Sports News Roundup: Soccer-Dortmund title hopes nearly dead after 4-1 loss to Leipzig; Basketball-Argentinian Ginobili to headline Hall of Fame Class of 2022 and more

Here is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Soccer-Dortmund title hope almost dead after 4-1 loss to Leipzig

RB Leipzig’s Konrad Laimer scored twice and netted a third for a stunning 4-1 win over second-placed Borussia Dortmund on Saturday that all but dashed the hosts’ slim title hopes. The result left Dortmund nine points behind leaders Bayern Munich, who won 4-1 at Freiburg, with six games to play.

Argentinian basketball player Ginobili to headline Hall of Fame class of 2022

Argentina’s Manu Ginobili, one of the most decorated international players in basketball history, was the headliner for the Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2022 which was announced on Saturday. Ginobili won four National Basketball Association titles during a 16-season run with the San Antonio Spurs and an Olympic gold medal.

Motorcycling-Espargaro takes first pole for Aprilia at Argentine GP

Aleix Espargaro secured a maiden MotoGP pole for Aprilia as the Spaniard held off a late charge from Pramac Ducati’s Jorge Martin to clinch top spot in qualifying for the Argentine Grand Prix on Saturday. The two were joined in the front row at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit by Luca Marini of VR46, the team of former world champion Valentino Rossi.

Cricket-Healy rout England, Australia up 357 for win

Flyhalf Alyssa Healy bludgeoned the England bowlers in a furious 170 as Australia set a mammoth victory target of 357 in the Women’s World Cup final in Christchurch on Sunday. Four days after smashing 129 in the semi-final against West Indies, wicketkeeper Healy hit 26 fours in a belligerent 138-ball run at Hagley Oval as six-time champions Australia finished on 356 for five after that England won the coin toss and chose to field.

Tennis-Swiatek demolishes Osaka in Miami final and completes ‘Sunshine Double’

Poland’s Iga Swiatek will take over the world rankings in style as she keeps her remarkable winning streak intact with a 6-4 6-0 win over Japan’s Naomi Osaka in the Miami Open final on Saturday. The second seed from Poland, who will take the top spot in the world rankings next week, hasn’t dropped a set in Miami and has now won 17 straight matches since her championship run at the Qatar Open in February.

Tennis-Osaka fails in Miami but finds comfort in defeat

Naomi Osaka was certainly disappointed on Saturday after falling in straight sets to Iga Swiatek in the Miami Open final, but the four-time Grand Slam champion says she could leave Florida with something more valuable as the winner’s trophy. Osaka dropped just one set en route to the final, where her impressive run ended abruptly falling 6-4 6-0, but the 24-year-old Japanese player said she had learned a lesson precious by failing.

Football and Australian leagues sign agreement to tackle online abuse

Australian Rules Football clubs will use artificial intelligence to tackle online abuse after A-Leagues and Australian professional footballers signed a partnership with backup platform GoBubble. As part of this initiative, all social media channels across the league, including those owned by individual players, will be protected from offensive language using GoBubble’s technology.

Tennis winning streak keeps Miami Open champion Swiatek confident

Poland’s Iga Swiatek said she gained confidence as she kept her remarkable winning streak intact after beating Naomi Osaka in the Miami Open final on Saturday. Swiatek, who will be the new world number one on Monday, beat four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka 6-4 6-0.

NHL roundup: Knights cement wildcard position with win over Kraken

Jack Eichel had his first multi-goal game with Vegas, scoring twice, as the Golden Knights beat host Seattle Kraken 5-2 on Friday night. Logan Thompson’s attempt for a second straight shutout was thwarted at 10:44 of the third period as Seattle’s Alex Wennberg caught a pass from Jared McCann and beat the protected goalie from the slot. Thompson made 26 saves.

Soccer-Man City stay ahead of Liverpool, Brentford stun Chelsea

Manchester City maintained their slim advantage atop the Premier League with a routine 2-0 win at Burnley on Saturday as Liverpool edged past Watford 2-0 to keep their title ambitions alive. Brentford picked up a stunning 4-1 win at Chelsea with Christian Eriksen among the scorers and Manchester United were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw by Leicester City at Old Trafford.

(With agency contributions.)