Playing in her first WTA final for three years, against Denmark's Clara Tauson, the four-time Grand Slam champion called for the physio after taking the opening set 6-4 and pulled out shortly afterwards. Osaka's sudden withdrawal from the Australian Open warm-up event came as a shock after playing with no apparent problem in the 35-minute opening set, unleashing some powerful groundstrokes to break her opponent in the third and fifth games. At the changeover, the 27-year-old stood and performed a series of stretches during a medical timeout. Читать дальше...
State governor Kathy Hochul announced in November that drivers entering areas of Manhattan south of Central Park would pay a daytime toll of $9 from midnight January 4. That plan revives one, originally with a $15 base fee, that she paused in June, saying there were "too many unintended consequences for New Yorkers." Republican lawmakers have called on Trump, a native New Yorker who has vowed to kill the scheme if elected, to intervene now to terminate it. Areas neighboring New York City have... Читать дальше...
Michelin-starred sushi restauranteurs the Onodera Group said they paid 207 million yen for the 276 kilogram (608 pound) bluefin tuna, roughly the size and weight of a motorbike. It is the second highest price paid at the opening auction of the year in Tokyo's main fish market since comparable data started being collected in 1999. The powerful buyers have now paid the top price for five years straight -- winning bragging rights and a lucrative frenzy of media attention in Japan. "The first tuna... Читать дальше...
The star quick bowler suffered a back niggle during the fifth Test in Sydney on Saturday and went for scans, ultimately forced to watch from the sidelines as Australia chased 162 to win. He was the standout bowler, taking 32 wickets at 13.02 to be named player-of-the series, and his absence was a major blow to the team's hopes of retaining the Border-Gavaskar trophy. "A little frustrating but sometimes you have to respect your body. You can't fight your body," he said after the six-wicket loss and 3-1 series defeat. Читать дальше...
AFP Sport looks at five talking points from a thrilling series: Alive and kicking Bumper crowds turned up to watch the first-ever five-Test series between the two teams, swelling as the showdown intensified. Drawn in by fine weather, the holiday period and knife-edge action, attendance records were smashed to prove the red-ball game remains hugely popular. The peak came in the fourth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where a staggering 373,691 spectators streamed through the turnstiles. That... Читать дальше...
Edwards, who had voiced frustration after averaging just 16.3 points over the last three games in the face of strong double-team defense, found plenty of ways to score. He connected on 16 of his 31 shots from the field, including 10 of 15 from three-point range, and made 11 of his 12 free-throw attempts. But he had little scoring support and the Timberwolves trailed virtually all the way against a Pistons team powered by Cunningham, who notched his season high in points and added six rebounds and nine assists. Читать дальше...
Asked to bat in seam-friendly conditions at the Basin Reserve, the tourists slumped to 23-4 in the 10th over and struggled to recover, eventually dismissed in the 44th over. Coming off a productive Test series against England, Henry was a handful with the new ball, taking the key wicket of opener Pathum Nissanka for nine in the fifth over. The relentless seamer returned to help mop up the tail, finishing with 4-19 off 10 overs. Seamers Nathan Smith and Jacob Duffy snared two wickets each, capitalising... Читать дальше...
Yoon plunged the country into political chaos last month with the bungled martial law declaration and has since holed up in the presidential residence, surrounded by hundreds of loyal security officers resisting arrest efforts. On Saturday, thousands descended on his residence and major roads in Seoul a day after a failed arrest attempt -- with one camp demanding Yoon's arrest while the other calling for his impeachment to be declared invalid. Pro-Yoon supporters massed again in front of his home... Читать дальше...
Morikawa also posted a 62, his featuring nine birdies and an eagle. With the winds that so often buffet the Plantation Course again largely absent, five players posted rounds of 10-under or better. Matsuyama's gave him a 54-hole score of 192 -- one stroke better than the previous 54-hole tournament record. Japan's Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters champion, got things going with a run of four straight birdies from the third through the sixth. He rolled in a 58-foot birdie putt at the par-five ninth to make the turn level with Morikawa. Читать дальше...
India were dismissed 45 minutes into the morning session of day three for 157, adding just 16 to their overnight 141-6 with the irrepressible Scott Boland ending with 6-45 and 10 wickets for the match. Set 162 to win, the hosts reached the target before tea against an attack missing injured strike bowler Jasprit Bumrah to regain the Border-Gavaskar trophy for the first time since 2014-15. Australia lost three wickets before lunch to leave the Test finely-poised, including Steve Smith who agonisingly... Читать дальше...
French director Jacques Audiard's genre-defying film about a Mexican drug lord who transitions to life as a woman, which first made waves at the Cannes festival last year, earned 10 nominations -- the most ever for a comedy/musical. "Emilia Perez" -- which is almost entirely in Spanish -- is hoping a big night at the Globes, which are seen as a bellwether for the Academy Awards, could propel it to Oscars success in early March. "It's a true musical that wowed people," Deadline awards columnist Pete Hammond told AFP. Читать дальше...
The win means the Ravens will begin the NFL playoffs next week at home to either the Los Angeles Chargers or the Pittsburgh Steelers. But there was a concern for Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh with his leading wide receiver, Zay Flowers, suffering a right knee injury in the second quarter. Flowers, who limped off the field, has become Jackson's favored wide receiver with a team leading 1,059 yards on 74 receptions. Jackson, in the running for a third Most Valuable Player award, threw for 217... Читать дальше...
Toulon continued their impressive home form with a 36-24 victory over Racing92 to consolidate third spot but lost skipper Charles Ollivon to a knee injury early. A week after losing top spot to Toulouse, Bordeaux regained pole position as the French champions were unable to get past Ronan O'Gara's La Rochelle. Toulouse's young side, drafted in as the more experienced players head to South Africa for a Champions Cup game against Durban Sharks, thought they had snatched an unexpected draw thanks to a late Valentin Delpy drop goal. Читать дальше...
Former US president Jimmy Carter's 6-day funeral started Saturday with a motorcade through his home state. Carter died at his home in Plains, Georgia, on December 29 at the age of 100 and is set to be buried next to his late wife Rosalynn Carter after lying in state at the U.S. Capitol. The Guardian's Washington bureau chief David Smith tells us what to expect next.
