Images from Day 3 of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Wednesday.
Roger Federer is keeping a lid on expectations.
World number one Angelique Kerber crashed out of the Hong Kong Open in the quarter-finals on Thursday, the German slumping to a shock 6-3, 6-1 defeat to Australia's Daria Gavrilova at Victoria Park.
Ash Barty's bid to end the host nation's long wait for a homegrown Australian Open champion will begin against Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko
Novak Djokovic is finally set to return to action next week after six months out with an elbow injury and will then decide whether to take part in the Jan 15-28 Australian Open.
Finally clinching an elusive Australian Open crown is Andy Murray's number one goal for the new year but the Briton concedes that his hopes of success at Melbourne Park may rest on champion Novak Djokovic having an off-day.
A first-week choke by leading woman Sam Stosur and a grudging loss by ageing men's warrior Lleyton Hewitt has generally been the blueprint for the home players at the Australian Open, but teenage talent Nick Kyrgios may be poised to buck the trend of local underachievement.
'I took the wildcard for Eastbourne and it's great to be feeling the grass again, and I'm happy the clay court season is already finished.'
As countries around the world are in lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, street artists everywhere are responding, bringing a dose of colour -- and urgent messaging -- to a weary public.
Grigor Dimitrov reached his first grand slam quarter-final in over two years on Monday by defeating an injury-hampered Denis Istomin 2-6, 7-6(2), 6-2, 6-1 to end the Uzbek wildcard's fairytale run at the Australian Open.
Serena Williams, who had come into the first Grand Slam since in Auckland claiming her first title since becoming a mother, suffered an error-strewn 6-4, 6-7(2), 7-5 defeat by China's Wang Qiang in the third round at the Australian Open on Friday.
Second seeds Sania Mirza and Yaroslava Shvedova made a shock first-round exit from the AEGON Classic with a straight-set defeat against Iveta Benesova and Alla Kudryavtseva.
Osaka will bid for her second Grand Slam title in succession against twice Wimbledon champion Kvitova on Saturday, having claimed her maiden major in New York last year by upsetting Serena Williams in the final.
Roger Federer may have his doubts about Australia's Nick Kyrgios, but the firebrand talent believes he is ready to become his nation's first home Grand Slam winner in 40 years.
Andy Murray says carrying the British flag at Friday's Olympic opening ceremony will be his proudest day but admits his technique needs some work.
Six times a men's singles champion Down Under, the Serbian will be joined in making a return at MelbournePark by 2008 women's champion Maria Sharapova, who missed last year's tournament because of a doping ban.
As the curtains fall on another year, Rediff.com brings you all the action from the sports field that defined 2019.
Former champion Stan Wawrinka battled past Russian fourth seed Daniil Medvedev in five sets to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals with a 6-2, 2-6, 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-2 victory. Fifth seed Dominic Thiem kept his flawless record against Gael Monfils intact with a trouble-free 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 victory on Monday to reach his maiden Australian Open quarter-final.
World No 1 Victoria Azarenka enjoyed another walk in the park against Agnieszka Radwanska on Saturday, beating the Pole for the fifth time this year to reach the Stuttgart Grand Prix final.
The volatile 17th seed had a quiet evening by his standards in his opening match on Monday, with just the one violation for unsportsmanlike behaviour when he asked spectator, in no uncertain terms, to be quiet while he was serving.
Fourth seed Maria Sharapova overcame a second set rally by Petra Kvitova to advance to her third Australian Open final with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 victory on Thursday. She will now meet third seed Victoria Azarenka in the final on Saturday after the Belarusian earlier beat 2011 champion Kim Clijsters 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.
'When it's easy it's going to be no problem. When it gets tough that's when you know what's going to hold up and what's not'
After a near three-month shutdown, elite competitive sport in England can resume from Monday behind closed doors provided strict conditions are met, the government said on Saturday. The first major live event is expected to be the 2000 Guineas Stakes horse race at Newmarket on June 6, although racing is set to start at Kempton Park on Tuesday.
Two-time Grand Slam champion Lleyton Hewitt has flagged his retirement after a record 20th campaign at his home Australian Open next year.
Ash Barty carries a nation's hopes of ending the long wait for a home champion into the Australian Open
Halep has struggled for form and fitness since her first-round defeat at the US Open last August and came to Australia on a five-match losing streak and without a coach after long-serving Darren Cahill left for "family reasons".
Matching Roger Federer's record Grand Slam haul will act as huge motivation for Rafael Nadal
- At 18 years and 109 days, Bencic is the youngest player to win a premier-level title since Caroline Wozniacki won in New Haven almost seven years ago - Uzbek Istomin wins men's title
Cilic marches past Querrey into Queen's semis
Djokovic is clubbed with Federer, Juan Martin Del Potro, David Goffin and Alexander Zverev.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday
If there is a new member of the grand slam champions' club this weekend, nobody should be surprised -- the conditions at this year's sodden, chilly French Open suit the underdog.
Williams sisters Serena and Venus had been hoping to provide fans with the first all-Williams sisters clash at a Grand Slam since the 2009 Wimbledon final in the semi-finals.
Asked which thoughts, the world number two from Constanta said: "The only one, very tough thought is one set, 3-0 up, that I couldn't take that game.
Former world number one Novak Djokovic's preparation for next month's Australian Open suffered a blow after he pulled out of the season-opening exhibition event in Abu Dhabi on Friday due to pain in his right elbow.
Andy Murray and his coach Amelie Mauresmo have agreed to end their two-year working relationship, the British world number three said on Monday.
Coach Patrick Mouratoglou claimed Serena Williams' fitness had since gone up a notch and Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles may well be in peril at the Australian Open.
For Williams, the catsuit, she said, made her feel like a 'superhero', and the compression stockings she will wear for the duration of the tournament at Melbourne Park, have a more serious purpose.
Novak Djokovic is chasing a record-extending eighth Australian Open title, while Dominic Thiem will bid to become the first man born in the 1990s to win a major title.
IMAGES from the Australian Open matches played on Monday
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