Reuters Sports News Summary
Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.
Murray to play in Dutch grass-court tournament in June
Andy Murray has agreed to play at the June grass-court tournament in Rosmalen in the Netherlands, as the former world number one steps up his bid to fully recover from hip surgery in time for Wimbledon. The Scot has not played a competitive match since losing to Sam Querrey in the Wimbledon quarter-finals last July and underwent an operation on the hip at the start of the year after rest and recuperation failed to resolve the issue.
Isner topples Chung to advance to Miami semis
Big-serving American John Isner overwhelmed South Korean Chung Hyeon 6-1 6-4 to advance to the semi-finals at the Miami Open on Wednesday. A fired up Isner yelled "Come on" and pumped his fist when he broke Chung's serve in the first set to race out to a 3-1 lead, ending Chung's streak of 27 consecutive holds of serve.
Aggressive Ostapenko downs Svitolina in Miami
French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko overpowered Ukrainian fourth seed Elina Svitolina in two tiebreaks to win 7-6(3) 7-6(5) and advance to the semi-finals of the Miami Open for the first time on Wednesday. The Latvian was not at her best, spraying the court with 44 unforced errors and having her serve broken six times on a windy day at Crandon Park.
'My time' to win Masters, Rose says at Houston tune-up
A year after losing a playoff to Sergio Garcia at the Masters, Justin Rose declared himself ready to finally to claim the coveted green jacket as he prepared for a final tune-up at the Houston Open. The Englishman is one of several big guns using this week's PGA Tour tournament to prepare for Augusta, joining the likes of Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler in the field at the Golf Club of Houston.
Michigan university paid firm to monitor Nassar victims' social media: report
A public relations firm billed Michigan State University for more than $500,000 for January as it tracked social-media activity surrounding the case of convicted physician Larry Nassar that often included the accounts of his sexual assault victims and their families, USA Today reported on Wednesday. Michigan State University's Office of Communication and Brand Strategy previously had been doing the work, which also included collecting and evaluating news articles, and some of its employees continued to do so in January, the newspaper said.
Cricket: Lehmann resigns as disgraced trio return to Australia
Darren Lehmann is to step down as Australia coach following this week's test match against South Africa after taking ultimate responsibility for the culture of a team embroiled in a ball-tampering scandal that has rocked cricket. Lehmann, who had previously said he would not resign, made his decision in part due to the abuse his family received after three Australia players conspired to scuff up the ball with sandpaper during the third test against South Africa.
Rusty Staub, a fan favorite for two decades in baseball, dies at 73
Rusty Staub, a beloved slugger dubbed "Le Grand Orange" by fans of the Montreal Expos and later embraced as a team leader of the New York Mets, died on Thursday at age 73 after a 23-year Major League Baseball career and a retirement devoted to charity. His death at a Florida hospital, which came on baseball's opening day for the 2018 season, was confirmed by the Mets, with whom the left-handed-hitting outfielder did two tours of duty in the 1970s and 1980s.
Despite hurdles, Russian anti-doping agency strives toward return
When Yuri Ganus settled into his new office last year as the director of RUSADA, Russia's suspended anti-doping agency, he hung a picture of an icebreaker plowing through blocks of ice. It serves a reminder of the agency's daunting mission: to shatter years of mistrust over allegations of state-sponsored doping and restore international belief in Russian sport.
Olympics: Italy puts forward bid to host 2026 Games in Milan and Turin
The Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) has put forward a proposal to stage the 2026 Winter Olympics jointly in Milan and Turin, it said on Thursday. CONI said in a statement that it had written a letter of intent to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) putting forward the two northern cities as potential hosts.
Motor racing: Mercedes find bug that robbed Hamilton of victory
Formula One world champions Mercedes have found the computer bug that cost Lewis Hamilton victory at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix and taken steps to ensure it does not happen again. Trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin said in a debrief on the Mercedes website that the problem was not what had been originally suspected after Sunday's season-opening race in Melbourne.