Today's sports news: What you need to know

Latest - New Zealand tennis player Michael Venus and Germany's Tim Puetz are into the quarter-finals of the Australian Open men's doubles without needing to hit a ball.

They've received a walkover win over Australian wildcards Jason Kubler and Chris O'Connell after O'Connell injured his hip during his third-round singles loss on Saturday and had to withdraw.

Venus and Puetz have achieved some fantastic results since forming a combination after the French Open and ended 2021 by winning the Paris Masters 1000 title together.

They are both in the top 20 in the ATP doubles rankings with Venus 15th and Puetz 18th and they can expect to climb higher following a run to the quarter finals at least.

Meantime, French Open champion Barbora Krejčíková of the Czech Republic, and Amercians Madison Keys and Jessica Pegula are all through to the womens singles quarter finals.

Krejčíková beat Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-2 6-2, Keys beat Spain's Paula Badosa 6-3 6-1, and Pegula knocked out the fifth seed Maria Sakkari of Greece 7-6 6-3.

Kiwi golfer close to a big win

New Zealand golfer Steve Alker's just missed out on winning a prestigious title on the PGA's Champions Tour.

The 50-year-old finished runner up at the season opening tournament in Hawaii, losing on the second hole of a sudden death playoff to Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez.

In regulation, Alker held his nerve brilliantly as he steadily moved up the field.

He birdied his last hole to complete a six under 66, to finish the three round tournament 17-under.

But Jimenez did the same, and after both finished with a par on the first playoff hole, the Spainard took the title on the second after Alker bogeyed.

The tournament had a glittering array of talent, including former major winners Ernie Els, Vijay Singh and many others.

Alker won NZD $300,000 for finishing second.

Playoffs confirmed in cricket's T20 Supersmash

Blackcaps cricketers Tom Latham and Daryl Mitchell have been in good touch for Canterbury in the T20 Supersmash.

Latham scored 66 and Mitchell 68 not out, as Canterbury completed an eight wicket win over Otago on Sunday, with almost three overs to spare.

Canterbury had already been confirmed to finish in second place in pool play, and will now play Wellington on Thursday for a spot in the final against Northern.

Meantime, Auckland have been confirmed in the womens playoffs, following Otago's seven-wicket win over Canterbury.

The result means Auckland will play Otago this Thursday, with the winner to play Wellington in the final on Saturday.

Sprinter breaks own New Zealand 100 metres record

Sprinter Zoe Hobbs has broken her own New Zealand 100 metres record at the Potts Classic in Hastings.

Hobbs took another 0.06 seconds off the record she set in Auckland in december with a time of 11.21 seconds.

The 24 year old actually went faster in winning the final but the windspeed was above the allowable limit for a record.

Hobbs, who continues to go from strength to strength said: "The strategy was to go hard in both (the heat and the final) as it's not often we get perfect conditions like this.

"I was so happy to get the record in the heat. It ticked that box going into the final. I then just wanted to refocus for the final and reinforce what I'd done in the heat. I have bigger goals and I wanted to qualify for worlds. To run 11.14 was bittersweet. A big aim is to run 11.15 (with a legal time) as that is the standard for worlds (World Championships) and Commonwealth Games (11.15 is the Athletics NZ B Performance standard) but I will take a national record."

Rising star Tiaan Whelpton won the men's 100 final.

Elsewhere, Olivia McTaggart claimed a new PB of 4.60m to win the women's pole vault and claim her second Commonwealth Games A Performance standard.

Ogier out in front

Eight-times world champion Sebastien Ogier is heading for a record ninth victory in the season-opening Monte Carlo rally after taking a 21.1 second lead over old rival Sebastien Loeb into the final stages.

Neither man is competing full time this season but the icy roads in the French Alps around Monte Carlo are an old battleground for greats who between them have won 17 of the last 18 world championships.

Loeb, now 47 and driving for M-Sport Ford in his first WRC rally since 2020, has won the event seven times and started today as the overnight leader.

Ogier, driving a Toyota, took back the lead in Saturday's penultimate stage and was then 16.1 seconds quicker than the nine-times world champion in the 20km final stage after a late change of tactics.

Ireland's Craig Breen was in third place for M-Sport Ford, 64.9 seconds behind Loeb.

-Reuters

F1 to ban military fly-bys

Formula 1 has banned military air displays at Grands Prix on sustainability and environmental grounds.

Fly-bys and other demonstrations by military aircraft have become commonplace as part of events building up to the start of races.

F1 aims to be carbon neutral by 2030.

There is also a concern the displays can be used to make geo-political statements with which F1 does not want to be associated.

However, it is likely groups such as the RAF's Red Arrows will be permitted as they are less obviously linked to the military.

And fly-bys involving civilian aeroplanes - such as happen at some of the Middle Eastern races that are sponsored by airlines - will still be permitted as long as the planes are using sustainable fuels.

F1 is planning to introduce fully sustainable fuels alongside its new engine formula in 2026.

-BBC

India-Windies series to be played in 2 centres

India's upcoming One Day International and Twenty20 international series against West Indies will be hosted in two cities to minimise "biosecurity risks" amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The white-ball series was originally intended to be played across six venues, including the Indian cities of Jaipur, Visakhapatnam, Cuttack and Thiruvananthapuram, but will now be hosted entirely in Ahmedabad (ODI) and Kolkata (T20).

"The decision ... has been done to mitigate biosecurity risks by cutting down on travel and movement of the teams, match officials, broadcasters, and other stakeholders," BCCI said in a statement.

The two series will be played between Feb. 6-20.

-Reuters

Brit wins slalom

Dave Ryding won the Kitzbuehel men's slalom in a remarkable first for a British skier in the 55-year-history of the Alpine World Cup and with the Beijing Olympics only weeks away.

Norway's Lucas Braathen and Henrik Kristoffersen were second and third respectively in the biggest slalom on the men's circuit

Ryding, 35, also became the oldest winner of a men's World Cup slalom and kissed the snow as he crossed the finish line in the Austrian resort.

"I guess there's life in the old dog yet," he told Eurosport television, whose commentator told British viewers not to adjust their screens.

"I'm 35 now but I never stopped believing, I never stopped trying ... I always believed I could do it, I always thought I can do this but my races were getting less and less and doubt is always there.

"My team never stopped believing, they kept pushing me. More than I would like sometimes. My fiancee always supports me and my family is always there and I'm not the easiest to deal with all of the time. I hope they are popping a prosecco at home."

Ryding's previous best slalom result on the World Cup circuit was second place, also in Kitzbuehel, in 2017.

-Reuters