Novak Djokovic battled back from match point down to win his first tournament of the year with a thrilling victory over Sebastian Korda in the final of the Adelaide International 1.

The 35-year-old certainly did not have it all his own way as the American gave a brilliant account of himself, but Djokovic had the nous to get his 92nd tournament win over the line 6-7 (8-10) 7-6 (7-3) 6-4.

During a gruelling encounter that lasted three hours and 11 minutes, there was precious little to separate them with only three breaks of serve in total.

Two of those came in the first set. Korda had the initial advantage, a gorgeous backhand down the line punishing a stranded Djokovic, but he instantly hit back as his opponent found the net with what looked a routine shot.

The subsequent tie-break was similarly neck-and-neck until a Djokovic slice went long and then he put another return into the net to hand Korda the set, the Serbian venting his frustration at his team at the interval.

Korda then had the opportunity to win the championship towards the end of the second set, but Djokovic worked the situation bravely before a smashed volley emphatically saved him, with another tie-break soon arriving.

Djokovic surged into a 6-1 lead and eventually grasped his third set point, and from then on there only looked like being one winner, with the 21-time grand slam champion pouncing on his first break point in the decider to take the win.

This tournament was of course Djokovic's first in Australia since being deported ahead of the 2022 Australian Open due to his unvaccinated status.

Upon his return to the country where he has won nine grand slams, Djokovic was feeling the love.

"It's been an amazing week and [the fans] made it even more special. For me to be standing here is a gift, definitely," Djokovic said in the trophy ceremony.

"I gave it all today and throughout the week in order to be able to get my hands on the trophy.

"The support that I've been getting in the past 10 days is something that I don't think I've experienced too many times in my life, so thank you so much [to] everyone for coming out every single match."

Success ensured Djokovic levelled Rafael Nadal (92) for fourth-most men's singles titles in the Open Era, with only Ivan Lendl (94), Roger Federer (103) and Jimmy Connors (109) winning more.

Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson believes their AFC South title win was made all the sweeter by the team's turbulent past couple of years.

The Jaguars beat the Tennessee Titans 20-16 at TIAA Bank Field on Saturday to clinch the AFC South and a first playoffs spot since 2017, a year on from finishing bottom.

That made them only the fifth team since the merger in 1970 to record the league's poorest record one season and then win the division the next year, with the Miami Dolphins the last to achieve it in 2008.

The Jaguars began the 2021 season with five defeats that took their losing streak to 20, the third-longest in NFL history, and in December of that year they eventually fired coach Urban Meyer following a string of scandals and controversies.

Meyer was dismissed while the Jags held a 2-11 record – they finished the season at 3-14, but Pederson has helped transform their fortunes.

It has not been straightforward for the 9-8 Jags though, whose hard-fought victory over the Titans ensured they had recorded both five-game losing and winning runs this season.

"This game tonight kind of symbolises our season," Pederson said. "There were some struggles, there were some highs and lows, but in the end, we had the victory.

"I'm so proud of the guys for the way they have all season long just hung together through the face of adversity.

"Obviously, to be in this position, to be the AFC South champion, and just to know the journey that it took us to get here... it's just a step in the direction that we want to go.

"I want it to be sustainable. I just don't want to be like, 'OK, you were the 2022 champs and not in 2023'. You want to be competing for this division every year.

"But it makes it special just because of the way these guys battled and kind of what they've been through in the last two years."

Quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the number one overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, has undoubtedly played his part after a disappointing first season.

The 23-year-old became only the third Jags QB in NFL history to throw for more than 4,000 yards in a single season, helping the franchise dig their way out of a hole when they found themselves at 2-6 in October.

"Nobody ever lost faith," he told ESPN. "Everyone believed in one another. We never started pointing the finger. We lost five straight, and we just got tighter. After the bye week, we started correcting some things and started rolling. It's cool to see a team come together like we have, and we're just excited to get another opportunity next week.

