Cameron Norrie’s new attacking game style against Casper Ruud came as a surprise to many, but not to his next opponent Alexander Zverev.
The British number one eschewed his usual grinding baseline game, making frequent forays to the net, and his reward was the best grand slam victory of his career.
Through to the fourth round of the Australian Open for the first time, Norrie will try to break more new ground with victory over a top 10 player at a major.
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Zverev had a sneak peek at Norrie’s new tactics when they trained together during pre-season and the German said: “I actually thought he played exactly what he was working on in the off-season.
“We obviously spent the off-season together in Monaco, so I’ve seen him every single day. This is exactly what he was working on.”
He continued: “When you think of Cameron Norrie, you normally think of somebody who grinds a lot, a big fighter. But in the off-season he really worked on his game and he really worked on the aggressive style of play. He really worked on coming forward.
“It was very noticeable in December, and you can see it on the court now. The work is paying off for him.”
Norrie moved to Monte Carlo in 2022, partly because it would mean being able to train with some of the best players in the world, while he hired a new assistant coach in former Wimbledon doubles champion Stephen Huss.
Having struggled during the second half of last season, Norrie appears rejuvenated and he said: “Even just being in the second week for the first time in Australia, never done that. It means a lot to do that and start the year playing some good tennis.
“I think it just helped having a good break and a really good off-season to put a lot of time on the court and get better as a player.
“I think it just comes down to how can you play the biggest points the best and feeling calm and feeling good about yourself. I have done that, and I was feeling that coming into the season.
“I want to keep going. I know it just gets tougher. Next match is going to be tougher.”
Norrie will certainly have to adjust the game plan for his clash with sixth-ranked Zverev, who has made a strong return to the top of the sport following a serious ankle injury in 2022.
The British number one relentlessly attacked Ruud’s backhand but Zverev has one of the best in the business, while putting the German under pressure on serve will be a challenge.
Much of the attention on Zverev this fortnight has been regarding his forthcoming court case to contest domestic abuse charges, which he denies, but whatever the rights and wrongs of his position on the ATP Player Council or continued participation on the tour, he remains an exceptional player.
He has beaten Norrie on each of the four previous occasions they have played without dropping a set.
“I sat down with (coach) Facu (Lugones) and watched the matches with Casper back, and we talked a lot about what wasn’t working,” said Norrie, who had also lost three times to Ruud prior to Saturday’s victory.
“I think there will be a lot of things in there with Zverev. The last few times I have played him, it’s kind of been a similar match every time, a tough set and then he’s run away with it.”
Zverev is taking nothing for granted, saying of Norrie: “He’s playing great tennis, beating Casper. I think Casper was undefeated in Australia so far this year, also playing great tennis. I’m looking forward to a tough match.
“I think everybody is always improving. Everybody is always trying new things. I think with Cam this year, you definitely see that. I’m just going to try to keep going for it and just try to extend my lead.”
Manchester City signed Netherlands midfielder Nigel de Jong on this day in 2009 as a remarkable spending spree gathered pace.
The club were undergoing an astonishing overhaul following the takeover of Sheikh Mansour the previous summer and De Jong became a key cog in their rapid transformation from mid-table battlers to eventual champions.
De Jong, then 29, penned a four-and-a-half-year contract with the Premier League club after City agreed a fee of around £18million with Hamburg.
His arrival came soon after the high-profile captures of Craig Bellamy and Wayne Bridge at the then City of Manchester Stadium and was quickly followed, in the same transfer window, by that of goalkeeper Shay Given.
City had begun sending shockwaves through the transfer market on the day of the sheikh’s takeover in August 2008 when they snapped up Brazilian Robinho from Real Madrid for £32.5million.
They had set their sights even higher in January 2009 as they made an audacious, then world record, £100million attempt to buy Kaka from AC Milan.
That failed but De Jong’s signing, albeit far more modest, proved sensible as the defensive midfielder added steel to a side needing a grafter amid a huge influx of exciting attacking talent. Emmanuel Adebayor, Roque Santa Cruz and Carlos Tevez were among the newcomers the following summer.
The Dutchman went on to make 137 appearances for City over three and a half years, helping them win the FA Cup and Premier League, before leaving for Milan.
He later had spells in the United States, Turkey and Qatar and also earned 81 international caps before retiring in 2021.
