Sabalenka, Gauff breeze through at Australian Open
By The Associated Press
Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka and U.S. Open winner Coco Gauff swept to commanding wins at the Australian Open on Friday to reach the fourth round.
Second-seeded Sabalenka beat Lesia Tsurenko 6-0, 6-0 in 52 minutes while No. 4-seeded Gauff dropped just two games in beating fellow American Alycia Parks 6-0, 6-2.
Sabalenka, who won her first Grand Slam title here 12 months ago, has dropped just six games in three rounds.
“Last year, Iga (Swiatek) won so many sets 6-0 and this is one of the goals, to try to get closer to her,” Sabalenka joked. “I’m just super-happy with the level I’m playing so far. Hopefully I can just keep going like that or even better.”
The pair did not shake hands — as is the convention for Ukrainian players against opponents from Russia or Belarus, where Sabalenka is from — but Tsurenko congratulated Sabalenka verbally.
Sabalenka will play Amanda Anisimova, who continued her comeback with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Paula Badosa. Anisimova, who took seven months out of the game last year for mental health reasons, hit 40 winners on her way to the fourth round.
“It’s quite unbelievable,” the American said. “For sure taking a step away from the game ... gave me a new perspective. I’m trying to be in the present. I think in the past I was getting too caught up in the past and the future.”
Gauff played an almost flawless match as she beat Parks in 61 minutes, making just eight unforced errors to the 34 of her less experienced opponent.
Sixteen-year-old Mirra Andreeva continued her remarkable Australian Open debut when she came from 5-1 down in the final set to beat Diane Parry of France 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (5).
The Russian player was in tears when she was one game from defeat but she produced a brilliant comeback, saving a match point at 2-5 before winning the deciding tiebreak 10-5.
No. 4 Jannik Sinner moved into the fourth round without losing a set, thanks to a 6-0, 6-1, 6-3 victory over Sebastian Baez. The Italian won 18 of 25 points at the net as he set up a fourth-round match with 15th-seeded Karen Khachanov, who beat Tomas Machac 6-4, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-6 (5).
No. 7 Stefanos Tsitsipas was equally impressive, beating Luca Van Assche 6-3, 6-0, 6-4. He’ll meet No. 12 Taylor Fritz, who defeated Fabian Morozsan 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.
Novak Djokovic rolled through in straight set for the first time in the tournament with a 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (2) victory over Tomas Martin Etcheverry in his 100th match at the Australian Open.
The 24-time major winner is 92-8 at Melbourne Park, where he’s won the title 10 times and is on a 31-match winning streak.
Only Roger Federer (117) and Serena Williams (105) have played more matches at the season’s first major.
Next up is 25-year-old Frenchman Adrian Mannarino, who won a fivesetter for the third straight round to advance 7-6 (4), 1-6, 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-4 over U.S. Open semifinalist Ben Shelton.
Ko, Furue share first-round lead at LPGA season opener
Lydia Ko, a 19-time LPGA Tour winner, two-time major champion and still only 26, played bogey-free for a 5-under 67 on Friday at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions on the Lake Nona course in Orlando she now calls home.
Ko heads into the weekend of the LPGA season opener alongside Japan’s Ayaka Furue (71) in a share of the 36-hole lead at at 8-under 136.
Scotland’s Gemma Dryburgh (68) and Mexico’s Gaby Lopez, a former TOC champion who shot 71, are two shots back. Defending champion Brooke Henderson and Alexa Pano — at 19, the youngest player in this week’s field — will begin the weekend three shots out of the lead. Both shot 70 on Friday.
Dusty Baker returns to Giants in new role as special adviser
Dusty Baker is back for a third stint with the San Francisco Giants. The longtime manager will return as a special adviser to baseball operations and work on both the baseball and business sides, the team announced. The 74-year-old Baker retired from the Houston Astros after last season — his 26th year as a major league manager. He said then he still had more to offer a team and hoped to take on an advisory role. Baker managed the Giants from 19932002 before coming back to work as an adviser to CEO Larry Baer during a break from managing in 2018 and 2019.
■ Hard-throwing reliever Josh Hader and the Houston Astros agreed to a $95 million, five-year contract on Friday, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal was subject to a successful physical.
■ Jeter Downs was designated for assignment Friday, one month after the New York Yankees claimed the 25-year-old shortstop off waivers from the Washington Nationals. The Yankees needed the roster spot after claiming infielder/outfielder Diego Castillo off waivers from the New York Mets.
Downs, the 32nd overall pick by Cincinnati in the 2017 draft, is named after former Yankees captain Derek Jeter. The Yankees have seven days to trade Downs or place him on waivers.