Sports News Roundup: Cowboys owner: 'We want Zeke for the playoffs'; Tennis: Mass exodus opens up bottom half of men's draw

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Cowboys owner: 'We want Zeke for the playoffs'

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones doesn't seem concerned about starting the regular season without star running back Ezekiel Elliott. "We've got a marathon here," Jones said during his radio show Wednesday on 105.3 FM The Fan. "We want Zeke when we get to the playoffs. We want Zeke when we're in the dog days of the season."

G Ward signs one-day contract with Hurricanes, retires

Goaltender Cam Ward signed a one-day contract with the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday and retired from the team where he spent 13 of his 14 NHL seasons. A first-round draft pick in 2002, Ward won the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy in his rookie year with Carolina in 2005-06.

Kyrgios accuses ATP of being 'corrupt' after U.S. Open win

Australia's Nick Kyrgios could find himself in hot water again after accusing men's tennis governing body ATP of being "corrupt" following his U.S. Open first-round victory on Tuesday. The mercurial 24-year-old made the comment at a news conference when asked if he could have avoided a $113,000 fine after his second-round defeat by Russia's Karen Khachanov at the Cincinnati Masters earlier this month.

Nadal sends Millman to U.S. Open exit

Three-times champion Rafa Nadal denied John Millman any chance of posting another fairytale run in New York as he cruised by the Australian 6-3 6-2 6-2 in the first round of the U.S. Open on Tuesday. Millman delivered the upset of the tournament last year when he beat five-time winner Roger Federer in a surprising run to the quarter-finals but he was unable to recreate the same magic against the relentless Spanish second seed.

Tennis: Mass exodus opens up bottom half of men's draw

The bottom half of the U.S. Open men's draw, where three-times champion Rafa Nadal resides, was blown wide open on Tuesday after four of the top-10 seeds crashed out at the first hurdle of the year's final Grand Slam. Austria's Dominic Thiem, Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, Russian Karen Khachanov, and Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut were all sent packing before Nadal restored some semblance of order to his half of the draw.

Rain delays start of some U.S. Open Day Three matches

Rain delayed the start of play on the outer courts of the U.S. Open on Wednesday, but the second-round clash between seventh seed Kei Nishikori and Bradley Klahn began as scheduled under Louis Armstrong Stadium's closed roof. Nishikori and Klahn will be followed by fifth seed Elina Svitolina taking on Venus Williams on Armstrong, which opened last year following a five-year, $600 million renovation project at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Former champion Stephens ousted by Russian qualifier

Former champion Sloane Stephens was stunned by Russian qualifier Anna Kalinskaya 6-3 6-4 in the first round of the U.S. Open on Tuesday after an inconsistent display during which she was unable to find any sort of rhythm. The American 11th seed, who triumphed here in 2017, fought off two match points but on the third was caught out of position behind the baseline when the Russian ripped a backhand that clipped the net cord and landed in.

Motor racing: Vettel seeking Belgian break at happy hunting ground

Sebastian Vettel returns to the scene of his last Formula One win at this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix and the German four-time champion will hope the Spa-Francorchamps circuit can hand him the break he needs to end a victory drought. Vettel, the winner of 52 races, has gone more than a year since he tasted victory at last year's Belgian race.

MLB roundup: Yankees' Judge third fastest to 100 HRs

Masahiro Tanaka pitched seven scoreless innings, and Aaron Judge reached a milestone with a tape-measure home run as the New York Yankees defeated the host Seattle Mariners 7-0 Tuesday night. Brett Gardner also homered for the Yankees, who won their third consecutive game and remained tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in the major leagues at 87-47.

Exclusive: French investigators focus on Dentsu partner in sports corruption probe

French authorities investigating corruption in international sports believe a Swiss partner of Japanese advertising giant Dentsu Inc played a "central and essential role" in deals used to embezzle sponsorship money and have asked Switzerland to raid its office and seize evidence, according to a person with knowledge of the probe and documents related to the case reviewed by Reuters. French investigators have not accused Dentsu or its partner, Lucerne-based Athletics Management & Services, of wrongdoing. The companies work together on marketing and media rights for the International Association of Athletics Federations, the Monaco-based governing body for track and field. The IAAF's former president, Lamine Diack, and his son, Papa Massata, have been charged with embezzling from sponsorship and broadcast deals for those rights and other financial crimes in an inquiry that wrapped up in June and is set to go to trial.