Venus Williams to make first Australian Open appearance in 5 years after being granted singles wild-card

Venus Williams' comeback tour is officially heading down under.

The 45-year-old tennis legend, currently ranked 148th in the WTA rankings, has been granted a wild-card entry into the Australian Open singles field, setting her up for her first appearance at the tournament in five years.

She's BACK 🙌7x Grand Slam champion,@Venuseswilliams✨pic.twitter.com/KuByXJro2p

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen)January 1, 2026

Williams has five career Australian Open titles, but all in doubles and mixed doubles. She's reached the singles final twice, losing to her sister Serena in both 2003 and 2017.

The last time she competed in the tournament in any form was in the singles event in 2021, when she lost in the second round to qualifier Sara Errani. Her win in the first round alone made her the first woman since Martina Navratilova to win a grand slam singles match after turning 40.

Veteran tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg notesthat because all eight Australian Open wild cards have now been allocated, two-time singles champion Victoria Azarenka, currently ranked No. 132 in the world, no longer has a path to the main draw.

Williams had been quietly out of action for 16 months between 2024 and 2025 due to health issues stemming from fibroids, leading to the WTA officially designating her as inactive.She made her return in July last year with an upset of the WTA's No. 35 playerand later made it into the US Open,where she took No. 11 seed Karolina Muchova to a third set before losing in the first round.

Her tennis future was unclear after that US Open appearance,which also includeda quarterfinals run in doublesalongside Leylah Fernandez. She has since competed in the Charlotte Invitational exhibition last month (in which she also got married), and we now know we'll be getting one more Grand Slam out of her.

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January 01, 2026

Venus Williams to make first Australian Open appearance in 5 years after being granted singles wild-card

Venus Williams' comeback tour is officially heading down under. The 45-year-old tennis legend, currently ranked 148th in the WTA ranki...

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No. 16 Louisville's defense could cause trouble for stagnant Stanford

Louisville will wrap up its California road trip on Friday, looking to start 2-0 in Atlantic Coast Conference play as the No. 16 Cardinals square off against the Stanford Cardinal.

The Cardinals (11-2, 1-0 ACC) are coming off one of their better victories of the season, a 90-70 win over Cal that snapped the host Bears' nine-game winning streak. All five starters scored in double figures for Louisville, which has won four of its last five.

While much has been made about Louisville's offense, an up-tempo style that emphasizes 3-pointers, the Cardinals can also play defense, too. They showed that Tuesday by holding Cal to a season-low 33.9% shooting and outrebounding their hosts 50-31.

Louisville is holding opponents to 38.2% shooting this season, which ranks 19th in Division I, and its 42.6 rebounds per game are 14th-most in the country.

"Playing with physicality and toughness is always going to be a big priority with us," Louisville coach Pat Kelsey said after Tuesday's win.

Kelsey's team features six players who are scoring 10 or more points a game. Ryan Conwell leads the Cardinals, as the senior guard averages a team-best 19.7 points per game. He scored 26 against Cal.

The Cardinals have been without freshman point guard Mikel Brown Jr. (16.6 ppg) for the last three games because of a back injury. Adrian Wooley (10.0 ppg) has started in Brown's place and netted a season-high 21 on Tuesday.

Brown was a late scratch vs. Cal, and Kelsey declined to comment about his guard's status after the game.

Stanford (11-3, 0-1) also played Tuesday, but coach Kyle Smith's team struggled monumentally in a 47-40 home loss to Notre Dame that ended a four-game winning streak.

According to Sports Reference, the 40 points were the fewest Stanford has scored in a game since Cal held them to 39 in a contest on Feb. 26, 2022. Notre Dame limited the Cardinal to just 23.2% shooting (13 of 56) , the team's worst performance since making just 22.2% against Southern California on Jan. 20, 2011.

Poor outside shooting contributed to a lot of Stanford's woes. The Cardinal made just 4 of 30 3-pointers (13.3%), their worst night beyond the arc since Florida State held them to 11.5% (3 of 26) on Nov. 25, 2022.

