Aryna Sabalenka reached uncharted territory in her career by fending off Magda Linette to set up an Australian Open final showdown with Elena Rybakina.
Only a year ago, Sabalenka's game was in crisis as she struggled horrendously with serving yips, but now a first grand slam singles title match awaits the Belarusian.
She scored a 7-6 (7-1) 6-2 victory over unseeded Polish player Linette on Rod Laver Arena, recovering from going an early break down in the first set before taking command of the contest.
Trailing 2-0 and 30-all on serve, Sabalenka ripped a brilliant forehand winner on the run and yelled "Come on!", looking to gee herself up. It did the trick as she won the game to gain a foothold, then came from 40-0 behind in Linette's next service game to break back.
Neither player had a further break point before the tie-break, which fifth seed Sabalenka dominated, before racing 4-1 ahead in the second set.
The 24-year-old, facing an opponent six years her senior, gave Linette precious little hope of a comeback. Linette admirably staved off three match points at 5-1 down, holding serve to keeping Sabalenka waiting, but the deepest grand slam run of her career is over.
Now opportunity knocks for Sabalenka in the biggest match of her life at the weekend, her 20th WTA-level singles final, with Wimbledon champion Rybakina standing in her way.
Data slam: Taking a straight line to glory
Sabalenka has won 10 out of 10 matches in 2023 so far, landing a title in Adelaide before embarking on this run in Melbourne. More impressive than that is all the wins have come in straight sets. She had lost three slam singles semi-finals leading up to this Linette clash, but now that hurdle has been cleared.
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Sabalenka – 6/2
Linette – 1/1
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Sabalenka – 33/25
Linette – 9/16
BREAK POINTS WON
Sabalenka – 3/7
Linette – 1/4
Elena Rybakina reached her first Australian Open final with a straight-sets victory over Victoria Azarenka on Rod Laver Arena. Wimbledon champion Rybakina was not at her best but came from a break down in the opener and went on to win 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 on Thursday. Rybakina struggled with her first serve, but a below-par Azarenka was unable to capitalise in her first Australian Open semi-final since retaining her title a decade ago. The Kazakh will face Arnya Sabalenka or Magda Linette in her second grand slam final on Saturday.
Rybakina, the 22nd seed, started with a double fault but there were no signs of nerves as she followed that up with three aces to hold, but Azarenka earned the first break with a well-constructed point that she ended with a volley to lead 3-2.
Azarenka was unable to consolidate that break, though, as a combination of power and precision enabled Rybakina to hit straight back and the 23-year-old was 5-3 up following an unforced error from her experienced opponent.
Rybakina was unable to serve out the set as the battling two-time champion conjured up a majestic forehand winner on the run, saving a set point before breaking back.
There was frustration for 24th seed Azarenka when she saw three break points come and go in the next game as Rybakina endured huge struggles with her first serve, but won a tense, error-strewn tie-break when the former world number one sprayed a forehand wide.
Azarenka saved a break point first game of the second with a sublime cross-court forehand winner and held with an ace, but Rybakina was able to secure the break for a 2-1 lead.
Rybakina wasted a great chance to go 4-1 up when she missed a simple forehand, but she was serving for the set after Azarenka also got a forehand all wrong.
She was unable to serve it out, but a flat Azarenka bowed out following a poor service game that she ended by crashing a backhand into the net.
Rybakina overcomes another major hurdle
That is three major champions Rybakina has seen off to reach her maiden Australian Open final.
She beat strong favourite and world number one Iga Swiatek in the fourth round and got past Jelena Ostapenko before toppling Azarenka.
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Rybakina– 9/3
Azarenka– 3/6
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Rybakina– 30/21
Azarenka– 26/27
BREAK POINTS WON
Rybakina – 5/11
Azarenka– 3/8
The father of Novak Djokovic is facing fierce criticism after posing with supporters of Russian president Vladimir Putin at the Australian Open.
Srdjan Djokovic is in Melbourne to support his son as he chases a 10th grand slam title in Australia and a record-equalling 22nd men's singles major overall.
