Category: Other Sports

Last year’s runner-up, Alexander Zverev, served his way into the Australian Open semi-finals on Tuesday as he crushed young American Learner Tien under a barrage of aces.

Zverev won 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 7-6 (7/3) and faces world number one Carlos Alcaraz or home hope Alex de Minaur for a place in the Melbourne final.

German world number three Zverev is desperate to finally win a Grand Slam at age 28, having been well beaten in last year’s title decider by Jannik Sinner.

“Without my aces I probably would not have won today,” said Zverev, who sent down 24 aces and made only one double fault, on a match point. “Obviously very happy with my serve.

“Learner off the baseline was playing unbelievable,” he added. “The way he is playing is incredible.”

The quarter-final took place under a closed roof at Rod Laver Arena to fend off temperatures forecast to hit 45 °C outside.

At 29 in the world, the Californian Tien was the lowest-ranked player left in the men’s draw.

He was also the youngest at age 20 and was playing in the biggest match of his life, having never reached the last eight at a major before.

In contrast, Zverev is an experienced campaigner at the deep end of Grand Slams, but has famously never captured one of the four biggest tournaments.

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He was also a runner-up at the US Open in 2020 and again at the French Open in 2024.

The more experienced man made the better start, breaking Tien for a 4-2 lead on the way to clinching the first set.

Tien, who won his first ATP title in November and is coached by the 1989 French Open champion Michael Chang, went toe-to-toe with Zverev in the second set.

With serve dominating, they went to a tiebreak, where Zverev upped the ante to go 5-3 up.

But Tien refused to buckle and defended brilliantly, clawing back and then overhauling the deficit to level the match.

The American had the crowd on his side, but Zverev’s serve was relentless, and he barrelled into a 5-1 lead in the third set.

Zverev romped through the set in 28 minutes as Tien’s unforced error count mounted.

With Chang a vocal presence, Tien regathered in the fourth and had a set point at 6-5, only for Zverev to dig himself out of trouble and force the tiebreak.

With his serve blazing, the German raced through the tiebreak to wrap up victory.

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Amanda Anisimova swept past China’s unseeded Wang Xinyu into the Australian Open quarter-finals on Monday and set up a showdown with fellow American Jessica Pegula.

The fourth seed, who contested two Grand Slam finals last year, kept her cool as temperatures soared to down Wang 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 on John Cain Arena.

She will play Pegula for a place in her first Melbourne Park semi-final after the 31-year-old disposed of defending champion Madison Keys in straight sets.

Anisimova and Pegula have met three times before, with the sixth seed winning them all.

“I’m feeling great. I mean, what a battle out there today. Tough conditions again, against a really good opponent. I’ve never played her before, she’s playing some great tennis,” said Anisimova.

“There were a lot of fans from China today, but honestly, it made the atmosphere so great. I don’t find it disrespectful at all.

“They’re just very loud, so they make the energy really fun.”

Anisimova enjoyed a breakout year in 2025, reaching finals at Wimbledon and the US Open, losing to Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka, respectively.

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Should she get past Pegula, Swiatek is a potential last-four opponent.

There was little to split her and Wang in the early stages, staying on serve until the 24-year-old American finally worked the first break point at 3-2.

But Wang saved and served out to keep it level-pegging.

Anisimova was slowly gaining the ascendancy, and after a hold to love, she made her move as Wang was serving to stay alive, earning a set point.

But again, the Chinese player snuffed out the threat to take it to a tight tiebreak, where Anisimova muscled her way through with some searing groundstrokes.

Neither player dropped serve in set one, but there were three breaks to start the next set, with Anisimova snaring two of them before Wang had a medical timeout.

Wang seemingly gestured towards her groin when she called the physio and returned with heavy strapping on her upper right leg.

Despite showing no obvious discomfort, she couldn’t find a way to claw back into the contest, and Anisimova calmly completed the job with an ace.

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Record-shattering Novak Djokovic said he was “hanging in there” after becoming the first player to win 400 Grand Slam matches Saturday on his way into the last 16 at the Australian Open.

The 38-year-old Serbian great swept past Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) in front of a boisterous crowd on centre court to extend his own all-time record of match wins at the majors.

Roger Federer (369) and Serena Williams (365) are the next best.

Victory was also his 102nd at Melbourne Park, where he has won 10 titles, tying Federer for the most Australian Open singles wins.

Djokovic’s reward is a fourth-round clash with either Czech rising star Jakub Mensik or American tournament debutant Ethan Quinn, whose match was delayed due to extreme heat.

