Category: Sport

Brian Flores is very likely staying in Minnesota.

The Vikings signed Flores to a contract extension Wednesday, the team announced. Terms of the deal are not yet known, but Flores will be back with the team as their defensive coordinator next season so long as he doesn’t land a head-coaching job elsewhere.

“Brian has a unique ability to connect with players, understand their skill sets, and put them in positions to maximize their impact on the field,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said in a statement. “The identity of our defense is a reflection of his leadership and preparation. On a personal level, I’ve really valued the relationship we’ve built over the last three years, and that shared trust, alignment and high standard will continue to be critical to our success.”

[Get more Vikings news: Minnesota team feed]

Flores is still a candidate for the head-coaching job with both the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers. Both of those teams split from their longtime coaches — John Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin, respectively — earlier this month.

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Flores has spent the last three seasons as the Vikings’ defensive coordinator. The Vikings allowed a third-best 282.6 yards per game and seventh-best 19.6 points per game last season, though they went just 9-8 and missed the playoffs.

Though he’s found success in Minnesota, Flores is still a top candidate to land a head-coaching job — whether that is this offseason or in the future. Flores spent 15 seasons as a defensive assistant with the New England Patriots under coach Bill Belichick before he was hired as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, where he spent three seasons before a tumultuous exit. He spent one season as an assistant with the Steelers before O’Connell hired him.

Sean Payton is confident ahead of Sunday’s AFC championship game despite taking the field without starting quarterback Bo Nix.

The Broncos head coach sung the praises of backup Jarrett Stidham Wednesday as Denver prepares to face the New England Patriots. And he expects Stidham to “rip it” against an aggressive Patriots defense that’s given C.J. Stroud and Justin Herbert fits in the first two rounds of the playoffs.

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“That’s his personality. He’s going to rip it,” Payton told reporters of Stidham. “He has a calm demeanor that suits him well.”

[Get more Broncos news: Denver team feed]

In fact, Payton says he believes that Stidham is a starting-level NFL quarterback.

“I felt like our two [QBs] were inside the best 32,” Payton said, per Troy Renck of the Denver Post. “I am glad that acquisition took place.”

If Stidham is a top-32 quarterback, Payton knows something that the rest of the league doesn’t. Stidham is a career backup who hasn’t thrown a pass since the 2023 season.

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It’s not all bad news for the Broncos

The good news for the Broncos is that Stidham won’t be going in completely cold. Stidham joined the Broncos as a free agent in 2023, Payton’s first season as Denver’s head coach. He’s been practicing in Payton’s system for three seasons.

The Broncos will be counting on that familiarity and comfort level with the Denver offense against a Patriots defense that sacked Herbert six times in the wild-card round and intercepted Stroud four times last week in the divisional round.

It would be a daunting task for Nix, much less a quarterback in Stidham who’s made four career NFL starts. And practice experience, obviously, doesn’t equate to a playoff atmosphere with a trip to the Super Bowl at stake.

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Stidham: It’s just another game

Stidham said on Wednesday that he’s taking the approach that it’s just another game.

“What I always go back to — in any game — regular season, preseason, AFC championship — it’s still the same game,” Stidham told reporters. “Obviously there’s implications — winner advances, and all that kind of stuff. But at the end of the day, it’s still football. And that’s how I view it.

“I’m not treating it any differently. I’m not treating my preparation any differently. I’m just gonna go out there and play and be myself.”

He sounds confident. And that’s certainly what you want to hear if you’re Payton or a Broncos fan.

Broncos are built to win without elite QB play

The Broncos have a team that doesn’t depend on high-level quarterback play to win. Denver earned the AFC’s No. 1 seed on the strength of a defense that finished second in yards allowed and third in points allowed (18.3 per game) this season.

The offense was no slouch and finished in the top half of the league in yards and points per game (23.6). But the Broncos neither depended on nor received elite quarterback play from Nix.

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Nix’s passer rating (87.8) was below league average (91.4) and ranked 27th among quarterbacks who started eight games or more. His completion percentage (63.4%) and yards per attempt (6.43) both took a slight dip from his rookie campaign as he threw for 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Nix’s best attribute, arguably, was his play late in close games. Thanks in part to not having an offense that pulled away from opponents, the Broncos found themselves repeatedly in tight games in the fourth quarter. More often than not, Nix found a way to make the plays the Broncos needed in those situations, including a late go-ahead touchdown pass against the Bills last week that ultimately forced overtime in Denver’s 33-30 divisional round win.

