World No. 2 Iga Swiatek defeated qualifier Maddison Inglis on Monday and reached her 14th career Grand Slam quarterfinal and third at the Australian Open. The second seed dropped just three games in her 6-0, 6-3 win. This was the first time that Swiatek has played an Aussie at the Australian Open. She has faced Inglis on her home turf before, though, winning 6-1, 6-2 in the 2021 Adelaide second round en route to her first hard-court title. Swiatek broke serve to claim the opening set 6-0, delivering a dominant performance on Rod Laver Arena. Despite Inglis showing flashes of resistance with powerful serves and winning some early points, the second-seed Pole's baseline power proved overwhelming. The game featured several extended rallies, including an 11-shot exchange where Swiatek's aggressive groundstrokes forced Inglis into errors. Inglis fought hard, winning spectacular points through effective serving and court positioning, but Swiatek's clinical shot-making shone through at crucial moments. The Polish star sealed the set with a spectacular backhand overhead winner from a defensive position, showcasing her exceptional athleticism. Serving for the match for the second time, the second seed dropped no points in a dominant display. She constructed each point efficiently, finishing with aggressive forehands. After losing the opening set 6-0, Inglis showed tremendous fighting spirit in the second set but ultimately couldn't overcome Swiatek's superior power and consistency. Swiatek holds serve to love, clinching the second set 6-3 and winning the match in straight sets to advance to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. Swiatek set up a quarterfinal clash against No. 5 seed Elena Rybakina. Swiatek leads their head-to-head 6-5, but Rybakina won their only previous Australian Open meeting 6-4, 6-4 in the 2023 fourth round. A six-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek, who has won the French Open four times, plus Wimbledon and the US Open once each, is just three wins away from completing a career Grand Slam. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
27 January,2026 09:45 AM IST | Melbourne | IANSA crop of young Indian shuttlers will aim to seize an early-season opportunity when they begin their campaigns at the Thailand Masters, a USD 250,000 event, beginning here on Tuesday. The tournament offers a valuable opportunity for the likes of Priyanshu Rajawat, Kiran George and Tharun Mannepalli to test themselves and attempt deep runs at the Super 300 level, the second-lowest tier within the main Badminton World Federation World Tour structure. Thomas Cup-winning squad member Rajawat, who claimed the Orleans Masters Super 300 title in 2023, will open his campaign against fourth seed Brian Yang.The 23-year-old from Dhar returned to competitive action after a five-month layoff due to a knee injury at the Syed Modi India International Super 300 in November 2025. Seventh seed Kiran, a former Odisha Masters Super 100 champion and a quarterfinalist at the 2025 India Open Super 750, will face Malaysia's Sholeh Aidil in the opening round. Mannepalli, a gold medallist at the 37th National Games in 2023 and a silver medallist at the 2023 Senior National Championships, along with former world junior No. 1 S. Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian, are also part of India's next generation of singles players on the BWF Tour. While Mannepalli, who reached his maiden BWF Super 300 semifinal at the Macau Open last year, will take on Thailand's Kantaphon Wangcharoen, 2022 World Junior Championships silver medallist Subramanian will face fifth seed Arnaud Merkle. Former national champion Mithun Manjunath has been handed a tough first-round match against eighth seed Magnus Johannesen, while youngster Manraj Singh will open against a qualifier. In women's singles, former national champion Anmol Kharb, who won titles in Belgium and Poland in 2024, will face Hong Kong's Lo Sin Yan Happy. The 19-year-old is a member of India's historic gold medal winning team at the 2024 Badminton Asia Team Championships. She is coming into the tournament after stretching former world champion Nozomi Okuhara at the Indonesia Masters last week. Among others, Rakshitha Ramraj has been drawn against top seed Supanida Katethong, while Aakarshi Kashyap will take on third seed Hina Akechi, Tasnim Mir will play fifth seed Huang Yu-Hsun and Shriyanshi Valishetty meets Canada's Wen Yu Zhang. Tanya Hemanth is set to face seventh seed Julie Dawall Jakobsen, while an all-Indian clash between Isharani Baruah and Malvika Bansod is also on the cards. Devika Sihag and Anupama Upadhyaya are slated to face qualifiers in their respective first-round matches. In women's doubles, Ashwini Bhat K. and Shikha Gautam will open against fifth-seeded Indonesian pair Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma and Meilysa Trias Puspitasari. Another Indian combination, Rutaparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda, has been drawn against seventh-seeded Chinese duo Bao Li Jing and Li Yi Jing. India will also feature in mixed doubles, with Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh set to face Spain's Ruben Garcia and Lucia Rodriguez. In another tie, Dhruv Rawat and Maneesha K. will take on the Chinese Taipei pair of He Zhi-Wei and Liang Ching Sun. Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy and Sai Pratheek K will face a stiff opening-round test in the men's doubles when they take on fourth-seeded Malaysians Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub and Tan Wee Kiong. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
27 January,2026 09:43 AM IST | Bangkok | PTIJannik Sinner may have felt lucky to survive the Australian Open third round but he rebounded quickly in a 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 (2) win Monday over fellow Italian Luciano Darderi to reach the quarterfinals for a ninth consecutive Grand Slam event. The two-time defending champion struggled with the extreme heat and cramping in his Saturday afternoon win over No. 85-ranked Eliot Spizzirri, and only took control after the roof was closed in the third set. Sinner later admitted he got a bit lucky with the timing of the extreme heat policy being invoked, leading to an eight-minute break to close the roof. He was also able to refresh in a 10-minute extra cooling break between the third and fourth sets. In an evening match in cooler conditions Monday, he was cruising until Darderi lifted his tempo in the third set. Second-ranked Sinner missed match points in the 10th game on Darderi's serve but then took it up a notch in the tiebreaker. "I felt quite good out there physically. Everything was okay today," said Sinner, who had limited practice on his off day between his third- and fourth-round matches. "Let's see what's coming in the next round." Toward the end of the match Darderi, in his first official head-to-head with Sinner, increased the speed of his forehand as he went for everything, and also added intensity to his serve. Darderi took the first two points of the tiebreaker but then had to pause for a few moments before serving because of a baby crying in the crowd at Margaret Court Arena. He didn't win another point. Sinner reeled off the next seven to triumph in 2 hours and nine minutes. It extended Sinner's unbeaten streak to 18 against other Italians on tour and earned a quarterfinal against No. 8 Ben Shelton or No. 12 Casper Ruud. "It was very, very difficult. We're good friends off the court," Sinner said. "Third set I had some break chances, I couldn't use them. I got tight, so very happy I closed it in three sets." Sinner had 19 aces - a personal record - and no double-faults and said he was satisfied with the work he put into his serve over the offseason. He also wanted to emphasize some minor changes to his game, including going to the net and trying to mix up his game. In a tough hold in the third set, Sinner saved a breakpoint by changing the direction of the rally with a forehand drop shot, bending his knees low, and winning a crucial point. With a serve-and-volley, he held the game. "Still room to improve, but very happy with how I've come back," he said. "Now for sure, it (the serve) is a bit more stable. I try to go more to the net and being more unpredictable." This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
27 January,2026 09:40 AM IST | Melbourne | AP | PTIWorld Champion D Gukesh bounced back after two back-to-back losses and put it across Vladimir Fedoseev of Slovenia in the eighth round of the Tata Steel Masters here Monday. Gukesh won handsomely with black pieces which should do a world of good to his confidence. The Indian ace had been playing well till the first rest day and then lost two games in a row and finally pulled one back. It was a picturesque finish when Gukesh put his rook emprise and finished the game in 41 moves. On a day when Arjun Erigaisi survived a difficult position against compatriot Aravindh Chithambaram and settled for a draw, R Praggnanandhaa escaped in a pawn down endgame to hold youngster Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus of Turkey. Meanwhile, local favourite Anish Giri threw the tournament open with a fine victory against overnight leader Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan. Abdusattarov remained in sole lead on 5.5 points despite the loss as his nearest