Sports News Roundup: Tennis-Halep fights off Gauff, Haddad Maia stuns Bencic in Canadian Open; Baseball-Padres all-star Tatis suspended 80 games for banned substance and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Tennis-Halep fights off Gauff, Haddad Maia stuns Bencic in Canadian Open

Romania’s Simona Halep fought off a late rally from Coco Gauff and Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia pulled off another three-set upset as both made the semi-finals of the Canadian Open on Friday. Twice champion Halep secured a nervy 6-4 7-6(2) win on Friday and advance to the last four for a fifth time.

Deshaun Watson apologizes to ‘women that I have impacted’

Quarterback Deshaun Watson, who previously maintained that he had “no regrets” about his actions during massage sessions that led to allegations of sexual assault and other inappropriate activities, offered an apology on Friday to the women involved. Watson, beginning his first season with the Cleveland Browns, was interviewed during the team’s pregame show before its exhibition game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He said he is “truly sorry to all of the women that I have impacted in this situation.”

Baseball-Padres all-star Tatis suspended 80 games for banned substance

San Diego Padres all-star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. has received an 80-game suspension after testing positive for the banned performance-enhancing substance Clostebol, Major League Baseball said on Friday. Tatis, who signed a 14-year $340 million contract extension with the Padres last year, has missed all of the current season as he recovers from a broken left wrist.

NFL preseason roundup: QB Deshaun Watson goes quiet in Browns debut

Quarterback Deshaun Watson had an underwhelming debut for his new team as the Cleveland Browns defeated the host Jacksonville Jaguars 24-13 on Friday night in a preseason meeting. Watson, who issued a public apology to the women who have accused him of sexual assault and harassment in an interview that was aired prior to the game, completed just 1 of 5 passes for seven yards.

Motor racing-U.S. GP promoter hopes F1 title battle goes beyond Austin

U.S. Grand Prix promoter Bobby Epstein has twice seen the Formula One title settled at his Austin track but this year he hopes the battle goes on for longer. Red Bull’s reigning world champion Max Verstappen is 80 points clear of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc with nine races remaining.

Soccer-Judge approves $24 million settlement between USWNT players, U.S. Soccer

A federal judge in California has preliminarily approved a $24 million settlement between the U.S. women’s national soccer team (USWNT) and governing body U.S. Soccer in a years-long dispute over equal pay for female athletes. U.S. Central District of California Judge Gary Klausner granted a motion to approve the landmark settlement filed by the players on Thursday and scheduled a hearing on Dec. 5 when he is expected to give final approval to the settlement.

Boxing-Fury announces retirement days after making Chisora challenge

WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury said on Friday he is to “walk away” from boxing, two days after insisting he would make a comeback to the sport to complete a trilogy against fellow-Briton Derek Chisora. Fury said in April, after beating Dillian Whyte at Wembley stadium, that he had promised his wife he would retire, before then declaring his interest in fighting Anthony Joshua in England provided the bout was free to watch and attend.

Soccer-Barca register four new signings after triggering final ‘economic lever’

Barcelona have registered four of their newly signed players ahead of their opening game of the season at home to Rayo Vallecano on Saturday, a LaLiga source has told Reuters. Midfielder Franck Kessie, defender Andreas Christensen and forwards Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha are now available to face Rayo Vallecano, though Jules Kounde still needs clearance.

Tennis-Kyrgios win streak ended by Hurkacz in Canada, Ruud strolls into semis

Nick Kyrgios’s nine-match winning streak ended in the Canadian Masters quarter-finals when eighth-seeded Pole Hubert Hurkacz blasted his way to a 7-6(4) 6-7(5) 6-1 victory on Friday. Enjoying a superb run of form, Kyrgios suffered his first loss since falling to Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final.

Soccer-Benzema, Ronaldo and Haaland nominated for Ballon d’Or, Messi misses out

Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema is among the 30 nominees on the shortlist for the prestigious men’s Ballon d’Or trophy, organisers France Football magazine announced on Friday.

The French international has had an incredible season for Real Madrid, scoring 44 goals in 46 games and helping them win the Champions League and LaLiga.

(With inputs from agencies.)