The 24-time Slam winner is in good form so far as he bids to shatter the recent dominance of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

“I’m still trying to give these young guys a push for their money,” said Djokovic. “I’m still around. I’m hanging in there.

“Obviously, Alcaraz and Sinner are the two best players in the world. They’re playing on a different level from all of us right now.

“But, you know, when you enter the court and the ball rolls, you always have a chance, particularly here, on the court that has given me the most in my career.”

But after making the semi-finals at all four majors last year and not going further, he stressed that he was “not getting ahead of myself”.

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“Last year I got too excited, too early in some of the Grand Slams,” he said. “I was playing really well and getting to the quarters and semis and then getting injured in pretty much three out of four.”

The 75th-ranked Van de Zandschulp upset Djokovic in three sets at Indian Wells last year, but never looked like pulling off another shock.

The fourth seed wound back the clock with some phenomenal tennis in set one, securing the critical break in the fourth game after a mammoth 26-point rally.

He broke the Dutchman again on his opening serve in the second set and moved to 4-2, but it was a struggle, and he became noticeably more irritable.

At one point, he smacked a ball towards an advertising hoarding out of frustration and nearly hit a ball kid, quickly apologising.

Novak Djokovic had work on his foot during a medical timeout in set three after a tumble.

They exchanged breaks, and the set went to a tiebreak, where he proved the most resilient.

“A few points before, I almost saw the physio, I was planning to see him for my blisters,” he said of the fall where he appeared to turn his ankle.

“Thankfully, I managed a good fall, if you can say that. Things could’ve been really ugly in that moment.”

Djokovic has been tied with Margaret Court on 24 major titles since winning the US Open in 2023.

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Amanda Anisimova ramped up her Australian Open title charge with a 6-1, 6-4 beating of fellow American Peyton Stearns on Saturday to reach the last 16 in imperious fashion.

The fourth seed defied a Melbourne Park heatwave to run out a comfortable winner in 71 minutes in roasting sunshine.

The impressive 24-year-old will play either 13th-seed Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic or China’s Wang Xinyu for a place in the quarter-finals.

Anisimova enjoyed a breakout year in 2025, reaching finals at Wimbledon and the US Open, and is aiming to go one better in 2026

“Super-hot today,” Anisimova said in her on-court interview, which she conducted wrapped in an ice towel.

“I had a lot of fun today playing in front of you guys, especially a lot of American supporters.”

Anisimova steamrollered the 68th-ranked Stearns in the first set at Margaret Court Arena.

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The 24-year-old Stearns held up the victory charge in the second set as Anisimova wobbled on her serve.

The world number four looked briefly rattled as Stearns won three games in a row after trailing 5-1.

It only delayed the inevitable, but not before Anisimova racked up a seventh double fault.

“We were just battling it out there at the end,” said Anisimova, who is yet to drop a set in three matches at the first major of the season.

She defeated Switzerland’s Simona Waltert 6-3, 6-2 in her opener and dismissed Katerina Siniakova 6-1, 6-4 in round two.

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Giantkiller Iva Jovic has credited “kind and attentive” Novak Djokovic for helping her make a splash at the Australian Open, with the 18-year-old taking tips from the 24-time Grand Slam winner.

Jovic, the youngest player in the women’s top 100, stunned seventh seed and two-time Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini on Friday to make the last 16.

It was the biggest scalp of her burgeoning career, and Serbian great Djokovic, who is 20 years her senior, had a hand in it.

“Actually, I spoke to Novak a little bit. So it was pretty incredible,” said Jovic.

“He gave me some very attentive tips for my game and something I can try to incorporate into this match that I just played.

“So that was one of the things at the forefront of my mind because I think when Novak gives you some advice, you follow it.”

Asked what advice he gave her, Jovic replied: “It was just to open up the court a little bit better, to not rush into the shots all the time, find some more width.

“So I tried to do that, and it ended well. So I’m just going to try to keep listening to Novak.”

While Jovic is American, her father is from Serbia and her mother from Croatia.

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She is still closely connected to her roots, visiting Serbia annually, both the capital of Belgrade and the southern town of Leskovac, where she has extended family.

It makes the link to Novak Djokovic a natural one, but also one Jovic finds “pretty insane”.

“You always think about those moments where you’re going to meet your idols a little bit, and I think sometimes for certain people it can be a little bit deflating if they are maybe not as nice or as open as you anticipated,” she said.

“But he’s almost even kinder and even more attentive outside the cameras than what he’s portrayed. It was amazing.

