Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Sharapova accepts underdog tag ahead of Wozniacki clash

Maria Sharapova has blasted her way to the third round at the Australian Open but she has accepted an underdog status ahead of her clash with defending champion Caroline Wozniacki on Friday. Sharapova has struggled for form and fitness since her return from a 15-month doping ban in 2017, while Wozniacki arrives as third seed after clinching her maiden Grand Slam title at Melbourne Park last year.

Olympics: Japan's Olympic Committee head to miss meeting - IOC

Japan's Olympic Committee chief Tsunekazu Takeda, investigated in France for suspected corruption linked to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, will not attend an International Olympic Committee (IOC) marketing meeting this weekend, the IOC said on Thursday. The IOC said Takeda, an IOC member and head of the Olympic body's marketing commission, would not be traveling to Lausanne, Switzerland for a meeting of his own commission.

Djokovic dominates Tsonga re-match to reach third round

Eleven years after beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to win the 2008 Australian Open title, top seed Novak Djokovic bested the Frenchman again at Melbourne Park to reach the third round early on Friday. The world number one Serb claimed a clinical 6-3 7-5 6-4 win over wildcard Tsonga at Rod Laver Arena, a match that finished after midnight and failed to live up to the players' intriguing rivalry at the year's first Grand Slam.

NBA roundup: Nets shock Harden, Rockets in OT

Spencer Dinwiddie converted a three-point play with 28 seconds remaining in overtime, and the Brooklyn Nets erased a seven-point deficit in the extra session for a 145-142 victory over the host Houston Rockets on Wednesday. Dinwiddie scored 25 of his 33 points in the fourth period and overtime, including three 3-pointers in the final 27 seconds of regulation, allowing Brooklyn to overcome a season-high 58 points from Houston's James Harden.

Serena juggles business, motherhood before beating Bouchard

Serena Williams was responding to emails about her clothing line and reorganizing her schedule to spend time with her one-year-old daughter shortly before beating Eugenie Bouchard 6-2 6-2 in the Australian Open second round on Thursday. Williams, dubbed the Australian Open favorite by Bouchard shortly after the match, is vying for a record-equaling 24th Grand Slam singles title, and will play 18-year-old Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska in the third round.

Confident Shapovalov primed to step up against Djokovic

With his long blond hair and flamboyant game, Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov has enjoyed two successful seasons to find his natural place on the circuit. Shapovalov cemented himself as one of the top young prospects on the Tour after breaking into the top-30 last year.

Tennis: Muguruza stars in late, late show at Melbourne Park

Garbine Muguruza claimed a 6-4 7-6(3) 7-5 win over Johanna Konta early on Friday to reach the Australian Open third round and etch in her name into the record books as the winner of the latest starting match in the tournament's history. With a log-jam in scheduling caused by two men's five-setters earlier on Thursday, 18th seed Muguruza and Briton Konta were kept from playing their first point until 12:30 a.m. local time (1330 GMT) in front of a smattering of hardy fans at Margaret Court Arena.

Halep hopes tough matches will provide route to rhythm

Simona Halep came to Melbourne with odds heavily stacked against her and faced two grueling matches in her first two rounds at the Australian Open, but the world number one believes the long three-setters will help her get ready for the rest of the year. French Open champion Halep was the finalist at Melbourne Park in 2018, but came to the year's first grand slam after playing only one match since September - a 6-4 6-4 defeat to Australia's Ashleigh Barty at the Sydney International.

Irving apologized to LeBron for ‘being that young player’

Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving called former teammate LeBron James to apologize for "being that young player" when both were in Cleveland. Irving, fresh off a 27-point, 18-assist performance in Wednesday night's staple victory over the Toronto Raptors, told reporters he delivered his mea culpa to James last Saturday after the Celtics' frustrating loss in Orlando that resulted in Irving airing his displeasure with coach Brad Stevens and teammate Gordon Hayward.

Australia Davis Cup captain Hewitt says threatened by Tomic

Australia's Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt said on Thursday he had received physical threats from compatriot Bernard Tomic, leading him to cut ties with the player and ban him from the Davis Cup team. Twice Grand Slam champion Hewitt, 37, told reporters at the Australian Open that Tomic had made several threats against him and his family, including blackmail, over the past 18 months.