Christian McCaffrey says rookie quarterback Brock Purdy no longer surprises him after another standout display in the San Francisco 49ers' 19-12 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Sunday's NFC Divisional Round game.
The 49ers advanced to their second-straight NFC Championship Game, and third in the past four seasons, with the victory.
Purdy, who only got his chance as starting QB following injuries to Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance, completed 19 of 29 passes for 214 yards, with the 49ers focusing on their run game to combat the Cowboys' strong defense.
Last week Purdy became the first rookie to throw for 200 yards with no interceptions in a postseason game and he backed that up again.
The 23-year-old quarterback is now 7-0 in starts this season, with 14 touchdowns and two interceptions, and has a legitimate claim to being the 49ers' starting quarterback next season.
"You see it every day in the day he prepares, you see it in practice, and in games, he has just been an impressive guy to be around in the huddle," McCaffrey told reporters about Purdy.
"I'm not shocked anymore – it's just who he is now."
McCaffrey scored the game-winning touchdown to cap a drive in which Purdy linked up with George Kittle, who hauled in a superb catch for a 30-yard gain.
"That was unbelievable," McCaffrey said. "That was one of the best catches I've ever seen.
"That's a special player doing special things. And plays like that definitely boost momentum."
Kittle said he was not the primary for the play where he juggled Purdy's threaded pass, with the QB intending to hit receiver Brandon Aiyuk on a crossing route, with Deebo Samuel and Kyle Jaszczyk his other options. Instead, with none of those options open, Purdy improvised.
"I'm not in the read at all," Kittle said. "Brock is a good quarterback who keeps his eyes up when the play is falling apart and his No. 1 and his No. 2 wasn't open so for him to look back inside to see a white glove hand fly up and give me a shot at the ball, that's just really good quarterback play."
Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan did not get carried away with Purdy's game, in a contest that he expected to be tight against the Cowboys.
"He made a number of plays today," Shanahan said. "By no means was anything perfect, for the whole offense and the whole team, but it seemed like playoff football in that game.
"We were going against a team we've been watching all week, and we had a feeling it would be this type of game. That's why we were stressing the run game on both sides.
"We were stressing to protect the ball and try to get turnovers – we accomplished both of those things – but you do that stuff and you still have to make a number of plays."
San Francisco will face the Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday for a place at Super Bowl LVII.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott accepted responsibility for his side's 19-12 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional Round after throwing two interceptions.
The Cowboys extended their losing run in Divisional Round games to 7-0 since 1997 as they were eliminated from the playoffs by the 49ers for the second straight season on Sunday.
In a game where both teams' defenses shone, Prescott completed 23 of 37 passes for 206 yards with one touchdown but two interceptions.
The two picks, from Fred Warner and Deommodore Lenoir, led to six points for the 49ers, which was telling given the final margin.
"Those are throws you can't have, not in the playoffs," Prescott said. "Not when you're playing a team like that [and] on the road. No excuses for it. Those are 100 per cent on me."
Prescott had a career-high 15 interceptions in the regular season, becoming the first QB to tie or lead the league while missing five or more games.
The Cowboys QB also finished the season with his sixth multi-interception game, tied for most in the NFL.
Prescott labelled his interceptions as "ridiculous" and vowed that that total would never be so high again.
"On the first one, I hitched one too many times with [Michael Gallup]," he said. "Understandably, hitching three times, thought I was gonna go on a scramble but the guy just came back to the ball and made a play.
"I've gotta throw that one away or use my feet and get out of the pocket. On the second one, the nickel [cornerback] squeezed, and I tried to throw it to CeeDee [Lamb], but the [defender] was able to make a play on it. He tipped it in the air and to the [middle linebacker]."
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he felt "sick" after another playoffs exit, while head coach Mike McCarthy lamented their inability to convert on offense.
"We knew it was gonna be a slugfest," McCarthy said. "We just didn't get enough. You can go through the decisions, the statistics, but I think, defensively, we did a really good job, for the most part.
