Sports News Roundup: Tennis-Gutsy Australia see off Czechs to make Davis Cup semi-finals; Soccer-Celtic fined for fans displaying Palestinian flags in Champions League game and more

The win came after Philadelphia rallied from 18 down to take a 110-108 lead and Cleveland forced OT with Garland's free throws with 13.1 seconds left. Soccer-Violent clashes mar Brazil v Argentina World Cup qualifier Argentina captain Lionel Messi accused the Brazilian police of brutality as the start of their World Cup qualifier against Brazil was delayed by half an hour after clashes between police and visiting fans at Maracana Stadium on Tuesday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Tennis-Gutsy Australia see off Czechs to make Davis Cup semi-finals

Last year's runners-up Australia powered into the semi-finals of the Davis Cup with a battling 2-1 win over three-times champions Czech Republic that set up a showdown with this year's surprise package Finland. Australia's doubles pair of Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell secured their team's progress with a 6-4 7-5 victory over Jiri Lehecka and Adam Pavlasek in the decider after Alex de Minaur edged past Lehecka 4-6 7-6(2) 7-5 to level the tie at 1-1.

Soccer-Celtic fined for fans displaying Palestinian flags in Champions League game

Celtic have been fined 15,200 pounds ($19,000) after their fans waved Palestinian flags during their Champions League match against Atletico Madrid last month in Glasgow, UEFA said on Wednesday. The flags, which numbered in the hundreds, were deemed to be "provocative messages of an offensive nature", UEFA said in a statement.

Golf-Smith frustrated as Spanish battler leads Australian PGA Championship

Spanish world number 1,162 Joel Moscatel Nachshon matched the course record in a stellar opening round 63 to emerge the surprise leader at the Australian PGA Championship on Thursday as defending champion Cameron Smith lamented a "terrible" start. Moscatel Nachshon stormed to the top of the leaderboard at Royal Queensland with a run of five birdies from the 12th to the 16th hole, carding a bogey-free round of eight-under to be one shot ahead of local talent Min Woo Lee.

NBA roundup: Cavs recover, top 76ers in OT

Darius Garland scored 32 points, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley recorded double-doubles and the Cleveland Cavaliers survived blowing an 18-point lead, beating the host Philadelphia 76ers 122-119 in overtime on Tuesday night in an NBA in-season tournament game. The victory extended Cleveland's winning streak to four games and improved the Cavaliers to 2-1 in East Group A action in the in-season tournament. The win came after Philadelphia rallied from 18 down to take a 110-108 lead and Cleveland forced OT with Garland's free throws with 13.1 seconds left.

Soccer-Violent clashes mar Brazil v Argentina World Cup qualifier

Argentina captain Lionel Messi accused the Brazilian police of brutality as the start of their World Cup qualifier against Brazil was delayed by half an hour after clashes between police and visiting fans at Maracana Stadium on Tuesday. Brazilian and Argentine fans started fighting behind one of the goals during the national anthems, prompting police to charge at the travelling contingent with night sticks drawn.

Golf-LIV Golf ups international events for 2024, adds Las Vegas stop

LIV Golf unveiled the majority of its 14-event 2024 season schedule on Wednesday with at least half the tournaments being played outside the United States as the Saudi Arabia-backed league continues its push to be a global series. None of the announced tournaments are at courses owned by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who has hosted five LIV Golf events over the circuit's first two years, but there are three open slots still on the schedule.

Golf-Former world number one Scott desperate to end win drought in Queensland

It has been nearly four years since Adam Scott tasted victory, leaving the former world number one desperate to break the drought at this week's Australian PGA Championship. Scott has played solid golf since his last win at the Genesis Invitational in California in 2020, and finished tied for fifth at this month's Butterfield Bermuda Championship.

Tennis-Australian Open chief still confident Nadal will be back in Melbourne

Australian Open chief Craig Tiley said he remained confident Rafa Nadal would be at Melbourne Park in January despite the 37-year-old's struggles with injuries over the last couple of years. Nadal, who won two of his 22 major singles titles in Melbourne, has not played a competitive match since bowing out in the second round of this year's edition of the Grand Slam when hampered by a hip flexor problem.

Olympics-Paris 2024 to sell 400,000 tickets next week, 7.2 million already sold

Some 400,000 tickets for the Paris 2024 Olympics will go on sale at the end of the month, organisers said on Wednesday. Paris 2024 is hoping to sell 10 million tickets for the July 26-Aug. 11 Summer Games and has already sold 7.2 million, chief operating officer Michael Aloisio said.

Soccer-Argentina hand Brazil third straight loss after crowd trouble at Maracana

Nicolas Otamendi scored with a towering header to give Argentina a 1-0 away win over Brazil in a bad-tempered World Cup qualifier that was delayed by half an hour on Tuesday after police clashed with fans at a sold-out Maracana Stadium. The longstanding sporting rivalry between two of the most successful teams in world soccer hit fever pitch after the Brazilian police charged Argentinian fans in response to fighting in the stands during the national anthems.