"It's hard to sum up this season and what we've been able to do. To get an opportunity to go play in the playoffs. Sounds great. Sounds really, really good."

Taylor Fritz claimed the deciding victory as the United States stormed into an unassailable 3-0 lead over Italy in the United Cup final.

Jessica Pegula and Frances Tiafoe paved the way for Fritz to be the hero with their victories over Martina Trevisan and Lorenzo Musetti earlier in Sunday's final in Sydney.

While Musetti retired hurt while trailing 6-2, WTA world number three Pegula dispatched Trevisan in straight sets, carrying on the form that saw her defeat Iga Swiatek in the USA's semi-final win over Poland.

And Fritz ensured that the inaugural United Cup went his nation's way with a 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-6) win over Matteo Berrettini, who clawed back the first championship point but was unable to prevent his opponent taking the second.

"It's great. It’s amazing for the team to win this event. We came in with really high hopes, or at least I did, for the event," said Fritz, who is ranked ninth in the world by the ATP after winning three titles in 2022.

"I was really happy to be in that position to clinch the match."

There were jubilant scenes as the USA team rushed to celebrate with Fritz, though Tiafoe was perhaps slightly overzealous.

"Just the emotions when you win and everyone comes running at you, it’s amazing," Fritz said. "I don’t know if you saw the replay but Frances basically headbutted me!"

Aryna Sabalenka warmed up for the Australian Open by winning her first WTA title since May 2021 as she beat Linda Noskova in the Adelaide International 1 final on Sunday.

Sabalenka lost in all three of her final appearances in 2022, but she began 2023 in emphatic fashion and crowned a fine week with a 6-3 7-6 (7-4) triumph.

Noskova, who at 18 years and 43 days old became the youngest finalist of a WTA 500-level or above event since 2008, looked up for a scrap as both players threatened to break in the early stages.

But Sabalenka soon took the initiative with the match's first break to go 4-2 up thanks to a ferocious backhand, and she subsequently cruised to seal the set.

The teenager kept things tighter for much longer in the second and went close to tying the match as she found herself 5-4 up and at deuce.

But a tiebreak beckoned, and Noskova's pair of double faults helped Sabalenka open a 5-1 lead, eventually seeing out the win at the second time of asking with a powerful serve that gave her young opponent too much to do.

Sabalenka clinched her success without dropping a single set over the course of the week, something she will hope provides a springboard as she aims to improve on her previous best at the Australian Open, where she reached the fourth round in 2021 and 2022.

Coco Gauff won the third WTA title of her career as she warmed up for the Australian Open by sweeping past Rebeka Masarova in the final of the ASB Classic.

The 18-year-old was too good for Masarova throughout in Auckland, easing to a 6-1 6-1 victory in just an hour and 15 minutes on Sunday.

Gauff forced a break point in Masarova's first service game, and though the Spanish-Swiss player was able to rescue it, she was not so lucky in her next two as her ruthless opponent won the first set with back-to-back breaks.

That theme continued in the second as unforced errors from Masarova, who won just two out of 15 points on her second serve (13.3 per cent), saw Gauff break again immediately.

The American was then forced to save break points on her own serve but did so impressively as she rescued all 10 against her in the contest.

Masarova was able to get on the board again after saving another two break points, but that was as good as it got, with ultimately Gauff romping to victory in front of an impressed New Zealand crowd.

"It's been a great week for me, despite the rain," Gauff said, referring to tournament's frequent weather disruption, which also delayed the final and forced a pause at the end of the first set.

"It's my first title on hard [court] since I was 15, so I'm happy to do well on a surface that I love.

"It gives me a lot of confidence [ahead of the Australian Open]. You're never sure how your first week is going to go, but it's been a great week."

The Los Angeles Lakers are "trending in the right direction" after beating the Sacramento Kings on Saturday, according to coach Darvin Ham.

An awful start to the season saw them lose 10 of their first 12 games, but the Lakers' form has evened out and their 136-134 win over the Kings made it five victories in a row to move them on to 19-21 for the campaign.