He has been in the player's box for his 35-year-old son's matches, cheering the Serbian into the semi-finals.
The tournament was rocked on Wednesday by a group of pro-Putin agitators staging a rally outside Rod Laver Arena, after Djokovic beat Russian Andrey Rublev to reach the last four.
Rublev has previously expressed his opposition to Russia's war in Ukraine, which has been ongoing since last February.
The Putin supporters chanted and carried flags of Serbia and Russia. One man appeared to be wearing a T-shirt adorned with the letter 'Z' – used as a pro-war symbol in Russia.
Srdjan Djokovic appeared to happily stand with the group outside the stadium court. According to reports, he said: "Long live the Russians."
Tennis Australia banned Russian and Belarusian flags from the event earlier this month, after a spectator was reported to security for displaying one during a match between Ukraine's Kateryna Baindl and Russian Kamilla Rakhimova.
Russian and Belarusian players have not been able to play under their countries' flags since Putin's regime launched its invasion.
In a statement, Tennis Australia reacted to Wednesday's incident, saying: "A small group of people displayed inappropriate flags and symbols and threatened security guards following a match on Wednesday night and were evicted. One patron is now assisting police with unrelated matters.
"Players and their teams have been briefed and reminded of the event policy regarding flags and symbols and to avoid any situation that has the potential to disrupt. We continue to work closely with event security and law enforcement agencies."
Tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg wrote of the Srdjan Djokovic incident: "This is…quite a mess for the #AusOpen, to say the least. The levels of security breakdowns that allowed for this are staggering."
Another tennis reporter, Carole Bouchard, added: "Sorry but they shouldn't warn Srdjan Djokovic after that. They should remove his credential. This is outrageous."
There has been no suggestion from tournament officials that Srdjan Djokovic will face such action, and it remains to be seen whether he attends his son's semi-final against American Tommy Paul on Friday.
Ukrainian WTA player Marta Kostyuk addressed the issue on Twitter with a series of nine exploding head emojis.
Before footage emerged of Srdjan Djokovic alongside the group, Ukraine's ambassador to Australia and New Zealand, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, expressed his dismay.
He wrote on Twitter: "It's a full package. Among the Serbian flags, there is: a Russian flag, Putin, Z-symbol, so-called Donetsk People's Republic flag. It's such a disgrace."
Alfa Romeo have appointed Alessandro Alunni Bravi as team representative following Frederic Vasseur's exit to Ferrari.
Part of the Sauber Group since 2017, Alunni Bravi's new role effectively fills that of a team principal and he will "represent the team in all official functions at race weekends and away from the track".
The appointment marks one of the first major tasks completed by Andreas Seidl, who joined as the new CEO of the Sauber Group last month from McLaren.
"I am delighted to confirm the appointment of Alessandro Alunni Bravi to the role of team representative, in addition to his existing duties of managing director of the Group," Seidl said.
"His vast experience in motorsport has equipped him with all the tools he needs to succeed, and his intimate knowledge of the team, of which he has been part for more than five years, will ensure stability and continuity in our progression.
"Alessandro representing the team during the Formula One championship will allow me to focus on growing the Group and preparing for the challenges and opportunities that await us.
"I thank Alessandro for his belief in our vision and I welcome him to this additional position: I am convinced this is another valuable addition to what is without any doubt a very strong team, from the drivers to the management team, to each one of our employees, capable of building on last year's success and creating a bright future for Sauber."
The team is entering a transitional period this year, with the Alfa Romeo naming deal expiring at the end of the 2023 season and will be replaced by Audi, who officially enters F1 in 2026.
Testing ahead of the new season begins in Spain next month, with the first race taking place in Bahrain on March 20.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem made it clear that Formula One's governing body has a say on who controls the series' commercial rights.
The civil war between the FIA and F1 took another twist this week after Ben Sulayem expressed concern about reports that Saudi Arabia is interested in buying the sport for a mammoth $20billion (£16.15bn) fee.
F1 responded fiercely, insisting that owners Liberty Media has the "exclusive right" to "exploit the commercial rights".
