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Australia Advance to Asian Cup Knockout Stage after Beating Syria

Australia's Jackson Irvine fights for the ball against Syria's Antonio Yakoub during the Asian Cup Group B soccer match between Australia and Syria at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Sayed)
Australia's Jackson Irvine fights for the ball against Syria's Antonio Yakoub during the Asian Cup Group B soccer match between Australia and Syria at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Sayed)
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Australia Advance to Asian Cup Knockout Stage after Beating Syria

Australia's Jackson Irvine fights for the ball against Syria's Antonio Yakoub during the Asian Cup Group B soccer match between Australia and Syria at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Sayed)
Australia's Jackson Irvine fights for the ball against Syria's Antonio Yakoub during the Asian Cup Group B soccer match between Australia and Syria at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Sayed)

Jackson Irvine delivered again as Australia booked its place in the knockout stage of the Asian Cup in Doha on Thursday by beating Syria 1-0.
The midfielder scored for the second straight game to maintain the Socceroos' 100% start in Group B.
Australia won the title when hosting the tournament in 2015 and tops the group on six points.
Irvine struck the winner when he turned inside the area and flicked a shot past Syria goalkeeper Ahmad Madanieh in the 59th minute at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium. He had scored the opening goal in his team's 2-0 win against India on Saturday.
The closest Syria came to scoring was when Pablo Sabbag fired powerfully against the post early on.
UZBEKISTAN WINS
Uzbekistan put itself in position to join Australia in the next round after a 3-0 win against bottom team India.
Abbosbek Fayzullaev, Igor Sergeev and Sherzod Nasrullaev all scored in the first half to effectively seal the win before the break.
There is still plenty to play for in the group.
Second-placed Uzbekistan is on four points going into its final game against Australia on Tuesday and would go top with a win. A draw would be enough to guarantee it advances as runner-up.
Syria could also move onto four points if it beats India. That might be enough to see it progress to the next stage as one of the best third-placed teams, even if it doesn't overtake Uzbekistan.
There is still a chance India could advance as one of the best third-place teams if it beats Syria.

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Sinner, Djokovic in Opposite Halves at Australian Open, Sabalenka vs Stephens in 1st Round

09 January 2025, Australia, Melbourne: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka (L) and Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner pose with Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup and the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup during the draw for the 2025 Australian Open tennis tournament, at Melbourne Park, Melbourne. Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP/dpa
09 January 2025, Australia, Melbourne: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka (L) and Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner pose with Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup and the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup during the draw for the 2025 Australian Open tennis tournament, at Melbourne Park, Melbourne. Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP/dpa
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Sinner, Djokovic in Opposite Halves at Australian Open, Sabalenka vs Stephens in 1st Round

09 January 2025, Australia, Melbourne: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka (L) and Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner pose with Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup and the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup during the draw for the 2025 Australian Open tennis tournament, at Melbourne Park, Melbourne. Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP/dpa
09 January 2025, Australia, Melbourne: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka (L) and Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner pose with Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup and the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup during the draw for the 2025 Australian Open tennis tournament, at Melbourne Park, Melbourne. Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP/dpa

Defending champion Jannik Sinner and 10-time Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic have landed in opposite sides of the draw for the season’s first major, ruling out a replay of last year’s semifinal match.
Sinner upset Djokovic in the semifinals at the Australian Open last year before coming back to beat Daniil Medvedev in the final 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 for his first Grand Slam singles title.
Top-ranked Sinner has a first-round match against Nicolas Jarry and also has Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton and Medvedev in his quarter of the draw. Fritz will open against fellow American Jenson Brooksby.
Djokovic and No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz could meet in the quarterfinals, with a possible semifinal against No. 2 Alexander Zverev.
At the draw Thursday to set the brackets for the singles fields, defending champions Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka walked into the official ceremony holding thei trophies.
Sabalenka won her second consecutive title at Melbourne Park in 2024 by defeating Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 6-2 in the final. Sabalenka will be attempting to win a third consecutive women’s singles title at Melbourne Park, something last accomplished by Martina Hingis from 1997 to 1999.
Sabalenka drew a tough opening match against 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens and has 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva and Zheng in her section.
“I have a lot of great memories and to be back here ... as a two-time Australian Open champion, it’s definitely something special,” Sabalenka, who won the Brisbane International title last week, said at the draw ceremony. “I hope that I can keep doing what I’m doing here in Australia.”
Third-seeded Coco Gauff is a potential semifinal rival for Sabalenka. Gauff has a challenging first-round match against former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin and is in the same section of the draw as seventh-seeded Jessica Pegula.
The Australian Open starts Sunday morning in Melbourne (Saturday night EST) and will run for 15 days.
Djokovic will be playing in his first event alongside new coach Andy Murray, his former on-court rival and a three-time major champion. Nobody has won the men's title at Melbourne Park more often than Djokovic, although he said he still feels trauma from the one year he wasn’t allowed to play.
Nick Kyrgios, the 2022 Wimbledon runner-up who withdrew from an exhibition against Djokovic this week because of an abdominal strain, will face Jacob Fearnley in the first round if the mercurial Australian is fit enough to contest his first major since the 2022 US Open. Kyrgios is in the same section as Zverev.