Sports News Roundup: Barty romps through after stuttering start; Warriors eye March 1 for Curry return and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

'It's all good': Barty romps through after stuttering start

World number one Ash Barty made a stuttering start to her bid to end her country's long wait for a homegrown Australian Open champion on Monday before calming the nerves of her compatriots with an emphatic 5-7 6-1 6-1 victory over Lesia Tsurenko. After rain had washed out a big chunk of the day on the outer courts, it looked like Barty might serve up the dampest squib of a start to a tournament desperate for good news after a week of headlines about poor air quality.

Report: Warriors eye March 1 for Curry return

The Golden State Warriors have a soft target date of March 1 for the return of two-time MVP Stephen Curry, The Athletic reported Sunday. Curry broke his left hand in an Oct. 30 game against the Phoenix Suns and was originally believed to have a targeted return of February. There was also some speculation Curry might just sit out the season altogether for the Warriors (10-34), but he has remained intent on making a return.

Woods and Snead tied with 82 PGA Tour wins, but no comparison, says former commissioner

As Tiger Woods makes his first attempt this week at surpassing Sam Snead for the most all-time PGA Tour victories, the man largely responsible for pegging Snead's number at 82 has weighed in with his thoughts on how the two greats compare. Many of 'Slammin' Sammy's' victories - achieved from 1936 to 1965 - came before the tour existed in its current form, back in an era when there were was a looser affiliation of events, rather than today's highly structured circuit.

Gymnastics: Miller keen to see Biles eclipse her in Tokyo

Shannon Miller thinks her time as the United States' most decorated Olympic gymnast will come to an end this summer and the 42-year-old will be in Tokyo cheering on Simone Biles as she bids to supplant her. Biles bagged five medals, including four gold, in her dazzling Olympic debut at Rio four years ago and the 22-year-old is widely expected to surpass Miller's haul of seven at Tokyo later this year.

Tsitsipas calls for 'a little more respect' after rowdy first round

Stefanos Tsitsipas called for fans to be "a little more respectful" of his opponents after a rowdy first match wins over Italy's Salvatore Caruso at the Australian Open on Monday. Melbourne's large Greek community was out in full force at the Margaret Court Arena, chanting "Ole! Ole! Stefanos Tsitsipas!" as the Athens-born player put on a commanding 6-0 6-2 6-3 win over Caruso in less than two hours.

Gauff completes double eclipse of Venus at Australian Open

Coco Gauff shone on her Australian Open debut on Monday as she knocked Venus Williams out of the first round in a repeat of her stunning victory over the seven-time Grand Slam champion in the Wimbledon opener last year. The 15-year-old American sensation, 24 years Williams' junior and the youngest player in the draw, eased to a 7-6(5) 6-3 win in the clash of generations at Margaret Court Arena, her first main draw appearance as a direct Grand Slam qualifier.

Iran's only female Olympic medalist moving to Germany: coach

Iran's only female Olympic medalist Kimia Alizadeh, who has said she had left her homeland because she had had enough of being used as a propaganda tool, is moving to Germany, her Dutch coach said. Alizadeh, who won taekwondo bronze at the Rio 2016 Olympics, had been training in the southern Dutch city of Eindhoven, after leaving Iran several weeks earlier.

NHL roundup: Penguins come from three down to beat Bruins

Bryan Rust's tiebreaking goal in the third period capped the Pittsburgh Penguins' comeback from an early three-goal deficit Sunday to give them a 4-3 victory over the visiting Boston Bruins. At 12:35 of the third period, Rust, from 12 feet, converted a pass from behind the net from Evgeni Malkin, who picked up his 50th point on the assist.

Champion Djokovic digs deep to beat Struff in Melbourne opener

Second seed Novak Djokovic was forced to work hard by Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff in his first match of the Australian Open on Monday before prevailing 7-6(5) 6-2 2-6 6-1 to stay on course for a record-extending eighth title at Melbourne Park. Playing against an opponent he defeated both times in straight sets in the past, Djokovic lost his serve four times in the match on Rod Laver Arena, where he beat Rafa Nadal in last year's final to pick up a seventh Australian Open title.

49ers and Chiefs to clash in Super Bowl after conference wins

Raheem Mostert rushed for four touchdowns as the San Francisco 49ers beat Green Bay 37-20 to book a spot in the Super Bowl where they will face Kansas City, who advanced to the NFL championship game for the first time in 50 seasons with a 35-24 win over Tennessee on Sunday. Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes was instrumental in their victory in the American Football Conference championship game, breaking the Titans' backs with a dazzling 27-yard first-half touchdown run as the Chiefs overcame a 10-0 deficit.

(With inputs from agencies.)