Sports News Roundup: Kaepernick's rookie NFL jersey could fetch $100,000; Kwiatkowski wins Tour de France and more

The competition, revamped this year to feature a 12-nation finals week to rival the men's Davis Cup, would from 2021 be known as the Billie Jean King Cup, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) said in a statement.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Kaepernick's rookie NFL jersey could fetch $100,000 at auction

The white number seven jersey worn by U.S. National Football League (NFL) star Colin Kaepernick on his debut with the San Francisco 49ers could fetch $100,000 when it goes up for auction in December. Julien's Auctions said on Thursday that the jersey, which is signed by Kaepernick, was worn by the quarterback on Oct. 2, 2011, when he entered the 49ers' game against the Philadelphia Eagles in the first quarter. The seller wishes to remain anonymous.

Kwiatkowski wins Tour de France 18th stage, Roglic retains yellow

Poland's Michal Kwiatkowski won the 18th stage of the Tour de France, a 175-km ride from Meribel on Thursday. His Ineos-Grenadiers team mate, Richard Carapaz of Ecuador, finished second and Belgian Wout van Aert took third place.

Real Madrid plot title defence in face of injuries and quiet pre-season

Real Madrid begin their La Liga title defence away to Real Sociedad on Sunday reeling from a long list of injuries and with a thin-looking squad after focusing more on forcing departures than securing new arrivals during a brief pre-season. Coach Zinedine Zidane is missing seven players including Eden Hazard, Marco Asensio and Isco as well as Norwegian midfielder Martin Odegaard, who has returned from a loan spell at Sociedad and is the only new face in the squad.

MLB roundup: Dodgers first to clinch playoff spot

Will Smith drove in three runs and AJ Pollock and Chris Taylor hit solo homers Wednesday afternoon as the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 7-5 in the rubber match of a three-game series, in the process becoming the first team to clinch a playoff spot this season. The win increased the 35-15 Dodgers' edge on the Padres (32-19) to 3 1/2 games in the National League West and gave Los Angeles a 6-4 edge in the season series.

Fed Cup to be re-named Billie Jean King Cup

Almost 60 years after Billie Jean King helped the United States win the inaugural Fed Cup, the team event is being re-named in honour of the greatest trailblazer in women's tennis. The competition, revamped this year to feature a 12-nation finals week to rival the men's Davis Cup, would from 2021 be known as the Billie Jean King Cup, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) said in a statement.

FIFA president Infantino meets Trump to discuss 2026 World Cup

FIFA boss Gianni Infantino has met United States president Donald Trump to discuss preparations for the 2026 World Cup which the country will co-host with Mexico and Canada, the global soccer body said on Thursday. Infantino travelled to Washington to discuss the establishment of a FIFA headquarters in the U.S. for the tournament and review preparations, FIFA said in a statement.

We're lucky to have Osaka as a leader, says King

Women's tennis is very fortunate to have U.S. Open champion Naomi Osaka as its new figurehead, according to one of the sport's greatest trailblazers Billie Jean King. Not only did the 22-year-old Japanese player win a second title at Flushing Meadows last week, she also became a champion for equality, taking a lead in highlighting racial injustice.

Djokovic meets ATP chief Gaudenzi, says players body moving ahead

Novak Djokovic had a chat with ATP chief Andrea Gaudenzi ahead of the Italian Open in Rome regarding his breakaway players body, the world number one said, reiterating that the new association could be a "positive addition" to the men's Tour. In a stunning move Djokovic stepped down as head of the ATP player council last month along with members Vasek Pospisil, John Isner and Sam Querrey and announced the formation of the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA).

Exclusive: Russian agency plans to suspend figure skater over doping document forgery: sources

Russia's anti-doping agency plans to hand Olympic figure skater Maria Sotskova a lengthy suspension for submitting a forged document to explain a doping violation, two sources with knowledge of the situation told Reuters. The document, which Reuters was unable to review, was sent to the agency, RUSADA, earlier this year, the sources said.

Amateur Thompson leading the way at U.S. Open

Amateur Davis Thompson was leading the way as some of golf's biggest names worked through the turn at the opening round of the U.S. Open on Thursday, as early starters took advantage of ideal scoring conditions at Winged Foot Golf Club. A senior at the University of Georgia making his first U.S. Open start, Thompson was unfazed by the tough Mamaroneck, New York layout hitting a run of three straight birdies from the sixth to head onto the back nine at three-under.