🗞 It Just Slipped Away

G’day Sports Fans,

🗣️ Monday Motivation: “Make sure your worst enemy doesn’t live between your own two ears.” — Laird Hamilton (Big Wave Surfer)

📧 P.S. First time reading? Subscribe here for free.

🎾 Alex De Minaur is out of the Australian Open after letting his chance to reach the quarterfinals for the first time slip in a dramatic five-set capitulation to world No. 5 Andrey Rublev.

The local hope fought back from losing the first set to snag a two-sets-to-one lead at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday and appeared destined to kick on as a frustrated and emotional Rublev waged a verbal war on himself.

But a brilliant Rublev came home with a wet sail to level proceedings, then put the foot down in the fifth set as De Minaur crumbled to win 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-0.

“I am sitting here and I am absolutely devastated because I saw it as a great opportunity … in a match I believe I ultimately could have won, but it just slipped away.”  - De Minaur.

🎾 Cruz Hewitt didn’t quite made the same grand entrance to tennis as his former world No. 1 father, going out in the first round of the Australian Open boys' singles.

"He's still very young. This is all a learning experience," Lleyton Hewitt.

Central Coast’s 2-1 A-League Men win over Melbourne City on Sunday night descended into chaos late in stoppage time when a wild brawl broke out, which saw almost every player from each side involved.

🏊🏼 Australian Olympic champion Mack Horton has announced his retirement from swimming six months out from the Paris Games.

The 28-year-old, who won the 400m freestyle in the 2016 Rio Olympics, announced the surprise decision on Sunday with a video tribute on Instagram.

“Grateful for all I’ve experienced, and even more so for those who’ve stood alongside me and made it possible,” he wrote.

🏉 Papua New Guinea international and young Dolphins forward Jeremiah Simbiken is reportedly being offered to several other clubs.

Aged 23, Simbiken agreed to a three-year contract with The Dolphins in 2022 that saw him on a developmental contract last season. The club has yet to confirm what type of contract he is on this season.

🇦🇺 Dual premiership Tiger Marlion Pickett’s court case over allegations of his involvement in a series of commercial burglaries is now due to take place just days before the start of the AFL season.

Pickett, 32, was set to face Perth Magistrates Court on Friday last week to face 12 charges, but the case was adjourned until March 1.

⛹🏻‍♀️ Australia's net ballers downed arch rivals New Zealand by 13 goals in a triumphant start to their international year.

The Diamonds prevailed 63-50 in their Nations Cup opener in London with midcourter Liz Watson the dominant force.

🚴🏻‍♂️ Welshman Stephen Williams has won this year's Tour Down Under in South Australia after a thrilling final stage in the Adelaide Hills.

• Stephen Williams won the final stage and was crowned the overall winner of Tour Down Under

• Jhonatan Narvaez placed second and Isaac del Toro came in third

• Williams put in a final burst to cross the finish line.

🎾 Top seed Novak Djokovic moved ominously into the Australian Open quarter-finals with a ruthless thrashing of French 20th seed Adrian Mannarino.

Djokovic, chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title, claimed a dominant 6-0 6-0 6-3 win in one hour and 44 minutes.

Stat: Djokovic has made quarterfinals for the 58th time at a major, equaling Roger Federer's mark.

🏈 NFL Wrap: Baltimore will host the AFC title game for the first time since January 1971 after surging past the Houston Texans 34-10 with a powerful second half.

The San Francisco 49ers braved rain and a determined Green Bay Packers 24-21 to reach their fourth NFC title game in the past five seasons. 

Today:

• 📺 07:00 - Lions v Buccaneers (7mate, ESPN)

• 📺 10:30 - Bills v Chiefs (7mate, ESPN)

⛳️ Rory McIlroy defended his title at the Dubai Desert Classic, beating Poland's Adrian Meronk by one shot.

The 34-year-old Northern Irishman made par at the last to card a two-under 70, finishing on 14 under to win the tournament for a record fourth time.

Fun Fact: From the ten DP World Tour events Rors played in 2023, he earnt a cool AU$4.5k per shot.

⚽️ EPL: Sheffield United's Oli McBurnie scored the latest ever goal in the Premier League, dispatching a 103rd-minute penalty to rescue a point Sheffield United against West Ham (2-2).

Liverpool were too good for Bournemouth, thumping them 4-0. Two lovely finishes for Darwin Nunez, while Diogo Jota chipped in with two himself to open up a 5-point lead at the top of the table.

⛳️ Nick Dunlap has a three-shot lead heading into the final round of The American Express as he hunts the first PGA Tour win by an amateur in 33 years.

-27 N Dunlap (US); -24 S Burns (US); -23 J Thomas (US); -21 C Bezuidenhout (SA) Selected: -19 P Cantlay (US); -17 A Noren (Swe), Z Johnson (US); -14 J Day (Aus)

📺 08:00 - The American Express, Round 4 (Fox Sports)

👊🏻 The UFC has its first champion from South Africa. Dricus Du Plessis dethroned Sean Strickland in an entertaining, bloody, back-and-forth fight Saturday night in the main event of UFC 297 here at Scotiabank Arena.

The final result was a split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47) for Du Plessis. It very easily could have gone Strickland's way, too.

⚽️ Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is eager to bring Ajax's 21-year-old Dutch striker Brian Brobbey to Old Trafford during the January transfer window.

🏏 Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi said it was “very important” his team avoided a whitewash series loss to New Zealand after winning the fifth and final Twenty20 International by 42 runs on Sunday.

TODAY

07:00 - NFC Divisional Game - Detroit Lions v Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7mate, ESPN)

07:00 - Spanish La Liga - Girona v Sevilla (Optus Sport 2 [981])

07:00 - Men's NCAA - Utah Utes v Oregon Ducks (ESPN 2)

08:00 - PGA TOUR - The American Express, Round 4 (Fox Sports [Ch 503])

10:30 - AFC Divisional Game - Buffalo Bills v Kansas City Chiefs (7mate, ESPN)

14:00 - NBA - Los Angeles Lakers v Portland Trail Blazers (ESPN 2)

14:00 - Men's Super Smash - Wellington Firebirds v Canterbury Kings (Fox Cricket [Ch 501])

19:40 - Big Bash League Challenger - Brisbane Heat v Adelaide Strikers (Fox Cricket or Channel 7)

TUESDAY

02:30 - SA20 - Sunrisers Eastern Cape v Pretoria Capitals (Fox Cricket [Ch 501])

06:45 - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion v Wolverhampton Wanderers (Optus Sport 1 [152])

11:00 - NHL - New Jersey Devils v Vegas Golden Knights (ESPN 2)

12:30 - NBA - Dallas Mavericks v Boston Celtics (ESPN)

14:00 - NHL - Vancouver Canucks v Chicago Blackhawks (ESPN 2)

14:00 - Men's Super Smash - Otago Volts v Northern Brave (Fox Cricket [Ch 501])

19:00 - A-League Men - Newcastle Jets v Brisbane Roar (Paramount+)

22:30 - Asian Cup - Australia v Uzbekistan (Paramount+ or Channel 10)