rival and compatriot Javokhir Sindarov was held to a draw by Vincent Keymer of Germany. With just five rounds to come now, Abdusattorov on 5.5 is still at the top pursued closely by Sindarov a half point behind. The day produced just two decisive games out of a possible seven in the 14-player field and which meant that 14-year old Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus of Turkey remained in the joint third spot with Hans Moke Niemann of United States and Jorden van Foreest of Netherlands. Close behind now and hoping for a few victories is Gukesh on four points with Giri, Fedoseev, Keymer and Matthias Bluebaum of Germany all having still chances to topple the players ahead of them. Erigaisi is next in contention on 3.5 points after drawing Chithambaram while Praggnanandhaa still needs to win his first game, a rare sight in any tournament that he played in the last few years. Results round 8: Hans Moke Niemann (4) drew with Jorden van Foreest (Ned, 4); Aravindh Chithambaram (Ind, 2.5) drew with Arjun Erigaisi (Ind, 3.5); Vladimir Fedoseev (Slo, 4) lost to D Gukesh (Ind, 4); Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus (Tur, 4.5) drew with R Praggnnanandhaa (Ind, 3); Matthias Bluebaum (Ger, 3.5); Vincent Keymer (Ger, 4) drew with Javokhir Sindarov (Uzb, 5); Thai Dai Van Nguyen (Cze, 3) drew with Matthias BLuebaum (Ger, 4). This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
27 January,2026 09:31 AM IST | Wijk Aan Zee (The Netherlands) | PTIIndia's Yuki Bhambri and his Swedish partner Andre Goransson suffered defeat in the third round of the men's doubles match in the Australian Open 2026. With this loss, India's campaign at the season's first Grand Slam comes to an end. The Indo-Swedish pair, seeded 10th, went down in straight sets to the Brazilian duo Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos, losing 7(9)-6(7), 6-3 in an hour and 44 minutes, according to Olympics.com. In the men's singles event, two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner advanced into the quarterfinals of the ongoing Australian Open, defeating compatriot Luciano Darderi 6-1, 6-3, 7-6(2) in a largely dominant display on Monday. The current world number two outclassed Darderi 6-1, 6-3, 7-6(2) to qualify for his fourth Australian Open quarterfinal, levelling with stars like Grigor Dimitrov, Kei Nishikori and Stefanos Tsitsipas for the fourth-most appearances in the final eight Down Under among active players. The match lasted two hours and nine minutes. This was Sinner's maiden clash with Darderi, and he dictated the terms with clean hitting and sharp serves, but was threatened by a late surge by Darderi from the baseline, levelling the scores at 4-4. The match shifted to a tie-break, where Sinner came out on top. Sinner was at the top of his game, striking with astonishing authority and precision. Having struggled with cramps in his previous match against Eliot Spizzirri, he had some troubles in the final set against Darderi as well, both physically and in terms of the game, as the final set headed to a tie-breaker. But nonetheless, Sinner's class was too much, and he prevailed in a battle that got a little testing for him towards the end. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
27 January,2026 09:26 AM IST | Melbourne | ANILearner Tien said he was playing some of his best tennis ever after battling through a nosebleed to crush three-time finalist Daniil Medvedev and make a Grand Slam quarter-final for the first time on Sunday. The 20-year-old American, who capped a breakout 2025 by winning the ATP Next Gen title, thrashed the Russian — a Grand Slam winner at the 2021 US Open — 6-4, 6-0, 6-3 at the Australian Open. It put the 29th-ranked Tien into a last-eight clash with Germany’s World No. 3 Alexander Zverev. “I feel like each match I’m making a little jump in how well I’m playing, how comfortable I feel. Right now I’m feeling better than I have all year. The crowd support has been amazing. Honestly, a crowd like this with this much energy and support, it means the world to me,” said Tien, who has now become the youngest men’s singles quarter-finalist at Melbourne Park since Nick Kyrgios in 2015, and the youngest American man to reach the last eight at a Slam since Andy Roddick in 2002 at the US Open. Daniil Medvedev ‘Tien was too good for me’ Defeat was a sorry end for the former World No. 1 Medvedev. The 11th-seeded Russian, who reached three of the last five finals in Melbourne, was a shadow of his former self. “He played too good for me today. Could I do better? I mean, you can always do better if you lose with the scoreline I did. I didn’t manage to rival his level, and that’s why basically I lost,” admitted a candid Medvedev. Djokovic, Alcaraz advance Meanwhile, Serbian 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic advanced to the quarter-finals without hitting a ball as his opponent Czechia’s Jakub Mensik withdrew before the match with an injury. In another men’s singles Round-of-16 clash, Spanish World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz was in ominous touch as he dispatched American Tommy Paul 7-6 (8-6), 6-4, 7-5. 