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Barcelona Routs 10-man Real Sociedad 4-0 to Go Top in Spain

FC Barcelona midfielder Marc Casado (C) celebrates with his teammates after scoring the 2-0 lead during the Spanish LaLiga soccer match between FC Barcelona and Real Sociedad at the Montjuic Olympic stadium in Barcelona, Spain, 02 March 2025. EPA/Andreu Dalmau
FC Barcelona midfielder Marc Casado (C) celebrates with his teammates after scoring the 2-0 lead during the Spanish LaLiga soccer match between FC Barcelona and Real Sociedad at the Montjuic Olympic stadium in Barcelona, Spain, 02 March 2025. EPA/Andreu Dalmau
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Barcelona Routs 10-man Real Sociedad 4-0 to Go Top in Spain

FC Barcelona midfielder Marc Casado (C) celebrates with his teammates after scoring the 2-0 lead during the Spanish LaLiga soccer match between FC Barcelona and Real Sociedad at the Montjuic Olympic stadium in Barcelona, Spain, 02 March 2025. EPA/Andreu Dalmau
FC Barcelona midfielder Marc Casado (C) celebrates with his teammates after scoring the 2-0 lead during the Spanish LaLiga soccer match between FC Barcelona and Real Sociedad at the Montjuic Olympic stadium in Barcelona, Spain, 02 March 2025. EPA/Andreu Dalmau

Barcelona cruised to a 4-0 rout of 10-man Real Sociedad to regain the lead in Spain on Sunday.
Gerard Martín, Marc Casadó, Ronald Araujo and Robert Lewandowski scored a goal each to put Barcelona one point ahead of second-placed Atletico Madrid at the top of the Spanish league, The Associated Press reported.
“There is still a long way to go and everything can change very quickly,” Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said. “We have to keep fighting until the end because we want to win everything we can.”
Barcelona is three points ahead of third-placed Real Madrid, which lost 2-1 at Real Betis on Saturday, when Atletico beat Athletic Bilbao 1-0 at home.
“Very happy with the match we played,” Araujo said. “It was important to win and become leaders again. It was a great effort by the team.”
Sociedad played a man down from the 17th minute after Aritz Elustondo was sent off with a straight red card for grabbing Barcelona forward Dani Olmo to stop a breakaway.
“The early red card for Real Sociedad changed everything, it’s true, but we forced them into it. They are a very good team but today we deserved the win,” Flick said.
It was the sixth win in a row for Barcelona in the league, and the second loss in three matches for Sociedad, which stayed in ninth place.
“It was a clear red card,” Sociedad coach Imanol Alguacil said. “After that there was no game. It’s already hard 11 against 11 against them, you can imagine with a man down.”
Flick rested some regular starters ahead of the team’s Champions League match at Benfica on Wednesday in the first leg of the round of 16.
“I am happy to be back at the top of the table in La Liga but now we have to focus on our next objective which is the game against Benfica,” Flick said.
Prolific Lewandowski Barcelona was in control from the start at Montjuic stadium, with Martín scoring in the 25th and Casadó in the 29th. Araujo added to the lead in the 56th and Lewandowski closed the scoring in the 60th for his eighth goal in his last nine matches.
Lewandowski now has 34 goals this season in all competitions, one more than the 33 he scored in what had been his previous best season with the Catalan club in 2022-23. He is the league’s top scorer with 21 goals, four more than Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé, who is second on the list.
Sociedad, which along with Barcelona, Madrid and Atletico is playing in the Copa del Rey semifinals, struggled from the start and had no attempts on goal. Barcelona had 33 total attempts.
Sociedad defender Hamari Traoré entered the match in the second half to mark his return to action nearly six months after having to undergo knee surgery.
Earlier Sunday, striker Diego García scored two minutes into second-half stoppage time to give 16th-placed Leganes a 1-0 win over 14th-placed Getafe in a match between teams from the Madrid area.
Other results Valencia missed a chance to move out of the relegation zone after a 3-3 draw at midtable Osasuna.
Winless in three matches, Valencia earned a point with a neat backheel flick by Umar Sadiq in the 87th.
Osasuna hasn’t won in five consecutive games in all competitions.
Eighth-placed Mallorca drew 1-1 with 16th-placed Leganes.