LeBron James posted 37 points as well as eight rebounds and seven assists as the visitors secured their latest win at Golden 1 Center.

Ham pointed to his team's struggles earlier in the season – including two defeats to the Kings – as partly responsible for their recent upturn, saying after the game the Lakers are "trending in the right direction and learning from our mistakes." 

He added: "A couple of months back we'd have lost a game like this, and back then sitting here with you guys in post-game pressers telling you as much as it hurt, we need to go through this process, we need to learn, trial by fire.

"All those experiences are causing us to be more conscious on offense, not just throwing away possessions late in the game.

"At the end of the day, everything we have gone through this season I think has been a huge education for us."

Thomas Bryant, who scored 29 points along with claiming 14 rebounds, also praised his team-mates for their resilience.

"It says a lot about the confidence, the strong resiliency that we try and bring each and every night out," the former Washington Wizards center said.

"I know each and every last one of those guys are proud of each other out there."

Four-time major champion Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the 2023 Australian Open.

The 25-year-old Japanese is a two-time Australian Open winner (2019 and 2021), but tournament organisers confirmed on Sunday she will not be adding to that tally in 2023.

No reason has yet been cited for Osaka's decision, although she has not played since pulling out of the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in September.

Osaka endured a difficult 2022 at grand slams, losing in the first round at both the French Open and US Open, while she was bundled out in the third round of last year's Australian Open and did not compete at Wimbledon due to an Achilles injury.

The former world number one's withdrawal follows that of men's top seed Carlos Alcaraz and seven-time major winner Venus Williams due to injury. 

Reigning women's singles champion Ash Barty has also since retired following her triumph in January last year.

Osaka is currently ranked 42nd in the world and will be replaced by Dayana Yastremska in the main draw.

Chicago Bulls' All-Star guard Zach LaVine says he "feels like me again" after scoring a combined 77 points in back-to-back games capped by his side's 126-118 win over the Utah Jazz on Saturday.

LaVine starred with 41 points including 11 three-pointers in Friday's 126-112 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, following that up with 36 on 12-of-21 shooting against the Jazz.

That marks the best form that the 27-year-old has achieved this season after undergoing arthroscopic left knee surgery in the offseason.

"First couple of back to backs, I played and didn't feel great," LaVine told reporters.

"[Now] I feel great. Legs feel healthy. Felt springy at the beginning of the game. It's good to feel like me again."

On Friday, LaVine hit 11 of his 13 three-point attempts (84.6 per cent), joining Stephen Curry as the only players in NBA history to hit at least 11 three-pointers in a game at over 80 per cent efficiency.

LaVine shot another six-of-12 from beyond the arc against the Jazz, including three in a row to push the Bulls' lead to eight.

Bulls head coach Billy Donovan encouraged LaVine to take on more three-point attempts.

"For us to generate more threes, he can be a big part of that," Donovan said.

"Then he's got to find a balance between shooting those threes and obviously getting downhill and either getting to the basket or passing and creating offense for others."

Chicago's win over the Jazz made it three in a row, along with eight victories from their past 11 games, during which they have the fourth best offensive rating in the NBA.

"It always helps when your best players are playing well and you're focused on the other end," LaVine said.

"We're playing well. We're making big plays. I'm not saying we're playing perfect, but we're competing.

"We're coming to each game with a certain type of energy and confidence and we need to keep taking it game by game. We're not trying to look ahead and get ahead of ourselves."

Head coach Andy Reid says the Kansas City Chiefs will enjoy a much-needed break after clinching the AFC's No.1 seed with their 31-13 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Reid secured the top seed for the sixth time as an NFL head coach, with the Chiefs beginning their postseason campaign with a divisional round game in a fortnight at Arrowhead Stadium.

There is uncertainty after that should the Chiefs progress to the AFC Championship Game which may be played at a neutral venue following the NFL's decision on the cancelled Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals game.

