Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Tennis-Swiatek reaches Montreal quarters, will stay world No. 1

Iga Swiatek overcame a lengthy rain delay and a stern test from Karolina Muchova to seal a 6-1 4-6 6-4 victory at the Canadian Open that will assure the Pole retains her number one ranking when the U.S. Open warm-up event concludes. Riding the momentum from her fourth title of the season last week at her home tournament, the Warsaw Open, Swiatek looked poised for easy passage breezing through five straight games breaking Muchova twice to claim the first set.

Tennis-Alcaraz says big players always find a way after Toronto fightback

Carlos Alcaraz was at a loss to explain his sudden slide in the final set of Thursday’s 3-6 7-6(2) 7-6(3) victory over 15th seed Hubert Hurkacz at the Canadian Open, but the world number one said top players always find a way to succeed. The 20-year-old surrendered the opening set but hit back in the next and then raced to 5-2 in the decider before squandering matchpoints to hand big-serving Hurkacz a lifeline.

Tennis-Kyrgios withdraws from U.S. Open with wrist issue

Nick Kyrgios has withdrawn from the U.S. Open, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) said on Thursday, as the Australian’s injury problems in a nightmare 2023 season showed no signs of easing. The 28-year-old pulled out of the Australian Open and had surgery on his left knee earlier in the year. He was beaten in his comeback match after a five-month layoff when he fell to China’s Wu Yibing in the Stuttgart Open first round in June.

Soccer-France brace for fired-up Brisbane crowd in Australia clash

France are aware of the pressure that a revived Australia side will be under as host nation in their Women’s World Cup quarter-final on Saturday, and expect a tough test in front of a packed and partisan crowd at Lang Park. Fifth-ranked France easily brushed aside Morocco in their last 16 tie, scoring three times in eight minutes in a first-half blitz en route to a 4-0 win, while co-hosts Australia saw off Denmark 2-0 at a packed Stadium Australia in Sydney.

Tennis-Alcaraz outlasts Hurkacz, Ruud stunned at Canadian Open

World number one Carlos Alcaraz produced a thrilling comeback to beat Hubert Hurkacz 3-6 7-6(2) 7-6(3) on Thursday and reach the quarter-finals of the Canadian Open as the Wimbledon champion continues to refine his game ahead of the upcoming U.S. Open. The swashbuckling Spaniard got off to a nightmare start as Hurkacz jumped out to a 3-0 first set lead in just six minutes en route to capturing the first set.

Golf-American Ewing leads Women’s British Open by one shot

American Ally Ewing carded a 68 in the first round of the Women’s British Open to finish at four-under for a one-shot lead at the Walton Heath Golf Club on Thursday. Ewing was part of a six-way tie atop the leaderboard heading into the final three holes but eagled the 16th to move clear of Lee Jeong-eun, Emily Pedersen, Perrine Delacour, Jaravee Boonchant and Amy Yang.

MLB roundup: Ex-Ray Matthew Liberatore carries Cards

Matthew Liberatore showed why he was once ranked among baseball’s top prospects, tossing eight shutout innings in the St. Louis Cardinals’ 5-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday in St. Petersburg, Fla. The 23-year-old Liberatore established career highs for innings and strikeouts in a start (seven) against the team that drafted him in the first round in 2018.

NFL roundup: Texans score 20 straight points to upend Patriots

Davis Mills and Case Keenum each threw a touchdown pass while the Houston Texans held the New England Patriots to 180 total yards in a 20-9 preseason victory on Thursday night in Foxborough, Mass. After Jalen Mills intercepted rookie C.J. Stroud’s pass on the game’s first possession, Nick Folk got the Patriots on the board first with a 44-yard field goal.

Soccer-Teenager Paralluelo shines as Spain make history

While Spain were expected to lean on the experience of Alexia Putellas and others at the Women’s World Cup, it was teenager Salma Paralluelo who made a spectacular impact off the bench to send La Roja into the semi-finals for the first time. The 19-year-old Barcelona winger decided a tense quarter-final in the New Zealand capital on Friday when she scored the extra-time winner in La Roja’s 2-1 win over 2019 runners-up the Netherlands.

Soccer-Tottenham’s Kane agrees to move to Bayern after clubs’ deal-report

Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane has agreed to move to German champions Bayern Munich after the two clubs reached a preliminary deal for his transfer, Germany’s Bild newspaper said on Friday. Should it be completed, Kane’s move would be the most expensive transfer in Bundesliga history with an expected fee of about 100 million euros.

(With inputs from agencies.)