Sports Highlights January 15: Djokovic Sets Grand Slam Record At Australian Open; India Men, Women Advance To Quarters

꧃Good morning! A lot of sporting action awaits us on January 15. Stay tuned with us.

🌸World np 1 Aryna Sabalenka is in action against J. Bouzas of Spain. The reigning AUS Open champ has taken the 1st set - 6-3.

Premier League matches took place last night, with one being Liverpool taking on surprise-package Nottingham Forest. The full-time result ended in a 1-1 draw.

ℱUPSET alert? Well not yet, but Aryna Sabalenka is on the verge of losing the second set to Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.

ඣChampion Stuff! Sabalenka, who was trailing the 2nd set, has equalled it 5-5! What a game.

♋Upset alert at Australian Open! World no 5 and Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng is out of the AUS Open tournament, thanks to her 6-7 (7-3), 6-3 defeat to L. Siegemund.

෴Manchester City, who were leading 2-0 in their PL match against Brentford, had to end up with a draw after they conceded yet another game in the latter stages.

🦩Aryna Sabalenka negotiated a tricky contest against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro to book her place in the third round of the Australian Open.

Read all about it, here.

🍒Novak Djokovic is in action at the Rod Laver Arena for his second round clash with Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria.

🌳Carlos Alcaraz is in the bid to become the youngest man to secure a career grand slam. He sees off Yoshihito Nishioka 6-0 6-1 6-4.

The Ten-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic ෴(7) takes the lead in his second round game, demolishing Jaime Faria 6-1 in a commanding opening set display!

🍎At the India Open 2025 women’s doubles Round of 32, the Indian duo of R. Panda and S. Panda facing a tough challenge against Thailand’s P. Aiamvareesrisakul and S. Janpeng at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall in New Delhi. The Thai pair has taken a commanding lead in the opening set, racing ahead 19-7.

🌼Ashmita Kashyap ends run at the India Open 2025 after a straight-sets loss to world No. 12 Pornpawee Chochuwong, 17-21, 13-21 in the round of 16 in New Delhi.

ꦬJaime Faria levels the match at 1-1, executing a brilliant sliced forehand drop shot to break Djokovic's momentum. The 21-year-old qualifier are playing his Grand Slam debut.

ꦺThe Indian pair of R. Panda and S. Panda sealed victory over P. Aiamvareesrisakul and S. Janpeng in the women's doubles round of 32 match. After losing the first set 7-21, the Indian pair bounced back strongly, winning the next two sets 21-19, 21-14 to secure a hard-fought victory at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall in New Delhi.

🐟And the 37-year-old veteran, Novak Djokovic, survives a tough test from the young Jaime Faria, displaying the resilience and poise of experience to secure victory in the four-set battle 6-1 6-7 6-3 6-2.

🌳It was a clash between experience and youth, as Djokovic weathered the storm of the 21-year-old qualifier’s strong challenge to move into the third round, keeping his hopes of a 25th Grand Slam title alive.

♍Carlos Alcaraz breezed past Yoshihito Nishioka with a 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 win in just 81 minutes at the Australian Open 2025. The four-time Grand Slam champion continues his strong start, winning both of his opening matches in straight sets and eyeing a historic career slam.

🎀In the Round of 32 at the India Open 2025, Santhosh Ramraj R. S. faced a tough battle against A. Upadhyaya. Despite a strong fight, Ramraj fell in straight sets, 17-21, 18-21, as Upadhyaya advanced to the next round at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall in New Delhi.

🌠India captain Smriti Mandhana smashes a blistering century in the third ODI match against Ireland today at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium.

ꦗMandhana's 70-ball hundred set a new record as the fastest century posted by an Indian Women, surpassing Harmanpreet Kaur's record (87-ball ton) set against South Africa.

♊India women post its highest-ever total in One Day International against Ireland today, crossing the 400-run mark for the first time at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot on Wednesday. Australia and New Zealand are the only other teams to reach the 400 mark in Women’s ODIs.

🐎India Women registered their highest-ever total in ODIs, 435/5, going past their previous best of 370 against the same country. They also managed to go past the men's team total of 418/5, achieved against the West Indies in 2011.

꧅This marks the sixth time when a women's team posted 400-plus totals in ODIs. Interestingly, four of those have come against Ireland.

🔴Pratika Rawal led the charge with a scintillating century, scoring 154 off 129 balls, while skipper Smriti Mandhana blazed her way to a stunning 135 off just 80 deliveries.

🦹In the opening set Kanta Tsuneyama leads India's Priyanshu Rajawat 7-5. Rajawat is putting up a fight against the higher-ranked opponent, aiming to gain momentum in this crucial round of 32 India Open 2025 clash in New Delhi.

