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."
Trevor Lawrence is certain the Jacksonville Jaguars are at the beginning of their journey rather than the end after their 27-20 Divisional Round defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Jaguars put up a fight at Arrowhead Stadium, pulling the deficit back to just three points at 20-17 in the fourth quarter before Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs added another touchdown and closed out the win.
Lawrence completed 24 of his 39 pass attempts for a total of 217 yards, with one touchdown to show for it, as well as rushing three times for 26 yards.
"We worked so hard to get here," the quarterback said following Saturday's loss. "Nobody thought we were going to be here and we had our shot and that's what hurts.
"We'll be back. I'm confident in that. This is more the beginning than it is the end of something.
"This is just getting started for us. We got a taste of it and guys are already hungry to get this opportunity again."
Jacksonville reached the playoffs for the first time since 2017, and did so by securing just the second AFC South title in franchise history.
"I think this year obviously was huge for this organisation, for our city, for just our franchise moving forward," Lawrence added. "That kind of sets the bar of who we're going to be and what we're going to do moving forward and that's the mindset and we won't settle for less than that. We got a taste of it being here but there's more left and we all feel that.
"It's going to make us better. This won't be the last you guys hear of us. We'll be back."
Head coach Doug Pederson echoed his quarterback's words, and credited the Jaguars for making Lawrence the number one pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.
"I think it's everything," Pederson said about having a franchise QB. "I've said this before that the success of your football team lies with your quarterback and you've got to get that piece and that player right and I feel that Jacksonville got that person right. And he's just going to get better.
"We're all hurting because of the loss, but we're all hurting too because this is the final game of this year and that's the hard thing. But, like I told the guys, these are the games we're going to learn from and we're going to be better because of.
"I told them, 'Just plan on every year of us being in these meaningful games at the end of the season.' We want to be one of the four, five, six teams in the AFC every year."
Chris Eubank Jr. is eager for a rematch with Liam Smith after he was emphatically beaten by his fellow Brit at Manchester Arena on Saturday.
Eubank was stopped in the fourth round of the all-English middleweight bout after being floored twice.
Smith sent Eubank to the canvas with a left uppercut and although Eubank quickly got back up, he was unsteady on his feet.
The 34-year-old Smith pounced to knock his rival down again with a big right hand, prompting referee Victor Loughlin to step in and end the fight.
A third defeat of his career – and a first since 2018 – was a big setback for Eubank, who had not fought for almost a year due to a failed drugs test for Conor Benn that resulted in their scheduled bout being cancelled.
The 33-year-old wants another shot at Smith, who improved his record to 33-3-1.
Eubank tweeted: "Congratulations to Liam tonight, nice lil shot you caught me with there my boy. Felt like I could of kept going but referee is in charge & I respect his decision. We’ll get it on again soon."
Smith had hit the headlines for the wrong reasons after questioning Eubank's sexuality during a press conference this week.
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has compared quarterback Jalen Hurts to Michael Jordan after his stirring performance in their 38-7 romp of the New York Giants on Saturday.
The Eagles crushed the Giants to qualify for their seventh NFC Championship Game since 2000, which is the most in the NFC during that period.
Hurts threw two first-quarter touchdowns before a second-quarter rushing TD, with the contest all but settled 28-0 at half-time.
That came in the Eagles' QB's second game back since missing two with a shoulder injury on his throwing arm sustained on December 18, which Sirianni said gave the team an emotional lift similar to Chicago Bulls great Jordan.
"I know this is high praise, but to have him out there is like having – I shouldn't even go there – it's like having Michael Jordan out there," Sirianni told reporters.
"He's your leader. He's your guy. Hopefully, that's the biggest respect I can pay to him, comparing his ability to being on the field to a Michael Jordan-type. This guy leads.
"He brings this calmness to the entire team. He plays great football. He's as tough as they come. To me, nobody has played any better football than him this year."
Hurts completed 16 of 24 passes for 154 yards and two passing touchdowns, along with rushing nine times for 34 yards with one TD.
When asked how the shoulder felt after the game, Hurts told ESPN: "I never really was in a situation to test it. Fortunate to come out clean. I'm in a good place."
