Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. Djokovic back to winning ways in Rome after U.S. Open default

Novak Djokovic said he was relieved to turn the page on his contentious U.S. Open exit as he began his claycourt season with a solid victory in his first match at the Italian Open on Wednesday. The world number one, who was disqualified in New York after accidentally hitting a line judge with a ball during his fourth round match, defeated Italian wildcard Salvatore Caruso 6-3 6-2 to move into the third round in Rome. Big Ten to start its college football season next month

The Big Ten Conference on Wednesday said it would launch its college football season the weekend of Oct. 23-24 after adopting “significant medical protocols” amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. U.S. President Donald Trump, who had repeatedly pressured the conference to play this fall, hailed the move in a separate post on Twitter. Halep advances in Rome despite sluggish start

Top seed Simona Halep overcame a couple of hiccups in her first match at the Italian Open in Rome to beat wildcard Jasmine Paolini 6-3 6-4 to move into the third round on Wednesday. The 28-year-old Wimbledon champion has only lost twice this year but found herself a break down in both sets before she recovered to seal her first victory since winning the Prague Open a month ago. Roglic in total command after tough mountain stage

Primoz Roglic took a giant leap towards a maiden Tour de France title when he extended his overall lead after the 17th stage on Wednesday, an unforgiving mountain rollercoaster dominated by Colombian Miguel Angel Lopez. Lopez prevailed at the end of the 170-km trek from Grenoble, 15 seconds ahead of Roglic, who extended his advantage over fellow Slovenian Tadej Pogacar to 57 seconds, four days before the final parade in Paris. Islanders stay alive with double-overtime win over Lightning

Jordan Eberle was the overtime hero for the New York Islanders in a 2-1 double-overtime victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night in Edmonton that kept their Stanley Cup playoff hopes alive. Tampa Bay leads the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals 3-2, with a berth in the Stanley Cup Final against the Dallas Stars up for grabs. Game 6 will be Thursday in Edmonton, with Game 7, if necessary, scheduled for Saturday. Maya Moore marries man she helped free from prison

Maya Moore is married to Jonathan Irons, the man she helped free from prison when his wrongful conviction from 23 years ago was overturned. Moore announced Wednesday on “Good Morning America” with Irons by her side that the couple married earlier this summer. MLB roundup: Dodgers halt Padres’ eight-game win streak

Tony Gonsolin allowed a run on four hits over a career-high seven innings and Justin Turner had three hits, a RBI and a run in his return from the injured list Tuesday night as the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers scored a 3-1 win over San Diego to end the Padres’ eight-game winning streak. Edwin Rios also hit a solo homer for the Dodgers, who regained a 2 1/2-game lead over the Padres in the race for the National League West title. COVID-19 pandemic to cost football $14 billion this year, says FIFA

The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to cost club football $14 billion this year worldwide, around one third of its value, a leading official at global soccer body FIFA said on Wednesday. Olli Rehn, who heads the FIFA committee set up to tackle the effects of the pandemic, said that FIFA, along with financial consultants, had estimated the club game to be worth between $40 billion and $45 billion worldwide. Manfred, MLB expect 16-team playoff format to continue

Baseball is embracing bigger is better when it comes to the postseason. Commissioner Rob Manfred said the 16-team playoff bracket established for the pandemic-shortened 2020 season was likely here to stay. Ex-head of world athletics Diack given jail sentence for corruption

Lamine Diack, once one of the most powerful people in athletics, was convicted in France on Wednesday of running a clique that covered up Russian doping in return for bribes worth millions of dollars and sentenced to spend at least two years in jail. The 87-year-old former head of world athletics’ governing body was found guilty of taking kickbacks from athletes in return for concealing positive drug tests, which enabled them to continue competing, including at the 2012 London Olympics.