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.

Day doubts DeChambeau’s body can sustain the power game

Former world number one Jason Day has been impressed with the power of Bryson DeChambeau but he doubts whether the bulked-up American’s body can handle the stress over the long term. DeChambeau has been the talk of the golf world since the PGA Tour’s June resumption, bringing an extra 20 pounds of muscle and impressing rivals with startling distance off the tee.

LA Clippers coach Rivers outraged at Blake shooting

Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers said Americans should do better and demand better treatment following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, an unarmed Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Sunday. Blake, 29, was hit by four of seven shots fired and left paralyzed and “fighting for his life,” his family and lawyers said on Tuesday, hours before the latest round of civil unrest broke out in the lakefront town between Milwaukee and Chicago.

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.

Intrigue surrounds Messi’s next move after Barca bombshell

When Barcelona confirmed they had received a request from Lionel Messi’s lawyers informing them he wanted to terminate one of soccer’s longest-standing relationships, the owners of Europe’s biggest clubs would have raised a collective eyebrow. It was akin to the Mona Lisa suddenly becoming available on the art market, such is Messi’s status in the game despite the fact that he is 33 and the magic might soon begin to fade.

Bernal in prime position to win the Tour despite Roglic threat

Champion Egan Bernal will start the Tour de France as the favourite and sole Ineos leader after a major team shake-up, but Primoz Roglic leads the charge of the challengers. However, injuries to both the favourites have fuelled hopes that Thibaut Pinot, who was among the contenders last year before a torn thigh muscle forced him to drop out, could become the first Frenchman to win the world’s greatest cycle race since Bernard Hinault in 1985.

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.

Pinot has unfinished business with Tour de France

Thibaud Pinot left 2019’s Tour de France in tears after his hopes of victory were wrecked by injury with Paris in sight, but the Groupama FDJ rider is determined to make the most of a favourable route to become the first French winner in 35 years. The 30-year-old burst into the limelight when he won a mountain stage on his Tour debut in 2012, two years before finishing third overall, raising hopes that France had finally found a successor to Bernard Hinault, whose 1985 win still weighs heavily on those trying to emulate him.

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.