01No. of times USA’s World No. 29 Learner Tien has reached the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam 11No. of years since a player younger than Learner Tien reached the men’s singles last eight in Melbourne This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
26 January,2026 08:38 AM IST | Melbourne | AFPTop-ranked Aryna Sabalenka swept into the Australian Open quarter-finals with a 6-1, 7-6 (7-1) win over Canadian teen Victoria Mboko on Sunday. “What an incredible player for such a young age, it’s incredible to see these kids coming up on tour,” she said. “She pushed me really hard today and super happy with the win, and once again, in straight sets,” said Sabalenka. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
26 January,2026 08:38 AM IST | Melbourne | AFPWhile 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer rolled back the years in a series of exhibition matches at the Australian Open, his wife Miroslava, also known as Mirka, grabbed eyeballs while on the sidelines, with eagle-eyed fans spotting the 47-year-old sporting an expensive wristwatch. As Federer took on Casper Ruud before teaming up with Ash Barty and Andre Agassi to play the pair of Lleyton Hewitt and Pat Rafter, Miroslava was seen cheering her husband wearing a stunning diamond-encrusted Rolex Daytona watch, featuring a turquoise stone face with three black stone dials, and an 18 karat gold bezel. The timepiece is estimated to be worth a whopping USD 550,000 (approximately Rs 6.88 crore). Miroslava, a former tennis player herself, has been married to Federer, 44, since 2009. The pair first met at the 2000 Sydney Olympics with their love blossoming ever since. The couple have two children together: Myla (16), Charlene (16), Leo (11), and Lenny (11).
26 January,2026 08:37 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentWorld Champion D Gukesh lost his third match at the event, going down to local star Anish Giri in the seventh round of the Tata Steel Masters on Sunday. It proved to be a tough day for Indians, as Arjun Erigaisi also lost to Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus of Turkey, while Aravindh Chithambaram succumbed to Dutchman Jorden van Foreest. Meanwhile, R Praggnanandhaa was held to a draw by Matthias Bluebaum of Germany. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
26 January,2026 08:37 AM IST | Wijk Aan Zee (The Netherlands) | PTITennis legend Vijay Amritraj, World Cup winning captains Rohit Sharma and Harmanpreet Kaur were among the prominent sportspersons honoured in the Padma Awards for 2026, announced on Sunday. Amritraj was the only sportsperson to receive the Padma Bhushan this year. India's third-highest civilian honour, it recognises his pioneering role in putting Indian tennis on the global map during the amateur and early Open Era. A former Davis Cup stalwart, Amritraj had earlier received the Padma Shri in 1983 and the Arjuna Award in 1974. He had reached the singles quarterfinals at Wimbledon and the US Open twice and later served Indian sport in various administrative and ambassadorial roles. Former India captain Rohit and the 2025 ODI World Cup winning skipper Harmanpreet were among several sportspersons named for the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honour. Rohit's recognition follows a defining leadership phase in Indian men's cricket. As captain, he guided India to two ICC titles, lifting the T20 World Cup in 2024 and the Champions Trophy in 2025. After winning the T20 World Cup, Rohit retired from the shortest format and later stepped away from Test cricket in 2025, continuing to feature in ODIs. Harmanpreet's Padma Shri comes after a landmark year in Indian women's cricket. In 2025, she led India to their maiden ICC Women's World Cup title on home soil, defeating South Africa in the final at Navi Mumbai. The triumph made her the first Indian captain to lift the Women's World Cup and only the second Indian skipper overall to win a World Cup at home, after MS Dhoni. Other sportspersons honoured with the Padma Shri include Paralympic high jump champion Praveen Kumar, Indian women's hockey goalkeeper Savita Punia and veteran coach Baldev Singh. Praveen, 22, clinched the gold medal at the Paris Paralympics with a personal