Novak Djokovic equalled Roger Federer’s record by reaching a 58th grand slam quarter-final in style at the Australian Open.
It appeared the world number one might do so by becoming the first player to claim a ‘triple bagel’ victory at the tournament when he won the first 13 games against Adrian Mannarino.
The Frenchman looked hugely relieved when he finally got on the board in the second game of the third set but Djokovic, playing in his 73rd major tournament, eased to a 6-0 6-0 6-3 victory.
Having started the tournament battling illness and surviving two long matches, Djokovic is now looking in ominous form, although he still became riled by the crowd at times.
“The best sets I’ve played in a while,” the Serbian said afterwards. “I really wanted to lose that game in the third set because the tension was building up so much in the stadium. I needed to get that out of the way and refocus on what I needed to do to finish the match.
“I served very well. In the moments when I needed to come up with the first serve, I did. All in all, great performance.
“The last couple of days has been really good so it’s going in a positive direction health wise, tennis wise, so I’m really happy.”
Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff restored order at the Australian Open by easing into the quarter-finals.
While Iga Swiatek’s shock loss to Linda Noskova on Saturday means no top-10 seeds made the fourth round in the top half of the draw, Sabalenka and Gauff are on a semi-final collision course in the bottom half.
Neither has yet dropped a set and they lost only eight games between them in the fourth round, Sabalenka beating Amanda Anisimova 6-3 6-2 and Gauff racing to a 6-1 6-2 victory over Magdalena Frech.
It was a particularly impressive win and performance from defending champion Sabalenka, who had lost four of her previous five matches against Anisimova.
The 22-year-old American has been resurgent here having missed most of last season for mental health reasons but could not match the precision power of her opponent.
Anisimova reacted to the defeat by dropping her racket on the court and leaving it there as she walked off Margaret Court Arena.
“I’m super happy with the level, happy to get this win,” said Sabalenka. “She’s a tough opponent and I’m super happy to see her back on tour. I’m pretty sure she’ll be back at the top soon.
“I really want to stay here as long as I can until the very last day and, hopefully, we can get this one one more time.”
Gauff is treading new ground having made it through to the last eight at Melbourne Park for the first time.
“I’m super happy to be in this position and be here,” said the 19-year-old. “I think I had three fourth rounds. It’s cool to get over that hump. Hopefully I can keep going for more.”
Next she will take on Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk, who made the last eight at a slam for the first time with a 6-2 6-1 victory over qualifier Maria Timofeeva.
A late Christian McCaffrey touchdown gave the San Francisco 49ers a 24-21 win over the Green Bay Packers and moved them one win from the Super Bowl.
The 49ers, the number one seeds in the NFC, had trailed 21-14 heading into the fourth quarter.
Jake Moody cut the gap with a 52-yard field goal before McCaffrey crashed his way over from six yards with 67 seconds on the clock.
Brock Purdy’s 32-yard touchdown pass to George Kittle had given the 49ers a 7-6 interval lead, the Packers responding after the break as Jordan Love threw touchdown passes to Bo Melton and Tucker Kraft either side of McCaffrey’s first score of the night.
The 49ers had not come from behind to win throughout the regular season, but Purdy drove them into position for the decisive score after rookie Anders Carlson had missed a field goal from 41 yards for Green Bay.
In the AFC, the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens saw off the Houston Texans 34-10.
Lamar Jackson threw for two touchdown passes, running for two more as the Ravens pulled away in the second half.
The two teams swapped field goals in the first quarter, Jackson finding Nelson Agholor from three yards in the second quarter before Steven Sims’ 67-yard punt return tied things up at 10-10.
Jackson eased the Ravens in front in the third quarter as he ran in on a score from 15 yards.
The Ravens pulled away in the final quarter, Jackson finding Isaiah Likely from 15 yards and going in himself from eight yards. Nick Tucker capped off the victory with a field goal from 43 yards late on.
The Ravens will host the Buffalo Bills or defending champion Kansas City Chiefs, who meet on Monday, in the AFC Championship game.
The 49ers will entertain the Detroit Lions or Tampa Bay Buccaneers to decide the NFC champions.
Donovan Mitchell and Sam Merrill each scored 18 points to lead seven players in double figures and the Cleveland Cavaliers rolled to their seventh straight victory, 116-95 over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.
