Fergal O’Brien is happy with his plan to send Long Walk hero Crambo straight to the Stayers’ Hurdle, as he begins to step up his star performer’s work ahead of the Cheltenham Festival.
Owned by Jared Sullivan and Chris Giles, the seven-year-old advertised his potential with some fine performances in handicap company, including when winning last year’s EBF Final at Sandown.
However, he announced himself as a major player in the staying division when outbattling the stalwart Paisley Park to claim Grade One honours at Ascot prior to Christmas.
Crambo is as short as 6-1 for Cheltenham success in the spring, but while some of his Stayers’ Hurdle counterparts will tune-up for Festival action in Saturday’s Cleeve Hurdle, O’Brien is content to prepare his charge at his Ravenswell Farm base.
“Crambo is in great form and he had a hard race at Ascot, so he’s just stepping up his work again and tipping away,” said O’Brien.
“Eve, who looks after him and rides him, is very happy with him and he actually did his first piece of work on Saturday since he won and we were very happy with him.
“He was in a proper battle with those boys at Ascot and he doesn’t need to do that again until Cheltenham, so fingers crossed he will turn up at Cheltenham in the same form as Ascot and do the job for us.
“What I loved about Ascot was he jumped the last and looked like he was going to go away and win and Paisley Park thought ‘I’m not giving this up’ and actually got back ahead of him.
“Five or six strides from the line, he managed to get back in front and started to go away again, so it will give him huge confidence and give Johnny (Burke, jockey) confidence in him.
“He doesn’t show anything at home but he just has a fantastic will to win.”
O’Brien is still to taste success at National Hunt’s showpiece meeting but will head to Prestbury Park with one of his strongest hands to date, as alongside Crambo, he is also poised to saddle Dysart Enos, who is one of the leading fancies for the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle.
The Grade Two bumper winner has maintained her unbeaten record since switching to timber this term and is in line to complete her Festival preparations at Doncaster on Sunday in the Download The At The Races App Novices’ Hurdle.
“She hopefully goes to Doncaster on Sunday for just an ordinary novice,” continued O’Brien.
“Fingers crossed, she can have a nice clear round there, do her job and then go to Cheltenham.
“She wouldn’t be able to wait until Cheltenham, it would be too long for her, but we’ve been very happy with her.”
Givemefive looks set to take his famous golfing owners to the Cheltenham Festival after maintaining his unbeaten record over obstacles with a runaway success at Warwick.
The four-year-old carries the colours of Smash Racing, a syndicate that includes a couple of Major champions in Northern Ireland’s 2010 US Open hero Graeme McDowell and his American colleague Brooks Koepka, who claimed back-to-back victories in the same event in 2017 and 2018 and has also won three PGA Championships.
A winner on the Flat for Johnny Murtagh in September, the Holy Roman Emperor gelding was subsequently snapped up to pursue a jumping career with Harry Derham.
Derham recalled how winning a challenge with McDowell during a Pro-Am contest led to him getting the two golfing stars on board.
He said: “I’ve known Graeme for a long time and the conversation about owning a racehorse came about at a Pro-Am event. He said if I got closer to the pin than him then he would buy a horse and I somehow managed to get it within a few feet of it and beat him.
“Graeme then got the other guys involved and they are both very engaged in all the conversations about the horse on WhatsApp.”
With Koepka’s friend Daniel Gambill also an owner, Givemefive made a successful debut for his new connections at Market Rasen last month and was a 2-1 shot to follow up under a penalty in the Hazelton Mountford Insurance Brokers Juvenile Hurdle.
Derham had been eyeing the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at the Festival prior to his second jumping start – and while that still looks his most likely Cheltenham target, the trainer admitted he will also have to look at the Triumph Hurdle following a dominant 18-length victory in the hands of Paul O’Brien.
It could be a big weekend for Gary Moore’s juveniles as Irish Derby fourth Peking Opera is pencilled in to begin life over obstacles at Fontwell on Sunday.
The son of Galileo was a Listed winner for Aidan O’Brien on the Flat before going on to finish just over nine lengths adrift of Auguste Rodin at the Curragh in the summer.
He also saw Group One action in the Grand Prix de Paris before finishing his spell at Ballydoyle with a third behind Vauban in the Ballyroan Stakes.
The four-year-old is now set to try his hand at a new discipline and, having been picked up for 100,000 guineas at the sales, has joined Gary Moore to run in Steve Packham’s colours, made famous by Goshen.
He can be backed at a best price of 20-1 for the Triumph Hurdle, but before thoughts of the Cheltenham Festival enter the picture, he will have to pass his first assignment, having been handed an entry for the Join The Vickers.Bet Free Bet Club Novices’ Hurdle.
“If everything is all right, we might run on Sunday at Fontwell,” said Moore.
“We’re running tight on time and I need to get a run into him.”
Although Peking Opera has yet to jump a hurdle in public, stablemate Salver has already put down a marker when romping to a wide-margin victory in Chepstow’s Finale Juvenile Hurdle over Christmas.
A best price of 14-1 for the Triumph, he is unbeaten in three over obstacles and holds an entry for the Grade Two JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle at Cheltenham on Saturday although ground conditions at Prestbury Park are set to determine his participation.