Nix addressed that finish and his confidence in Stidham Wednesday in an Instagram post that included his first public comments since learning of the season-ending ankle injury he sustained at the end of the win over Buffalo.

“This is not how I imagined my season would come to an end, but our season has been defined by overcoming adversity and responding to it,” Nix wrote. “I can’t express how much this team and organization mean to me and how much I believe in them.

“I couldn’t be more proud of our guys. I couldn’t be more confident in Jarrett. And I couldn’t be more excited for what’s next.”

Confidence exudes from the Broncos’ practice facility despite Nix’s injury. But what ultimately matters is what that confidence looks like when the whistle blows on Sunday.

For all the issues with the current college football calendar — including the College Football Playoff overlapping with the transfer portal window — Josh Pate has come up with a simple six-step plan to fix it. He even uses an expanded 16-team playoff format.

Step 1: Move Week 1 to Week 0’s current slot

“We need to move the season up one week. It’s going to be a little hot. I understand that Saturday prior to Labor Day weekend, that’s the weekend that we’re going to start. Rivalry week, because of that would be the week before Thanksgiving instead of Thanksgiving week. So your Ohio States, Michigans, your Iron Bowls, we’re getting all of those done. And your regular season is done the week before Thanksgiving, which leads to a revolutionary Thanksgiving weekend.”

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Step 2: Move Rivalry Week; keep conference title games

“We’re just going to have them Thanksgiving weekend instead of the week after Thanksgiving. So last weekend in November instead of first weekend in December, we’re having conference championship games. Your SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, all the Group of Fives.”

Step 3: Play 6 bowls on same weekend as conference title games

“Don’t particularly care which ones they are. Let’s just call it the Citrus Bowl and the Pop Tart Bowl, Cheez-It Bowl, et cetera. I would like to have a 13th game, essentially for a bunch of teams. … Take all the teams are going to play in conference championship games off the board. They’re already preoccupied. This is what it would have looked like this year: My Pop Tart bowl is Oregon versus Houston, my Cheez-It bowl is Ole Miss versus Michigan. I’ve got [Texas] A&M-Arizona. I’ve got Oklahoma-USC. I’ve got Texas versus Utah. I’ve got Notre Dame versus Vanderbilt. These are bowl games. They are also College Football Playoff data points. Those games count because the final playoff rankings are after those games happen, so those are final data points. … You could play yourself into or out of the playoff in many cases in the Pop Tart Bowl.”

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Step 4: Hold Selection Sunday on Thanksgiving weekend

“We’re not scared of the NFL around here, but we’re also not going to be stupid and run opposite to them. So we’re going to reveal the College Football Playoff rankings and seedings and the bracket 9 a.m. [ET] that Sunday.”

Step 5: Move up CFP schedule; hold first 2 rounds on campus

“Round 1 of the College Football Playoff on campus is held the first Saturday in December. Round two of the College Football Playoff held on campus is held the second Saturday in December. Round three finally going to kick it to a neutral site. That’s the third Saturday in December and then we break for Christmas and our national championship game is held New Year’s Day and we crown a national champion and the season’s over.”

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Step 6: Move signing day and transfer portal

“I don’t even care in which order you do this. You have signing day and you have your transfer portal window and wrap that thing up in a couple of weeks and then spring semester is here and everyone can go kick their feet up and take a little vacation. Maybe have a junior day.”

Why it works

“We made everyone play the same amount of games to win it all. Notre Dame is not even immune from this. If Notre Dame wants to win a title, Notre Dame’s going to have to play 17 games. Everyone’s playing 17 to win it all. You got two rounds of on-campus playoff games. The bowl games are enhanced in many different ways and you totally resurrect the spirit of bowl season because you maximize the relevance of six of those bowls and you totally reconfigure the importance of them. I think that would be an amazing spectacle.”

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What is going on in Buffalo? Yahoo Sports’ Andrew Siciliano and Jori Epstein break down the state of the Bills as owner Terry Pegula and GM Brandon Beane address the firing of head coach Sean McDermott. The duo also look at Baker Mayfield’s online spat with Kevin Stefanski as well as Mike McDaniel taking the OC job with the Los Angeles Chargers. Plus, Andrew sits down with Jacksonville Jaguars DT Arik Armstead!