Jarrett Allen had 14 points with 11 rebounds and Dean Wade added 17 points as the Cavaliers scored the game’s first 10 points and never trailed to improve to 3-0 this season against the Hawks.
Cleveland is 12-3 since starters Darius Garland and Evan Mobley were injured.
Dejounte Murray tallied 24 points, nine rebounds and five assists for Atlanta, which had a three-game winning streak snapped.
Hawks star Trae Young left the game with 8:43 remaining after taking a charge from Isaac Okoro. Young, who was hit in the face by an inadvertent elbow, remained on the court for a few minutes but walked back to the locker room with the game out of reach.
Embiid extends streak for surging 76ers
Joel Embiid scored 33 points to extend his franchise-record streak of 30 or more to 20 games, leading the Philadelphia 76ers to their fifth straight win, 97-89 over the Charlotte Hornets.
Embiid, who added 10 rebounds, last failed to reach 30 points in a loss to Boston on Nov. 15, when he had 20 points.
Tobias Harris scored 21 points and Tyrese Maxey contributed 16 with eight assists for Philadelphia, which limited Charlotte to 16 fourth-quarter points after entering the period trailing by four.
Lillard scores 45 as Bucks win
Damian Lillard poured in 45 points and handed out 11 assists as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the lowly Detroit Pistons, 141-135.
Lillard became the first player in franchise history with at least 40 points, 10 assists and five 3-pointers in a game.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 31 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, but missed 11 of 22 free throw attempts. Brook Lopez added 19 points as Milwaukee won its fourth in five games.
Detroit dropped to 2-37 in its last 39 games.
AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan said “something must be done” about racial abuse in football after walking off the pitch during a Serie A match at Udinese.
The 28-year-old France international and his team-mates walked off the pitch during the first half on Saturday, Maignan apparently indicating to referee Fabio Marescan he had heard the abuse from the crowd at the Stadio Friuli.
“I heard them making monkey noises,” Maignan told Milan TV.
“After it happened a second time, I went to the dugout to inform them of what had happened behind the goal.
“This shouldn’t exist in the world of football, but unfortunately for many years this is a recurrence.
“We all have to react, we must do something because you can’t play like this.”
He continued: “We accept the boos because that’s how it is away from home, but this issue of racism must not reach this level.
“With all the cameras present and sanctions for these things, something must be done to change things.”
Once play resumed after a short break, Milan won 3-2 with substitute Noah Okafor grabbing the winner in added time.
Maignan received support on social media after the match, Milan posting on X, formerly Twitter: “There is absolutely no place in our game for racism: we are appalled. We are with you, Mike.”
Inter, leaders of Serie A, were quick to reply to the post in support of their city rivals.
The Nerazzurri added on X: “We are brothers of the world, against all forms of discrimination. By your side.”
The official account of the league, @SerieA, added: “The league condemns all forms of racism.”
France striker Kylian Mbappe said “enough is enough” as he posted a message of support to Maignan on X.
He said: “You are very far from being alone Mike Maignan. We are all with you.
“Still the same problems and still NO solution. Enough is enough. NO TO RACISM.”
Former England and Arsenal striker Ian Wright applauded the “solidarity” in the Milan side and urged teams to “keep walking off” when they hear abuse and called for stronger sanctions.
He wrote on X: “We did ‘playing through it’ and nothing has changed. Points deductions needed, the fines are pointless.”
The Baltimore Ravens moved to within one win of the Super Bowl as they saw off the Houston Texans 34-10.
Lamar Jackson threw for two touchdown passes, running for two more as the Ravens pulled away in the second half.
The two teams swapped field goals in the first quarter, Jackson finding Nelson Agholor from three yards in the second quarter before Steven Sims’ 67-yard punt return tied things up at 10-10.
Jackson eased the Ravens in front in the third quarter as he ran in on a score from 15 yards.
The number one seeds eased away in the final quarter, Jackson finding Isaiah Likely from 15 yards and going in himself from eight yards. Nick Tucker capped off the victory with a field goal from 43 yards late on.
The Ravens will host the Buffalo Bills or defending champion Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game.
Nick Dunlap will take a three-shot lead into the final round of The American Express tournament as he chases the first win by an amateur on the PGA Tour for 33 years.
The University of Alabama student shot 10 birdies and an eagle in a third round 60 – equalling the lowest round by an amateur in a tour event – on the La Quinta course to follow his second round 61 as he moved into pole position on 27-under-par.