“The horse is very well and he has an entry just in case the ground came up soft,” said Moore.
“He’s probably not going to get his ground and if it did come up soft, he would go there, but if it isn’t then he won’t go.
“It’s a stiff two-mile-one and I thought I would just make the entry, but he would be 50-50 – it would have to be good to soft or softer at least. I wouldn’t even want too much good in it, I want it proper soft ground.
“I’m very mindful of the fact he has improved with every time he has run and it will also depend on how he works in the morning more than anything.”
Wigan’s sold-out World Club Challenge clash with Penrith Panthers next month could herald the start of a new golden era for the reigning Super League champions, according to executive director Kris Radlinski.
The club announced on Monday that no more tickets are available for the February 24 showdown, a level of interest seldom seen since almost 37,000 packed into the old Central Park to watch Ellery Hanley inspire an 8-2 win over Manly in 1987.
Wigan will be looking to emulate St Helens’ stunning win over the NRL champions in Australia at the start of last season and further tilt the balance of power in the global club game in favour of the northern hemisphere.
“To sell out so far in advance is unprecedented and I’ve probably not felt this kind of excitement for 30 years,” Radlinski, who made 322 appearances for the club between 1993 and 2006, told the PA news agency.
“It’s a great opportunity for our players to write their names into the Wigan history books against one of the best teams the NRL has produced. The Manly game was an “I was there” moment, and it’s exactly what we need more of in our sport.
“I’ve been in the game long enough to experience ups and downs but there’s a great spirit in the club at the moment. We’ve got a real connection with the fans and an outstanding head coach, and it really does feel like something special.”
Close-season additions of the likes of former Leeds pair Kruise Leeming and Sam Walters plus Catalans Dragons winger Adam Keighran, who started his career with Penrith, have cemented Wigan’s status as the team to beat for the 2024 campaign.
And they are relishing the prospect of kicking off by testing themselves against a Penrith side still smarting from last season’s loss to Saints, when Lewis Dodds’ golden point drop-goal claimed an implausible 13-12 win in Sydney.
“The Super League owes a massive thank you to St Helens for what they did, not just against Penrith but over the last four years in pressurising the rest of us all to raise our standards,” added Radlinski.
“It was an outstanding match last year when Saints won it, and the pressure is now on us to try to repeat the feat. Whatever happens it is going to be an outstanding occasion and the anticipation around the town is something else.”
Steve Borthwick admits England’s recent record in the Guinness Six Nations is unacceptable having repeatedly failed to deliver on expectations.
Borthwick offers a damning win ratio of only 50 per cent from the last six Championships – a sequence that has included two fifth-place finishes under his predecessor Eddie Jones – as evidence of underperformance.
Starting with their opener against Italy in Rome on February 3, Borthwick is determined for England to use his second Six Nations as head coach to ignite a revival.
“We want to make sure this England team is competing in every single game, which is not something you can say about recent years,” Borthwick said at the tournament launch in Dublin.
“The expectations of supporters are a lot higher than what the team have actually achieved – and quite rightly.
“The team is really well aware that we haven’t performed in the Six Nations for a period of time.
“Ireland and France have been the dominant teams and everybody is trying to compete with those two sides.
“What’s happened in the past is that lots is talked about England prior to the tournament, but England haven’t then achieved.
“Our intent is to hit the ground running in Rome the way we want with the intensity that we want to, which again is something that England have not done in recent years.
“At times we have not jumped into this tournament and have been caught in that first game.
“We want this to be a different mindset for England, a different way of approaching the game and the tournament. And we will approach our camp in Girona differently.
“We’re taking a different approach because we need different results to previous tournaments.”
England depart for their pre-Six Nations training camp in Girona on Tuesday nursing a number of minor injury concerns, especially to their back five.
Hot on the heels of George Martin being ruled out for a number of weeks because of a knee problem, his fellow Leicester lock Ollie Chessum failed a head injury assessment on Champions Cup duty on Saturday while flankers Ben Curry and Sam Underhill are struggling with ankle problems.
Borthwick is optimistic that each of them will be able to play full roles in preparation to face Italy, as will hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie, centre Oscar Beard and wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, who are also in the treatment room.
England’s head coach was present at the Six Nations launch in Dublin in defiance of Storm Isha, which has caused travel chaos across Great Britain and Ireland.
Borthwick’s newly-appointed captain Jamie George was prevented from travelling from London by cancelled flights, while France were unable to attend in any capacity because of the weather.
Six Nations chief executive Tom Harrison was also missing from the event, which forms the annual centrepiece of the build-up to the tournament.
British interest in the singles at the Australian Open ended with Cameron Norrie’s five-set defeat to Alexander Zverev in the fourth round.
The 19th seed came agonisingly close to another upset but lost out in a deciding tie-break.
Carlos Alcaraz eased into the last eight in Melbourne for the first time while Zheng Qinwen is the only seed left in the top half of the women’s draw.