“I mean, he’s so intelligent and smart and really wants to help the younger generation. So I’m really grateful to have that advice.

“Hopefully, I’ll speak with him more and listen to his advice. ”

Iva Jovic claimed her maiden title in 2025 at Guadalajara and started the year in sizzling form, making the semi-finals in Auckland and the final at Hobart.

Seeded 29 in Melbourne, she will play Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva on Sunday for a place in the quarter-finals.

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An ominous Carlos Alcaraz wasted little energy in his 100th Grand Slam match to sweep into the last 16 of the Australian Open on Friday with a straight-sets mauling of French showman Corentin Moutet.

The 22-year-old six-time major winner was at a different level on Rod Laver Arena to book his passage 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 in 2hrs 5mins.

Victory thrust him into a clash for a place in the quarter-finals with American 19th seed Tommy Paul, who progressed when Spanish opponent Alejandro Davidovich Fokina retired hurt.

Alcaraz has never gone past the last eight in his four previous trips to Melbourne Park, with the Australian Open the only Grand Slam missing from his burgeoning collection.

He will become the youngest man to win all four majors should he push on and make his breakthrough.

“It wasn’t easy. To be honest, when you play someone like Corentin, you don’t know what’s going to be next,” said the Spaniard.

“So that’s really difficult, you know, to approach the match. But I had fun on the court. I think we both pulled off great shots, great points.”

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The win against Moutet came in his 100th Slam match with Alcaraz having a remarkable 87-13 win-loss record, matching the legendary Bjorn Borg at the same stage of his career.

Left-hander Moutet had never beaten a world number one and never looked like doing so on centre court.

Top seed Alcaraz was quickly into his stride, breaking Moutet in the opening game before holding for 2-0.

The Frenchman got into gear with a hold in the third game, but was largely a bystander as Alcaraz raced through the set in 35 minutes.

An immediate break for Alcaraz set the tone for the second set. But Moutet reeled off four straight games from 0-3 down, throwing in some underarm serves, dropshots and tweeners for good measure.

Alcaraz steadied and took the set before barely breaking a sweat in the third.

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Janice Tjen called it “special” after she pulled off an upset to become the first Indonesian to win a match at the Australian Open in 28 years on Tuesday.

Unseeded Tjen stunned Canadian 22nd seed Leylah Fernandez 6-2, 7-6 (7/1) to surge into the second round in Melbourne and add to her growing list of milestones.

Tjen, who this time last year was ranked 413 but is now the world number 59, is the first Indonesian to win a match at a major since Yayuk Basuki in 1998.

“I’m very happy to be a part of history and be able to get a win here for Indonesia,” said the 23-year-old.

“It was special, especially being able to do it in front of my family here and there were a lot of Indonesians, and my close friends are also here.”

Asked by AFP how her life had changed off court since a breakthrough in 2025, she said: “I get recognised a little bit here and there, and I think it’s nice, it’s a nice feeling to be recognised.”

In front of the vocal Indonesian fans, Tjen made a lightning start, sealing the first set in 36 minutes to leave her higher-ranked opponent from Canada reeling.

Tjen seized an early break in the second set to put 2021 US Open runner-up Fernandez immediately on the back foot.

The fourth game of the second set threatened to be pivotal, Tjen digging herself out of a hole on her own serve to hold and go 3-1 up.

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The 23-year-old Fernandez fought back, reeling off three games in a row to turn the tide.

The battling duo headed into a tiebreak, where Tjen powered into a 3-0 lead and never looked back, letting out a mighty roar when victory was confirmed.

Tjen’s career took off in 2025.

She pulled off another surprise in upsetting Russian 24th seed Veronika Kudermetova as a qualifier at the US Open.

In New York, she was the first Indonesian to play in the main singles draw of a Grand Slam since 2004.

The Jakarta native lifted the title in Chennai last year — the first Indonesian to win a WTA Tour singles crown since 2002.

Reflecting on the support in Melbourne of Indonesian fans waving their red and white flag and chanting, Tjen said: “It’s something special and feels a little bit like home.

“Knowing that a lot of Indonesians came out to support me today means a lot.”

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Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams said Saturday she was “up for the challenge” as she gets set to become the oldest woman to play at the Australian Open at age 45.

The United States great is back at Melbourne Park for the first time in five years and said she was grateful to have the chance to prove she still has what it takes.

The former world number one, now ranked 576, faces 68th-ranked Olga Danilovic of Serbia in the first round on Sunday after being handed a wildcard.

Williams has played only sporadically in recent years and lost in the first round of both of her warm-up tournaments.

