Defending champion Jannik Sinner and 10-time Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic have landed on opposite sides of the draw for the season's first major, ruling out a replay of last year's semi final match. Sinner upset Djokovic in the semifinals here last year before coming back to beat Daniil Medvedev in the final 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 for his first Grand Slam singles title. Top-ranked Sinner has a first-round match against Nicolas Jarry and also has Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, and Medvedev in his quarter of the draw. Fritz will open against fellow American Jenson Brooksby. Djokovic and No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz could meet in the quarterfinals, with a possible semi final against No. 2 Alexander Zverev. At the draw Thursday to set the brackets for the singles fields, defending champions Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka walked into the official ceremony on the steps of Margaret Court Arena holding their trophies. Sabalenka won her second consecutive title at Melbourne Park in 2024 by defeating Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 6-2. Sabalenka will be attempting to win a third consecutive women's singles title at Melbourne Park, something last accomplished by Martina Hingis from 1997 to 1999. Sabalenka drew a tough opening match against 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens and has 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva and Zheng in her section. "I have a lot of great memories and to be back here ... as a two-time Australian Open champion, it's definitely something special," Sabalenka, who won the Brisbane International title last week, said at the draw ceremony. "I hope that I can keep doing what I'm doing here in Australia." Third-seeded Coco Gauff is a potential semi final rival for Sabalenka. Gauff has a challenging first-round match against former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin and is in the same section of the draw as four-time major winner Naomi Osaka and seventh-seeded Jessica Pegula. No. 2 Iga Swiatek and 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina are on the other half of the draw. The Australian Open starts Sunday morning in Melbourne (Saturday night EST in the U.S.) and will run for 15 days. Doping and the cases involving Sinner ‘which is still not fully resolved’ and Swiatek was a topic that shadowed tennis in 2024 and is still a talking point in Melbourne. There's plenty else for fans to talk about. Djokovic will be playing in his first event alongside new coach Andy Murray, his former on-court rival and a three-time major champion. Nobody has won the men's title at Melbourne Park more often than Djokovic, although he said he still feels trauma from the one year he wasn't allowed to play. Nick Kyrgios, the 2022 Wimbledon runner-up who withdrew from an exhibition against Djokovic this week because of an abdominal strain, will face Jacob Fearnley in the first round if the mercurial Australian is fit enough to contest his first major since the 2022 U.S. Open. Kyrgios is in the same section as Zverev. (With AP inputs)
09 January,2025 01:48 PM IST | Melbourne | mid-day online correspondentA small, six-race card is slated for Thursday at the Mahalaxmi racetrack; the feature event is the Class I, Madras Race Club Trophy (1200m). The Dallas Todywalla-trained Irish Gold, who has had a decent lung opener on this track on the opening day of the season, has a slender edge over Baby Bazooka and Dexa. First race at 2.30 pm. Selections: Dr AH Sayed Plate (For 5y&o, Class V; 1200m)Sorrento Secret 1, Anoushka 2, Milli 3. Madras Race Club Trophy (Class I; 1200m)Irish Gold 1, Baby Bazooka 2. Vallabhdas H Adwalia Trophy (Class IV; 1600m)Scorcese 1, Caliph 2, Applause 3. Greater Mumbai Police Trophy (Class IV; 1000m)Midnight Express 1, Cache 2, Malet Spring 3. RR Byramji Salver (Class III; 1200m)Jade 1, Ultimo 2, Timeless Vision 3. Raza Ali Plate (Class V; H'cap, 1400m)Precioso 1, Hagibis 2, Luminosity 3. Best bet: Precioso (6-2)Upsets: Mohsin (1-5) & Raise The Stakes (4-5) Today's poolsSuper jackpot pool: 1,2,3,4,5,6Jackpot pool: 2,3,4,5,6Treble pool: 3,4,5Tanala pool: All races.
