Andreescu pulls out of New Zealand event

U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu withdrew from the ABS Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, due to a lingering left knee injury.

Andreescu says she needs more time to recover from the injury she suffered during the WTA Finals in late October at Shenzhen, China, that forced her to retire from her second round-robin match against Karolina Pliskova.

Andreescu has entered the Australian Open beginning Jan. 20 in Melbourne.

MLB: The Padres signed right-handed reliever Pierce Johnson to a two-year contract. Johnson's deal includes a club option for 2022. The 28-year-old spent last season as a setup man for Japan's Hanshin Tigers. He went 2-3 with a 1.38 ERA in 58 appearances. He racked up 91 strikeouts against 13 walks and allowed only two home runs in 582/3 innings. Johnson was drafted 43rd overall by the Cubs in 2012 out of Missouri State. He is 3-2 with a 5.44 ERA in 38 major league relief outings for the Cubs (2017) and Giants (2018). He has made 74 starts in 147 minor league games, going 29-21 with a 3.26 ERA and 488 strikeouts in 467 innings.

Soccer: Tottenham banned a supporter for throwing a cup at Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga during an English Premier League match between the London teams.

Sports betting: While Connecticut is home to two large tribal casinos — Mohegan Sun in Uncasville and Foxwoods in Mashantucket — sports betting is only partially legal in the state. Last Wednesday, Gov. Ned Lamont reopened the discussion for launching sports betting. That was a huge topic in the state once before, but it was pushed to the side and not prioritized by the state lawmakers. Lamont brought the topic of sports betting legalization up in a meeting with representatives of the Mashantucket Pequot and the...