Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

MLB roundup: Walker sharp in Blue Jays debut

Taijuan Walker pitched six scoreless innings in his Toronto Blue Jays debut and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Cavan Biggio each had two RBIs in a 5-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday night at Buffalo. Walker (3-2), who was acquired Thursday in a trade with the Seattle Mariners, allowed four hits and three walks and struck out four in his first outing in 10 days. It was his 100th career major league start.

Braves pull away to defeat Red Sox

Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley broke open a tie game with a bases-loaded triple and propelled left-hander Max Fried to his sixth victory in a 6-3 win over the host Boston Red Sox on Monday. In the fifth inning with score even at 2-2, Riley greeted reliever Phillips Valdez with a line drive off the low wall in right field, just beyond the Pesky Pole. It was Riley’s first triple of the year and extended his hitting streak to five games. He went 2-for-5 on Monday, and he is hitting .421 (8-for-19) in his five-game streak, raising his average to .240.

Former No. 1 Kerber eyeing improvement after rehiring coach Beltz

Angelique Kerber has not won a title since 2018 but the former world number one is hoping better days lie ahead after rehiring compatriot Torben Beltz as her coach and restoring a partnership that helped the German win two of her three Grand Slam titles. Kerber, who has slipped down the rankings to 23rd, parted ways with Dieter Kindlmann in July while the tennis circuit was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Djokovic embracing the pressure as he extends winning streak

Novak Djokovic showed a bit more passion than might have been expected in his first-round win over Damir Dzumhur on Monday but the world number one brushed aside any question that he was feeling the pressure as overwhelming U.S. Open favourite. The Serbian lost his way a bit in the second set but rallied for a straightforward victory on Arthur Ashe Stadium that extended his extraordinary winning streak to 24 matches this year.

Mum’s the word as Serena, Clijsters, Azarenka take the stage at US Open

A trio of mothers kick off their campaigns at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday with former champions Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters in action on day two along with twice runner-up Victoria Azarenka. Six-times U.S. Open winner Williams resumes her quest for a 24th major title with her first career meeting against compatriot Kristie Ahn, the world number 96, in the second match at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Grand Slam bubble bursts for US teen Gauff

A U.S. Open expected to produce surprises in the unnerving calm of a fanless Flushing Meadows delivered on day one as American teen sensation Coco Gauff was eliminated from the first round of a Grand Slam for the first time. Gauff, whose run to the third round ignited last year’s tournament, bowed out 6-3 5-7 6-4 to Anastasija Sevastova at an empty Louis Armstrong Stadium on Monday.

Johnson withstands Isner storm to advance at US Open

John Isner began the U.S. Open in typical fashion on Monday with a barrage of aces and a match that stretched to five sets, but the American failed to find a way past compatriot Steve Johnson as he fell 6-7(5) 6-3 6-7(5) 6-3 7-6(3). World number 22 Isner sent down 52 aces in the contest — the most at Flushing Meadows since Ivo Karlovic fired 61 in 2016 — but Johnson withstood the storm to prevail in a gruelling match that lasted nearly four hours at Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Padres continue to roll, shut out host Rockies

Piggy-backing starting pitchers Garrett Richards and Adrian Morejon blanked Colorado on five hits over 6 2/3 innings and Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a two-run triple and Wil Myers hit his ninth homer Monday night as the San Diego Padres defeated the Rockies 6-0 in Denver. The Padres won three of the four games in the series. They outscored Colorado 32-10 in the four games and had a 56-35 edge in hits. The Padres finished with a 4-3 edge at Coors Field this season.

Reds manager Bell, others suspended for incident with Cubs

Major League Baseball disciplined three members of the Cincinnati Reds and one from the Chicago Cubs in response to a benches-clearing incident between the teams in the fourth inning of the second game of a doubleheader Saturday night. Reds manager David Bell was given a one-game suspension and fined an undisclosed amount for the actions of his team and for what MLB termed “excessive arguing” in the inning.

Osaka keen to spread awareness about racial injustice

Japan’s Naomi Osaka says she wants to spread awareness about racial injustice after the former U.S. Open champion walked onto court with a mask bearing the name of Breonna Taylor on Monday. Osaka, who moved to the United States as a three-year-old, has seven separate masks with her at Flushing Meadows and hopes to wear a different one at each stage on her path to the final.