Australian Open Highlights: Madison Keys Stuns Iga Swiatek In Nailbiter; Aryna Sabalenka Enters Third Straight Final

A very warm welcome to all and sundry from us at Outlook, as we take you through the sportsꦏ happenings of the day.

Arsenal defeated Dinamo Zagreb 3-0 but there were some shocks elsewhere as PSG defeated Manchester City 4-2,൲ whereas Bayern suffered a 0-3 loss at Feyenoord.

“We will do everything there and 𝔉if we don’t do it we don’t deserve it,” manager Pep Guardiola said of the game in Manchester in one week’s time. Brugge needs just a draw to advance.

Australian Open 2025 is quickly moving towards its business end and now we have just four people lef꧋t across each category with everyone aiming at the title.

Morning Session: Start time 5:30 AM

Channel: SONY SPORTS TEN 5 (English)

Men’s Doubles:

1꧟. A🥂. Goransson/S. Verbeek v S. Bolelli/A. Vavassori

Men’s Doubles:

1. M. Philippoussis/P. Rafter v M. Ba🔯ghdatis/T. Haas

2. K. Krawietz/T. Puetz v H. Heliovaara/H. Patten

Evening Session: Start time 1:30 PM

Channel: SONY SPORTS TEN 5 | SONY SPORTS TEN 3 | SONY SPORTS TEN 4 | SO🧜NY SPORTS TEN 2

Women’s Singles:

1. A. Sabalenka v P. Badosa

2. M. Keys v I. Swiatek

Australian Open 2025 matches wඣill be streamed live on SonyLIV app and website i♌n India.

Kindly Note: Apart from the session start timings, the start timing of all the matches across courts will depend on the duration of the previous match.

Malaysia Women U19 have opted to bowl in their ICC U-19 Women's T20 WC game.

Former Australian ♓captain Michael Clarke has been inducted into the prestigious Australian Cricket Hall of Fame, joining the ranks of the 🃏game's greats.

For the first time, 🦩this year's Six Nations will implement 20-minute red cards. The trial, initially introduced during the Autumn Nations Cup in November, will now apply to the men's, woꦯmen's, and Under-20s Championships.

Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori have advanced to the men’s doubles final at the Australian Open after defeating the Swedish-Dutch duo of Andre ﷺGorans🐟son and Sem Verbeek.

The third-seeded Italians dropped the first set but bo🥃unced back to win the next two, securing a 6-2, 3-6, 4-6 victory on Rod Laver Arena. Prior to the Open, the Italians enjoyed a strong🐬 run, clinching the Adelaide International title.

The International Boxing Association (IBA) has asked the new administration of United States president Donald Trump to "look into" boxi💯ng’s exclusion from the 2028 Los☂ Angeles Olympics, as per a BBC report.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended the IBA in 2019 due to concerns about its finances, governance, ethics, refereeing, and judging, which led to boxing’s omission fro🔯m the Olympic program.

Sri Lanka Women U19 have🎀 won the toss and opted to bowl first against India women.

India Women U19 (Playing XI): G Kamalini(w), Gongadi Trisha, Sanika Chalke, Niki Prasad(c), Mithila ꦑVinod, Bhavika Ahire, Aayushi Shukla, Joshitha V J, Parunika Sisodia, Shabnam Md Shakil, Vaishnavi Sharma

Sri Lanka Women U19 (Playing XI): Sanjana Kavindi, Sumudu Nisansala(w), Dahami Sanethma, Manudi Nanayakkara(c)🍒, Hiruni Hansika, Rashmika Sewwandi, Shashini Gimhani, Limansa 🌞Thilakarathna, Pramudi Methsara, Aseni Thalagune, Chamodi Praboda

Get the live updates for the India vs Sri Lanka, ICC Women's U-19 T20 WC 2025 game HERE.

Novak Djokovic has decided to skip his scheduled training session ahead of his highly anticipat🍬ed semi-final match against world No. 2 Alexander Zverev tomor🧸row afternoon.

The 10-time champion had planned a training session with young Australian Hayden Jones at 2pm on court 16, but his name was removed from the schedule just before it was due t🙈o begin.