"Would we like to have a couple more snaps? Yes. Would we like to have a couple more third-down conversions on offense? Yes, we could've used those, too.
"Just extremely disappointed. This has been an incredible journey with this group of men, we just came up short tonight to a very good football team."
The Golden State Warriors blew a 12-point fourth-quarter lead at home as the Brooklyn Nets prevailed 120-116 after 38 points from Kyrie Irving on Sunday.
The Nets outscored the Warriors 22-6 after the reigning NBA champions had led by 12 with 5:42 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Irving scored a game-high 38 points, making five-of-seven three-point attempts, with seven rebounds and nine assists. Irving's performance was his third 30-point game in his past four.
Nic Claxton added a career-high 24 points with 15 rebounds and three blocks, while Ben Simmons contributed a game-high 11 assists. Royce O'Neale, who had 16 points, scored a go-ahead three-pointer with 27.1 seconds remaining.
Stephen Curry top scored for Golden State with 26 points, making four-of-eight from beyond the arc, along with six rebounds and seven assists.
Jonathan Kuminga added 20 points off the bench, while center Draymond Green had 11 rebounds and seven assists.
The Warriors' home loss means their record at the Chase Center falls to 17-6, having managed 3-2 on their recent road trip where they have struggled throughout this season.
Lakers complete stunning second-half turnaround
LeBron James scored 37 points with 11 rebounds while Thomas Bryant added 31 points as the Los Angeles Lakers stormed home for a 121-112 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Lakers had trailed 71-46 at halftime after the Blazers put up 45 second-quarter points, but rallied in a remarkable second-half turnaround to improve to 22-25.
Bryant had 14 rebounds to go with his 31 points, while Dennis Schroder contributed 24 points. Anfernee Simons scored 31 points for Portland, with Damian Lillard adding 24.
OKC snap Nuggets' win streak
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hit an eight-footer with 9.2 seconds remaining to end the Denver Nuggets' nine-game win streak as the Oklahoma City Thunder won 101-99.
The Nuggets were without back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic for the second straight game with tightness in his left hamstring, with Jamal Murray top scoring in his absence with 26 points and nine assists. Murray missed an attempt on the buzzer to force overtime.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished the game with 34 points on 13-of-21 shooting with five rebounds, five assists and two blocks, while Josh Giddey added 18 points and nine rebounds. The result also ended Denver's 17th game win streak at home.
The San Francisco 49ers booked their place in the NFC Championship game after emerging 19-12 winners in a defensive struggle against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
Ranked as the NFL's two best defenses in the regular season based on DVOA, the respective defensive units were both at the top of their game early, with the first four drives resulting in three punts and an interception.
It was Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott who threw that interception, and it was a sign of things to come in what was a day to forget for the Cowboys' franchise centrepiece.
Prescott put Dallas ahead with a touchdown pass to Dalton Schultz in the second quarter, but it would be their only touchdown of the game as they had to settle for only two field goals in the second half.
The 49ers led at half-time thanks to three Robbie Gould field goals, and after Brett Maher made one for the Cowboys in the third period to tie things up, star running back Christian McCaffrey forced his way into the endzone with the first play of the fourth quarter to give San Francisco a 16-9 lead.
After the two sides traded field goals, the Cowboys would get two chances to march down the field for a potential game-tying touchdown, but they would end in disappointment after a three-and-out left not enough time for Prescott to complete a miraculous comeback.
Prescott completed 23 of his 37 passes for 206 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, while his rookie counterpart kept things far cleaner.
Brock Purdy finished 19-of-29 for 214 yards and no turnovers, but it was George Kittle who was the star for the 49ers. He led all San Francisco receivers with five catches for 95 yards, including a crucial, juggling, 30-yard reception on the game-winning touchdown drive.
The 49ers will play the Philadelphia Eagles next, with a place in the Super Bowl on the line.
Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard was carted to the locker room and ruled out of Sunday's Divisional round clash against the San Francisco 49ers after suffering a high ankle sprain.
