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

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. 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.

NBA roundup: Pascal Siakam's late shot pushes Raptors past Wizards

Pascal Siakam made a jump shot with eight seconds to play and the Toronto Raptors came back to defeat the visiting Washington Wizards 111-107 Monday night. Siakam had a season-best 39 points -- 29 in the second half -- and added 11 rebounds and seven assists as the Raptors overcame a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Scottie Barnes added 19 points and nine rebounds for Toronto, Jakob Poeltl scored 13 points and Precious Achiuwa had 10.

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.

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.

Motor racing-F1 on the right track in Vegas after parking lot past

Bernie Ecclestone, the one-time supremo who twice took Formula One to a Caesars Palace parking lot in the 1980s, accepts the sport is finally on the right track the third time around in Las Vegas. The 93-year-old Briton would still not want to bet on the race's long-term success, however.