Reuters Sports News Summary
Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.
Motor racing: Williams pin their hopes on youngest line-up
Former world champions Williams have put their faith in the youngest and least experienced driver lineup on the Formula One starting grid, and it could come back and bite them. Canadian Lance Stroll (19) and Russian rookie Sergey Sirotkin (22), the latter announced on Tuesday, will be the rawest pairing to start a season for the team who were third overall in 2015 but have been fifth for the past two years.
Tennis: Dream grand slam debut continues for 15-year-old Kostyuk
Ukrainian 15-year-old Marta Kostyuk became the youngest player to reach the third round of a grand slam in over 20 years when she defeated local wildcard Olivia Rogowska at the Australian Open on Wednesday. Croatia's Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, who made the third round of the 1997 U.S. Open also at 15, was the previous youngest player to advance to that stage of a grand slam.
Canada's Virtue and Moir named flag bearers for Pyeongchang Olympics
Olympic gold medal ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir will carry Canada's flag into the opening ceremonies of the Pyeongchang Winter Games, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC)announced on Tuesday. Virtue and Moir, gold medal winners on home ice at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games and silver medalists four years later in Sochi, arrive in Pyeongchang as red hot contenders to again top the podium.
Handball: Sweden stun hosts Croatia to advance into main round at Euros
Sweden will carry a maximum four points into the European handball championship main round after a 35-31 win over hosts Croatia who also advanced on Tuesday. The result helped Serbia progress from preliminary pool A as they beat Iceland 29-26 in the early fixture but would have been eliminated had Croatia beaten the Swedes.
Tennis: Svitolina struggling with injury after second round win
Fourth seed Elina Svitolina revealed she had been dealing with injury issues at the Australian Open after successfully negotiating a tricky second round match against Katerina Siniakova on Wednesday. The Ukrainian conceded only her second set in seven matches this year but ultimately found a way past her Czech opponent 4-6 6-2 6-1 as the temperatures soared on Rod Laver Arena.
U.S. Olympic gold medalist Biles says doctor sexually abused her
Four-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles said on Monday she was sexually abused by former USA Gymnastics team physician Larry Nassar, the latest in a list of female athletes to accuse the doctor of misconduct. The 20-year-old American, who was a key member of the U.S. team that won gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics, joins a number of top-level gymnasts who have accused Nassar of abuse, including Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney.
Man United overhaul Spanish pair as Europe's biggest earners
Manchester United enjoyed the biggest revenue of any European club in the last financial year after a 32 percent increase propelled them above Real Madrid and Barcelona, UEFA said in an annual report published on Tuesday. The European Club Football Landscape report said revenues among Europe's 700-odd top-flight clubs totaled 18.5 billion euros ($22.7 billion) for 2016, compared to 16.9 billion the year before and 2.8 billion in 1996.
Victim of ex-USA gymnastics doctor says abuse led to dad's suicide
One of the victims of USA Gymnastics team physician Larry Nassar, who pleaded guilty to molesting dozens of girls, on Tuesday blamed the disgraced doctor for her father's suicide. Kyle Stephens, pausing to compose herself during Nassar's sentencing hearing in a courtroom in Lansing, Michigan, said the doctor, a family friend, began molesting her when she was 6 years old and her parents did not believe her when she told them.
Tennis: Giant killers Bencic and Zhang tumble back to earth
Seed slayers Belinda Bencic and Zhang Shuai were brought back down to earth at the Australian Open on Wednesday as they both failed to follow up their first-round exploits. Swiss Bencic, who knocked out last year's runner-up Venus Williams on a day of shocks on Monday, slumped to a 6-1 6-3 defeat by Thai qualifier Luksika Kumkhum.
Former McLaren boss Whitmarsh takes on new F1 role
Former McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh is returning to Formula One in a temporary role advising the sport's governing body on cost control measures. A spokesman for the International Automobile Federation (FIA) said on Tuesday that the Briton had been invited to help them "in defining financial regulations for fair and sustainable competition."