The Eagles progressed to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since their Super Bowl-winning season in 2017. That comes after an outstanding regular season for the top seed, who finished 14-3.
"We had a lot of hunger built up in us," Hurts said. "I think we were just starving and eager for our opportunity to come out here and play.
"This is a division opponent, they're a really good team. They had a lot of momentum going. We just wanted to come out and play our best ball.
"I think we chose the right time to do that. We were very efficient on both sides of the ball. We scored early and often. We just want to keep it going. We want to be consistent."
The Eagles will take on the winner of Sunday's Dallas Cowboys-San Francisco 49ers Divisional Round clash in the NFC Championship Game.
Jamahal Hill claimed the UFC light heavyweight title with a five-round pummelling of Glover Teixeira by unanimous decision at UFC 283 in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday.
The 31-year-old American won the vacant title in dominant fashion, leaving his opponent bloodied and earning a lopsided vote 50-44, 50-44, 50-44.
Hill's punching combinations and head kicks were too much for Brazil-born former titleholder Teixeira, with the American claiming victory immediately upon the conclusion of the fifth round, having had 248-108 total strikes and 232-75 significant strikes.
"Anything is possible," Hill said during his post-fight interview. "Hard work, dedication, accountability. Don't let nobody tell you nothing.
"Too many people told me I couldn't do it, that it was impossible. I needed to do it in one round. I couldn't go five. What the f*** you got to say now?"
Teixeira was badly hurt by a second-round head kick, along with a third-round punching combination, leaving him with cuts above his eyes. Teixeira announced his retirement after the fight.
In the flyweight division, which co-headlined UFC 283, Mexican Brandon Moreno defeated Deiveson Figueiredo by TKO in the third round by doctor stoppage after the Brazilian's right eye closed over.
Figueiredo sustained the injury from a Moreno left hook, but the Mexican was ahead at the time on all three judges' scorecards.
The Moreno win came in their fourth meeting over the past 25 months, with Figueiredo declaring his intention after the fight to move up a division.
Top seed Iga Swiatek says the pressure of not wanting to lose at the Australian Open got to her and believes she needs a change of mindset after her fourth-round loss to Elena Rybakina.
The three-time grand slam champion had come into the Australian Open as the title favourite but was bundled out by 2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina 6-4 6-4 in one hour and 30 minutes on Sunday.
The Kazakh's power was too much for Swiatek, with Rybakina outstanding on serve, leading to apparent frustration from the world number one as the match slipped away.
"I felt the pressure, and I felt that I don't want to lose instead of I want to win," Swiatek told reporters. "So that's a base of what I should focus on in next couple of weeks.
"It was just tough. But for sure I need to work on my kind of mindset and fight a little bit more as I did last season.
"So, for sure I'm going to take time right now to kind of reset."
Swiatek won both the US Open and French Open titles in 2022, while she went on a 37-match winning streak that ended during Wimbledon.
The 21-year-old Pole denied that the pressure of being the world number one played a part in her exit.
"I don't think that matters," she said. "I experience it differently because I felt differently.
"But I was number one on Roland Garros, I was number one on Wimbledon, and US Open. I was able to - maybe not on Wimbledon - but I was able to play well and compete. I don't think that matters."
Swiatek was able to bounce back from her third-round Wimbledon loss to Alize Cornet quickly by triumphing at Flushing Meadows only two months later but she would not draw an parallels with Sunday's defeat.
"I don't see that many similarities, honestly," Swiatek said. "I feel like it's pretty easy. I just wasted too much energy before the tournament and during the first days of the tournament to worry.
"It's just different period of time for me. Before the US Open I was actually able to kind of let it go because I played pretty bad in Toronto and Cincinnati, and that helped me kind of to reset and just start the US Open without actually expecting much from myself.
"Here was different, so I'm not connecting the US Open with the streak at all. I'm not comparing this situation to my Wimbledon loss."
Swiatek praised Rybakina, who will face Jelena Ostapenko in the quarter-finals, for her play on Sunday, stating she was tactically composed and focused.
Coco Gauff revealed her frustration after her unbeaten start to 2013 was ended as the seventh seed bowed out of the Australian Open to Jelena Ostapenko in the fourth round on Sunday.
