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MELBOURNE — Novak Djokovic surged into an Australian Open quarter-final clash against Carlos Alcaraz with a dominant straight-sets victory on Sunday while women's World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka was a ruthless winner.

Double defending champion Sabalenka is on a collision course with in-form World No.3 Coco Gauff in the semifinals in Melbourne if both win in the last eight.

On the hottest day of the tournament so far with temperatures hitting 34 degrees Celsius, Alcaraz went through when Britain's Jack Draper retired injured.

The 37-year-old Djokovic then kept up his end of the bargain with a 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) win over Czech 24th seed Jiri Lehecka in the prime-time match on Rod Laver Arena.

Djokovic appears to be growing into the tournament in an ominous sign for his rivals, as he pursues a record-extending 11th Melbourne crown and historic 25th Grand Slam title.

He dropped a set in each of his opening two matches but has won the previous two in straight sets.

Djokovic and Alcaraz have played each other seven times with the Serb leading 4-3, including victory in their last clash in the Paris Olympics final.

But they have never played at Melbourne Park, where Djokovic has achieved his greatest success.

"When we are seeing him playing, he seems like he's young again... it's unbelievable. He's in a really good shape," said Alcaraz, who has vowed to get a kangaroo tattoo if he wins the Australian Open for the first time.

The 21-year-old Spaniard, who has never gone beyond the quarter-finals in Melbourne, was leading 7-5, 6-1 when Draper pulled the plug.

Draper had come through all three of his previous matches in five sets, and all from 2-1 down, and it appeared to have taken its toll.

"It's not the way I wanted to win, but obviously I'm happy to play another quarter-final here in Australia," said Alcaraz.

The 23-year-old Draper, whose rise has been held back by issues with his body, said his hip injury had been a "ticking time bomb" and he had "multiple areas really in pain".

American 12th seed Tommy Paul destroyed Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina for the loss of just three games as he bids to match or better his semifinal appearance from 2023.

Paul will meet German second seed Alexander Zverev, who survived a mid-match wobble to oust France's Ugo Humbert.

Zverev, who is zeroing in on a maiden Grand Slam title, won 6-1, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Sabalenka warning

Sabalenka blew away Russian 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva 6-1, 6-2 in a chilling warning to sweep into the quarter-finals.

The Belarusian was out on a roasting centre court for only 62 minutes before registering an 18th consecutive win at Melbourne Park.

"I'm super happy to get through this difficult match in straight sets," said Sabalenka, who faces Russian 27th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova next.

Sabalenka struggled with her serve in colder conditions during the first week, but was untouchable as the mercury soared.

"The ball was flying like a rocket," said Sabalenka.

A dangerous Gauff faces Spain's 11th seed Paula Badosa after the American fought back to beat Belinda Bencic 5-7, 6-2, 6-1.

Gauff dropped a set for the first time in 2025 but extended her unbeaten streak to 13 matches going back to last year's WTA Tour Finals.

"Two out of three sets at this stage of my career is not that physically hard for me," said the 20-year-old Gauff, who is chasing a first Melbourne title.

"The off-season I just put in so much work physically so I'm not worried at all about recovering emotionally or mentally."

Badosa declared she "loves" Gauff -- but said that will not prevent her looking for "revenge".

The pair have a 3-3 head-to-head record but Gauff won both their meetings in 2024, with each going to three sets.

The last time was in the semifinals of the WTA China Open in Beijing, where Gauff won 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 on her way to lifting the title.

LOS ANGELES, United States — Kyrie Irving scored 25 points as the Dallas Mavericks brought the high-flying Oklahoma City Thunder down to earth with a 106-98 victory over the Western Conference leaders on Saturday.

Oklahoma City, riding high after their rout of Eastern Conference pace-setters Cleveland on Thursday, suffered just their seventh defeat of the season in a roller coaster duel against a fired-up Mavericks.

Irving was at the heart of the Mavs win, rattling in 17 points in a 41-point second quarter that allowed Dallas to open up a 64-43 half-time lead.