Picture of the dayTweet of the dayStat of the dayJunior powerMixed doubles
Unusually, no British players have made the quarter-finals of the men’s doubles. But there is guaranteed to be a British semi-finalist in the mixed doubles, where Joe Salisbury and Heather Watson play Neal Skupski and his American partner Desirae Krawczyk.
Fallen seeds
Women: Victoria Azarenka (18), Elina Svitolina (19), Jasmine Paolini (26)
Men: Cameron Norrie (19)
Who’s up next?
The quarter-finals get under way on Tuesday, with Novak Djokovic again given a day-session slot for his clash with American Taylor Fritz.
Coco Gauff is first up taking on unseeded Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, while defending women’s champion Aryna Sabalenka plays Barbora Krejcikova at night.
The final match of the day pits fourth seed Jannik Sinner, who is yet to drop a set, against fifth seed Andrey Rublev.
Jonbon is the headline act among six entries for the rearranged Clarence House Chase at Cheltenham – but Gary Moore is hoping history will repeat itself for defending champion Editeur Du Gite.
Nicky Henderson’s Tingle Creek hero began his campaign with victory in the Shloer Chase at Prestbury Park in November and was fully on course for a clash with old adversary El Fabiolo at the race’s traditional home of Ascot last Saturday.
With that card falling victim to the weather, the Seven Barrows handler was eager for the race to be swiftly rearranged to the Cheltenham Festival Trials Day, as it was when Editeur Du Gite downed Edwardstone and Energumene in a thrilling contest 12 months ago.
There is set to be no Irish representation this time around, with as expected El Fabiolo keeping his powder dry in favour of the Dublin Chase at Leopardstown a week later.
But Jonbon will head to the Cotswolds, with Moore also keen to add Editeur Du Gite’s name to the mix on the back of his second Desert Orchid Chase victory over the Christmas period.
“It would be nice wouldn’t it, if lightning could strike twice,” said Moore.
“He seems in good order and the horse is very well – he’s entitled to take his chance.
“We’re under no illusions we will beat Jonbon, but I just hope he runs a big race – I’m sure he will.”
Dan Skelton’s Nube Negra got the better of Elixir De Nutz in the battle for second when three lengths adrift of Editeur Du Gite at Kempton last month and both are set to reoppose in the Grade One contest.
Despite struggling to make an impression so far this term, Venetia Williams’ Funambule Sivola finished second in the Champion Chase behind Energumene in 2022 and represents a team in good order.
Richard Hobson’s December Gold Cup hero Fugitif completes the entries but is also engaged in the £100,000 Paddy Power Cheltenham Countdown Podcast Handicap Chase on the card.
Andy Farrell says he does not buy in to so-called World Cup cycles as Ireland prepare for their Guinness Six Nations title defence.
Ireland kick off the tournament against France in Marseille on February 2 – their first game since making a crushing World Cup quarter-final exit to New Zealand.
World Cup skipper Johnny Sexton and wing Keith Earls have since retired, while the likes of Ross Byrne, Dave Kilcoyne, Rob Herring, Mack Hansen and Jimmy O’Brien now miss out due to injuries.
Munster flanker Peter O’Mahony has succeeded Sexton as captain, but Ireland head coach Farrell is keen to build, rather than make a fresh post-World Cup start for Australia 2027.
And that approach is underlined by him selecting 26 players in his Six Nations squad who travelled to the World Cup in France.
“You look at the squad we have picked,” Farrell said, speaking at the Six Nations media launch in Dublin.
“Over the last couple of years we have capped a lot of players. Some of those players are under 10 caps or so, some have not been involved in the squad over the last 12-18 months, so trying to grow the squad in that sense is pretty important.
“Is this a new start? It’s not, because of everything we have been through.
“We want to continue to grow, we want to continue to evolve our game, and you don’t do that by just cutting the legs off it and going again.
“Competition for places is premium, and it has to stay that way, so this is the start of a new Six Nations.
“I don’t buy into the four-year cycle that tends to come around when World Cups are finished.”
Key to the Six Nations campaign will be 34-year-old O’Mahony, who first captained Ireland in a 15-12 win over the United States in June 2013 and has won 101 caps.
Farrell picked him for the role ahead of players like James Ryan, Iain Henderson, Garry Ringrose and Caelan Doris.
O’Mahony guided Munster to last season’s United Rugby Championship title but stepped down as skipper of his province in November after 10 years in the role.
Farrell added: “There are a few candidates because we have got some great leadership within the group, and that will continue to grow and Peter will be at the heart of that to help it.
“There are certain people that make the room feel right. It is pretty important around the place, and certainly on match-day, that you have that type of person in the dressing room, and Peter is certainly one of those.
“Just being himself and helping others to grow. I know he will do the country proud.”
And O’Mahony said: “It is a huge honour. I am incredibly grateful to be asked.
“I think I have done it on 10 occasions, but to do it for a Six Nations campaign is very special and probably the biggest honour of my career so far.
“I wasn’t expecting it, to be honest. It was a special phone call to get (from Farrell), and a huge honour.”
Nikola Jokic displayed just why he is such a stellar talent as the Denver Nuggets defeated the Washington Wizards, so says Michael Malone.