Ben Sulayem is not backing down, however, with his belief that the FIA still has a decisive say on the matter.
"The championship is ours. We have only rented it out," he said at the Monte Carlo rally, per Auto Motor und Sport.
"So far there are only rumours about a possible sale. But the FIA should have a say and be able to offer advice."
Two decades ago, a 100-year lease deal was agreed between the FIA and former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone for a reported fee of $300m (£242m) – a figure significantly lower than the motorsport's current value.
Despite that, it is reported that a 'Don King clause' hands the FIA veto power over any sale.
Ben Sulayem has regularly been at loggerheads with F1 since taking charge of the FIA in December 2021, recently publicly backing Andretti's proposed entry alongside General Motors and adopting a tough stance against drivers wearing jewellery during the 2022 season.
Joel Embiid found the experience of facing Ben Simmons for the first time no different to any other night as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Brooklyn Nets in a thriller.
Embiid came up against his former team-mate Simmons for the first time at Wells Fargo Center on Thursday and the 76ers came out on top, winning 137-133.
Simmons was traded to the Nets almost a year ago in a deal that saw James Harden make the move to Philadelphia.
Three-time All-Star point guard Simmons scored 12 points, claimed five rebounds and provided five assists as the Nets slipped to 29-18.
Embiid finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds for a 76ers side that have won six games in a row and sit second in the Eastern Conference at 31-16 behind the Boston Celtics (35-14).
Asked how it felt doing battle with Simmons for the first time, he replied: "Nothing. Just like every single night, [I am trying to] just freaking kill whoever is in front of me.
"My mentality is always about scoring. If I get doubled, make the right pass, but if I get played one-on-one, or I see an opportunity to go score, I'm going to go score."
Doc Rivers, the 76ers head coach, said: "The first play, Ben is guarding Joel and it was like it was a party.
"It was hilarious. That's when I turned to our coaches and said, 'This is a boxing crowd tonight. They want to see them drop the basketball, turn and duke it out. And [Simmons and Embiid] went at each other, which is fun and good."
Despite another win, Rivers felt his players could have handled the occasion better.
He added: "I thought the team overall did. We got caught up in all the c*** going on tonight.
"There was a lot of chippiness, and that's good, but play above it, stay above it. Keep playing. I didn't think we did that."
Anthony Davis felt great on his return from a foot injury but concedes it was a "long five-and-a-half weeks" on the sidelines.
The All-Star returned for the Los Angeles Lakers for the first time since December 17 as they won 113-104 over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.
Davis, who had been sidelined with a fractured bone spur and stress reaction in his right foot, played 26 minutes off the bench in his return, scoring 21 points with 12 rebounds and four blocks.
The center had been in near career-best form prior to the injury, averaging 27.4 points per game as well as a career-high 12.1 rebounds, with his successful return a major boost for the Lakers who improved to 23-26 with Wednesday's win.
"I felt great. I felt good out on the floor," Davis told Spectrum Sportsnet after the game. "The foot feels fine. It was good to be out there with the guys battling. It was good because it was a close game. We really had to battle until the last four, five minutes, it was a good test for me going into this road trip.
"Overall, I'm happy to be back on the court with these guys. It's been a long five-and-a-half weeks, so it feels good to come back and get the win and ultimately be back out on the floor."
Davis checked into the game with 4:22 left in the first quarter, playing on a managed workload.
"Anytime you come back, that first game, that first practice whatever, you're always tender," Davis said. "You want to test it out, see how it feels in live action, in a real game where it matters.
"That's the ultimate test and for that first 30 seconds to a minute I wanted to see if I felt anything or if anything would flare up. When I didn’t feel anything, my mind was like, 'it's time to go'."
Lakers head coach Darvin Ham reassured that they were confident Davis has fully recovered from the issue, having endured numerous injuries in recent seasons.
"He's gone through some rigorous therapy, weight training, weight-bearing exercises, activity on the court - both individually and some group workouts," Ham told reporters prior to the game.
"We would save him from himself if we thought there was any type of threat or harm that he could do to himself.
"He had these boxes that he had to check, and he's checked all of them, so we feel comfortable with him appearing tonight."