The Thunder, who were missing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with a wrist injury, came roaring back to draw level in the third quarter before edging into a single-digit lead.

But the Mavs, who are still without the injured Luka Doncic, regrouped superbly to close out the win, outscoring the Thunder 29-22 in the fourth quarter to seal victory.

Dallas improved to 23-19 while Oklahoma City remain top of the West with a 34-7 record.

Dallas coach Jason Kidd saluted his team's resilience in securing victory after watching a 20-point lead evaporate in the third quarter.

"We were flat in that third quarter," Kidd said. "We said on the bench we needed to stay the course, and stay together and in the fourth quarter we did.

"We feel like we have a talented team, and they have a talented team. So I thought tonight was a really good test for our group."

Miami lose on Butler's return 

Elsewhere Friday, Jimmy Butler returned for Miami after serving a seven-game in-house suspension but was powerless to prevent the Heat from slumping to a 133-113 loss to the Denver Nuggets.

Nikola Jokic bagged his 17th triple-double of the season, finishing with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a comfortable victory for the 2023 NBA champions.

Jamal Murray led the Denver scoring with 30 points on a night when seven Nuggets players finished in double figures.

Butler, who was suspended by Miami after indicating he wished to leave the club earlier this month, finished with 18 points.

In Boston, Jayson Tatum scored 30 points as the NBA champion Celtics shrugged off their heaviest loss of the season to outclass the Orlando Magic 121-94.

Boston, dominated 110-97 by lowly Toronto on the road on Wednesday, showed no signs of a hangover to complete a comfortable home victory at the TD Garden.

Orlando took a short-lived lead early in the first quarter but once Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis and Jaylen Brown found their range, the result was never in doubt.

Tatum's 30-point haul came from 12-of-21 shooting with four three-pointers, six rebounds and four assists.

Porzingis finished with 23 points and Brown added 20, including a perfect 9-of-9 from the free-throw line.

Boston coach Joe Mazzulla singled out Brown for praise following the win.

"I liked just how he was thoroughly intense," Mazzulla said. "He brings a different level of a mentality to us at times, and I thought tonight he brought a great level of intensity."

Boston improved to 29-12 with the victory to remain in second place in the Eastern Conference behind leaders Cleveland.

Orlando's scoring was led by Cole Anthony with 23 points while Paolo Banchero continued his return from injury with 21 points.

In New York meanwhile, Anthony Edwards erupted for 36 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves romped to a 116-99 victory over the Knicks.

Edwards was on fire from outside the arc, making 8-of-13 three-pointers while Naz Reid also caught the eye with 6-of-6 threes in a 23-point cameo shift off the bench.

In Milwaukee, the Bucks handed Toronto a reality check following their upset of Boston on Wednesday, with a 130-112 blowout at the Fiserv Forum.

Milwaukee swept to their third-straight win thanks to 35 points from Giannis Antetokounmpo and 26 points from Damian Lillard. The Bucks improved to 23-17 with the victory and remain in the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference.

MELBOURNE — Novak Djokovic celebrated a slice of Grand Slam history on his way into the Australian Open third round on Wednesday, but last year's women's finalist Zheng Qinwen was knocked out in the biggest shock so far.

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, in-form Coco Gauff, former Melbourne winner Naomi Osaka and a rampant Carlos Alcaraz were all victors on a rainy day four.

Alexander Zverev also progressed but Norway's Casper Ruud went down in four sets to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik to become the highest men's seed to fall at six.

Playing under the roof on Rod Laver Arena, Djokovic needed four sets for the second match in a row before defeating Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria 6-1, 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 6-2.

It was Djokovic's 430th singles match at a major to claim sole ownership of most ever played, men or women, in the Open Era ahead of Roger Federer (429) and Serena Williams (423).

The Serb is chasing a record-extending 11th Australian Open title and historic 25th Grand Slam crown.

"Whether I win or lose, I will always leave my heart out on the court. I'm just blessed to be making another record," said Djokovic, 37, now coached by former rival Andy Murray.

Djokovic faces Czech 26th seed Tomas Machac next and is drawn to meet Spain's Alcaraz in the last eight.