The injury occurred late in the second quarter as the Cowboys were driving with the score tied at 6-6, after a Dalton Schultz touchdown catch was answered by a pair of Robbie Gould field goals for the 49ers.
On an eight-yard catch-and-run over the middle of the field, Pollard was tackled from behind by Jimmie Ward and had his foot get trapped in an awkward position on the way down.
He was immediately taken back to the locker room and subsequently ruled out, and Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott threw his second interception of the game on the very next play.
The 49ers capitalised and kicked their third field goal of the first half to head into the break leading 9-6, although Brett Maher was able to answer for the Cowboys to tie things up six minutes into the third period.
The Cincinnati Bengals revelled in causing problems for those who had formed plans for a neutral site AFC Championship Game as they defeated the Buffalo Bills to secure another road game at the Kansas City Chiefs.
Victory for the Bills on Sunday, due to the cancelled regular season game between the teams when Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest, would have seen them meet the Chiefs in Atlanta.
The NFL had even set in motion ticket sales, which did great business with the game just a week away, but the alternative plan will not now be required after the Bengals won 27-10 in Buffalo.
Joe Burrow had the Bengals in control from the outset, and he had advice for those who had planned to see the Bills play the Chiefs.
"Better send those refunds," he told CBS.
Coach Zac Taylor added at a news conference with a grin: "We had our minds set to go and play in Kansas City.
"It is tough, because they have to formulate the plans for coin tosses, they have to formulate the plans for neutral site games, and we just keep screwing it up for everybody.
"I hate that for the people who have to endure all those logistical issues. We just keep screwing it up, so I'm sorry."
The Bengals won in Kansas City in last year's AFC Championship Game, and Taylor has no doubts they are capable of a repeat.
"We're built for this," he said. "It doesn't matter what anybody thinks about us.
"We don't care who's favourite and who's not; we're built for this. We're excited to go on the road to Kansas City."
The Bills had been 13-1 in home playoff games in the Super Bowl era, but that record merely provided a source of motivation for Taylor's team.
"In our whole team, you just look at the leadership in every position," he said.
"We talked about last night how they were 13-1 in the playoffs, the best home winning percentage in NFL history. I wanted to show that to the team, because I knew what that would do to them.
"It wouldn't put fear in them that 'oh my God, we're walking into an environment that people don't win in', it was completely the opposite for our guys. It was."
Burrow completed his first nine passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns, putting the Bengals 14-0 up before the Bills had a first down.
"He's the greatest," Taylor said. "He does a great job leading this team, managing situations. The bigger the moment gets, the calmer he gets, and the team feeds off that."
But Burrow was keen to deflect praise onto the offensive line, which was missing key personnel but ensured the quarterback took only a single sack.
"It was one of their best games of the year – rushing, pass blocking," Burrow said. "It might be our most complete game of the year as a team."
Burrow, like Taylor, is confident of the team's chances against the Chiefs, believing they are better now than they were when winning that game last year.
"I think we're a more complete team, I think we're a better team," he explained. "We just seem to make plays when it counts. That's all there is to say.
"I think our O-line is better, I think our run game is better, I think our defense is better, I think our special teams is better. We're just overall a much better team than we were last year."
Jon Rahm has now won back-to-back PGA Tour starts after repelling the challenge of Davis Thompson at The American Express.
Rahm, who came from behind at the Sentry Tournament of Champions earlier this month, also closed 2022 with DP World Tour victories at the Spanish Open and the DP World Tour Championship, giving him four wins from his past six starts overall.
He came into the final round at PGA West's Pete Dye Stadium Course tied for the lead at 23 under, and after rounds of 64, 64 and 65, he closed with a four-under 68 to post a winning score of 27 under.
Rahm reached the 16th hole tied with Thompson for the lead, but he produced a clutch birdie on the par five while Thompson could only scramble for par following a wayward tee shot.
Thompson almost tied things up at the picturesque par-three 17th, but his 50-foot putt crashed into the flag stick and somehow stayed out.
There would be no late twists in the tale, as Rahm found the bunker with his tee shot on the last but followed it with a perfect approach, while Thompson did not leave himself a birdie putt.
