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PSG Rests Marquinhos but Messi, Neymar and Mbappe in Squad

Paris Saint-Germain's Brazilian forward Neymar (C) is congratulated by Paris Saint-Germain's French forward Hugo Ekitike (L) and Paris Saint-Germain's French forward Kylian Mbappe after scoring his team's first goal during the French L1 football match between FC Lorient and Paris Saint Germain (PSG) at Stade du Moustoir in Lorient, western France on November 6, 2022. (AFP)
Paris Saint-Germain's Brazilian forward Neymar (C) is congratulated by Paris Saint-Germain's French forward Hugo Ekitike (L) and Paris Saint-Germain's French forward Kylian Mbappe after scoring his team's first goal during the French L1 football match between FC Lorient and Paris Saint Germain (PSG) at Stade du Moustoir in Lorient, western France on November 6, 2022. (AFP)
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PSG Rests Marquinhos but Messi, Neymar and Mbappe in Squad

Paris Saint-Germain's Brazilian forward Neymar (C) is congratulated by Paris Saint-Germain's French forward Hugo Ekitike (L) and Paris Saint-Germain's French forward Kylian Mbappe after scoring his team's first goal during the French L1 football match between FC Lorient and Paris Saint Germain (PSG) at Stade du Moustoir in Lorient, western France on November 6, 2022. (AFP)
Paris Saint-Germain's Brazilian forward Neymar (C) is congratulated by Paris Saint-Germain's French forward Hugo Ekitike (L) and Paris Saint-Germain's French forward Kylian Mbappe after scoring his team's first goal during the French L1 football match between FC Lorient and Paris Saint Germain (PSG) at Stade du Moustoir in Lorient, western France on November 6, 2022. (AFP)

Brazil defender Marquinhos has been rested for Paris Saint-Germain's final game before the World Cup in Qatar because of muscle discomfort.

French league leader PSG said Saturday that its captain Marquinhos, who is a key player in coach Tite’s Brazil team and has made 71 international appearances, would be left out of the side to face Auxerre on Sunday.

But Argentina star Lionel Messi, France striker Kylian Mbappe and Brazil's Neymar will be included in the PSG squad before flying out to Qatar.

Messi missed last weekend's game against Lorient because of inflammation on his Achilles tendon, with central defender Presnel Kimpembe rested for a similar problem. Mbappe also went off near the end with muscle fatigue.

Kimpembe, who has played only one hour of football since sustaining a hamstring injury on Sept. 18, is also in coach Christophe Galtier's squad for the Auxerre game.

Kimpembe then flies out to join his France teammates in Qatar.

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Sinner, Berrettini Lift Italy Past Australia and Back to the Davis Cup Final

Italy's Jannik Sinner returns the ball against Australia's Alex de Minaur during the Davis Cup semifinal at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Italy's Jannik Sinner returns the ball against Australia's Alex de Minaur during the Davis Cup semifinal at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
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Sinner, Berrettini Lift Italy Past Australia and Back to the Davis Cup Final

Italy's Jannik Sinner returns the ball against Australia's Alex de Minaur during the Davis Cup semifinal at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Italy's Jannik Sinner returns the ball against Australia's Alex de Minaur during the Davis Cup semifinal at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Top-ranked Jannik Sinner and Matteo Berrettini won matches Saturday in front of a supportive crowd to lift defending champion Italy past Australia 2-0 and back into the Davis Cup final.

Sinner extended his tour-level winning streak to 24 singles sets in a row by beating No. 9 Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-4 after Berrettini came back to defeat Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-7 (6), 6-3, 7-5, The Associated Press reported.
“Hopefully this can give us confidence for tomorrow,” said Sinner, now 9-0 against de Minaur.
Italy will meet first-time finalist Netherlands on Sunday for the title. The Dutch followed up their victory over Rafael Nadal and Spain in the quarterfinals by eliminating Germany in the semifinals on Friday.
Italy, which got past Australia in last year's final, is trying to become the first country to win the Davis Cup twice in a row since the Czech Republic in 2012 and 2013. Italy’s women won the Billie Jean King Cup by defeating Slovakia in Malaga on Wednesday.
The much shorter trip for Italian fans than Australians meant the 9,200-seat arena sounded like a home environment Saturday for Berrettini, with repeated chants of “I-ta-lia!” or “Ole, ole, ole, ole! Matte’! Matte’!” amplified by megaphones and accompanied by drums and trumpets. Chair umpire James Keothavong repeatedly asked spectators to stop whistling as Kokkinakis was serving.
“We're in Spain,” Kokkinakis said, “but it felt like we were in Italy.”
Sinner received the same sort of backing, of course, although he might not have needed as much with the way he has played all year, including taking the title at the ATP Finals last weekend.
“It's an honor, it's a pleasure, to have Jannik with us,” Italian captain Filippo Volandri said.
The biggest suspense Saturday on the indoor hard court at the Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martina Carpena in southern Spain came in Berrettini vs. Kokkinakis.
Berrettini, the runner-up at Wimbledon in 2021, needed to put aside the way he gave away the opening set, wasting three chances to finish it, and managed to do just that. He grabbed the last three games of the match, breaking to lead 6-5, then closing it out with his 14th ace after 2 hours, 44 minutes.
The big-hitting Berrettini has been ranked as high as No. 6 and is currently No. 35 after missing chunks of time the past two seasons because of injuries or illness. He sat out two of this year’s four major tournaments and lost in the second round at each of the other two.
But when healthy, he is among the world’s top tennis players, capable of speedy serves and booming forehands. He was in control for much of the match against No. 77 Kokkinakis, who was the 2022 Australian Open men’s doubles champion with Nick Kyrgios and helped his country get past the United States in the quarterfinals Thursday.
Berrettini earned the first break to lead 6-5 in the opening set and was a point away while serving at 40-30. Kokkinakis saved that via a 21-stroke exchange that ended with Berrettini sending a forehand long, then ended up breaking back when the Italian missed again off that wing.
Then, ahead 6-4 in the tiebreaker, Berrettini had two more opportunities to own the set. But Kokkinakis — who saved four match points against Ben Shelton in the quarterfinals — saved one with a gutsy down-the-line backhand passing winner and the other with a 131 mph (212 kph) ace, part of a four-point run to close that set.
“It wasn’t easy to digest ... because I had so many chances,” Berrettini said.