✃Not a good news for Indian fans from the India Open. Currently, Su Li Yang leads 5-3 against H.S. Prannoy in the first set of their Round of 32 clash at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall, New Delhi. Both players are battling intensely to gain an early advantage in this high-stakes encounter.

💜Casper Ruud is in a gripping Round 2 contest against Jakub Mensik at the Margaret Court Arena.

♈The match is evenly poised with both players battling hard.

🌄In the first set, Mensik won 6-2, followed by Ruud winning the second set 6-3. Mensik then took the third set 6-1. Currently, Ruud is trailing in the fourth set 3-5.

ꦺNovak Djokovic scripted yet another stunning record at the Australian Open 2025 breaking a tie with Roger Federer for the most Grand Slam matches in tennis history by reaching 430.

🤡“Grand Slams, of course, they are the pillars of our sport. They mean everything for the history of the sport. … Definitely the most important tournaments,” Djokovic said. “I'm just blessed to be making another record, I guess, today.”

💜Su L. Y. is leading Prannoy H. S. 11-6 in the third set of their 1/16-finals match at the India Open 2025. Prannoy had won the second set 21-18 after losing the first set 16-21. The match is currently unfolding in New Delhi.

♔The opening ceremony of the Champions Trophy 2025 will be held either on February 16 or 17 and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is confident that India captain Rohit Sharma will be in attendance at the event.

ꩵThe PCB source also said that it is awaiting communication from the ICC on the schedule of the customary captains' photo-shoot and the pre-event press conference, according to PTI reports.

♋HS Prannoy's strong start was not enough as he was defeated by Su L. Y. in the Men's Singles Round of 32 match at the India Open 2025.

ꦡAfter securing the first set 21-16, Prannoy faced difficulties in the following sets, losing 18-21 in the second and 12-21 in the final set.

💛The match, played at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall in New Delhi, saw Prannoy battle through intense exchanges but ultimately, he couldn't hold onto his lead in the decider. This loss marks the end of his campaign at the tournament.

🐼Kenta Naraoka sealed 16-21, 22-20, 21-13 win over Prakash Rajawat in a 3-set battle in their men's singles match.

🐷Despite a valiant effort from Rajawat, Naraoka's resilience in the third set helped him secure a place in the round of 16.

ꦡAfter early exits from HS Prannoy and Priyanshu Rajawat at the India Open 2025, all hopes for India's men's singles campaign now rest on Lakshya Sen. The Round of 32 match will see the Indian shuttler take on Lin Chun-Yi, with the match scheduled to begin at 18:45 (IST) at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall, New Delhi.

🙈England's James Vince has quit First-Class cricket to play for the Karachi Kings in the upcoming Pakistan Super League, defying England Cricket Board's (ECB) decision not to grant No Objection Certificates (NOC) for its cricketers to appear in the T20 competition scheduled for April-May with the early rounds of the County Championship.

🌠The 22-year-old Lakshya Sen has suffered a 21-15, 21-10 loss to Chinese Taipei's Lin Chun-Yi at the Indian Open Super 750 on Wednesday, January 15.

💟Alexander Zverev cruised into the Australian Open third round with a statement 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 win over Spain's Pedro Martinez, while Tommy Paul came from a set down to beat Kei Nishikori to advance.

🐟The Indian women's Kho Kho team have sealed their quarter-final berth with another brilliant performance, overcoming Iran by 84 points at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday, January 15.

🍸Soorma Hockey Club continued their strong display in the Women's Hockey India League, winning their second match beating Odisha Warriors 2-1. Hina Bano (6') opened the scoring, while Sonam (47') doubled the lead in the last quarter. However, Freeke Moes (57') got one back for the Warriors but could not change the result.

🌠The Indian men's Kho Kho team secured their quarterfinal berth with a convincing 70-38 victory over Peru at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. Continuing their impressive run in the tournament, the Men in Blue demonstrated their championship credentials with a dominant performance that showcased their tactical superiority and athletic prowess.

෴Devdutt Padikkal and Ravichandran Smaran produced a batting exhibition in playing spinners on a tough surface as their fifties helped Karnataka enter into the Vijay Hazare Trophy final with a six-wicket over Haryana at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara on Wednesday, January 15.

🍌South Africa pacer Anrich Nortje has been ruled out of the Champions Trophy due to a back injury. Nortje, who has not played international cricket since the T20 World Cup final in June last year, was named in the Champions Trophy squad earlier this week but scans on Monday made it clear that he is not going to be fit in time for the ICC event beginning February 19 in Pakistan. (PTI)

♏Thank you so much for joining us, and we will see you soon. Until next time, goodbye and take care.