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Varun's five-for in vain as Tomar's ton takes Rajasthan into quarterfinals
Rajasthan 267 (Tomar 111, Lomror 60, Varun 5-52) beat Tamil Nadu 248 (Jagadeesan 65, Vijay Shankar 49, Shekhawat 3-60) by 19 runs
Rajasthan were on course for 300-plus after losing the toss, cruising at 182 for 1 in the 32nd over when Varun took three wickets in three overs to trigger a slide. He first bowled Mahipal Lomror for 60 with a wrong'un that drifted in, pitched and squared the left-hander to hit the top of off stump.
Having broken the 160-run stand between Tomar and Lomror, Varun then bowled Deepak Hooda with a carrom ball as he attempted a mow towards the leg side. His third wicket was the centurion Tomar, holing out to long-on for 111 off 125 balls. He picked up two more wickets to finish with 5 for 52 in nine overs.
Rajasthan lost nine wickets for 83 and were all out for 267 in 47.3 overs. Left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore and seamer Sandeep Warrier picked up two wickets each.
Tamil Nadu responded with a rapid opening partnership of 60 in 6.5 overs before Khaleel Ahmed bowled the slower opener Tushar Raheja for 11 of 20 balls. N Jagadeesan raced to a half-century, hitting Aman Shekhawat for six fours in an over that included five wides to cost Rajasthan 29 runs. His dismissal for 65 off 52 balls, however, caused panic in Tamil Nadu's chase.
B Indrajith and Vijay Shankar kept the innings going and at the start of the 36th over, Tamil Nadu needed 83 runs with five wickets in hand. The run-out of S Mohammed Ali for a run-a-ball 34, however, swung the game Rajasthan's way.
Shekhawat, the fast bowler who had Indrajith caught behind, bowled Vijay Shankar for 49, and sealed the game by dismissing Varun for 18 in a close finish. He finished with 3 for 60 as Rajasthan, runners-up of the previous Vijay Hazare Trophy, entered the final eight by bowling Tamil Nadu out for 248 in 47.1 overs.
Youngsters Vats and Sindhu lead Haryana into quarterfinals
Haryana 298 for 9 (Sindhu 64, Vats 62, Shami 3-61) beat Bengal 226 (Porel 57, Vats 3-33, Sindhu 2-36) by 72 runs
Vital contributions from the lower order - an unbeaten 32-ball 41 from Sumit Kumar and 29 from Rahul Tewatia - powered Haryana to 298 for 9.
Another player of interest from a national team perspective, Abhimanyu Easwaran, was key to Bengal's chase. With openers Sudip Gharami and Abishek Porel putting on 70 in 12.5 overs for the first wicket, Abhimanyu had the opportunity to steer Bengal's innings, but the rustiness of having spent two months on India's Test bench in Australia showed.
Having survived a close stumping appeal, Abhimanyu attempted to break free with a succession of reverse sweeps. Eventually, the pressure of not being able to score fluently got to him, and he was out attempting a slog sweep against mystery spinner Amit Rana.
Porel kept Bengal alive with a half-century but played conservatively for large parts of his 57 off 78 balls. His dismissal exposed Bengal's brittle middle order in the 28th over and Vats dismissed Anustup Majumdar, Karan Lal and Shami to help Haryana wrap up the chase for 226 in 43.1 overs.
Haryana play their quarterfinal against Gujarat in Vadodara on January 12.
Fraser, Glasgow earn call-ups to West Indies squad for Bangladesh series
Fast bowler Shamilia Connell and middle-order batter Rashada Williams are the two absentees from West Indies' last assignment, tour of India. West Indies will continue to be without veteran allrounder Stafanie Taylor who is still recovering from a knee injury, according to a CWI release.
Fraser has played a total of 12 ODIs and her last appearance in this format was in October 2023 against Australia. Her last international appearance though was against Sri Lanka in a T20I in Hambantota in June last year. Meanwhile, Glasgow has took part in four T20Is, last of these was against Pakistan in Karachi in May 2024. Though she has been travelling with the West Indies ODI squad on and off since 2023, Glasgow never got an opportunity in ODIs. According to the CWI release, both of them "had successful stints in state cricket in Tasmania and have been included."
"We have been focusing on specific areas of improvement in our training and touring, and these matches will help us gauge our progress. The conditions at Warner Park will challenge both teams and make for compelling cricket. I'm looking forward to seeing how some of our younger and less-experienced players respond to the test."