Jokic scored a season-high 42 points, adding 12 rebounds and eight assists, as the Nuggets won 113-104 on Sunday.
It marked Jokic's highest points tally since he scored 46 against the New Orleans Pelicans in June 2022.
The Nuggets are now 30-14 for the season and are third in the Western Conference, and coach Malone was effusive in his praise for the 28-year-old.
"Nikola was phenomenal tonight from beginning to end," Malone said.
"He continues to illustrate why he's the player that he is."
Even though the Nuggets were playing on the road, there were chants of "MVP" from the crowd as Jokic sank his final free throws of the game.
"That's unique," Malone said.
"It doesn't happen very often, so I think it's just recognising greatness.
"Here's a guy who was a two-time MVP as a second-round draft pick that brought a franchise its first world championship in history, and he's a Finals MVP as well."
Despite having lost their last four games in a row, Malone believes the Wizards provided a stern challenge to his team.
He said: "That’s what happens when you're the reigning world champs.
"You have to be up for those games because you know you're going to be getting everybody's best."
Betfair Chase champion Royale Pagaille will get the chance to strengthen Venetia Williams’ Cheltenham Gold Cup hand in the Paddy Power Cotswold Chase.
Owned by Rich and Susannah Ricci, the 10-year-old looked to be at the peak of his powers at Haydock in November when scooping his first Grade One success, and is one of six entries for the blue riband trial at Prestbury Park on Saturday.
Royale Pagaille was set to return to his favoured Merseyside venue for a crack at the Peter Marsh before the cold snap intervened, but his trainer is more than happy to head to Cheltenham, where he could follow up stablemate L’Homme Presse’s dazzling success in Lingfield’s Fleur De Lys Chase.
“He’s been good since Haydock (Betfair Chase), the Peter Marsh looked a nice opportunity for him, but he’s not run badly at Cheltenham before so we will see,” said Williams.
“If you take his run in the Betfair at Haydock in a straight line, it suggests, at the age he is, he is at a career high, so let’s hope. We will see how we get on.”
Patrick Neville’s King George fourth The Real Whacker and Paul Nicholls’ well-regarded novice Stay Away Fay both have fond memories of Prestbury Park and were successful at the Cheltenham Festival last year, while Lucinda Russell will be hoping a return to the Cotswolds inspires Ahoy Senor, who was victorious 12 months ago.
Jamie Snowden’s Coral Gold Cup hero Datsalrightgino and Irish raider Capodanno are also in the mix.
There may be no Constitution Hill in the Unibet Hurdle, but it promises to be a competitive event with 10 in the mix at the six-day stage.
Willie Mullins has three possible runners, with Festival scorers Impaire Et Passe and Lossiemouth both handed entries alongside stablemate and fellow Grade One winner Gala Marceau. However, both Lossiemouth and Gala Marceau are engaged at Doncaster on the same afternoon.
Rubaud has marked himself out as one of the best British two-mile hurdlers this term and chased home Constitution Hill at Christmas, while James Owen has given Triumph Hurdle favourite Burdett Road the option of competing in open company despite also holding an entry for the Triumph trial that opens proceedings.
Love Envoi has seen possible outings at both Sandown and Lingfield scuppered by the weather in recent weeks, but now gets the chance to return to a track where she has a fine record.
“We looked at going to Lingfield but obviously that wasn’t on, but she will have a run in the International on Saturday,” said Noel Fehily of her owners Noel Fehily Racing Syndicates.
“She’s run well on the New course before, she’s in great form and we’re really looking forward to getting her out again.
“There are probably going to be a few Irish horses coming over, but it is a good race, there’s plenty of prize-money on offer. It’s going to be competitive, but we’re looking forward to running her.”
Also on the card some of the best staying hurdlers around will clash in the McCoy Contractors Cleeve Hurdle and Emma Lavelle’s Paisley Park is one of 10 entrants as he seeks his fourth victory in the race.
Fellow veteran Dashel Drasher was second in the race behind French raider Gold Tweet last year before filling the same spot in the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Festival, while Nicky Henderson could call on the services of both Champ and Marie’s Rock.
Emmet Mullins’ Grand National hero Noble Yeats and Dan Skelton’s West Balboa are other notable names on the list of entrants.
Cameron Norrie leaves Australia convinced he can compete with the world’s best after suffering an agonising five-set loss to Alexander Zverev.
The British number one broke new ground with a brilliant attacking display to defeat Casper Ruud in the third round of the Australian Open on Saturday and again showed the new dimensions he has added to his game to push the sixth seed all the way to a deciding tie-break.
Norrie, who had not won a set in their four previous meetings, twice came from behind to force a decider but it is Zverev who moves through to the quarter-finals after a 7-5 3-6 6-3 4-6 7-6 (10/3) victory.
Norrie, the final British singles player standing, reached the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2022 but the draw opened up for him and he did not have to beat a top-30 player, which has certainly not been the same here.
The 28-year-old is still yet to beat a top-10 opponent at a grand slam, but he said: “I think Sascha (Zverev) is probably one of the best players in the world at the moment, and playing close with him and somewhat deep in a grand slam, losing in five sets, a few points in it, I think it’s exactly where I want to be.
