Sports News Roundup: Australian Open highlights; Pro Bowl and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Athletics: Brazier romps to 600m victory at Boston Indoors

World 800 meters champion Donavan Brazier outran even the pacesetter as he romped to victory in the 600m at the Boston Indoor Grand Prix on Saturday. The hard-striding American, who has his sights set on gold at the Tokyo Olympics, won by almost six seconds, clocking a time of one minute, 14.39 seconds in the infrequently run event.

Rahm leads after 54 holes at Torrey Pines, Woods five back

World number three Jon Rahm made an eagle from 110 yards en route to the third-round lead at the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego on Saturday as Tiger Woods faded after a strong start. Rahm shot the day's best score, a seven-under-par 65, to surge to a one-shot advantage over American Ryan Palmer (71) at Torrey Pines, where morning fog delayed the start of play by two hours.

Kvitova beats Sakkari to make quarter-finals in Melbourne

Petra Kvitova came from a set down and took full advantage as her Greek opponent Maria Sakkari's self-belief drained away to advance to the Australian Open quarter-finals with a 6-7(4) 6-3 6-2 victory on Rod Laver Arena on Sunday. Seventh seed Kvitova looked second best early on against Sakkari, who was backed by loud support from local Greek fans, but seized the advantage in a second set where both players struggled to hold serve.

Most Pro Bowl players against 17-game season

Several Pro Bowl players polled this week said they are still firmly against the NFL adding a 17th regular-season game to its annual schedule if proposed, according to an ESPN report published Saturday. While in Florida for practices and promotional events before the Pro Bowl is played on Sunday, very few players supported the idea of the league potentially adding another game to the schedule. Players' safety and overall health were the primary concerns.

Chen dominant in winning U.S. short program

World champion Nathan Chen, back in competition after a bout of flu, set the pace in the men's short program as he began his quest for a fourth consecutive U.S. figure skating championships title in Greensboro, North Carolina on Saturday. The 20-year-old racked up 114.13 points in a performance that put the Yale University sophomore almost 14 points ahead of 2015 U.S. champ Jason Brown (100.99).

NBA notebook: Thunder C Noel out after cheek surgery

Oklahoma City Thunder center Nerlens Noel missed Saturday's road game against the Minnesota Timberwolves after undergoing surgery to repair a fracture in his left cheek, the team announced. His status will be updated next week.

James passes Bryant for third on career scoring list

LeBron James passed Kobe Bryant to become the third-highest career points scorer in the National Basketball Association (NBA) on Saturday, albeit in a losing cause as the Los Angeles Lakers were beaten by the Philadelphia 76ers. James started the game needing 18 points to overtake Bryant, and he achieved the mark with a lay-up in the third quarter.

Highlights: Day seven at the Australian Open

Highlights of the seventh day at the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, on Sunday (times AEDT; GMT+11):

1531 RAONIC MOWS DOWN CILIC It's very easy to feel alone": Cain finds balance in sport

Finishing 13th in the women's 3,000-metre race at the Dr. Sander Invitational Columbia Challenge on Saturday, American mid-distance runner Mary Cain said completing the competition was, for her, a win in and of itself. Once hailed as an athletics prodigy, 23-year-old Cain dropped a bombshell in an interview with the New York Times in November, in which she accused former coach Alberto Salazar and his staff at the now-shuttered Nike Oregon project of emotional and physical abuse.

MLB notebook: Dodgers don't want 'fake banner'

The Los Angeles Dodgers might consider the Houston Astros frauds and cheaters, but they want nothing to do with hanging a "fake banner" to represent a championship they did not win on the field. After silence the past few weeks, Dodgers players and front-office staff sounded off on the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal from the 2017 season at the club's annual fan convention on Saturday.