For now, Reid was delighted for his side to earn a break for the first time since their Week 8 bye as they aim for a second Super Bowl title in four seasons.

"I think it's a good thing," Reid told reporters about earning the top seed. "You've still got to take care of business. Our guys understand that.

"We'll give them a few days off next week and get them back in towards the end of the week and get some practice in there and start the regular week after that.

"Just take a step back and get yourself where you feel stronger and healthier, mentally and physically it's a good thing."

Reid was delighted with a strong display against the Raiders in a game where they were always in control, as Patrick Mahomes set the tone on the second play from scrimmage, a 67-yard completion to Justin Watson.

"We needed that," Reid said. "We really hadn't put it all together. I thought this was a good time - if I had to pick a time to do it, this was a good time to do it.

"We strive for it every week, but it seemed like it all kind of came together today, which is a plus."

MVP candidate Mahomes ended his regular-season with 5,614 total yards when he was removed in the final minutes, with 41 passing touchdowns and four rushing touchdowns.

"It's important," Mahomes said about earning the top seed. "Getting that bye, it's like winning a playoff game.

"Now we need to focus on watching tomorrow and this next week and seeing who we play and come up with our best football."

LeBron James scored 37 points and Russell Westbrook added 23 points and 15 assists off the bench as the Los Angeles Lakers sneaked past the Sacramento Kings 136-134 on Saturday.

The win made it five straight victories for the Lakers, who were missing Anthony Davis (foot), as they improved to 19-21.

Dennis Schroder hit two free-throws with 3.1 seconds remaining before De'Aaron Fox missed a 43-foot attempt on the buzzer. Fox had squared the game up at 134-all with a 14-foot shot with 7.1 seconds remaining.

James' driving layup and one with 48 seconds left had earned the Lakers the lead which they never gave up.

The four-time NBA MVP scored 10 fourth-quarter points, shooting at 50 per cent for the game, finishing with eight rebounds and seven assists.

Schroder added 27 points with four-of-five from three-point range, while Thomas Bryant added 29 points and 14 rebounds.

Westbrook played 34 minutes, making a strong contribution, becoming only the second player to reach 20 points, five rebounds and 15 assists off the bench since starters were first tracked in 1970-71.

Fox scored 34 points on 11-of-21 shooting from the field, with Domantas Sabonis having 25 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists.

Doncic triple-double in Mavs win

Luka Doncic had his ninth triple-double of the season with 34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists as the Dallas Mavericks beat the New Orleans Pelicans 127-117.

Dallas raced to a 34-15 quarter-time lead with Christian Wood starring early to finish with 28 points, while exciting rookie Jaden Hardy scored 15 for the second straight time.

The Pels, playing without leading scorers Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and C.J. McCollum, were led by Jonas Valanciunas with 25 points and 10 rebounds.

Tatum guides Celtics past Spurs

Jayson Tatum scored 34 points on 13-of-26 shooting as he lifted the Boston Celtics past the San Antonio Spurs 121-116.

Tatum scored a tiebreaking jumper with 33 seconds left, while Jaylen Brown added 29 points and Malcolm Brogdon contributed 23 off the bench.

The Spurs pushed the Eastern Conference-leading Celtics all game, with eight players scoring double digits for the home team, led by Zach Collins with 18 points and 12 rebounds.

The Jacksonville Jaguars clinched the AFC South division on the back of Saturday's 20-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans where they rallied from a double-digit deficit to extend their win streak.

The victory completes a remarkable turnaround for the Jags, who lost five straight earlier in the season yet rallied to 4-8, before securing five straight wins to top the division ahead of the Titans (7-10).

Tennessee scored the first 10 points of the game but the Jags hit the lead for the first time with 2:51 remaining in the fourth quarter when Rayshawn Jenkins forced a fumble from Titans QB Joshua Dobbs which Josh Allen scooped up for the go-ahead touchdown.