The 18-year-old American came into the Melbourne event fresh from victory at the Auckland Open but had not dropped a set in her three Australian Open victories, including toppling Emma Raducanu in the second round.
Gauff enjoyed a strong 2022 season that included reaching the US Open quarter-finals and finishing runner-up at the French Open.
But on Sunday, 2017 French Open champion Ostapenko triumphed 7-5 6-3 in one hour and 34 minutes, ending Gauff's Australian Open campaign, leaving the teenager in tears as she explained her frustration.
"I felt really good coming into the tournament, and I still feel good," Gauff told reporters. "I still feel like I've improved a lot but when you play a player like her and she plays really well, you know there's nothing you can do.
"I feel like today I would say nothing because every match you play a part in, but I feel like it was rough, so it's a little bit frustrating on that part."
Ostapenko hit 30 winners compared to Gauff's 21, while the Latvian did commit more unforced errors (27-14).
Gauff generated eight break points throughout the match but only took one, while Ostapenko took all three of hers.
"Today I learned a lot," Gauff said. "A little bit frustrated, but I think I'll rewatch and see where I went wrong and if I did go wrong.
"I feel like from the feedback I've gotten that she just played really well today. She stepped up her game when she needed to, and she held and broke me when she needed to, and I didn't do that."
Ostapenko progresses to the quarter-finals where she will take on 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina who knocked off top seed Iga Swiatek.
Evan Mobley scored a career-high 38 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers secured a big win in the Eastern Conference, downing the Milwaukee Bucks 114-102.
The 2021 NBA Draft third overall pick shot 19-of-27 from the field with nine rebounds and three assists for the Cavs, who improved to a 29-19 record to sit fifth in the east, with the Bucks third at 29-17.
Cavs point guard Darius Garland added 21 points, including 10 in the third, with 10 assists.
The Bucks were without Giannis Antetokounmpo who missed his fifth straight game due to knee soreness. Milwaukee are 6-5 on the season when playing without the MVP contender.
Jrue Holiday led the way for Milwaukee with 28 points, four rebounds and 10 assists, while Bobby Portis added 23 points including five three-pointers with 11 rebounds.
In Antetokounmpo's absence, Milwaukee turned to three-point shooting with regularity, but shot 14-of-39 from beyond the arc.
On Antetokounmpo's continued absence, Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said: "There's still just things he's working on, I think body-wise, to get to that point where; there's a big difference between practicing and playing a game.
"I know I've said it pretty much every day – we continue to be confident and feel like this is kind of the things we've managed and dealt with for most of his career. So we'll just continue to take it day-by-day. He's getting good work in, good lifts."
Celtics win but pick up injuries
The Boston Celtics won 106-104 over the Toronto Raptors but lost guard Marcus Smart and center Robert Williams to ankle and knee injuries respectively.
Jaylen Brown top scored with 27 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Boston, for whom Jayson Tatum sat out the game with a sore left wrist.
Grant Williams and Malcolm Brogdon played increased minutes, scoring 25 and 23 points respectively off the bench, while Pascal Siakam had 29 points and 10 rebounds for the Raptors.
Edwards stars as Rockets sink to new low
Former NBA Draft top overall pick Anthony Edwards scored a season-high 44 points to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves past the struggling Houston Rockets 113-104.
Edwards shot 17-of-29 from the field with eight three-pointers for the Wolves, who improved to a 24-24 record. Edwards also had six rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks, while D'Angelo Russell contributed 23 points.
The defeat condemned the Rockets to their 13th straight loss, which is the longest streak this season. Houston gave up 23 turnovers that led to 30 Wolves points.
Jalen Hurts answered any questions about his health with a perfect two-touchdown first quarter as the Philadelphia Eagles outclassed the New York Giants 38-7 in Saturday's NFC Divisional Round game.
The NFC top seeded Eagles opened up a 28-0 halftime lead and never looked threatened by the Giants, who they beat twice during the regular season, at Lincoln Financial Field.
The win means the Eagles progress to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 2017 when they won Super Bowl LII.
Eagles QB Hurts, who missed two late regular-season games with a shoulder injury on his throwing arm, threw touchdowns for Dallas Goedert and DeVonta Smith in the first quarter.
