Sports News Roundup: Zverev pledges A$4m for bushfire fund if wins; Blessed Woods admits age affecting his games and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Tennis: Zverev pledges A$4m for bushfire fund if he wins Australian Open

Alexander Zverev reached the second round of the Australian Open with a 6-4 7-6 (4) 6-3 victory over Marco Cecchinato on Tuesday and promptly pledged to donate his prize money to the bushfire appeal if he lands a maiden Grand Slam title at Melbourne Park. The 22-year-old seventh seed has not been in the best of form, however, so his further pledge of $10,000 for every match he wins in the tournament might work out to be a more realistic donation.

Blessed Woods admits age is affecting his game

Tiger Woods has acknowledged age is increasingly affecting his game but said on Tuesday he was in a good place as he bids for a record-breaking 83rd PGA Tour victory in Torrey Pines this week. The American, who makes his season debut at the Farmers Insurance Open on Thursday, said he was blessed to be competing after back injuries threatened to end his storied career.

Kyrgios eager to represent Australia at Tokyo Games

Australian firebrand Nick Kyrgios has expressed an interest in joining his country's Olympic team in Tokyo, four years after withdrawing from the Rio Games in controversial circumstances. Ahead of the 2016 Rio Games, Kyrgios was involved in a war of words with Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) president John Coates and Australia's chef de mission Kitty Chiller, accusing the AOC of "unfair and unjust treatment".

NBA roundup: Lillard scores 61 in Blazers' OT win

Damian Lillard broke his own franchise records by scoring 61 points and making 11 3-pointers to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 129-124 overtime victory over the visiting Golden State Warriors on Monday night. Lillard scored 60 points during a 119-115 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Nov. 8. He also held the franchise mark of 10 3-pointers.

Hall of Fame to honor Baker's vast contributions

To a whole generation of NASCAR fans, Buddy Baker was for years the gentle voice and big personality on television race broadcasts and a popular SiriusXM NASCAR Radio show. He loved to laugh and lift the audience and his knowledge of the sport was second-to-none. He had that enviable perspective because he was such an important force as a NASCAR driver -- winning 19 times despite running only two full seasons in 35 years of NASCAR Cup Series competition. He hoisted a Daytona 500 trophy, won four Talladega Superspeedway races, was the first to turn a 200-mph lap (in testing) and steered cars for an A-list of owners -- many NASCAR Hall of Famers in their own right -- running the gamut from Ray Fox to Petty Enterprises to Bud Moore and the Wood Brothers.

NFL notebook: 49ers' Coleman (shoulder) not ruled out of Super Bowl

San Francisco 49ers running back Tevin Coleman dislocated his right shoulder Sunday in the NFC Championship Game, but he hasn't been ruled out of the Super Bowl. Niners coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday the team is waiting on MRI results to determine the severity of the injury. The Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs is on Feb. 2.

Farah says happy for WADA to re-test his samples

Four-time Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah said he would gladly have any of his previous blood or urine samples re-tested as part of the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) investigation into the Nike Oregon Project. WADA wants to investigate all athletes who trained with banned coach Alberto Salazar at the Oregon Project, one of which was Britain's Farah, the 5,000m and 10,000m champion at both the London 2012 and Rio de Janeiro 2016 Games.

Browns WR Beckham undergoes core muscle surgery

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. underwent surgery Tuesday morning to repair a core muscle injury that plagued him throughout this season, the team announced. Dr. Bill Meyers performed the surgery in Philadelphia. A full recovery is expected for Beckham, who was bothered by hip and groin injuries but didn't miss a game.

Russia names new sports minister in government reshuffle

Oleg Matytsin, the president of the International University Sports Federation (FISU), was named Russia's new sports minister in a government reshuffle on Tuesday as the country finds itself embroiled in a doping scandal that has seen it is barred from this year's Olympics. Matytsin, who has served as FISU president since 2015, replaces former Olympic fencer Pavel Kolobkov to head a ministry with the daunting task of improving Russia's image on the global sports stage.

Montana guarantees Super Bowl victory for his former team; a safe bet

Joe Montana was a precision passer in his NFL career, and now the Hall of Fame quarterback is showcasing his accuracy in a playful way as he guaranteed his team will win the Super Bowl showdown between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs. Having played for both the 49ers and Chiefs during a career in which he established himself as one of the all-time greatest quarterbacks, NFL fans on Twitter and sports talk radio shows have already dubbed the 54th Super Bowl on Feb. 2 in Miami as the Joe Montana Bowl.

(With inputs from agencies.)