Sports
Australian Open 2025 results: Iga Swiatek beats Emma Navarro to set up Madison Keys semi-final
Iga Swiatek dropped just three games as she breezed past Emma Navarro to reach the Australian Open semi-finals and continue her bid for a maiden Melbourne title.
Five-time major winner Swiatek was ruthless in a 6-1 6-2 victory over eighth seed Navarro.
Swiatek has dropped just 14 games at Melbourne Park this year – and seven of those came in her first round match.
The Pole will face Madison Keys in the last four after the American came from a set down to beat Elina Svitolina.
Keys will need to be at her big-hitting best to beat Swiatek, who was dominant against the highly-rated Navarro.
Swiatek broke to love in the match’s first service game and wrapped up the opening set inside 36 minutes.
However there was controversy at 2-2 in the second set when the umpire did not spot a double bounce at a crucial moment.
The ball bounced twice before Swiatek, with the advantage on her serve, flicked over a winner, but umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore missed it.
Navarro protested but was unable to use the video technology review – which would have shown a replay of the footage – because she had carried on playing the point, instead of stopping it.
Swiatek subsequently broke in the next game and ran away with the match to match her best result at Melbourne Park.
Celtic winger Luis Palma, 25, is being chased by Sunderland, Stoke City, Swansea City and Queens Park Rangers as well as several European clubs. (Football Insider), external
Meanwhile, Celtic have been handed a boost in their quest to bring 27-year-old Scotland defender Kieran Tierney back to the club with the emergence of talented teenage Arsenal left-back Myles Lewis-Skelly opening the door further for a January exit from London. (Record), external
However, Celtic are unlikely to reach Aston Villa’s asking price for Louie Barry after reportedly having a £10m bid rejected for the 21-year-old forward. (Football Insider), external
Rangers are demanding a price for striker Cyriel Dessers that is unaffordable for Leganes, who tried to sign the Nigeria international when he was with Feyenoord. (AS), external
Vicko Sevelj wants Dundee United to bounce back from their Scottish Cup exit against Rangers in Sunday’s Premiership meeting and believes catching the second-placed team is still a possibility. (Record), external
United need to start games the way they are finishing them, says former defender Lee Wilkie. (Courier – subscription), external
Luke Littler opted for video games over his first legal pint as the darts star celebrated turning 18 on Tuesday.
The teenage star marked his milestone birthday with an intimate family dinner at his parents’ house in Warrington, shunning traditional pub celebrations.
The low-key affair offered Littler a chance to unwind after a remarkable year that saw him dominate the sport and claim multiple major titles.
Instead of heading to the pub, Littler enjoyed a family takeaway dinner, with his father Anthony Buckley making a trip to Castlerise Fish & Chips in Runcorn.
Luke Littler opted for video games over his first legal pint as the darts star celebrated turning 18 on Tuesday
PA
The proud dad was spotted wearing a ‘Nuke’ branded hoodie, referencing his son’s nickname, while collecting the food.
The meal marked a change from Littler’s usual favourite – a kebab wrap with doner meat, lettuce, onion and mayonnaise, accompanied by chips and a fizzy drink.
Back at home, Littler spent his birthday hosting a live stream while playing EA FC 25, the popular football video game.
JUST IN:Emma Raducanu hints at being ‘bitter’ days after crashing out of Australian Open
Luke Littler opted to play on his Xbox, rather than go to the pub, after turning 18
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The stream attracted 3,500 viewers at its peak, with the darts champion sharing footage on his TikTok account.
His gaming content reached his substantial social media following, which includes 686,000 TikTok followers.
The birthday celebrations provided a welcome break from competitive darts for the young star, who enjoyed a successful 2024 winning the Premier League, Grand Slam and World Series Finals.
READ MORE: Man Utd legend Bryan Robson faces massive tax bill after losing HMRC case as ‘disguised employee’
His recent success culminated in winning the PDC World Championship, defeating Michael van Gerwen 7-3 at Alexandra Palace at the start of the year.
The victory earned him a £500,000 prize, pushing his total earnings to £1.18m and securing him second place in the PDC Order of Merit.
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After celebrating his birthday, Littler will return to competitive action at the Dutch Darts Masters, which begins on January 24.
Littler’s success has been closely supported by his parents, Anthony and Lisa, who have accompanied him to tournaments due to his previous age restrictions.
Luke Littler recently won the World Darts Championship
PA
His father played a crucial role in his career path, encouraging him to switch from football to darts at age nine.
The family’s support was evident at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award ceremony in December, where they shared an emotional embrace before Littler collected the runner-up prize.