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(3:32) – Reacting to the Terry Pegula and Brandon Beane press conference

(25:40) – Baker Mayfield takes shots at Kevin Stefanski

(42:21) – Chargers hire Mike McDaniel as OC

(47:13) – Arik Armstead interview

(1:08:50) – One More Thing

🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at Yahoo Sports Podcasts

The New York Mets acquired All-Star right-handed pitcher Freddy Peralta in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports.

The Brewers will receive infielder Jett Williams and right-handed pitcher Brandon Sproat in return, per the report. Both were rated by MLB as top-five prospects in the Mets’ system. The trade marks the third significant acquisition for the Mets in the past week.

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Mets loading up after losing big names in free agency

On Friday, the Mets agreed to a $126 million free-agent deal with All-Star shortstop Bo Bichette, formerly of the Blue Jays. On Tuesday, they acquired high-upside former All-Star center fielder Luis Robert Jr. from the White Sox in a trade. And on Wednesday, they added a 29-year-old starting pitcher in his prime who made his second All-Star team last season.

The Mets have suffered their share of losses in free agency, including All-Star slugger Pete Alonso departing to the Orioles and All-Star closer Edwin Díaz joining the Dodgers. But they’re making moves late in the offseason to set themselves up to compete for the NL East crown and beyond.

What Peralta brings to New York

Peralta is an eight-year MLB veteran who has played his entire career with the Brewers. The ace of the Brewers’ pitching staff, Peralta was integral to Milwaukee’s run to the 2025 NL Central title and the NLCS, in which the Brewers were swept by the eventual World Series champion Dodgers.

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Last season, Peralta posted a career-best 2.70 ERA alongside a 1.075 WHIP with 204 strikeouts and 66 walks in 176 2/3 innings pitched. He led the NL with 17 wins as the Brewers raced to baseball’s best record at 97-65.

Peralta immediately provides the Mets with a starting pitcher for the top of their rotation. For the Brewers, consequently, his exit creates a significant hole in the pitching staff for a team with aspirations of building on last season’s success.

Why did the Brewers make this deal?

Yahoo Sports’ Russell Dorsey reported in November that a trade of Peralta was “likely,” despite last season’s success.

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Meanwhile, Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold said this about Peralta at the general manager meetings in November.

“Clearly, there’s a lot of interest in Freddy,” Arnold said. “He means a lot to our group, but certainly a ton of interest there. And I’ve said before, we can never shut the door on anything with anybody in our market.

“We’ve had to make some very tough decisions over the years. … I mean, we want to try to compete next year, and I think he could be a really big part of that, like he has for a long time.”

It turns out that the interest in Peralta was too strong to turn down.

Peralta is due only $8 million in 2026, per a club option on the final year of his contract. Barring him signing an extension, he’ll become a free agent next winter. So rather than risk losing him in free agency for nothing, the small-market Brewers got two top prospects in return for one year of Peralta’s services.

Williams, 22, is a former first-round draft pick and was New York’s No. 3-rated prospect and the No. 30 overall in baseball, according to MLB. He has speed, patience at the plate and home-run pop, recording a .263/.425/.451 slash line, 13 home runs, 104 walks and 45 steals in New York’s minor-league system last year, and he can play multiple positions.

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Sproat, 25, was New York’s No. 5-rated prospect. He’s not rated among MLB’s top 100 prospects from 2025. A 6-foot-3 right-hander, Sproat throws a fastball up to 98 mph and also has a curveball, slider and changeup in his arsenal. He could join the Brewers’ rotation next season.

San Francisco Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee was briefly detained at Los Angeles International Airport on Wednesday after a flight from South Korea, his agent told the San Francisco Chronicle.

The Giants said in a statement that Lee, 26, either misplaced or forgot part of his travel packet upon landing at LAX from Seoul, South Korea. The issue was quickly handled, and Lee was released and allowed to enter the United States legally.

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Giants general manager Zack Minasian said there were no political motivations behind Lee’s brief detainment.

“Earlier today, Jung Hoo Lee experienced a brief travel issue at LAX due to a paperwork issue,” the Giants said in a statement, via The Athletic. “The matter was quickly clarified with the appropriate authorities, and he has since been cleared to continue his travel. We appreciate the professionalism of all parties involved.”

Lee is scheduled to appear at a Giants fan event on Saturday in San Ramon, California.

