2:07 AM ET Associated Press Daniil Medvedev will take a 19-match winning streak into the Australian Open semifinals after beating fellow Russian Andrey Rublev 7-5, 6-3, 6-2 in Melbourne. The pair were teammates when Russia won the ATP Cup team event on the eve of the Australian Open. They were on opposite sides of the
Tennis
9:38 PM ET Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia — Top-ranked Ash Barty built a big lead in her quarterfinal match at the Australian Open before her opponent took an injury timeout and left the court. More than an hour later, it was Barty heading abruptly out the exit. She was upset Wednesday by Karolina Muchova 1-6,
10:55 AM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com When Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka met at the 2018 US Open final, Arthur Ashe Stadium descended into chaos. Williams was given three highly controversial code violations — with the last resulting in a game penalty to give Osaka a 5-3 lead in the second set. The crowd booed throughout
1:12 PM ET MELBOURNE, Australia — The grimace on Novak Djokovic‘s face after slipping on the white “MELBOURNE” lettering behind the baseline at Rod Laver Arena was enough to suggest the world No. 1’s chances of defending his Australian Open title had just taken a serious hit. In the third round at Melbourne Park on
10:08 PM ET ESPN News Services MELBOURNE, Australia — Naomi Osaka advanced Tuesday to a potential semifinal showdown against Serena Williams at the Australian Open. Osaka earned her 19th victory in a row by overpowering Su-Wei Hsieh 6-2, 6-2, and will next meet the winner of the quarterfinal match Tuesday night between Williams and No.
12:00 PM ET When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tom Brady walloped the Kansas City Chiefs to earn Brady his seventh Super Bowl ring, it prompted a series of “Is Brady the GOAT of all GOATs?” conversations. Most of those greatest-of-all-time discussions ended, or should have, upon remembrance that Serena Williams exists. Like Brady, Williams
4:57 AM ET MELBOURNE, Australia — Twelve months ago, a golden opportunity presented itself for Ashleigh Barty to become the first homegrown player to win the Australian Open in 43 years. In the space of six enthralling hours on Day 5 in 2020, the previous three women’s champions in Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka and Caroline
9:32 PM ET Associated Press Jessica Pegula has reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the Australian Open by earning her first victory over an opponent ranked in the Top 10. The 61st-ranked American, whose parents own Buffalo’s NFL and NHL franchises, beat No. 5 seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in Rod
5:00 AM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com As a smiling Serena Williams made her way to the net after defeating Aryna Sabalenka in three hard-fought sets Sunday in the fourth round of the 2021 Australian Open, 18-time major champion Chris Evert seemed in awe over what she had just seen. “Is this the next level of women’s
5:00 AM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com As a smiling Serena Williams made her way to the net after defeating Aryna Sabalenka in three hard-fought sets Sunday in the fourth round of the 2021 Australian Open, 18-time major champion Chris Evert seemed in awe over what she had just seen. “Is this the next level of women’s
7:56 PM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com Upon advancing to her first major fourth round on Saturday, Jessica Pegula grabbed the blue marker to write on the on-court camera lens, as is customary for winners at the Australian Open. She could have written anything. Before saying hi to her sister, she wrote: “Let’s go Jen Brady!” 🇺🇸
11:00 AM ET MELBOURNE, Australia — From warming up with your opponent before a match to the mandatory all-white Wimbledon outfits and strawberries and cream at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, tennis purists are proud of the sport’s rich history of tradition, and have always grappled with the idea of having it altered too
1:14 AM ET ESPN News Services Daniil Medvedev finally worked out how to a win a five-setter. All by himself. The fourth-seeded Daniil Medvedev was 0-6 in five-setters, and his match against No. 28-seeded Filip Krajinovic looked like it was going all the way in the third round of the Australian Open. After some angry
10:38 PM ET Jake Michaels Close ESPN Associate Editor Jake Michaels is a Melbourne-based sports writer who covers everything from Aussie Rules to Formula One, basketball to boxing. He joined ESPN in June, 2013 and works as an Associate Editor, covering sport in Australia and around the world. Matt Walsh Close Assistant Editor Matt Walsh
12:40 PM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com The scene at John Cain Arena was electric until the final moments Friday night. As the clock counted down on fans’ final seconds of freedom before a mandatory minimum five-day lockdown, as well as on Nick Kyrgios‘ run in the 2021 Australian Open, those in attendance only grew louder with
11:19 PM ET ESPN News Services MELBOURNE, Australia — Serena Williams will be part of the weekend action at the Australian Open. Spectators will not. Williams overcame erratic strokes and two set points to beat Anastasia Potapova 7-6 (5), 6-2 on Friday and advance to the fourth round. The surprisingly close match entertained a modest
9:15 PM ET MELBOURNE, Australia — Tennis fans will be locked out of the Australian Open from 11:59pm Friday [AEST] as the state of Victoria prepares for a five-day lockdown amid a growing COVID-19 cluster in the city’s suburbs. The state’s outbreak began at Melbourne Airport’s Holiday Inn last week and has now risen to
8:35 AM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com Sofia Kenin, looking to defend her Australian Open singles title, was in tears after losing in straight sets to Kaia Kanepi in the second round on Thursday. “I feel like everyone was always asking me, ‘Would you want to [defend the title]?” she said about the overwhelming pressure she had