Spinner Siddharth Desai claimed nine wickets for 36 runs against Uttarakhand in the Ranji Trophy match at Guj♕arat College Cricket Ground A in Ahmedabad on Thursday.

This remarkable performance set a new record for the best bowling spell by a Gujarat bowler in Firs💞t-Class cricket. Desai's figures surpassed the previous record of 8-21, held by Jasubhai Motibhai Patel from the 1960-61 season ꦛagainst Saurashtra.

The 2025 Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG) season will kick off in Ladakh today, with 19 teams, incluꦬding states,༺ Union Territories, and institutional squads, set to compete in ice-hockey and ice-skating over five days. This marks the first phase of KIWG 2025, with the second phase featuring snow games such as skiing to be held in Jammu and Kashmir from February 22-25.

Union🏅 Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Mansukh Mandaviy﷽a, will attend the opening ceremony at the Nawang Dorjay Stobdan Sports Complex in Leh, where he will officially declare the games open.

The highly anticipated semifinal clash between Aryna Sabalenka and Paula Badosa in the Australian Open W𝔉omen's Singles is scheduled for 2 PM IST. Stay tuned for updates.

Aryna Sabalenka, ranked No. 1, holds a dominant 71.4% win rate�ꦑ� with 5 victories in 7 matches played. Meanwhile, Paula Badosa has a 28.6% win rate, with 2 wins in the same number of matches.

The players step onto the court, gearing up for an intense showdown. It’s a battle of besties as world number one Aryna Sabalenka aims for her third consecutive Australian Open title, while 27-year-old Paula Badosa makes her maiden appearanc๊e in a Grand Slam semifinal.

Aryna Sabalenka steps onto the court at Rod Laver Arena, headphones on and determination written all o👍ver her face. Following closely, Paula Badosa greets the crowd with a wave, soaking in the moment as she prepares 🔯for the challenge ahead.

While the two share a strong friendship off the court, Sabalenka, the world No.൩ 1,🔯 enters this semifinal clash as the clear favorite.

Paula Badosa managed to hold onto the first game of the match after a bit of a strꦅuggle. She faced an early break point, but was able to fend it off when Aryna Sabalenka found the net. Despite the close call, Badosa came through.

This is unbelievable! A huge miss from the wo🤪rld number one, Aryna Sabalenka, gives Paula Badosa the first break. An intrigu❀ing start to this match.

Paula Badosa roars with excitement, reasserting herself with great movement to force a miss from Aryna Sabalenka, putting her on game point. "Come on𓃲!" Sabalenka responds, blasting a forehand winner to stay in the game. Despite a solid overhead from Badosa, Sabalenka can’🍸t convert her first break point opportunity but will get another shot at it.

Aryna Sabalenka applies the pressure, and Paula Badosa finally cracks, sending a forehand into the net to concede on the second brea༺k point. With three games played, this match is already living up📖 to the excitement.

And just like that, Aryna Sabalenka is back in it! This match has been intense from the very start, and after four games, we’re all square again. Sabalenka bounces back from 30-30 to ho⭕ld her serve, making it a ꦬbreak of serve apiece.

The intensity of this match ramps up as Aryna Sabalenka battles through a tense 10-minute game. Despite an early miss, she holds her ground and fi🌺ghts off multiple deuces. After several break points, Sabalenka finally capitalizes on her fourth chance to break Paula Badosa.

From 2-0 down, the world number one takes tꦍhe lead in the first set, with momentum now f⛦irmly on her side.

Every strike from Aryna Sabalenka feels like it's made with purpose, and you can tell when she’s in control. A perfectly executed forehand deep into the back corner of the court comes with a loud exhale of satisfaction, a roar of approval that s😼hows just how focused and determined she is.

Paula Badosa continues to search for an opꦚening, but Sabalenka’s relentless pressure keeps her at bay. We’re back to deuce in this thrillin𝄹g contest.

Playing agains🌱t Aryna Sabalenka on a hard court is like trying to stop a freight train, her shots come in with all kinds of power. But Paula Badosa isn’t backing down! She fires off a stunning forehand, sending it raciღng down the line and reminding us just how much skill she’s got.

That shot brings it to 15-15, but Sabalenka isn’t phased. She keeps h⭕er cool and stays in control, making it tough for Badosa to really get a foothold in this game.