The 23-year-old Thompson finished alone in second at 26 under for his best ever finish on the PGA Tour, while some terrific Sunday scores were posted to climb into the top 10.
World number six Xander Schauffele tied for the round of the day as he shot a 10-under 62 to climb into a share of third at 25 under. He was matched by South Africa's Erik van Rooyen, who also posted a 62 to finish tied for sixth at 23 under with rising South Korean star Tom Kim.
The Cincinnati Bengals will again play the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game after going to the Buffalo Bills and winning 27-10 in the Divisional round on Sunday.
The Bengals went to their third Super Bowl last year after upsetting the Chiefs in the conference title game, and they will get the opportunity to repeat that feat next week.
Damar Hamlin, recovering after his cardiac arrest in the regular season meeting between the teams, was in the building to see the Bills, but Joe Burrow kept his cool with a clinical display in snowy conditions to cut short Buffalo's season.
The Bengals had made a bright start to that Week 17 game before it was halted and did so again in this encounter, taking control before the end of the first quarter.
Burrow completed his first nine passes across two drives for 105 yards and two touchdowns – including a 28-yard TD pass to Ja'Marr Chase – while the Bills had to wait until the second quarter for a first down.
That belated drive ended with Josh Allen running in to score, before a second Chase TD was taken off the board following a marginal review.
But a Bengals challenge after halftime resulted in a Joe Mixon TD when he was initially adjudged to have been halted at the goal line following a six-minute drive, and the lead was out to 17 points early in the fourth quarter.
Still Allen could not get the Bills offense to fire, with his last desperate effort an interception thrown to Cam Taylor-Britt to seal the Bengals' 10th straight win.
Orlando Magic wing Jonathan Isaac’s long-awaited return to the NBA is nearing an end after a lengthy rehab process.
Isaac will reportedly play Monday against the visiting Boston Celtics, his first game since he tore his left ACL on August 2, 2020.
That game was played at Walt Disney World as part of the bubble the league created to keep players safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He played in just two games in the bubble after initially injuring his knee in January 2020, and it will be 904 days between NBA games for the 25-year-old, who ended up missing all of the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.
Isaac, who had been practicing with the Magic since early December, recently played in three games for Orlando’s G League affiliate, averaging 15.8 points and 6.7 rebounds while playing more than 17 minutes a game for the Lakeland Magic.
In his last G League game on Wednesday he played 22 minutes, and he is expected to be on a minutes limit with the Magic as he works toward regaining his form and fitness.
Selected sixth overall by Orlando in the 2017 draft, Isaac appeared in 32 games in his last NBA season in 2019-20, and averaged 11.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots.
He will join a Magic team that’s 17-29 and in 13th place in the Eastern Conference, 4.5 games behind the Chicago Bulls for the last spot in the Play-In Tournament.
Damar Hamlin met with his Buffalo Bills team-mates ahead of their AFC Divisional playoff clash with the Cincinnati Bengals, three weeks on from his cardiac arrest.
The safety collapsed during the first quarter of the pair's Week 17 clash on January 2, and was hospitalised in serious condition after receiving treatment on the field.
But the 2021 draft pick has continued to show a remarkable improvement since, with coach Sean McDermott revealing earlier this week that he had been attending the team's training facility.
Now, Hamlin has gone one step further after missing last week's opening playoff win against the Miami Dolphins in making the trip to Highmark Stadium for the Bills' crunch clash.
Video footage posted on social media showed him in attendance alongside members of his family, ahead of kick-off in the Sunday encounter.
In Hamlin's absence, Buffalo won a taut opening playoff encounter with Miami last week, running out 34-31 victors at Orchard Park.
Josh Allen threw for three touchdowns in all, with the hosts holding their nerve to keep their visitors at bay in the final quarter.
The winner of the Bills-Bengals match will meet the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game next weekend.
Victor Perez held on to claim a one-stroke victory at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and then claimed the crazy finish was all in a day's work.
