Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Pavlyuchenkova opts out of U.S. Open due to COVID-19 'insecurity'

Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova said on Wednesday that she will not travel to New York to take part in the U.S. Open later this month as organizers could not guarantee her health and safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Open is set to be played from Aug. 31-Sept. 12 even as the country leads the world with over 4.7 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 157,000 deaths, according to a Reuters tally.

Russia moves closer to sacking anti-doping chief over alleged financial violations

The board of Russia's anti-doping agency called on the country's sports authorities on Wednesday to consider firing its director over allegations he presided over serious financial irregularities. Yuri Ganus, who was named director of RUSADA in August 2017, denied the allegations made by Russia's Olympic Committee last month and has portrayed them as a political attack on his agency and its efforts to clear up Russia's sporting image.

NHL roundup: Hurricanes cap 3-game sweep of Rangers

Warren Foegele scored the go-ahead goal in the third period, and goalie James Reimer made 38 saves in his series debut as the Carolina Hurricanes swept their best-of-five qualifying set against the New York Rangers by winning 4-1 in Game 3 on Tuesday night in Toronto. The Hurricanes advance to the Eastern Conference's first round against an undetermined opponent, beginning that best-of-seven series next week.

NBA roundup: Doncic, Mavs nip Kings in overtime

Luka Doncic capped a 34-point, 20-rebound, 12-assist triple-double with an inside basket to break a tie with 1:57 remaining in overtime Tuesday afternoon as the Dallas Mavericks outlasted the Sacramento Kings for a 114-110 victory at HP Field House inside the NBA bubble near Orlando. Tim Hardaway Jr. had six of his 22 points in the extra session, helping the Mavericks win for the first time in three tries since the NBA restart. De'Aaron Fox went for a team-high 28 points for the Kings, who fell to the brink of elimination in the Western Conference playoff race with a third straight defeat since the restart.

U.S. Open will still be a proper Grand Slam despite pullouts, says Nadal

Rafa Nadal believes this year's U.S. Open champion will still feel like a Grand Slam winner despite the tournament losing some glamour due to the withdrawal of top players amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Spaniard said on Wednesday. The hardcourt Grand Slam, which starts on Aug. 31, lost its men's defending champion in singles with Nadal deciding against traveling to New York.

MLB roundup: Marlins end hiatus with shutout win

Starter Pablo Lopez tossed five scoreless innings, Francisco Cervelli and Jesus Aguilar homered, and the Miami Marlins returned from an eight-day hiatus with a 4-0 shutout of the host Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night. The game was Miami's first since July 26 after 18 players tested positive for COVID-19 following a three-game series in Philadelphia to open the season.

Tiger, McIlroy and Thomas grouped together at PGA Championship

Two former world number ones will play alongside the game's freshly crowned top player when Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas go out as a group in the PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park this week. Woods, who has played once since the PGA Tour resumed in June, is seeking his 16th major and fifth PGA Championship title but the 44-year-old is an underdog given concerns about how his surgically repaired back will react to the cool San Francisco weather.

Figure skating: ISU Grand Prix Series to go ahead, events targeted at domestic skaters

Figure skating's Grand Prix Series will take place as scheduled in October and November, but will be run as events targeted at domestic skaters to limit travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Skating Union (ISU) announced on Tuesday. The Grand Prix Series, held every year since 1995, is a six-fixture event that qualifies the top six skaters and teams in each discipline for the Grand Prix Final in December.

Koepka brimming with confidence ahead of title defense

A confident Brooks Koepka said on Tuesday he had ironed out the kinks that hindered his game earlier this year and added that he will claim a third consecutive PGA Championship this week if he plays at the level he is capable of. Koepka would become the only player to hoist the Wanamaker Trophy three years in a row since the tournament switched from being a matchplay event to a stroke play event in 1958.

NFL: Lions remove Stafford from COVID-19 list after 'false positive'

The Detroit Lions removed quarterback Matthew Stafford from the COVID-19 reserve list and placed him on the active roster on Tuesday after confirming his test result was a false positive. The 32-year-old had been placed on the list last week, implying he had either tested positive for COVID-19 or been in close contact with someone who had contracted the virus.