Hurts went seven-of-seven for 89 yards in a stunning opening period, where Haason Reddick had sacks on back-to-back plays, forcing a turnover on downs, while ex-Giants cornerback James Bradberry intercepted Daniel Jones' pass.
Midway through the second, running back Boston Scott maintained his remarkable record against the Giants, scoring his 11th of 19 career touchdowns against them.
Hurts, who made 760 yards from 165 rushes during the regular season, got in on the act with a running TD before halftime.
Giants running back Matt Breida ran in a third-quarter TD, before Kenneth Gainwell brought up 100 rushing yards in style in the fourth quarter, with the Eagles' fifth touchdown. Gainwell had 112 yards on 12 carries, while Miles Sanders added 90 yards on 17 carries, with the Eagles totaling 268 rushing yards for the game.
Hurts completed 16 of 24 passes for 154 yards while rushing nine times for 34 yards, while opposition counterpart Jones threw 15 of 27 attempts for 135 yards with no TDs and one interception. Saquon Barkley was restricted to only 61 yards on nine carries.
World number one Iga Swiatek was knocked out of the Australian Open in straight sets in the fourth round by Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina on Sunday.
The reigning US Open and French Open winner could not handle Rybakina's outstanding serve, with the Kazakh triumphing 6-4 6-4 in one hour and 30 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.
Rybakina won 80 per cent of first-serve points, including sending down six aces, while she broke Swiatek four times throughout the match.
Swiatek's elimination means the top-two seeds in both the women's and men's singles are out, with Ons Jabeur losing in the second round.
Title favourite Swiatek had routed Cristina Bucsa in 55 minutes in Friday's third-round win but she was broken immediately on Sunday by 23-year-old Rykabina, who offered a different threat.
"It was a really tough match," Rybakina said during her on-court interview after the match. "I really respect Iga. Today I think I was serving so good. In the end, I think in the important moments I played really well. I think that was the difference."
Swiatek did respond after Rybakina's early break by squaring up the first set at 2-2, but the Kazakh re-claimed her lead for 4-3, before serving to love to clinch the opening frame.
The 21-year-old Pole seemed outclassed in the 42-minute first set, but responded immediately in the second, racing to a 3-0 lead, only for Rybakina to hit back again to get it back on serve.
Rybakina failed to convert two break points at 15-40 in the ninth game but capitalised on her third opportunity, before serving out for victory, including another big ace at 30-0.
Data slam: Swiatek's grand slam dominance halted
Swiatek had not dropped a set all tournament, prior to losing the opening frame to Rybakina. In fact, the Pole had lost only two sets in her past 10 grand slam matches, dating back to her 2022 US Open triumph. Including her 2022 French Open title, she had only dropped five sets in her previous 19 grand slam matches.
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Swiatek – 15/14
Rybakina – 24/25
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Swiatek – 2/1
Rybakina – 6/1
BREAK POINTS WON
Swiatek – 2/4
Rybakina – 4/6
Patrick Mahomes vowed he will fit to play in the Kansas City Chiefs' AFC Championship Game despite picking up an ankle injury in Saturday's 27-20 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Mahomes sat out the second quarter when he headed down into the locker room and was listed as questionable due to an injury suffered at the end of the first, but returned heavily strapped up as the Chiefs claimed a place in the AFC Championship Game for the fifth straight season.
The MVP candidate revealed after the game that he had undergone X-rays in the locker room in the second quarter that cleared him to return, offering him confidence he will be available next weekend too.
"The X-rays were negative," Mahomes told NBC. "They haven’t diagnosed anything yet. But I'll be good to go [for the AFC Championship Game]."
"I did not want to go [to the locker room]. They gave me the ultimatum that I wasn’t going back in, unless I went in there. They were trying to take care of me, we've got a lot of great people over here. But it will take a lot to keep me out of the football game."
The Chiefs will face either the Buffalo Bills or the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Game, with those two sides to do battle on Sunday. If the Bills win, the game will be played in neutral Atlanta, while a Bengals victory will make the host Kansas City.
Mahomes soldiered on in the second half against the Jags, improving his Divisional Round record to 5-0, finishing the game with 22-of-30 passing for 195 yards with two touchdowns.
