File: Brazilian midfielder Fred. Photo: REUTERS

MANCHESTER: Manchester United have agreed a deal to sign Brazil midfielder Fred from Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk, the English Premier League club said on Tuesday.

British media reported that United will pay Shaktar about 52 million pounds ($70 million) for the 25-year-old, who is in Brazil’s squad for the World Cup in Russia.

“Manchester United is delighted to announce it has reached agreement with Shakhtar Donetsk for the transfer of Frederico Rodrigues de Paula Santos (Fred),” United said in a statement on their website.

“A further announcement will be made in due course.”

Fred joined Shakhtar from Brazilian side Internacional in 2013.

Austria’s Dominic Thiem celebrates after winning his quarter final match against Germany’s Alexander Zverev in French Open on Tuesday, 05 June, 2018. Photo: REUTERS

PARIS: Austrian Dominic Thiem destroyed a lacklustre and battle-weary Alexander Zverev 6-4 6-2 6-1 on Tuesday to reach the French Open semi-finals for the third consecutive year.

Claycourt specialist Thiem’s relentless accuracy from the baseline proved too much for second seed Zverev who looked jaded after a gruelling path to his first Grand Slam quarter-final.

After an even start full of high quality ball-striking, Thiem broke serve at 3-3 and quickly got on top, stretching his opponent all over Court Philippe Chatrier.

Second seed Zverev, 21, needed his left thigh strapped in the second set and looked disconsolate as Thiem widened his advantage with a clinical display of hitting.

Thiem, seeded seventh, needed only 15 minutes to go 4-0 up in the third with Zverev barely running for wide balls.

Zverev began to let rip, snatching one game back, but the outcome was inevitable and Thiem put him out of his misery with a routine backhand winner into a wide-open court.

Thiem will face either former champion Novak Djokovic or unseeded Italian Marco Cecchinato in the last four.

Madison Keys of the US celebrates after winning her quarter final match against Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva Photo: REUTERS

PARIS: Madison Keys reached her maiden French Open semi-final, rallying from a break down in the opening set to claim a solid 7-6(5) 6-4 victory against Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva on Tuesday.

The American 13th seed, playing in her third consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final, was 5-3 down in the first set when she stepped up a gear to advance without having lost a set.

She will take on either Russian Daria Kasatkina or 10th seed Sloane Stephens, nine months after her compatriot beat her in the U.S. Open final.

“Thank you everyone for coming and supporting me, I did need a lot of support today,” said Keys.

“In the first set, I just needed to focus more and trust my game.

“I’m obviously very happy to win in straight sets again and I look forward to the next match.”

In humid conditions on Court Suzanne Lenglen, both players were solid on their serve with no break points in the first six games.

The unseeded Putintseva, who played more safely, had the first break opportunity in the seventh game, which she converted when Keys buried a backhand into the net.

Keys, however, broke back for 5-5 with a stunning forehand winner down the line and the set would be decided in a tiebreak.

Putintseva, who was hoping to become the first Kazakh player — female or male — to qualify for a Grand Slam semi-final, opened up a 2-0 lead, only for the American to score four points in a row and take control.

Keys bagged the set at the end of a long rally in which her opponent defended ferociously, gradually stepping into the court to end the exchange with a backhand winner.

Keys had the first break chance in the second set and a lightning quick service return gave her the edge as she moved 4-3 up.

She held serve until the end, prevailing on her first match point thanks to a powerful ace.

• Loew cuts four players
• Leno, Tah and Petersen also dropped

Germany’s Leroy Sane in action. Photo: Reuters

BERLIN: Attacking midfielder Leroy Sane was a surprise omission from Joachim Loew’s final Germany squad for the World Cup finals on Monday as goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was named among the 23 players heading to Russia for the defending champions.

Neuer made the squad despite playing in just one official game, a friendly against Austria on Friday, since breaking a bone in his foot in September but talented 22-year-old Sane was the highest-profile player excluded.

The Manchester City midfielder, goalkeeper Bernd Leno, forward Nils Petersen and defender Jonathan Tah were the four players that failed to make the cut from Loew’s provisional list.

Sane, who joined the English champions in 2016, had been a surprise addition to Germany’s Euro 2016 squad two years ago but this time he was overlooked by Loew, who opted to take the more physical Julian Brandt to Russia instead.

“It was a very tight decision between him and Julian Brandt which went in favour of Brandt,” Loew said. “There are better days in the life of a national team coach, when you have to send four amazing players, who deserve to be at the World Cup, home.

“It’s like being at the airport check-in counter en route to Moscow and you are not allowed to board the plane.”

Germany captain Neuer, who won the World Cup four years ago, will also be their first choice keeper for the tournament, ahead of designated number two Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Kevin Trapp.

“The clinical tests were really good,” Neuer told reporters.

“I always had the goal in front of me. I stayed positive through the injury and had I not been positive I would not have been included.

“I feel good and now my focus is on the World Cup.”

Loew announced his squad at the end of a training camp at the Italian Alps. The Germans play their last warm-up game against Saudi Arabia in Leverkusen on Friday before the start of the tournament on June 14.

Germany are in Group F along with Sweden, Mexico and South Korea.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona), Kevin Trapp (Paris St Germain).

Defenders: Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Matthias Ginter (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Jonas Hector (Cologne), Mats Hummels (Bayern Munich), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Marvin Plattenhardt (Hertha Berlin), Antonio Ruediger (Chelsea), Niklas Suele (Bayern Munich).

Midfielders: Julian Brandt (Bayer Leverkusen), Julian Draxler (Paris St Germain), Leon Goretzka (Schalke 04), Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City), Sami Khedira (Juventus), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Thomas Mueller (Bayern Munich), Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund), Sebastian Rudy (Bayern Munich), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal).

Forwards:

Mario Gomez (VfB Stuttgart), Timo Werner (RB Leipzig).

FILE PHOTO: Former Australia cricket test captain Steve Smith arrives at Cape Town International Airport, South Africa March 27,2018. Photo: REUTERS

SYDNEY: Former Australia captain Steve Smith says he cried for four days as he tried to cope with the fallout from the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa in March.

Smith and former test vice-captain David Warner were handed 12-month bans by Cricket Australia (CA) after admitting a plan to tamper the ball during the third test against South Africa in Cape Town.

The duo lost their leadership positions and were sent home after the incident with Smith breaking down in tears while apologising at an emotional press conference at Sydney Airport.

“To be honest, I probably spent four days in tears,” Smith told students at a school according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

“I was really struggling mentally and I was really lucky that I had some close friends and family members that I could speak to at all hours of the day.

“The people that I had supporting me through that whole time made a huge difference to the head space I am in now.”

Smith and Warner are scheduled to return to competitive action in the Global T20 Canada, a tournament that starts on June 28.

Junior batsman Cameron Bancroft was banned for nine months for his role in the incident.