Olympics Latest: US women open with beach volleyball win

The Latest on the Tokyo Olympics, which are taking place under heavy restrictions after a year’s delay because of the coronavirus pandemic:

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The U.S. women’s volleyball team’s quest for its first gold medal ever is off to a fast start.

The Americans swept Argentina in their opening match, winning 25-20, 25-19, 25-20.

The U.S. won silver medals in 2008 and 2012 and then bronze five years ago in Rio de Janeiro.

But they are still aiming for that elusive first gold medal in the sport and figure to be one of the top contenders in Tokyo along with China.

Jordan Thompson led the way in the opener with 20 points as she dominated at the net.

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MORE ON THE TOKYO GAMES:

— Katie Ledecky makes first Tokyo Games appearance in the 400-meter freestyle

— Simone Biles makes her first appearance for Team USA

— Surfing and skateboarding, two of four new Olympic sports, get underway

— An Iranian refugee defector will face an Iranian in taekwondo

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Two-time defending champion Andy Murray has withdrawn from the singles tennis tournament in Tokyo.

Organizers did not immediately say why the British player pulled out shortly ahead of his scheduled opener against ninth-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada on Center Court.

Max Purcell of Australia will play Auger-Aliassime instead.

Organizers said Murray remained in the doubles tournament with partner Joe Salisbury. Murray and Salisbury beat the second-seeded French team of Pierre-Hughes Herbert and Nicolas Mahut 6-3, 6-2 on Saturday.

Murray has a total of three Olympic medals. He also won a silver in mixed doubles at the 2012 London Games with Laura Robson.

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MEDAL ALERT

Australia has set the first swimming world record of the Tokyo Games in the women’s 4x-100-meter freestyle relay.

The Aussies touched in 3 minutes, 29.69 seconds, breaking the mark 3:30.05 that they set in 2018.

The winning team included sisters Bronte and Cate Campbell, who took the lead and anchor legs.

They were joined by Meg Harris and Emma McKeon.

Canada was second in 3:32.78, while the American took their sixth medal of the night with a bronze in 3:32.81. Simone Manuel swam the anchor leg for the U.S.

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MEDAL ALERT

Russian shooter Vitalina Batsarashkina has won gold in women’s 10-meter air pistol at the Tokyo Olympics, five years after taking silver at the Rio Games

Batsarashkina shot an Olympic-record 240.3 points, finishing 0.9 ahead of Bulgaria’s Antoaneta Kostadinova.

China’s Jian Ranxin took bronze after matching Greece’s Anna Korakaki’s three-year-old record of 587 points to lead qualifying.

Georgia’s Nina Salukvadze made history by becoming the first athlete to compete in nine Olympics and announced her retirement to Russian media after failing to qualify for the finals.

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Bryson DeChambeau has tested positive for COVID-19 before leaving the United States for Tokyo and will miss the Olympics. He’ll be replaced by Patrick Reed.

DeChambeau, last year’s U.S. Open champion, becomes the highest-profile athlete to test positive for the virus. He says he is “deeply disappointed not to be able to compete in the Olympics for Team USA.”

Reed was scheduled to undergo testing Sunday and Monday to clear himself to compete in Tokyo. The the first round at the Kasumigaseki Country Club is set for Thursday. Reed, the 2018 Masters champion, is now the only two-time Olympian in the sport, which was reintroduced to the program in 2016.

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MEDAL ALERT

Yui Ohashi has given Japan its first swimming gold medal at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.

With a dazzling breaststroke leg, Ohashi romped to victory in the women’s 400-meter individual medley, touching first in 4 minutes, 32.08 seconds.

Her performance made up for the disappointment of the previous night, when gold medal favorite Daiya Seto didn’t advance to the final of the men’s 400 individual medley.

The United States continued to pile up medals, with Emma Weyant taking silver and Hali Flickinger the bronze. The Americans have earned five of a possible nine medals from the first three swimming finals, including a gold by Chase Kalisz in the men’s 400 individual medley.

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MEDAL ALERT

Swimmer Ahmed Hafnaoui of Tunisia was the surprise winner in the men’s 400-meter freestyle at the Tokyo Games.

Australia’s Jack McLoughlin settled for silver after leading much of the race, and Kieran Smith grabbed another Olympic medal for the Americans.

It is the third swimming medal for the U.S. after Chase Kalisz won the first American medal of the Tokyo Games, taking gold Sunday in the men’s 400-meter individual medley.

Jay Litherland won the silver on the same race, rallying on the freestyle leg to take the silver.

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MEDAL ALERT

Chase Kalisz has won the first American medal of the Tokyo Games, taking gold Sunday in the men’s 400-meter individual medley.

Jay Litherland made it a 1-2 finish for the powerhouse U.S. team, rallying on the freestyle leg to take the silver. Brendon Smith of Australia claimed the bronze.

Kalisz, a protege and former training partner of Olympic great Michael Phelps, touched first in 4 minutes, 9.42 seconds.

Litherland was next in 4:10.28, just ahead of Smith (4:10.38).

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Americans April Ross and Alix Klineman have cruised to a straight-set victory over China in their Olympic beach volleyball opener.

Ross is making her third appearance in the Summer Games with her third different partner. She’s already won a silver medal and a bronze. Klineman is making her Olympic debut. They’re among the favorites for the gold medal in Tokyo.

The Americans won the first set 21-17 and then took the second 21-19 over Xue Chen and Wang Xinxin.

Ross and Klineman play Spain on Tuesday.

The American men’s team of Jake Gibb and Tri Bourne play their first match on Sunday night. Bourne was a late substitute after Gibb’s original partner, Taylor Crabb, tested positive for COVID-19 when he arrived in Japan. They’ll face Italy.

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— More AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/olympic-games and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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