Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. Serena stunned by Sakkari at Western and Southern Open

Serena Williams was sent spinning out of the Western and Southern Open by Maria Sakkari on Tuesday after the Greek rallied from a set down to beat the 23-times Grand Slam champion 5-7 7-6(5) 6-1 and reach the quarter-finals. Williams, 38, raced to a 5-2 in the opening set before Sakkari drew level but the American raised her game again to take the early advantage in the rain-delayed contest. NBA postpones playoff games after Bucks boycott to protest racial injustice

The U.S. National Basketball Association has postponed three playoff games scheduled for Wednesday after the Milwaukee Bucks boycotted Game 5 of their playoff series against Orlando Magic in protest over racial injustice. The action by the Wisconsin-based team follows the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in the city of Kenosha, also in Wisconsin, on Sunday. MLB roundup: Giolito’s no-hitter keeps White Sox rolling

Right-hander Lucas Giolito pitched the 19th no-hitter in Chicago White Sox franchise history on Tuesday night, striking out 13 and walking one to boost Chicago to a 4-0 victory against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates. Giolito retired the final 18 Pirates he faced as the White Sox won for the eighth time in nine games and snapped Pittsburgh’s season-high three-game winning streak. Tiger Woods: ‘Have to earn my way to East Lake’

Tiger Woods knows he faces a steep uphill challenge to reach next week’s Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta. Entering the BMW Championship at No. 57 in the FedEx Cup standings, he will need to finish no worse than sixth to move into the top 30 who will advance to the final leg of the playoffs. Woods acknowledged he’ll need that and some help, depending on where others in the 69-player field finish, so he’s focused on a top-four finish this week. Nishikori tests negative for COVID-19, but withdraws from U.S. Open

Japan’s Kei Nishikori said on Wednesday he had tested negative for COVID-19 after testing positive twice this month but he has decided to skip the U.S. Open anyway. The 30-year-old, a finalist at Flushing Meadows in 2014, withdrew from the Western & Southern Open hardcourt event after his first positive test, casting doubt over his participation in the Grand Slam tournament which starts on Monday. Djokovic cruises into semis where Bautista Agut awaits

Novak Djokovic cruised past Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3 6-1 on Wednesday to reach a record-equalling eighth Western & Southern Open semi-final where he will face Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut. World number one Djokovic took advantage of a series of errors by Struff to grab control of the match and closed out the 62-minute encounter with a love service break to extend his unbeaten run to 24 matches. Johnson brings form to Olympia Fields, Woods hopes to keep season alive

Dustin Johnson takes red-hot form into the penultimate event of the PGA Tour season at this week’s BMW Championship outside Chicago where Tiger Woods needs a solid showing to reach the Tour Championship. Johnson, fresh off an 11-shot victory in the FedExCup Playoffs opener, leads the season-long standings and will now play at Olympia Fields Country Club where the 30-player field for the Sept. 4-7 Tour Championship will be determined. Mickelson wins on PGA Tour Champions debut

Phil Mickelson made a triumphant start to his PGA Tour Champions career as he tied the lowest 54-score ever to secure a wire-to-wire win at the Charles Schwab Series at Ozarks National in Ridgedale, Missouri on Wednesday. Mickelson carded a five-under-par 66 in the final round for a 22-under 191 total that left him four shots clear of fellow American Tim Petrovic. Pacers fire coach McMillan after four seasons

The Indiana Pacers fired coach Nate McMillan on Wednesday after four seasons. The move comes two days after the Pacers were swept out of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs by the Miami Heat. It also comes two weeks after the team gave McMillan a contract extension. Diversity-themed games can change player behaviour, says study

Holding professional sports games with diversity themes, such as LGBT rights, can help change the discriminatory behaviour of athletes, according to an academic study released by an Australian university on Thursday. Themed matches and rounds of matches in sports leagues around issues such as racism, sexism and homophobia have become increasingly popular in recent years, particularly in North America.