Oscar Piastri topped final practice for McLaren at the Australian Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton was only eighth ahead of his Ferrari qualifying debut. The top teams appeared closely matched in the final 60 minutes of practice at the opening round of the Formula 1 season, but it was Piastri, seeking to win his home…
A new season of Formula 1 begins with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne as the anticipation continues to build ahead of what could be a year to remember. The closeness of the field in the second half of last year and no team seemingly having a clear advantage in pre-season testing has got everyone…
Defending champion Jannik Sinner is eyeing back-to-back Australian Open titles, with Alexander Zverev and his bid for a maiden Grand Slam success standing in his way on Sunday in Melbourne. It is the first men’s singles final at a Slam between the top two ranked players in the world since the 2019 Australian Open, which…
Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid won their sixth consecutive men’s wheelchair doubles title at the Australian Open. The British pair have now claimed 17 of the last 20 grand slam titles in the format and 22 together overall, while they also clinched a first Paralympic gold together last summer. They were straight-sets winners in the…
Defending Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner dropped just six games as he dominated home favourite Alex de Minaur to charge into a semi-final showdown with big-hitter Ben Shelton. The world No 1, who admitted struggling during his fourth-round battle with Holger Rune, was back in tip-top condition to dismantle the hopes of De Minaur on…
Iga Swiatek continued her romp through the Australian Open draw with a quarter-final victory over Emma Navarro. The Pole’s 6-1 6-2 win means she has dropped just 14 games so far in five matches – including a 6-1 6-0 victory over Emma Raducanu in the third round – a feat bettered under the current format…
Novak Djokovic battled back from a set down to defeat young rival Carlos Alcaraz 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-4 at 12.57am to reach the semi-finals of the Australian Open. In the latest chapter of a generational rivalry that has played out on the biggest stages, including last year’s Paris Olympics gold medal match-up, it was the…
Novak Djokovic resumes his rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Tuesday in a clash of two tennis generations. Djokovic is arguably the sport’s greatest of all time, playing in pursuit of a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title. Meanwhile Alcaraz is at the forefront of tennis’ new wave of rising…
Emma Raducanu will “take positives” from her run to the third round of the Australian Open, while Jack Draper produced an “incredible effort” to come through three five-set matches in a row, says Gigi Salmon. In her latest Sky Sports column, Gigi Salmon speaks exclusively from Melbourne where she discusses Emma Raducanu’s run to the…
Australian broadcaster Tony Jones has apologised to Novak Djokovic and Serbian tennis fans for comments he made on TV on Friday night that the 37-year-old considered “insulting and offensive”. Djokovic declined to do the customary on-court interview after his fourth-round victory over Jiri Lehecka on Sunday pending a public apology from Jones and Australian broadcast…
Jack Draper’s heroic Australian Open run came to an end after the British No 1 was forced to retire from his fourth-round clash against Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz on Rod Laver Arena. The British No 1 came into the tournament with little preparation after a hip injury suffered in pre-season, which he admitted he was still…
Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka raced into the Australian Open quarter-finals while Coco Gauff recovered from a set down to defeat Belinda Bencic. Sabalenka had been pushed in her two previous matches by Jessica Bouzas Maneiro and Clara Tauson, but she was ruthless against 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva. Teenager Andreeva upset Sabalenka at the French Open last…
British No 1 Jack Draper says he is hoping for a “great contest” when he takes on his good friend Carlos Alcaraz in the fourth round of the Australian Open on Sunday. After going the distance against both Mariano Navone and Thanasi Kokkinakis, Draper again came from two sets to one down to see off…
Emma Raducanu managed only a single game against second seed Iga Swiatek as she lost 11 in a row in a 6-1 6-0 hammering in the third round of the Australian Open on Rod Laver Arena. It equalled the defeat she suffered to Elena Rybakina at a WTA Tour event in Sydney three years ago….
Jacob Fearnley’s fine Australian Open debut ended with a straight-sets loss to second seed Alexander Zverev in the third round. The Scot continues to take the upper levels of the professional game comfortably in his stride and he did not look out of place against one of the tournament favourites on Margaret Court Arena. But…
Emma Raducanu will take on five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek after battling through more injury problems to beat Amanda Anisimova in the second round of the Australian Open. The former US Open champion had her preparations for the tournament disrupted by a back spasm and she had treatment for what appeared to be a…
Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka survived a first Australian Open test, but last year’s beaten finalist Qinwen Zheng suffered a shock second-round exit. Chinese star Zheng reached her first Grand Slam showpiece here last year before going on to win Olympic gold and establish herself as one of the best players in the world. But she…
Daniil Medvedev smashed a net camera in an angry outburst during a five-set Australian Open win over lowly-ranked wild card Kasidit Samrej. Medvedev, a finalist in Melbourne 12 months ago, arrived late in Australia following the birth of his second child and was in deep trouble against world No 418 Thai Samrej. When the 23-year-old…
Nick Kyrgios says he “probably” played singles for the last time at the Australian Open after suffering a first-round defeat to Britain’s Jacob Fearnley in Melbourne. Home favourite Kyrgios, the 2022 Wimbledon finalist, was handicapped by an abdominal strain as Fearnley prevailed 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 7-6 (7-2) in two hours and 19 minutes on Monday….
Jack Draper came through a five-set battle in the first round of the Australian Open for the second year in a row. Twelve months ago, the British No 1 vomited into a courtside bin at the end of a gruelling win over Marcos Giron in intense Melbourne heat. It was cooler and breezier this time,…