Smith told reporters afterward that he felt his team pressed on offense.

"They (the Fighting Irish) got to dictate the tempo, dictate the terms, and on our court, that's disappointing," the Stanford coach said.

Ebuka Okorie leads the Cardinal, averaging 21.5 points per game, but the freshman guard is coming off the worst game in his young career. He scored a season-low seven points as Notre Dame held him to 3-for-14 shooting (21.4%). Chisom Okpara posted a team-high 13 points but also managed to make just 3 of his 14 shots.

Where Stanford may have its best chance for an upset is if it can force Louisville to foul. Stanford has gone to the free-throw line 373 times, the most of any ACC school. Louisville committed 25 fouls, matching its season worst, in Tuesday's win. Conwell had three first-half fouls, limiting him to just 11 minutes in the first half.

The Cardinals and Cardinal have played four times, with Louisville winning all four. Friday's game will be the first time the two teams have played at Stanford.

--Field Level Media

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January 01, 2026

No. 16 Louisville's defense could cause trouble for stagnant Stanford

Louisville will wrap up its California road trip on Friday, looking to start 2-0 in Atlantic Coast Conference play as ...

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Pick-6 helps No. 10 Miami KO No. 2 Ohio State, advance to CFP semis

Carson Beck was able to avoid the question as well as he was able to sidestep any Ohio State pass rush when he was asked by ESPN's Scott Van Pelt who he would prefer to play in the College Football Playoff semifinal -- Ole Miss or Georgia -- who play in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday.

The obvious answer to the matchup, of course, is Georgia, where Beck was the starting quarterback in the 2023 and '24 seasons.

Beck isn't there anymore and on Wednesday in Arlington, Texas, he led No. 10 seed Miami to a 24-14 upset of No. 2 Ohio State in a semifinal in the Cotton Bowl.

"When you look at the college football playoff bracket when it came out, it's hard not to look forward to the games," he said. "You see the two teams that we could end up playing and I'm super excited for this team and the opportunity to play in the semifinals, and whichever team is able to win that game, we'll go on and prepare and we'll make the most of it."

A perfect non-bulletin board answer, much like the near-perfect first half that staked the Hurricanes to a 14-0 halftime lead against the defending national champion Buckeyes (12-2).

"We still have a long ways to go, but certainly a lot of progress in the last couple of I'd say, the last five, six games or so, and looking forward to getting better and having an opportunity here in about a week," Miami coach Mario Cristobal said.

The Hurricanes (12-2) overcame a home loss to Louisville and an overtime defeat at SMU to be selected to the CFP for the first time despite criticism they didn't belong.

Now, they'll get an opportunity to improve on their 6-0 record against ranked opponents this season.

"I'm so grateful and so thankful for this team, my teammates, the coaches," Beck said. "The way that we've persevered and fought through adversity this entire year, nothing has been easy about this year. You know, we've been doubted, we've been counted out countless times and time again. We come back and we fight and we push and we work and we just get it done when it matters."

The Hurricanes took the two TD lead on the strength of a 9-yard touchdown catch by Mark Fletcher Jr. and a 72-yard pick-6 by Keionte Scott. Fletcher also ran for 90 yards in the game.

Beck was 19 of 26 for 138 yards and TD.

In the two years of the CFP 12-team playoff, all five teams to receive first-round byes have lost. Miami defeated Texas A&M 10-3 in College Station, Texas, in a first-round semifinal on Dec. 20. The Buckeyes had last played Dec. 6 in a 13-10 loss to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game.

"I felt like it took us a while to get into the rhythm of the game," Ohio State coach Ryn Day said. " I thought we did (that) coming out of the second half, and by then it was going to take a very, very efficient second half to win the game, being down 14 nothing.

"And when you have a start the way that we did, you put yourself at risk of having to be, really, darn near perfect in the second half to go win the game. So, we put ourselves behind the eight ball."

