Sports News Roundup: Sport-Saudi crown prince says he does not care about 'sportswashing' claims;Tennis-Dolehide stuns Kenin, books Guadalajara title clash with Sakkari and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. MLB roundup: Dodgers drop Giants, close in on NLDS Rookie right-hander Emmet Sheehan struck out nine over 4 2/3 no-hit innings, J.D. Martinez drove in three runs and the host Los Angeles Dodgers opened a four-game series against the rival San Francisco Giants with a 7-2 victory on Thursday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

MLB roundup: Dodgers drop Giants, close in on NLDS

Rookie right-hander Emmet Sheehan struck out nine over 4 2/3 no-hit innings, J.D. Martinez drove in three runs and the host Los Angeles Dodgers opened a four-game series against the rival San Francisco Giants with a 7-2 victory on Thursday. Martinez hit his 30th home run as the Dodgers won for the sixth time in their last seven games. They have a magic number of two for clinching a bye into the National League Division Series. Shelby Miller (2-0) pitched a scoreless inning to earn the win.

Sport-Saudi crown prince says he does not care about 'sportswashing' claims

Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said he does not care about allegations of "sportswashing" against the kingdom and that he will continue funding sport if it adds to the country's gross domestic product (GDP). The allegation of "sportswashing" is levelled at countries perceived to be using sport to improve their tarnished image abroad.

Tennis-Dolehide stuns Kenin, books Guadalajara title clash with Sakkari

Caroline Dolehide, ranked 111th in the world, beat former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin on Friday to reach her first WTA final at the Guadalajara Open, where she will face second seed Maria Sakkari of Greece. Playing in her first career semi-final, the 25-year-old Dolehide fought back from a break down in both sets against Kenin to win the all-American clash 7-5 6-3 in an hour and 25 minutes.

WTA roundup: Greet Minnen, Yulia Putintseva advance in China

Belgium's Greet Minnen and Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva pulled off upsets in the quarterfinals of the Guangzhou Open on Thursday in China. The unseeded Putintseva eliminated third seed Tatjana Maria of Germany 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-0. Putintseva converted six of 12 break points and saved nine of 11, overcoming Maria's 6-1 edge in aces.

Tennis-Newcomers fire as Team World make strong start to Laver Cup defence

Defending champions Team World took a commanding 3-0 lead over Team Europe on the opening day of the Laver Cup in Vancouver on Friday, as Ben Shelton, Francisco Cerundolo and Felix Auger-Aliassime all won their singles matches. The three-day tournament, viewed as tennis' answer to golf's Ryder Cup, offering fans a rare opportunity to see the sport's top players team up, is without the likes of the retired Roger Federer, the injured Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic this year.

Doping-Russia faces new sanctions for non-compliance, says WADA

The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) will face more sanctions for failing to address non-compliance issues, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said on Friday. Following executive committee meetings in Shanghai, WADA said it also found the Pan American Sport Organisation (Panam Sports) and the South Africa and Bermuda Anti-Doping Agencies in non-compliance with the WADA code.

Soccer-Klopp expecting 'solid' West Ham to be tricky opponents

West Ham United are one of the Premier League's strongest teams, Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said on Friday, as he urged his side to be at their very best against last season's Europa Conference League winners. West Ham, who sold key midfielder Declan Rice in the close season, travel to Anfield on Sunday having started the season in fine form, winning three out of five matches to sit sixth in the standings on 10 points.

US, Mexico, Canada aim to deter exploitation of 2026 FIFA World Cup -statement

The United States, Mexico and Canada are coordinating to tackle any "collusive schemes" involving goods or services connected to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in an bid to avoid exploitation of the sporting event, the U.S. Justice Department said on Friday.

Kenyan police recover unlicensed firearm from home of banned New Zealand runner

Kenyan police have recovered an unlicensed AK-47 rifle and more than 20 rounds of ammunition at the home of banned New Zealand runner Zane Robertson, who was detained on Wednesday on suspicion of sexual assault. In March this year the middle and long-distance runner, who competed at the Rio and Tokyo Olympics, was banned for eight years for doping and interfering with the testing process.

Motor racing-Verstappen completes Japanese GP practice sweep

Red Bull's Formula One championship leader Max Verstappen completed a sweep of Japanese Grand Prix practice on Saturday with McLaren closest on the timesheets and emerging as the main challengers. The Dutch 25-year-old, who was fastest in both Friday sessions as he bounced back from defeat in Singapore last Sunday, lapped the Suzuka circuit with a best time of one minute 30.267 seconds on the soft tyres.

(With inputs from agencies.)