Good evening!

TDA Sport is officially back in your inbox for 2025.

To all our subscribers, I hope you had the chance to unwind during the festive season. Maybe you had the chance to catch some of the thrilling Test cricket series between Australia and India or you’ve been following your favourite tennis stars in the lead-up to the Australian Open this month.

To our new subscribers, welcome! It’s set to be a massive year in sport and we can’t wait to keep you in the loop and help you make sense of it.

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Stat of the day

17
The age of England’s Luke Littler, who became the youngest-ever World Darts Champion over the weekend. Littler defeated the Netherlands’ Michael Van Gerwen, a three-time world champion twice his age, 7-3 in the final. Littler took home a £500,000 ($AU999,000) prize for his efforts.

Quote of the day

“Once I did get on the field, I just felt like, this is rugby. It's something I've been doing for the past 10 years now. It's something that's in my blood. So I felt really confident when I got there”.
American women’s rugby star Ilona Maher reflecting on her debut for UK professional club the Bristol Bears. Maher starred for the U.S. at the Paris Olympics, helping the country earn its first-ever Olympic medal for women’s rugby. According to ESPN, the 28-year-old has a social media following of approximately 8.1 million across all platforms, making her the most followed rugby union athlete globally. 

Random fact of the day

Tug of War was contested as an Olympic event at five Games between 1900 and 1920. Nations could enter multiple teams in the event. The most successful country was Great Britain who won five medals over the course of the five Olympics, including two golds. 

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In case you missed it…

🏉 The NRL has issued Ezra Mam a nine-game ban and a $30,000 fine after the Brisbane Broncos star pleaded guilty to driving with a relevant drug present in his system last month. On top of the NRL’s punishment, the 22-year-old has also been fined $90,000 by the Broncos. Mam tested positive at a roadside drug test following an incident in October where he crashed into an oncoming car on the opposite side of the road. Broncos CEO Dave Donaghy said: “Whilst we are extremely disappointed that we have been placed in this position, we believe both the NRL and club-imposed penalties adequately reflect the gravity of what’s transpired”.

🏃‍♂️ Two-time Olympic medallist Fred Kerley was arrested in Florida following an altercation with police. The incident ended with a police officer tasering the sprinter. The American, who won a bronze medal in the men’s 100m at the Paris Olympics, was trying to reach his parked car through an unrelated active police scene and got into an argument with officers. Body camera footage shows police pushing Kerley as the argument became physical. According to authorities, Kerley is set to be charged with battery, resisting police, and disorderly conduct.

🏏 In the men’s Big Bash League, the Hobart Hurricanes have notched a fourth consecutive win, defeating the Adelaide Strikers by five wickets with eight balls remaining in the match. Tim David starred for the Hurricanes with an impressive 62 runs from 28 balls. The Hurricanes now sit in third place on the BBL ladder after five matches, while the Strikers sit in seventh after seven. 

⛳ Japanese golfer Hideki Matsuyama won the first PGA Tour event of the season, The Sentry in Hawai’i, with a record-breaking score of 35 shots under par. Matsuyama hit 35 birdies, also a PGA Tour record, and finished three shots ahead of American Collin Morikawa. The win marked Matsuyama’s 11th career victory and saw him take home $US3.6 million ($AU5.79 million).

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Sabalenka and Lehečka win at Brisbane International ahead of Australian Open

The international tennis season is in full swing as players finalise preparations for the upcoming Australian Open.

Brisbane International

Aryna Sabalenka will head to the Australian Open as the defending champion and favourite after demonstrating strong form with a win at the Brisbane International. In the final against 21-year-old Polina Kudermetova, Sabalenka recovered from losing the first set by winning the next two (4-6, 6-3, 6-2). Before the final, the 3-time slam champion had not dropped a set all tournament.

