Today's sports news: What you need to know

Latest - Snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott has followed up her Winter Olympic Games success with a win at a Natural Selection Tour event in Canada.

The backcountry event at Baldface Lodge in the Selkirk Mountains was the Olympic gold medalist's first competition since the Olympics in Beijing last month.

Sadowski-Synnott beat two-time Olympian American Elena Hight in the final at the second event on the tour.

The Wanaka rider could not take part in the first event of the Tour earlier in the year due to Covid-19 restrictions ahead of the Olympics.

Liverpool impress in London

A clinical Liverpool beat Arsenal 2-0 to cut Manchester City's once double-digit lead at the top of the Premier League table to a single point to leave the title race wide open.

Arsenal, who had won their last five league games, had largely dominated the first half, but the game tipped decisively early in a frenetic second half as Liverpool extended their own relentless winning run.

The breakthrough came just minutes after a misplaced backpass had almost gifted Arsenal a goal, when Portuguese Diogo Jota got ahead of the London side's defence on 54 minutes to beat goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale at his near post.

The result was effectively sewn up eight minutes later by Roberto Firmino who squeezed the ball under the Arsenal goalkeeper again after his side had twice failed to clear the ball from their own box.

Meanwhile Tottenham Hotspur kept themselves in the hunt for a top-four finish with a 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion which moves them up to seventh.

Holders Chelsea made light of their off-pitch problems to reach the Champions League quarter-finals by beating Lille 2-1 away to complete a 4-1 aggregate victory.

The Premier League side, playing amid sanctions imposed on their Russian owner Roman Abramovich following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, eased through thanks to goals by Christian Pulisic and Cesar Azpilicueta.

Villarreal beat Juventus 3-0 to go through 4-1 on aggregate.

-Reuters

Root scores another ton

Joe Root compiled his second straight century, an unbeaten 119, as England batted their way to a commanding position in the second test against West Indies in Barbados.

Even though Dan Lawrence fell for 91 with the final ball of the first day, England took the honours after winning the toss, reaching 244 for three at stumps on a flat Kensington Oval pitch in Bridgetown.

The strip was criticised by several ex-players in the commentary box for being too docile.

After a draw on a slow track in Antigua last week, many hoped for a livelier strip on a ground where none of the seven previous tests were drawn, not that Root had any complaints after making his 25th test century.

The teams are playing a three-test series in the Caribbean.

-Reuters

King beaten in Cairo

New Zealand squash player Joelle King has been beaten in the semifinals of the Black Ball Open in Cairo after a huge battle with world No 2 Nouran Gohar.

King ranked sixth won the first set 11-5 with some accurate and powerful shot making. It was the first game that her opponent had dropped all year.

However Gohar came back strong in the second winning 11-8. In the third game King had opportunities to convert the match to 2-1 but a number of long rallies took the game to 12-12 and finally the Egyptian winning 14-12.

In the fourth game the 24-year-old Gohar seemed to have just a bit more zip in her shots as she won 11-5 to seal the match in 59 minutes. Gohar will now take over the world No 1 ranking at the beginning of the month.

For King it is the second loss in a semifinal of a PSA Platinum event in consecutive tournaments to Gohar.

Just three weeks ago King lost at the Windy City Open in Chicago at the same stage and to the same player.

Saudi backed tour announces schedule

Greg Norman's Saudi Arabia-backed golf operation has announced a new series of tournaments that will begin in England with a $37 million event this June.

The series will include eight 54-hole events across Europe, America and Asia.

They will comprise a team element with the series worth a total of $373m from an overall investment of $585m.

No players have been announced for the LIV Golf International Series but it is being regarded as the first incarnation of the proposed breakaway Super League.

The PGA and European-based DP World Tours have previously threatened lifetime bans on defectors to the breakaway project. It remains to be seen how they will react to their members taking part in this series.

The opening event will be staged at Centurion Club in Hertfordshire from 9-11 June - the week before the US Open and carries a prize fund that tops, by $7m, the record $30m purse at last week's Players Championship at Sawgrass.

The tournaments have no cut and will have a shotgun start with all competitors starting their rounds simultaneously.

-BBC

Zouma to be charged

West Ham's Kurt Zouma and brother Yoan have been charged by the RSPCA under the Animal Welfare Act for their roles in filming Kurt kicking a cat.

Dagenham & Redbridge's Yoan, 23, filmed 27-year-old Kurt kicking and slapping one of his pets.

After the video appeared, the RSPCA removed two cats from Kurt's home and began liaising with Essex Police about the incident.

Kurt continued to play for West Ham despite the controversy.

An RSPCA spokesperson said: "Following a full and thorough investigation, we have started the process of bringing a prosecution against Kurt Zouma and Yoan Zouma under the Animal Welfare Act.

