Bencic and Paul coasted through the first set but won a total of just 12 points in the second set as the match went into a tiebreak.
Carlos Alcaraz played dream-wrecker to Novak Djokovic again as he floored the record-chasing Serb 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 for a first Australian Open title and became the youngest man to win all four majors.
Vidarbha's batting mainstay Dhruv Shorey equalled N Jagadeesan's record for the most consecutive List A centuries, registering his fifth in a row with an unbeaten 109 off 77 balls against Hyderabad.
Spain bounced back from an opening singles defeat on Thursday to beat the Czech Republic 2-1 and reach the Davis Cup semi-finals for the first time in six years where they will face Germany, who earned their own comeback win over Argentina.
This is the most open T20 World Cup in history. The traditional powers are compromised. The new powers have gained strength, observes Faisal Shariff.
World number one Carlos Alcaraz arrives in Melbourne with only one mission in mind -- claim a first Australian Open title to become the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam.
Unnati Hooda suffered a straight-game loss against top-seed Putri Kusuma Wardani of Indonesia in the women's singles semi-finals.
Mumbai recovered from a batting collapse to take a 136-run lead over Karnataka on Day 2 of their Ranji Trophy quarter-final.
A clinical South Africa skittled Afghanistan for 56 on their way to a comprehensive nine-wicket victory in the first Twenty20 World Cup semi-final.
'India needs to score big because they will have to defend those totals without Bumrah.'
With rain forecast for match day, the question looms large: could the World Cup final lineup be decided by the clouds?
Tournament co-hosts India will be out to defend their Twenty20 World Cup title in familiar home conditions next month.
Uzbekistan's GM Javokhir Sindarov set up a title clash against Chinese GM Wei Yi in the FIDE World Cup in Panaji on Sunday as the two players also confirmed their spots in the Candidates tournament.
Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott will leave the position after next year's Twenty20 World Cup.
Jannik Sinner brushed aside heat concerns to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals, while Iga Swiatek ended home hopes by overpowering Maddison Inglis in Melbourne.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty maintained their unbeaten run to storm into the knock-out stage of the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals, beating arch-rivals Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia in their final Group B match, in Hangzhou, on Friday.
'...I think they deserve the trophy the way they played the semi-final game'
Gabriel Martinelli scored his first hat-trick for Arsenal as the Premier League leaders beat second-tier strugglers Portsmouth 4-1 to reach the FA Cup fourth round.
Ayush Mhatre was on Saturday named captain of the 15-member Indian side for the U-19 World Cup to be held in Zimbabwe and Namibia from January 15 to February 6 next year.
'I just want my players to play our game, we can't copy-paste. We Indians have our own flavour, and we just need to play our game.'
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.
After the incident, Austin was put on ventilator but he succumbed to his injury, which revoked the memories of Australian cricketer Phil Hughes' tragic death in 2014.
This will be their first encounter after the controversy-filled the Asia Cup earlier this year, in which India refused to shake hands with the Pakistan players.
Alexia Putellas and Claudia Pina netted two goals apiece as Spain cruised to an easy 4-0 victory over Sweden in the first leg of their Women's Nations League semi-final on Friday, taking a commanding lead ahead of the return in Gothenburg next week.
Chelsea parted ways with Enzo Maresca on Thursday, a dramatic fall from grace for the Italian who was named manager of the month for November before the club won just one of their last seven league games to fall out of the Premier League title race.
Arsenal edged past Crystal Palace on penalties on Tuesday to reach the semi-finals of the League Cup.
Former spinner Harbhajan Singh believes India should have won more trophies during Virat Kohli's reign as a white-ball captain as he had a good bunch of players under him.
Lisa Keightley, the new coach of the Mumbai Indians, said Indian domestic players are getting the right amount of competition, which is now reflecting in their performances.
Arsenal in seventh heaven with 3-1 win at Inter
The 2026 World Cup will kick off-on June 11 with joint-hosts Mexico playing South Africa at the Azteca Stadium - iconic venue of the 1970 and 1986 finals - followed by South Korea against a play-off winner after the complex draw was made on Friday.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka has been named WTA Player of the Year for the second consecutive season after spending the entire year at the top of the rankings.
Australian Alex de de Minaur advanced to the semi-finals, where he will face Jannik Sinner.
Australia captain Alyssa Healy is set to make a comeback in the ICC Women's World Cup semi-final against India on Thursday.
Rahul Gandhi hosted the India blind women's cricket team to celebrate their triumph in the T20 World Cup.
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 one of the most epic matches I have played on this court, on any court really.'
India restricted Nepal to 114/5 after opting to bowl before they coasted to 117/3 in just 12 overs to win the title.
The International Cricket Council has come under fire for having different rules and regulations for the two semi-finals of the T20 World Cup.
While off-court battles over pay and governance rumbled on, opportunities were scarce beyond the duopoly at the top of the men's game, leaving Djokovic to provide the year's standout moments for the chasing pack.
India will have a final opportunity to iron out any flaws, especially when responding to pressure situations, when they take on Bangladesh in their concluding fixture ahead of Women's World Cup semi-finals, in Navi Mumbai, on Sunday.
