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Defending champion Novak Djokovic blasted past Frenchman Jeremy Chardy in emphatic fashion Monday to ominously kick off his bid for an unprecedented ninth Australian Open title. Defending champion Novak Djokovic blasted past Frenchman Jeremy Chardy in emphatic fashion Monday to ominously kick off his bid for an unprecedented ninth Australian Open title. The Serbian world number one, who clinched his 17th Grand Slam in last year's gripping final at Melbourne Park against Dominic Thiem, wasted little energy in the 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 romp in just 91 minutes

Lewis Hamilton has signed a new one-year deal with Mercedes, the Formula One team announced on Monday. Lewis Hamilton has ended his long-running contract saga with Mercedes by signing a new one-year deal, the Formula One team announced on Monday. "The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team is pleased to announce that the reigning Formula One world constructors' champion and the reigning F1 world drivers' champion will continue together in 2021," the team said in a statement. Seven-Time Formula One Champion Lewis Hamilton Signs New One-Year Deal

Serena Williams launched her latest bid for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam with a 56-minute demolition of Laura Siegemund at the Australian Open. The American, 39, said it was "vintage Serena" as she thrashed the German 6-1 6-1 in front of a small, unmasked crowd on Rod Laver Arena. US Open champion Naomi Osaka also made a convincing start with a 6-1 6-2 win over Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. But former champion Angelique Kerber was the first seed to be knocked out. The German

American Brooks Koepka carded a final-round 65 to secure victory at the Phoenix Open. The four-time major winner made two eagles, three birdies and one bogey in his six-under-par round as he finished on 19 under overall at TPC Scottsdale. South Korea's Kyoung-Hoon Lee (68) and American Xander Schauffele (71) tied for second, one shot behind. Schauffele had led overnight with Jordan Spieth, who finished on 17 under after a closing 72. American James Hahn was in a promising position at the turn

The shortlist for the BBC Indian Sportswoman award has been announced in Delhi. The accolade honours the contributions of Indian sportswomen and celebrates the achievements of women in sport in the country. The list of five contenders for 2021 features shooter Manu Bhaker, sprinter Dutee Chand, chess player Koneru Humpy, wrestler Vinesh Phogat and hockey captain Rani. You can vote for your Indian Sportswoman of the year here. The BBC launched the inaugural edition of the award in February 2020 and, following a tumultuous 12 months in which the coronavirus pandemic

Serena Williams launched her latest bid for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam with a 56-minute demolition of Laura Siegemund at the Australian Open. The American, 39, said it was "vintage Serena" as she thrashed the German 6-1 6-1 in front of a small, unmasked crowd on Rod Laver Arena. US Open champion Naomi Osaka also made a convincing start with a 6-1 6-2 win over Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. But former champion Angelique Kerber was the first seed to be knocked out. The German

With most of the world still living under strict coronavirus restrictions, there is some light relief for tennis fans in the form of a very different Australian Open. The first Grand Slam of the year does take place in Melbourne as planned, although it starts three weeks later than usual on 8 February. Serbia's world number one Novak Djokovic and Spain's Rafael Nadal - who is aiming to win a 21st major title and move clear of Roger Federer - lead the men's

The first edition of the Katara International Arabian Horse Festival (KIAHF), held under the patronage of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, concluded on a resplendent note yesterday. Some of the finest purebred Arabian show horses competed in the championships of the prestigious Title Show. Stallions, mares, colts, fillies, and yearling, finalists in their respective classes, graced the arena, impressing judges and spectators with their graceful trot and absolutely gorgeous looks. Noft Alnayfat, a senior mare, and Sundown K.A, a

With the pandemic hitting cricket at all levels, the birthplace of the sport needs the game’s biggest drawcard like never before. A few days ago, a banner popped up at the premises of Leicestershire County Cricket Club. ‘Virat Kohli’s India, coming to the county ground’, it screamed. The tentative dates given were July-end. And on the right-hand side, there was an orange patch with a call to action about tickets. ‘On Sale Soon. Register your interest now’, it read, a full six months

England ended day one of the first Test against India on 263-3 after a special century from Joe Root (128no) in his 100th Test match; the England captain put on 200 for the third wicket with Dom Sibley (87) but Jasprit Bumrah's late strike removed opener The 30-year-old Yorkshireman became just the third Englishman, after Colin Cowdrey and Alec Stewart, and the ninth batsman overall to achieve the feat as he continued his stunning start to 2021 with his third century in as

