Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Soccer-Raphinha stars as Brazil cruise past Uruguay 4-1

Raphinha turned in another eye-catching performance for Brazil on Thursday by scoring twice in the home side’s 4-1 victory over Uruguay in a World Cup qualifier. Brazil took the lead after 10 minutes when Neymar chested down a pass from Fred and rounded the keeper before firing low between two defenders on the goal-line.

Athletics-‘A great talent’- fellow athletes pay tribute to Kenyan Tirop

Kenyan athletes Eunice Sum and Julius Yego led the tributes to compatriot Agnes Tirop who was found stabbed to death at her home in the town of Iten on Wednesday. Local police said they were treating Tirop’s husband as a suspect and have asked him to come forward.

Living room acrobatics earn Peruvian inaugural Balloon World Cup

Anyone who has ever leaped over a couch to prevent a party balloon from touching the living room floor can now dream of parlaying those skills into a World Cup triumph. Inspired by a series of viral videos and organized by Barcelona soccer player Gerard Pique and internet celebrity Ibai Llanos, the inaugural Balloon World Cup took place in Tarragona on Thursday.

Tennis-Ivanovic, Moya headline Hall of Fame nominees

Serbian Ana Ivanovic, Italy’s Flavia Pennetta, and Spaniards Carlos Moya and Juan Carlos Ferrero headlined the list of six nominees up for induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The quartet was announced as nominees for the Class of 2022 along with former doubles players Cara Black of Zimbabwe and Lisa Raymond of the United States, the Newport, Rhode Island-based Hall of Fame said on Thursday.

Olympics-Beijing Games ready for Olympia flame but wary of protests

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics will come into sharp focus with the ceremonial torch-lighting ceremony in Greece’s ancient Olympia on Monday but opposition to the Games continues to grow more vocal. The Chinese capital will become the first city to host both the Winter and Summer Games when it stages the Feb. 4-20 event but, as was the case with the 2008 Beijing Olympics, protests and calls for boycotts over the country’s human rights record have marred the run-up.

Tennis-British No. 1 title ‘great bonus’ as Norrie advances at Indian Wells

Becoming the British No. 1 is a “great bonus,” Cameron Norrie said on Thursday, after stunning Diego Schwartzman 6-0 6-2 to reach his first-ever Masters 1000 semi-final at Indian Wells. The 15th-ranked Schwartzman was heavily favored against Norrie but had no answers in their quarter-final, as the 26-year-old picked up his 45th win of the year and is now set to crack the top 20 of the world rankings on Monday.

Tennis-Tunisia’s Jabeur to become first Arab player to crack top 10

Ons Jabeur will become the first Arab player to crack the top 10 of the world rankings after reaching the Indian Wells semi-finals on Thursday and the Tunisian said she is just getting started. Jabeur, currently ranked 14th, reached the final of the Chicago Fall Tennis Classic earlier this month and became the first Arab player to win a WTA title at the Birmingham Classic in June.

Tennis-Raducanu withdraws from Kremlin Cup – reports

U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu has pulled out of next week’s Kremlin Cup in Moscow following her second-round loss at the Indian Wells tournament, British media reported on Thursday.

No immediate reason was given for the withdrawal.

Cricket-Papua New Guinea’s leap of faith lands World Cup debut

Faith has played an important role in the development of cricket in Papua New Guinea and on Sunday it will be repaid when the ‘Barramundis’ make their Twenty20 World Cup debut against Oman in Al Amerat. The majority of the team taking the field hail from a single village located on the southern Papuan coast near the capital, Port Moresby.

Athletics-Kenyan police arrest husband of dead Tirop

Kenyan police said on Thursday they had arrested the husband of distance runner Agnes Tirop, a two-times World Championship bronze medallist who was found dead at her home. Police said on Wednesday that Tirop appeared to have been stabbed in the neck with a knife.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)