Lee spent the past two seasons with the Giants. He recorded a .266 batting average with eight home runs and 55 RBI last season, all career highs for the 27-year-old.

He signed a six-year, $113 million deal with the Giants ahead of the 2024 campaign after a huge run in the Korean Baseball Organization. Lee’s father, Jong Beom Lee, was often regarded as the best all-around player in the KBO in the 1990s, and he earned the nickname “Son of the Wind.”

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Spring training for the Giants begins next month in Scottsdale, Arizona, though Lee isn’t expected to be there long. He will play for Korea in the World Baseball Classic in March, and his team will open the event with an exhibition game against Czechia on March 5 in Tokyo.

The Giants, who went 81-81 last season and missed the playoffs for a fourth straight year, will open the 2026 MLB campaign against the New York Yankees on March 25.

A debunked conspiracy theory with no basis in reality linking a power substation to injuries to the San Francisco 49ers has made its way up to general manager John Lynch.

Lynch was asked about it at a news conference Wednesday on the heels of a 49ers season that was ravaged by injuries to key players. Here’s what he had to say:

“Because it deals with, allegedly, the health and safety of our players, I think you have to look into everything,” Lynch said. “Our guys have been — we’ve been reaching out to anyone and everyone to see — does a study exist other than a guy sticking an apparatus underneath a fence and coming up with a number that I have no idea what that means.

“That’s what we know exists. We’ve heard that debunked. So yes, we will look into it. We have. The health and safety of our players is of the utmost priority. … I know that a lot of games have been won at this facility since it opened. We aren’t gonna turn a blind eye. We look into everything.”

We’re not going to go into detail about the theory here because, as noted, it has no basis in reality. But the short of it proposes that the 49ers have experienced an increase in injuries because their home field, Levi’s Stadium, is built near a power substation.

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[Get more Niners news: San Francisco team feed]

The theory was amplified by a person who describes himself on social media as a “board-certified quantum biology practitioner.” A post perpetuating the theory had gained more than 22 million views as of Wednesday.

Front Office Sports and the Washington Post published recent stories debunking the theory, citing science and medical experts.

Per FOS, the person who posted the viral theory is not a doctor. He took a Gauss meter, which measures the strength of magnetic fields, to the 49ers facility to garner a reading. That’s presumably the “apparatus” that Lynch referred to Wednesday.

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Jerrold Bushberg, a radiology professor at UC Davis, told FOS that “there is no firmly established evidence” that backs up the theory. Other medical experts with whom FOS spoke with called the theory “nonsense,” “wild,” and “not possible.”

The Washington Post spoke with Frank de Vocht, a professor of epidemiology and public health at Bristol Medical School in England, whom the Post described as a leading expert on how electromagnetic fields impact humans, which is at the basis of the theory. De Vocht told the post that the theory is “nonsense.”

The 49ers have played at Levi’s Stadium since 2014, but the substation also sits adjacent to the practice facility that they’ve used since 1988, a span that includes two Super Bowl championships.

After making headlines with her first-round attire, Japan’s Naomi Osaka will step onto the court for her second-round match at the 2026 Australian Open tonight, where she’ll face Romania’s Sorana Cirstea. Osaka entered as the No. 16 seed. The unseeded Cirstea has a WTA ranking of 41.

The pair will face off in Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena, with an estimated start time of 3 a.m. ET/12 a.m. PT. Tournament coverage will air across ESPN and ESPN2. The entire tournament will stream on ESPN+ for ESPN Unlimited subscribers. Here’s what you need to know about watching the 2026 Australian Open.

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How to watch Naomi Osaka play tonight:

Date: Thursday, Jan. 22

Time: 3 a.m. ET

Location: Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne, Australia

TV channel: ESPN2

Streaming: ESPN+

When does Naomi Osaka play at the 2026 Australian Open?

Naomi Osaka plays her second round at the Australian Open late tonight, at 3 a.m. ET/midnight PT.

Naomi Osaka vs. Sorana Cirstea match start time:

In the U.S., thanks to the time difference, the second-round match between Osaka and Cirstea is scheduled to start at 3 a.m. ET.

Australian Open channel:

The Australian Open will air on ESPN, with the entire tournament streaming on ESPN+ for Unlimited subscribers. Select tournament coverage will also air on ESPN2 before moving to ESPN for the semifinals and beyond.

