Sports News Roundup: Tennis-Newcomers fire as Team World make strong start to Laver Cup defence; Doping-Russia faces new sanctions for non-compliance, says WADA 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.

Games-Hangzhou readies for Xi at Asian Games opening ceremony

China's eastern city of Hangzhou stepped up security ahead of the Asian Games opening ceremony later on Saturday as organisers hope to get the sporting extravaganza off to a smooth start with President Xi Jinping among the dignitaries set to attend. Roads in a sizeable 'traffic control area' around the city's Olympic stadium were blocked off, at least one metro station was shut, and other Games centres were closed off ahead of an opening ceremony organisers say will be "mesmerizing".

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 4-0 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.

Tennis-Sabalenka, Swiatek lead first set of qualifiers for WTA Finals

World number one Aryna Sabalenka will make her third consecutive appearance at the WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico, as the governing body of women's tennis announced its first set of qualifiers for the season finale. The tournament, which features the top eight singles players and doubles teams in the world, will return to Mexico after a gap of one year. The 2021 edition took place in Guadalajara.

MLB roundup: Ronald Acuna Jr. joins 40/40 club in Braves' win

Ronald Acuna Jr. and Austin Riley homered in the first inning, and the Atlanta Braves defeated the host Washington Nationals 9-6 to move closer to the 100-win mark Friday night. Marcell Ozuna smashed a three-run homer in the seventh, and Riley drove in runs on three separate plate appearances to finish with four runs batted in for the National League East champion Braves (99-55).

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.

Motor racing-Verstappen beats Piastri to Japanese GP pole

Formula One championship leader Max Verstappen put Red Bull on pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix on Saturday with McLaren's Oscar Piastri joining the Dutch driver on the front row. McLaren's Lando Norris qualified third with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc fourth.