Phil Mickelson was the last amateur to win on the PGA Tour in 1991.
Overnight leader Sam Burns is three shots back after a 65 at the Stadium Course, one of three used for the tournament and the site of the final round, where Justin Thomas equalled the course record with a 61 to sit a further stroke back.
South Africa’s Christiaan Bezuidenhout is the only other player within six shots of the lead.
Playing as a sponsor’s invite, Dunlap is the first amateur to make the cut at the event and while he will not collect the 1.5million dollars (£1.18million) prize money, a win would secure his PGA Tour card for two years.
Natasha Jonas was pushed to the limit but retained her IBF welterweight crown with a razor-thin split decision victory over American rival Mikaela Mayer in a thriller in Liverpool.
Jonas started strongly in the first defence of the world title she won by defeating Kandi Wyatt last July but Mayer steadily grew into the bout and was the busier of the two in several riveting exchanges.
It was an all-action affair but, despite being left with a cut below her left eye, Jonas, who raised her arm aloft at the final bell, was given the nod 96-94 and 96-95 as a third judge sided with Mayer 97-93.
The result divided opinion on social media but, after Jonas extended her record to 15 wins and two defeats with one draw in her home city, she indicated 2024 will be her final year in the sport.
The 39-year-old has won six fights in a row since losing on points to long-time rival Katie Taylor in May 2021, becoming a unified world light-middleweight champion before stepping down to reign at 147lbs.
She told Sky Sports: “Unfortunately I can’t be around forever, this is probably my last year in boxing and we want to make it the best chapter of the book.”
A rematch against an opponent six years her junior, a former unified world super-featherweight champion who was fighting at welterweight for the first time on Saturday night, would surely be welcomed.
Jonas said: “She’s in the top two people I’ve fought, she’s a very, very skilled operator and her time will come again. She beats a lot of the champions that are already here.
“That little bit of fear factor brings out the best in me, I need opponents like her to tango. With no disrespect to the likes of Kandi Wyatt, I knew I would dominate and I was supposed to win.”
Mayer, who slipped to her second defeat in 21 fights, wants a chance at gaining revenge over Jonas.
She said: “I thought I did enough to win. I would have given her the first round or two but after that, I feel like I out-punched her and landed the cleaner shots. I think that fight is worth seeing again.
“I just hope Natasha will be the stand-up champ that she is and give me another shot at the belt – I feel like I deserve it.”
The New York Islanders fired head coach Lane Lambert and replaced him with Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy in a surprising mid-season shake-up.
President of hockey operations and general manager Lou Lamoriello announced the moves Saturday after the Islanders lost their fourth straight game Friday night to the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks. New York have dropped six of their last seven.
Roy last coached for the Colorado Avalanche from 2013-16, winning the Jack Adams Award in 2014 as coach of the year. Over the last five years, he was the coach and GM of his home-town junior team, the Quebec Ramparts.
Lambert was midway through his second season as the Islanders’ bench boss, accumulating a 61-46-20 record and leading the team to a play-off appearance last season.
Despite an eight-game point streak in December, this year’s squad has been unable to keep pace in the East, and their recent swoon has dropped them out of a play-off slot.
Lambert is the fifth NHL coach fired since the start of this season, joining the Oilers’ Jay Woodcroft, Wild’s Dean Evason, Blues’ Craig Berube and Senators’ D.J. Smith.
Roy played in goal for 19 NHL seasons and is third on the all-time wins list. He won four Stanley Cups as a player.
Manchester United have named Omar Berrada as their new chief executive after raiding rivals Manchester City in a dramatic statement of intent.
United have been looking for a successor to Richard Arnold, who left the club in November, and Berrada appears to fit the bill following his success both on and off the field with City Football Group.
Berrada has been at City for nearly a decade in a variety of different guises, most recently as the chief football operations officer, also bringing significant experience in the commercial sector.
The PA news agency understands owners Joel and Avram Glazer appointed Berrada in consultation with Sir Jim Ratcliffe, whose Ineos firm has agreed to buy a 25 per cent stake in the Premier League club.
Berrada’s start date with his new club will be revealed in due course by United, who confirmed Patrick Stewart will continue as interim chief executive for the time being.
A United statement said: “Manchester United is pleased to announce the appointment of Omar Berrada as its new CEO.