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How to watch the 2026 Australian Open:

Sling Orange, which includes ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, Disney Channel and 30 more with no other subscriptions or commitment necessary. 

Where to watch the 2026 Australian Open without cable:

If you want to catch every match of the Australian Open and don’t currently subscribe to ESPN+, cable or a live TV streaming service, in Australia, a majority of the action will be streaming free with ads on 9Now.

Don’t live in the land down under? You can still stream like you do with the help of a VPN. A VPN (virtual private network) helps protect your data, can mask your IP address and is perhaps most popular for being especially useful in the age of streaming. Whether you’re looking to watch Friends on Netflix (which left the U.S. version of the streamer back in 2019) or tune in to tennis coverage without a cable package, a VPN can help you out. Looking to try a VPN for the first time? This guide breaks down the best VPN options for every kind of user.

9Now. Plus it’s Engadget’s pick for the best premium VPN. ExpressVPN offers three tiers of subscriptions: the Basic Plan (starting at $3.49/month), the Advanced Plan (starting at $4.49/month) and the Pro Plan (starting at $7.49/month). 

ExpressVPN also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, in case you’re nervous about trying a VPN.

Australian Open 2026 schedule:

All times Eastern

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Saturday, Jan. 17

• (Day 1) Men’s and Women’s 1st Round: 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 18

• (Day 1) Men’s and Women’s 1st Round: 3:00 a.m.

• (Day 2) Men’s and Women’s 1st Round: 7:00 p.m.

Monday, Jan. 19

• (Day 2) Men’s and Women’s 1st Round: 3:00 a.m.

• (Day 3) Men’s and Women’s 1st Round: 7:00 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 20

• (Day 3) Men’s and Women’s 1st Round: 3:00 a.m.

• (Day 4) Men’s and Women’s 2nd Round: 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 21

• (Day 4) Men’s and Women’s 2nd Round: 3:00 a.m.

• (Day 5) Men’s and Women’s 2nd Round: 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 22

• (Day 5) Men’s and Women’s 2nd Round: 3:00 a.m.

• (Day 6) Men’s and Women’s 3rd Round: 7:00 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 23

• (Day 6) Men’s and Women’s 3rd Round: 3:00 a.m.

• (Day 7) Men’s and Women’s 3rd Round: 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 24

• (Day 7) Men’s and Women’s 3rd Round: 3:00 a.m.

• (Day 8) Men’s and Women’s 4th Round: 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 25

• (Day 8) Men’s and Women’s 4th Round: 3:00 a.m.

• (Day 9) Men’s and Women’s 4th Round: 7:00 p.m.

Monday, Jan. 26

• (Day 9) Men’s and Women’s 4th Round: 3:00 a.m.

• (Day 10) Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals: 7:00 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 27

• (Day 10) Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals: 3:00 a.m.

• (Day 11) Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals: 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 28

• (Day 11) Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals: 3:00 a.m.

• (Day 12) Women’s Semifinals: 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 29

• (Day 13) Men’s Semifinal: 8:00 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 30

• (Day 13) Men’s Semifinal: 3:30 a.m.

Saturday, Jan. 31

• (Day 14) Women’s Final: 3:30 a.m.

Sunday, Feb. 1

• (Day 15) Men’s Final: 3:30 a.m.

Who is playing in the 2026 Australian Open?

The top 10 seeded players for the singles draws are listed below.

Men’s singles seeds

1. Carlos Alcaraz

2. Jannik Sinner

3. Alexander Zverev

4. Novak Djokovic

5. Felix Auger-Aliassime

Women’s singles seeds

1. Aryna Sabalenka

2. Iga Swiatek

3. Amanda Anisimova

4. Coco Gauff

5. Elena Rybakina

Australian Open prize money:

For 2026, the men’s and women’s singles winners each get $4,150,000, with the runner-up receiving $2,150,000 and semi-finalists receiving $1,250,000.

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More ways to watch the 2026 Australian Open:

February 22, 2026

Jalen Brunson’s players-only meeting seems to have worked.

Brunson and the New York Knicks cruised to a blowout 120-66 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night, which snapped a four-game losing skid. The 54-point win was the largest in franchise history.

“A win. That was the most important thing, just finding a way to break the ice and get one in the left column,” Karl-Anthony Towns said, via The Associated Press. “So good game, good day for us to show what we’re capable of, but consistency is what makes champions and we’ve got to find that consistency and bring this kind of intensity and energy and execution every single night.”

