Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. Smoke clears in Melbourne, organizers defend playing qualifiers

The Melbourne skies were largely clear of bushfire smoke on Thursday as Australian Open organizers defended their decision to continue playing qualifiers during two days when a thick haze enveloped the city. Severe criticism has been leveled at Tennis Australia after qualifying for the first Grand Slam tournament of the season went ahead at Melbourne Park with minor disruptions despite the smoke. NBA roundup: Magic halt Lakers' 9-game win streak

Markelle Fultz amassed 21 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, and the visiting Orlando Magic ended the Los Angeles Lakers' nine-game winning streak with a 119-118 victory on Wednesday night. The triple-double was the second of Fultz's career. The other came on April 11, 2018, for the Philadelphia 76ers against the Milwaukee Bucks. Would you give up a kidney for Super Bowl tickets? Some would

What would you give up to watch your favorite team play live in a Super Bowl? A kidney? Abstain from sex for a year or break up with your significant other? Barty masters Vondrousova again, Sabalenka stuns Halep in Adelaide

World number one Ash Barty maintained her mastery over Marketa Vondrousova but Aryna Sabalenka jolted Simona Halep's Australian Open build-up in the quarter-finals of the Adelaide International on Thursday. In a rematch of last year's French Open final, Barty prevailed once again, winning 6-3 6-3 for a 4-0 head-to-head lead over the Czech. Medvedev has thrown a curve ball, says McEnroe

Russian Daniil Medvedev is the most likely player to break the Grand Slam stranglehold of the "big three" when the Australian Open starts in Melbourne next week, according to John McEnroe. The 23-year-old's quirky style propelled him to four titles and a Tour-leading 59 match wins in 2019 and McEnroe says he provides different challenges to the old guard. Kenyan athletics authority says top athlete escaped from anti-doping testers

A top Kenyan athlete ran away from anti-doping testers who had visited their training camp unannounced to take samples, a senior athletics authority official said, as the East African nation ramps up efforts to combat doping. Kenya is famous for its long and middle-distance running prowess, but it has been caught up in a series of doping scandals over the last five years, a period over which around 60 of its athletes have been sanctioned for anti-doping violations. Rejuvenated Osaka looking to retain Melbourne title

Japan's Naomi Osaka heads to Melbourne looking to defend her Australian Open title following a tumultuous 2019 which saw her reach world number one, change coach twice and become the second-highest paid female athlete on the planet. Osaka's victory over Petra Kvitova in Melbourne last year earned her a second consecutive Grand Slam title following her success at the 2018 U.S. Open but she quickly found herself struggling to cope with the pressure of being world No. 1. New decade begins with Serena still chasing Court

As the calendar flipped to 2020, Serena Williams was once again being feted, this time as sportswoman of the decade in the United States. She was an obvious choice, having started 2010 with a blast by winning the Australian Open for a fifth time before going on to pile up 11 more grand slam singles titles before the decade was done. Djokovic faces Struff, Barty takes on Tsurenko at Australian Open

Top seed and world number one Ash Barty's bid to end the host nation's long wait for a homegrown Australian Open champion will begin against Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko when the year's first Grand Slam gets under way next week. Men's champion Novak Djokovic will begin his quest for an eighth Australian Open title against Jan-Lennard Struff, while the man he beat in last year's final, Rafa Nadal, will take the top seeding into a contest against Bolivian Hugo Dellien. Dodgers must move on from Astros cheating scandal: Bryant

Basketball great Kobe Bryant on Wednesday said the Los Angeles Dodgers need to turn the page after Major League Baseball confirmed this week that the Houston Astros cheated during the 2017 season when they beat the Dodgers in the World Series. The former Los Angeles Lakers guard, who regularly attends Dodgers games, said nothing good can come of wondering what might have been if the Astros hadn't relied on stealing pitching signs to give their batters an unfair advantage.

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