However, West Indies will be aware that they are coming off two consecutive ODI series defeats against India and Sri Lanka and will be keen to end the six-match losing run when they take on Bangladesh.
West Indies ODI and T20I squad
Hayley Matthews (capt), Shemaine Campbelle (vice-capt), Aaliyah Alleyne, Nerissa Crafton, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Shabika Gajnabi, Chinelle Henry, Zaida James, Qiana Joseph, Mandy Mangru, Ashmini Munisar, Karishma Ramharack, Cherry Ann Fraser, Jannilea Glasgow
GB's Dart & Harris miss out on Australian Open main draw
Great Britain's Harriet Dart and Billy Harris both missed out on the Australian Open main draw as they lost in the final round of qualifying.
Dart fell to a 6-4 7-5 defeat against Japan's Nao Hibino, despite serving for the second set.
Meanwhile, Harris' efforts to reach the main draw in Melbourne for the first time ended with a 7-5 6-2 loss against Kamil Majchrzak of Poland.
The British number four made his Grand Slam main-draw debut as a wildcard at Wimbledon in 2024, where he lost in the first round to Spain's Jaume Munar.
The defeats mean there will be seven British players in the singles main draw when the tournament starts on Sunday.
Rising star Jacob Fearnley is set to face Nick Kyrgios in the first round as the Australian returns to Grand Slam tennis.
British men's number one Jack Draper will take on Argentina's Mariano Navone, while Katie Boulter - Britain's highest-ranked women's player - is up against Canada's Rebecca Marino.
Elsewhere in qualifying, Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca reached the main draw of a major for the first time with a 6-4 6-1 victory against Argentina's 12th seed Thiago Agustin Tirante.
Fonseca, 18, established himself as one of tennis' rising stars by becoming the second-youngest winner of the Next Gen ATP Finals in December.
Hady Habib saved three match points to beat Clement Chidekh of France and become the first Lebanese player in the Open era to appear in a Grand Slam men's singles main draw.
The 26-year-old, who made his Olympic debut in Paris in 2024, became the first player from Lebanon to win a ATP Challenger title last year.
Australian Open - schedule, seedings & how to follow
12-14 January: Men's and women's singles first round
14 January: Men's and women's doubles begins
15-16 January: Men's and women's singles second round
16 January: Mixed doubles begins
17-18 January: Men's and women's singles third round
19-20 January: Men's and women's singles fourth round
21-22 January: Men's and women's singles quarter-finals
21 January: Wheelchair tournament begins
23 January: Women's singles semi-finals
24 January: Men's singles semi-finals
25 January: Women's singles final
26 January: Men's singles final
The qualifier using the Australian Open as a 'fashion runway'
"I just loved what they wore," Aiava said of Sharapova, Ivanovic and Serena Williams.
"I think some of the stuff that is being designed is quite ugly. I just like to wear what I think looks good. I don't like wearing the same thing as everyone else."
Aiava, who wants to pursue a degree in fashion design, will face Belgium's Greet Minnen in the first round of the Melbourne major, which starts on Sunday.
"I didn't really think it would make any impact at all, me wearing the dresses. But I'm glad I did. Yeah, it's been fun bringing them back," she added.
"I think even if you lose, it's still kind of a fashion runway when you're on the court."
Despite wanting to secure a sponsorship deal with a sportswear brand, Aiava is enjoying the benefits of not currently having a sponsor.
"I am hoping to get a sponsor. I'll probably have to put up with wearing the same thing as other people," she said.
"But, for now I'm loving picking whatever I want to wear and buying whatever I want."
'A unique opportunity' - Murray on phone call that led to Djokovic partnership
If it had been suggested to Murray in Paris that he would be back in the game and coaching Djokovic five months later, you imagine he would have laughed.
There will be little, if any, japing around in Melbourne.
The pair are born winners who know the dedication and commitment required to be the best.
From the glimpses this week, it is clear anything less than Djokovic landing a record-extending 11th title would be unsatisfactory.
"At times it's very enjoyable. But high performance is not supposed to be laughs and jokes and messing around," said Murray.
"In all the times I've been on tour, I haven't seen that from any of the best players in the world.
"I've seen it from some of the lower ranked players, and that's one of the reasons why they're not there."
During Djokovic's open practice sessions against Carlos Alcaraz, Jack Draper and Arthur Fils on Rod Laver Arena, Murray watched every movement intently.