Four-time Grand Slam winner Alcaraz dropped just five games in an ominous display to sprint into the third round.

The third seed showed no mercy to Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka in a 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 rout in 81 minutes.

"The less time you spend on court in the Grand Slams, especially in the beginning, it is going to be better," said Alcaraz, who is yet to go beyond the quarter-finals in Melbourne.

Second seed Zverev swept through with a straight-sets victory over Spain's Pedro Martinez.

Heading home on Wednesday with Ruud was qualifier Hady Habib, who on Sunday became the first player from Lebanon to win a Grand Slam match.

He exited in three sets to France's Ugo Humbert.

'Nothing more' 

Olympic champion Zheng was sent packing 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 by World No. 97 Laura Siegemund, the second-oldest player in the women's draw at age 36.

"I knew I just had to play more than my best tennis. I had nothing to lose so I just told myself to swing free," said the German.

"It's tennis. Nothing more," said China's Zheng, 22, who was given two time violations and lost her cool as her tilt at a maiden major crown evaporated in only the second round.

Sabalenka dropped her serve three times and faced 11 break points before overcoming Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-3, 7-5, rattling off the last five games in a row.

"I have to fight. Today's match proved that. Girls can go there and just play without any fear, without anything to lose. They can put you in really uncomfortable positions," said Sabalenka, who beat Zheng in the 2024 final.

The win kept the Belarusian world number one on course for a rare hat-trick of consecutive Australian Open titles, a feat last achieved 26 years ago by Martina Hingis and only matched by four other women in history.

Former world number one Osaka, the 2019 and 2021 champion in Australia but now unseeded, stormed back to defeat 20th seed Karolina Muchova 1-6, 6-1, 6-3.

Osaka called it a "little revenge" for defeat at the US Open in August to the Czech.

World No.3 Gauff, who finished 2024 by winning the China Open and the WTA Tour Finals, fought back from 5-3 down in the second set to see off Britain's Jodie Burrage 6-3, 7-5.

Asked what she had to do to beat 30th seed Leylah Fernandez next, Gauff told reporters: "Obviously serve better!"

Gauff's fellow American Jessica Pegula, beaten in the US Open final by Sabalenka last year, eased through against Belgium's Elise Mertens.

On Thursday, men's number one Jannik Sinner steps up the defence of his Melbourne crown when he faces Australian wildcard Tristan Schoolkate.

Daniil Medvedev, Iga Swiatek and Brazilian teenage sensation Joao Fonseca are also in second-round action.

MELBOURNE — Daniil Medvedev faces a hefty fine after mangling his racquet and a net camera in an epic temper tantrum before battling through a five-set roller coaster to start his Australian Open on Tuesday.

The feisty Russian, a three-time finalist in Melbourne, lost his cool in the third set before rallying to beat 418th-ranked Kasidit Samrej 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena.

Fifth seed Medvedev was 3-5 behind and on the brink of going two sets to one down against the Thai player when he exploded, slamming his racquet into the net camera repeatedly until they both became a broken mess.

Ball kids had to sweep up the debris when he lost the game and set, while the match was postponed briefly as officials ran repairs on the net.

Medvedev is facing a big penalty.

"Honestly, I hope not too big. The fine is usually for breaking the racquet, and the camera is going to cost some, but I don't think GoPro is that expensive," he said.

"When I did it, I didn't want to smash the racquet in pieces. When I saw the racquet, I was, like, okay, time to take a new one I guess."

Medvedev was playing his first match since the ATP Finals in November after arriving in Australia late to be at home for the birth of his second child.

He pledged before the tournament to be a "disruptor" against the big names this season, but his stuttering start against a player with no pedigree showed he has his work cut out.

"In general it was kind of a top level from him, serving good, one break each set, just what you need to do to win matches," Medvedev, who lost last year's final to Jannik Sinner, said.

"Two sets to one down is not an easy feeling. I was, like: I don't want to be on the flight tomorrow.

"I'm happy that I managed to stay tough. I think, in my opinion, I didn't play a bad level, I played quite well and will for sure try to play better throughout the tournament."

