Raducanu stunned by wildcard Preston in Hobart after tough Australian Open draw

Emma Raducanu ended her preparations for the Australian Open with a miserable 6-2, 6-4 defeat by Taylah Preston, a 20-year-old Australian wildcard, in the quarter-finals of the Hobart international.As the top seed in Hobart, a small WTA 250 tournament, Raducanu had entered with a real opportunity to compete for an elusive second career WTA title since her win at the US Open more than four years ago. Instead, the challenging rainy conditions were seemingly all it took to unsettle the Briton, who put in a dismal performance on Thursday evening. Her defeat against Preston, the WTA No 204, is her fourth-worst defeat by ranking since 2021.On a day of frustrating rain delays, the players were only on court for about 10 minutes before they had to return to the locker room with Raducanu trailing 1-2

Sports piracy explodes in UK with 3.6bn illegal streams and rise of black-market bookmakers

The number of illegal streams of sports events in Britain has more than doubled to 3.6bn in the past three years according to a new report, which provides a stark illustration of the challenge facing broadcasters and leagues in combating piracy.The Campaign for Fairer Gambling’s national 2024-25 report also highlights that there is a symbiotic relationship between sports piracy and unlicensed gambling, with 89% of illegal streams in this country featuring adverts for black-market bookmakers.Illegal betting has exploded over the past four years with unlicensed operators earning £379m in the first half of 2025, giving them 9% of Britain’s £8.2bn online gambling marketplace, a huge increase on their 2% market share in 2022

Roger Federer hails Alcaraz and Sinner’s ‘great’ rivalry amid Australian Open return

Roger Federer hailed the dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner as the six-time champion returned to the Australian Open for the first time since his retirement in 2022.Federer, who last travelled to Australia in 2020, will headline the inaugural opening ceremony with a doubles exhibition match alongside Andre Agassi, Patrick Rafter and ­Lleyton Hewitt.“The rivalry with Alcaraz and Sinner is a great one,” said Federer. “They play incredible tennis. I think that French Open final was unreal

New York Giants reportedly closing in on John Harbaugh as next head coach

The New York Giants are closing in on a deal to hire John Harbaugh as their next head coach, with negotiations ongoing but momentum building toward an agreement, according to an ESPN report Wednesday night.While contract details are still being finalized and no paperwork has been signed, sources told ESPN that both sides expect the process to reach the finish line barring an unexpected snag. One source characterized the talks as active and substantive, with issues still to be worked through.Harbaugh, 63, became available last week after an 18-season run with the Baltimore Ravens, where he compiled a 180–113 record, won a Super Bowl following the 2012 season and established one of the league’s most consistent teams.The Giants, who have gone 7–27 over the past two seasons, identified Harbaugh as a priority target early in their search to replace Brian Daboll, who was fired in November

Home hope Alex de Minaur handed no favours with tough Australian Open draw

Local hopes of ending a half century-long drought in the Australian Open have been tested after No 6 seed Alex de Minaur was handed a nightmare draw for the first grand slam of the year beginning on Sunday.In the first round at Melbourne Park the Australian faces former world No 6 Matteo Berrettini, who helped Italy win a third successive Davis Cup in the final in November.Another former top 10 player, 29th seed Frances Tiafoe, is a potential third-round opponent, while the 10th seed Alexander Bublik looms in round four entering the tournament in career-best form.If De Minaur can reach the quarter-finals – a stage he has never passed in grand slams – he is likely to play Carlos Alcaraz, the top seed who has beaten the Australian in all five matches the pair have played. Another Australian, 79th-ranked Adam Walton, will face Alcaraz in the first round

‘Smiling assassin’ Jordan Smith basks in spotlight after hitting $1m tennis jackpot

Pending tax advice, tennis coach Jordan Smith is Australia’s newest millionaire, thrust into the global spotlight after beating top professionals in the One Point Slam on Wednesday night.Smith’s improbable run to the $1m prize made him a magnet on Thursday morning at Melbourne Park, amid more than a dozen local and international interviews, selfies, promotions and autographs.At 10.30am, having slept for less than three hours and with no food in his stomach, Smith was just trying to do his best with all the attention. “No one’s really experienced this before, right?” he said