Sports
Champions League permutations: What do Man City & PSG need to qualify – and what is cost of not qualifying?
Manchester City’s surprising poor form has spanned across all competitions.
It began with Tottenham knocking them out of the EFL Cup in October and Pep Guardiola’s side have since won just five of their 17 matches in all competitions.
When it comes to the Champions League, City took seven points from their opening three games, but then suffered losses to Sporting and Juventus and squandered a three-goal lead against Feyenoord to draw 3-3 at Etihad Stadium.
City have looked to strengthen their squad in the January transfer window, although new additions will not be able to play in the league phase.
“Of course it is a really important game for us and for PSG, but we still have another game against Bruges at home,” said Guardiola.
“I don’t know how many points we will need. Six points will be mathematically [sure], but maybe four, maybe three.
“But if we don’t qualify we have to accept we were not good enough.”
Meanwhile, PSG are yet to lose in the French top flight but have failed to replicate that form in Europe – earning a measly seven points from six matches with three losses, one draw and two wins.
In the table, they are the lowest of Europe’s so-called ‘big clubs’ and currently sit in an elimination spot.
Luis Enrique’s side have suffered defeats by Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Atletico Madrid, as well as a home draw against PSV.
“The reality is we should have won the games against PSV and Atletico,” said Enrique. “With those [extra] five points we would already be qualifying for the next round.
“But I am very optimistic and confident. Is it a must-win game? The obligation is all the players give 100%, and I take the same attitude every day.
“You can lose games, and that’s life. The most important thing is to be committed.”
Sports
Wayne Bridge’s ex-girlfriend drops cryptic nine-word message after KSI brutally mocked John Terry scandal
Vanessa Perroncel has broken her silence with a cryptic social media message after KSI’s controversial comments led to Wayne Bridge pulling out of their planned boxing match.
“The smallest minds often come with the biggest mouths,” wrote Perroncel, responding to KSI’s taunts about her alleged affair with John Terry from 2009.
The former model, who shares an 18-year-old son with Bridge, posted the nine-word message after KSI made crude remarks about her past during a face-off with Bridge at Misfits 20.
The comments ultimately led to Bridge withdrawing from the March 29 fight, citing the need to protect his family.
Wayne Bridge was recently mocked by KSI, with the former footballer then choosing to withdraw from their boxing match
GETTY
At Saturday’s Misfits 20 event, KSI confronted Bridge with a taunt about his previous relationship with Perroncel.
“Wayne Bridge, aren’t you the guy that let John Terry smash your ex? That is what you are known for,” KSI said during their face-off.
Bridge initially appeared to brush off the comments, saying: “I think that’s just him, innit? It’s the cameras, what he does, put him in a room on your own he probably doesn’t do it.”
JUST IN:Emma Raducanu hints at being ‘bitter’ days after crashing out of Australian Open
Wayne Bridge’s ex-girlfriend, Vanessa Perroncel, has responded with a nine-word message after the former footballer was mocked by KSI
GETTY
KSI later posted on social media: “From playing with him in FIFA Ultimate Team to knocking out Wayne Bridge in the ring at the end of March, what a life.”
The comments referenced a 2010 scandal involving Bridge’s former Chelsea teammate Terry, though Perroncel has always denied the alleged affair.
Hours after the exchange, Bridge announced his withdrawal from the fight through an Instagram story.
READ MORE: Man Utd legend Bryan Robson faces massive tax bill after losing HMRC case as ‘disguised employee’
“I feel like what was said on Saturday crossed a line,” stated the former England international.
“These are deeply personal comments that affect mine and other families involved in the situation. I’m a family man first and my priority is protecting them,” Bridge explained.
The 44-year-old, now married to Saturdays star Frankie, added: “My opponent is someone that many children look up to around the world, including my kids.”
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“I will no longer be fighting on 29th March.”
Bridge has previous experience in the boxing ring since retiring from football in 2014.
The former defender has competed twice, including an England Boxing licensed amateur bout.
Wayne Bridge and John Terry were once team-mates at Chelsea
PA
He notably defeated Made In Chelsea’s Spencer Matthews on points in 2018, impressing fans with his boxing skills.
His decision to withdraw from the KSI fight has received support from fellow footballer Danny Simpson.
Simpson, who drew with Danny Aarons in his own Misfits Boxing debut last year, tweeted: “Disrespecting the ballers. Cant be having that @KSI @MamsTaylor @MisfitsBoxing.”
Watch the moment Iga Swiatek wins a point against Emma Navarro despite the ball bouncing twice during her Australian Open quarter-final victory.