The former world number one broke his opponent's opening service game and was never troubled in the first set, racing through it in 30 minutes.

But the Thai player, who qualified for his Grand Slam debut by winning the Asia-Pacific wildcard playoff event, refused to go away.

He stunned the Russian by breaking him at 5-4 to take the second and was well on top in the third before the Medvedev meltdown.

But the 28-year-old is a veteran of five-setters in Melbourne, contesting four and winning three last year, and he regrouped, using his experience to reassert control as Samrej began flagging.

MELBOURNE — Jannik Sinner launched his Australian Open title defence with a battling straight-sets win on Monday as Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff also powered into round two.

Novak Djokovic begins his bid for Grand Slam history later on a blockbuster second day which also sees Carlos Alcaraz in action in Melbourne.

But former finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas became the first big casualty as he was stunned by American Alex Michelsen, ranked 42 in the world.

Italian world number one Sinner is playing under a cloud after twice testing positive for traces of a steroid in March.

He denies wrongdoing and was cleared by tennis authorities, but the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed and is seeking to ban him for up to two years.

Sinner was warmly welcomed on Rod Laver Arena before defeating Chile's Nicolas Jarry 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/5), 6-1.

"Today it was a close one because in the first sets it could have gone both ways," said Sinner, who has not tasted defeat since losing to Alcaraz in the Beijing final in October.

In the women's draw, world number two Swiatek defeated Czech doubles specialist Katerina Siniakova 6-3, 6-4 on John Cain Arena.

The Pole has won five Grand Slams but her best performance at Melbourne Park is the semi-finals in 2022.

"For sure it wasn't an easy first round, so I'm happy that I'm through," said Swiatek.

In-form world number three Gauff laid down a marker as she swept aside former champion and fellow American Sofia Kenin.

Gauff is unbeaten this year after leading the US to United Cup glory and eased past the 2020 Melbourne winner 6-3, 6-3 in 80 minutes.

"I knew it was going to be difficult, but you know, I'm happy with how I played," said Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion.

Victoria Azarenka, the 2012 and 2013 champion in Melbourne, was a notable early loser as the Belarusian went down 6-2, 7-6 (7/2) to Italy's Lucia Bronzetti.

Japan's Naomi Osaka later faces 67th-ranked Caroline Garcia in a repeat of last year's first-round clash that the French player won.

Now ranked 51, Osaka won two of her four Grand Slam titles to date at Melbourne Park in 2019 and 2021.

She reached her first final since 2022 in Auckland eight days ago, only to retire injured.

 Tsitsipas falls early

The 11th-seeded Tsitsipas crashed out at the first hurdle when Michelsen blasted past him 7-5, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.

The 26-year-old Greek, who played Djokovic in the 2023 final at Melbourne Park, never looked comfortable.

"I just tried to stay super composed out there today, I knew it was going to be a battle to the end," said the American, who scored his first win over a top-20 player at a Slam.

Serbian great Djokovic is hoping to roll back the years and win an 11th Australian Open and record 25th Grand Slam singles title.

He faces American Nishesh Basavareddy in the prime-time evening match on Rod Laver Arena.

"To be honest, I don't know much about him," said Djokovic, who is now coached by former rival Andy Murray.

"I'm sure that he is going to be really pumped to make a statement."

Spain's Alcaraz is looking to lift the one major title to elude him and begins against in-form Kazakh Alexander Shevchenko in the night session on Margaret Court Arena.

The four-time major winner has never gone past the quarter-finals in Melbourne.

Home fans will be treated to seeing their controversial hero Nick Kyrgios in action.

The polarising Australian made his return to tennis after 18 months a fortnight ago in Brisbane following knee surgery and wrist reconstruction.

He faces Britain's Jacob Fearnley in an evening match on his favoured "party court", John Cain Arena, where he is promising fireworks.

"I think it's good to be back. I think it's important," said the 29-year-old.

"I think the sport was getting a bit mundane."