best jump of 2.08 metres in the men's T64 high jump category, which features athletes with limb deficiency or significant leg length discrepancy. Born with a short leg, Praveen had earlier won a silver medal at the Tokyo Paralympics and also topped the podium at the 2022 Asian Para Games, establishing himself as one of India's leading para-athletes. Savita, on the other hand, has been a mainstay of the Indian women's hockey team for more than a decade and is widely regarded as one of the finest goalkeepers of her generation. The 35-year-old from Rajasthan made her senior international debut at the age of 20 and played a pivotal role in India's historic fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics. Her experience also proved crucial during India's appearances at the Rio Olympics in 2016 and the 2018 Women's Hockey World Cup, where the team reached the quarterfinals. After taking over the captaincy following the Tokyo Games, Savita led India to a bronze medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and a title triumph at the FIH Nations Cup the same year. Under her leadership, India also won back-to-back Women's Asian Champions Trophy titles in 2023 and 2024. Coach Baldev Singh has been recognised for his transformative role in Indian women's hockey. Widely credited with strengthening the grassroots, he has mentored and guided more than 50 international players and established one of the country's most productive women's hockey nurseries. Former wrestling coach Vladimer Mestvirishvili was awarded the Padma Shri posthumously. A former Georgian international, Mestvirishvili spent nearly two decades shaping a generation of champions after arriving in the country in 2003. Mestvirishvili, who had served as coach of the Georgian national team from 1982 to 1992, settled in Haryana and New Delhi, and became a central figure in India's rise as a global wrestling force. Known affectionately as Laado within the wrestling fraternity, he played a decisive role in the early development of several of India's most decorated wrestlers. His trainees included Olympic medallists Sushil Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt and Bajrang Punia, all of whom went on to become flag-bearers of India's sustained success on the world stage. Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Ravi Dahiya and World Championships medallist Deepak Punia also trained under Mestvirishvili during their formative years. The Centre announced a total of 131 Padma Awards for 2026, comprising five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri honours across various fields, including sports, arts, literature and public service This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
25 January,2026 10:31 PM IST | New Delhi | PTIA misfiring and cramping Jannik Sinner admitted on Saturday that he “got lucky” after dropping a rare set before taming American underdog Eliot Spizzirri in furnace-like heat to make the last 16 at the Australian Open. The two-time defending champion was broken three times in the first set and six times in total as he laboured to a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory on over a lung-bursting three hours and 45 minutes. With temperatures climbing to 40C, it was not the demolition job many predicted against a player ranked 85 with Sinner struggling to acclimatise to the brutal conditions. Draping himself in ice towels during the changeovers, he suffered a fright in the third set with severe cramp that needed treatment. Hobbling, he was only saved when play was halted due to the extreme heat and the stadium roof closed. It was the first time Sinner had dropped a set in 12 matches, dating back to Vienna last year against Alexander Zverev. “It was hot today, I started to cramp a little bit in the third set, and yeah, got lucky today. At the point when they closed the roof, I tried to loosen up a little bit. It helped. I changed a bit also the way of how I played certain points. That helped me today, for sure,” said Sinner, who will face compatriot Luciano Darderi for a place in the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka, 40, made a heroic final farewell to the Australian Open in a battling third-round loss to Taylor Fritz. The US ninth seed beat the three-time Grand Slam-winner 7-6 (7-5), 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. Wawrinka, who made his debut at Melbourne Park in 2006 and won the major in 2014, is playing his last season before retiring. 12No. of matches since Jannik Sinner last dropped a set 51No. of unforced errors committed by Jannik Sinner This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
25 January,2026 09:43 AM IST | Melbourne | AFPADVERTISEMENT
