Defending Champion Sabalenka Reaches 4th Round at Australian Open 

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus signs autographs for fans after the Women's 3rd round match against Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 19 January 2024. (EPA)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus signs autographs for fans after the Women's 3rd round match against Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 19 January 2024. (EPA)
TT
20

Defending Champion Sabalenka Reaches 4th Round at Australian Open 

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus signs autographs for fans after the Women's 3rd round match against Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 19 January 2024. (EPA)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus signs autographs for fans after the Women's 3rd round match against Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 19 January 2024. (EPA)

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka and US Open winner Coco Gauff swept to commanding wins at the Australian Open on Friday to reach the fourth round.

Second-seeded Sabalenka beat Lesia Tsurenko 6-0, 6-0 in 52 minutes while No. 4-seeded Gauff dropped just two games in beating fellow American Alycia Parks 6-0, 6-2.

Sabalenka, who won her first Grand Slam title here 12 months ago, has dropped just six games in three rounds.

“Last year, Iga (Swiatek) won so many sets 6-0 and this is one of the goals, to try to get closer to her,” Sabalenka joked. “I’m just super-happy with the level I’m playing so far. Hopefully I can just keep going like that or even better.”

The pair did not shake hands — as is the convention for Ukrainian players against opponents from Russia or Belarus, where Sabalenka is from — but Tsurenko congratulated Sabalenka verbally.

Sabalenka will play Amanda Anisimova, who continued her comeback with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Paula Badosa. Anisimova, who took seven months out of the game last year for mental health reasons, hit 40 winners on her way to the fourth round.

“It’s quite unbelievable,” the American said. “For sure taking a step away from the game ... gave me a new perspective. I’m trying to be in the present. I think in the past I was getting too caught up in the past and the future.”

Sabalenka said she expects a tough match against Anisimova, who has won four of their five matches.

“She’s an incredible player and I’m really happy to see her back,” Sabalenka said.

Gauff played an almost flawless match as she beat Parks in 61 minutes, making just eight unforced errors to the 34 of her less experienced opponent.

Sixteen-year-old Mirra Andreeva continued her remarkable Australian Open debut when she came from 5-1 down in the final set to beat Diane Parry of France 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (5).

The Russian player was in tears when she was one game from defeat, but she produced a brilliant comeback, saving a match point at 2-5 before winning the deciding tiebreak 10-5.

No. 4 Jannik Sinner moved into the fourth round without losing a set, thanks to a 6-0, 6-1, 6-3 victory over Sebastian Baez. The Italian won 18 of 25 points at the net as he set up a fourth-round match with 15th-seeded Karen Khachanov, who beat Tomas Machac 6-4, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-6 (5).

“I loved the conditions today because there was no wind and no sun,” Sinner said. “I felt great on the ball. I made the right decisions, and I used every chance I had.”

No. 7 Stefanos Tsitsipas was equally impressive, beating Luca Van Assche 6-3, 6-0, 6-4. He’ll meet No. 12 Taylor Fritz, who defeated Fabian Morozsan 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.

Ten-time Australian champion Novak Djokovic is in night action for the third match in a row, taking on Tomas Martin Etcheverry. Local hope Alex de Minaur played Flavio Cobolli of Italy.



Champions League Draw Serves up a Madrid Derby, Bayern vs. Leverkusen and Liverpool-PSG 

Former Bayern Munich striker Giovane Elber shows the ticket of Atletico Madrid during the UEFA Champions League round of 16, quarter-final and semi-final draws, at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, 21 February 2025. (EPA)
Former Bayern Munich striker Giovane Elber shows the ticket of Atletico Madrid during the UEFA Champions League round of 16, quarter-final and semi-final draws, at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, 21 February 2025. (EPA)
TT
20

Champions League Draw Serves up a Madrid Derby, Bayern vs. Leverkusen and Liverpool-PSG 

Former Bayern Munich striker Giovane Elber shows the ticket of Atletico Madrid during the UEFA Champions League round of 16, quarter-final and semi-final draws, at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, 21 February 2025. (EPA)
Former Bayern Munich striker Giovane Elber shows the ticket of Atletico Madrid during the UEFA Champions League round of 16, quarter-final and semi-final draws, at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, 21 February 2025. (EPA)

A Madrid derby. A German classic. A rare meeting between Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain.

The Champions League got more heavyweight clashes when the draw for the round of 16 was made Friday.

Defending champion Real Madrid’s reward for ousting 2023 title winner Manchester City is two city derbies against Atletico Madrid — the team it beat in the final in 2014 and 2016.

Bayern Munich was paired with Bayer Leverkusen — the Bundesliga leader against its defending champion, who played a tight 0-0 draw just last weekend.

Liverpool was the top-seeded team in the draw after finishing first in the 36-team standings last month but still got a tough assignment as the Premier League leader was paired with No. 15 seed PSG.

Liverpool and PSG have never met in knockout games in the Champions League or the old European Cup. Their previous meetings were in the group stage in 2018-19, trading home wins in a season that ended with Liverpool winning its sixth European Cup title.

The first-leg games will be played March 4-5, with the return games one week later.

Also in the draw, No. 2 seed Barcelona was paired with Benfica — which it beat 5-4 in Lisbon one month ago — Arsenal will face PSV Eindhoven and Inter Milan plays Feyenoord.

Club Brugge, which got into the knockout stage in the 24th and final qualification place, will face Aston Villa, which it already beat in November. Borussia Dortmund will play Lille.

The Madrid and German matchups were not possible in the old Champions League format where teams from the same country could not face each other in the round of 16. The new tennis-style seeded bracket allows for those derbies, and for teams to reunite after already playing each other in the league phase of the competition.