Having challenged for automatic promotion from the third tier last term, Bolton were beaten to the final spot by Derby County on the final day of the 2023-24 campaign.
They eventually beat Barnsley across two legs in the play-off semi-final to reach the final at Wembley, but they were uncharacteristically off the pace as Oxford dominated them over 90 minutes and won 2-0.
Evatt blamed fear on their defeat, which prevented them from returning to the Championship for the first time since 2019.
Bolton carried on that form into this season, with Tuesday’s defeat at the hands of Charlton their 10th in the league in 2024-25, a result which left them ninth and three points off the play-off places after 24 games.
It has been a tough campaign for Evatt, who claimed in September he had the backing of the club’s board after a wayward start to the campaign, while his son also experienced abuse from fans.
Having blamed his side’s inconsistent form on psychology, his side then registered 10 victories from 17 games in all competitions to claw their way into the play-off places, but Evatt was critical of fan judgement on his side’s performances.
That criticism came after Brittan pledged her support despite the fact they were well off the pace of League One’s automatic promotion chasers following a dispiriting defeat by near neighbours Wigan Athletic, who themselves had been struggling.
Emma Raducanu has hinted that she’s feeling ‘bitter’ following her recent Australian Open exit at the hands of Iga Swiatek.
Swiatek beat the Briton 6-1, 6-0 in their showdown at the Rod Laver Arena on Saturday, with the world No 2 since charging on towards the semi-finals of the competition.
As for Raducanu, the Briton appears to have already jetted back home.
And she’s now suggested she’s still feeling a tad ‘bitter’ about things after her hopes of Grand Slam glory went up in smoke.
Emma Raducanu has hinted that she’s feeling ‘bitter’ following her recent Australian Open exit at the hands of Iga Swiatek
REUTERS
Raducanu, writing on her Instagram story, shared a snap of herself holding ‘Milk And Honey’ from author Rupi Kaur.
She then cryptically wrote: “Find sweetness even if bitter.”
Raducanu had gone into the Australian Open hoping to add to the US Open title she claimed against all odds back in 2021.
Yet while she performed well enough during victories over Ekaterina Alexandrova and Amanda Anisimova, she ultimately came up short.
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Emma Raducanu has dropped a hint that she’s feeling a tad ‘bitter’ following her Australian Open exit
Speaking after her defeat, Raducanu admitted that she felt she didn’t play very well.
But the tennis star also expressed a belief the scoreline was ‘harsh’, too.
She stated: “She played very well, but I also think that I didn’t play very well. It’s just not a great combination.
“If a top player is playing perfect, it’s going to be a difficult match already… The scoreline was obviously quite harsh.
READ MORE: Man Utd legend Bryan Robson faces massive tax bill after losing HMRC case as ‘disguised employee’
“I’m very clear on what happened out there. If I’m not necessarily able to hold my service games or dictate, I feel like it seeps into the rest of my game.
“On my second serves, how the point is structured from then on, and also in the return games, you feel a lot more pressure.
“That was probably a big aspect today.”
And Raducanu also insisted there were ‘no excuses’ for winning just a single game against Swiatek.
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“There are no excuses with the back or physically,” she continued.
“Given the preparation we had, we have to be grateful to be in this position.”
Meanwhile, Swiatek is now just two victories away from Australian Open glory.
Emma Raducany won just one game against Iga Swiatek in her Australian Open defeat on Saturday
REUTERS
She was too strong for Emma Navarro on Wednesday morning, winning 6-1, 6-2 in their quarter-final clash.
Next up for the 23-year-old is a semi-final showdown with Madison Keys.
Keys made the last four by beating Elina Svitolina 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 at the Rod Laver Arena.
Sports
Australian Open 2025 results: Ben Shelton reaches first Melbourne semi-final with victory over Lorenzo Sonego
Ben Shelton reached his first Australian Open semi-final with a battling win over Lorenzo Sonego that took just under four hours.
The big-serving American won 6-4 7-5 4-6 7-6 (7-4) and will face either defending champion Jannik Sinner or home hope Alex de Minaur for a place in the Melbourne final.
Shelton, 22, eased into a two-seat lead on Rod Laver Arena but dropped his level enough to allow Italy’s Sonego to force a fourth set.
The two were well-matched in the set, with both playing some entertaining points before Shelton’s strong serving helped him pull away in the resulting tie-break.
Shelton, who clocked a tournament joint-fastest 144mph serve during the match, said he was “relieved” to have gotten through.
