title last year. Baseball-Brewers' Mejia suspended 162 games for positive test Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher J.C. Mejia was given a 162-game suspension after testing positive for the performance-enhancing substance Stanozolol for the second time in as many years, Major League Baseball said on Wednesday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Soccer-Goalkeeper Earps wins England Women's Player of the Year

Goalkeeper Mary Earps was voted England's Women's Player of the Year on Tuesday. The 30-year-old, who won FIFA's Golden Glove award at the Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, finished ahead of Lucy Bronze and Alex Greenwood in the voting.

Tennis-Djokovic best in history, says Nadal

Rafael Nadal's last Grand Slam win came at the French Open in 2022, but with Novak Djokovic having overtaken his impressive haul of most major titles in men's tennis, the Spaniard conceded the Serbian is the best player in history. Djokovic's recent win at the U.S. Open, his third Grand Slam title this year, took his tally to 24 Grand Slams, two ahead of Nadal's total.

WTA roundup: Madison Keys loses Guadalajara opener

Madison Keys stumbled in her first match after reaching the U.S. Open semifinals, falling 6-2, 7-6 (5) in an all-U.S. second-round matchup at the Guadalajara (Mexico) Open Akron on Tuesday. Keys, the tournament's fourth seed, received a first-round bye.

Rugby-World Cup organisers hail "spectacular" television numbers

Rugby World Cup organisers have welcomed impressive domestic and international television audiences that far exceed previous editions as the tournament reaches the one-third point of its 48 matches. In an upbeat Paris press conference on Wednesday, when the night's Italy v Uruguay will be the 17th match to be played, Jacques Rivoal, President of France 2023, said: "There's excitement everywhere -- in the stadiums and TV screens.

Exclusive-Senior Spanish soccer officials to leave or be fired after uproar over World Cup kiss-source

Between six and nine senior officials of Spain's football federation (RFEF) will be invited to leave their jobs or will be sacked as part of a deal to end a threatened player boycott of the national team, a federation source told Reuters. The move comes after mutinous players said in a statement last week that they would refuse to play for the national team while people who "incited, hid or applauded attitudes that go against women's dignity" remained part of the federation.

Paralympics-World champion Patouillet hopes for more LGBTQIA+ acceptance in cycling

When Marie Patouillet was forced to give up running due to a foot malformation in her late 20s, she turned to para-cycling as a new means to perform. The 35-year-old Frenchwoman brought back two bronze medals from the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games on the track and she now looks set to take part in the Paris 2024 Olympics after claiming the paracycling road race world title last year.

Baseball-Brewers' Mejia suspended 162 games for positive test

Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher J.C. Mejia was given a 162-game suspension after testing positive for the performance-enhancing substance Stanozolol for the second time in as many years, Major League Baseball said on Wednesday. The latest suspension of Mejia, who last May was given an 80-game ban after testing positive for Stanozolol, is effective immediately, MLB said in a statement.

Soccer-Kane on target as Bayern hold on to win 4-3 thriller against Man United

Bayern Munich struck twice in four minutes in the first half to set them on their way to a 4-3 victory over an embattled Manchester United on Wednesday and make a winning start in Champions League Group A. Bayern, unbeaten in their last 28 Champions League group stage home matches, looked in control despite some sloppy defending at times, and came out on top in a seven-goal bonanza with three of them coming in the final few minutes.

Motor racing-Red Bull set for Suzuka celebration after Singapore shock

Red Bull need score only a point more than Mercedes at Suzuka on Sunday to retain their Formula One constructors' title and trigger celebrations after last weekend's Singapore shock. After failing to win for the first time this season, and 15 victories in a row dating back to the end of last year, the champions look likely to be back to their dominant ways in Japan.

MLB roundup: Blake Snell, Padres flirt with no-hitter in win

San Diego ace Blake Snell exited after seven hitless innings on Tuesday, and the Padres beat the visiting Colorado Rockies 2-0 when Xander Bogaerts hit a two-run, walk-off homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Padres pitchers took a combined no-hitter into the ninth and wound up with a two-hit shutout for the team's sixth straight win.