“I can take a lot of confidence from that. It’s disappointing but I think it’s nice to know I’m just looking for ways to evolve my game. I was toe-to-toe with him. I got absolutely chopped by him in Vienna at the end of last year, and I managed to take a completely different approach.
“I think there’s still lots to come. I’m still 28 years old. I think you look at the longevity of the other players playing now, I think they’re getting better. I just want to keep learning and keep pushing and keep improving.
“I learned a lot last year and the years before. I know I’ve got the top-10 level in me. I want to just keep taking steps towards that. I’m having fun playing.”
The match was briefly interrupted in the third set by a protester, who threw ‘Free Palestine’ flyers onto the court from the front row of Margaret Court Arena before being forcibly escorted away by two spectators.
Zverev criticised the lack of a response from security personnel, saying: “They wouldn’t let me into the gym because I forgot my credential in the locker room.
“What are you doing? You’re protecting players from players. Something like this happens and it takes three, four minutes for somebody to show up. I think that should be the opposite. I think, when something like this happens, it shouldn’t be another fan dragging the other person out.”
Organisers defended the handling of the incident, saying: “As soon as the behaviour was identified and reported, venue security was deployed to detain the individual.
“The individual was subsequently evicted from the event. Two patrons were active in notifying security and stopping the protester, and we appreciate their actions.”
A coordinated protest also took placed on Kia Arena, with police saying two women were evicted from the tournament.
Norrie’s tactics against Ruud came as no surprise to Zverev, who spent the off-season practising with the British number one in Monte-Carlo.
A serve-dominated first set went the way of Zverev, who then broke to lead 3-2 in the second, but Norrie played what must be one of the best returning games of his career to hit straight back and took the set with a run of four games in a row, saving four break points.
The 19th seed was unable to come to the net as much as he did against Ruud because of the quality of Zverev’s passing shots but he kept the German on his toes with drop shots and short, angled slices.
Zverev responded to take the third set but Norrie upped the aggression again in the fourth, and, after an early exchange of breaks in the decider, he withstood pressure to keep his nose in front.
When Zverev opened the 10th game with a nervy double fault, Norrie must have scented blood, but the sixth seed did not allow him any more looks and the big disappointment for the British number one was that he could not maintain the same level in the tie-break.
Norrie blamed the balls, saying: “The balls were huge in the end, and he was able to get a better hit on the ball. I mis-executed a couple of balls, and he served really well. Nothing in it, and credit to him. I think he played a more complete match than me.”
Zverev was impressed by the level of his opponent, adding: “If he can play this way then for sure it’s going to make him improve.
“Incredibly aggressive, I thought. Taking the ball very early. He usually does that with his backhand, not so much with his forehand. For the first time since I’ve been playing him, I thought his forehand was better than his backhand.”
Paul George warned that the Los Angeles Clippers never know when they are beaten after their unanswered points streak in Sunday's win over the Brooklyn Nets.
Having gone into the fourth quarter trailing by 15 points, the Clippers reeled off a 22-0 run to close out the game and triumph 125-114.
It brought up their 10th win in the space of 12 games in stunning fashion.
Kawhi Leonard led the epic comeback, scoring 14 of his 21 points during the Clippers' 22-0 run over the game's final 5:17, with Los Angeles improving from 44.7 per cent shooting across the first three quarters to 75 per cent in the final period.
"That was first of a kind, with a slow start and then get red-hot at the end," said George, who finished with 12 points.
"We're going to always compete to the very end. The great thing about this group is we don't ever believe that we're down and out of it."
After scoring 24 points and adding 10 assists against his former team, James Harden said: "They came out and punched us in the mouth and in that fourth quarter we played Clipper basketball, got some stops and the rest is history.
"It was like a party. The energy was 100. That right there is home-court advantage."
Mikal Bridges led Brooklyn with 26 points but scored just six after half-time, and he offered few excuses for the Nets' capitulation.
"Just got to be better for the whole 48," Bridges said. "Definitely not fun.
"We were stuck, didn't know what to do or how to break it."
The Clippers are fourth in the Western Conference with a 27-14 record, with a clash against their city rivals the Los Angeles Lakers next up.
A blockbuster set of men’s quarter-finals awaits at the Australian Open after Carlos Alcaraz led the favourites into the last eight on Monday.
In complete contrast to the women’s draw, all of the top six seeds have made it through, while Taylor Fritz, at 12, is the lowest-ranked player still left in the tournament.
Alcaraz rated his performance against Miomir Kecmanovic as almost perfect, the second seed hitting 43 winners in a 6-4 6-4 6-0 victory on Rod Laver Arena.
If he can maintain the same level through the next six days, he will fancy his chances of possibly beating another Serbian on the same court on Sunday.
Alcaraz missed last year’s tournament with a leg injury but has dropped only one set so far on his way through to a first quarter-final in Melbourne.
Asked what worked well, the second seed said with a grin: “I think everything. I did everything almost perfectly.
“I pushed him to the limit in every ball, in every point. Obviously he has played a lot of matches in five sets, a lot of tough matches, so probably physically he was not at his 100 per cent.