Stephen Curry knows he cannot make the same mistake after his ejection in the Golden State Warriors' win over the Memphis Grizzlies, head coach Steve Kerr says.
Curry was ejected with 1:14 remaining in the fourth quarter for unsportsmanlike conduct, having thrown his mouthpiece in frustration after Jordan Poole opted not to pass to him before missing a three-point attempt.
The ejection did not hinder the Warriors, with Poole scoring a last-second layup to clinch a narrow 122-120 victory that moved the franchise up to ninth in the Western Conference with a 24-24 record.
While the loss of Curry was not detrimental to the result, Kerr knows the outcome could have been different and the NBA Finals MVP must avoid similar actions in the future.
"I didn't see what happened at the time, so when the ref called it I was confused," he said.
"Then the coach told me he threw the mouthpiece down out of anger. I think that's an automatic ejection. He knows he can't make that mistake again."
Poole was quizzed on the incident following the win, as well as his interaction with Curry in the tunnel after the game, but claimed he could not remember what occurred prior to his teammates' ejection.
"I don't even know what you're talking about, I have a short memory," he replied.
"We just kind of embraced a little bit [in the tunnel], he's our leader, we would have loved to have him in the game for the last three [minutes]
"But we just found a way to grind it out, get a big win against a really good team, and now we just want to keep that momentum going."
Kerr was similarly keen to avoid any unnecessary drama, highlighting that the victory was more important.
"Was Steph Curry open next to him? We won, let's focus on the positives," he added.
Stephen Curry was ejected for throwing his mouthpiece before Jordan Poole scored a last-second layup as the Golden State Warriors narrowly beat the Memphis Grizzlies 122-120 on Wednesday.
Curry was ejected with 1:14 remaining in the fourth quarter with the Warriors up by two for unsportsmanlike conduct, having thrown his mouthpiece in frustration after Poole opted not to pass to him, before missing a three-point attempt.
But Golden State kept their composure without their NBA Finals MVP, with Klay Thompson draining a clutch three-pointer with 14.1 seconds left, before Ja Morant dished off for a Brandon Clarke dunk to square it up with 6.3 seconds remaining.
Poole got redemption for his role in Curry's ejection, when he got free to land a left-handed layup from Donte DiVincenzo's inbound to decide the game at Chase Center.
Curry finished with 34 points with four-of-eight three-point shooting, while Klay Thompson hit five-of-10 triples in his 24 points.
Draymond Green had 13 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks, while Poole added 21 points with seven assists.
Morant posted 29 points for the Grizzlies, making two-of-seven from beyond the arc with 12 assists and two steals. Desmond Bane managed 20 points but went four-of-six from the stripe.
The result lifts the Warriors up to ninth in the Western Conference with a 24-24 record, while the Grizzlies are 31-17 and second in the west.
Simmons booed as 76ers down Nets
Ben Simmons was booed throughout on his return to Wells Fargo Center as the Philadelphia 76ers edged the Brooklyn Nets 137-133 to clinch their sixth straight win.
James Harden starred against his former side with 23 points, three rebounds and seven assists, making two three-pointers and a driving layup in the final four minutes. Tyrese Maxey added 27 points off the bench and Joel Embiid had 26 points and 10 rebounds.
Seth Curry had a season-high 32 points including seven triples, Kyrie Irving added 30 points with 10 assists, while Ben Simmons was scoreless in the first half from only one shot but finished with 12 points, five rebounds and five assists.
Lillard shoots 60 in Blazers win
Damian Lillard scored 60 points, the second-most by a single player in a game this season, as the Portland Trail Blazers won 134-124 over the Utah Jazz.
Lillard shot nine-of-15 from three-point range including six of those in the first half, recording his fourth career 60-point game, matching Michael Jordan and James Harden for the third most overall.
The Blazers guard scored five triples in the second quarter, which he has done 16 times in any quarter in his career, which is the second most by any player in the last 25 seasons. Jazz power forward Lauri Markkanen scored 24 points with four rebounds.
