Sports News Roundup: Lionel Messi, Inter Miami aim to topple Orlando City; Michigan's J.J. McCarthy touts 'Everything you want in starting QB and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Surfing-Chinese 14-year-old qualifies for Olympics, Britain's Brown bows out

Yang Siqi, a 14-year-old from China, has become first surfer from her country and the youngest person to qualify for the sport at the Olympics after progressing into finals weekend at the world surfing games in Puerto Rico. The schoolgirl beat British surf-skate phenomenon Sky Brown, 2020 Tokyo Olympian Brisa Hennessy from Costa Rica and Spain's Janire Gonzalez-Extabarri in Friday's heat in tricky waves at the contest site of Arecibo.

Figure skating-Two-times U.S. champion 18-year-old Liu ends retirement

Alysa Liu, the youngest woman to win a U.S. figure skating championship, announced on Friday she will end her retirement and return to competition next season. Liu, still just 18-years-old, last competed at the 2022 world championships winning a bronze medal before retiring that April saying she had accomplished her figure skating goals.

Spring training roundup: Astros beat Nats in 10-8 slugfest

Shay Whitcomb hit two RBI doubles and Jacob Melton smashed the eventual game-winning home run as the Houston Astros put together 10 consecutive runs and held off the host Washington Nationals 10-8 in a spring training game Friday in Palm Beach, Fla. Melton's two-run homer in the seventh inning put the Astros ahead 9-4, and Joey Loperfido added a run-scoring double in the eighth before Washington pushed back. Alex Call hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the frame and two runs scored on his fielder's choice in the ninth -- one on a throwing error -- before Houston put the game away.

Clemson CB Nate Wiggins injured running blazing 40-yard dash

INDIANAPOLIS -- Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins ran a blazing 40-yard dash but suffered a potentially serious leg injury that ended the projected first-round pick's day on a down note. One of the top-rated cornerbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft class, Wiggins posted an unofficial 4.29-second 40 but hobbled to the sideline moments later.

Soccer-Saudi Arabia launch bid to host the 2034 World Cup

Saudi Arabia launched its campaign to host the 2034 soccer World Cup on Friday, a bid that is all but certain to succeed due to the absence of any other expressions of interest before FIFA's deadline late last year. With Morocco, Portugal and Spain set to share the hosting of the 2030 tournament, global governing body FIFA limited the 2034 contest to bidders from the Asian and Oceania confederations.

Tension could linger in third Rockets-Suns matchup

The Phoenix Suns seek to run their homecourt winning streak to 10 games when they close a two-game set against the Houston Rockets on Saturday night. Phoenix recorded a 110-105 victory over the Rockets on Thursday in a testy affair that included a heated confrontation between Suns star Devin Booker and Houston rookie Cam Whitmore.

Steelers legend Andy Russell dies at 82

Legendary Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Andy Russell, a two-time Super Bowl champion, has died. He was 82. According to Action News 4 in Pittsburgh, Russell died Thursday night. Cause of death isn't immediately known.

ATP roundup: Alexander Bublik, Ugo Humbert reach Dubai final

No. 7 seed Alexander Bublik and No. 5 Ugo Humbert will meet in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships final after an eventful semifinal round Friday. Bublik was ahead 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5), 6-5 when No. 2 seed Andrey Rublev of Russia was defaulted for unsportsmanlike conduct after making comments to a line judge.

Lionel Messi, Inter Miami aim to topple Orlando City

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will attempt to continue their strong start to the 2024 MLS season when they host Orlando City on Saturday. Miami (1-0-1, 4 points) opened with a 2-0 home victory over Real Salt Lake on Feb. 21. The club followed that up with a dramatic 1-1 draw at the Los Angeles Galaxy last Sunday in which Messi scored an equalizer in second-half stoppage time.

Michigan's J.J. McCarthy touts 'Everything you want in starting QB'

INDIANAPOLIS -- Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy makes no apologies about his statistics falling short in a tale of the tape with the top-ranked passers in the 2024 NFL Draft, but he's ready to talk wins and losses. McCarthy exited Ann Arbor in January on the heels of a national title win over Washington and has lost only three games -- one with the Wolverines compared to 27 victories -- since he began his high school football career (34-2 as a starter).