Sports News Roundup: Tennis-Ruthless Rybakina rolls into Australian Open semi-finals; Soccer-Struggling Everton sack manager Lampard, club says and more

Lampard's last game in charge was Saturday's 2-0 league defeat at West Ham United, which kept Everton second-bottom of the table on 15 points after 20 games, above Southampton on goal difference, and two points adrift of the safety zone. NBA roundup: Jalen Green, Rockets end 13-game skid Jalen Green scored 11 of his career-high 42 points in the fourth quarter and the Houston Rockets held on for a 119-114 home victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday, snapping a 13-game losing skid.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Tennis-Ruthless Rybakina rolls into Australian Open semi-finals

Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina became the first player into the Australian Open semi-finals after outmuscling Jelena Ostapenko 6-2 6-4 in a one-sided contest on Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday. The Russian-born Kazakh looked sharp from the start and only a 25-minute delay to close the stadium roof against a passing shower prevented her from wrapping up the opening set within a half-an-hour of arriving on court.

Soccer-Struggling Everton sack manager Lampard, club says

Frank Lampard has been sacked as manager of Premier League club Everton, the club announced on Monday, after a poor run of form that has left the team in a relegation battle. Lampard's last game in charge was Saturday's 2-0 league defeat at West Ham United, which kept Everton second-bottom of the table on 15 points after 20 games, above Southampton on goal difference, and two points adrift of the safety zone.

NBA roundup: Jalen Green, Rockets end 13-game skid

Jalen Green scored 11 of his career-high 42 points in the fourth quarter and the Houston Rockets held on for a 119-114 home victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday, snapping a 13-game losing skid. After missing 10 of 13 shots and committing six turnovers in a loss at Minnesota on Saturday, Green was electric down the stretch in the rematch. The Timberwolves trailed by 11 early in the fourth quarter, but Anthony Edwards pulled them within 100-99 on a 3-pointer with 5:06 left.

NHL roundup: Flames blow 2 leads, still edge Jackets in OT

Andrew Mangiapane scored once and collected two assists, one of which came on Dillon Dube's overtime goal, as the host Calgary Flames claimed a 4-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets in a spirited clash Monday night. Walker Duehr and Nazem Kadri also scored for the Flames, who improved to 5-2-2 in their past nine games. Calgary goalie Dan Vladar made 22 saves. Patrik Laine scored once in a three-point outing for Columbus, while Kirill Marchenko and Boone Jenner scored once. Joonas Korpisalo stopped 45 shots.

Soccer-Arsenal sign Polish defender Kiwior

Premier League leaders Arsenal have signed Polish international defender Jakub Kiwior on a long-term deal from Serie A's Spezia Calcio, the London club said on Monday. Although it did not specify the length of Kiwior's contract, the transfer was reported by British media to be worth more than 20 million pounds ($24.74 million).

Tennis-Korda retires to send Khachanov into Australian Open semis, Rybakina through

Karen Khachanov reached the Australian Open semi-finals for the first time on Tuesday after Sebastian Korda retired injured while trailing 7-6(5) 6-3 3-0, dashing the American's hopes of emulating his father Petr's 1998 Melbourne Park triumph. Korda, the 29th seed, struggled with a right wrist issue that needed treatment twice during the match on Rod Laver Arena before throwing in the towel in the third set.

Soccer-Kane equals Greaves record to seal Tottenham win

Harry Kane became Tottenham Hotspur's joint all-time record goalscorer with the winner in his side's 1-0 victory at Fulham in the Premier League on Monday. Tottenham had been second-best in the first half at Craven Cottage but Kane produced a trademark finish on the stroke of halftime to notch his 266th goal for the Londoners.

Tennis-Djokovic says injury doubters give him extra motivation

Novak Djokovic said any questions over whether he has genuinely been struggling with a hamstring injury at the Australian Open only give him extra strength and motivation. The Serbian remained on track for a 10th Melbourne Park title on Monday with a fourth-round thrashing of Alex de Minaur despite the injury that he had previously said called into question whether he could continue in the tournament.

Rugby-Tackle height change could leave players 'sitting ducks': Ireland's Farrell

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell said lowering the legal tackle height to waist-level could leave players "sitting ducks" after England's Rugby Football Union decided to make the change in community games from next season to reduce head injuries. The RFU announcement last week has been met with criticism, with England internationals Joe Marler and Lewis Ludlow joining amateur players and coaches in expressing concern.

Factbox-Soccer-Former Everton manager Frank Lampard

Factbox on Frank Lampard, who was sacked as Everton manager on Monday. Born: June 20, 1978 in London.