Sports News Roundup: Tennis-Alcaraz falls to Zverev, Medvedev tops Rublev at ATP Finals; Olympics-Obstacle racing the way forward for modern pentathlon, says world champion and more

Sara Puckett led the Lady Vols with 24 points. US Supreme Court seeks Biden administration view on US Soccer antitrust case The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday asked President Joe Biden's administration for its views on whether the justices should take up the U.S. Soccer Federation's bid to bar a lawsuit accusing it of conspiring with FIFA to prohibit foreign teams from playing official matches in the United States.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Tennis-Alcaraz falls to Zverev, Medvedev tops Rublev at ATP Finals

A sluggish Carlos Alcaraz was beaten 6-7(3) 6-3 6-4 by Alexander Zverev on the his debut at the ATP Finals on Monday to continue his end-of-year slump with a third straight defeat. The 20-year-old world number two, who missed last year's edition of the season-ending championship due to injury, put the blame for his loss squarely on the fast indoor surface at the cavernous Pala Alpitour in Turin.

Olympics-Obstacle racing the way forward for modern pentathlon, says world champion

Elena Micheli is "heartbroken" that horse riding will not be part of modern pentathlon beyond next year's Paris Olympics but the world champion told Reuters that obstacle racing was the way forward for the sport. Modern pentathlon, which traditionally features fencing, swimming, equestrian show jumping, pistol shooting and running, was plunged into a scandal at the Tokyo Games in 2021 when a coach struck a horse that refused to jump a fence.

Motor racing-Haas drivers split between old and new for Las Vegas

Haas Formula One drivers Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg will be split between the old and the new at this weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix. Haas are last in the Formula One constructors' standings and team boss Guenther Steiner has let the pair decide their own aerodynamic packages for the Saturday night spectacular.

Athletics-Olympic champion Allman hungry for Paris after world discus disappointment

Valarie Allman's Olympic title defence will come down to that extra "one-to-three percent," the discus gold medallist said on Monday as she prepares for the Paris Games hungrier than ever. The American took top spot on the podium in Tokyo but missed the World Championships title in Eugene and Budapest, with third and second-place finishes in 2022 and 2023 respectively.

Soccer-Thousands of fans welcome Charlton funeral cortege at Old Trafford

Manchester United great Bobby Charlton was remembered both as one of English soccer's finest players and a "humble" and "fantastic" man by the thousands of fans and some of the sport's biggest names who bid him a final farewell on Monday. Charlton, a World Cup winner with England and one of United's best ever players, died on Oct. 21 at the age of 86.

French report flags Azeri-linked disinformation campaign targeting 2024 Olympics

France’s cyber defence unit has unveiled a disinformation campaign emanating from Azerbaijan that aimed to undermine Paris’ capacity to hold next year's Olympic Games, a report showed on Monday. According to the report seen by Reuters and other media, the campaign ran from July 26-27 on an account of an Azerbaijani individual on social media X, formerly Twitter, with links to the Azeri presidential party.

NHL-Hockey pressure no match for White House visit, says Vegas captain Stone

Playing ice hockey watched by thousands of rabid fans is no problem for Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone but speaking in front of United States President Joe Biden proved to be a whole other matter on Monday. The Winnipeg-born winger appeared in the White House East Room with his team for a reception honouring their Stanley Cup triumph this year and said he and his team mates grew up dreaming of lifting the National Hockey League's top prize.

Women's Top 25 Roundup: No. 15 Tennessee tames Memphis in OT

No. 15 Tennessee needed overtime and a double-double effort of 19 points and 12 rebounds from Jewel Spear to pull away from the Tigers in Knoxville, Tenn., netting an 84-74 win on Monday night. Memphis (1-2) led by as many as nine points in the second quarter and capitalized from turning Tennessee (2-1) over 24 times in the contest. The Lady Vols clawed back in the second half to force the extra period, where they outscored the Tigers 15-5. Spear scored six points in overtime, while Jillian Hollingshead scored eight of her 14 points in the fourth quarter. Sara Puckett led the Lady Vols with 24 points.

US Supreme Court seeks Biden administration view on US Soccer antitrust case

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday asked President Joe Biden's administration for its views on whether the justices should take up the U.S. Soccer Federation's bid to bar a lawsuit accusing it of conspiring with FIFA to prohibit foreign teams from playing official matches in the United States. The justices are considering whether to hear U.S. Soccer's appeal of a lower court's decision to allow the lawsuit by New York-based Relevent Sports to proceed. The lawsuit, filed in 2019 in Manhattan federal court against U.S. Soccer and FIFA, claimed the ban violated American antitrust law and sought to stop the two organizations from implementing it.

Tennis-Raducanu withdraws from Macau exhibition match

Former U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu has pulled out of a December exhibition match at the Macau Tennis Masters as she continues to recover from wrist and ankle surgery, her management company IMG said on Monday. Raducanu was poised to return to action after her May surgeries but, on her 21st birthday, has decided to extend her time on the sidelines.