09 January,2025 06:50 AM IST | Mumbai | Prakash GosaviJip Janssen slammed a hat-trick to steer Tamil Nadu Dragons to a tight 6-5 win over Team Gonasika in a high-scoring Hockey India League (HIL) clash here on Wednesday. The result has taken the Dragons to the second spot with nine points in four matches. Team Gonasika dominated found the opener in the fifth minute. Gonasika extended their lead as Araijeet struck again in the 10th minute. The Dragons struck back in the final minute of the first quarter via a well-worked penalty corner. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
09 January,2025 06:48 AM IST | Rourkela | PTINick Kyrgios’ planned return to Grand Slam tennis at the Australian Open is in doubt after he sustained an abdominal injury and was forced to withdraw from an exhibition with Novak Djokovic this week. The 2022 Wimbledon finalist, sidelined with wrist and knee injuries since the 2022 US Open, said in an Instagram post on Wednesday that an ultrasound scan had revealed an abdominal strain and “unfortunately, [I] won’t be able to play my good friend [Djokovic] this Thursday.” He said he’d be resting and doing everything possible to be ready for the Australian Open, which starts on Sunday at Melbourne Park. The Australian, who has become a popular commentator during his lengthy stints on the injured list, made his competitive comeback last week at Brisbane, where he played one singles match and partnered with Djokovic in two doubles matches. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
09 January,2025 06:47 AM IST | Melbourne | AP | PTIIn a mixed bag for India on the ATP Tour on Wednesday, Yuki Bhambri and his French partner Albano Olivetti advanced to the quarter-finals of the ASB Classic in Auckland but N Sriram Balaji exited the Adelaide International with pre-quarterfinal defeat alongside Miguel Reyes-Varela. Bhambri and Olivetti edged past the pair of Sander Arends and Luke Johnson 6-4, 6-4 in the round of 16, winning in 71 minutes. They will next take on the winners of the match between Julian Cash/Llyod Glasspool and Ajeet Rai/Kiranpal Pannu. Balaji and his Mexican partner made a tremendous start by taking the first set from Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten but eventually lost 6-3, 3-6, 13-11 to the fourth seeds in a gruelling contest that lasted one hour and 23 minutes. Balaji will represent India in the upcoming Davis Cup tie against Togo, most likely with Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli, in New Delhi in the doubles rubber. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
09 January,2025 06:46 AM IST | New Delhi | PTIIndia’s No. 2 shuttler HS Prannoy and rising shuttler Malvika Bansod advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of the Malaysia Open after winning their respective men’s and women’s singles opening round matches here on Wednesday. There was more delight for the Indian camp with the pairs of Tanisha Crasto/Dhruv Kapila and Sathish Kumar Karunakaran/Aadya Variyath sailing into the mixed doubles pre-quarterfinals of the Super 1000 meet. Overcoming a delay caused by water leaking from the roof, Prannoy eliminated his Canadian rival Brian Yang 21-12, 17-21, 21-15. Persistent leakage had caused suspension of the match on Tuesday with Yang leading 11-9 in the second game. Despite conceding the second game, Prannoy maintained composure to seal the decider in a match lasting one-hour 29 minutes. Prannoy will next face seventh seeded Shi Feng Li of China who ousted Priyanshu Rajawat 21-11, 21-16. Malvika breezed past local favourite Goh Jin Wei 21-15, 21-16 in just 45 minutes. She will face the winner of Chinese third seed Yue Han and Yu Po Pai of South Korea. In other Indian results, Kapila and Crasto defeated South Korea’s Sung Hyun Ko and Hye Won Eom 21-13, 21-14. They will face seventh seeded Chinese pair Xing Cheng and Chi Zhang in the last-16. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
09 January,2025 06:45 AM IST | Kuala Lumpur | PTIGovind Sahani, a silver medallist at the 2023 Strandja Memorial International Boxing Tournament and a member of the Indian contingent for the 2023 Men’s World Boxing Championships, started his campaign at the 8th Elite Men’s National Boxing Championship with a commanding win over Mohammad Aarif of Jammu & Kashmir on Tuesday, Day 1 of the tournament. Close to 300 boxers are battling for supremacy in the championship, representing their respective state units. Organised by the Boxing Federation of India (BFI), in association with the Uttar Pradesh Boxing Association, the week-long tournament is being held at Invertis University in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, from January 7-13, 2025. Also Read: PCB shifts ODI tri-series to Karachi, Lahore; dismisses delay in stadium renovation The championship kicked off in the presence of chief guest Umesh Gautam, Chancellor of Invertis University and Mayor of Bareilly, with Day 1 witnessing several thrilling bouts that set the tone for the competition. Devendra Solanki of Rajasthan opened the tournament in style, defeating Donald Winston Janumala in the Flyweight (47-50kg) category. In the Bantamweight (50-55kg) division, Badal of Himachal Pradesh emerged victorious against Mizoram’s Lalhruaitluanga. Back in the ring, the Lightweight category saw Goa’s Nitesh Chawan outclass Kerala’s Mohamed Athif with a dominant 5-0 win, while Arunachal’s Ito Ado secured a hard-fought victory over Himanshu Singh. Bhanu Prakash defeated Ashish in the Welterweight (60-65kg) category, while the (70-75kg) weight class featured impressive wins by Nikhil Dubey and Arshpreet Singh Bhatti. Representing their respective State Units, each team features up to ten boxers in bouts structured under the World Boxing Technical & Competition Rules, with three three-minute rounds and one-minute rest periods in between rounds. A 10-points-must scoring system is in effect throughout the championship. Team SSCB (Services) enters the tournament as two-time defending champions, having won the sixth and seventh editions of the championship. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