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — Barcelona hammered rivals Real Madrid 5-2 in a wild Spanish Super Cup Clasico final in Saudi Arabia on Sunday to win the first trophy of the Hansi Flick era.

Kylian Mbappe put Madrid ahead but a dominant Barcelona hit five in response before their goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was sent off in the second half.

Madrid were hoping to avenge their 4-0 home defeat by Barcelona in October's La Liga Clasico but instead were left battered and bruised by their arch-rivals in Jeddah.

After Mbappe's opener, Lamine Yamal levelled and Robert Lewandowski sent Barcelona ahead from the penalty spot, with Raphinha bagging a brace and Alejandro Balde also on target.

Rodrygo Goes pulled one back for Madrid with a free-kick but they could not capitalise further on their numerical advantage in a humiliating defeat for the European champions.

"I think today is a good day because we beat one of the best teams in the world, for the second time this season, Real Madrid, and this is unbelievable," Flick told reporters.

"We won a title here and we are really happy... today is a day to look positively at this team."

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said his team's poor defending was the main reason for the heavy defeat.

"We defended badly and that cost us the game -- they found their goals quite easily," Ancelotti told Movistar.

"We're sad, like all our fans, it's disappointing and we don't have to hide that... we have to look forwards, there's nothing else we can do."

Despite a strong Barcelona opening salvo it was Real Madrid who took the lead in the fifth minute with Mbappe's brilliant goal on the counter-attack.

The French forward, frustrated numerous times by the offside flag in the league defeat by the Catalans, broke loose on the halfway line after Vinicius won the ball back and, after bursting into the area, clipped past Szczesny.

It took a stunning individual goal from 17-year-old Yamal to level the scoreline, with the Spanish winger cutting in from the right before stroking home a low finish inside the near post in a similar style to former Barca great Lionel Messi, to whom he is often compared.

 'Always special'

Barcelona kept pushing and moved ahead through Lewandowski's penalty after Eduardo Camavinga arrived late and carelessly clattered Gavi.

Raphinha soon added Barcelona's third with a header from Kounde's cross from deep and they grabbed their fourth before half-time on the break.

Yamal and Raphinha combined and the latter slipped in Balde, who slotted past Courtois.

Barcelona continued in the same vein after the break and Raphinha netted the fifth with a neat dribble and finish after Marc Casado played him in.

The Catalans were reduced to 10 men when Mbappe sped in at the other end, rounding goalkeeper Szczesny, who brought him down outside the area and after a VAR review was dismissed.

Rodrygo, who earlier hit the post, rifled home the free-kick past Szczesny's replacement Inaki Pena.

Mbappe brilliantly teed up Jude Bellingham but the England international was denied by a superb Jules Kounde challenge in stoppage time.

The French forward also came close to scoring again himself on a fine individual display but Pena tipped away his effort.

"He was the best [Madrid player]," said Ancelotti, noting an improvement after Mbappe's hit-and-miss start to life at the club following his switch from Paris Saint-Germain.

"We can't always win, if we have to lose a cup, it's better that it's this one," said veteran Madrid midfielder Luka Modric.

Barcelona brought on playmaker Dani Olmo for his first appearance since he was registered to play for the club on a temporary basis, a controversial issue which overshadowed the semi-finals earlier in the week.

However their five-star display offered a host of other talking points as Barca won a record-extending 15th Spanish Super Cup.

"It's really nice, it had been a season since we won a trophy, it's always special and on top of that in a Clasico against Real Madrid," Barcelona defender Kounde told Movistar.

MILAN, Italy — Inter Milan moved to within one point of Serie A leaders Napoli on Sunday after bouncing back from a painful defeat in the Italian Super Cup final by winning 1-0 at struggling Venezia and going second in the table.

Matteo Darmian shot the injury-hit champions to victory on the Venetian Lagoon with the only goal of the game in the 16th minute, moving Inter a point above Atalanta who were held to a goalless draw at Udinese on Saturday.

Italy defender Darmian tapped home his second goal of the season on the rebound after Lautaro Martinez's shot was kept out by Venezia goalkeeper and Inter loanee Filip Stankovic.