Stood close behind Djokovic and sometimes in the doubles alley, Murray constantly offered feedback, shouted praise after winners and made notes during the practice sets.
He also compared observations with Boris Bosnjakovic, who ran Djokovic's training centre in Belgrade before becoming part of the team last May after long-term coach Goran Ivanisevic left.
"It's about making small changes to things and trying to help him and improve with the whole team," said Murray.
And what about when things aren't going so well? Murray and Djokovic are both known for sounding off at their box, but this time the Scot might find himself on the receiving end.
"I know it's not easy out there - it's stressful and at times he's going to want to vent towards his team and his box," said Murray.
"Providing that he's giving his best effort and trying as hard as he can, I'm absolutely fine with him expressing himself how he wants."
Fearnley handed Kyrgios blockbuster at Australian Open
Although the unpredictable nature of a Grand Slam means things do not always pan out as expected, the draw ceremony is always an exciting event that allows fans to plot what may happen.
The leading two seeds are split, meaning they cannot play each other until the final - should they get that far.
Sinner has been drawn in the same half as American fourth seed Taylor Fritz and Russian fifth seed Daniil Medvedev.
It means Sinner cannot play 10-time champion Djokovic or Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, who is aiming to complete the career Grand Slam aged just 21, until the semi-finals.
Despite being at the opposite ends of their careers, Djokovic and Alcaraz have developed an intriguing rivalry which has produced some enthralling encounters.
The pair could meet again in the Melbourne quarter-finals.
In the women's draw, Sabalenka could face Gauff - who faces 2020 champion Sofia Kenin in a tough all-American first-round opener - in the semi-finals.
Neither Sabalenka or Gauff can face second seed Iga Swiatek, who begins against Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic, until the final.
Para Table Tennis Sets Sights on Spectacular 2025: Revamped Circuit and Rankings System Herald New Era
ITTFs vision for Para table tennis is already taking shape in 2025, with the Week 2 World Para Rankings release showcasing the sports newly implemented system in action.
Announced in December 2024, the revamped ITTF World Para Ranking system has begun its weekly updates, offering a dynamic reflection of competitive standings across all 11 classes. This modernised approach aligns perfectly with the restructured ITTF World Para Circuit, setting the foundation for what promises to be a landmark year for the sport.
The new ranking system brings unprecedented transparency and fairness to Para table tennis, with players positions determined by their top six results within the past year. This innovative approach, coupled with weekly updates across multiple categories including Singles, Doubles, and Mixed Doubles, ensures that rankings remain current and truly representative of players performances.
At the heart of this transformation lies the reformed ITTF World Para Circuit with its pioneering three-tier structure Elite, Challenger, and Future. This tiered approach creates clear pathways for athlete development, ensuring appropriate competitive platforms for players at every stage of their journey.
The 2025 calendar represents the most diverse and internationally comprehensive Para circuit in ITTF history, featuring more than 20 events scheduled across the globe. From major metropolitan centres to emerging markets, the calendars unprecedented reach brings Para table tennis closer to fans everywhere. In an exciting development, select youth events will be piloted throughout the year, potentially becoming permanent fixtures in future calendars. View the complete ITTF World Para Circuit 2025 calendar here.
The latest Week 2 rankings for all classes can be viewed here.
Ward driven to achieve Ireland dream after 'surreal' 2024
Life has moved fast for Zac Ward over the past 12 months.
This time last year, he was preparing for the start of a big year with the Ireland Sevens team in Perth.
One of Ireland's standout players in the shorter code, he realised a dream in the summer when he became an Olympian.
While that journey ended in heartache with a quarter-final loss to Fiji crushing any hopes of leaving Paris with a medal, Ward had no time to dwell on anguish as he answered Ulster's call.
Taken on by the province on a trial basis, Ward found himself back in green before donning the white jersey as part of the Emerging Ireland series in South Africa.
Having banked valuable 15s experience, he has continued to tick personal accomplishments off his checklist, with an Ulster debut against Bordeaux quickly followed by a three-year deal that will keep him at the province until 2028.
Now, with a "surreal" 2024 in his rearview mirror and having sorted his future, the 26-year-old is determined to achieve new goals and scale new heights as he forges a new path as a 15s winger.
"My goal is definitely to play at the highest level I can," Ward told BBC Sport NI.
"I've worn the green jersey playing in the Sevens and the Olympics, so my next goal is to wear the green jersey in 15s."
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