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Precision-Serving Former Finalist Rybakina Powers on in Melbourne

Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina signs autographs after her victory against Slovenia's Kaja Juvan in their women's singles match on day three of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 20, 2026. (AFP)
Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina signs autographs after her victory against Slovenia's Kaja Juvan in their women's singles match on day three of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 20, 2026. (AFP)
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Precision-Serving Former Finalist Rybakina Powers on in Melbourne

Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina signs autographs after her victory against Slovenia's Kaja Juvan in their women's singles match on day three of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 20, 2026. (AFP)
Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina signs autographs after her victory against Slovenia's Kaja Juvan in their women's singles match on day three of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 20, 2026. (AFP)

Former finalist Elena Rybakina warned Tuesday if her serve was firing she would be a threat at the Australian Open, after reinforcing her title credentials with a comfortable first-round victory.

The fifth seed, who lost the 2023 final in three tough sets to Aryna Sabalenka, sent Slovenia's Kaja Juvan packing 6-4, 6-3 with her serve proving a potent weapon.

Rybakina won 83 percent of her first-serve points to keep up her record of safely negotiating the first hurdle at every Grand Slam since the 2022 US Open.

"No matter who is on the other side, if the serve is going, then it's perfect," she said after routinely racing to 40-0 leads and holding to love three times.

"Of course, little things (to work on) on the serve. Maybe adjust, be better in the first few shots of the rally, then we will see how it's going to go.

"But I'm happy with the serve, it really worked today."

It was her second serve that truly separated her from Juvan, winning 10 of 18 points behind it and not facing a break point until the final game of the match.

Rybakina, who won Wimbledon in 2022, faces France's Varvara Gracheva next.

Sports

Tjen First Indonesian to Win at Australian Open in 28 Years

Indonesia's Janice Tjen prepares to serve Canada's Leylah Fernandez during their women's singles match on day three of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 20, 2026. (AFP)
Indonesia's Janice Tjen prepares to serve Canada's Leylah Fernandez during their women's singles match on day three of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 20, 2026. (AFP)
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Tjen First Indonesian to Win at Australian Open in 28 Years

Indonesia's Janice Tjen prepares to serve Canada's Leylah Fernandez during their women's singles match on day three of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 20, 2026. (AFP)
Indonesia's Janice Tjen prepares to serve Canada's Leylah Fernandez during their women's singles match on day three of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 20, 2026. (AFP)

Janice Tjen called it "special" after she pulled off an upset to become the first Indonesian to win a match at the Australian Open in 28 years on Tuesday.

Unseeded Tjen stunned Canadian 22nd seed Leylah Fernandez 6-2, 7-6 (7/1) to surge into the second round in Melbourne and add to her growing list of milestones.

Tjen, who this time last year was ranked 413 but is now the world number 59, is the first Indonesian to win a match at the major since Yayuk Basuki in 1998.

"I'm very happy to be a part of history and be able to get a win here for Indonesia," said the 23-year-old.

"It was special, especially being able to do it in front of my family here and there were a lot of Indonesians, and my close friends are also here."

Asked by AFP how her life had changed off court since a breakthrough 2025, she said: "I get recognized a little bit here and there and I think it's nice, it's a nice feeling to be recognized."

In front of the vocal Indonesia fans Tjen made a lightning start, sealing the first set in 36 minutes to leave her higher-ranked opponent from Canada reeling.

Tjen seized an early break in the second set to put 2021 US Open runner-up Fernandez immediately on the back foot.

The fourth game of the second set threatened to be pivotal, Tjen digging herself out of a hole on her own serve to hold and go 3-1 up.

