Aryna Sabalenka handed 18-year-old American Iva Jovic a comprehensive 6-3, 6-0 defeat in the quarter-finals at a sweltering Melbourne Park on Tuesday to remain on course for a third Australian Open title in four years.
In the second semi-final, India player Ayhika Mukherjee began the proceedings on a positive note for Bengal, winning her match 3-1 (11-6, 11-5, 6-11, 11-6) against Lakshita Narang.
'We were the best team in Asia at one point. Today, we are barely in the reckoning for the Davis Cup.' 'Players now, especially this decade, lack perseverance.'
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.
Novak Djokovic, who is eyeing a record 25th Grand Slam title, looks likely to need to beat either Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz or both at the business end of the Australian Open.
Hosts Italy closed in on a third successive Davis Cup title as Flavio Cobolli saved seven match points to beat Belgium's Zizou Bergs in a thriller and seal a 2-0 semi-final victory on Friday.
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.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka enters the Australian Open in her familiar role as the hot favourite but unlike in the past two years the powerful Belarusian arrives without a title to defend or the momentum of a winning run in Melbourne.
Jannik Sinner was in ominous form on the Rod Laver Arena court he has ruled for two years before the match was cut short.
Sabalenka primed for Rybakina rematch with eyes on third Australian Open crown
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.
David Miller smashed a brilliant half-century while Marco Jansen picked up four wickets as South Africa thrashed India by 76 runs in the ICC T20 World Cup Super 8s match.
Six-times champions Spain edged past Germany 2-1 on Saturday to reach their first Davis Cup final since 2019 after their doubles pair of Marcel Granollers and Pedro Martinez clinched a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 win over Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz in the decisive match.
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz clash in the Australian Open final with history on the line as Djokovic chases a record 25th Slam and Alcaraz eyes a career Grand Slam.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are poised to reignite their rivalry at the ATP Finals, with the year-ending championship that begins on Sunday expected to produce another title showdown between the pair in a season that has belonged to them.
Australian Alex de de Minaur advanced to the semi-finals, where he will face Jannik Sinner.
Top seed Sabalenka proved to be at another level, though, racking up 32 winners for the match to leave Badosa chasing shadows under the lights at Rod Laver Arena.
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.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are among the world's top players calling for the Davis Cup to return to its traditional home-and-away format and be staged over two years, a proposal backed by ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi.
Diya Chitale and Manush Shah are the first-ever Indian pair to qualify for the prestigious WTT Finals to be held in Hong Kong in December.
Williams had little trouble against the 31-year-old German although the gusty breezes at Auckland Tennis Centre played havoc with her ball toss, especially when she was serving for the match at 5-3 in the second set.
Czech Barbora Krejcikova on Sunday called for respect and professionalism in sports media as she hit out at "unprofessional" remarks made about her appearance during a broadcast on the Tennis Channel.
Novak Djokovic felt unaffected by his recent losses to the top two players in the world, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, saying that while it is not ideal to lose big matches to the top talent regularly
Climate protesters halted the US Open women's semi-final between American Coco Gauff and Czech Karolina Muchova for nearly an hour on Thursday.
The world number closed out the victory despite a few service wobbles late on, improving her win-loss record against Rybakina to 8-5.
Carlos Alcaraz has defended his decision to play in the lucrative Six Kings Slam exhibition event in Saudi Arabia
Frances Tiafoe sees huge strides for American men after another deep US Open run. The ebullient fan favourite was already looking to the future.
'I have no idea what's happening right now, I'm not in a dream, it's just crazy. I'm just so happy with my performance these past two weeks.'
World number one Aryna Sabalenka overcame Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in a gladiatorial battle between big-hitters on Friday to book a WTA Finals title showdown with Elena Rybakina.
IMAGES from all the action on Day 8 of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Sunday.
World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz came under extreme pressure before overcoming American Taylor Fritz 6-7(2), 7-5, 6-3 in a thrilling round-robin match at the ATP Finals on Tuesday, leaving the Spaniard on two wins from two.
Sachin Tendulkar was snapped, flanked by 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer and Bjorn Borg, who has won 11 majors.
Novak Djokovic marched into the semis of the Dubai Tennis Championship, with a comfortable win over Hubert Hurkacz.
Jannik Sinner began his bid to retain the ATP Finals title with a resounding 7-5, 6-1 win over injury-hit Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime in their round-robin clash.
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.
Alexander Zverev rallied from a set down to beat defending champion Alexei Popyrin in Toronto and move into the semi-finals.
Anna Kalinskaya outclassed Britain's Emma Raducanu at the Washington Open on Saturday to advance to the final, where she will face Leylah Fernandez.
Carlos Alcaraz demolished Mattia Bellucci to banish memories of last year's shock early exit at the US Open on Wednesday.
Yuki Bhambri and his Dutch partner Robin Hasse went down in straight sets to Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
India's Rohan Bopanna, partnering Australia's Matthew Ebden advanced to the semi-finals of the men's doubles at the US Open tennis tournament, at Flushing Meadows, New York, on Tuesday. The sixth seeds scored a 7-6(10), 6-1 victory over the 15th seeded American combination of Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow in the quarter-finals.