The Knicks led almost the entire way on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden, and they opened the contest on an 18-6 run. They held the Nets to just 18 points in the second quarter, which sent them into the locker room with a 22-point lead, and then pushed that to 32 points by the end of the third period.

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Brunson and the rest of the Knicks starters were pulled at that point, but their reserves still opened the fourth quarter on a 16-0 tear to secure the blowout win.

Brunson had 20 points and five assists to lead the Knicks. Landry Shamet added 18 points off the bench, shooting a perfect 6-of-6 from behind the arc, and Towns added 14 points and eight rebounds. The Knicks shot 50% from behind the arc, and more than doubled the Nets up on the glass.

Michael Porter Jr. led the Nets with 12 points and six rebounds. Ziaire Williams was the only other player to hit double figures with his 11 points off the bench. The Nets have now lost 13 straight to the Knicks. Their last win in the series came back in January 2023.

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While a singular blowout win over the Nets is one thing, it came on the heels of what has been a rough stretch for the Knicks. The team entered Wednesday night having lost nine of their last 11 games, and they were booed heavily at Madison Square Garden in each of their last two losses. After Monday’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks, Brunson called a meeting to try and turn things around.

“I’d be booing us too, straight up,” Brunson said on Monday night.

The Knicks now hold a 26-18 record entering Saturday night’s contest with the Philadelphia 76ers. That game, while just a mid-January bout, will be a better measure of if the meeting actually did its job.

“This was a good step for us, but we’ve got to continue to press the issue of getting better every single day,” Brunson said.

Naomi Osaka picked up a win in the second round of the Australian Open, but her on-court play wasn’t the biggest story to come out of the match. Following Osaka’s win, the 28-year-old was involved in a tense handshake with her opponent, Romanian player Sorana Cîrstea.

Following the match, which Osaka won (6-3, 4-6, 6-2), she met Cîrstea at mid-court to shake hands. Cîrstea’s handshake was extremely brief, leading Osaka to say something. The two then exchanged words near the umpire’s chair.

Osaka was asked about the situation after the match, and said she thought Cîrstea was upset that Osaka was verbally pumping herself up during the match. This clip helps give some context:

When asked what it took to advance past Cîrstea, Osaka responded, “Apparently a lot of ‘come ons’ that she was angry about.” Osaka later said, “I think this was her last Australian Open, so sorry she was mad about it,” per BBC News.

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At a different press conference, Osaka apologized for those post-match quotes, saying she did not mean to disrespect Cîrstea, according to BBC News.

“I’m a little confused. I guess that emotions were very high for her. I also want to apologize,” the four-time major winner said.

“I think the first couple of things that I said on the court were disrespectful. I don’t like disrespecting people. That’s not what I do.”

Cîrstea, 35, downplayed the exchange following the match, saying there was “no drama” between the two players.

With the win, Osaka moves on to the third round of the event. It’s the first time she’s reached the third round at the Australian Open since 2022. She’ll take on Maddison Inglis on Saturday.

Taylor Fritz, Jannik Sinner advance on men’s side

On the men’s side, both Taylor Fritz and Jannik Sinner made quick work of their opponents Thursday. Both players won in straight sets, though Fritz did need a tiebreak to push past Vit Kopriva in the third set.

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Fritz is looking for a repeat performance of last year, where he surged to the quarterfinal in the Australian Open. It was his best performance at the event to date. In order to get there, he’ll need to beat Stan Wawrinka on Saturday and then could match up with men’s No. 5 Lorenzo Musetti in the fourth round.

Sinner has won the previous two Australian Opens, and is seeking his third-straight win at the event. He’ll take on Eliot Spizzirri on Saturday.

Belinda Bencic stunned by Czech teen Nikola Bartunkova

Belinda Bencic entered the Australian Open as one of the top-ranked women in the event. But Bencic is going home early, losing in the second round against 19-year-old Nikola Bartunkova.

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It was an impressive performance from Bartunkova, who won the match 6-3, 0-6, 6-4.

It’s the first time in which Bartunkova has taken part in the Australian Open. It took her only two matches to pick up a signature win at the event.

Elsewhere on the women’s side, No. 2 ranked Iga Swiatek won in straight sets over Marie Bouzková. Elena Rybakina also advanced in straight sets.