Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. Roglic wins Tour de France stage four, Alaphilippe retains yellow jersey

Slovenian Primoz Roglic won the fourth stage of the Tour de France, a 160.5-km ride from Sisteron on Tuesday. His compatriot Tadej Pogacar was second. Tennis, anyone? How about foosball? U.S. Open plaza takes on backyard feel

Organizers took advantage of lack of spectators to build a sprawling outdoor lounge at Flushing Meadows this year, affording U.S. Open competitors an unprecedented range of outdoor recreation on otherwise empty plaza inside Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Fist-bumps and hugging are out at this year’s U.S. Open – as many signs across the campus are quick to remind. Socially distanced recreation is in, with a “life-size chess board,” miniature golf and popular lawn games like a beanbag toss placed in front of Arthur Ashe Stadium, which would normally see thousands of fans milling about. Murray marks Grand Slam return by clawing out five-set win against Nishioka

Former champion Andy Murray produced an astonishing fightback to outlast Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka 4-6 4-6 7-6(5) 7-6(4) 6-4 in his long-awaited return to Grand Slam singles action in the U.S. Open first round on Tuesday. The 33-year-old Briton, contesting a singles match at a major for the first since the 2019 Australian Open, appeared to be heading for an early exit as a fearless Nishioka outplayed him for two sets on a virtually empty Arthur Ashe Stadium. Horse racing: Tiz the Law arrives, Art Collector exits at Churchill Downs

Kentucky Derby favorite Tiz the Law arrived in Churchill Downs on Tuesday to find that one of the Belmont Stakes winners’ biggest threats, Art Collector, had withdrawn ahead of the race with an injury. Tiz the Law, a 3-5 morning line favorite, will start from the No. 17 post in the 146th Run for the Roses on Saturday, which was postponed from its traditional first Saturday in May due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will be held without fans. NFL: Social injustice and COVID-19 in spotlight as kickoff nears

With the start of the National Football League season just nine days away commissioner Roger Goodell on Tuesday, outlined a long list of initiatives that will be rolled out to put the spotlight on social and racial injustice. The NFL, which earlier said it would commit $250 million over 10 years to support social justice causes, said it was continuing discussions with all 32 teams about opening up their stadiums as polling centers for November’s election, while endzones will be stenciled with the phrases, “End Racism” and “It Takes All of Us”. Querrey quits ATP Council and joins new players association

American Sam Querrey confirmed after his first-round exit at the U.S. Open on Tuesday that he had resigned from the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Player Council and joined a breakaway players’ group led by Novak Djokovic. World number one Djokovic resigned as head of the council last month, along with council members Canadian Vasek Pospisil and American John Isner, to form the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA). Baseball: Athletics-Mariners series postponed due to COVID-19

The entire three-game series between the Oakland Athletics and host Seattle Mariners has now been postponed to allow for further COVID-19 testing of the visiting team, Major League Baseball said on Tuesday. After previously postponing only the first two games of the series following a positive test from within the Athletics’ organization, MLB said in a statement it decided to reschedule the Thursday finale out of an abundance of caution. Williams continues bid for 24th Grand Slam title after round one victory

Serena Williams took her first step toward a record-equaling 24th Grand Slam title on Tuesday, defeating Kristie Ahn 7-5 6-2 in the first round of the U.S. Open. Williams got off to a slow start, showing signs of nervousness early in the first set, but kicked her game into high gear during in the second, firing off 13 aces and 28 winners during the match and harnessing her powerful return to keep her opponent on the run. Suarez Navarro diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma

Former world number six Carla Suarez Navarro said on Tuesday she has been diagnosed with early stage Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer, and will need to go through six months of chemotherapy. The 31-year-old Spaniard, in a video posted on her Twitter account, said she received her diagnosis a few days ago. Home favourite Kenin eases into second round at U.S. Open

Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin produced a dominant display to dispatch Belgian Yanina Wickmayer 6-2 6-2 in the opening round of the U.S. Open on Tuesday. American Kenin finished with 33 winners to just 15 unforced errors, saving all five break points she faced.