“I’m feeling better and better every day. Every match I’ve played here in Rod Laver I’ve been feeling more comfortable.”
Alcaraz will next take on sixth seed Alexander Zverev, who survived a deciding fifth-set tie-break for the second time in four rounds to make it past Cameron Norrie.
Third seed Daniil Medvedev and ninth seed Hubert Hurkacz were up against the only real surprise packages of the fourth round in Nuno Borges and Arthur Cazaux, respectively.
Medvedev had a wobble against 69th-ranked Borges, the first Portuguese player to make the fourth round here, in the third set, losing five games in a row from 5-2.
But he regrouped in the fourth to claim a 6-3 7-6 (4) 5-7 6-1 victory and reach the last eight for the third time in the last four years.
Former US Open champion Medvedev has not been talked about as much as Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner as a potential challenger to Novak Djokovic, but the Russian, who lost in the final here in 2021 and 2022 and won in New York last year, is happy to blow his own trumpet.
“I know what I’m worth,” he said. “I know how good I can play. I proved it in the US Open, especially for myself, playing some tough opponents, in my opinion, game style-wise. I managed to beat them.
“I’m ready. Hopefully I can show it on the tennis court. We can talk forever who is ready, who is favourite. You need to win.”
Hurkacz ended the run of French wild card Cazaux, coming from a break down in the opening set to win 7-6 (6) 7-6 (3) 6-4 and reach the last eight at a slam for just the second time, while he is the first Polish man to make the quarter-finals here.
Cameron Norrie suffered an agonising end to his Australian Open run as he was pipped in a fifth-set tie-break by Alexander Zverev after a terrific fourth-round tussle.
The British number one broke new ground with a brilliant attacking display to defeat Casper Ruud on Saturday and again showed the new dimensions he has added to his game to push the sixth seed all the way.
Norrie, who had not won a set in their four previous meetings, twice came from behind to force a decider but it is Zverev who moves through to the quarter-finals after a 7-5 3-6 6-3 4-6 7-6 (10/3) victory.
Norrie will leave Australia, though, knowing that he can mix it with the best players in the world on the biggest stage and with confidence fully restored after a shaky second half of last season.
The match was briefly interrupted in the third set by a protester, who threw ‘Free Palestine’ flyers onto the court from the front row of Margaret Court Arena before being forcibly escorted away by two spectators.
The scenes were reminiscent of Wimbledon last summer, when Just Stop Oil protesters threw jigsaw pieces and confetti onto the court during two matches, although the leaflets were swiftly cleared here and play quickly resumed.
Norrie’s tactics against Ruud came as no surprise to Zverev, who spent the off-season practising with the British number one in Monte-Carlo.
There were few rallies of any kind in the first set, with serve dominating until Norrie, who was trying to beat a top-10 opponent at a slam for the first time, was broken at 5-5.
Zverev immediately came under pressure on serve for the first time but saved a break point with a forehand onto the line, and looked to have taken control of the contest when he broke again to lead 3-2 in the second.
However, Norrie played what must be one of the best returning games of his career to hit straight back, finishing it off with a zinging backhand cross-court winner.
And Norrie was not finished there, the 28-year-old showing his new-found aggression and willingness to mix up his tactics to pile more pressure on Zverev in his next service game.
The German saved two break points but then mis-hit a forehand on the third and suddenly Norrie was serving for the set.
It was far from straightforward for the 19th seed but he saved four break points before taking it, fortuitously, when a forehand hit the top of the net and dropped over.
A poor service game at 1-2 in the third set was enough for Zverev to take it and though Norrie pushed hard at the beginning of the fourth set, Zverev managed to save two break points in the second game.
However, the Olympic champion was powerless to stop Norrie forcing a decider, the 28-year-old creating two set points at 4-5 and taking the first with a delicate half-volley.
Norrie was managing to bully Zverev, one of the most powerful players on tour, at times from the baseline, while his drop shots and short angled slices kept the German guessing.
They exchanged breaks of serve at the start of the fifth set while Norrie survived a tense game at 3-3, saving three more break points.
Both men managed to hold serve through to a first-to-10-points tie-break but there Norrie’s resistance ran out, with Zverev clinching the win after four hours and five minutes to end British interest in the singles.
Intellotto could lead Joseph O’Brien’s small but select team into battle at next month’s Dublin Racing Festival, with his stablemate Nurburgring set to head straight to the Cheltenham Festival in March.
Having shaped with promise on the Flat, Intellotto made a smart start to his career over timber at Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting and is being readied for an immediate step up to Grade One level in the McCann FitzGerald Spring Juvenile Hurdle on February 3.
Nurburgring, who has already won a Grade Three over hurdles and was narrowly beaten by Kala Conti in a Grade Two at Leopardstown last time, also holds a Spring Juvenile entry, but he may now be kept fresh for the showpiece meeting in the Cotswolds.
O’Brien said: “We’re probably just going to run Intellotto in the Grade One in Leopardstown and Nurburgring will probably go straight for the Triumph Hurdle.
“Intellotto produced a smart performance over the course and distance. It’s obviously a big jump in class to go straight into a Grade One, but I think he deserves a shot at it.”