"We work on getting up the pitch and it doesn't matter who gets there. I found myself in front of goal and thankfully I managed to score and help the team win," said Darmian.

Napoli can extend their lead at the top of the division to four points with a home win over Verona, although Antonio Conte will be without Khvicha Kvaratskhelia who has asked to be sold, with an 80-million-euro ($82 million) transfer to Paris Saint-Germain reportedly in the works.

However, Inter will have two games in hand, the first against Bologna on Wednesday and the other their December fixture at Fiorentina which was stopped, following Edoardo Bove's collapse on the pitch, and has yet to be rescheduled.

Inter have had problems closing out matches this season and Sunday's narrow win, their sixth on the bounce in Serie A, came after Simone Inzaghi's side threw away a two-goal lead in the Italian Super Cup final against AC Milan.

The away side dominated and should have won by more despite having Italy defender Francesco Acerbi and key midfielders Hakan Calhanoglu and Henrikh Mkhitaryan out injured, with Marcus Thuram, Benjamin Pavard and Federico Dimarco starting on the bench.

But Stankovic, the son of Inter legend Dejan, was excellent between the sticks and his brilliant save from Davide Frattesi in the 67th minute almost paid off moments later when the post denied USA midfielder Gianluca Busio and allowed Inter to escape with all three points.

"It wasn't easy after losing the final the way we did, but the boys were brilliant because we came here tired with a host of players out but we played really well," said Inzaghi.

Vieira's Genoa on the up 

Genoa continued their revival under Patrick Vieira with their first home win of the season, 1-0 over relegation rivals Parma, in front of new majority shareholder Dan Sucu.

Morten Frendrup's wildly deflected strike in the 65th minute gave Genoa their third win since France and Arsenal icon Vieira replaced Alberto Gilardino in November.

Genoa are up to 11th, level on 23 points with Roma who are at Bologna later on Sunday, and five points above the relegation zone after their first victory at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris since the final day of last season.

"We played well from the first minute to the last, everyone was waiting for this win for 233 days and we did it with a great performance," said Vieira.

It was a propitious first appearance in front of home fans for Sucu who took over Genoa last month after he subscribed to a 45-million-euro capital increase which gave him 77 percent of the club.

That operation brought to an end the ownership of controversial investment company 777 Partners, who acquired 99.9 percent of Genoa in September 2021 but were issued with a winding up order by the United Kingdom's High Court last year.

Sucu's ownership is contested by another investment firm and 777 creditor, Advantage Capital (A-Cap), who say they were Genoa's rightful owners after taking control of 777's football assets.

A-Cap called the arrival of Sucu, who also owns Rapid Bucharest, a "non-approved clandestine operation" before Genoa said the takeover was final and that any news to the contrary was false.

Parma are a point and place above the bottom three and face three key clashes with fellow strugglers Venezia, Lecce and Cagliari in the next few weeks.

MELBOURNE — World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka will be hot favourite to secure an Australian Open hat-trick, having won the past two years at Melbourne Park.

In-form Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek are her biggest threats, but Zheng Qinwen could be primed for a Slam breakthrough after a stellar 2024, while emerging talent Mirra Andreeva could upset some top names.

AFP Sport highlights five women to watch at the first Grand Slam of the year starting on Sunday:

Aryna Sabalenka 

The Belarusian comes into the Australian Open on the back of the best year of her career in which she won the US Open as well as retaining her Melbourne Park crown.

The powerful 26-year-old also won in Cincinnati and at the WTA 1000 at Wuhan, her fourth title of the year, which helped her unseat Iga Swiatek as world number one.

The defending champion is unbeaten in Melbourne since 2022, when she lost in the third round to Marketa Vondrousova.

Sabalenka began 2025 by winning the Brisbane International, dropping only one set on the way to the title.

She begins her campaign on the opening day against former US Open champion Sloane Stephens.

Iga Swiatek 

The 23-year-old Pole won her fourth French Open last year but ended 2024 under a doping cloud after serving a one-month ban.

Swiatek tested positive for the heart medication trimetazidine in an out-of-competition sample in August but the International Tennis Integrity Agency accepted that the violation was not intentional.

