Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Soccer star Ronaldo expected in Madrid Tuesday for tax fraud trial

Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo is expected back in Madrid on Tuesday to attend a trial for tax evasion where Spanish prosecutors are asking for a 23-month prison sentence and fine. Ronaldo's former Madrid teammate Xabi Alonso is also due in court next Tuesday for another case of tax fraud.

Cricket: Supreme Court to rule on Indian players suspended for remarks about women

India's Supreme Court has been asked to decide the future of two international cricketers suspended for their comments about women in a TV show interview last week, stirring a debate over whether they were being treated too harshly. Indian cricket administrators recalled all-rounder Hardik Pandya and batsman KL Rahul from a tour of Australia and charged them with misconduct and indiscipline after remarks condemned on social media as sexist, racist and misogynist.

Studious Shapovalov hopes Nadal videos can help topple Djokovic

Denis Shapovalov announced himself to the world by stunning Rafa Nadal two years ago in Montreal and the Canadian teenager will hope to draw from the Spaniard's tactical manual when he meets Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open third round on Saturday. Having blitzed his way through the opening two rounds, the 19-year-old Shapovalov revealed he would study videos of fellow left-hander Nadal to prepare for his first meeting with world number one Djokovic in the hope of sealing another big upset.

Tsitsipas hopes to be mentally ready for 'legend' Federer

Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas said he would need to be at the peak of his mental strength against six-times Australian Open champion Roger Federer after his hopes of avoiding the "legend" of the sport in the fourth round were dashed. Seeded 14th in Melbourne, the 20-year-old Tsitsipas beat Georgia's Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-3 3-6 7-6(7) 6-4 on Friday to reach the last 16 at a Grand Slam for the second time after making the same stage at last year's Wimbledon.

Tennis: Birthday girl Kerber completes Australian horror show

Birthday girl Angelique Kerber humiliated Australian wildcard Kimberly Birrell 6-1 6-0 to storm into the fourth round of the Australian Open on Friday and complete a late-night horror show for the locals at Rod Laver Arena. Just after Rafa Nadal subjected Australian number one Alex de Minaur to a straight sets humbling, second seed Kerber pounded into Birrell like a freight train and sent the 240th-ranked 20-year-old packing after 58 scarring minutes.

Tennis: Khachanov 'ashamed' after early exit from Australian Open

Tipped to challenge the Grand Slam dominance of the old guard of men's tennis at the Australian Open, Russian young gun Karen Khachanov was instead left hanging his head after a stinging third-round loss to Roberto Bautista Agut on Friday. The 22-year-old 10th seed was sent packing after a 6-4 7-5 6-4 defeat to Spaniard Bautista Agut, who has continued his fine start after knocking out injured former world number one Andy Murray in the first round.

Nadal subdues local hope de Minaur in third round clash

Rafa Nadal subdued Alex de Minaur 6-1 6-2 6-4 in their third round clash at the Australian Open on Friday after dominating the home town's top-ranked male player. The second seed comfortably controlled baseline exchanges, forcing the young Australian to take ever greater risks to compete with the 17 times Grand Slam champion.

Tennis: Tiafoe rips into fourth round with LeBron James-inspired celebration

Young American Frances Tiafoe has attributed his entertaining post-match celebrations to basketballer LeBron James after extending his stellar run at the Australian Open with a 6-7(3) 6-3 4-6 6-4 6-3 third round victory against Italian veteran Andreas Seppi on Friday. Tiafoe, who turns 21 on Sunday, has become a crowd favorite in Australia because of his shirt-ripping, fist-pumping routines which he said are spontaneous, but inspired by the basketball great.

Aggressive Sharapova eliminates holder Wozniacki in Melbourne

Maria Sharapova scorched the Rod Laver Arena with her aggressive tennis to eliminate defending Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki 6-4 4-6 6-3 in the third round on Friday. Five-times Grand Slam champion Sharapova, who won her last major at the 2014 French Open, hit 37 winners against 10 from her opponent and converted her second matchpoint to set up a fourth round clash against Australia number one Ashleigh Barty.

Motor racing: Formula One reports rise in TV and digital audiences

Formula One saw a rise in worldwide audience figures across television and digital platforms in 2018, the Liberty media-owned sport reported on Friday. It said Brazil, China and the United States represented the top three markets in terms of television reach -- largely a consequence of new or revised broadcast deals in those countries.