The Frenchman posted a final-round 66 to finish on 18 under and edge out Lee Min-woo and Sebastian Soderberg, but had a nervous wait to confirm his win after a bogey on the 18th hole.
Neither the Australian nor the Swede could reel him back in the end, handing Perez his third DP World Tour title and first since May last year at the Dutch Open.
Victory pushes him to the top of the Race to Dubai rankings, with the 30-year-old looking forward to a campaign that has him in the conversation for a Ryder Cup spot.
"It's a great year ahead," he said. "There's a lot of big things coming up. I've had a really good off-season, I've worked really hard, and it's just great.
"I'm just delighted to finish on top. It was a crazy finish, but I'm used to that by now. Hopefully I can make it a little easier for the next one."
Padraig Harrington came home fourth after closing with a 67 to finish 16 under, with the 51-year-old falling short of becoming the oldest winner in tour history.
While Perez took the accolades, the final day at Yas Links also delivered two hole-in-one finishes, with Dan Bradbury and Tyrrell Hatton holing out at the 17th and 13th respectively.
Victor Perez held on to claim a one-stroke victory at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and then claimed the crazy finish was all in a day's work.
The Frenchman posted a final-round 66 to finish on 18 under and edge out Lee Min-woo and Sebastian Soderberg, but had a nervous wait to confirm his win after a bogey on the 18th hole.
Neither the Australian nor the Swede could reel him back in the end, handing Perez his third DP World Tour title and first since May last year at the Dutch Open.
Victory pushes him to the top of the Race to Dubai rankings, with the 30-year-old looking forward to a campaign that has him in the conversation for a Ryder Cup spot.
"It's a great year ahead," he said. "There's a lot of big things coming up. I've had a really good off-season, I've worked really hard, and it's just great.
"I'm just delighted to finish on top. It was a crazy finish, but I'm used to that by now. Hopefully I can make it a little easier for the next one."
Padraig Harrington came home fourth after closing with a 67 to finish 16 under, with the 51-year-old falling short of becoming the oldest winner in tour history.
While Perez took the accolades, the final day at Yas Links also delivered two hole-in-one finishes, with Dan Bradbury and Tyrrell Hatton holing out at the 17th and 13th respectively.
Stefanos Tsitsipas wanted to keep the secrets of his late resurgence to himself after he finally saw off Jannik Sinner in five sets in the Australian Open fourth round.
The number three seed looked to be easing to victory when he claimed the first two sets, but Sinner fought back to force a decider.
Tsitsipas managed to rediscover his earlier form though to finally seal a 6-4 6-4 3-6 4-6 6-3 victory and book his place in the quarter-finals.
The Greek is the youngest player to reach three consecutive quarter-finals at the Australian Open since Novak Djokovic (from 2008 to 2010).
"It was all about getting myself relaxed and ready for the big battle in the fifth set," he explained at a press conference. "Of course, things weren't going my way after being two sets to love up. It seemed like the momentum switched dramatically, to me at least. There was a big gap that I couldn't fill in.
"But I made a few technical adjustments in the fifth, gave myself an opportunity to play a bit more loose. That really helped me serve better. I think I kept on moving. I kept on being active to be on these returns that I couldn't get in the previous sets."
Tsitsipas struggled on his own serve in particular, facing 26 break points in all, but his resilience saw him save 22 of them, and his dramatic improvement in the deciding set got him over the line when it appeared certain the Italian would become only the second player ever to come from two sets down to beat Tsitsipas at a grand slam (after Djokovic in the 2021 French Open final).
"There were some things, for sure, that I can look back to now and say that was not the best thing to do," the 24-year-old added. "I think it's also important to keep it to myself.
"We have certain things that we want to keep to ourselves and get back and improve. Not everything has to be public. Not everything has to be exposed and said.
"But it's a feeling. It's something that showed something different earlier in the match. And for some reason I decided not to follow or I give myself an idea that I can do things more extreme.
"That didn't seem to work at all. But the most important thing, I did fight. When I came to the most important part of the match, I regrouped and did it the way I did it in the first two sets."