The 23-year-old Fernandez fought back, reeling off three games in a row to turn the tide.
The battling duo headed into a tiebreak, where Tjen powered into a 3-0 lead and never looked back, letting out a mighty roar when victory was confirmed.

Tjen's career took off in 2025.

She pulled off another surprise in upsetting Russian 24th seed Veronika Kudermetova as a qualifier at the US Open.

In New York she was the first Indonesian to play in the main singles draw of a Grand Slam since 2004.

The Jakarta native lifted the title in Chennai last year -- the first Indonesian to win a WTA Tour singles crown since 2002.

Reflecting on the support in Melbourne of Indonesia fans waving their red and white flag and chanting, Tjen said: "It's something special and feels a little bit like home.

"Knowing that a lot of Indonesians came out to support me today means a lot."

Sports

‘Timid’ Keys Makes Shaky Start to Australian Open Title Defense

Madison Keys of USA celebrates winning her match against Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine in their Women's Singles first round match on day 3 of the Australian Open tennis tournament at KIA Arena in Melbourne, Australia, 20 January 2026. (EPA)
Madison Keys of USA celebrates winning her match against Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine in their Women's Singles first round match on day 3 of the Australian Open tennis tournament at KIA Arena in Melbourne, Australia, 20 January 2026. (EPA)
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‘Timid’ Keys Makes Shaky Start to Australian Open Title Defense

Madison Keys of USA celebrates winning her match against Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine in their Women's Singles first round match on day 3 of the Australian Open tennis tournament at KIA Arena in Melbourne, Australia, 20 January 2026. (EPA)
Madison Keys of USA celebrates winning her match against Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine in their Women's Singles first round match on day 3 of the Australian Open tennis tournament at KIA Arena in Melbourne, Australia, 20 January 2026. (EPA)

A jittery Madison Keys said Tuesday she was "too timid" after getting the defense of her Australian Open crown off to a stuttering start, losing the first four games before rallying to stay in the title hunt.

The American ninth seed was a bundle of nerves on Rod Laver Arena, but calmed down to clinch a 7-6 (8/6), 6-1 win over Ukraine's Oleksandra Oliynykova.

Keys stunned Aryna Sabalenka 12 months ago in a three-set epic to win her first major crown at the age of 29, but she failed to push on in 2025, winning no more titles.

She started her season with quarter-final exits at Brisbane and Adelaide, admitting before the Grand Slam to being nervous as defending champion.

"I think at the start I just felt like I was playing just a little timid and not really trusting my first instinct," she said.

"I kind of kept changing my mind on what I actually wanted to do.

"That was really slowing down my footwork as well. I was reacting instead of having a plan of what I wanted to do."

Playing at her 50th Grand Slam, in contrast to Oliynykova who was at her first, Keys sent down three double faults and was broken on her first service game.

The Ukrainian, ranked 92 and facing a player inside the top 50 for the first time, consolidated with a hold after six deuces in the second game to take charge.

Showing no nerves, she stunned the American by breaking again and raced 4-0 clear before Keys finally woke up and battled back.

She cut down on the errors and found her range on serve to win the next five games.

But Keys was broken again and it went to a tiebreak, where she slumped 4-0 behind and had to save two set points before converting for the set with a blistering crosscourt winner.

The gritty comeback was the catalyst for a far more convincing second set, breaking straight away and racing into a 4-0 lead before sealing the match with ease after 1hr 40min.

Despite the shaky start, Keys said it was a privilege to be back as defending champion.

"I have been thinking of that moment for basically a year," she said of returning to the scene of her greatest triumph.

"I was talking to (multiple Grand Slam winner) Lindsay Davenport yesterday.

"She reminded me that not many people get to be a defending champion at a Grand Slam, so just trying to embrace it and enjoy it.

"And, as nervous as I was at the start, I'm really glad to be back and to win that match."