The Buckeyes cut the deficit to 14-7 midway through the third quarter on a 1-yard run by Bo Jackson to cap an 11-play, 82-yard drive, but Carter Davis nailed a 49-yard field goal to make it 17-7 with 3:01 to go in the third.

A Jeremiah Smith 14-yard TD catch on a pass from Julian Sayin made it 17-14 with 13:28 to go. However, the Hurricanes marched 70 yards to wrap it up when CharMar Brown ran in from the 5 with 55 seconds left.

Sayin completed 22 of 35 passes for 287 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions while Smith made seven catches for 157 yards.

"We just started executing better the second half," Sayin said. "But ultimately, it wasn't good enough. Didn't put enough up enough points and it starts with me."

--Field Level Media

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December 31, 2025

Pick-6 helps No. 10 Miami KO No. 2 Ohio State, advance to CFP semis

Carson Beck was able to avoid the question as well as he was able to sidestep any Ohio State pass rush when he was ask...

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Flames beat Flyers 5-1 for 4th straight home victory

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Dustin Wolf made 25 saves, Mikael Backlund scored his 10th goal and the Calgary Flames beat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-1 on Wednesday night.

Morgan Frost, Jonathan Huberdeau, Rasmus Andersson and Connor Zary also scored, and MacKenzie Weegar and Matt Coronato each had two assists.

The Flames have won five straight and 10-1-1 in their last 12 at home. They are 18-18-4 overall. Wolf has won eight in a row a home.

Up 2-1, Calgary got a two-man advantage midway through the second period. Zary set up Andersson for a one-timer with 18 seconds left on the power play.

Travis Konecny scored for Philadelphia, and Sam Ersson stopped 20 shots. the Flyers dropped to 20-12-7.

Flyers: At Edmonton on Saturday in the finale of a five-game trip.

Flames: Host Nashville on Saturday in the fourth game of a five-game homestand.

AP NHL:https://apnews.com/NHL

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December 31, 2025

Flames beat Flyers 5-1 for 4th straight home victory

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Dustin Wolf made 25 saves, Mikael Backlund scored his 10th goal and the Calgary Flames beat the P...

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Pastrnak leads Bruins past Oilers 6-2 to stop 6-game slide

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — David Pastrnak had two goals and an assist as the Boston Bruins closed out the calendar year with a much-needed 6-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night.

Hampus Lindholm and Elias Lindholm each had a goal and an assist for the Bruins (21-18-2), who snapped a six-game losing streak that began with a 3-1 loss at home to Edmonton on Dec. 18.

Casey Mittelstadt and Jonathan Aspirot also scored, while Viktor Arvidsson and Fraser Minten each had two assists. Jeremy Swayman was solid in net with 34 stops for the win.

Hampus Lindholm had just one point in his previous 12 games.

Zach Hyman and Jack Roslovic scored for the Pacific Division-leading Oilers (20-15-6), who have lost two of three but still went 9-5-1 in December.

Connor McDavid had an assist, extending his point streak to 14 games (13 goals, 21 assists). It's the first time a player has recorded that many points in one month since Mario Lemieux in December 1995.

Hyman ran his point streak to six games and has 12 goals in his last 16.

Connor Ingram made 23 saves for Edmonton.

Pastrnak was one of five NHL players with more than 100 regular-season points in the 2025 calendar year, with 113. McDavid (116) and fellow Oilers star Leon Draisaitl (107) were two of the others.

Bruins: At the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, the fourth stop on a five-game trip.

Oilers: Host the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.

AP NHL:https://apnews.com/NHL

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December 31, 2025

Pastrnak leads Bruins past Oilers 6-2 to stop 6-game slide

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — David Pastrnak had two goals and an assist as the Boston Bruins closed out the calendar year wit...