The quarterback threw a jump TD pass for Marquez Valdes-Scantling to open up a 10-point fourth-quarter lead after the Jags had rallied back to 20-17.
"It's a credit to the guys around me," Mahomes said. "The offensive line kept me clean in the pocket knowing I couldn’t move. The guys made plays around me.
"That's what a great team does, when somebody gets a little banged up, everybody else steps up."
Chiefs wide receiver Travis Kelce, who had 14 catches for 98 yards with two touchdowns, said he feared the worst when Mahomes went down.
"You don’t want to go down the train of thinking the worst but you automatically do," he said. "He's our fearless leader, we goes, he goes. Even when he had to step out, he was still on that sideline making sure we're still good."
Mahomes and Andy Reid are now joint second for most consecutive Conference Championship Game appearances by a quarterback-head coach duo with five, alongside Ken Stabler and John Madden. New England's Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have the most with eight from 2011 to 2018.
Patrick Mahomes battled through an ankle injury to help the Kansas City Chiefs overcome the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Divisional Round.
Mahomes sat out the second quarter due to an injury suffered at the end of the first, but returned heavily strapped up as the Chiefs claimed a place in the AFC Championship Game with a 27-20 victory at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday.
The MVP favourite was ultimately crucial – his pass through to Marquez Valdes-Scantling restoring Kansas City's 10-point lead after Travis Etienne Jr had hauled the Jaguars to within touching distance in the final quarter.
Mahomes' speed and agility was too good for the Jacksonville defense early on, allowing Travis Kelce to go through.
Trevor Lawrence had his say with a 10-yard pass for Christian Kirk to level the scores at 7-7, when Mahomes suffered an apparent twist to his right ankle.
After attempting to return only to throw the ball to the ground for a field goal that was converted by Harrison Butker, Mahomes begrudgingly headed to the locker room and was listed as questionable.
He returned to the sideline to watch backup Chad Henne, a former Jaguars QB, send the brilliant Kelce over for his second touchdown.
Andy Reid gambled on Mahomes' fitness for the second half, and even though he was not moving freely, the 27-year-old soon scrambled for a first down.
A simple Mahomes pass to the open Kelce paved the way for Butker to drill over his second 50-yard field goal and nose the Chiefs further ahead, though Eitenne Jr's four-yard rush teed up a grandstand finale.
This was Mahomes' day, though, and he became the 11th player in NFL history with 30 or more passing TDs in the playoffs when he picked out Valdes-Scantling, with some superb defense, including a stunning interception from Jaylen Watson, getting the Super Bowl LIV champions into a fifth successive Conference Championship game, where they will meet the Cincinnati Bengals or the Buffalo Bills.
Riley Patterson's late punt made little difference as Chiefs coach Andy Reid reached 20 career postseason wins, moving level with Tom Landry. Only Bill Belichick has more (31).
Jon Rahm's phenomenal front nine earned him a share of the lead with Davis Thompson after the third round of The American Express in California on Saturday.
World number four Rahm shot 30 in his first nine holes on the Stadium Course at La Quinta Country Club, including four birdies and an eagle on the fifth to claim the lead by three strokes from Thompson, who had gone into the third day ahead by two.
Rahm launched an aggressive second shot on the par-five fifth, setting up his eagle putt from the edge of the green.
The Spaniard cooled off after another birdie on the 12th to finish the day with a seven-under-par 65, having carded back-to-back 64s on the opening two days.
Thompson shot a five-under-par 67 on the Stadium Course, making an up-and-down birdie on the 16th hole to re-claim a share of the lead.
Rahm and Thompson are joint top on 23-under overall, four strokes ahead of J.T. Poston and Christiaan Bezuidenhout.
Bezuidenhout enjoyed a scintillating 10-under round on the Nicklaus Tournament Course to surge up the leaderboard, making six birdies on his back nine.
But the round of the day went to Dylan Wu, whose 11-under-par 61 matched Will Zalatoris' Nicklaus Tournament Course record.
The American had a run of six straight birdies on his front nine and would have broken the course record if not for a par on the 18th.
Wu, at 17-under, is part of a six-player group that includes world number two Scottie Scheffler.
