World Sports News in Brief

Thiem beats Zverev to reach maiden Australian Open final

Dominic Thiem saw off Alex Zverev 3-6 6-4 7-6(3) 7-6(4) to reach his first Australian Open final on Friday (Jan 31) and set up a much anticipated title match against Melbourne Park maestro Novak Djokovic.

Tennis - Australian Open - Semi Final - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 31, 2020 Austria's Dominic Thiem celebrates winning his match against Germany's Alexander Zverev. (Reuters)
Tennis - Australian Open - Semi Final - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 31, 2020 Austria's Dominic Thiem celebrates winning his match against Germany's Alexander Zverev. (Reuters)

* Racing Point will become the Aston Martin factory Formula One team from 2021 after their Canadian billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll bought into the ailing British sportscar maker on Friday. The deal means Aston Martin's title sponsorship of former world champions Red Bull will end after the current season.

* Arsenal have signed Southampton defender Cedric Soares on loan until the end of the season, the Premier League clubs said on Friday (Jan 31). The Portuguese fullback, whose Southampton contract expires at the end of the campaign, has made 138 appearances since joining the south coast club in 2015.

* Barcelona have been handed a daunting trip to Athletic Bilbao in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey in Friday's draw, while Real Madrid face a home game against one of the top teams in La Liga in Real Sociedad.

* Borussia Dortmund have signed German international midfielder Emre Can from Italian champions Juventus, the Bundesliga club said on Friday (Jan 31). The 26-year-old former Liverpool player completed his medical check-up before signing for Dortmund, initially on a loan deal until June.

* Stade Rennes winger Rafinha got a last-gasp winner as they scored two goals in stoppage time, having twice been behind, to beat Nantes 3-2 in a pulsating Breton derby in Ligue 1on Friday.

* Manchester United have agreed a deal to sign former Watford forward Odion Ighalo on loan from Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua, Sky Sports reported on Friday. Nigerian Ighalo, who will offer cover for injured forward Marcus Rashford, has Premier League experience, having scored 33 goals in 82 games for Watford before moving to Chinese Super League club Changchun Yatai in 2017, for a reported 20 million pounds.

* Ukraine teenager Yaroslava Mahuchikh soared to an under-20 indoor world record 2.02 metres with the best high jump of the season at Karlsruhe on Friday on the second stop of the World Athletics Indoor Tour. Mahuchikh hit the bar on the way down on her first attempt at 2.02m but it stayed on, allowing her to add a centimetre to the U20 mark she had set in Lviv 13 days before.

* Real Madrid will still be without their two most expensive players Gareth Bale and Eden Hazard for Saturday's derby at home to Atletico Madrid as Zinedine Zidane's side look to cement their new-found status as La Liga title favourites.

Reuters, CNA