Sports News Roundup: Serena survives scare to reach U.S. Open third round; MLB roundup: Yankees complete winning trip

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Ex-Penguins D Lovejoy retires

Defenseman Ben Lovejoy announced his retirement after 11 NHL seasons. Lovejoy, who played collegiately at Dartmouth, signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins as an undrafted free agent and debuted with the team in the 2008-09 season. He played in Pittsburgh until he was traded to the Anaheim Ducks in the 2012-13 season.

Sharing is caring: Federer wants better prize money distribution

Roger Federer is prepared to champion the cause of lower-ranked players on the ATP Tour and said at the U.S. Open on Wednesday that he would fight to ensure a bigger share of the prize pot for them in future. Speaking after a 3-6 6-2 6-3 6-4 win over Bosnian Damir Dzumhur, Federer said the prize money for players at the top of the sport had improved significantly since he began playing but that was not the case at the other end of the spectrum.

Russian state sports facility says contract with banned coach voided after Reuters report

A Russian state contract between banned race walking coach Viktor Chegin and the athletics facility where he was formerly head coach has been canceled after Reuters reported his firm provided security there, the facility said. Reuters reported in June that Chegin, who was banned for life for doping in 2016, had won three state contracts worth a combined 8.5 million rubles ($130,000) to provide security to the training facility in the city of Saransk since his ban took effect.

American teenager McNally yearns to play like Federer, not Serena

Many American teenage girls grow up dreaming of becoming the next Serena Williams, but for Catherine McNally, who nearly delivered an upset for the ages against her compatriot, it is Roger Federer's game she covets. Rather than trying to mimic the powerful style of play that Williams used to revolutionize women's tennis and collect 23 Grand Slam titles, 17-year-old McNally instead prefers to model her game after Swiss great Federer.

Serena survives scare to reach U.S. Open third round

Serena Williams survived a second-round scare at the U.S. Open on Wednesday with a 5-7 6-3 6-1 win over American wildcard Catherine McNally to keep alive her hopes of securing a record-tying 24th Grand Slam title. World number eight Williams, who captured the first of her six U.S. Open titles two years before her 17-year-old opponent was born, spent the first half of the match trying to find her rhythm but when she did she was off to the races.

French referee praised for stopping match over homophobic banners

The coaches of Nice and Olympique Marseille and France's equality minister have all praised the referee who interrupted the Ligue 1 match on Wednesday because of homophobic banners in the home crowd. France's equality minister Marlene Schiappa said the banners had sullied the stands while Nice coach Patrick Vieira said referee Clement Turpin had been left with "no choice."

MLB roundup: Yankees complete winning trip

James Paxton and three relievers combined on a three-hitter, Aaron Judge continued his tear by hitting a two-run homer in the fifth inning, and the New York Yankees ended their nine-game West Coast road trip with a 7-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday afternoon. The Yankees, who hit four homers in the game, ended their trip at 5-4. They won the final four games and five of the last six after starting the trip with three straight losses in Oakland last week. New York swept three games in Seattle.

Roche and Uran amongst four Vuelta withdrawals after mass crash

Former race leader Nicolas Roche and overall contender Rigoberto Uran were amongst four riders to withdraw from the Vuelta a Espana following a mass crash during Thursday's stage six. Riders from Lotto Soudal, Deceuninck-Quick Step, Jumbo-Visma and EF Education First all went down in crash in the peloton with just over half of the course's 199km covered.

United States face tough task to retain world title

If the build-up to the men's basketball World Cup in China is anything to go by, holders the United States face a daunting task to win their sixth title after a stack of household NBA names dropped out of their roster. With the likes of L.A. Lakers center Anthony Davis, Houston Rockets guard James Harden and Portland Trail Blazers playmaker Damnian Lillard among the 17 players who pulled out, the Americans have been forced to deploy a depleted team.

Djokovic overcomes shoulder woes to reach second round

Reigning champion Novak Djokovic battled with a shoulder problem that hampered his backhand as he secured a 6-4 7-6(3) 6-1 win over Argentine Juan Ignacio Londero and reached the third round of the U.S. Open on Wednesday. Djokovic, who had work done on his left shoulder during his pre-match warm-up inside Arthur Ashe Stadium earlier in the day, was in clear distress when he took a medical timeout while leading 4-3 in the first set.