Sports

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Defending champion Andrey Rublev advanced to the final at the Dubai Championships by beating Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6 (9) for his first tour-level win over the German. Rublev needed six match points to finally put away Zverev. The Russian will face either top-ranked Novak Djokovic or former No. 1

MUNICH (AP) — Cameroon forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has extended his contract to stay another season at Bayern Munich. Bayern says the 33-year-old Choupo-Moting signed a one-year extension. Choupo-Moting has helped Bayern adjust to the loss of Robert Lewandowski with 15 goals across all competitions so far. He initially joined Bayern in September 2020 as

PARIS (AP) — French prosecutors say Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi was given preliminary charges of rape. The prosecutors office in Nanterre says Hakimi was questioned by investigators probing rape allegations on Thursday. He was then given preliminary charges and placed under judicial supervision. A 24-year-old woman says she was raped by Hakimi on Saturday

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil interim coach Ramon Menezes has left Neymar and Alisson out of his squad for the team’s international friendly against Morocco on March 25 in Tangier. It will be Brazil’s first game since its World Cup elimination against Croatia in the quarterfinals in December. Neymar was injured in a French

LONDON (AP) — Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi won’t be on the touchline for Saturday’s Premier League game against West Ham as a result of a one-match suspension for abusive behavior toward a match official. The Football Association announced the touchline ban and a fine of $18,000 for De Zerbi’s actions following a 1-0 loss

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Pep Guardiola says it is “written in the stars” that Vincent Kompany will one day be the manager of Manchester City. Kompany was one of the pillars behind City’s rise as a major force in English soccer following his signing in 2008. He won four Premier League titles in his 11

By JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona has built its reputation on dominating possession and trusting its attack to overwhelm opponents. But with its leading scorers injured Xavi Hernández’s side relied on its defense to frustrate Real Madrid and earn a hard-fought 1-0 advantage in the Copa del Rey semifinals on Thursday.

NICE, France (AP) — French club Nice has advised fans not to travel to Moldova for a Europa Conference League game next week. It comes amid street protests and unrest in Moldova where authorities have alleged Russian-backed attempts to destabilize the government. Nice says the security situation for fans in Moldova is “unfavorable, to say

AMSTERDAM (AP) — Prosecutors have urged a Dutch court to convict Netherlands international Quincy Promes of aggravated assault and sentence him to two years imprisonment for allegedly stabbing his nephew in the knee at a party. Promes plays for Russian club Spartak Moscow. He was not in court in Amsterdam. He denies the charge. Promes

NEWCASTLE, England (AP) — Newcastle manager Eddie Howe says he hasn’t made inquiries about the Premier League team’s ownership status after new questions were raised about Saudi Arabian investment in the club. Howe says his focus is on weekend opponent Manchester City and that his recent communications with board members have been about on-field developments

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — This was a different kind of pitch tipping when Minnesota right-hander Kenta Maeda made only his second spring start in his return from Tommy John surgery two seasons ago. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said the PitchCom device catcher Tony Wolters was using was loud enough for Tampa Bay hitters to

SAKHIR, Bahrain (AP) — Formula One great Lewis Hamilton has been cleared to race in the first practice session of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix after having his jewelry inspected. Hamilton clashed with governing body FIA last year over the wearing of jewelry and was cleared at the Singapore GP in October for wearing a

PARIS (AP) — French prosecutors say Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi has been indicted on rape charges. The prosecutors office in Nanterre says Hakimi was questioned by investigators probing rape allegations on Thursday. He was then indicted by an investigating judge and placed under judicial supervision. A 24-year-old woman says she was raped by Hakimi

KVITFJELL, Norway (AP) — American skier Mikaela Shiffrin finished in fourth place in a World Cup super-G and missed out on a record-tying 86th career victory. Shiffrin was the ninth starter and trailed leader Elena Curtoni of Italy by 0.15 seconds. The race was eventually won by Cornelia Huetter. The Austrian edged Curtoni by a