MISSING MESSI MIGHT PLAY FOR INTER MIAMI TONIGHT

Lionel Messi’s absence from Inter Miami’s lineup may be over.

The team used social media on Friday to post “Nos vemos mañana” — translation, “see you tomorrow” — with a photo of the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner. Inter Miami plays host to Cincinnati tonight.

The team did not elaborate. Messi trained with the team on Friday.

The 36-year-old Messi has missed five of Inter Miami’s last six matches, plus another for Argentina in that span because of what was first called fatigue and later was determined to be a hamstring injury. He has not played since making a 37minute appearance against Toronto on Sept. 20, when the leg issue forced him out before halftime.

If he plays, it could conceivably be Messi’s final home appearance — or final appearance, period — of the season for Inter Miami, the team he joined in July after agreeing to a 30-month contract that will pay him somewhere around $150 million. The team is facing a seriously uphill climb in a bid to make the Major League Soccer playoffs; it has three games remaining and is five points behind Montreal for the ninth and final postseason spot in the Eastern Conference.

More soccer

Juventus reported losses of 123.7 million euros ($131 million) for last season, about half of the record loss of 239.3 million euros ($253 million) reported a year ago. The Turin club’s finances are the focus of a legal case brought by Turin prosecutors over alleged false accounting. The inquiry led to Juventus being excluded by UEFA from the third-tier Europa Conference League for this season.

• Retiring star Megan Rapinoe was honored by club team OL Reign in front of a National Women’s Soccer League record crowd of 34,130 fans. The number of fans broke the NWSL record 32,000 at Snapdragon Stadium last September for the Wave’s first game there.

Golf

Ben Griffin joined a crowded pack of contenders in the Sanderson Farms Championship and then moved past them with a 30 on the back nine, sending him to a 9-under 63 and a two-shot lead going into the weekend at Jackson, Miss. Griffin’s score was one shot better than his previous best in his rookie season, highlighted by a 65-foot eagle from the fringe on the par-5 14th hole at the Country Club of Jackson. Griffin was at 14-under 130, two shots ahead of Harrison Endycott (65), Luke List (66), Carl Yuan (66) and Henrik Norlander (67).

• Matt Fitzpatrick is showing no sign of any emotional hangover following Europe’s victory in the Ryder Cup. The Englishman shot 8under 64 at Kingsbarns to take a one-stroke lead at the Dunhill Links Championship, the European tour event that also takes place at St. Andrews and Carnoustie. After a round at each of the three Scottish courses, the final round is back on the Old Course on Sunday.

• Hyo Joo Kim shot a 3under 68 in The Ascendant LPGA to take a two-stroke lead over Sofia Garcia into the weekend, with resurgent Lexi Thompson tied for third at The Colony, Texas

Tennis

Elena Rybakina advanced to her eighth semifinal of the year by beating top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 7-5, 6-2 at the China Open. In the semifinals, Rybakina will face unseeded Liudmila Samsonova, who earlier defeated 13th-seeded Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 6-2. Second-seeded Iga Swiatek also advanced by defeating Caroline Garcia 6-7 (8), 7-6 (5), 6-1. Third-seeded Coco Gauff extended her winning streak to 16 matches, beating Maria Sakkari 6-2, 6-4 and setting up a semifinal match against Swiatek.

• Third-seeded Holger Rune lost to 122nd-ranked Brendon Nakashima (San Diego) 6-0, 6-2 in the second round of the Shanghai Masters. The 22-year-old American converted five of his 14 break points to claim a maiden victory over a top-10 player. Casper Ruud was one of the few seeded players to advance. He beat Yoshihito Nishioka 7-5, 6-0 and will next face 29th-seeded Christopher Eubanks, who rallied to beat Yannick Hanfmann 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. Top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz and secondseeded Daniil Medvedev play their second-round matches today.

Motorsports

Max Verstappen underlined why he’s on the verge of a third consecutive Formula One title as he qualified on pole for the Qatar Grand Prix on Friday. He can clinch the title in today’s sprint race. Verstappen set a commanding time early in the third and last session of qualifying and bailed out of his final run after his car slid off the racing line.

It didn’t matter as George Russell could only manage a time .441 seconds slower than Verstappen as he qualified second. His Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton was third, .527 off the pace. Verstappen can secure the title with at least a sixth-place finish in the sprint today.