Badminton

Pearly-Thinaah reach Indian Open semis

PETALING JAYA: Women's doubles shuttlers Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah stormed into the Indian Open semi-finals after cruising past Taiwan's world No. 9 Hsieh Pei-shan-Hung En-tzu.

Tennis

Tennis-Players welcome Grand Slam prize money boost but vow to push for more

MELBOURNE, Jan 16 (Reuters) - The Australian Open ‌will offer a record A$111.5 million ($74.73 million) in prize money this year and while players welcomed the increase, ‌top names like Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka said the push for a bigger payout must continue across ‌the Grand Slams.

Cricket

Cricket-Devine calls for review of fielding rules, boundary lengths in women's game

BENGALURU, Jan 16 (Reuters) - New Zealand ‌captain Sophie Devine has called for a review of fielding rules and ‌boundary lengths in women's cricket, saying current conditions give batters too much ‌of an advantage.

Football

Soccer-New boss Herdman calls on Indonesia to harness past disappointments

JAKARTA, Jan 16 (Reuters) - New ‌Indonesia head coach John Herdman has called on the country to harness the disappointment of ‌previous failures to fuel qualification for a first World Cup and to challenge for ‌regional and continental titles.

Tennis

Tennis-Teens Mboko and Andreeva set for Adelaide final showdown

Jan 16 (Reuters) - Two of the brightest young ‌talents in tennis will play for the Adelaide International title after 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva and ‌19-year-old Victoria Mboko advanced to their first WTA 500 final on Friday.

Motorsport

Motor racing-Hadjar targets at least one race win in 2026 with new team Red Bull

Jan 16 (Reuters) - Isack Hadjar is dreaming ‌big after landing the ultimate Formula One promotion to the Red Bull team, saying on Thursday ‌that his goal for 2026 was to win at least one race after replacing Yuki ‌Tsunoda as Max Verstappen's teammate.

Football

Soccer-Bayern's Musiala is on the brink of comeback after months-long injury-coach

MUNICH, Germany, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Bayern ‌Munich's Jamal Musiala could make the squad for Saturday's Bundesliga match at ‌RB Leipzig after an almost seven-month absence due to a broken ‌leg and ankle, coach Vincent Kompany said on Friday.

Badminton

BWF act after players raise health concerns at Indian Open

PETALING JAYA: The Badminton World Federation (BWF) said improvements have been made following complaints from players over unhealthy conditions at the ongoing Indian Open in New Delhi.

Tennis

Tennis-Tsitsipas seeks the joy of competition ahead of Melbourne Park return

MELBOURNE, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Stefanos Tsitsipas ‌returns to Grand Slam tennis following a back injury that derailed the second half of his ‌2025 campaign and the former Australian Open runner-up said on Friday he was only focused ‌on enjoying himself at Melbourne Park.    The former world number three played two singles matches for Greece in the Davis Cup in September after his second-round exit at the U.S. Open a month earlier, before taking time off to recover from the niggling issue.    Ahead ‍of the year's opening major, where he reached the final in ‍2023, Tsitsipas said his goal was just ‌to feel competitive again after managing only two match wins at the Grand Slams last year.

