Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. Teen sensation Gauff eyes next act at U.S. Open

From the throngs of young fans who idolize her, to the tennis experts desperately seeking the sport's "next big thing", there is no shortage of expectations on the shoulders of 15-year-old Cori "Coco" Gauff. After seeing off five-times Wimbledon champion Venus Williams on the way to reaching the last 16 at the All England Club this year, Gauff enters the final Grand Slam of 2019 with the kind of megawatt attention usually reserved only for the sport's highest echelon. NHL notebook: Senators keep Colin White with six-year deal

The Ottawa Senators signed promising center Colin White to a six-year, $28.5 million contract on Wednesday. The 22-year-old White had 14 goals and 27 assists in 71 games last season. His 41 points marked only the eighth time in franchise history that a rookie scored 40 or more points. Sixteen years after U.S. Open glory, Roddick searches for American successor

When Andy Roddick hoisted his first -- and last -- U.S. Open trophy in 2003, few could have imagined America's men were in for a more than 15-year Grand Slam title drought. But with the days of Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi long gone, and the women taking up the mantle of American tennis supremacy, the shift in the balance of power is undeniable, Roddick told Reuters, days ahead of the year's final tennis major kicked off. America's Cup winners back in groove for Olympics tilt

Winning the Tokyo Olympics test event in Enoshima may have appeared a cakewalk for Rio gold medalists Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, but the duo said it had taken them some time to get used to the 49er class yacht again. The New Zealand pair dominated their sport in the previous Olympic cycle as they won all 28 of the major regattas between 2012 and 2016 before they sealed gold in Rio. Paralympics chief wants Tokyo 2020 to help change perceptions

Andrew Parsons, president of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), hopes Tokyo 2020 will spark a change in perceptions of people with disabilities in Japan. Sunday marks a year to go until the start of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, which run from Aug. 25 to Sept. 6, and Parsons, who took over as IPC president in 2017, is confident the Games will have a lasting impact beyond the 13 days of sporting action. Paire survives Humbert scare to reach Winston-Salem quarters

Top seeded Frenchman Benoit Paire saved a match point and then fought back to beat compatriot Ugo Humbert 3-6 7-6(2) 6-3 to move into the quarter-finals of the Winston-Salem Open in North Carolina on Wednesday. Paire, 30, took two hours and 27 minutes to beat the 21-year-old Humbert, who was the youngest player left in the men's draw at Wimbledon last month prior to his last-16 exit at the hands of eventual champion Novak Djokovic. Japan speculates over identity of final Olympic torchbearer

With the Tokyo Olympics less than a year away, speculation is growing in Japan over who will be the final torchbearer to light the cauldron in the new Olympic Stadium, in the traditional ritual that begins every Games. Some predict a famous Japanese athlete, such as retired baseball player Ichiro Suzuki, will do the honors. Others say it will be an ordinary, but symbolically important, person. Djokovic still favorite but defeat gives rivals hope

Novak Djokovic was all set to cruise into the U.S. Open as hot favorite but a semi-final defeat at the Cincinnati Masters last week has at least given hope to his challengers that the world number one is not invincible. Djokovic was on a roll until Cincinnati, having won three titles, including two Grand Slams, on three different surfaces this year. Ryder Cup player Olesen denies sexual assault charge: report

Danish Ryder Cup golfer Thorbjorn Olesen denied charges of sexual assault, being drunk on an aircraft and common assault stemming from a trans-Atlantic flight when he appeared in court in London on Wednesday, The Times newspaper reported. The 29-year-old, who helped Europe to victory in the Ryder Cup last year, was arrested at London's Heathrow Airport on July 29 following a flight from the United States, where he had been playing a World Golf Championships event in Memphis. Fans betting on sentimental favorite Serena to win U.S. Open

In the twilight of her remarkable career Serena Williams is more often the sentimental favorite rather than the bettors' choice but the 37-year-old American will be both as she heads to the U.S. Open chasing an elusive 24th record-equaling Grand Slam. Despite fitness concerns and a title drought that stretches back to the 2017 Australian Open, bookmakers are backing Williams to match Margaret Court's record haul and the New York crowds, as always, will be in her corner when play gets underway on Monday at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.