Sports

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Top-ranked Rory McIlroy was mounting a recovery from a slow start to the Dubai Desert Classic when play was suspended with only 11 players managing to finish their weather-affected first rounds. The start of the European tour event was delayed by more than six hours after heavy overnight rain

SINSHEIM, Germany (AP) — Hoffenheim is bringing American defender John Brooks back to the Bundesliga from Portuguese club Benfica. The German club says the 29-year-old Brooks signed a deal through June 2024. Kicker magazine reports Hoffenheim paid $327,000 for the transfer. Brooks made 216 Bundesliga appearances for Hertha Berlin and Wolfsburg from 2013-22. The Berlin-born

ZURICH (AP) — FIFA says soccer’s international transfer market continued to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic with a record 20,000 deals between clubs from different countries last year. Total spending worldwide was $6.5 billion in transfer fees for players who moved across borders between FIFA member federations. They include deals for Erling Haaland to join

NEWCASTLE, England (AP) — Newcastle midfielder Joelinton has been banned from driving and fined $36,000 after admitting to driving under the influence of alcohol. The 26-year-old Brazilian failed a breath test after police stopped his Mercedes in the early hours of Jan. 12 in Newcastle. A district judge banned him from driving for one year

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Russia’s path to sending a team to the Paris Olympics next year has become clearer amid fierce objections from Ukraine. The International Olympic Committee indicated on Wednesday it favors officially neutral teams from Russia and its ally Belarus at the 2024 Olympics despite a plea from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — What all seemed so different, so daunting, even, about trying to win a Grand Slam title to Elena Rybakina a little more than six months ago is now coming rather naturally. And if she can win one more match, she will add a championship at

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Tommy Paul was too little at the time to remember watching Andy Roddick win the 2003 U.S. Open, the last Grand Slam singles title for an American man. Paul, now 25, does recall seeing posters from that triumph displayed at the club in North Carolina

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Russia and its ally Belarus have been invited to compete at the Asian Games in the next step to qualify athletes for next year’s Paris Olympics. The arrangement has been brokered by the International Olympic Committee. The IOC indicated on Wednesday that it favors allowing Russians to compete at the 2024

MONTREAL (AP) — Sean Bérubé said he thought it was a joke when he was first asked to help assemble a team of Ukrainian preteen refugees, displaced by war and spread out across Europe, to play in a renowned Quebec City hockey tournament. Bérubé was having a beer in Bucharest last March with Evgheniy Pysarenko,

By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Eagles are heading to the NFC championship game on the strength of wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Brown had 88 catches for 1,496 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. He topped Mike Quick’s 1,409 yards in 1983 for most in a season

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina reached her second final in the past three Grand Slam tournaments by beating Victoria Azarenka 7-6 (4), 6-3 at the Australian Open on Thursday. Rybakina added to what already was an impressive run through a string of top opponents. Azarenka, the

By JANIE McCAULEY AP Sports Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Jordan Poole made the winning layup with a second remaining to cap a crazy, back-and-forth final minute, and the Golden State Warriors fought back to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 122-120 on Wednesday night. Brandon Clarke had a tying dunk with 6.3 seconds left for Memphis

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic will face Tommy Paul in the Australian Open men’s semifinals. The other semifinal Friday is between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Karen Khachanov. Djokovic is on a 26-match winning streak at Melbourne Park and has been particularly dominant in recent contests: He has won his past 11 sets and dropped only