08 January,2025 05:58 PM IST | Bareilly | mid-day online correspondentUttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has confirmed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 38th edition of the National Games. The sporting event is set to be in action from January 28 to February 14. "I would like to thank PM Modi. We had urged him to inaugurate the National Games. PM has agreed to inaugurate the National Games. We also informed him about the winter yatra and urged him to stay here for a day during this yatra," said CM Dhami. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) announced Uttarakhand as the host for the 38th National Games. The event will witness over 10,000 athletes, officials and coaches locking horns against each other in 38 different sports across multiple cities in the state. Also Read: Rohit Sharma’s 14 years at MI: Glorious triumphs, leadership nous and an unparalleled legacy "The 38th National Games in Uttarakhand promise to be a landmark event in promoting both traditional and modern sports in India," IOA President PT Usha said, as quoted by Olympics.com. "The inclusion of demonstration sports like kalarippayattu, yogasana, mallakhambh, and rafting reflects our commitment to honouring India's rich heritage while encouraging new opportunities for athletes," she added. The National Games of India is an Olympic-style multi-sport event that brings together athletes from states and Union Territories to compete for medals. The upcoming edition will feature 32 sporting disciplines and four demonstration events. The previous edition of the National Games was hosted by Goa in 2023. The event took place in five cities, Mapusa, Margao, Panjim, Ponda and Vasco. Maharashtra enjoyed the top spot on the medal tally list with 228 medals which also had 80 gold medals. The 2022 edition, hosted by Gujarat, marked the revival of the National Games after a seven-year hiatus since the 2015 event. During that edition, Services emerged as the top team, winning 128 medals, including 61 gold. Hosting the National Games is expected to boost Uttarakhand's reputation as a hub for sports and tourism. The inclusion of traditional sports alongside Olympic disciplines highlights the diversity and cultural richness of the event. (With ANI Inputs)
08 January,2025 02:58 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIndia’s women’s doubles duo of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand easily overcame the challenge from Ornnicha Jongsathapornparn and Sukitta Suwachai, beating the Thai pair in straight games in the opening round of the Malaysia Super 1000 tournament here on Tuesday. Also Read: Osaka splits from rapper Cordae The Indian pair, seeded sixth here, won 21-10, 21-10 in just 30 minutes to secure a place in the round of 16. On a high following their success in the Syed Modi International Super 300 tournament in Lucknow, Treesa and Gayatri faced little challenge from the unseeded Thai pair taking a 17-8 lead in no time. The second game saw the Thai pair go neck-and-neck till 8-all before Treesa and Gayatri ran away with the game and the match. Meanwhile, HS Prannoy experienced a frustrating start to the tournament as his match against Canada’s Brian Yang was suspended midway due to a leaking roof.Yang was leading 11-9 in the second game when officials decided to suspend the match, which will now resume on Wednesday with the score at 21-12, 9-11. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
08 January,2025 07:44 AM IST | New Delhi | IANSJapanese tennis star Naomi Osaka says she and her American rapper boyfriend Cordae have split up just days ahead of the Australian Open. Also Read: ‘Sabalenka is a complete player’ The couple have been together since 2019 and share a young daughter, Shai. “Hi everyone, just wanted to say that Cordae and I are no longer in a relationship,” Osaka wrote on Instagram Monday. “No bad blood at all, he’s a great person and an awesome dad. “Really glad our paths crossed because my daughter is my biggest blessing,” the tennis star added. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
08 January,2025 07:43 AM IST | Melbourne | AFPIndia tennis legend Sania Mirza is all praise for women’s World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka ahead of the Australian Open that begins on Sunday, January 12. Belarusian Sabalenka, 26, recently clinched the Brisbane International title, beating Russian qualifier Polina Kudermetova 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the summit clash, and her red-hot form is what puts her in a strong position to clinch what will be a hat-trick of Australian Open titles. “I believe Sabalenka is the favourite because this is the Australian Open and the court and the hot conditions suit her perfectly. But I feel you cannot take [World No. 3] Cocoa [Gauff] out of the equation especially given the way she has been playing over the last few months and even with the United States [she beat World No. 2 Iga Swiatek to help USA win the United Cup],” Mirza, 38, said during an online media interaction ahead of the year’s first Grand Slam that will be telecast on the Sony Sports Network. Also Read: Pak fined and docked five points for slow over-rate Interestingly, Sabalenka recently revealed that she had contemplated quitting the game two years ago when she was double-faulting too often. Mirza appreciated the hard work put in by the Belarusian to get to the No. 1 ranking from that dejected situation not too long ago. “Sabalenka has come together really well. There was a phase when she was making so many double faults and people were saying that she doesn’t have it in her to win Grand Slams. Yet, today she is No. 1. “She has really worked on herself, both mentally and physically. She also has a great team around her and all this has helped her become a complete player. She has proven to everybody that her serve now is one of the strongest on the tour She’s playing the best tennis of her life,” added Mirza, who won the Australian Open mixed doubles title alongside compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi in 2009 and then emerged champion in the women’s doubles in 2016 with Swiss legend Martina Hingis.
08 January,2025 07:40 AM IST | Mumbai | Ashwin FerroADVERTISEMENT
