An X Games event in Aspen, Colorado this week will see the trial of AI technology to assist judges in awarding scores for the snowboarding halfpipe event.

X Games CEO and former freestyle skier Jeremy Bloom told AP: “Part of subjective sports, we see it all over the place, is that even at their best, humans can get it wrong. Sometimes, getting it wrong has huge implications. What if we could give judges superpowers, and they could see things they couldn’t see with the human eye, and this technology could help inform them?”

The technology, developed by Bloom and Google founder Sergey Brin, won’t impact scores this week, but it might give us a taste of the future of sport.

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The record number of grand slam semi-finals Novak Djokovic will have played in when he takes on Germany’s Alexander Zverev tomorrow. The 37-year-old defeated Spanish world number three Carlos Alcaraz in four sets last night (4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4). Djokovic, a 24-time grand slam champion, leveraged his wealth of experience to overcome losing the first set, a medical timeout before the second, and Alcaraz's undeniable talent and youthful exuberance.

“After careful consideration, I’ve decided to take another season away from the WSL tour. This time will allow me to focus on healing some lingering injuries and redirect my energy toward continuing my adventures of surfing around the globe.”
Eight-time women’s surfing world champion Steph Gilmore announcing via Instagram she will not compete professionally in 2025. It will be the 36-year-old Australian’s second consecutive season off the tour. 2024 men’s world champion John John Florence has also announced he will not compete in 2025.

On this day in 2006, late NBA star Kobe Bryant scored a career-high 81 points for the Los Angeles Lakers in the team’s 122-104 victory over the Toronto Raptors. It’s the second-highest number of points scored by an individual in an NBA game.

🚴‍♂️ Stage 2 of the men’s cycling Tour Down Under was won by Australian Sam Welsford, who overcame an early crash to secure the victory. The 128km stage started and finished in the South Australian town of Tanunda. Welsford, who also won Stage 1 yesterday, will continue to wear the leader’s jersey (the Ochre jersey) with four stages remaining. Stage 3 will be raced tomorrow over a 147.5km course from Norwood to Uraidla. 

🏏 The Hobart Hurricanes have secured a home grand final in the Big Bash League after beating the Sydney Sixers last night by 12 runs. Riley Meredith was named the Player of the Match for his outstanding bowling, which saw him take two early wickets and significantly hamper the Sixers run chase. Tonight, the Sydney Thunder and Melbourne Stars will face off, with the winner set to play the Sixers on Friday for the remaining spot in the grand final.

⚽ Matildas star Alanna Kennedy will leave Women’s Super League club Manchester City for U.S. club Angel City, based in Los Angeles. Kennedy, who made 64 appearances for the English club and played a role in a League Cup title in 2022, wrote on Instagram: "Manchester has been my home for the past three and a half years and I am leaving with a lot of amazing memories." 

American Formula One team Haas has appointed the sport’s first female race engineer, Laura Mueller. Previously a performance engineer, Mueller will work with incoming driver Esteban Ocon. She started with the team in 2022, working in the simulator department.

A race engineer is the main link between a driver and their team. During a Grand Prix, the race engineer communicates with the driver over the radio to assist with strategy and help to solve problems the driver may be facing. When the driver is not racing, the race engineer works with them and the team to optimise their performance.

Haas boss Ayao Komatsu said: “It’s not like I chose Laura because she’s female. We don’t care [about] nationality, gender – it really doesn’t matter because what matters is work. How you can fit into the team, how you can maximise the performance. I believe it is the right choice.”

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Week two of the Australian Open continues in Melbourne. While the women’s semi-finals are now set, one men’s semi-final is still TBD.

Australian tennis fans will be paying particularly close attention tonight as the country’s top-ranked player Alex de Minaur takes on the world number one, Italy’s Jannik Sinner.

De Minaur v Sinner

In the tenth meeting between De Minaur and Sinner, ‘the Demon’ will look to claim his first ever victory against the Italian. The odds are stacked against the 25-year-old, who has only ever won one set over the 23-year-old two-time grand slam champion.

However, de Minaur is arguably in the best form of his career. He holds a career-high ranking of seventh in the world and is the only player on tour to have made the quarter finals of the last four grand slam events.

De Minaur said: "It's going to be an incredibly tough match and I'm going to have to do something I haven't done before. But why not start here?"

Women’s semi-finals

The first semi-final in the women’s singles draw will feature two-time defending champion and number one seed Aryna Sabalenka against Spanish eleventh seed Paula Badosa. To make the quarter-final, Sabalenka faced her toughest battle in recent memory, defeating 27th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in three sets. Meanwhile, Badosa sensationally upset third seed Coco Gauff in straight sets.

The other semi-final will be fought out by American 19th seed Madison Keys and Poland’s Iga Świątek (2). Five-time grand slam winner Świątek enters the match as the favourite. She will be seeking to advance to her first ever Australian Open final after losing to American Danielle Collins in a semi-final in 2022.

The women’s semi-finals will be played tomorrow.

In his 50th Grand Slam semi-final, Novak Djokovic will take on Germany’s Alexander Zverev - the tournament’s second seed. Zverev defeated American Tommy Paul in yesterday’s quarter-final. Despite his superior ranking, Zverev faces the daunting task of overcoming a 24-time grand slam champion determined to add another trophy to his collection and hold the outright record for most majors.

In the other semi-final, the winner of the de Minaur and Sinner match will take on the winner of unseeded Italian Lorenzo Sonego and American 21st seed Ben Shelton.

The men’s semi-finals will be played on Friday.

At their home open, there are two all-Australian pairings still in contention in the Mixed Doubles draw. The teams made up of Kim Birrell and John-Patrick Smith, and Olivia Gadecki and John Peers, are both playing in the semi-finals today. Birrell and Smith are taking on the British duo of Olivia Nicholls and Henry Patten, and Gadecki and Peers are playing against second-seeded Kiwi duo Erin Routliffe and Michael Venus.

You can watch the tennis on Channel 9, 9Now, or Stan Sport.

Ever wondered what it takes to excel at a Grand Slam?

With the Australian Open in full swing, we’re seeing athletes showcase incredible skill, strategy, and athleticism. But behind the scenes, it’s the science of performance that truly makes the difference.

At Deakin University, Sport Science students gain insights into the many varying factors that influence performance. Explore how athletes manage energy, prevent injuries, and perform under extreme conditions - like playing tennis for 2+ hours under the sweltering Australian sun.

Whether you're interested in injury prevention, performance enhancement, or rehabilitation, Deakin offers the knowledge and flexibility to tailor your studies to your passions.