National Sports

MONTREAL — Tennis Canada says a slew of top players have withdrawn from the 2021 National Bank Open. The tournament, formerly known as the Rogers Cup, is set to begin Aug. 6 in Montreal, Que.

Despite only coming on board in mid-February, interim coach Javier Perez goes back a way with more than a few Toronto FC players. For them, the man known simply as Javi is a known quantity — and a steady hand on the TFC tiller.

Major League Soccer says all three Canadian teams will host August matches in their home stadiums. Toronto FC has already held two matches at BMO Field this month with CF Montreal staging one at Saputo Stadium.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Sabres launched their offseason overhaul Friday by trading veteran defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen to the Philadelphia Flyers.

LOS ANGELES — Kanye West barely said a word during his album listening session Thursday night, but the mercurial rapper still had most attendees standing on their feet while hanging on every word of his new project.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Known as the Indians since 1915, Cleveland’s Major League Baseball team will be called Guardians.

TOKYO — A red-clad contingent of 30 athletes represented Canada in an understated opening ceremony at the Tokyo Olympics.

WINNIPEG — Anthony Joseph Novak and Ali Musse scored first-half goals, and Cavalry FC held on to beat Forge FC 2-1 on Thursday in Canadian Premier League action.

The schedule for the upcoming NHL season leaves room for an Olympic break, but the league says no final decision has been made on whether athletes will play in the Beijing 2022 Olympics.

KINGSTON, Ont. — Sail Canada is planning to launch three new national sailing centres across the country in an effort to help athletes further develop. The organization says the centres will be set up in Atlantic, Central and Western Canada.