Following the incident, West Ham said they had fined the elder brother "the maximum amount possible" and the fee would be donated to animal welfare charities.

However, Hammers sponsor Experience Kissimmee said it would end its deal with the club and another sponsor, Vitality, suspended its deal with the club.

German sportswear firm Adidas also announced it had ended its deal with Kurt.

-BBC

Djokovic can play Roland Garros

French Open organisers say Novak Djokovic is allowed to defend his title as the tournament prepares to stage what is expected to be the first Grand Slam without any COVID-19 related restrictions since the pandemic broke two years ago.

France has lifted restrictions in almost all public spaces - except hospitals, nursing homes and public transports, meaning the Roland Garros stadium should be operating at full capacity with Djokovic taking to the red clay courts.

"As things stand, nothing stands in the way of Djokovic taking part in the French Open," tournament director Amelie Mauresmo said.

The 20-time Grand Slam winner was unable to defend his Australian Open title in January after being deported from the country in a furore after being initially admitted to the tournament despite not being vaccinated against coronavirus.

The 34-year-old is also out of this month's ATP 1000 tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami, unable to enter the United States without a proof of vaccination.

While that is not required to enter France or any sporting event in the country, French tennis federation president Gilles Moretton warned that things could change before the tournament starts on May 22.

-Reuters

England back in the hunt

England breathed life into their World Cup defence with a four-wicket hammering of India in Mount Maunganui.

The holders were transformed from the team riddled with errors in three previous defeats, taking every catch and nailing two direct-hit run-outs to bowl India out for 134.

Off-spinner Charlie Dean, in just her second World Cup match, claimed 4-23 while Anya Shrubsole became only the sixth England woman to reach 100 one-day international wickets in her 2-20.

In a nervy start to the chase, England were reduced to 4-2 and Nat Sciver survived the ball hitting her stumps without the bails coming off.

Sciver went on to make 45, while captain Heather Knight ended unbeaten on 53 as the victory was completed with more than 18 overs to spare.

In registering their first win, England move up to sixth in the table, only two points behind third-placed India, with the top four qualifying for the semi-finals.

However, they cannot afford another slip-up and face another must-win situation when they meet hosts New Zealand in Auckland on Sunday.

-BBC

Pakistan hold on for a draw

Skipper Babar Azam produced a career-best 196 under immense pressure as Pakistan snatched a draw from the jaws of defeat in the second test against Australia in Karachi.

Chasing a record 506 for an improbable win, Pakistan's best bet was to bat out the final day and Babar led by example as they finished on 443-7, the sixth highest fourth innings total of all time.

Babar's knock, which included 21 fours and a six, will be an inspiration for his team heading into the third and final test in Lahore on Monday.

The hosts were on the back foot after folding for 148 in reply to Australia's massive first innings total of 556-9 at the National Stadium.

The record victory target was never within Pakistan's reach but Babar's marathon 228-run partnership with opener Abdullah Shafique (96) kept them afloat in the contest.

Nathan Lyon (4-112) injected fresh drama in the final session dismissing Babar and Faheem Ashraf with successive deliveries but Mohammad Rizwan's unbeaten 104 helped Pakistan salvage a draw.

The opening test in Rawalpindi had also ended in a draw.

-Reuters

Cubs keen on Chelsea

The owners of U.S. baseball team the Chicago Cubs have teamed up with Citadel founder Ken Griffin to work on a bid to buy English Premier League football club Chelsea.

The Cubs' owners, the Ricketts family, and Griffin have formed an investment group which is set to make a formal offer for the London club later this week.

Reuters has been told the bid does not involve Citadel, the hedge fund business, only Griffin.

Chelsea were initially put up for sale by its owner Roman Abramovich following Russia's invasion of Ukraine before sanctions were imposed on the Russian oligarch by the British government.

The European champions are currently operating under a special licence and are now effectively controlled by the British government.

Abramovich's investment resulted in the most successful era in their history as they won five Premier League titles, five FA Cups and the Champions League twice.

The club are third in the league standings -- 11 points behind leaders Manchester City -- while they are set to play Lille in the Champions League last-16 second leg later on Wednesday.

-Reuters

Ricciardo fit to drive

McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo will be fit for this weekend's season-opening Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix after recovering from COVID-19.

The 32-year-old Australian tested positive last week and was unable to participate in three days of pre-season testing in the Gulf kingdom.

Rivals Alpine had offered McLaren their Australian reserve driver Oscar Piastri as a stand-in should Ricciardo have been unable to race.

Practice for the opening race at Sakhir is on Friday and Ricciardo will go into it without having driven the car since Barcelona on Feb. 24.

Bahrain is something of a home race for McLaren, with the team majority owned by the Gulf kingdom's sovereign investment fund Mumtalakat. Ricciardo finished seventh last year with team mate Lando Norris fourth.

-Reuters