News of the saga only emerged in late November but Swiatek made a confident return in the mixed-teams United Cup in Sydney last week as Poland reached the final, losing only one of her five singles matches -- to Coco Gauff.

Swiatek's Australian Open record is patchy and she has only progressed beyond the fourth round once, in 2022, when she was stunned by Danielle Collins in the semifinals.

Coco Gauff 

Arguably the hottest player in women's tennis right now, Gauff has enjoyed a stunning few months after struggling with her serve and forehand in the wake of winning the US Open in 2023.

After parting with coach Brad Gilbert, Gauff won the WTA 1000 in Beijing and the WTA Tour Finals working with the little-known Matt Daly as she rescued a faltering year in superb style.

The 20-year-old world number three began her 2025 campaign with a run to the final of the United Cup where she beat Swiatek 6-4, 6-4 in the final.

Zheng Qinwen 

The 22-year-old enjoyed a breakthrough 2024, beating Swiatek on her way to winning Olympic gold in Paris and claiming three WTA titles.

"Queen Wen" ended the year at a career-high number five after claiming the Pan Pacific Open title in Tokyo.

She then reached the championship match at the WTA Tour Finals in Riyadh, where she was edged in a final-set tiebreak by Gauff.

Zheng came close to becoming only the second Chinese player after Li Na to win a Grand Slam singles crown when she was beaten in the Australian Open final by Sabalenka a year ago.

She will have the honour of playing the first point of the tournament on the main Rod Laver Arena when the fifth seed faces Romania's 110th-ranked Anca Todoni on Sunday

Mirra Andreeva

The Russian may be only 17 but driven by the fearlessness of youth she showed last year she can win on every surface.

The world number 15 possesses a fine array of shots and a tactical nous that belies her age. She won a maiden WTA title in Iasi, Romania, in July.

With seasoned coach and former Grand Slam winner Conchita Martinez in her corner, Andreeva's trajectory would appear to be relentlessly upward.

She beat Sabalenka on her way to a maiden Slam semifinal at Roland Garros but the World No.1  turned the tables in the semi-finals in Brisbane last week.

SAO PAULO — Neymar said that the 2026 World Cup will be his last adding he was confident that Brazil would qualify for the finals in North America.

"I know this will be my last World Cup, my last shot, my last chance and I will do everything I can to play in it," the 32-year-old attacker, who has not played for Brazil in more than a year, told CNN.

He also told the American news network in the interview published on Tuesday that he would not rule out reuniting with former Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez at US club Inter Miami

"Obviously, playing again with Messi and Suarez would be incredible," Neymar said at an award ceremony in Dubai.

Brazil has struggled in South American World Cup qualifying.

After 12 of the 18 rounds, they are fifth in the 10-nation group. But the top six are guaranteed places in the World Cup and Brazil are five points ahead of Bolivia in seventh.

"I have a lot of faith in the team, in the players who are emerging, who are young," he said. "We're not in a position where we would like to be."

"I think together we can achieve something very big. We have a year, a year-and-a-half to work, to do the right things to reach the World Cup," Neymar said.

Neymar started Brazil's first four qualifying games but went off injured at half time as they lost to Uruguay in October 2023. After knee surgery he was out for a year.

He returned for his Saudi club Al Hilal with two brief appearances in October and November but injured a hamstring and has not played since. He said he is targeting the World Cup.

"I want to be there, I'm going to try to do my best, to work very hard so that I can be with the Brazilian team."

He will be 34 by the time the competition in the USA, Canada and Mexico, kicks off.

He could play in the United States before then. Al Hilal will appear in the expanded Club World Cup in the United States in June where Miami, with Messi and Suarez, will also be competing.

"They are my friends." said Neymar, who also played with Messi at Paris Saint-Germain. "We still speak to each other. It would be interesting to revive this trio."

"I'm happy in Saudi Arabia, but who knows? Football is full of surprises.

"When the news came out that I was leaving Paris Saint-Germain, the transfer window was closed in the United States, so I didn't have this option."