O’Brien’s Boldog made a big impression on his hurdling debut at Tramore on New Year’s Day, but his trainer revealed he is unlikely to take up his Grade One entry in Leopardstown’s Tattersalls Ireland 50th Derby Sale Novice Hurdle.
Discussing his other options for the meeting, O’Brien added: “Boldog is probably not going to go, but I have Busselton in a handicap, Solness in a handicap and I have Roedora in the Graded mares’ bumper.”
Ronnie O’Sullivan put his World Grand Prix success down to buying an air fryer and smoothie maker and not eating junk food.
O’Sullivan stormed back from 4-0 down in Leicester on Sunday to beat Judd Trump 10-7 and win his second title in the space of a week following his Masters success.
“Start of the week I was feeling a bit rough and then I bought myself an air fryer and a smoothie maker,” O’Sullivan said on ITV.
“I don’t like eating junk food. It sorts of puts me in a funny place.
“I started feeling better as the week went on. I played some of my best snooker against Ding (Junhui, in his 6-1 semi-final win) and that gave me some confidence because I knew I’d have to play well to do something against Judd.”
The Rocket, just as he had done at the Masters, had to call on his powers of recovery after Trump established early command.
He said: “Judd blasted off the table 4-0 and I was thinking ‘this could be an early night, like a 10-1 job’.
“I managed to nick a few frames, 5-3 gave me a bit of optimism, and I thought I’d just come out and try, enjoy the battle and see what happens.
“You have to battle against Judd because he’s a warrior and the favourite for the World Championship for sure.”
World number one O’Sullivan reeled off six straight frame from 7-4 down to claim his 41st ranking title and win £100,000.
“I enjoyed that. I really did,” said O’Sullivan.
“I know I’m 48, but when I play snooker I can knock 20 years off and I feel quite vibrant.
“As long as I’m feeling young at the table I don’t feel age is an issue.
“I think experience is helping me. I’ve won a lot of tournaments, been around a while and learned a lot about the game.
“I think I’m a better all-round player than I’ve ever been.”
The New York Islanders returned to their winning ways in new coach Patrick Roy's debut.
Bo Horvat scored 41 seconds into overtime and the Islanders beat the visiting Dallas Stars 3-2 on Sunday to make Roy a winner in his first game with New York.
The Hall of Fame goaltender was hired on Saturday after the team fired Lane Lambert following the conclusion of a 0-3-1 road trip.
Roy, who was 130-92-24 in three seasons coaching the Colorado Avalanche from 2013-16, and won the Jack Adams Award in 2014 as coach of the year, had spent the last five years as the coach and GM of his home-town junior team, the Quebec Ramparts.
Ilya Sorokin finished with 40 saves, while Alexander Romanov and Hudson Fasching scored regulation goals for New York (20-15-11).
Horvat's goal was his 19th of the season, giving the Islanders just their third win in 11 games (3-6-2).
The Stars (27-13-6) lost for the second time in three games after winning four of their previous five.
Dallas' Jason Robertson scored his 16th goal of the season for his team-leading 48th point, while Nils Lundqvist scored his second.
Scott Wedgewood finished with 25 saves to lose for the first time in four starts.
Matthews scores NHL-leading 38th goal to lift Maple Leafs over Kraken
Auston Matthews scored in the first period in the Toronto Maple Leafs' 3-1 win over the Seattle Kraken.
The goal was Matthews' fifth in the last four games and league-leading 38th on the season.
Matthews has five more goals than the next-closest goal-scorer, the Florida Panthers' Sam Reinhart.
Nicholas Robertson also scored for the Maple Leafs (23-14-8), while Jake McCabe added an empty-net goal with 21 second remaining.
On the other end of the ice, goaltender Ilya Samsonov was sensational, making several spectacular saves.
Samsonov stopped 16-of-17 shots to earn his first win since December 9 after going 0-2-3 with a 5.32 goals-against average in his previous five starts.
Joey Daccord made 23 saves for Seattle, while Jordan Eberle scored the team's only goal - his seventh of the season and third in the last five games.
The Kraken (19-18-9) have now lost four in a row immediately following a franchise-record nine-game winning streak.
Kaprizov's hat trick helps Wild beat Hurricanes
Kirill Kaprizov scored three goals in the Minnesota Wild's 5-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes.
It was the second career hat trick for Kaprizov, who was coming off a two-goal game and has 10 goals and seven assists in his last 10 contests.
Joel Eriksson Ek had the go-ahead goal midway through the third period to lead the Wild to their third win in four games after they had lost eight of their previous nine.
Kaprizov scored his final goal - his 18th of the season - into an empty net and Jake Middleton added an empty-netter just over a minute later.
Filip Gustavsson finished with 40 saves for Minnesota (20-21-5), as Martin Necas and Michael Bunting were the only two Carolina skaters to find the back of the net.
Antti Raanta stopped 14-of-17 shots for the Hurricanes (25-25-5), who lost for the second time in three games after going 7-0-1 in their previous eight.
The Los Angeles Clippers trailed the Brooklyn Nets by three points after one quarter, 12 points after two quarters and 15 points after three quarters.