“Shout-out to Lorenzo because that was some ridiculous tennis,” Shelton added after a quarter-final lasting three hours and 50 minutes.
Both players have benefited from a quarter of the draw which has been left wide open following the early exits of top-10 seeds Taylor Fritz, Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev.
Friday’s semi-final will be Shelton’s second in singles at a Grand Slam, having lost in the last four of the 2023 US Open to eventual champion Novak Djokovic.
He will face a tough task in either world number one Sinner or home hope De Minaur, who play later on Wednesday.
Borussia Dortmund have sacked head coach Nuri Sahin after the 2-1 Champions League defeat at Bologna.
The German side have lost four successive matches in all competitions since the winter break.
Defeat to Bologna on Tuesday was their third loss in this season’s Champions League, meaning last season’s runners-up need a result against Shakhtar Donetsk in their final league phase game to have the chance to automatically reach the knockouts.
A run of three domestic defeats to start 2025 has put them 10th in the Bundesliga, seven points outside the top four and therefore endangering their chances of a return to the Champions League next term.
“We value Nuri Sahin and his work very much, we hoped for a long-term collaboration and until the end we had hoped that we could achieve a sporting turnaround together,” said Dortmund sporting director Lars Ricken.
“This decision hurts me personally, but it was unavoidable after the game in Bologna.”
Sahin, 36, who had two stints at the club as a player, said: “Unfortunately, we have not managed to live up to Borussia Dortmund’s sporting ambitions this season.
“I wish this special club all the best.”
Sahin was appointed Dortmund boss in June 2024 as a replacement for Edin Terzic, who left the club following their Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid.
Amazon Prime presenter Gabby Logan was forced to apologise after mistakenly referring to Mohamed Salah as Mo Farah during Liverpool’s Champions League victory over Lille on Tuesday night.
The broadcaster, who was recently announced as part of the new Match of the Day presenting team, made the unfortunate gaffe whilst hosting coverage alongside pundits Robbie Fowler, Luis Garcia and Daniel Sturridge.
The mix-up between Liverpool’s star forward and the retired Olympic champion quickly went viral on social media.
It occurred after Salah had given Liverpool the lead in the first half, following an excellent pass from Curtis Jones.
Amazon Prime presenter Gabby Logan was forced to apologise after mistakenly referring to Mohamed Salah as Mo Farah during Liverpool’s Champions League victory over Lille on Tuesday night
GETTY
Just before cutting to an advertising break, Logan made her slip-up, stating “Mo Farah is smelling blood.”
The error was particularly notable given that Farah, now 41, is a retired long-distance runner who claimed four Olympic gold medals and six world titles during his distinguished career.
Liverpool went on to secure a 2-1 victory thanks to Harvey Elliott’s deflected shot, moving closer to topping their Champions League group.
Logan addressed the error after the match, acknowledging the confusion between the sporting worlds.
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Gabby Logan referred to Mohamed Salah as ‘Mo Farah’ during Tuesday night’s Champions League clash between Liverpool and Lille
PA
“This Champions League new format is a marathon not a sprint. We’re not normally here in January,” she explained.
She added: “When sporting worlds collide, apologies. Sorry that Mo Farah is trending on X. Mo Salah, however, should be trending because he a phenomena.”
The mistake came on a historic night for Salah, who reached 50 European goals for Liverpool – a club record.
READ MORE: Man Utd legend Bryan Robson faces massive tax bill after losing HMRC case as ‘disguised employee’
Fans quickly took to social media to mock Logan’s blunder.
“Did Gabby Logan just say Mo Farah is smelling blood?” wrote one X user with a laughing emoji.
Another supporter suggested Salah should embrace the mix-up: “Liverpool, didn’t realise you had a new signing in Mo Farah hey Gabby Logan, Prime Video – but easily done whilst presenting live sport. Mo Salah, your next goal celebration needs to be the Mobot.”
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“Gabby Logan in full Olympics mode calling Salah ‘Mo Farah’ there,” added another fan.
Even fellow pundit Robbie Fowler couldn’t resist joining in with the mockery after the match.
“It was a night for a couple of firsts,” Fowler quipped, directing his comment at Logan. “The first Liverpool player to 50 goals and first Liverpool player to become Mo Farah. He must’ve walked 10,000m easy.”
Gabby Logan was mocked by Robbie Fowler during Tuesday night’s Champions League clash between Liverpool and Lille
GETTY
Liverpool are the only team to win all seven of their Champions League matches this season.
They’re also top of the Premier League table, six points clear of rivals Arsenal – who have played one match more.
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