Sports News Roundup: Verstappen wins in Spain to continue Red Bull sweep; Padres' stars shine in shutout of Cubs and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Motor racing-Verstappen wins in Spain to continue Red Bull sweep

Max Verstappen won the Spanish Grand Prix from pole position on Sunday to stretch his Formula One championship lead to 53 points and continue Red Bull's sweep of the season with the team's seventh success in as many races. Seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton was second for Mercedes, but a distant 24.090 seconds behind, with team mate George Russell completing the podium on a cloudy but dry afternoon at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya.

Soccer-Benzema leaves Real Madrid after 14 years at club

Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema will leave Real Madrid as a free agent in the close season after 14 trophy-laden years, the LaLiga club said on Sunday, with the striker set to move to Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad. Saudi Arabia's state-run Al Ekhbariya television station reported that Al Ittihad had reached an agreement with Benzema on a two-year contract, with club officials in Madrid to hammer out a "record deal" with the striker.

Tennis-Djokovic edges closer to Grand Slam record with spot in last eight

World number three Novak Djokovic inched closer to a 23rd Grand Slam title by crushing Peruvian Juan Pablo Varillas 6-3 6-2 6-2 on Sunday to reach the French Open quarter-finals.

The Serbian, who is tied with Spain's Rafa Nadal on a men's record 22 majors, was untroubled by his 94th-ranked opponent, the first Peruvian in 29 years to reach a Grand Slam fourth round, on a windy day on Philippe Chatrier court.

MLB roundup: Padres' stars shine in shutout of Cubs

Yu Darvish gave up two infield singles over seven scoreless innings and Fernando Tatis Jr. drove in four runs with a pair of home runs as the San Diego Padres defeated the visiting Chicago Cubs 6-0 on Saturday night to even their four-game series at a win apiece. The Padres scored two runs in the second on a sacrifice fly by Brandon Dixon and a two-out, run-scoring double by Trent Grisham before Tatis drove Drew Smyly's first pitch of the third over the center field wall for his 10th homer of the season.

Triathlon-Motorcycle rider dies after collision with cyclist at Ironman Hamburg race

A motorcycle rider died on Sunday and a triathlete was severely injured in a collision during the Ironman European championship in Hamburg, police said. The rider, who was carrying a camera operator, clashed head-on with the cyclist at a narrow part of the race where both lanes were being used by competitors and accompanying vehicles.

Motor racing-Hamilton hails 'mega job' by Mercedes, focused on next year

Lewis Hamilton celebrated a 'mega' job by Mercedes at the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday and dropped another big hint he will stay with them next year to fight for a record eighth Formula One title. The Briton finished runner-up to Red Bull's Max Verstappen at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya with team mate George Russell third in the first real test of their re-designed Formula One car.

Tennis-French Open night sessions come under sustained fire

The French Open night session has come under fire again this year as almost exclusively men's matches have been scheduled to take place under the lights and some players have complained about the late hours. Since 2021, one match has been played on the main Court Philippe Chatrier in the evenings and broadcast exclusively by Amazon's Prime Video in France.

Tennis-Popular singer Zemfira spotted in Russian player's box at French Open

Popular Russian singer Zemfira, who left the country because of her opposition to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, was spotted at the French Open on Sunday sitting in the player's box of her compatriot Daria Kasaktina. Zemfira was placed on a Russian Justice Ministry list of foreign agents in February on grounds that she supported Ukraine and criticised the invasion, which Russia calls a "special military operation".

Tennis-Pavlyuchenkova and Khachanov reach French Open quarter-finals

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova dug deep to return to the French Open quarter-finals for the first time since her runner-up finish two years ago while fellow Russian Karen Khachanov also fought his way through on a bright Sunday at Roland Garros. Pavlyuchenkova, who was defeated in the 2021 final by Czech Barbora Krejcikova, skipped last year's edition as well as the second half of the season to nurse a knee problem and came into the match after three-setters in her last two encounters.

Soccer-Mbappe targets Ligue 1 scoring record with PSG next season

Kylian Mbappe said he has his eyes set on the Ligue 1 record for finishing top scorer in six consecutive seasons next year after he equalled the record for five straight Golden Boot awards set by Jean-Pierre Papin. Mbappe scored his 29th league goal of the season in PSG's final game on Saturday, a 3-2 defeat by Clermont, to finish top of the Ligue 1 scoring charts yet again.

(With inputs from agencies.)