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    Reuters Sports News Summary

    Synopsis

    SPORTS:Reuters Sports News Summary

    Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

    Sterling quarterback crop lead way into the playoffs

    An evergreen crop of elite quarterbacks featuring Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger, offer the promise of a dazzling Super Bowl tournament with the playoffs getting underway this weekend. Joining that trio is twice Super Bowl most valuable player Eli Manning of the New York Giants, former Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson of Seattle Seahawks and league MVP candidate Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons, underlining the importance of the quarterback in the gridiron game.

    Murray opens year with Chardy win, extends streak to 25

    World number one Andy Murray extended his career-best winning streak on the ATP Tour to 25 as he swept past Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-0 7-6(2) in his opener at the Qatar Open on Tuesday. In his first competitive match of 2017, the 29-year-old Scot, who received a knighthood in the New Year's Honours list after a stunning 2016, dropped seven points in the first set.

    Serena shakes out rust to advance in Auckland

    World number two Serena Williams shook out any cobwebs from four months away from tennis with a 6-3 6-4 victory over France's Pauline Parmentier in the first round of the Auckland Classic on Tuesday. The 35-year-old had not played a competitive match since she lost to Karolina Pliskova in the semi-finals of the U.S. Open last September, withdrawing from all tennis to deal with a persistent shoulder injury.

    Kubiak steps down as Broncos coach due to health concerns

    Gary Kubiak has stepped down as head coach of the Denver Broncos a year after leading them to victory in Super Bowl 50 because of health concerns, the team said on Monday. "As I told our team last night, this is an extremely difficult decision to step down as head coach," Kubiak said in a statement on the team's website.

    Pertamina drops sponsorship for F1 driver Haryanto

    Indonesian driver Rio Haryanto has suffered a major setback in his bid to return to Formula One this season after state-owned energy company Pertamina announced it was ending its sponsorship. "This year there will not be a continuation of participation by Pertamina in F1," spokeswoman Wianda Pusponegoro said in a statement on Tuesday, noting that Pertamina could not meet a sponsorship deadline.

    Darts: Dutchman Van Gerwen claims second world crown

    World number one Michael van Gerwen of the Netherlands won his second PDC World Darts Championship title with a 7-3 win over holder Gary Anderson at a sold-out Alexandra Palace on Monday. The 27-year-old Van Gerwen never looked in any real danger against Scotland's Anderson during a contest that included 42 maximums of 180 - a world record for a single darts match.

    Black Monday brings golden opportunities

    National Football League owners were sifting through head coaching resumes on Monday with six teams looking to fill vacancies. The Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers and the Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos all had help wanted ads out after disappointing campaigns that saw all six miss the postseason.

    Pro Football Hall of Fame names finalists for 2017 class

    The Pro Football Hall of Fame named its finalists for the class of 2017 on Tuesday, narrowing down the potential enshrined standouts to 15 modern era players along with three other finalists. There were 26 semi-finalists before they were trimmed down to the final select group that has a chance at the Hall of Fame.

    Rodgers leads Packers to NFC North title

    Aaron Rodgers threw four touchdown passes, two to Davante Adams, and the Green Bay Packers clinched the NFC North Division title with a 31-24 victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday. The Packers (10-6) finished the regular season on a six-game winning streak and enter the NFC playoffs as the fourth seed. They host the fifth seeded New York Giants in the opening round of the playoffs.

    Nadal beats Dolgopolov on return to action in Brisbane

    Rafael Nadal beat Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3 6-3 in the Brisbane International first round on Tuesday to make a successful return to action following two-and-a-half months out due to injury. The Spanish former world number one, seeded fifth, made a sluggish start and fell 3-1 down in the first set against his Ukrainian opponent.



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