Latest - Dominic Thiem overcame Alex Zverev 3-6 6-4 7-6(3) 7-6(4) to reach his first Australian Open final and set up the ultimate test against Melbourne Park maestro Novak Djokovic.
Photo: Icon Sportswire
In an enthralling semi-final featuring a rain interruption, a lighting failure and a plenty of drama besides, the fifth seeded Austrian shrugged off a sluggish start and was courageous on the big points to triumph under the roof at Rod Laver Arena.
He thrashed two blazing forehands to earn three match points in the final tiebreak, then sealed it with a cross-court volley to book his third Grand Slam final after losing the last two French Open deciders to Rafa Nadal.
"Both of us could have won this today," the power-hitting 26-year-old said on court.
"Maybe (I have) a little bit of experience, little bit of something else. He's just 22, maybe not long before he makes it to his first Grand Slam final.
"It was an unreal match, again two tiebreaks, so tough and so close. It was almost impossible to break him."
With the men's Grand Slams dominated for years by the 'Big Three' of Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer, Thiem will bid to become the first man born in the 1990s to win a major title.
- Reuters
Foy and van Kampen defend para world title
Defending world champions Emma Foy and Hannah van Kampen completed a perfectly executed ride to win their second title in the women's tandem individual pursuit at the para cycling track world championships in Canada.
Emma Foy and Hannah van Kampen Photo: SWpix.com
The world record-holding pair won by over seven seconds, and will tackle the tandem time trial tomorrow with extra confidence as they look to improve on the bronze they won two years ago.
'We went out and we wanted to do our best ride and we did that," Foy said afterwards.
"Our qualifying ride was probably one of the best rides we have ever done together. It is great to have our main event now complete and our goals achieved."
Van Kampen said it was satisfying to deliver a complete performance in both qualifying and the final. She said the win had left them buzzing ahead of the time trial.
"Tomorrow is kilo day, you go all out for four laps and just go for it."
World Athletics outlaw some Nike running shoes
World Athletics has announced significant changes to its rules that will outlaw some variants of Nike's Vaporfly running shoes and introduce strict limits to the technology developed for any future shoes used in elite competition.
The sport's governing body said that with immediate effect, road shoes must have soles no thicker than 40mm and not contain more than one rigid, embedded plate.
The Vaporfly shoes used by Eliud Kipchoge to run the first sub-2 hour marathon and by fellow Kenyan Brigid Kosgei to smash the women's marathon world record both contained triple carbon plates inside thick, ultra-compressed foam, said by Nike to help improve running economy by up to four percent.
The new rules also state that, from April 30, any shoe used in competition must have been generally available to the public for four months - putting paid to the use by Nike and others of prototypes by its athletes in major races.
WA's review concluded that the new technology "may provide a performance advantage and could raise concerns that it might threaten the integrity of the sport".
- Reuters
Brumbies edge Reds in dramatic Australian Super Rugby opener
The Brumbies got their Super Rugby season underway despite a state of emergency in Canberra and ran out 27-24 winners over the Queensland Reds.
Australian authorities declared the state of emergency earlier in the day as soaring temperatures and strong whipped up huge, unpredictable bushfires to the south of the capital.
Firefighters who have been battling the bushfire emergency for months were honoured on the pitch before a match that many thought might not go ahead because of the smoke that has choked Canberra in recent months.
The worst of the smoke stayed away but the heat - approaching 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) at kickoff - was intense as the Super Rugby season got underway with the Australian summer still in full swing.
Southern hemisphere rugby bosses SANZAAR issued an air quality policy on Wednesday to help officials assess the effects of bushfire smoke after several other sporting events around the country were disrupted.
- Reuters
Mendis secures series win for Sri Lanka
Kusal Mendis struck an unbeaten century as Sri Lanka batted out the fifth day of the second and final test against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club to claim a draw and a 1-0 series win.
Zimbabwe had declared overnight on 247 for seven to set Sri Lanka an improbable target of 361 in 98 overs, and at 107 for one in the 39th over, the tourists may have felt in with a chance of victory.
But when that became 140 for three, they gave up the chase and instead batted for the draw, reaching 204 for three at the close.
Mendis was superb for his 116 from 233 balls, a seventh test century, first as an aggressor in the chase for runs, and then for his stoic defence when it became apparent that a draw was the best result possible for Sri Lanka.
The two matches are not for Test Championship points as Zimbabwe, briefly suspended from international cricket last year for government interference, are not part of the competition.
- Reuters
Racing Point to become Aston Martin factory team
Racing Point will become the Aston Martin factory Formula One team from 2021 after their Canadian billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll bought a stake in the ailing British sportscar maker on Friday.
The deal means Aston Martin's title sponsorship of former world champions Red Bull, who use Honda engines, will end after the current season.
Stroll will pay 182 million pounds for a 16.7% stake in Aston Martin, which could rise to 20%, and joins the board as executive chairman.
The 60-year-old Montreal native has been a familiar if publicity-shy presence around Formula One for years, and a paddock regular since his racing driver son Lance made his debut with Williams in 2017.
Lance, 21, joined Racing Point at the start of 2019 after his father bought the assets of Force India, in administration under the co-ownership of financially-troubled liquor baron Vijay Mallya, and renamed the team.
- Reuters
