Rafael Nadal loses at Australian Open hampered by a bad hip
Rafael Nadal said he felt "sad" and "tired" on Wednesday, after his earliest exit at a Grand Slam since the 2016 Australian Open when he was eliminated in the first round.
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Australian Open: Michael Mmoh progresses to third round
Michael Mmoh defeated 12th-seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany 6/7(1), 6/4, 6/3, 6/2 to advance in a match played in Margaret Court Arena. The result continued the gale of upsets in the first Grand Slam tournament of the year.
Murray wins Australian Open epic as Djokovic overcomes injury fear
MELBOURNE: Andy Murray triumphed in an epic, five-set Australian Open battle which finished in the early hours of Friday in Melbourne after nine-time champion Novak Djokovic defied injury and a drunken heckler to progress to the third round.Murray hit back to defeat home hope and 159th-ranked Thanasi Kokkinakis 4-6, 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/5), 6-3, 7-5 — the match finishing at just after 04:00.At five hours and 45 minutes it was the longest match in Murray’s career.Djokovic, chasing a 10th Australian Open and men’s record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam, defeated 191st-ranked French qualifier Enzo Couacaud 6-1, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-0.Ons Jabeur was prime among the numerous seeds to crash out on Thursday although most of the carnage occurred in the men’s draw — second seed Casper Ruud, Taylor Fritz, Alexander Zverev and Diego Schwartzman were all sent packing.Former world number one Murray, 35, will play 24th seed Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain in round three after his second successive five-set triumph this week.“It was unbelievable that I managed to do it, to turn it around,” said the three-time Grand Slam champion, who has a metal hip and looked on the verge of retirement four years ago at Melbourne Park.“I don’t know how I managed to get through it.”Murray had stunned Italian 13th seed Matteo Berrettini in his opening match in another five-setter.Despite the drama, serious questions were being asked of the late finish.“It is essential we create better rules in tennis regarding the weather (light and wind) and starting times or cutoff times for matches,” tweeted tennis legend Martina Navratilova.“Murray and Kokkinakis will finish around 4am.
Djokovic adopts 'day-by-day' approach to deal with hamstring problem
MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic said he is taking things one day at a time as he looks to manage a hamstring injury that hampered him during his 6-1 6-7(5) 6-2 6-0 win over French qualifier Enzo Couacaud on Thursday (Jan 19).
Bencic unfazed by Australian Open hype
MELBOURNE : Belinda Bencic's form in the build-up to the Australian Open has led to talk of a potential title charge, but the Olympic champion said she is ignoring the hype after claiming a 7-6(3) 6-3 win over American Claire Liu on Thursday.
American Mmoh in dreamland after lucky break
MELBOURNE : American Michael Mmoh is afraid he will wake up and realise his run to the Australian Open third round was just a dream.
Qualifier Katie Volynets advances at Australian Open
Katie Volynets' stunning Australian Open win over ninth seed Russian Veronika Kudermetova would have felt a bit sweeter for her extended family in Ukraine, who take pride in her achievements amid the ongoing war.
Republic of Ireland to face China in World Cup warm-up friendly
The Republic of Ireland's preparations for the World Cup will continue with a training camp in Marbella next month, including a behind-closed-doors game against Germany and concluding with a friendly against China.