A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Wednesday.
A record-smashing Mirabai Chanu and a perseverant P Gururaja claimed gold and silver respectively as weightlifters lived up to to the pre-event hype and delivered opening day medals for India at the 21st Commonwealth Games, in Gold Coast, on Thursday.
The unseeded Bencic, who also beat former world number ones Caroline Wozniacki and Ana Ivanovic in Toronto, wore a look of disbelief after the 18-year-old's forehand winner whizzed past Williams to seal the match.
Manchester City are brimming with optimism with coach Manuel Pellegrini 'absolutely sure' of winning the Premier League title.
Mohammad Shami and Umesh Yadav's "mature performance" in the ongoing cricket World Cup, former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar feels the duo are on the path to become "world-class" bowlers and have been the key to India's success in the tournament.
Yuvraj Singh returned to form to help India heap more misery on Australia, steam-rollering them by 73 runs in a lop-sided Group Two match at the World Twenty20 on Sunday.
Axar Patel and Harbhajan Singh produced an impressive display of spin bowling as India trounced a hapless Zimbabwe by 54 runs in the first T20 International in Harare on Friday. Patel (3 for 17) and Harbhajan (2 for 29) ripped through Zimbabwe's batting order, ending the home team's challenge at 124-7 while chasing a target of 179 on a slow track at Harare Sports Club.
For the Proteas, the emphasis is on all 15 players instead of 11.
The International Cricket Council has admitted that it deliberately tries to put India and Pakistan in the same group at world events as it is hugely important for the success of tournaments.
Virat Kohli may get close to breaking Sachin Tendulkar's 49 ODI centuries record but the batting maestro's 100 International centuries milestone would stay safe forever, feels former India captain Sourav Ganguly.
Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq chose to impress upon his players to take a lesson from rivals -- India.
Shikhar Dhawan's father Mahendra Pal Dhawan on Sunday lauded his son's career-best knock of 137 against South Africa in the ongoing World Cup and expressed hope that the Men in Blue continue their winning streak.
Michael Clarke opened the batting with Aaron Finch in their World Cup warm-up match against UAE.
World No 1 Novak Djokovic eased his way into the Australian Open semi-finals, brushing aside Canada's Milos Raonic with a 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-2 victory.
Australian cricket coach Darren Lehmann warned his players against 'crossing the line' in on-field aggression but conceded that the side would always 'teeter pretty close' to the edge.
Australia shook off a nervous start and an early goal before trampling over Kuwait 4-1 to kick off their home Asian Cup football tournament in emphatic style in Melbourne on Friday.
Even as speculation about Mahendra Singh Dhoni's sudden retirement from Test cricket persists, India's Team Director Ravi Shastri today described it as a "well thought-out" move and lashed out at critics who had accused the wicket-keeper-batsman of abandoning a sinking ship.
Defending his team's tactics in the drawn third cricket Test against India, Australian vice-captain Brad Haddin said the hosts earned the right to go about the way they wanted after playing India out of the series.
There have always been question marks about temperament of Kohli. However, BCCI has always stood by him. Precisely what happened in Dhoni's case when Srinivasan was in charge. If this isn't a clear indication, what is?
Young captain Steven Smith compiled a watchful half-century to guide Australia to 259 for five at stumps and leave the third Test against India delicately poised after an attritional opening day.
Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar defended Mahendra Singh Dhoni for his "unrest" comment that got the media talking about a rift within the Indian cricket team in Australia, saying that the Indian captain might have chosen a wrong word to describe the situation.
Penpix of the top men's contenders at the 2017 French Open:
Statistical highlights from the third day's play of the first Test between India and Australia at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday.
Did Mahendra Singh Dhoni desert a sinking ship or was it a courageous decision to quit in the middle of a series?
Virat Kohli said being called a "spoilt brat" by the Australians brought the best out of him as he smashed a career-best 169 to lead India's strong reply on the third day of the third Test, in Melbourne, on Sunday.
Boozy celebrations have been a part of Australian cricket for decades but Test hopeful Fawad Ahmed will be politely declining when the victory beers are passed around on the tour of the Caribbean and England.
Disagreeing with former Australian skipper Ian Chappell's claims that Mahendra Singh Dhoni should relinquish his captaincy, former Australia wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist said the Chennai Super Kings star is the ideal one to lead India.
Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood received his reward for some fine domestic form on Wednesday when he was included in a pace-heavy 13-man squad for the first two One-Day Internationals against South Africa next month.
Indian tennis star Mahesh Bhupathi insists that his consistent presence on the pro circuit should not be considered preparations for the Rio Olympics.
Ageing tour warrior Lleyton Hewitt ushered Australia into the Davis Cup semi-finals on Sunday, trouncing Aleksandr Nedovyesov 7-6(2), 6-2, 6-3 in the decisive singles rubber against Kazakhstan.
Indian rookie Karun Nair has joined the legendary opener Virender Sehwag to become only the second Indian batsman to score a triple century in Tests. Nair reached the milestone in 381 balls having moved from 200 to 300 in just 75 deliveries. Sehwag has two triple hundreds to his name, first scoring 309 against Pakistan in 2004 in Multan, while the second one was a brilliant 319 against the mighty South Africa in 2008 in Chennai.
India's skipper Virat Kohli scored a splendid unbeaten century to guide his team to a comfortable 302 for the loss of four wickets at stumps on day one of the first Test against the West Indies in Antigua on Thursday. At the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Kohli carried his limited-overs form into Tests and scored an effortless 143 off 197 balls, which was laced with 16 boundaries.
With hoards of Indian fans storming the Melbourne Cricket Ground, you could be forgiven for mistaking it to be the Eden Gardens. Bouyed by the vociferous crowd, India thrashed South Africa by 130 runs to break their World Cup jinx on Sunday.
With another Australian Open title having slipped through his fingers after a tournament plagued by off-court dramas, Andy Murray could not wait to see the back of Melbourne Park after losing his fifth final on Sunday.
Australia coach Darren Lehmann has turned the blowtorch on Nathan Lyon, saying the spinner had not "delivered" in second innings spells to drive the Test team to victory.
"I tried not to show it. I was just trying to breathe and relax and stick to what we have been doing at training."
Roger Federer sees light at end of dark tunnel.
George Bailey is resigned to the idea that he may well go from captaining Australia against England in the opener to being dropped.
Battered and bruised, Australia scored a consolation victory, thrashing Bangladesh by seven wickets, to round off a disappointing campaign in the ICC World Twenty20, in Mirpur, on Tuesday.
India's World Cup-winning coach Gary Kirsten termed Indian cricket team as an "incredibly strong unit which opponents will find it tough to beat" during the upcoming mega event starting February 14.
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