Meanwhile, in the men’s singles, Czech player Jiří Lehečka was crowned champion after American Reilly Opelka retired from the match after 13 minutes due to issues with his back. At the time of the 211cm giant’s retirement, Lehečka was leading the first set 4-1.

United Cup

At the United Cup in Sydney on Sunday, the U.S. team - made up of star players Coco Gauff and Taylor Fritz - defeated Poland in the final. In the women’s singles match, Gauff beat Polish world number two Iga Świątek in straight sets (6-4, 6-4). Then, Fritz beat world no.16 Hubert Hurkacz in three sets (6-4, 5-7, 7-6) to seal the country’s second United Cup victory after winning the inaugural tournament in 2023.

Australian Open

The qualifying tournament for the Australian Open begins today. There are 13 Australians in action today, with 25 total set to compete over the coming days for a spot in the prestigious Australian Open main draw, which will be revealed on Thursday 9 January.

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Australia beat India in fifth Test to claim Border-Gavaskar trophy

Australia claimed the fifth and final Test of the summer against India, winning the series 3-1 and claiming the Border-Gavaskar trophy for the first time since 2014/15. Australia won the final Test by six wickets, with debutant Beau Webster hitting the winning runs at the Sydney Cricket Ground on the third day.

What happened

On the third and final day of the match, Australia went into their final innings needing 162 runs to win the Test and overall series. Usually an achievable target, the total set by India was on an SCG pitch which gave a strong advantage to the bowling side with unpredictable ball movement. As a result, the highest individual score from the match was a fearless 61-run innings from India’s Rishabh Pant off just 33 balls.

India’s bowling attack missed the presence of Jasprit Bumrah, who didn’t take to the field on day three due to back spasms. After losing the wickets of Sam Konstas, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, and Steve Smith, the winning runs came from a productive partnership between Travis Head and Webster who capped off his first match for Australia with 39 runs off 34 balls. Smith, who scored four runs, fell one run short of reaching the significant milestone of 10,000 Test runs.

Australian bowler Scott Boland was named the Player of the Match for taking 10 wickets across the two innings, and Indian captain Jasprit Bumrah was named the Player of the Series after recording an impressive 32 wickets across the five Tests.

Australia are now undisputedly the world’s number one Test side and the current holders of every bilateral trophy they play for.

The emergence of Sam Konstas

The final two Tests of the series saw the emergence of a potential future star in 19-year-old Sam Konstas. In his first ever innings for Australia, at the MCG in the Boxing Day Test match, Konstas scored a superb half-century which included risky and creative strokes. He also became Australia's youngest batting debutant since Ian Craig in 1953. In the three other innings he played during the series Konstas scored 8, 23, and 22.

Konstas received plenty of attention from the media and fans for not only his batting prowess but also a run-in with Indian superstar Virat Kohli. The two players walked into each other during the Australian’s debut innings, prompting speculation as to whether Kohli had shouldered Konstas on purpose.

What they said

Australian captain Pat Cummins said: "It's been an amazing series. [We're] immensely proud. We've spent a lot of time together as a group over the years, so we knew we weren't at our best at Perth, but it was never as bad as it seems. So you stick tight and double down on what makes us a really good side."

What’s next?

The Aussie men’s Test team will be in action later this month when they visit Sri Lanka for a two-Test series. The side’s victory against India has also earned them a spot in the final of the World Test Championship against South Africa in June.

A message from Deakin University

What mothers really need at sport events

This study examines the distinction between "family-friendly" and "mother-friendly" sport stadium experiences. While mothers appreciate facilities like breastfeeding rooms, they find stadium layouts and policies often hinder their ability to balance caregiving and fandom.

Key findings include a preference for flexible spaces that allow mothers to care for children without missing the game.

The commentary suggests more accessible, open spaces and fewer restrictions on caregiving items. It urges sport organisations to create environments that better integrate mothering with fandom.

This journal article was co-written by Deakin professor, Kim Toffoletti.

Looking back…

Looking forward… (All times are AEDT)

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