Good evening!

Plenty of tennis is being played around the country in the lead-up to the Australian Open. Today, fans were given a preview of next week’s grand slam with the announcement of the main draw.

In the men’s singles, Aussie hopes will be firmly tied to Alex de Minaur, who will face the Netherlands’ Botic van de Zandschulp in the opening round. If the early stages go well, the Demon is on a collision course with Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Round of 16.

Australia’s top-ranked women’s player Olivia Gadecki faces a tough opening assignment in Veronika Kudermetova, who has a career-high ranking of world number nine.

Bring it on!

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Stat of the day

$US3.6 million ($AU5.8 million)
The amount of money the U.S. Government is withholding from the World Anti-Doping Association. The U.S. and its anti-doping body, USADA, have expressed dissatisfaction with WADA’s handling of failed drug tests by 23 members of the Chinese swim team. USADA CEO Travis Tygart said that the Government’s decision to withhold its annual contribution to WADA is "the only right choice to protect athletes' rights, accountability and fair competition".

Quote of the day

"It is extremely disappointing to see incidents of this nature took place in what was otherwise well-behaved record crowds across five days… The MCG takes any form of racial vilification very seriously — we work very hard to create a safe and inclusive environment for all fans."
An MCG spokesperson in a statement to the ABC after a video circulated on social media showing Australian fans singing a racist chant at the Boxing Day Test against India. Victoria Police, the MCG, and Melbourne Cricket Club have treated the chants as an isolated incident.

Random fact of the day

On this day in 1811, the first-ever women’s golf tournament was held at Musselburgh Links in Scotland. Around 55 women played in the tournament but there is no record of a winner. The women were the wives of fishermen, who played an important role in distributing fish at the markets. One of the prizes for winning the tournament was a creel, a basket used to carry fish.   

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In case you missed it…

The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 129-122, extending their winning streak to 11 games. The loss meant the end of a record 15-match winning streak for the Thunder, who remain atop the NBA’s Western Conference. The Cavaliers, who lead the Eastern Conference with 32 wins from 36 games, were led by Jarrett Allen. The centre recorded 25 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Meanwhile, the Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continued to solidify his candidacy for this season’s MVP award with a game-high score of 31 points.

Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspurs beat Liverpool 1-0 in the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final between the two sides. The Spurs upset Liverpool -currently on top of the Premier League table - courtesy of a brilliant 86th-minute goal from 18-year-old Lucas Bergvall. To advance to the final, Postecoglou’s side will need to remain ahead of Liverpool on goal difference when they play the second match of the tie in February.

Australian boxer Jai Opetaia has retained the IBF World Cruiserweight title after knocking out New Zealand’s David Nyika. The 29-year-old was made to work hard by Nyika but knocked him out in the fourth round. Following the win, Opetaia expressed a desire to fight WBO and WBA Cruiserweight champion Gilberto Ramírez. The Australian’s record now stands at 27 victories with no losses.

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UK Athletics charged with manslaughter over Paralympian’s death

UK Athletics has been charged with manslaughter over the death of a Paralympian in 2017. The head of sport at the governing body during the 2017 World Para-athletics Championships, 77-year-old Keith Davies, is also being charged.

What happened

Abdullah Hayayei was training at Newham Leisure Centre in London when a metal throwing cage collapsed and landed on him. The 36-year-old athlete from the United Arab Emirates died at the scene.

Hayayei was set to compete in the F34 throwing events (shot put, discus, and javelin) at the 2017 World Championships after making his Paralympic debut in Rio the year before. In Rio, Hayayei finished sixth in the javelin and seventh in the shot put.

Following an investigation, public prosecutors have charged UK Athletics in relation to his death.

What they said

Crown prosecutor Malcom McHaffie said: “UK Athletics Ltd has been charged with corporate manslaughter and a Health and Safety at Work Act offence. Keith Davies, the former Head of Sport at UK Athletics Ltd, has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter and a Health and Safety at Work Act offence.”

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Aussie tennis players show signs of strength ahead of Aus Open

With the Australian Open set to begin next week, plenty of Australians have produced strong results in the lead-up to the first grand slam of the year.

Kokkinakis and Hijikata at the Adelaide International

Thanasi Kokkinakis will play for a spot in the semi-finals of the Adelaide International as part of his preparation for the Australian Open. In the Round of 16, Kokkinakis, who won the South Australian tournament in 2022, beat Argentina’s Tomás Martin Etcheverry (7-5, 4-6, 7-6) in three sets. The 28-year-old will play American Sebastian Korda at 7:00pm tonight in the quarter-final for a place in the final four.

Meanwhile, Rinky Hijikata lost in the quarter-final today against the tournament’s top seed, American Tommy Paul (world no.12). Hijikata earned a spot in the quarter-final yesterday by beating American Brandon Nakashima in a deciding set tiebreaker (6-2, 3-6, 7-6). Hinkijata will now turn his attention to the Australian Open.

Maya Joint at the Hobart International

Aussie teenager Maya Joint has continued to garner excitement about her potential after progressing to the semi-final at the WTA-sanctioned Hobart International. The 18-year-old swept aside American Sofia Kenin in the quarter-final just a day after beating the tournament’s fourth seed, Poland’s Magda Linette, in straight sets.

Joint is now ranked 118 in the world, up from the low 700s a year ago. She will play in the Australian Open as a wildcard and has been drawn against world number seven Jessica Pegula in the opening round.

Aussie women shine in Australian Open qualifiers

Five Australians were set to take the court on the final day of the Australian Open qualifiers today. In the women’s singles Destanee Aiava, Maddison Inglis, Kimberly Birrell, and Elena Micic all played for a grand slam berth. In the men’s singles, Blake Ellis was the lone Australian playing in the third round of qualifying. To qualify for a place in the coveted main draw of the Australian Open, players must win three rounds of qualifying.

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 forward… (All times are AEDT)

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