Sports News Roundup: Fastest man alive tests positive for coronavirus; Serena begins marathon with exhausting first step and more

MLB roundup: Angels' Pujols now 2nd in all-time RBIs Framber Valdez struck out 11, Kyle Tucker hit a home run and Carlos Correa hit a three-run double as the Houston Astros returned home to end a three-game losing streak with an 11-4 victory Monday against the Los Angeles Angels.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Murray claims biggest win of comeback at Western and Southern

Andy Murray claimed the biggest win of his comeback and a place in the last 16 of the Western and Southern Open on Monday by taking out self-destructing fifth seed Alexander Zverev 6-3 3-6 7-5. Murray offered hope he was on the right track after his injury woes with a tidy first-round win over Frances Tiafoe on Saturday but it is Monday's win over the big-hitting German that will provide a huge confidence boost in the run-up to the U.S. Open that starts next week.

Fastest man alive tests positive for coronavirus

World-record sprinter and eight-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt has tested positive for the coronavirus and is self-isolating at his home in Jamaica after last week celebrating his 34th birthday with a big bash mask-free. Jamaica's health ministry confirmed late on Monday that Bolt, who holds world records in the 100m and 200m distance, had tested positive after he posted a video on social media around midday saying he was waiting to hear back on his results.

Serena begins marathon with exhausting first step

Serena Williams shook off some COVID-19 layoff rust to grind out a 7-6(6) 3-6 7-6(0) win over Dutch qualifier Arantxa Rus on Monday to move into the third round of the Western and Southern Open. Williams' matches are usually a huge drawcard but with no fans allowed due to COVID-19 safety protocols there was an atmosphere of relief rather than excitement after her hard-fought victory.

Medvedev makes quiet but winning return to Western and Southern

Third seed Daniil Medvedev launched the defence of his Western and Southern Open title with a tidy 6-4 6-4 second round win over Marcos Giron on Monday, getting his U.S. Open preparations off to an upbeat start. The subdued atmosphere and empty stands at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center were far removed from a year ago when Medvedev entertained a capacity crowd with a startling fight back in the U.S. Open final against Rafa Nadal before falling to the Spaniard in five-sets.

NBA roundup: Heat finish first-round sweep of Pacers

Bam Adebayo collected a game-high 19 rebounds to go with 14 points Monday night, leading the fifth-seeded Miami Heat to a 99-87 victory over the fourth-seeded Indiana Pacers and a four-game sweep of their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series near Orlando. The Heat advanced to the Eastern semifinals, where they await the winner of the first-round matchup between top-seeded Milwaukee and eighth-seeded Orlando.

NBA star LeBron James' group plans effort to recruit poll workers for November

A group of athletes led by NBA star LeBron James will roll out a multimillion-dollar program in the next few weeks to recruit poll workers in heavily Black electoral districts for November's election, a person familiar with the plans said on Monday. More Than a Vote, a group of prominent athletes fighting voter suppression, will collaborate with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund on the program in a dozen states, including battlegrounds such as Georgia, Michigan, Florida and Wisconsin, where disenfranchisement affects Black voters, the source said.

All 77 NFL positive COVID-19 tests from weekend come back negative

The National Football League has cleared all 77 individuals who returned positive results for COVID-19 over the weekend after discovering a testing error in a New Jersey lab, ESPN reported, citing sources. A total of 11 teams were affected by testing irregularities, leading to changes in Sunday's practice schedules.

MLB roundup: Angels' Pujols now 2nd in all-time RBIs

Framber Valdez struck out 11, Kyle Tucker hit a home run and Carlos Correa hit a three-run double as the Houston Astros returned home to end a three-game losing streak with an 11-4 victory Monday against the Los Angeles Angels. The Angels' Albert Pujols made history when he moved into sole possession of second place on the all-time RBIs list with 2,087. He broke a tie with Alex Rodriguez on the RBI list and settled in behind all-time leader Hank Aaron (2,297).

Tropical storm Laura forces MLB schedule changes

If COVID-19 was not playing enough havoc with Major League Baseball's schedule, Tropical Storm Laura provided another headache on Monday as it forced the Houston Astros to move up a game against the Los Angeles Angels. MLB said Thursday's game at Houston's Minute Maid Park would be played on Tuesday as part of doubleheader while Wednesday's contest scheduled for an evening start would be played earlier in the day due to the potential impact of the storm.

Former French Open champion Ostapenko opts out of U.S. Open

Former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko is the latest player to withdraw from the U.S. Open, organisers of the tennis Grand Slam confirmed on Monday. The 23-year-old, who won her only major in 2017 at Roland Garros but has slipped to No. 42 in the world rankings, last played on the WTA Tour in February at the Qatar Open where she reached the last 16.

(With inputs from agencies.)