Damian Lillard recorded the equal second-highest individual score this season with 60 points in the Portland Trail Blazers' 134-124 win over the Utah Jazz, but says it means so much more in a win.
Lillard matched Luka Doncic's 60-point game against the New York Knicks on December 27 with his haul on Wednesday, that included 21-of-29 shooting, making nine-of-15 three-pointers and nine-of-10 free-throws.
Only Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers has exceeded Lillard's 60 points this season, scoring 71 against the Chicago Bulls on January 2.
Lillard's 60-point game was the fourth of his career, tying Michael Jordan and James Harden for the third most in NBA history.
"It feels great," Lillard told ESPN after the game. "I've had these types of performances and we've come out on the losing end. To know this type of effort came in a winning effort, it means that much more especially with what our team has been going through.
"The most important thing was to come out on the winning side."
The win improves the Blazers' record to 23-25 with back-to-back wins, having lost eight of their previous 10 games.
Portland had trailed 31-19 at quarter-time before finding their feet with a 47-point second quarter.
Lillard scored 50 of his points in three quarters, while he managed six three-pointers in the first half.
"It just feels like you can always control the outcome of the game," Lillard said.
"Even when they closed in on the lead and we had some bad turnovers, when you're in that type of groove, you feel like you can always get it going back in the right direction for the team. That's how I felt."
Lillard passed Zach Randolph on the NBA all-time scoring list during the game, sitting 69th overall with 18,787 points.
Brandon Ingram will return for the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves after missing the past 29 games with a left big toe contusion.
Ingram's return comes amid the Pelicans' five-game losing run which has seen them drop to a 26-22 record and fourth in the Western Conference.
The 25-year-old Pels forward has not played since November 25 against the Memphis Grizzlies when he sustained the injury by kicking the back of another player's foot.
Ingram is averaging 20.8 points on 47.2 per cent shooting, 5.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 15 games this season.
"You watch Brandon in his five-on-five games and you realise how his basketball IQ is at a high level," Pelicans coach Willie Green told reporters.
"His skill set is at a high level. He's going to be knocking some rust off when he does come back. That's a part of it, too.
"But he's efficient, elite basketball player. Guys like him and others like him in the NBA is what makes this league special."
Ingram was named the NBA's Most Improved Player for the 2019-20 season, earning his only All-Star selection in the process.
Reigning back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic will miss his third game from the past four due to a tight left hamstring when the Denver Nuggets face the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.
Jokic returned with a triple-double including the game-winner in Tuesday's 98-99 win over the New Orleans Pelicans after missing two games with the same hamstring issue.
The Serbian center is averaging 25.1 points, 11.0 rebounds and 9.9 assists this season, putting him in contention to be first player to win three MVPs in a row since Larry Bird (1984-86).
Jokic's absence comes as the Western Conference-leading Nuggets (34-14) take on the Bucks (30-17), who are third in the Eastern Conference.
The Nuggets will also be without Jamal Murray (left knee), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (sprained right wrist) and Michael Porter Jr. (personal reasons) for the game.
Bobby Portis will be absent for Milwaukee due to right MCL and right ankle sprains, with the injuries to be reevaluated in two weeks.
Portis sustained the injuries in Monday's 150-130 win over the Detroit Pistons where both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton returned after injuries.
Star San Francisco 49ers' running backs Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell sat out Wednesday's practice session while Deebo Samuel was limited ahead of Sunday's NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
McCaffrey was absent with a calf contusion while Mitchell missed out with a groin issue. Samuel was set to sit out the session with an ankle injury but participated in individual drills and was later listed as limited.
Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan said there were no guarantees that the trio would be available for Sunday's game, although he expressed confidence.
"I expect them to but there's no guarantees, especially with it being the NFC Championship Game," Shanahan told reporters.
"I think there's a better chance they'll be ready since there's nothing guaranteed after this. So, hopefully. We'll keep our fingers crossed."
On Samuel's ankle injury, Shanahan added: "It's been there for a little bit. I think it'll be alright but it concerned us enough to not let him go today."
