SportsNews
Australian Open: Sabalenka beats Badosa to reach third straight Australian Open final
Melbourne [Australia], January 23 (ANI): Two-time champion Aryna Sabalenka reached her third successive Australian Open final, defeating 11th seed Paula Badosa in the semifinal on Thursday.
Beating Badosa 6-4, 6-2, the defending champion now has a chance to win her third Australian Open title. She also extended her winning streak at Melbourne Park to 20 matches.
The star player remains undefeated in 2025, extending her win streak to 11 matches. Sabalenka, 26, is the first woman to reach three Australian Open finals since Serena Williams and the youngest since Martina Hingis.
With this win, Sabalenka improved her record against Badosa to six wins and two losses. She will face either world number two Iga Swiatek or number 14 Madison Keys in the title clash. Sabalenka is also aiming to become the first woman to win three successive Australian Open titles since Hingis, who won from 1997 to 1999.
Badosa, the Spaniard, is set to return to the top 10 in the WTA rankings after making it to her first-ever Grand Slam semifinal. She also secured her first top-10 win at a Grand Slam, defeating Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals.
Badosa made a strong start to the match, holding a 2-0, 40-0 lead but failed to convert it into a triple-game point. Sabalenka steadied herself and broke Badosa in an eight-minute game to put the match back on serve. The world number one then won four successive games to build a 4-2 lead. From that point, she never looked back and did not face another break point in a match that lasted almost one and a half hours.
Sabalenka secured the win with 26 winners and 18 unforced errors, while Badosa managed just eight winners and 14 unforced errors. (ANI)
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info
).
Super Eagles playmaker, Alex Iwobi, has admitted they are waiting to see if the team would still play at the 2026 World Cup.
The Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, is optimistic of a potential lifeline from FIFA, after it submitted a petition against the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Iwobi was asked by SuperSport if he would rather lift the AFCON 2025 trophy or qualify for the World Cup?
The 29-year-old, who played at the 2018 of the World Cup, replied: “I mean we’re still waiting, well hopefully we can go to the World Cup, but I feel it’s a tough one.
“It’s a tough one because winning AFCON is like… It’s a great legacy, it’s a great thing to have like in your career, a memorable moment.
“But then at the same time, because I’ve been to the World Cup already, a lot of the players haven’t been. They would like to say ‘I want to go to the World Cup,’ so I can’t be selfish and say win the AFCON and for my teammates to not go to the World Cup. So it’s a tough one. I don’t know. I don’t know.”
Politics
PRESIDENT TINUBU CONDOLES WITH SAMUEL CHUKWUEZE OF THE SUPER EAGLES ON THE PASSING OF HIS MOTHER
President Bola Tinubu sends his condolences
to Super Eagles forward Samuel Chukwueze on the passing of his mother.
The President also extends his sympathies to the family and friends of Mrs Sarah Chukwueze, who passed away on Thursday.
President Tinubu mourns with the Chukwueze family and encourages them to find solace in the memory and legacy of their late matriarch.
“The passing of Mrs Chukwueze, the mother of one of our bright football stars, just a few days after the passing of Super Eagles’ captain Wilfred Ndidi’s father, is deeply saddening.
I mourn with them, and I am with them in prayers during this difficult time,” the President says.
President Tinubu prays that God Almighty will grant the departed eternal rest.
Bayo Onanuga
Special Adviser to the President
(Information and Strategy)
Arsenal’s starting XI to face Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday evening has been unveiled.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta opted to start Gabriel Jesus ahead of Viktor Gyokeres to lead the Gunners’ attack against the Red Devils.
This comes after Jesus scored a brace against Inter Milan in the Champions League in midweek.
The Brazilian will be assisted by Bukayo Saka and Leandro on the wings.
In midfield, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard return to join Martin Zubimendi.
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