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Boxer Anthony Joshua released from hospital after fatal crash

Boxer Anthony Joshua was released from a hospital in Nigeria on Wednesday, Dec. 31 two days aftersurviving a fatal car accidentthat killed two of his close friends, according to the Associated Press.

Joshua, a former two-time world heavyweight champion whose parents are from Nigeria, had been recovering from minor injuries during the two-vehicle crash near Lagos, according to Matchroom Boxing, which promotes Joshua.

Ina video posted on social mediaafter the crash, Joshua looked to be in pain as he exited the vehicle. That vehicle, in which Joshua and his friends were traveling, hit a stationary truck on a major road near Lagos, according to the Associated Press.

Gbenga Omotoso, the Lagos state commissioner for information and strategy, issued a statement on X saying Joshua was discharged late Wednesday afternoon after being "deemed clinically fit to recuperate from home."

"Anthony and his mother were at the funeral home in Lagos this afternoon to pay their final respects to his two departed friends as they were being prepared for repatriation scheduled for later this evening," Omotoso also said.

Highlights from Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua fight

Sina Ghami and Latif "Latz" Ayodele, who worked for Joshua and were close friends with the boxer,were killed in the crash.

Ghami was Joshua's strength and conditioning coach while Ayodele was a trainer, according to the Associated Press. Hours before the accident, Joshua posted on social media video of his playing table tennis with Ayodele.

Ten days before the accident, Joshua knocked out Jake Paul in the sixth round of their highly anticipated heavyweight fight livestreamed by Netflix.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Boxer Anthony Joshua released from hospital after fatal crash

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December 31, 2025

Boxer Anthony Joshua released from hospital after fatal crash

Boxer Anthony Joshua was released from a hospital in Nigeria on Wednesday, Dec. 31 two days aftersurviving a fatal car ac...

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Has NBA fought off NFL's Christmas Day invasion? Viewership up for hoops

For the NBA, Christmas Day in 2025 was a resounding success — at least in terms of viewership.

Across the five-game slate on the Disney networks, 47.19 million unique viewers tuned in, making it the most-watched Christmas Day since 2010 and representing a 45% year-over-year increase, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel. These data exclude 2011, when a lockout prompted the start of the regular season to fall on Dec. 25.

Interestingly, Christmas Day viewership may also be hinting at a general changing of the guard. The first two games of the slate — Knicks vs.Cavaliersand Thunder vs. Spurs — were the ones with the highest viewership.

Oct. 26: The Brooklyn Nets' Michael Porter Jr. dunks in front of the San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama at Frost Bank Center.

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Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponents

Knicks-Cavs averaged 6.37 million viewers, making it the most-watched 12 p.m. ET Christmas game in history. Thunder-Spurs averaged 6.71 million, making that the most-viewed second game since 2017.

The league made an impact on social media, as well. According to Videocites, the NBA generated more than 1.6 billion views across social platforms, making it the brand with most views on Christmas.

This is notable, given that the NFL has also laid claim to the holiday, broadcasting Christmas games over the past two years. NFL remains king in broadcast viewership, but this year's games proved to besignificantly inconsequential, with injuries marring the matchups, which mostly featured teams already eliminated or in danger of elimination from playoff contention.

The Knicks-Cavaliers game featured a late flurry from New York, whichrallied back from a 17-point fourth quarterdeficit to beat Cleveland, 126-124.

TheThunder-Spurs gamefeatured the latest iteration ofan emerging rivalry in the NBA, one that features a pair of the game's most dynamic young stars in Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama and reigning NBA MVP, Shai Gilegous-Alexander.

The other games on the 2025 Christmas slate wereWarriors-Mavericks, Lakers-Rockets and Nuggets-Timberwolves.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NBA on Christmas Day TV ratings up as NFL invasion continues

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December 31, 2025

Has NBA fought off NFL's Christmas Day invasion? Viewership up for hoops

For the NBA, Christmas Day in 2025 was a resounding success — at least in terms of viewership. Across the five-g...

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