That TD marked a brilliant second-half performance by the Jags' defense, who had four sacks for the game, allowing only three points after trailing 13-7 at half-time.

Jacksonville clinched their fourth division title and qualified for the playoffs for the first time since the 2017 season, having only won four games in the previous two years.

Jags QB Trevor Lawrence was not at his best but threw 20 of 32 passes for 212 yards, including a touchdown pass to Christian Kirk late in the second quarter. Kirk had 99 yards on six receptions.

The Titans had opened up a 10-0 lead from Dobbs' TD pass to Chigoziem Okonkwo with 5:32 left in the second quarter.

Dobbs completed 20 of 29 passes for 179 yards with one TD and one interception from Tyson Campbell, his third of the season, leading to Riley Patterson's field goal to make it 16-13.

Running back Derrick Henry ran for 109 yards on 30 carries for the Titans, who missed the playoffs after seven straight losses.

Two-time major winner Collin Morikawa continued his excellent run at the Tournament of Champions on Saturday with an eight-under-par 65 helping him pull six strokes clear.

The 25-year-old American carded rounds of 64 and 66 on his first two days to lead by two shots at the halfway mark, backing that form up on the third day with an eagle on the par-five fifth hole.

Morikawa and playing partner Scottie Scheffler had traded eagles on the fifth to set the standard early at the Kapalua Plantation Course on the island of Maui.

The 2020 PGA Championship and 2021 Open Championship winner finished his round with four birdies from the final five holes to open up a significant gap at the top of the leaderboard.

Morikawa remains bogey-free across 54 holes, with his six-stroke lead equalling the largest 54-hole lead of the season, alongside Russell Henley at the World Wide Technology Championship.

Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick, Scottie Scheffler and J.J. Spaun are next best on 18 under. Fitzpatrick carded a seven-under-par 66 to surge up the leaderboard, while Scheffler and Spaun went four under on the third day.

Jon Rahm and Tom Kim are both a further stroke back at 17-under-par overall. Kim moved into joint second after an eagle on 15th but slipped back after following that up with a bogey.

Max Homa enjoyed the round of the day, carding a 10-under-par 63 although he was not helped by an unlucky bounce from a sprinkler head on a good approach on the 17th, leaving him to settle for par.

The Kansas City Chiefs clinched the number one seed in the AFC playoffs as Patrick Mahomes made history in an easy 31-13 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

With Monday's game between the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals cancelled following the cardiac arrest suffered by Bills safety Damar Hamlin, the Chiefs knew they could clinch the top seed with a victory in Las Vegas.

Mahomes set the tone on the second play from scrimmage, a 67-yard completion to Justin Watson, which was soon followed by a two-yard toss to Jerick McKinnon after some vintage play outside the pocket from the Chiefs quarterback.

The Chiefs were ruthless in taking advantage of a Jarrett Stidham interception as Mahomes led a three-play drive capped by a two-yard touchdown plunge from Ronald Jones III.

A second-quarter red-zone stand from the Kansas City defense seemed to sap the energy out of home crowd that struggled to outnumber the Chiefs fans in attendance at Allegiant Stadium.

The Chiefs' superiority was summed up on the subsequent 12-play drive from Kansas City when the visitors scored a touchdown on a trick play to Kadarius Toney after they broke the huddle bouncing around in a circle in unison. That score was called back by penalty, only for the Chiefs to hand the ball to Toney for an 11-yard touchdown on the next play.

From there, it was over as a contest, with Isiah Pacheco's fourth-quarter rushing touchdown adding gloss to the scoreline and Mahomes ending his regular-season with 5,614 total yards when he was removed in the final minutes.

Kansas City will get the week off while the rest of the AFC playoff teams contest the Wild Card round and will have home advantage throughout the road to the Super Bowl unless the Bills beat the New England Patriots on Sunday and go on to face the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.

In that scenario, the game that will decide the AFC representative in the Super Bowl will be played at a neutral site as part of changes approved by NFL owners following the cancellation of the Bills-Bengals game.