Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina and rampant world No.5 Aryna Sabalenka will play for the 2023 Australian Open crown after storming to a pair of straight-set semi-final triumphs in Melbourne. Rybakina ended Victoria Azarenka’s inspired run to be the first woman through to the final with a 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 victory before Sabalenka outclassed unseeded Pole Magda Linette 7-6 (7-1) 6-2 on Thursday …

Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina has ended Victoria Azarenka’s inspired run to be the first woman through to the Australian Open final in Melbourne. Continuing her relentless charge through the draw, Rybakina overpowered the two-time former champion 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 in Thursday night’s opening semi-final at Rod Laver Arena. The Kazakh’s victory was her third straight over a grand slam champion …

Seventy years after becoming the youngest player to win the Australian Open, tennis legend Ken Rosewall believes Nick Kyrgios can also be a home slam champion. Now 88, Rosewall still keeps close tabs on the game and has followed the stilted progress of Australia’s top-ranked man Kyrgios. Like many, he’s been frustrated to see Kyrgios not always maximise his potential …

Lionel Messi finally achieved his World Cup dream as Argentina won their third crown on penalties in one of the greatest finals in the tournament’s history. Argentina won the shootout 4-2 after a spectacular game which developed into the much-anticipated confrontation between the 35-year-old maestro Messi and his France opposite number Kylian Mbappe. France’s own superstar scored a hat-trick – the first in …

Nick Kyrgios has revealed that playing exhibition tennis in Saudi Arabia for a seven-figure sum rather than representing Australia in the Davis Cup was an “easy” decision for him. The Wimbledon finalist also said negativity towards him and the feeling of not being embraced by Australia was also behind his attitude towards competing for his country, admitting he was not …

Australia has made history with a stunning win against Denmark to progress to the World Cup’s knockout round for the first time since 2006. The Socceroos shocked the football world with a 1-0 victory in their group D match after a sensational solo goal in the 60th minute from Mathew Leckie. But there will be “no celebrations”, according to coach …

Harry Souttar knew what was about to happen before anyone else did. Kye Rowles — his centre-back partner who had been largely flawless up until this point — had made an error. It was only for a second, but in international football, a second can be all it takes. The small tug on a thread that sees an entire game unravel. It …

Iga Swiatek has powered to a stunning victory at the US Open after leaving recent poor form behind her. The Polish star came to the US Open unsure of what to expect other than that she opposed the use of different, slightly lighter, tennis balls in the women’s competition. She was trying to grow accustomed to the noise and distractions, …

A tennis fan is taking legal action against Nick Kyrgios after he accused her of being ‘‘drunk out of her mind’’ during his defeat in this year’s Wimbledon final. In a statement released by her solicitors on Tuesday, Anna Palus said the 27-year-old Australian had defamed her by making ‘‘a reckless and entirely baseless allegation’’. ‘‘Not only did this cause considerable …

An emotional Nick Kyrgios has spoken of his struggles to discover his best form after ending a three-year title drought with victory in the Citi Open final in Washington. Kyrgios took just 81 minutes to defeat Japanese giant-killer Yoshihito Nishioka 6-4 6-3 in Sunday’s final to claim his first ATP Tour title since winning at the same event in 2019. …