Patrick Mahomes suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter of the Divisional Round clash between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
MVP-favourite Mahomes suffered what appeared to be an ankle injury during the first quarter of Saturday's game, in a potentially huge blow to Kansas City.
The quarterback returned to the field with heavy strapping around his ankle, though it was clear he was struggling as he hobbled forward before throwing the ball to the ground, paving the way for Harrison Butker to kick a 50-yard field goal to edge the Chiefs into a three-point lead.
Mahomes seemed to be debating whether he could continue with head coach Andy Reid, before he eventually headed down to the locker room.
The 27-year-old did not look happy with the decision, as veteran back-up Chad Henne, a former Jaguars QB, came on in his place.
Henne's first task was to get the ball out of the Chiefs' own end zone, though he managed to do so as Mahomes returned to watch on from the sideline with his status uncertain.
Mahomes was able to watch his team extend their lead after Isiah Pacheco's brilliant drive set the stage for Henne to find Travis Kelce, who went over for his second touchdown of the game.
Tyson Fury believes his return to the ring is "imminent" as talks over an undisputed world heavyweight title fight with Oleksandr Usyk continue.
Fury has been tipped to face Usyk since he overcame Derek Chisora in a trilogy bout last month, with the Ukrainian defending his WBA-Super heavyweight, IBF and WBO belts against Anthony Joshua in August last year.
Fury's co-promoter Frank Warren said a draft contract for the fight had been sent to Usyk's team earlier this month, with a March date provisionally pencilled in.
On Saturday, the WBC heavyweight champion was in attendance for Chris Eubank Jr's bout with Liam Smith in Manchester, where he offered an encouraging update on the talks with Usyk's camp.
Asked by Sky Sports when he would be returning to the ring, Fury said: "Hopefully quite soon. I don't know when, but it's imminent.
"Hopefully we see it in the next few months or whatever. I am ready to rock and roll as always. I am looking forward to the challenge.
"You would have to ask all the promoters and lawyers about how far away we are and all of that.
"Like I always say time and time again, we are never in the ring until we are in the ring, and nothing is ever on until you see me walk into that ring.
"You never know, and saying you want to fight somebody and actually doing it is very different. We have seen these big fights not happen in the past many, many times.
"Usyk seems to be up for it and I can't do any more. I just do what I do and hopefully we get the thing all sorted out."
Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic have called for changes to the Australian Open schedule after several late finishes in Melbourne.
Three-time grand slam champion Murray bowed out of the season's opening major on Saturday following a four-set defeat by Roberto Bautista Agut in round three.
The 35-year-old arrived in the clash having already spent over 10 hours on court across his victories over Matteo Berrettini and Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Murray's 4:05am local time finish in the latter match was the third-latest in tennis history after he recovered from two sets down to deny the home favourite in a thrilling clash that took five hours and 45 minutes to settle.
The Briton subsequently voiced his concerns with scheduling, which tournament director Craig Tiley has no plans to change.
He reiterated those worries after defeat by number 24 seed Bautista Agut, suggesting the Australian Open could follow the trend set by another of the sport's major events.
"I'm sure if you went and spoke to some sleep experts and sports scientists – the people that actually really know what's important for athletes to recover – they would tell you that sleep is the number one thing, that that's the most important thing," he said.
"Finishing matches at four in the morning isn't good for the players. I would also argue it's not good for the sport, anyone involved in it. I do think there's some quite simple things that can be done to change that.
"I think the US Open went to playing two matches in the day session. That would stop the day matches running into the night session starting too late.
"I think that's quite a simple one that you could look at. You'd still get quality matches during the day. The people who bought ground passes would get to see more of the top players, which would be excellent for them.
"I think if you did that, you could also potentially bring the night sessions slightly earlier, as well, like 6:00 or 6:30. That time, those few hours, can make a difference to the players."
Nine-time Melbourne champion Djokovic, who overcame injury to defeat Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets, concurred with Murray.
"I think that players' input is always important for tournament organisation. Whether it's decisive, we know that it's not, because it comes down to what the TV broadcasters want to have," Djokovic said. "That's the ultimate decision maker.
"I would agree with [Murray's] points. I think we have days when the day sessions go longer, but probably more days statistically in average where they finish – say five, six max – and you can start the night session an hour earlier at least.
