Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

NBA: Knicks end tumultuous week with win over cold-shooting Spurs

The New York Knicks ended a tumultuous week filled with off-the-court distractions by posting a spirited 94-90 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday. With numerous Knicks alumni in the crowd at Madison Square Garden, New York (23-33) stopped a four-game losing streak in putting forth its finest defensive effort of the season, holding the Spurs to 36 percent shooting.

Tennis: Confident Dimitrov downs Goffin to win Sofia Open

Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov gave the roaring partisan crowd plenty to cheer about as he beat Belgian David Goffin 7-5 6-4 to win the Sofia Open for the first time on Sunday. The 25-year-old, who reached the Australian Open semi-finals after winning the Brisbane International last month, claimed his sixth career title to the delight of 12,000 passionate fans.

Tennis: Germans outraged as U.S. plays Nazi version of anthem

German tennis has responded with outrage after the United States Tennis Association (USTA) made the embarrassing error of playing the Nazi-era version of Germany's national anthem during a Fed Cup tie in Hawaii. The version played included the first stanza, beginning "Deutschland, Deutschland uber alles, uber alles in der Welt" which was used as Nazi propaganda.

Tennis: Injured Davis Cup umpire undergoes surgery on fractured eye socket

French umpire Arnaud Gabas has had surgery to repair a fractured eye socket after being hit by a ball from Canada's Denis Shapovalov during a Davis Cup tie with Britain, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) said on Sunday. "Chair umpire Arnaud Gabas has undergone successful surgery in France to repair a fracture of the orbital bone under his left eye," the ITF said in a statement.

Slovenia's Stuhec wins Alpine skiing women's downhill gold

Slovenia's Ilka Stuhec blasted to victory in the women's downhill at the Alpine Skiing world championships on Sunday as American Lindsey Vonn had to settle for third. Stuhec, 26, claimed her first medal from a world championships or Olympics, with a faultless run down the icy course at speeds topping out at 125 km per hour.

Golf: Spieth wins emphatically by four shots at Pebble Beach

Jordan Spieth shrugged off an unexpected birdie drought in the final round to clinch his ninth PGA Tour victory, by four shots at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in California on Sunday. A commanding six strokes ahead overnight, the world number six carded a two-under 70 on a picture-perfect afternoon of unbroken sunshine on the Monterey Peninsula to post a 19-under total of 268.

Latvala sweeps to victory in Rally Sweden

Finland's Jari-Matti Latvala swept to a stunning victory in Rally Sweden, winning the final three stages on Sunday in his Toyota Yaris to claim his fourth victory in the race and climb to the top of the World Championship rankings after two events. The 31-year-old held off the strong challenge of Estonia's Ott Tanak, who threw everything he could into the last day, but with Latvala enjoying a 20-second lead going into the final stage it would have taken a major mistake for the Finn to lose.

Tennis: Czechs make light of Kvitova absence to reach Fed Cup semis

Champions the Czech Republic made light of the absence of Petra Kvitova as they eased into the Fed Cup semi-finals for a ninth year in succession with a 3-2 defeat of Spain on Sunday. After the opening day of the tie in Ostrava had been shared 1-1, world number three Karolina Pliskova powered past French Open champion Garbine Muguruza 6-2 6-2 before Barbora Strycova beat Lara Arruabarrena 6-4 6-4.

Zverev denies Gasquet Montpellier hat-trick

Rising German Alexander Zverev denied home favorite Richard Gasquet a third consecutive Open Sud de France title in Montpellier with a 7-6(4) 6-3 victory on Sunday. Local favorite Gasquet, bidding for a fourth title overall at the indoor event, dropped the first set on the tiebreak and was broken twice in the second as the 19-year-old Zverev claimed his second career title.

Cycling: Pays de la Loire to host 2018 Tour Grand Depart

The Grand Depart of the 2018 Tour de France will be from the Pays de la Loire region, organizers announced on Sunday. It will be a return to the race's roots as the first edition in 1903 was also hosted by the western region.