“The club is determined to put football and performance on the pitch back at the heart of everything we do. Omar’s appointment represents the first step on this journey.
“As one of the most experienced football executives at the top of European football, Omar brings a wealth of football and commercial expertise, with a proven record of successful leadership and a passion to help lead change across the club.
“He is currently serving as chief football operations officer for City Football Group overseeing 11 clubs across five continents and, prior to this, held senior roles at Barcelona.
“It is our stated ambition to re-establish Manchester United as a title-winning club.
“We are pleased that Omar will be joining us to help achieve that goal, so that, once again, United fans can see, in the words of Sir Matt Busby, the red flag flying high at the summit of English, European and world football.”
AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan and his team-mates walked off the pitch during the first half of the 3-2 Serie A win at Udinese on Saturday evening.
The 28-year-old France international left the action shortly after his team had taken the lead, apparently indicating to referee Fabio Maresca that he had heard racist abuse from the crowd at the Stadio Friuli.
Maignan was followed by the other Milan players but they returned to the pitch soon after and play was able to resume around seven minutes after Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s goal had broken the deadlock.
Maignan was beaten three minutes later by a Lazar Samardzic shot, before substitute Florian Thauvin scored to give Udinese the lead.
However, fellow sub Luka Jovic earned the visitors a point with a close-range finish with eight minutes remaining, before another second-half replacement – Noah Okafor – won it in added-time.
Before the Maignan incident, Olivier Giroud had been denied in the 16th minute when his shot was saved at the near post by Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye.
The France international striker had another chance three minutes later but he failed to get clean contact on a ball from Theo Hernandez and Okoye saved.
The visitors opened the scoring in the 31st minute when Loftus-Cheek netted his third Serie A goal of the season, sidefooting Hernandez’s cutback into the corner with the aid of a slight deflection.
After the incident involving Maignan, the hosts levelled when Samardzic’s curling left-footed shot from just outside the area gave the goalkeeper no chance.
Udinese took the lead in the 62nd minute, through Thauvin. The 30-year-old former Newcastle winger capitalised on weak defending from Fernandez and Tijani Reijnders before beating the exposed Maignan with a left-footed shot.
Yacine Adli should have done better for the visitors when unmarked at the far post in the 79th minute, then Giroud headed wide, under pressure, soon after.
The visitors equalised in the 82nd minute, Jovic reacting quickly to finish off from close range after Giroud’s deflected shot had struck the bar, just seven minutes after the Serbian’s introduction.
Giroud saw a shot tipped over in added time before Okafor got the visitors’ winner in the third minute of added-time, blasting in unmarked at the far post after Giroud had won a header.
The goal extended Milan’s winning run to four matches and reduced the gap on table-topping city rivals Inter to six points.
Tunisia claimed their first point in Africa Cup of Nations Group E as Hamza Rafia’s strike secured a 1-1 draw with Mali in Korhogo.
The 2004 champions, looking to bounce back from a shock 1-0 loss to Namibia in their opener, fell behind in the 10th minute via Lassine Sinayoko’s second goal of the tournament before hitting back through Rafia 10 minutes later.
While Jalel Kadri’s third-placed team get off the mark, Eric Chelle’s Mali top the group with four points, having beaten South Africa 2-0 in their first match.
Tunisia threatened in the opening few moments as Sheffield United’s Anis Ben Slimane’s curling free-kick from the left was punched away by goalkeeper Djigui Diarra.
Mali then grabbed the lead with what was their first real attack, Sinayoko collecting the ball from Kamory Doumbia, turning, squeezing past two men as he advanced into the box and drilling a low shot that went in off the far post to add to his goal against South Africa.
As Tunisia sought a swift reply captain Youssef Msakni’s header was intercepted on the line by Kiki Kouyate, and two minutes later they were level when Ali Abdi’s cutback teed up a Rafia strike, with Diarra getting a touch but unable to stop the ball going in.
The closing stages of the first half saw Doumbia shoot off-target, before Ben Slimane and Abdi did the same at the other end.
After the break, Bechir Ben Said did well to turn a Doumbia drive around the post and Sinayoko then failed to take two good chances in quick succession, missing the target on each on occasion.
Tunisia substitute Sayfallah Ltaief subsequently saw a strike blocked by Sikou Niakate and Tottenham’s Yves Bissouma, having also come off the bench, fired a free-kick wide late on as the sides shared the points.
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