What a turnaround!!!! After being down 2-0, Aryna Sabalenka, the two-time defending champion, showed her true grit to reel off six straight ⛎games and clinch the first set 6-4. She wa꧋s all business, raising her level with some powerhouse hitting and forcing Badosa onto the back foot. A statement comeback from the world number one.

Aryna Sabalenka takes control, winning the first set and establishing a double break in the second. Paula Badosa falters with her first serve once again, though she recovers wit🅰h a solid second serve. But Sabalenka quickly capitalizes, reading Badosa's moves and launching powerful for🌃ehands that leave Badosa struggling to keep up.

Aryna Sabalenka wraps up the match with a stunning forehand dow🐬n the line, securing the 6-4, 6-2 win. She defeats her close friend Paula Bados🌊a to reach her third straight Australian Open final.

On cou𝐆rt, Sabalenka talks about her strong friendship with Paula Badosa, sharing that they frequently go shopping together.

She adds with a smile, 🐼“I’ll cover the next bill, she can get whatever she wants.”

Both players are on court, cool 🧸and composed, ready to bring the heat. The 🃏roof's closed, and the stage is set for an electrifying second semifinal. The crowd's buzzing with excitement, let’s get this show on the road!

Madison Keys takes the early lea🧜d after an error from Iga Swiatek, then capitalizes by breaking serve on the next point. Swiatek rushes to the net but ends up misjudging a volley, sending it straight into the net. She looks visibly shaken, and this is the ki๊nd of fast start Madison Keys would have been hoping for.

Iga Swiatek puts on an impressive defensive display, ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚkeeping the ball in play and gaining a 0-40 lead. With three break points in hand, she's in a great position to take control of the game. Madison Keys will need to dig deep to hold serve and stay in this match.

Madison Keys fights to stay in the set, firing off an ace followed by another unreturnable first serve. She's hanging tough, ꦿbut Swiatek is still🌸 just a game away from taking the set.

Iga Swiatek stumbles, dropping to one knee as her low forehand hits the net. The Pole is left searching for a Plan B. She had a set point opportunity but it’s slipped a🉐way.

Iga Swiatek takes the first set! She pumps her fist in celebration as Madison Keys sends a backhand into t☂he net, sealiꦐng the 7-5 victory.

What a shot! Madison Keys proves once again why she's such a formidable returner, delivering a sizzling crosscourt forehan♐d return winner that sets up a double break point.

Madison Keꦛys has forced a deciding set against Iga Swiatek. The second seed saved the first twꦚo set points, but couldn't hold on, looping a backhand long to give Keys the crucial break.

With the momentum firmly in her favor, Keys appears to be the slight favorite heading into 🃏the final set💜, despite never having reached an Australian Open final before.

The score is now 5-7, 6-1, 1-1 Swiatek. Just when it seemed Keys might run away with it, Swiatek roared back to life. The Pole raced to a 40-0 leaꦿd on her serve and then held to 15 with a thunderous overhead smash, reminding everyone that this match is far from over.

Madison Keys showcases her powe𒈔r game, landing a blistering first serve to gain the advantage. She then unleashes a devastating forehand winner that leaves Swiatek stranded, giving Keys a crucial edge in this thrilling encounter.

This match remains a nail-biter. Madison Keys🌄 holds serve with a powerful backhand winner down the line, inching closer ꦯto victory.

'Come on!' roared Madison Keys, pumping her fist after a powerful forehand winner whizzed past Swiatek. Having fended off fou🌜r break points, Keys is now just one game away from reaching the final, and the energy in the stadium is electric.

This one sure൩ is going right down to the wire. Swiatek had the chance to close off the match but she couldn't, and Keys resiliently forces a tiebreaker. Swiatek leads 3-2 in the tiebreak currently and is꧂ serving.

What drama! After a battle that kept swinging either way, it is the 19th-seeded American who emerges victorious. Madison Keys takes the third set tiebreak 10-8 to bea𓆏t world number two Iga Swiatek 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (8) and book a final meeting with defending champion Aryna Sabalenka.

Our coverage of today's high-octane semi-finals ends here⛦. We will be back tomorrow with the equally, if not more, intense semis in the men's competition. Until then, goodbye.