Tsitsipas will face Czech 21-year-old Jiri Lehecka in the last eight.
Jiri Lehecka had not anticipated still being in the Australian Open at this point but his latest victory against a seeded player saw him advance to the quarter-finals on Sunday.
The Czech youngster produced another impressive showing to beat number six seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-3) in the fourth round.
Despite having never won a main draw match at a grand slam prior to this tournament, Lehecka has now defeated three seeds, having also dispatched of Borna Coric (21) and Cameron Norrie (11) during his passage to the last eight.
"Honestly, it feels amazing," he said after the victory. "To be in the quarters, I wouldn't believe it if somebody told me this when I was on my way over here.
"I'm super excited for everything that will come next. Of course, I'll try to do my best to recover well and to show my best tennis again in my next match."
While his Canadian opponent utilised his serve well, hitting 20 aces, it was on net points where Lehecka thrived, winning 33 of 41 while Auger-Aliassime managed just 11 of 26.
The 21-year-old has another big test next as he faces third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, having lost to the Greek in their one previous meeting in Rotterdam in February despite winning the first set.
"I'll be super excited [to face Tsitsipas]," Lehecka said. "I will go for that revenge, for sure. I know that he will remember how we played last year in Rotterdam. One set I was the better player on the court. Then he overtook the match. But I think that he will remember, and he will know what my strengths are.
"He will feel that I can get him under pressure. At the same time, I know that he's a great player. I mean, he's number four in the world.
"I know how to play against him."
Tyson Fury has challenged Francis Ngannou to "kick it up spicy in a cage" in a boxing fight refereed by Mike Tyson.
WBC world heavyweight champion Fury's team are trying to agree terms for an eagerly awaited unification bout with Oleksandr Usyk.
Fury revealed his return to the ring is "imminent" and a March date has provisionally been pencilled in for the Brit to do battle with Ukrainian Usyk.
Ngannou is set to pursue a boxing career after turning down a contract that would have made him the highest-paid heavyweight fighter in UFC history.
Fury and Ngannou have called each other out in the past and the 'Gypsy King' has laid down another challenge to the Cameroonian-French fighter.
He said in an interview with Seconds Out: "Francis Ngannou, I know you're out contract with the UFC.
"You want to earn some big boy money come see the 'Gypsy King' and let's do a big, big fight for the baddest M.F. on the planet.
"Let's kick it up spicy in a cage, four-ounce gloves, on the Queensberry, and let's have a badass referee like 'Iron' Mike Tyson. Did I just sell that to the world?"
He added: "If the contract doesn't get signed with Usyk next, the fight of the century in boxing, we'll do the Ngannou fight. Whether it's going to be in Las Vegas or Wembley, who will know. We'll know quite soon, I think."
Running back Saquon Barkley reiterated his desire to stay with the New York Giants after their Divisional Round defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Giants were well beaten by the Eagles, who progressed with a 38-7 victory at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday.
Barkley recorded 10 touchdowns in the regular season, but made just nine carries for 61 yards against Philadelphia.
After a strong season for him and the Giants though, the 25-year-old said he wants to stay with the franchise "for life" despite his contract expiring this year.
"I don't want to jump to any conclusions. I've been vocal about how I feel and where I want to be," he said. "That's outside my control. I wanted to show the Giants, show them that the guy that they drafted is still here. I hope I did that.
"Everyone knows I would love to be a Giant for life, but I really can't give a 100 per cent answer. It's out of my control. Sometime this week, I'll get a conversation with my agent Kim [Miale] and see what's up.
"The way we played for each other this year, it was special. Obviously, it didn't end the way we would have wanted it to end. Not just because of the record or because we made it to the playoffs, this is probably one of my favourite teams of all time."
Quarterback Daniel Jones – who was sacked five times in Philadelphia – also sees his deal run out at the end of the season, and was less certain about his future intentions than Barkley.
"We will cross that bridge when we get there. I really enjoyed playing here," Jones said. "I appreciate all of those guys in the locker room. It is a special group of guys and I have really enjoyed being a part of it.