Tennis

Tennis-Sabalenka primed for Australian Open after exhibition experiments

MELBOURNE, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Aryna Sabalenka's ‌off-season featured a string of exhibition matches and the world number one said on Friday they had ‌given her the ideal platform to experiment and refine her game ahead of her push for ‌a third Australian Open title.    While the majority of players chose to wind down after a gruelling 11-month campaign, Sabalenka played exhibition matches in Atlanta and New York last month before facing Nick Kyrgios in a controversial "Battle of the Sexes" showdown in Dubai.    She began the 2026 season ‍by claiming the Brisbane title, mixing her raw power with a serve-and-volley ‍game and deft touches that she believes ‌will hold her in good stead ahead of the Melbourne Park major starting on Sunday.    "I had a great off-season, ‍so ​I was really recovered and ready," Sabalenka told reporters.    "I played extra exhibitions, but I think they all made sense ... good matches to test a couple things that I'd been working on during the pre-season.    "I felt exhausted ⁠after Atlanta and New York, but I had one or two days ‌off, so I felt recovered. I had a great preparation. Then there was a really high-intensity match against Nick which was also part ⁠of my preparation.    "By the ‍end of the pre-season, I felt strong and ready."    Sabalenka missed out on a third straight Melbourne Park crown last year, losing to outsider Madison Keys in the final, and the 27-year-old will not take any challengers for granted.    Among those who stand ‍in her way of a fifth major title is Iga Swiatek, ‌who will look to complete her career Grand Slam and create a pathway back to the world number one position.    "It's actually not only about me and Iga," Sabalenka said. "It's Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula. I don't want to forget anyone right now.    "But it's crazy to think that we only played once last year. We haven't played this year yet. I hope we're going to play more often this season. There are so many great players I have great rivalries with."    Sabalenka has been a picture of consistency on the women's tour in the last few seasons, not missing the ‌quarter-finals of a major she has played in since 2022, and the Belarusian said switching off in between matches helped her.    "The thing that's been working for me well is balancing," Sabalenka said.    "When it's a match day, I'm fully focused, fully prepared. But when it's an off ​day, I do my hitting, then I go for dinner or for a walk to disconnect from the tennis world for a little moment, just so I feel fresh and ready to go next day."

Tennis

Tennis-Keys ready to soak up 'pinch-me moments' as defending Australian Open champion

Jan 16 (Reuters) - Madison Keys is soaking up ‌the fun parts of returning to the Australian Open as defending champion and the American said on ‌Friday she is eager to get a photo with her name in the champions' tunnel to ‌send to her mother.

Other Sports

Snowboarding-Australia's Brockhoff retires from snowboard cross due to injuries

Jan 16 (Reuters) - Three-time ‌Olympian Belle Brockhoff announced her retirement ‌from snowboard cross on Friday just weeks ‌ahead of the Milano Cortina Winter Games after being told by doctors her injury history made it too ‍much of a risk.

Tennis

Tennis-Australia's great hope De Minaur balances 'noise' and perks at home Slam

MELBOURNE, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Alex de Minaur ‌knows there is no hiding at the Australian Open, especially as the home nation's biggest hope of ending a 50-year ‌drought for a men's champion.

Golf

Golf-McIlroy says LIV Golf losing steam with no new big names, Koepka's exit

Jan 16 (Reuters) - LIV Golf is ‌losing steam as it has been unable to attract new major signings ‌to its roster while the return of former world number one ‌Brooks Koepka to the PGA Tour is a huge blow for the Saudi-backed circuit, Rory McIlroy said.

Tennis

Tennis-Alcaraz focused on career Grand Slam at Melbourne Park after Ferrero split

MELBOURNE, Jan 16 (Reuters) - ‌Carlos Alcaraz said winning the Australian Open to complete the career Grand Slam ‌was the main goal of a season in which Juan Carlos Ferrero is ‌not by his side as head coach for the first time since he turned professional at 15.

Tennis

Tennis-Sinner returns to Melbourne stronger after doubts and doping cloud

MELBOURNE, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Defending champion ‌Jannik Sinner arrives at the Australian Open a different man to the one who walked into Melbourne Park ‌a year ago, stronger in body and mind after navigating a period he describes as the ‌most difficult of his young career.

Football

AFF Cup key for Harimau Malaya's development, says Cklamovski

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia coach Peter Cklamovski has described the AFF Hyundai Cup as a vital platform for long-term national team development following Harimau Malaya's placement in a challenging Group B draw.

Motorsport

Motor racing-Red Bull say Ford partnership much more than a 'marketing deal'

Jan 16 (Reuters) - Red Bull ‌have dismissed talk of their Formula One partnership with Ford being merely a ‌branding exercise for the car giant as the team prepare to race with their ‌own engine for the first time.

At Full Swing

A tale of two shooting stars as Haotong and Kim eye magical 2026

NOT long ago, men's golf in Asia was often framed in terms of promise and potential rather than major achievements.

Bowling

Ameerul can roll with MTBC’s ban on urethane balls

PETALING JAYA: National bowler Tun Ameerul Hakim Tun Hasnul Azam sees a silver lining in the Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress' (MTBC) decision to ban the use of slow oil-absorbing high-performance urethane bowling balls in their sanctioned tournaments.