Sports News Roundup: Australian rules-Class action claim lodged over AFL concussions; Tennis-Swiatek battles past Andreescu to set up Raducanu clash and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Australian rules-Class action claim lodged over AFL concussions

A class action lawsuit on behalf of former professional Australian rules players over alleged damage to their health caused by concussions sustained during their careers was lodged in Victoria's Supreme Court on Tuesday. Margalit Injury Lawyers are seeking damages of A$2 million ($1.33 million) per player plus medical expenses from the Australian Football League (AFL), the Australian Associated Press reported.

Tennis-Swiatek battles past Andreescu to set up Raducanu clash

Iga Swiatek overcame former U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu 6-3 7-6(1) to reach the fourth round at Indian Wells on Monday and set up a meeting with Emma Raducanu, who scored her biggest win since her own run to the Flushing Meadows title.

Top seed Swiatek has been in superb form on hardcourts since the Australian Open, capturing the Doha title and reaching the final in Dubai, and the Polish player looked set for another comfortable win after cruising through the opening set.

Soccer-Amid dark days for Chinese football, youth team provide glimmer of hope

Chinese football has offered few reasons for optimism in recent years but there was a sliver of light on the far horizon when the country's youth team departed Uzbekistan on Monday after exiting the Under-20 Asian Cup. Coach Antonio Puche and his team flew out of Tashkent after a narrow quarter-final defeat at the hands of 12-times champions South Korea that saw China narrowly miss out on a place at the U-20 World Cup in Indonesia later this year.

WBC roundup: Juan Soto, Dominican Republic top Nicaragua

San Diego Padres star Juan Soto went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and three runs from the leadoff spot to help the Dominican Republic earn its first victory of the World Baseball Classic, defeating Nicaragua 6-1 in Pool D play Monday in Miami. Cristian Javier of the Houston Astros started and pitched four scoreless innings with four strikeouts and just two hits and a walk for the Dominican Republic (1-1).

Rugby-Another 55 amateur players join concussion lawsuit

Another 55 amateur rugby players who are suffering from neurological impairments joined the growing list of claimants in a class-action concussion lawsuit on Monday, claiming that the sport's governing bodies failed to take reasonable action to protect them. London sports law firm Rylands Garth issued proceedings on behalf of the 55 players against World Rugby, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), taking the number involved to 250 in the latest chapter in one of the sport's biggest stories.

Athletics-High jump pioneer and icon Fosbury dies at 76

Olympic high jump champion Dick Fosbury, who revolutionised the event with a radically different jumping technique that was eventually named after him, died on Sunday aged 76, his agent Ray Schulte said on Monday. Fosbury won gold in the high jump at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, where he jumped back first to clear the bar, a technique that has since been named the 'Fosbury Flop' and used by all high jumpers today.

Soccer-Former France captain Renard open to return after Diacre sacking

Former France captain Wendie Renard, who announced last month that she would step back from the national team, said she is open to making a return if former coach Corinne Diacre's successor deems her worthy of a recall. Renard said last month she would not play at this year's Women's World Cup to preserve her mental health, with RMC Sport reporting that she would not represent the national side as long as Diacre was in charge.

Alpine skiing-Shiffrin appoints pioneer Harjo as new head coach

Double Olympic gold medallist Mikaela Shiffrin has appointed Karin Harjo, a pioneer for female coaches in Alpine skiing, as her new head coach, U.S. Ski & Snowboard said on Monday. American Shiffrin became the most successful Alpine skier of all time on Saturday after winning a slalom in Are, Sweden for her 87th career World Cup victory, one more than the previous record of retired Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark.

Olympics-IOC calls on British government to respect 'autonomy of sport'

Olympic chiefs have urged the British government to respect the "autonomy of sport" after an attempt to lobby sponsors against a proposed pathway for Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate at next year's Paris Games. Britain's Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer last week wrote a letter to 13 of the biggest Olympic sponsors, urging them to put pressure on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to abandon its proposal.

Tennis-Swiatek quiets the chaos to advance at Indian Wells

World number one Iga Swiatek said she is still prone to moments of chaos during matches but is pleased with the way she is able to overcome them following her hard-fought victory over Bianca Andreescu to reach the fourth round at Indian Wells. Swiatek rallied from 2-4 down in the second set and staved off a late comeback attempt from the Canadian former champion to seal a 6-3 7-6(1) win and set up a meeting with Briton Emma Raducanu.

(With inputs from agencies.)