Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. Reports: NBA draft could be delayed again

The 2020 NBA Draft could be moved back a month under a proposal agreed to by the NBA and National Basketball Players Association, according to multiple reports Wednesday. The draft is set to be held Oct. 16, but Nov. 18 is the new possible date, and it will be discussed in meetings with league owners and general managers on Thursday and Friday, ESPN reported. Serena survives Pironkova test to reach U.S. Open semis

Serena Williams was forced to dig deep to secure a 4-6 6-3 6-2 U.S. Open quarter-final victory over unseeded Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova on Wednesday, keeping alive her latest bid for a record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title. Williams, a six-times champion in New York, struggled with Pironkova’s slice forehand early and was at risk of her earliest U.S. Open exit in 14 years until she used her experience to find a way back. Clinical Medvedev beats childhood friend to reach U.S. Open semis

Daniil Medvedev continued his march towards a first Grand Slam title on Wednesday, powering into the U.S. Open semi-finals with a clinical 7-6(6) 6-3 7-6(5) victory over childhood friend Andrey Rublev. The first Russian duo in the quarter-finals at a Grand Slam since Igor Andreev and Nikolay Davydenko at Roland Garros in 2007, Medvedev showed no fear during a ruthless display that sent him through to the last four without losing a set. Golf: Koepka withdraws from U.S. Open due to knee injury

Brooks Koepka will miss next week’s U.S. Open due to his ongoing knee injury, the two time champion said on Wednesday. Koepka, who won the tournament in 2017 and 2018, has been plagued by a knee problem all season and skipped this year’s FedExCup playoffs. Texans’ Thomas, once vilified for anthem protest, sees new era of athlete activism

Houston Texans safety Michael Thomas said he believes a new era of athlete activism is taking hold four years after he made the then-risky decision to kneel down instead of standing during the pre-game U.S. National Anthem ceremony to join Colin Kaepernick’s anti-racism protest. Along with a handful of other players, Thomas was among the pioneers who embraced NFL quarterback Kaepernick’s protest during the anthem in 2016, weeks after police officers killed two Black Americans, Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile in Minnesota. NFL: SoFi Stadium set to kick off season without fans

NFL fans in Los Angeles have waited nearly 100 years for a new football stadium and they will have to bide their time a little longer before they can cheer on the Rams or Chargers in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The owners of SoFi Stadium held a “virtual” ribbon cutting ceremony for the $5 billion stadium in the Inglewood on Tuesday, but its 70,000 seats are likely to host only cardboard cutouts this season. NFL: Political divide on athlete activism widens in the U.S. – Reuters/Ipsos poll

The political divide over athlete protests has deepened in the four years since NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick first took a knee during the playing of the U.S. national anthem, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. Since then, Democrats and Republicans are moving further apart on the issue even as, overall, opinions have not changed drastically with more than half of Americans wanting professional athletes to be required to stand during the “Star-Spangled Banner.” Motor racing: Mick Schumacher to drive father’s 2004 Ferrari at Mugello

Mick Schumacher will drive his father Michael’s 2004 Ferrari around the Mugello circuit on Sunday ahead of a Tuscan Grand Prix celebrating the Italian team’s 1,000th Formula One championship race. The car took German great Michael Schumacher to his record seventh and last world title. Pironkova holds head high after inspiring U.S. Open run

Tsvetana Pironkova’s inspiring U.S. Open run after three long years away from the game came to a close on Wednesday and the Bulgarian walked away from the Grand Slam with no regrets having surprised even herself. Pironkova, who during her break gave birth to a son in April 2018, beat two seeded players en route to a quarter-final loss to Serena Williams where she took the first set off the six-times U.S. Open champion. IOC confident of safe Tokyo Games, too early for deadlines: Bach

The International Olympic Committee has confidence in its preparations and in Japanese government support for next year’s Tokyo Olympics, but said all scenarios would be discussed in the coming weeks amid the ongoing pandemic. IOC President Thomas Bach said on Wednesday that his organisation was committed to delivering a safe Games and had the full support of the Japanese government following the resignation of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, but the look of next year’s Games was still unclear.