Sports News Roundup: Tennis-Azarenka prevails over Kenin in battle of former champions; Tennis-Heat brings play to a halt at Australian Open and more

James, playing in his 20th NBA season, needed 11 points to reach 38,000 points and hit a mid-range jumper in the first quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers' home game against the Philadelphia 76ers to move past the milestone. Tennis-Djokovic resumes quest for perfect 10 at Australian Open Novak Djokovic was denied the opportunity to win a record-extending 10th Australian Open title last year after his deportation but he returns to Rod Laver Arena holding no grudges when he begins his campaign in Melbourne on Tuesday.


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 17-01-2023 10:34 IST | Created: 17-01-2023 10:27 IST
Sports News Roundup: Tennis-Azarenka prevails over Kenin in battle of former champions; Tennis-Heat brings play to a halt at Australian Open and more
Victoria Azarenka Image Credit: Flickr

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Tennis-Azarenka prevails over Kenin in battle of former champions

Victoria Azarenka confessed to some nerves before coming through a tough first-round battle against Sofia Kenin 6-4 7-6(3) on Monday to ensure she would be the only former Australian Open champion remaining in the women's draw. The 33-year-old Belarusian, champion in 2012 and 2013, said she had been concerned at playing Kenin even if the American had suffered an appalling run of injuries since she won her first Grand Slam at Melbourne Park in 2020.

Tennis-Heat brings play to a halt at Australian Open

Scorching heat halted outdoor matches and sent fans scurrying for shade at the Australian Open on Tuesday as players were given an early test of their endurance on a sweltering day two at Melbourne Park. Organisers invoked their Extreme Heat Policy about three hours into the day session as temperatures nudged 36 degrees Celsius (97F) and searing gusts of wind blew through the venue.

Tennis-Local hope Kyrgios pulls out of Australian Open with knee injury

Nick Kyrgios's hopes of ending his country's 47-year wait for a homegrown men's champion at the Australian Open were shattered on the opening day when he pulled out of the tournament with a knee injury on Monday. The 27-year-old was, in his opinion at least, going into the tournament as one of the favourites after reaching the Wimbledon final and the quarter-finals of the U.S. Open last year.

Tennis-Rublev tames Thiem, Sabalenka and Garcia stroll as Melbourne sizzles

Fifth seed Andrey Rublev brought an end to the Australian Open campaign of former Grand Slam champion Dominic Thiem in the opening round on Tuesday when he overpowered the Austrian 6-3 6-4 6-2 on a sweltering John Cain Arena. Thiem, a finalist at Melbourne Park and U.S. Open champion in 2020, is on the comeback trail after a wrist injury and was able to compete only to a certain extent against the power of the rangy Russian.

Russian flags banned at Australian Open tennis after Ukraine complaint

Russian and Belarusian flags have been banned from the Melbourne Park precinct during the Australian Open after a complaint from the Ukraine ambassador to the country. Vasyl Myroshnychenko, Ukraine's ambassador to Australia and New Zealand, posted a picture showing a Russian flag hanging from a bush beside the court where his compatriot Kateryna Baindl was playing her first-round match on Monday.

NBA-LeBron becomes second player to score 38,000 points

LeBron James became only the second player in NBA history to score 38,000 career points on Sunday as he inches closer to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time record. James, playing in his 20th NBA season, needed 11 points to reach 38,000 points and hit a mid-range jumper in the first quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers' home game against the Philadelphia 76ers to move past the milestone.

Tennis-Djokovic resumes quest for perfect 10 at Australian Open

Novak Djokovic was denied the opportunity to win a record-extending 10th Australian Open title last year after his deportation but he returns to Rod Laver Arena holding no grudges when he begins his campaign in Melbourne on Tuesday. The Serbian was deported on the eve of the 2022 tournament due to his COVID vaccine stance but the 35-year-old has let bygones be bygones as he looks ahead to his clash with Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena.

NBA roundup: Jayson Tatum (51) guides Celtics past Hornets

Jayson Tatum racked up a season-high 51 points, including a pair of 3-pointers in the last 64 seconds, and the Boston Celtics defeated the host Charlotte Hornets 130-118 on Monday. Tatum shot 15-for-23 from the field, making seven 3-pointers, and connected on all 14 of his free-throw attempts. He holds the franchise record for regular-season games with 50 or more points at five.

Soccer-Ronaldo to make Saudi debut in friendly against PSG

Cristiano Ronaldo is set to play in Saudi Arabia for the first time since joining Al Nassr after he was named as captain of Riyadh ST XI for an exhibition match against Lionel Messi's Paris St Germain, officials announced on Monday. The 37-year-old Portuguese will lead the team made up of players from Saudi sides Al Hilal and Al Nassr against Messi's PSG in what will be the latest chapter of the celebrated global soccer rivalry.

Australian Open 2023: Day two on Tuesday

Highlights of the second day of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Tuesday, all times local (GMT +11): 1525 PLISKOVA ADVANCES

(With inputs from agencies.)

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