"For the crowd, it's entertaining, it's exciting. For us, it's really gruelling. Even if you go through and win, prevail in these matches, you still have to come back.
"You have your sleeping cycle, rhythm disrupted completely, not enough time really to recover for another five-setter. Something needs to be addressed in terms of the schedule after what we've seen this year."
Magda Linette made it through to the fourth round of a grand slam for the first time after she beat Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3 6-4 at the Australian Open.
The result, paired with Iga Swiatek's third-round win on Friday, also means that two Polish female players are through to a grand slam fourth round for the first time in the Open Era since 2008, when Marta Domachowska and Agnieszka Radwanska both reached the same stage of the same tournament.
Indeed, Linette also became just the fourth female Polish player to reach the last 16 at a grand slam in the Open Era after Domachowska, Radwanska and the current world number one Swiatek.
Linette – who had lost each of her previous six grand slam third-round matches – recovered from a break down in the first set against the number 19 seed, while the second went very differently.
The world number 45 raced out to a 4-0 lead and seemed on course to finish the job quickly, before Alexandrova fought back to 5-4.
Linette kept her nerve to serve out the win and set up a fourth-round clash against fourth seed Caroline Garcia, who came from a set down to defeat Laura Siegemund.
Andy Murray is confident he can reach the latter stages of a grand slam before calling time on his career after being left "disappointed" by his third-round exit at the Australian Open.
The 35-year-old showed what he is capable of by defeating Thanasi Kokkinakis in a near-six-hour epic in the early hours of Friday, but he came unstuck against Roberto Bautista Agut on Saturday.
Murray, who was also on the court for almost four hours against Matteo Berrettini in the first round, fell just short of a place in the last 16 with a 6-1 6-7 (9-7) 6-3 6-4 loss on Margaret Court Arena.
Three-time grand slam winner Murray is already looking ahead to the Rotterdam Open in three weeks' time, though, and is hopeful of making his mark at the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open later in the year.
"I can have a deeper run than the third round of a slam, there's no question about that," he told reporters. "Obviously draws can open up for you.
"I need to also help myself with that. If I was playing at this level last year, I probably wouldn't be ranked 50, 60 in the world. It's up to me to try and change that."
Murray, who was on court for around 14 hours across his three matches in Melbourne, says the amount of hours put into practising is made worthwhile as he looks to prolong his career.
"Obviously you never know exactly when the end is going to be," he said. "I would like to go out playing tennis like this, where I'm competing with the best players in the world in the biggest events and doing myself justice.
"There were maybe times the last year or so where I didn't really feel like I was playing well, and I didn't enjoy the way that I was playing.
"Those sacrifices and that effort that I put in allowed me to get through those matches and play at a high level that I think was entertaining for the people watching.
"I felt good about the way that I was playing. It's more enjoyable for me when I'm playing like that, when I'm coming into a major event and really believing that I can do some damage."
Perhaps showing signs of rustiness from his early-morning finish against Kokkinakis, Murray struggled in the first set against Bautista Agut as three double faults – as many as he had in the whole of his second-round match – handed the initiative to his opponent.
Murray recovered from a point down in the second set to level up via a tie-break, despite trailing 5-2 and 6-4, though Bautista Agut earned the only break of serve in the third set to edge back in front.
Never before had Murray played three successive five-set matches in the main draw of a grand slam, and that remains the case as Bautista Agut shut out the loud noise generated by the crowd to recover from an early break down and take the match.
"I have a lot of mixed emotions," said Murray, who has not reached a grand slam quarter-final in six years. "I feel like I gave everything that I had to this event. So I'm proud of that.
"That is all you can ever do. You can't always control the outcome. You can't control how well you're going to play or the result. You can control the effort that you put into it, and I gave everything that I had the last three matches. I'm very proud of that.
"But I'm also disappointed because I put loads of work into the beginning of this year and was playing well enough to have a really good run, have a deep run.
"I think even tonight I'm competing against a guy 20 in the world, and it's still very tight considering the circumstances. I feel disappointed because I feel like I could have gone quite a bit further."
Number 24 seed Bautista Agut, who has only once previously reached the last eight in Melbourne, will face Tommy Paul in the next round.
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