Reuters Sports News Summary

The reward for the most successful regular season in team history raised expectations for the Rangers, who will begin their quest for a Stanley Cup on Sunday when they host the Washington Capitals in Game 1 of an Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Donovan Mitchell helps Cavaliers outclass Magic in opener

Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points, Jarrett Allen posted a 16-point, 18-rebound double-double, and the No. 4 seed Cleveland Cavaliers led wire-to-wire to take Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series at home against the Orlando Magic, 97-83, on Saturday. Cleveland scored Game 1's first six points and jumped to an 11-point lead early, with Evan Mobley scoring eight of his 16 points on the day less than six minutes in. The Cavaliers never looked back after their initial start, pushing their advantage to as many as 20 points.

Surfing-Dolphins accompany Bryan to win at Margaret River Pro, Robinson repeats

Hawaiian surfer Gabriela Bryan shared a wave with a pod of dolphins as she won her first world championship tour event over Californian rookie Sawyer Lindblad in pumping surf at the Western Australia Margaret River Pro on Sunday. Margaret River local Jack Robinson took out a spectacular men's final against Hawaii's two-time world champion John John Florence in a replay of their 2022 final of the same event.

Tennis-Swiatek's Stuttgart hat-trick bid ended by Rybakina, Kostyuk into final

World number one Iga Swiatek's bid to win a third successive Stuttgart Open title came to an end in an enthralling 6-3 4-6 6-3 semi-final loss to Elena Rybakina on Saturday. Rybakina ended Swiatek's perfect record in Stuttgart by handing the Pole her first defeat in 11 matches at the tournament and the Kazakhstani fourth seed will meet Marta Kostyuk in the final.

Motor racing-China F1 crowd turns up the volume ahead of Zhou's home debut

Chants of "Guanyu, Guanyu, Guanyu," drowned out all other sound at the Shanghai International Circuit on Sunday as Zhou Guanyu, China's first and only Formula One driver, stepped onto the starting grid ahead of his first Chinese Grand Prix. Sauber's Zhou, who races in his hometown in China's first grand prix since 2019, has failed to score a point in the season's first four races but that has not dented the enthusiasm of the estimated 60,000 fans who have turned out each day.

Marlins rally past Cubs on Bryan De La Cruz HR in 9th

Bryan De La Cruz hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the ninth inning as the visiting Miami Marlins rallied past the Chicago Cubs 3-2 on Saturday in the first game of a day-night doubleheader. Luis Arraez went 3-for-5 with a double, while Jesus Sanchez and Nick Gordon added two hits apiece for Miami. Arraez singled with one out in the ninth to bring up De La Cruz, who clubbed a sinker from Cubs closer Adbert Alzolay 397 feet into the left field bleachers to put the Marlins ahead.

Olympics-WADA says 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive before Tokyo Games but it accepted contamination finding

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) confirmed reports on Saturday that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned drug before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but it accepted the country's findings that this was due to substance contamination.

Multiple media reports said the swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ), which is found in heart medication, months before the COVID-delayed Games began in the Japanese capital in July 2021.

Dave McCarty, World Series winner with Red Sox, dies at 54

Dave McCarty, a first baseman and outfielder on the Boston Red Sox 2004 team that won the World Series, died Friday in Oakland, Calif. He was 54. The Red Sox announced his death and said it was caused by a "cardiac event."

Boxing-Garcia stuns Haney with majority decision win

Ryan Garcia floored Devin Haney three times on the way to a majority decision victory in their 12-round super lightweight fight on Saturday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. WBC super-lightweight world champion Haney suffered the first loss of his career as he was knocked down in the seventh, 10th and 11th rounds.

Heat look to set tone in opener of series vs. Celtics

The eighth-seeded Miami Heat will be in a familiar position when they go on the road to open their Eastern Conference first-round series against the top-seeded Boston Celtics on Sunday afternoon. Miami also was the No. 8 seed last season, when it battled its way to NBA Finals. The Heat's path included a seven-game series victory over Boston in the conference finals before they lost to the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals.

Rangers try to meet high expectations, open series with Capitals

The New York Rangers seized control of the Metropolitan Division in the opening weeks of the regular season and eventually emerged from a crowded field to claim the Presidents' Trophy. The reward for the most successful regular season in team history raised expectations for the Rangers, who will begin their quest for a Stanley Cup on Sunday when they host the Washington Capitals in Game 1 of an Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.