All-Pro receiver Samuel, who had two receiving touchdowns from 56 receptions for 632 yards along with three rushing touchdowns in the regular season, was bullish that he would be available to play.
"It's just kind of sore," Samuel said. "We're just being cautious and just trying to get ready for Sunday."
Shanahan also said defensive lineman Charles Omenihu was in line to play despite his arrest on suspicion of misdemeanour domestic violence on Monday.
"We're letting the legal process take care of itself so if he's healthy, he'll play this week," Shanahan said.
The Niners take on the Eagles in Sunday's NFC Championship Game at Lincoln Financial Field.
Two days after Andy Reid said Patrick Mahomes would play in Sunday's AFC championship game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Kansas City Chiefs superstar quarterback reiterated his coach's sentiment.
'"AFC championship week," Mahomes said Wednesday. '"I'm ready to go."
Mahomes confirmed he would play four days after sustaining a high ankle sprain while being tackled by two Jacksonville Jaguars defenders towards the end of the first quarter of Kansas City's 27-20 divisional-round win.
He sat out Saturday's second quarter but after X-rays during the game came back negative, he returned in the second half to lead the Chiefs to a fifth straight AFC title game.
An MRI on Sunday showed no structural damage, and Mahomes said the right ankle is doing much better.
"It's doing good," he said. "I've done a few days of treatment, a few days of rehab. I'm excited to get on the practice field and kind of test it out and see where I'm at. But it's feeling good so far."
Wednesday marked the first of three practices for the Chiefs in preparation for the Bengals. Reid said Mahomes would go through a full practice without any limitations, so it appears the team is not too concerned with the injury.
Before practice, Mahomes was named a finalist for the NFL's Most Valuable Player Award.
The 2018 NFL MVP led the league with 5,250 passing yards and 41 touchdown passes while helping the Chiefs to an AFC-best 14-3 record.
Nick Kyrgios is aiming to return to action at Indian Wells after undergoing successful surgery on his knee, his manager Daniel Horsfall confirmed.
The 2022 Wimbledon runner-up was left "devastated" after being forced to withdraw from the Australian Open on home soil last week.
Kyrgios was ruled out of his home grand slam after an MRI scan on his knee revealed a cyst as a result of a small lateral meniscus tear.
He went under the knife on Monday and is now battling to be ready in time for the first Masters 1000 event of the season at Indian Wells, which starts on March 6.
"The surgery was a great success," Horsfall told Australian newspaper The Herald.
"We couldn't have been more pleased with the outcome of it. Now we will be pushing ahead for a speedy recovery and are aiming to see everyone at Indian Wells."
Kyrgios won the seventh ATP Tour singles title of his career in Washington last August and claimed the Australian Open men's doubles title with Thanasi Kokkinakis 12 months ago.
The 27-year-old, who has yet to play competitively this season, is a two-time quarter-finalist on the hard courts at Indian Wells.
The three awards won at the recent 2022 RJRGLEANER Sports Foundation National Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards have come as a boon of motivation for both athletes and members of the coaching staff of the Tornadoes Swim Club.
On Friday, January 20, three swimmers of the Kingston-based club were recipients of a national award for their successes in both swimming and triathlon over the past year.
Leading the pack in swimming is the now overseas-based,18 -year-old Sabrina Lyn, former Tornadoes Swim Club member, who copped the 2022 Female Swimmer of the Year Award following gold medal performances at the 2022 Carifta Swimming Championships where she also set a personal best time the 100m Butterfly and set a meet record in the relay.
Lyn also won gold and other medals at the inaugural Caribbean Games held in Guadeloupe and set the 200m record in the butterfly at the CCAN Swimming Championship in Barbados.
The talented young swimmer, who was recently accepted to Louisiana State University (LSU) said that receiving the award has been a “very honouring experience”. She said that she felt inspired to walk in the footsteps of Jamaica’s swimming doyenne Alia Atkinson who also received the national honour.
“This makes me feel like I am on track to represent Jamaica and my club and to walk in her footsteps on the Olympic stage,” she said.
Female Triathlete of the Year is Rihanna Gayle copped first place at the the Jamaica National Championship Triathlon and was a silver medalist in the CARIFTA Aquathlon in Bermuda last November.
