AP National Sports

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — No. 2 seed Ons Jabeur led the top seeds into the semifinals at the Charleston Open on Friday. No. 3 seed Daria Kasatkina and No. 4 seed Belinda Bencic also advanced to the last four with quarterfinal victories in the season’s first clay-court tournament. Top seed Jessica Pegula faces No. 12

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — World Wrestling Entertainment has apologized for using an image from the Auschwitz concentration camp to promote one of its matches during the first night of WrestleMania 39 last weekend. The image was used in a promotional package for the match between Rey Mysterio and Dominik

By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer PHILADELPHIA (AP) — J.T. Realmuto snapped a tie game with a two-run home run in the seventh inning and Edmundo Sosa added a solo shot to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 5-2 win in their home opener over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday. Trea Turner had two hits

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — U.S. Amateur champion Sam Bennett is in contention at the Masters. The two-time All-American from Texas A&M followed his opening 68 with another round of 68 on Friday. He spent much of the day in second behind four-time major winner Brooks Koepka. Bennett plays with

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — Travis Kelce showed why he’s best known for catching passes from Patrick Mahomes, not throwing them. Kansas City’s star tight end threw a wild ceremonial first pitch before the Guardians’ season opener against the Seattle Mariners. Kelce bounced his pitch way in front of the plate

MIDDLESBROUGH, England (AP) — Burnley has sealed an immediate return to the English Premier League under Vincent Kompany by beating Middlesbrough 2-1 in the second-tier Championship. The win guarantees Burnley a top-two finish, with the team still having seven games left to play. Kompany is the former Manchester City captain who has had a stunning

By TERESA M. WALKER AP Pro Football Writer NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A person familiar with the deal says the Tennessee Titans agreed Friday to a four-year contract extension with two-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons. The Titans picked up the two-time defensive captain’s fifth-year option for 2023 for $10.76 million last April. The

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — UConn guard Jordan Hawkins has announced that he will leave college and enter the NBA draft. The 6-foot-5 sophomore from Gaithersburg, Maryland  averaged 16.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists this past season, helping lead the Huskies to the program’s fifth NCAA Tournament title. He averaged 16.3 points in the Huskies’

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Wild star left wing Kirill Kaprizov has been cleared to return from a lower-body injury. But top center Joel Eriksson Ek has been sidelined by a lower-body injury. The Wild say Kaprizov will play against St. Louis on Saturday — exactly one month after he was hurt. Kaprizov is

By JOHN MARSHALL AP Sports Writer TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Matias Maccelli made the Arizona Coyotes’ roster out of training camp this season and got off to a sizzling start. Showing off his playmaking ability, the 22-year-old Finnish forward was second among NHL rookies in scoring with three goals and 19 assists in 30 games

BY STEVE REED AP Sports Writer AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Rory McIlroy’s bid to complete a career grand slam will have to wait yet another year as the world’s No. 2 player is almost certain to miss the cut at the Masters for the second time in three years. McIlroy needs a win at Augusta

BRAMPTON, Ontario (AP) — Caroline Harvey scored twice, Abby Roque had a goal and three assists, and the United States beat Switzerland 9-1 at the world women’s hockey championship. Abbey Murphy set the record for the fastest goal ever at the tournament, just seven seconds into the game. She added two assists, while Cayla Barnes

By SCHUYLER DIXON AP Sports Writer DALLAS (AP) — Dallas is sitting Kyrie Irving and four other regulars against Chicago in a game with draft implications and with the Mavericks facing postseason elimination if they lose. Irving is out Friday night against Chicago to recover from a right foot injury. The others resting are Tim

By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer A new study finds that climate change is making major league sluggers into even hotter hitters, sending an extra 50 or so home runs a year over the fences. A study published Friday by Dartmouth College scientists did a statistical analysis of more than 200,000 balls put into play

NEW YORK (AP) — New York Mets owner Steve Cohen plans to patch things up with fans over an ad on the uniform. The team has a new partnership with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and wore patches on its jersey sleeves during Friday’s home opener against Miami. The patch has a red-and-white color scheme. Cohen says the

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Live updates from the second round Friday of the Masters (all times local): 3:30 p.m. After a short delay because of threatening weather, the second round of the Masters has resumed. The fans were told to evacuate the course, but most had not even made it off the grounds of Augusta

By SEAN MURPHY and HANNAH SCHOENBAUM Associated Press A Biden administration proposal to forbid outright bans on transgender athletes sparked outrage from conservative leaders while also angering trans rights activists who note schools could still prevent some athletes from participating on teams that align with their gender identity. The proposed rule, which still faces a

By MIKE FITZPATRICK AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Touted prospect Francisco Álvarez has been recalled by the New York Mets from Triple-A Syracuse before their home opener against the Miami Marlins. Alvarez was brought up to replace fellow catcher Omar Narváez, who was placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to April 6,

By PETE IACOBELLI AP Sports Writer Dirt guys like Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe figure to have a huge edge this weekend when the NASCAR Cup Series moves to Bristol’s dirt layout. They’re not so sure. Both wonder if there’s any advantage from their younger days as top-notch dirt drivers because the Next Gen cars