Nick Kyrgios took a cheeky dig at his critics after tickets for Friday's practice match with Serb Novak Djokovic sold out in 58 minutes, proving the Australian's huge box office draw.

Although the introduction of franchise-based Hockey Champions Trophy (HCT) last November presented a new ray of hope to revive the sport in the country, the Bangladesh Hockey Federation (BHF) officials have not yet chalked out a plan regarding when the next edition of the Premier Hockey League (PHL) will take place.

Players at this month's Australian Open will not be required to take COVID-19 tests and could play even if they had the virus, tournament director Craig Tiley said on Monday.

Amirul Islam slotted home a hat-trick in a 6-1 thrashing of Uzbekistan as the Bangladesh U-21 hockey team qualified for the semis as Pool B champions in the Men’s Junior AHF Cup with a 100 per cent record at the Sultan Qaboos Complex in Muscat, Oman on Sunday.

Top seed Novak Djokovic saved a match point Sunday before defeating Sebastian Korda to win the Adelaide International and reinforce his status as a heavy title favourite for the Australian Open.

Novak Djokovic dug deep to save a match point on the way to a 6-7(8) 7-6(3) 6-4 victory over Sebastian Korda in the Adelaide International 1 final on Sunday ahead of this month's Australian Open.

Aryna Sabalenka fired an Australian Open warning shot Sunday by winning her first title since 2021 at the Adelaide International, beating rising Czech teenager Linda Noskova 6-3, 7-6 (7/4).

Two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka became the latest star to pull out of the opening Grand Slam of the year Sunday, leaving the tournament deprived of some of the biggest names in the game.

Novak Djokovic overcame an injury scare midway through his match against Daniil Medvedev on Saturday to mow down the Russian 6-3 6-4 and storm into the Adelaide International 1 final, where he will take on unseeded American Sebastian Korda.

Unheralded Czech teenager Linda Noskova stunned world number two Ons Jabeur Saturday to make her first-ever final at the Adelaide International, dealing the Tunisian a demoralising blow ahead of the Australian Open.

World number five Aryna Sabalenka surged into the final of the Adelaide International Saturday, crushing Romanian veteran Irina-Camelia Begu for the loss of just five games.

US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz said on Friday he will miss the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the season, after injuring his right leg in training.

Sania Mirza, India's former doubles world number one, said she will call time on her career aged 36 after next month's Dubai Tennis Championships, after her 2022 retirement plans were delayed due to injury.

In a nation that lives and breathes cricket, it is ever so difficult for other sports to stand out and make its own position in the country’s sporting culture. Another factor is the mindset of the sports industry as the focus given to the non-cricket genres of sports and its athletes is predominantly dependent on success.

In a nation that lives and breathes cricket, it is ever so difficult for other sports to stand out and make its own position in the country’s sporting culture. Another factor is the mindset of the sports industry as the focus given to the non-cricket genres of sports and its athletes is predominantly dependent on success.

In a nation that lives and breathes cricket, it is ever so difficult for other sports to stand out and make its own position in the country’s sporting culture. Another factor is the mindset of the sports industry as the focus given to the non-cricket genres of sports and its athletes is predominantly dependent on success.

The Daily Star (DS): You have produced the most promising results by any Bangladeshi in Ironman competitions so far and you have been doing this for years now. What’s next?

Bangladesh hockey team began their Men’s Junior AHF Cup campaign on a winning note as they handed a convincing 4-0 defeat to Hong Kong in a Pool B encounter at the Sultan Qaboos Complex in Muscat yesterday.

The International Tennis Federation Asia Under-14 Development Championship will get underway on Sunday at the Sheikh Jamal National Tennis Complex in Ramna with 34 players from 10 countries taking part in the competition.

Former world number one Daniil Medvedev set up an Adelaide International semi-final against either Novak Djokovic or Denis Shapovalov Friday with a command performance in the countdown to the opening Grand Slam of the year.