"We will figure out where that goes, but I have nothing but love and respect for this organisation and the group of guys in the locker room."
Coach Brian Daboll showed respect to the Eagles for their performance, admitting his team just second-best in every area of the contest.
"Give Philly credit. They did everything better than we did [Saturday]," Daboll said. "Tough game. We really got beat in all facets, so it wasn't one thing in particular. It was a team game, and we just didn't get it done. Congratulations to Philly. They get to move on, and unfortunately we don't."
Elena Rybakina believes she can become the best player in the world if she performs as she did in the first week of the Australian Open after beating Iga Swiatek.
Wimbledon champion Rybakina claimed the scalp of the top seed on Sunday, winning 6-4 6-4 on Rod Laver Arena to reach the quarter-finals.
Swiatek was in a class of her own last year, winning eight titles – including the French Open and the US Open – to firmly establish herself as the best player in the world.
The Pole was the favourite to win the Australian Open for the first time, but the 25-ranked Rybakina sent her packing to set up a showdown with Jelena Ostapenko.
Rybakina made history with her fourth-round win, becoming the first woman representing Kazakhstan to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.
The 23-year-old knows she has plenty to work on, but feels she can rise to the top of the rankings if she continues to improve and consistently match the high standards she has set at Melbourne Park.
Asked if she can be the best in the world when she's at her best: "Every opponent is really tough, and for sure for me I think there are still many things to improve.
"If I perform like I did this week and consistently, I will say that I can be number one, I can beat anyone. For now, I need to find my consistency."
Rybakina felt she was rewarded for taking such a positive approach against Swiatek.
"For sure when you play against the number one player, I think you have really nothing to lose. I knew that I had to be aggressive from the first ball because she's a great mover, and she defends really well.
"So I was trying to just attack her from the first ball, and it really worked well."
Karen Khachanov achieved something not seen at the Australian Open in 11 years as he beat Yoshihito Nishioka in straight sets at Melbourne Park.
The Russian number 18 seed remarkably won the first 14 games of the fourth-round contest, inflicting two double bagels on Japanese opponent on Sunday.
That had not been achieved in the men's draw since Philipp Petzschner won the first two sets against Lukas Rosol without losing a game in 2012, and was just the fifth time it had happened in the Open Era.
Khachanov completely dominated Nishioka until the third set, incredibly only dropping two points in the whole of the second.
Nishioka, seeded 31, showed some fight to force a third-set tie-break, but Khachanov came out on top in the breaker to seal his place in the quarter-finals, where he will face American Sebastian Korda.
"First two sets I didn't know what was going on, but it's never easy when you are going with the score too easy. You feel it," Khachanov said after the victory. "Then at one point Yoshi tried to turn it around, he pumped [up] the crowd and it's normal.
"I tried to stay focused all the match from the beginning until the end. But it's not easy to win with this score, three sets, so the third set it was a really tough one and I'm playing well, so I'm really happy to go through."
Rui Hachimura put in a strong showing for the Washington Wizards on Saturday, but is unsure how much longer he will be at the franchise.
The Japanese forward scored 30 points against the Orlando Magic, the joint-best effort of his career, and claimed five rebounds as the Wizards won 138-118 at Capital One Arena.
Hachimura has been the subject of trade speculation and has made it clear he only wants to play for a team where he is wanted.
"I just want to be somewhere that wants me as a basketball player, and I want to be somewhere that likes my game," he said.
Asked if that place was Washington, he admitted: "I don't know. We've got to find out."
The 24-year-old joined the Wizards in 2019 as the ninth pick of the draft, but after a promising first two years, he has fallen out of favour.
Hachimura started just 13 games last season, and is yet to start this year, with his season average of 13.0 points per game matching his career average.
"I just got to play my game. I know what I can do, and I can help the team to win," he added. "It's either here or [another] team. I can help teams.
"I've just got to keep focus on the moment right now. I know all the stuff going on right now. I've just got to play the games and just to be myself."
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