“I’m super, super grateful for the opportunity from Tennis Australia. Grateful for the opportunity to play in front of the fans,” she said.

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“I have just received so much support in the tournaments leading up, walking around the city and everything. My hope is to play my best.”

A five-time Wimbledon champion, Williams was an Australian Open singles finalist in 2003 and 2017 and won the doubles title four times alongside sister Serena.

“This is the greatest place on Earth to play,” she said.

“I have had amazing memories here. I love challenges, so I’m up for the challenge.”

Asked by reporters what it meant to trump Japan’s Kimiko Date, who was 44 when she lost in the first round in 2015, Williams said: “I hadn’t thought about it till it came out in the press, so yay, yay for me.

“Let’s do this.”

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Four-time world champion Max Verstappen said he’s keen to get to grips with the new car Red Bull unveiled on Thursday for a 2026 Formula One season of massive change.

The team unveiled the livery for their new cars before a few hundred guests at Detroit’s Michigan Central Station, less than two months before the season opens in Melbourne on March 7.

New rules for 2026 see aerodynamic changes to make cars lighter and smaller, along with modifications to engine specifications to make for a greater contribution from electric power in the hybrid units.

“There is a lot of unknown, there are big changes in the engine, in the car,” Verstappen said. “Initially, I’ll take time to adjust during test days. The motivation is very high.”

“It always takes a bit of time to get used to things,” he added. “You need to understand where the most performance is to be found, and get comfortable in the car.

“Also, with the new engine now as well, that will take a bit of time.”

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Red Bull, which has previously relied on Honda engines, took the gamble in 2023 of developing its own engine for 2026 in partnership with automotive giant Ford, which will return to F1 22 years after its departure.

Verstappen’s run of four straight world titles ended in 2025 as McLaren’s Lando Norris claimed the prize.

But despite an inferior car, the Dutch driver battled back from a massive deficit in the standings to challenge for the title, snatching eight wins, more than either Norris or teammate Oscar Piastri.

This year, Max Verstappen will be joined by French driver Isack Hadjar, promoted to the team’s Number 2 seat after a successful rookie season with Racing Bulls.

Hadjar was also on hand for Thursday’s splashy big reveal, as was Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies, who said the sweeping regulatory changes and a new engine would make for a steep learning curve.

“I think it would simply be naive of us to think we could build our engine from scratch… and be more competitive right from the start than people who’ve been doing it for 95 years,” he told AFP.

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Carlos Alcaraz warned Friday that he was “hungry” to break his Australian Open title drought and become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam, calling it his primary target in 2026.

The world number one from Spain is the title favourite, along with two-time defending champion and great rival Jannik Sinner.

The Melbourne Park crown is the only one of the four majors that Alcaraz has never won; his best performance was the quarter-finals in 2024 and 2025.

If he goes all the way this year, he will surpass fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal as the youngest man to win all four majors. Nadal was 24 when he achieved the feat.

The 22-year-old Alcaraz, who begins his title assault against Australia’s 79th-ranked Adam Walton, said he could not wait to get going.

“I think this is my main goal for this year,” said Alcaraz, whose only warm-up was a win against Italy’s Sinner in a light-hearted exhibition match in South Korea.

“So it’s going to be really interesting for me how I prepared, which I think I just made a really good pre-season, just to be in good shape.

“I’m just hungry for the title, hungry to do a really good result here. I’m just getting ready as much as I can. I’m really excited about the tournament beginning.”

Alcaraz was asked by reporters if he would swap titles at all three of the other majors this year for one Melbourne crown.

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Underlining just how important winning the Australian Open and nailing the career Grand Slam is to him, he said he could not decide.

“I don’t know which one I would choose,” he said, smiling broadly. “Obviously complete the career Grand Slam is something amazing to do, be able to be the youngest that has done it before, you know, is even better.”

There has been much focus on Alcaraz’s coaching team in the build-up to Melbourne.

In December, the six-time major champion abruptly announced that he was splitting from coach Juan Carlos Ferrero after seven hugely successful years together, with assistant Samuel Lopez taking over.

Carlos Alcaraz began working with Ferrero, a former world number one, when he was a teenager.

Quizzed by reporters for the reasons behind the surprise split, Alcaraz said that it felt like the right time to end the partnership and was a mutual decision.

“With Juan Carlos, we decided to do it. I’m just having plenty of confidence in the team that I have right now,” he said.

“As I said, practice has been really good. I’m just feeling well. So, just excited about the tournament beginning with the team that I have right now.”

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