The fourth quarter, however, belonged to the Clippers.
The Clippers throttled the Nets in the final period, outscoring them 41-15 and tallied the game's final 22 points to pull out a stunning 125-114 win on Sunday.
Down by 18 points with just under 11 minutes to play, Los Angeles (27-14) closed the game on a 39-10 run en route to its 10th victory in the last 12 games.
Kawhi Leonard led the epic comeback, scoring 14 of his 21 points during the Clippers' 22-0 run over the game's final 5:17.
The Clippers shot 44.7 percent through the first three quarters before making 12-of-16 shots (75.0 per cent) in the final period.
James Harden led Los Angeles with 24 points and 10 assists, while Russell Westbrook added 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists off the bench.
The Nets (17-25) started the game hot, jumping out to 16-0 lead over the first 4 1/2 minutes.
But as hot as they started, they were unable to make a basket down the stretch with a 114-103 lead, missing their final nine shots to lose for the 10th time in 12 games.
Mikal Bridges led Brooklyn with 26 points but scored just six after half-time.
Durant has 40 as Suns hang on to beat Pacers for fifth straight win
Kevin Durant poured in 40 points to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 117-110 win over the Indiana Pacers for their fifth straight victory.
In his third 40-point game of the season, Durant did most of his damage on mid-range jumpers and became the first player in franchise history to score at least 40 points without attempting a free throw.
The 13-time All-Star made 18-of-25 shots - including 4-of-7 from 3-point range - and grabbed nine rebounds to go with a season high-tying three blocks.
The Suns' starting backcourt combined for 51 points, with Devin Booker scoring 26 and Bradley Bead adding 25 points on 11-of-16 shooting.
Phoenix (24-18) led by as much as 14 points, but Indiana used an 11-0 run to pull ahead 105-103 on Buddy Hield's 3-pointer with 3:20 left.
Durant then responded with a 3-pointer of his own on the Suns' next possession, as Phoenix closed the game on a 14-5 run.
Hield led the Pacers with 18 points, and Pascal Siakam had 15 points and seven assists in his second game with Indiana after being acquired from Toronto.
The Pacers (24-19), who were once playing without All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton due to a strained left hamstring, lost for the fourth time in five games following a 9-1 stretch.
Jokic scores season-high 42 as Nuggets beat Wizards
Nikola Jokic had his highest scoring game of the season, scoring 42 points while adding 12 rebounds and eight assists to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 113-104 win over the Washington Wizards.
The two-time NBA MVP was red-hot shooting, going 15-of-20 from the field and making 12-of-14 free throws.
All five Denver starters scored in double figures with Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. each scoring 19, Aaron Gordon adding 11 and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope chipping in 10.
The Nuggets (30-14) led by as much as 17 in winning for the fourth time in five games.
The Wizards (7-35), meanwhile, lost their fourth in a row and for the 10th time in 11 games.
Kyle Kuzma paced Washington with 17 points, seven assists and six rebounds, while Tyus Jones had 15 points and 13 assists.
Daniel Gafford had 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds in his return after missing the last two games with a head injury.
A tearful Elina Svitolina was forced to retire with a back injury only three games into her fourth-round clash with Linda Noskova at the Australian Open.
The former world number three, who has made a very impressive return following the birth of daughter Skai last year, appeared the favourite to make the final from a wide open top half of the draw.
But her back locked up in the first game of the match and she sobbed as she called it a day trailing 3-0.
She said: “This one I think I never had that before, the shooting pain like this. I had some injuries to my back before where it just was tiredness the next day of the match, but this one was really out of nowhere. I felt like someone shot me in the back.”
Svitolina, who reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon last summer, did not want to think about what might have been, saying: “I cannot say that this was an open draw in a way.
“If you take other players, they are meant to be there. You have also in the other side of the draw very strong players who won slams and played really consistent throughout the year last year.
“So I don’t want to look this as a missed opportunity, especially right now when it was not about my tennis today.”
Having beaten Iga Swiatek in the third round, 19-year-old Noskova is now through to her first grand slam quarter-final, where she will take on another Ukrainian in Dayana Yastremska.
She saved two set points in the opening set and then came from 3-0 down in the second to beat two-time former champion Victoria Azarenka 7-6 (6) 6-4, powering 38 winners.
Yastremska was ranked as high as 21 in 2020 but had not won a slam match since serving a provisional doping suspension the following year and had to come through qualifying here.
The 23-year-old tested positive for the synthetic testosterone mesterolone and missed nearly six months of competition before it was decided she bore no fault or negligence and was therefore free to compete again.
Yastremska is the second Ukrainian through to the last eight after Marta Kostyuk, and Svitolina will be cheering on her countrywomen.
“Of course I’ve been following that we all have been playing really well,” she said. “At the beginning of the tournament, seven Ukrainians in the main draw, and going that far so many of us, it’s nice in the second week as well.
“It’s great for Ukrainian tennis. Of course, now I feel very old because of my health, but I’m happy that they are doing great. It’s great for Ukrainian tennis. It’s great for the upcoming generation as well, especially now these days when Ukraine is in such a tough time.”
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