Sport

Novak Djokovic beat Jannik Sinner in five sets to reach the Australian Open final, where he will face Carlos Alcaraz. Alcaraz overcame Alexander Zverev in the longest semifinal in tournament history, setting up a historic clash for Grand Slam glory

Indian Railways and Haryana reached the final of the 72nd Women’s Senior National Kabaddi Championship at Balayogi Stadium

Devika Sihag stunned Thailand’s top seed Supanida Katethong at the Princess Sirivannavari Thailand Masters 2026, winning 21-19, 21-18 in straight games

Chief national badminton coach P Gopichand unveiled the Allen World Junior 10K Run jersey in Hyderabad. The run, for children under-18, will start at Gachibowli Stadium. Free entry is offered to Hakimpet Government Sports School students, with Rs 3 lakh prize money

The Table Tennis Federation of India has approved a 10 per cent hike in prize money for National Championships, announced plans for an official league, and awarded new equipment contracts. The AGM also removed Dr Dhevanathan Yadav and suspended Kamlesh Mehta

K Srivalli has been named captain of the Hyderabad under-19 B team for practice matches against Uttarakhand Cricket Association at Chandigarh from February 2 to 10. The squad includes Meha Laxmi as vice-captain, with five stand-byes also listed

National champion Manish Suresh Kumar kept Indian hopes alive by entering the semifinal with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Aditya Balsekar at Jubilee Hills International Centre. He will face USA’s Keshav Chopra, while doubles will see an all-Indian final

Mahadev Cricket Club clinched the HCA C Division one-day knock-out tournament with a 110-run victory over Hyderabad Wanderers at Uppal Stadium. M Madhu starred with 83 not out, while N Tarun Raj took five wickets to seal the win

World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz defeated Alexander Zverev in a record five-hour, 27-minute semifinal to reach his first Australian Open final. The 22-year-old became the youngest player in the Open era to reach all four Grand Slam finals.

Jaipur Polo Team continued its strong run in the Kognivera Cup with a commanding 9.5–5 win over Chandna Polo. A disciplined and cohesive performance across all four chukkers helped Jaipur control the contest and secure another emphatic victory.

From Yuvraj Singh’s six sixes in 2007 to Virat Kohli’s match-winning final in 2024, the ICC has revisited iconic performances that defined the Men’s T20 World Cup. The retrospective comes ahead of the tournament’s 10th edition beginning on February 7.

V. Srinivasan, husband of Indian Olympic Association President and Rajya Sabha member P.T. Usha, passed away in Kozhikode on Friday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences as tributes poured in from sporting and political circles.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has scheduled its T20 World Cup squad to leave for Colombo on February 2, ruling out boycott speculation. PCB sources confirmed participation, including the India clash on February 15, under ICC’s neutral venue agreement

Hockey India announced 33 probables for the men’s national camp ahead of the FIH Pro League in Rourkela, leaving out stalwart Manpreet Singh for the first time in 15 years. Goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur Pathak also missed selection

World champion D Gukesh defeated Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus to stay in contention at the Tata Steel Masters, while Arjun Erigaisi lost to Vincent Keymer. Praggnanandhaa drew with Hans Niemann as Matthias Bluebaum continued his fine run with a win over Anish Giri

India defeated England by seven wickets in the opening match of the Mixed Disability T20I series in Greater Noida. Yogendra Bhadoria’s 94 anchored the chase of 173, giving India a 1-0 lead in the five-match historic series

Aryna Sabalenka defeated Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-3 to reach her fourth consecutive Australian Open final. She will face Elena Rybakina, who beat Jessica Pegula in straight sets, setting up a rematch of the 2023 championship clash

Grace Harris and Smriti Mandhana powered Royal Challengers Bengaluru into the WPL 2026 final with an eight-wicket win over UP Warriorz. Nadine de Klerk starred with the ball, taking four wickets as RCB chased 144 in 13.1 overs

Telangana Governor Jishnu Dev Varma praised the Telangana–North East Connect initiative, stressing the importance of continuous sports and cultural programmes to strengthen ties between Telangana and the North-Eastern states

Indian Railways and Maharashtra advanced to the quarterfinals of the Senior National Women’s Kabaddi Championship in Hyderabad. Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh also qualified, with standout performances from R Karthika, Monika, Bhumika and Muskan Sharma

Former India football captain Shabbir Ali was conferred with Joy Bangla Sambad’s Bengal Excellency Award in Kolkata. He was also inducted into the Hall of Fame of Indian football, recognising his legacy in the Kolkata League and Indian football history

Keshav Chopra of USA stunned seventh seed M Rifqi Fitriadi of India 6-3, 6-2 in the ITF Men’s World Tennis Tour second round in Hyderabad. Vishnu Vardhan and Mukund Sasi Kumar also advanced with straight-set wins

Paras Raj smashed an unbeaten 102 to lead Osmania University to a one-wicket win over Bangalore North University in the South Zone inter-university cricket championship. Earlier, he scored a half-century in Osmania’s first-round win against Centurion University

Telangana Minister Mohd Azharuddin unveiled the jersey of the International Arena Polo Championship 2026 at the Secretariat. He accepted the invitation to attend the event, with Hyderabad Polo & Riding Club officials briefing him on the championship’s plans and significance