Sports News Roundup: Heat upset arena rejected as polling place; Azarenka finally feeling the joy of tennis and more

The 31-year-old, who beat Iga Swiatek 6-4 6-2 on Saturday, has not dropped a set this week en route to the fourth round at Flushing Meadows, where she reached back-to-back finals in 2012 and 2013, losing both to Serena Williams.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Heat upset arena rejected as polling place

The Miami Heat expressed disappointment on social media that their home arena was rejected as a polling place site for November's general election, while a number of other NBA cities have welcomed an identical plan. In a proposal that was galvanized by the Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James earlier this summer, the idea was to make NBA arenas mega polling locations in order to allow as many registered voters to cast a ballot as possible -- and to do so with safe social distancing.

Shapovalov sets sights on maiden Grand Slam quarters

Denis Shapovalov will be eyeing a berth in his maiden Grand Slam quarter-final when he faces seventh seed David Goffin in the fourth round of the U.S. Open on Sunday. Shapovalov made the fourth round at Flushing Meadows in his first appearance in 2017 but lost in the third on his last two trips to Flushing Meadows.

Johnson leads by one stroke at halfway point in Atlanta

Dustin Johnson struggled off the tee but birdied his last hole to card a second round even par 70 and cling to a one-stroke lead at 13-under par halfway through the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta on Saturday. As top seed in the season-long points standings, Johnson started the tournament 10-under with a two-shot lead thanks to the staggered scoring system and was the overnight co-leader with Jon Rahm.

Azarenka finally feeling the joy of tennis

Victoria Azarenka won two Grand Slams and ascended to the world's No. 1 ranking earlier in her career but the Belarusian says she has never felt happier on court than she does now. The 31-year-old, who beat Iga Swiatek 6-4 6-2 on Saturday, has not dropped a set this week en route to the fourth round at Flushing Meadows, where she reached back-to-back finals in 2012 and 2013, losing both to Serena Williams.

Mladenovic-Babos withdrawn from U.S. Open doubles after quarantine notice

Doubles top seeds Kristina Mladenovic and Timea Babos were withdrawn from the U.S. Open on Saturday, hours before they were due on court after Mladenovic received a COVID-19 quarantine notice from public health officials, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) said. Mladenovic is one of 10 players who came in contact with France's Benoit Paire, who was pulled out from the men's field at the hardcourt major after testing positive for the new coronavirus.

Williams still learning to live with 'Serena' target

Winning a Grand Slam is hard. For Serena Williams, managing the overwhelming expectations that come with a two-decade long career in the spotlight seems even harder. The third seed advanced into the second week of the U.S. Open on Saturday, surviving a third-round scare from fellow American Sloane Stephens before winning 2-6 6-2 6-2 in her toughest test at this year's tournament so far.

Canada's Auger-Aliassime pleased with increased diversity

Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime is happy to see players from different ethnicities and backgrounds reach the latter stages of big tournaments but says officials can do even more to encourage diversity in professional tennis. Auger-Aliassime, whose father was from Togo in West Africa, advanced to a Grand Slam fourth round for the first time on Saturday with a 6-1 6-0 6-4 victory over France's Corentin Moutet at the U.S. Open.

Thiem sees off Cilic to reach fourth round

Second seed Dominic Thiem staved off a spirited fightback from Marin Cilic to beat the former champion 6-2 6-2 3-6 6-3 on Saturday and reach the fourth round of the U.S. Open. Thiem had won both his previous meetings with the 31st seeded Croat and quickly stamped his authority on the evening's final match on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court with two service breaks in each of the first two sets.

Kenin soaks up the pressure to down Jabeur and reach last 16

Second seed Sofia Kenin overcame a sluggish start to surge past Tunisian Ons Jabeur 7-6(4) 6-3 on Saturday and move into the fourth round of the U.S. Open for the first time. Jabeur, ranked 31 in the world, broke to take a 4-2 lead in the opening set as Kenin struggled to control her serve, but the American immediately responded with a break of her own before grabbing the early advantage in the contest via a tiebreak.

Medvedev dismantles third-round opponent Wolf at U.S. Open

Russian Daniil Medvedev rolled through the U.S. Open third round by demolishing American J.J. Wolf 6-3 6-3 6-2 on Saturday. The third seed seized the early momentum, breaking Wolf’s serve for a 3-2 lead in the first set in which he committed just two unforced errors in a show of near-flawless play.

(With inputs from agencies.)