Gayle also secured silver in the World Triathlon Development Regional Cup hosted in Santa Domingo in October 2022.
“It was a big motivation for me to be there at the ceremony and to be recognized among all the great athletes in Jamaica,” said the 17-year-old, who is a student at the St. Andrew High School for Girls.
“Triathlon is a unique sport, and it takes a lot of work, but I am also willing to work hard to accomplish more and to go further in the Triathlon.”
Sixteen-year-old Israel Allen, a student at Jamaica College and National Triathlon Champion, was elated to receive the Male award and is proud of his achievements in the sport.
Allen has represented Jamaica on various occasions in both competitive swimming and triathlon and has won several awards including a bronze medal for Jamaica at the 2022 CARIFTA Aquathlon.
Head Coach of the Tornadoes, Wendy Lee was in a jubilant mood following last Friday’s announcements and hailed the success of the three awardees who she says, “Have been striving towards excellence since they were eight years old.”
“These awards are indeed a physical manifestation of the hard work that we continue put in to producing Jamaica’s best aquatics athletes and as head coach, I am extremely proud of the strides that all our athletes are taking led of course by Sabrina, Rihanna, and Israel,” Lee said.
She credits the round of successes the club secured in 2022 to the holistic approach that the club takes to athlete development.
“All of our swimmers are actively pursuing big goals both in and outside of the pool,” Lee said.
“We are committed to age-appropriate training of the highest standards for all our swimmers, and we are truly honoured to continue to facilitate and nurture this tradition of excellence.”
In 2022, the Tornadoes secured victory in seven of nine local meets and are already preparing for what is expected to be continued success in 2023.
Normally, Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks visiting the Phoenix Suns would feel like a battle for supremacy near the top of the league.
However, going into their clash at Footprint Center on Thursday, it threatens to be the latest in a poor run of form for Dallas, who not only have a bad recent record in Phoenix, but whose form has fallen off a cliff in 2023.
Their win at the Houston Rockets in their first game of the year was their seventh in a row, but since then they have a record of 3-8, including back-to-back home defeats to the Los Angeles Clippers and Washington Wizards in their last two outings.
Head coach Jason Kidd recently called for an improvement from his defense, whose standards have slipped this season.
Following defeat to the Atlanta Hawks last week in which they conceded 130 points, Kidd said: "In this league, if you do that, no matter if you have Luka or Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] or LeBron [James], you're going to lose. It doesn't matter how many points you score, you're always going to be short.
"So until we put a better effort into playing defense and understanding what we have to do, we're going to score 120, but we're going to give up 130, 140. One night we might give up 150, but we'll be fine because we scored, so it doesn't look too bad."
The Suns are recovering from their own bad run, though.
Last year's runaway Western Conference winners started the season with 15 victories in their first 21 games, before only succeeding in six of their next 24.
Four wins on the bounce since then have sparked hope of a resurgence in Phoenix, though, and they will be hoping to take advantage of a vulnerable Mavericks side.
After his impressive performance in the 128-97 win against the Charlotte Hornets, Cameron Johnson said: "It's life – you weather storms. Things don't always go your way. We've found that out the past couple years. That doesn't mean you tuck tail, run, sell the farm, hide away forever.
"We have a lot of confidence in our group. Top to bottom."
Monty Williams' men will look to call on that confidence when they welcome the Mavs to Arizona.
PIVOTAL PERFORMERS
Phoenix Suns – Chris Paul
The experienced Paul was absolutely central to the recent 112-110 win against the Memphis Grizzlies, scoring 22 points with 11 assists, before putting up another 11 assists against the Hornets.
With Devin Booker out, Phoenix have had to share the wealth when it comes to scoring points, and Paul has been key when available in enabling others to find those points.
If Deandre Ayton (illness) is missing again, it will likely come down to the 37-year-old to step up once more.
Dallas Mavericks – Luka Doncic
The Suns are 20th in the league for points scored this season, but the Mavs are a place lower. That seems pretty crazy when you think they have one of the best players in the league in their ranks, and he is again having a productive season.
