Coco Gauff started her quest for a maiden Australian Open title with a straight games win over Kamilla Rakhimova to reach the second round.
It's been well over two decades but missing an Olympic medal after coming reasonably close to it rankles Mohammed Riaz to this date even though some of his regret has eased after seeing the national team claim podium finishes in the mega-event's last two editions.
Poland created the first upset in the men's competition of the hockey Olympic Qualification tournament by defeating higher-ranked Canada 3-2 while France registered their second successive win in the tournament, spanking a lowly Singapore 9-0 in New Delhi on Sunday.
A summary of Friday's action in the FIFA World Cup 2026 UEFA Qualifiers.
IMAGES from the Australian Open matches played at Melbourne Park in Melbourne on Thursday.
The year began on an unusually dull note with boxers absent from most international competition in the aftermath of a medal-less Olympic campaign.
The 35th-ranked Bencic did not do a lot wrong but was broken twice in the first set and three times in the second as a sizzling Swiatek brought her A-game to what turned into a one-sided contest.
Naomi Osaka has parted ways with coach Wim Fissette after four years together across two stints, the 26-year-old announced late on Friday.
Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa kept himself in hunt for an overall top four finish in the Grand Chess Tour after a draw with Wesley So of the United States in the eighth and penultimate round of the Sinquefield Cup in St Louis (USA).
Iga Swiatek, who beat American 13th seed Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in the Wimbledon final on Saturday to win her sixth Grand Slam title.
"We're adding zero points to our account ahead of the third match, which will definitely be lost," goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny had said on the eve of the Mexico game.
India's world champion Neeraj Chopra dethroned Grenada's Anderson Peters to reclaim the number one spot in men's javelin throw world rankings following a string of brilliant performances on the international stage recently.
Ace javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, widely admired for his humility and poise, on Saturday acknowledged the greatness of India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who he believes can be a javelin throw star.
World champion D Gukesh was held to a draw by the lone wild card Samuel Sevian, while fellow Indian R Praggnanandhaa also split the point with Nodirbek Abdusattorov.
Teenager Andreeva marches into Wimbledon last 16
'Last year, I messed up some good positions against him, I think I did not beat him (in classical) for almost two years now, so finally it's good to get a win.'
World Junior Ch'ships: India off to flying start; Sri Lanka edge UAE in thriller
R Praggnanandhaa sealed his spot in the Grand Chess Tour finale after finishing runner-up at the Sinquefield Cup.
Xavi Hernandez and Pep Guardiola's applications were not genuine: AIFF
Top seed Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and No. 8 seed Hubert Hurkacz of Poland will clash in the ABN Amro Open semi-finals on Saturday after both posted victories on Friday in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
IMAGES from the FIFA World Cup Group C match played between Poland and Saudi Arabia at Education City Stadium on Saturday.
Vantika Agrawal humbled former World champion Anna Ushenina in the second round of FIDE Women's World Chess Cup in Batumi, Georgia, on Wednesday.
Former champion Iga Swiatek kicked off her US Open campaign with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Colombia's Emiliana Arango on Tuesday as the Pole aims to keep her hot streak on track in New York.
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa played out a draw with Duda Jan-Krzysztof of Poland to maintain joint lead with 3.5 points
Poland's Iga Swiatek will play in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Malaga in November, where they face hosts Spain in the opening match, the world number two said on Tuesday
Novak Djokovic battled from a set down to clinch his 100th tour-level title by beating Polish sixth seed Hubert Hurkacz 5-7, 7-6(2), 7-6(2) at the Geneva Open on Saturday.
No. 2 seed Casper Ruud of Norway will take on unseeded Denis Shapovalov of Canada in the Dallas Open final on Sunday after both notched semi-final victories.
Praggnanandhaa draws with Aronian, shares top spot at Superbet Classic
Sangeeta Phogat, one of the six wrestlers who protested against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh at Jantar Mantar, on Saturday won a bronze medal in the non-Olympic 59kg category.
Poland's Swiatek, who has dropped to fifth in the world rankings, has so far failed to win a title this year despite a few deep runs in tournaments, including the Australian Open semi-finals.
Dr Karan Gupta offers guidance on how to pick the right international course and university.
For Neeraj Chopra, the inaugural edition of Neeraj Chopra Classic is more than achieving success on the field, it's giving the Indian fans a chance to watch top-class competition in person, something that will help raise the profile of the sport in the country.
The years of sacrifice and hard work is finally paying dividends. The iconic Vellamal School, which is the alma mater of World champion Gukesh, now has another international player of repute to boast about. After all, Aravindh is Gukesh's senior.
Madison Keys is the second-oldest woman to claim her first Australian Open singles title in the Open era.
Ace Indian Grandmaster Koneru Humpy once again demonstrated her strength in positional play as she defeated Polina Shuvalova of Russia in the fourth round of the FIDE Women's Grand Prix in Pune on Thursday.
Asian chess: Srija Seshadri in joint lead
Third seed Andrey Rublev suffered a first round exit after his Qatar Open title, losing to qualifier Quentin Halys 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(5) at the Dubai Open on Tuesday.
Safiullin upsets Muller, Moutet through in Mallorca
IMAGES from the French Open matches played at Roland Garros on Wednesday.
Here is what you need to know about the year's Australian Open:
