Reuters Sports News Summary
Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.
Halep, Rybakina reach Dubai title match
Top-seeded Simona Halep rolled past Jennifer Brady 6-2, 6-0 on Friday to reach the final of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Halep had 16 winners against just eight unforced errors while knocking off Brady in 62 minutes. The Romanian will face red-hot Elena Rybakina in the title match after the Kazakhstani beat Croatia's Petra Martic 7-6 (5), 7-6 (2) in the other semifinal.
Tokyo 2020 Olympics President says no plan to wear mask: media
Tokyo 2020 Olympics President Yoshiro Mori said he did not intend to wear masks, despite the coronavirus outbreak that has killed more than 2,000 people in China, a Japanese sports newspaper reported on Friday. "I pray to God every day that the coronavirus will just vanish," Mori, a former Japanese prime minister, was quoted by the Sponichi Annex paper as saying.
Athletics: Ethiopia's Yeshaneh smashes half marathon world record by 20 seconds
Ethiopia's Ababel Yeshaneh smashed the half marathon world record by 20 seconds on Friday to win the Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) event in the United Arab Emirates on Friday. Yeshaneh crossed the finish line in one hour, four minutes and 31 seconds at the World Athletics Gold Label road race, eclipsing the previous record of 1:04:51 set by Kenyan Joyciline Jepkosgei in Valencia in 2017.
Fury in safe hands with cuts man 'Stitch'
Millions will tune in to watch Tyson Fury's attempt to dethrone Deontay Wilder in their WBC world heavyweight showdown in Las Vegas on Saturday but no one will be watching more intently than Jacob Duran, otherwise known as 'Stitch'. Duran is Fury's cuts man and, judging by the damage the self-styled Gypsy King suffered in his previous fight, his expertise might be what makes the difference for the Briton.
Venezuela's Rojas sets world indoor triple jump record
Venezuela's Yulimar Rojas broke the 16-year-old world indoor triple jump record when she bounded 15.43 metres at the Madrid World Athletics Indoor Tour meeting on Friday. The twice world champion set the mark with her final jump, adding seven centimetres to Russian Tatyana Lebedeva's record which had stood since 2004.
NFL: Players decide not to vote on owners' proposed new labour deal
The NFL Players Association (NFLPA) board of representatives decided against holding a vote on the owners' proposed terms of a new collective bargaining agreement on Friday after its executive committee recommended they reject the deal. The decision came a day after owners approved a potential new deal that, among other things, would give the NFL the option to expand to a 17-game schedule, increase players' revenue share and increase the playoff field to 14 teams from 12.
NBA roundup: Young scores 50 as Hawks upend Heat
Trae Young scored a career-high 50 points to help the host Atlanta Hawks to a 129-124 win over the Miami Heat on Thursday. Young helped the Hawks defeat the Heat for the first time in four tries this season. Young was 8-for-15 on 3-pointers, matching his career high, and 18-for-19 from the free-throw line. It was the 10th time this season he's scored 40-plus points.
Report: Chiefs OC Bieniemy rebuffs Colorado
Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy has turned down a chance to interview for the head coaching job at Colorado, according to a report. Mike Klis of Denver-based 9NEWS said Bieniemy told Colorado officials that he no longer was interested in the job. Bieniemy, 50, was believed to be the top target for the Buffaloes.
NBA: Lakers game postponed due to Bryant's death rescheduled for April 9
The Los Angeles Lakers Jan. 28 game against the LA Clippers, which was postponed when Lakers great Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter accident last month, has been rescheduled for April 9, the NBA said on Friday. Bryant was killed along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others when the luxury helicopter they were traveling in slammed into a hillside in foggy weather near Los Angeles.
NHL roundup: Knights snap Lightning’s 11-game win streak
Defenseman Alec Martinez had a goal and an assist in his Vegas debut, as Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty also each had a goal and an assist as the Golden Knights snapped the Tampa Bay Lightning's franchise-record 11-game winning streak with a 5-3 victory on Thursday night in Las Vegas. Paul Stastny and Ryan Reaves also scored goals for Vegas, which won its fourth straight game and moved into sole possession of first place in the Pacific Division. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 24 shots.