From 44 games, Doncic has led the way with an average of 33.8 points per game, the most in the league, with 9.1 rebounds and 8.6 assists.
The Slovenian will need help from his team-mates in Phoenix, and a lot more than he had when his 41 points against the Wizards wasn't enough for the win.
KEY BATTLE – Can the Mavs defense finally thrive with no obvious Suns threat?
As mentioned, Dallas have struggled to stop the opposition from racking up the points this season, going from the second-best defense in the regular season last year to 12th so far this.
One factor they could rely on here, though, is the Suns being without Booker and therefore without anyone averaging more than 17.5 points per game (Ayton).
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Prior to Dallas beating Phoenix 130-111 in early December, the Suns had won 10 in a row against them, while they have gone 9-1 in their last 10 home games against the Mavs.
Three of the four quarterbacks who have led their teams to their conference's championship game have been named finalists for the NFL's Most Valuable Player Award.
Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes, Philadelphia Eagles' Jalen Hurts and Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Burrow are among the five finalists announced on Wednesday.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson were also tabbed as finalists.
Mahomes, the current betting favourite to win the honour for the second time in his career, Hurts and Jefferson are also finalists for Offensive Player of the Year along with Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
The 2018 NFL MVP led the league with 5,250 passing yards and 41 touchdown passes while helping the Chiefs to an AFC-best 14-3 record. Top-seeded Kansas City will host Burrow's Bengals in the conference title game on Sunday.
Hurts compiled 3,701 passing yards, 760 rushing yards and 35 total touchdowns to lead the Eagles to a 14-3 record and the NFC's No. 1 seed. Philadelphia will host a San Francisco 49ers team guided by quarterback Brock Purdy, one of three finalists for Offensive Rookie of the Year, in Sunday's conference championship.
Purdy, the final pick of the 2022 draft who has gone 7-0 since replacing an injured Jimmy Garoppolo, is joined by Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker and New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson as finalists.
San Francisco's stout defence was also represented with end Nick Bosa one of three finalists for Defensive Player of the Year. Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons, the runner-up for the award last season, and Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones are also up for the honour.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was also named a finalist for NFL Coach of the Year along with the New York Giants' Brian Daboll and Jacksonville Jaguars' Doug Pederson, both of whom directed their teams to playoff appearances in their first seasons.
San Francisco garnered two other award finalists in running back Christian McCaffrey and defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans. McCaffrey joins Giants running Saquon Barkley and Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith as candidates for Comeback Player of the Year, while Ryans is a finalist for Assistant Coach of the Year.
Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen and Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson are the other Assistant Coach of the Year finalists.
The Defensive Rookie of the Year award will go to either Jets cornerback Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner, Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson or Seahawks corner Tariq Woolen.
All of this season's winners will be announced at the NFL Honors event in Phoenix on February 9, three days before Super Bowl LVII will be held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizozna.
Voting was conducted before the start of the playoffs by a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league.
Four people have been questioned by police after displaying pro-Russia symbols and allegedly threatening security guards at the Australian Open.
Tennis Australia banned Russian and Belarusian flags from the event at Melbourne Park earlier this month, after a spectator was reported to security for displaying one during a match between Ukraine's Kateryna Baindl and Russian Kamilla Rakhimova.
Russian and Belarusian players have not been able to play under their countries' flags since Vladimir Putin's regime launched an invasion of Ukraine last February.
On Wednesday, spectators were seen displaying a Russian flag during Andrey Rublev's quarter-final defeat against Novak Djokovic, while one man appeared to be wearing a t-shirt adorned with the letter 'Z' – used as a pro-war symbol in the country.
The man was seen in conversation with an Australian Open official at Rod Laver Arena, while social media footage later showed a flag featuring Putin's face being waved outside the venue.
A widely reported statement from Tennis Australia read: "Four people in the crowd leaving the stadium revealed inappropriate flags and symbols and threatened security guards.
"Victoria Police intervened and are continuing to question them.
"The comfort and safety of everyone is our priority and we work closely with security and authorities."
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