Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. Tennis: Bencic stuns Svitolina to set up Dubai final with Kvitova

Switzerland's Belinda Bencic stepped closer to ending a four-year title drought when she squeezed past defending champion Elina Svitolina 6-2 3-6 7-6(3) to reach the final of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Friday. Bencic will face second seed Petra Kvitova on Saturday after the Czech came from a set down to beat unseeded Taiwanese Hsieh Su-wei 3-6 6-2 6-4 in the other semi-final. Alpine skiing: Frenchman Pinturault wins combined World Cup title

Frenchman Alexis Pinturault added the World Cup combined title to his gold medal in the combined event at this month's Alpine skiing world championships in Are when he topped the podium in Bansko on Friday. The 27-year-old Pinturault won the discipline's season-ending race by 0.68 seconds with seven-time overall champion Marcel Hirscher of Austria, who made a rare appearance in a combined event, coming second. IOC urges India isolation after Pakistani athletes denied visas

The International Olympic Committee have suspended all Indian applications to host future events and urged international sports federations not to stage competitions in the country after two Pakistanis were denied visas to compete in New Delhi. The denial of entry visas for two shooters due to take part in a World Cup event this weekend followed last week's attack by a Pakistan-based militant group in the disputed region of Kashmir, which killed at least 40 paramilitary police. Olympics: Karate associations vent anger after Paris 2024 exclusion

Karate's exclusion from the Paris 2024 Olympic program has been heavily criticized by the sport's governing body and various national associations after being left out of the list of four additional sports for the Games. The world karate association said in a statement on Friday it was "deeply saddened" by the omission, revealed this week. Patriots owner Robert Kraft charged in Florida prostitution sting

Robert Kraft, owner of the Super Bowl-winning New England Patriots, was charged in Florida with soliciting prostitution after he was captured on video engaging in sex acts with a worker at a massage parlor, police said on Friday. Kraft, 77, a billionaire businessman who built the Patriots into the National Football League's most dominant franchise, was swept up in a police sting targeting sex-trafficking in day spas and massage parlors in several Florida counties. The operation has led to hundreds being charged. NHL roundup: Stars snap Blues' winning streak

Jamie Benn recorded his second two-goal game of the season, and the Dallas Stars ended the visiting St. Louis Blues' franchise-record, 11-game winning streak with a 5-2 decision Thursday. The Blues had not dropped a game since a 4-3 loss at Los Angeles on Jan. 21. NBA roundup: Lakers rally past Rockets

The Los Angeles Lakers rallied from 19 points down in the third quarter to defeat the visiting Houston Rockets 111-106 on Thursday night. LeBron James had 29 points and 11 rebounds for the Lakers, who avoided their second-ever season sweep against the Rockets. Brandon Ingram finished with 27 points and 13 rebounds, Kyle Kuzma scored 18 points, Reggie Bullock had 14 points and JaVale McGee finished with 11 as all five starters scored in double figures for Los Angeles. Tennis: Kvitova downs Taiwan's Hsieh to reach Dubai final

Second seed Petra Kvitova recovered from a set down against Hsieh Su-wei to end the unseeded Taiwanese's run at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Friday with a 3-6 6-2 6-4 victory that saw the Czech reach her third final of the year. Kvitova, who made an astute tactical adjustment midway through the match that changed the course of the contest, will face either defending champion Elina Svitolina or unseeded Swiss Belinda Bencic in Saturday's final. Machado says Padres were the complete package

Manny Machado was unveiled at an introductory press conference on Friday and expressed how thrilled he is to be a member of the San Diego Padres. Machado received a 10-year, $300 million deal to sign with the Padres but it was more than the big pile of cash that swayed his decision. 20-second pitch clock close to becoming reality

The first step toward adding a 20-second pitch clock for regular-season Major League Baseball games will come immediately as the timing device will be added to spring training games. In a statement released Friday, MLB said it still has not decided if the 20-second clock will be used in regular-season games this season, but ESPN reported that its addition when the season kicks off in March is a possibility.