Andreeva and Shnaider, part of AIN, are the first Russians to get a medal at the 2024 Olympics

PARIS (AP) — The first medal for any Russian athlete at the 2024 Olympics — technically not representing their country, but competing as neutrals, because of the war on Ukraine — came in tennis on Sunday, when Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider got a silver in women's doubles.

Andreeva and Shnaider lost the final to Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini of Italy 2-6, 6-1, 10-7 in a match tiebreaker. Olympics doubles uses a first-to-10 tiebreaker instead of a standard third set.

Athletes from Russia and Belarus are competing at the Paris Games as Individual Neutral Athletes, known by the French acronym AIN. Those nations were banned by the International Olympic Committee from team sports at the Paris Games because of the attack on Ukraine that began in February 2022.

Individual athletes with Russian or Belarusian passports were allowed to compete as neutrals if they qualified and then were approved for entry to the Olympics.

"I'm not going to answer anything about politics here. ... I'm here to talk about tennis," Shnaider said at the post-match news conference, where both Russians wore plain white T-shirts.

When the silver medalists were asked their thoughts on competing as part of the AIN group, instead of Russia, Andreeva responded: "I have no way to answer this. For me, honestly, it doesn't matter. I just go out there, I play and I fight. And this week, we played and we fight together."

The AIN athletes are not allowed to wear uniforms indicating which country they’re from, so Andreeva and Shnaider wore all-white outfits on court, with no flag or other marking related to Russia. Shnaider said earlier in the tournament that she was wearing the same thing in Paris that she used last month at Wimbledon, which has a policy mandating white clothing.

On Friday, Ivan Litvinovich and Viyaleta Bardzilouskaya, both of Belarus, won the first medals by AIN athletes at the Paris Olympics, both in trampoline. Litvinovich claimed gold for the men, and Bardzilouskaya got the women’s silver. Yauheni Zalati, also from Belarus, won a silver in rowing on Saturday.

Andreeva is 17 and becomes the second-youngest player to claim a medal in Olympic tennis. Jennifer Capriati was 16 when she won the singles gold for the United States at Barcelona in 1992.

The 20-year-old Shnaider played one season of college tennis at North Carolina State. This was the first tournament she and Andreeva entered together in doubles. Andreeva was a singles semifinalist at the French Open in June.

Shnaider, whose family lives in Moscow, and Andreeva, whose training base is in Cannes, France, eliminated the second-seeded pairing of Siniakova and Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic — the Tokyo Olympics champions — in the quarterfinals.

Errani and Paolini gave Italy its first tennis gold medal at any Summer Olympics. Lorenzo Musetti won a bronze in men's singles on Saturday. The two medals are the first for their country since one bronze at the 1924 Paris Games.

Errani, 37, completed a career Golden Slam by adding her Olympics gold medal to her five Grand Slam doubles titles — at least one at each of the four major tournaments — which she accomplished with a different partner, Roberta Vinci.

Paolini is having her best season as a professional tennis player. She is coming off runner-up finishes in singles at the French Open and Wimbledon, and she and Errani also were finalists in doubles at the French Open, where they lost to Coco Gauff and Katerina Siniakova.

AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini of Italy hug after they defeat Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider of Individual Neutral Athlete in the women's doubles gold medal tennis match at the Roland Garros stadium, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini of Italy celebrate after they defeat Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider of Individual Neutral Athlete in the women's doubles gold medal tennis match at the Roland Garros stadium, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider of Individual Neutral Athlete react as they play against Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini of Italy during women's doubles gold medal tennis match at the Roland Garros stadium, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Gold medalist Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini of Italy bite their medal after they defeat Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider of Individual Neutral Athlete in the women's doubles gold medal tennis match at the Roland Garros stadium, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Andreeva and Diana Shnaider of Individual Neutral Athlete show their silver medals after losing to Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini of Italy after women's doubles gold medal tennis match at the Roland Garros stadium, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

LONDON (AP) — Arsenal is leaving archrival Tottenham’s stadium with a win for the third season in a row after Gabriel Magalhaes' second-half header settled a feisty and physical north London derby in the Premier League on Sunday.

Tottenham had Arsenal pegged back for much of the game but couldn’t make its chances count as the visitors weathered the pressure before Gabriel secured a 1-0 win by scoring in the 64th minute. The Brazilian center back lost his marker and met a corner from Bukayo Saka with a thumping header from the middle of the box.

“It is a big derby and we are so happy to win here," said Gabriel, who celebrated boisterously in front of the away fans after the final whistle. “Let’s enjoy it now.”

The goal came largely against the run of play but secured a vital victory for Arsenal, which is already two points behind defending champion Manchester City and could ill afford to drop more points ahead of a trip to the Etihad Stadium next weekend.

The visitors were slightly fortunate not to be trailing early, though, as Tottenham took full advantage of Arsenal’s weakened midfield to boss proceedings for much of the opening hour.

Without the suspended Declan Rice and the injured Martin Odegaard, Arsenal never looked comfortable against Tottenham’s press and struggled to establish anything resembling its normal passing game.

But Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya made two good early saves to keep Tottenham at bay, while Spurs striker Dominic Solanke failed to make the most of a couple of decent chances.

“We had to work really hard as you saw, we knew it was going to be a difficult game," said Arsenal midfielder Jorginho, who captained Arsenal in Odegaard's absence. "We had key players missing but we are a total team, the whole squad. We know that whoever comes on will be ready to help the team.”

It was a very different game compared to last year’s fixture, when Arsenal went 3-0 up before holding off a late fightback to win 3-2. But it had its usual share of physical tackles and temper flare-ups, with seven bookings handed out in the first half alone.

And Arsenal had to hang on in the final minutes again, although Tottenham’s only half chances for an equalizer came when Solanke sent a header straight at Raya in the 88th and Dejan Kulusevski sent his long-range shot over the bar in injury time.

Arsenal only had three senior outfield players available on the bench, including transfer deadline-day signing Raheem Sterling who came on for his Gunners debut in the 80th minute.

In Sunday’s only other Premier League game, Wolves hosted Newscastle in the later kickoff.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Arsenal's Jurrien Timber and Tottenham's goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario square-up to each other during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in London, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Tottenham's James Maddison is pulled back by Arsenal's Jorginho during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in London, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Arsenal's Gabriel scores the opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in London, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Arsenal's Gabriel, foreground, celebrates with teammate William Saliba after scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in London, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Arsenal's Gabriel, right, celebrates with teammates after scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in London, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Arsenal's Gabriel, foreground, celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in London, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (John Walton/PA via AP)