Djokovic pulls out of U.S. Open tuneup

Novak Djokovic pulled out of next week’s hard-court tournament in Cincinnati because he has not gotten any COVID-19 vaccine shots and so is not allowed to travel to the United States.

That is also why Djokovic is not expected to be able to enter the U.S. Open, the year’s last Grand Slam tournament, which begins in New York on Aug. 29.

Djokovic has said he won’t get vaccinated against the illness caused by the coronavirus, even if that prevents him from playing in certain tournaments.

He missed the Australian Open in January after being deported from that country.

Fourth-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway routed Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-1, 6-2 in the National Bank Open quarterfinals in Montreal . ... Two-time champion Simona Halep beat Coco Gauff 6-4, 7-6 (2) in Toronto to reach the National Bank Open semifinals.

Tina Charles had 23 points and nine rebounds to help the Seattle Storm secure the No. 4 seed in the WNBA playoffs with a 96-69 victory over the Minnesota Lynx, spoiling Sylvia Fowles’ final regular-season home game. ... Elena Delle Donne scored 24 points to help the Washington Mystics beat the Indiana Fever 82-70 . ... Crystal Dangerfield scored a season-high 18 points and the New York Liberty held off the Atlanta Dream 80-70 . ... Diamond DeShields scored a game-high 24 points as the Phoenix Mercury topped the Dallas Wings 86-74.

Bubba Wallace and 23XI Racing announced a multiyear contract extension ahead of Wallace’s final push to earn a spot in NASCAR’s playoffs. The Cup team owned by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan that launched in late 2020 was built around Wallace, the only Black driver competing at NASCAR’s top level.

Working against the clock, Barcelona sold off even more of its club assets so it could meet the Spanish league’s financial rules and clear Robert Lewandowski and other summer signings to play in its season opener.

La Verne lost 6-1 to Pitt County, N.C., and was eliminated in the Little League Softball World Series. Laney Sweeney had two hits for La Verne, which allowed four runs in the third and two more in the fifth.

The Chicago Blackhawks agreed to one-year contracts with defenseman Caleb Jones and forward Philipp Kurashev.

The NCAA announced that the NIT semifinals and final will be played at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas in 2023 and Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis in 2024.