Wimbledon organisers are planning for a reduced-capacity crowd at this year's Grand Slam tournament, though other options remain, the All England Club. The club previously announced that the tournament, cancelled in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, would go ahead with or without fans. The three options are full capacity, reduced capacity or no fans. The majority of our planning focus is currently centered on the option of a reduced capacity Championships and how that would affect each stakeholder group, but we are

Former France striker Andre-Pierre Gignac scored twice as Mexico’s Tigres defeated Asian champions Ulsan Hyundai 2-1 yesterday to qualify for the semi-finals of the Club World Cup. Tigres, the CONCACAF Champions League winners, will face Copa Libertadores champions Palmeiras of Brazil tomorrow for a spot in next week’s final. Defender Kim Kee-hee headed Ulsan ahead from a corner in Al Rayyan, as the South Koreans returned to the Gulf state just six weeks after their triumph in Asia’s top club competition. Gignac slammed

By Samuel Eto’o This week, the eyes of the world will be on Qatar, as it takes another big step on its journey to the FIFA World Cup in 2022 by hosting the FIFA Club World Cup 2020 from 4-11 February. During my playing career, I was very lucky to have had the opportunity not only to compete in this great competition, but to win it with Inter Milan. My memories of the Club World Cup could not be better, as for the

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice to fire Juventus to a 2-1 comeback win over Inter Milan in a hard-fought Coppa Italia semi-final first-leg clash at San Siro on Tuesday. Lautaro Martinez gave the home side an early lead but the Portuguese replied with a penalty before pouncing on a defensive mix-up to put the Turin club in front before halftime. Inter, without suspended top scorer Romelu Lukaku, pushed for an equaliser but couldn't find a way past 43-year-old goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. The Italian produced

Barcelona scored five goals in 18 minutes to turn this Copa del Rey quarter-final – and just maybe their entire season – on its head. Antoine Griezmann scored twice and set up two, Jordi Alba scored his first brace ever for the club, and Lionel Messi pulled out a vintage performance when his team most needed it. Ronald Koeman can still win a trophy, in fact he is now just two games from doing it. And all that, having been two minutes from

Between 500 and 600 Australian Open players, officials and support staff will go into isolation after a worker at one of the event's quarantine hotels tested positive for coronavirus. Thursday's play at the six warm-up events at Melbourne Park has been cancelled as a result. But Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said: "At this stage there is no impact on the tournament proper." Players will be free to return to competition after a negative test. "We will work with everyone involved to facilitate testing

A trip to Turf Moor is usually an awkward assignment for visiting teams but Manchester City could hardly have made it look any easier on Wednesday night. Pep Guardiola's side are strolling through games right now. The 2-0 victory, achieved thanks to first-half goals from Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling, took Pep Guardiola's side three points clear of second-placed Manchester United with a game in hand. City have now won 13 consecutive games in all competitions. It is the longest winning run by

Marcus Rashford and Reece James are among a number of footballers to have been recently subjected to racist abuse on social media platforms; Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden says he is prepared to 'get tough' and says senior management at social firms could face 'criminal sanctions'Social media companies face “large fines” which could total “billions of pounds” from the UK government if they fail tackle abuse on their platforms.England internationals Marcus Rashford and Reece James are among a number of footballers to have been

Every year, the FIFA Club World Cup offers a unique opportunity for fans to watch the best clubs compete to be crowned as world champions. The 2020 edition will be contested by Al Duhail (host nation representatives), Al Ahly (CAF), Bayern Munich (UEFA), [Palmeiras or Santos] (CONMEBOL), Tigres UANL (CONCACAF) and Ulsan Hyundai (AFC).This will be the second time the tournament has been played in Qatar, following the country’s successful hosting of the 2019 edition, where Liverpool were crowned champions. This year’s tournament

More than 500 tennis players and officials were ordered into isolation in the Australian city of Melbourne on Thursday as authorities reintroduced coronavirus restrictions after a worker at a quarantine hotel tested positive for the virus. The city reimposed an order for masks indoors and a limit on gatherings of 15 people after the state's run of 28 days with no new local cases came to an end. Melbourne, Australia's second-biggest city, is preparing to host the Australian Open tennis tournament from Monday