Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Federer makes winning return at Melbourne Park

Roger Federer made a winning return to competitive tennis after six months out of the game on Monday, thrilling a packed Rod Laver Arena as he beat qualifier Juergen Melzer 7-5 3-6 6-2 6-2 to reach the Australian Open second round. The Swiss had to battle hard throughout the match against his fellow 35-year-old and only pulled clear of his dogged opponent when the Austrian tired in the final set.

Raonic dusts off Brown to advance to second round

Milos Raonic loped into the second round of the Australian Open on Tuesday with a comfortable 6-3 6-4 6-2 victory over Germany's Dustin Brown on Margaret Court Arena. The third seeded Canadian never appeared to get out of second gear against the dreadlocked 32-year-old, breaking once in each of the first two sets and then twice in the third to clinch victory in 93 minutes.

British dark horse Konta negotiates tricky start

Britain's growing hopes of a first women's grand slam champion in 40 years moved a step closer on Tuesday when ninth seed Johanna Konta took out Kirsten Flipkins 7-5 6-2 in the blazing sun at Australian Open. Konta came through the tricky opening-round encounter in reasonable shape after an hour and a half, with two breaks in the opening set and another couple in the second helping to keep her time on court to a minimum.

Confident Pliskova targets maiden slam title

For Karolina Pliskova, the hardest work is done. The fifth-seeded Czech, runner-up at the U.S. Open last year, stormed into the second round of the Australian Open on Tuesday with a 6-2 6-0 thrashing of Sara Sorribes Torm of Spain.

Serena swats doubts, Bencic aside to reach second round

Serena Williams launched her bid for a 23rd grand slam title with a 6-4 6-3 win over Belinda Bencic at the Australian Open on Tuesday, swatting aside doubts over her fitness and motivation on a sweltering day at Melbourne Park. The 35-year-old American came into the tie with two matches under her belt since the U.S. Open last September but moved superbly under a hot sun at Rod Laver Arena to rout the Swiss talent in 79 minutes.

McIlroy out of Abu Dhabi Championship with rib injury

World number two Rory McIlroy has withdrawn from the Abu Dhabi Championship after tests on Monday showed he picked up a rib injury in South Africa last week, the European Tour said. The Northern Irishman had intense physiotherapy treatment and took pain-killers over the weekend at the South Africa Open after struggling through much of Friday's second round.

Cowboys Elliott seeks 'closure' on domestic violence probe

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott wants to see "closure" on the NFL's domestic violence inquiry related to the assault accusations made by his ex-girlfriend over the summer. Elliott, the league's leading rusher this season as a rookie, was accused of a second domestic violence incident involving the woman, who said she was hurt in a July argument.

Anthony says has proved Knicks loyalty

With each successive defeat, Carmelo Anthony's stay in New York becomes more contentious as his future with the Knicks is put into question. Anthony, who has been an All Star for the franchise each season since being traded to the Knicks in 2011, has been asked in recent days about the possibility of waiving the no-trade clause in his contract which would allow the team to move him. Responding to an article that suggested it was time for Anthony to depart New York, the forward said on Sunday that if Knicks management no longer wants him then "that's a conversation that we should have." Following New York's 108-107 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Monday, Anthony was again pushed on the subject of his stay with the team. "I don't want this to be kind of going back and forth between me and the front office and management," Anthony said.

Djokovic aware of Verdasco threat as bid for seventh title begins

World number two Novak Djokovic needs no reminder of the threat posed by Spain's Fernando Verdasco as he begins his quest for a seventh Australian Open title on Tuesday. Djokovic saved five match points against Verdasco in the semi-finals in Doha this month before prevailing and going on to win the title by defeating arch rival Andy Murray in the final.

Warriors end Cavs' hex with blowout win

The Golden State Warriors emphatically snapped a four-game losing streak to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, using a 78-point, first-half explosion to crush the defending NBA champions 126-91. Klay Thompson scored a game-high 26 points and Draymond Green recorded an 11-point, 13-rebound, 11-assist triple-double, propelling the Warriors to their first win over the Cavaliers since Game 4 of last year's NBA Finals.