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Giant-killing Jakub Mensik's Australian Open ended Friday at the hands of Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina as the 19-year-old Czech crashed out in five gruelling sets.

Carlos Alcaraz plans to get a kangaroo tattoo should he win the Australian Open for the first time as he muscled into the Melbourne last 16 on Friday.

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka was pushed to the limit in setting up an Australian Open showdown with teenager Mirra Andreeva on Friday but Naomi Osaka's run ended with an injury retirement in round three.

Two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka retired with an injury during her third-round match against Belinda Bencic on Friday in Melbourne.

Thousands of people marked on Friday the 30th anniversary of an earthquake that claimed more than 6,400 lives and levelled much of the Japanese city of Kobe.

Nintendo shares tumbled as much as seven percent on Friday after the Japanese games giant failed to impress with a teaser video of its hotly awaited Switch 2 console.

Sumo is facing a potential chasm at the top of the ancient sport for the first time in over 30 years after the only yokozuna, Terunofuji, announced his retirement on Friday.

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka was pushed to the limit in setting up an Australian Open showdown with talented teenager Mirra Andreeva on Friday while Carlos Alcaraz dropped a set before surging into the last 16.

Fidias Panayiotou, a Cypriot YouTuber-turned-lawmaker who snatched his 15 minutes of fame by hugging Elon Musk, is doubtless the tech titan's biggest fan in the European Parliament -- but far from the only one.

Carlos Alcaraz dropped a set before muscling his way into the Australian Open last 16 on Friday and edge closer to becoming the youngest man in history to complete a career Grand Slam.

Second seed Alexander Zverev accelerated his march through the Australian Open on Friday with a straight-sets takedown of Briton Jacob Fearnley in the third round.

Dutch rider Daniek Hengeveld (Ceratizit-WNT) stole the opening stage of the women's Tour Down Under with a daring breakaway to win her first UCI World Tour stage near Adelaide on Friday.

Nintendo shares tumbled as much as seven percent on Friday after the Japanese games giant failed to impress with a teaser video of its hotly awaited Switch 2 console.

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka blamed heavy balls and a slow court Friday as she dropped four serve games in a row before "pushing to the limit" to keep her Australian Open hat-trick dream alive.

Apple pushed out a software update on Thursday which disabled news headlines and summaries generated using artificial intelligence that were lambasted for getting facts wrong.

Aryna Sabalenka stayed on track for an Australian Open hat-trick Friday, while later Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka can set up a blockbuster clash and Novak Djokovic steps up his quest for a record 25th Grand Slam title.

US President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday the ceasefire and hostage release agreement between Israel and Hamas would have never been reached without pressure from him and his incoming administration.

Brazilian striker Neymar said Thursday that former Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe became "jealous" of his relationship with Lionel Messi when the Argentine superstar joined the club in 2021.

China said Friday its population fell for the third year running in 2024, extending a downward streak after more than six decades of growth as the country faces a rapidly ageing population and persistently low birth rates.

Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday again refused investigators' efforts to question him over his failed martial law bid, as the deadline on his detention neared.

The US Trade Representative said Thursday that its probe into China's practices in the shipbuilding, maritime and logistics sectors found that Beijing's undermining of fair competition warranted "urgent action."

Russia and Iran will sign a "comprehensive strategic partnership" treaty on Friday during a visit to Moscow by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, cementing ties between two of the world's most heavily sanctioned countries.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder avenged last week's defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers with a crushing 134-114 victory in a lopsided clash between the league-leading NBA rivals on Thursday.

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka had to battle hard to beat Denmark's Clara Tauson 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 on Friday and reach the second week of the Australian Open after suffering another bout of the serving jitters.

Israel's security cabinet was set to meet Friday after final details of a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal were ironed out, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said, with the United States "confident" the truce would begin as planned this weekend.

Asian markets were mixed Friday as data showing China's economy grew slightly quicker than expected last year failed to inspire investors, with Beijing battling to revive consumption and boost the battered property sector.

North Korea condemned on Friday joint military drills between South Korea, Japan and the United States held this week, threatening to respond by exercising its right to self-defence "more intensively".

Atletico Madrid lead Spain's two giants by a whisker heading into the second half of the La Liga season, after racking up 15 victories on the spin across all competitions.

Lens will measure up to Paris Saint-Germain this weekend at a time when the club who came close to winning the Ligue 1 title two seasons ago appear to be losing their way.

Premier League leaders Liverpool must end their recent wobble to keep the chasing pack at bay this weekend.

Terunofuji is retiring from sumo, the ancient Japanese sport's governing body said Friday, potentially leaving it without a wrestler at the highest rank of yokozuna for the first time in over 30 years.

China recorded one of its slowest rates of economic growth in decades last year, data showed Friday, as leaders nervously eye a potential trade standoff with incoming US president Donald Trump.