Sports
Venus Williams makes Australian Open history, falters late in loss
MELBOURNE, Australia — It took 45 years to be in a position to set a record that has drawn so much attention. So another 14½ minutes serving to keep her Australian Open hopes alive felt like no time at all for Venus Williams.
Ranked No. 576 and playing on a wild-card entry, the seven-time major winner led 4-0 in the third set Sunday before Olga Danilovic rallied to win six straight games — getting the vital break in the extra-long, next-to-last game — for a 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4 victory.
“It was an amazing journey on the court today,” said Williams, who left the stadium with a smile and a wave.
Just by starting the first-round match, Williams became the oldest woman to compete in an Australian Open singles main draw, surpassing the mark set by Japan’s Kimiko Date, who was 44 when she lost in the first round in 2015.
“I’m really proud of my effort today because I’m playing better with each match, getting to the places that I want to get to,” Williams said. “Right now, I’m just going to have to keep going forward and working on myself and working to control my errors.
“Those are things, too, that come with playing extra matches … all of those things that I’m still learning. It’s kind of weird, but it’s super exciting to have played that well and to get myself in that position and come very close.”
Williams was 17 when she made her Australian Open debut in 1998, reaching the quarterfinals. This was her 22nd trip to Melbourne Park, where she lost finals to her sister, Serena, in 2003 and 2017.
She was married in December to Andrea Preti, and the couple traveled together in Melbourne.
Williams was determined not just to break Date’s age record. She wanted to punctuate the occasion with a win that could have set up another match against Coco Gauff.
After splitting the first two sets, Williams went on a roll and dropped just five points across four games, hitting some vintage winners. Then No. 68-ranked Danilovic found range with her big left-handed forehand returns and put Williams back under pressure.
“I told myself before the match I really want to take this moment — playing against Venus Williams is something I can’t take for granted,” Danilovic said. “At 4-0, I said ‘just play.’
“It was such a pleasure playing against such a legend.”
At 4-4 in the deciding set, Williams served for 14 minutes, 28 seconds, saving two break points and setting up game points of her own with powerful winners and clutch aces, before she finally succumbed.
“It was such a great game, such a great moment. The energy from the crowd was amazing. That lifted me up so much,” Williams said of that penultimate game on her serve. “She played a great game. Also, some luck there as well. That’s just the sport. That’s how it works sometimes. But it was an amazing moment.”
Danilovic calmly served out, clinching it in 2 hours, 17 minutes when a Williams forehand clipped the net and landed just wide of the line on match point.
Williams entered the Australian Open on a five-match losing streak since the first and only win in her comeback at Washington last year. She also lost in the first round at the US Open in August.
“At 4-love I felt good. Also, it’s the biggest lead I’ve had since I’ve been back,” Williams said. “In a lot of ways I’m having to relearn how to do things again, if that makes any sense.”
She will keep that process going in the doubles at Melbourne Park then will think about her schedule for the rest of 2026.
“Right now I’m very much in the tournament,” she said. “My next focus is the doubles. So that’s where my head is.”
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The Boston Celtics watched as their 3-1 series lead against the Philadelphia 76ers slipped away this week as they lost Game 7 and were eliminated from the playoffs on Saturday night.
The 76ers won Game 7, 109-100, behind Joel Embiid’s 34 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Embiid made nine of his 11 free-throw attempts, but drew flopping accusations from Celtics star Jaylen Brown after the game.
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Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid celebrates after his team defeated the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the first-round NBA playoffs in Boston on May 2, 2026. (Jim Davis/AP)
“Embiid put a lot of pressure on us, like on all our bigs and our guards,” he said, via Mass Live. “We didn’t really have an answer for him. We tried a bunch of different things and he just, he’s a big body, and also he was flopping around, he got some extra calls and stuff like that, and they rewarded him for that. That’s the league that we’re in. So, that’s all I got to say.”
Tyrese Maxey added 30 points and VJ Edgecombe added 23 in the win.
One of the key difference-makers in Game 7 were Philadelphia’s 3-point shooting. The 76ers were 39% from long range while Boston shot 27%. The Celtics were 13-of-49.
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Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown plays during the final minutes of Game 7 in a first-round NBA playoff series in Boston on May 2, 2026. (Jim Davis/AP)
Brown said after the game that he didn’t feel as though Philadelphia was a “traditional” No. 7 seed. He gave credit to Maxey, Embiid and Paul George’s effectiveness.
“Like we just didn’t really have an answer for Embiid in the games that he played. He just was a problem for us,” Brown added. “Obviously, we didn’t know if he was going to be able to play because of his appendicitis, or whatever you call it, but I think that made the difference. But give credit to (76ers head coach) Nick Nurse. Give credit to Philadelphia. They got better.”
Boston also lost Jayson Tatum to an injury in the middle of Game 6 and he exited Game 7, while trying to play through an injury.
Boston Celtics’ Jayson Baylor Scheierman defends Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid during the first half of Game 7 in a first-round NBA playoff series in Boston on May 2, 2026. (Jim Davis/AP)
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Philadelphia will play the New York Knicks in the next round.
- Kingsmen chase title in debut season.
- Zalmi target second PSL crown since 2017.
- Babar leads with record-breaking run tally.
Marnus Labuschagne’s Hyderabad Kingsmen are set to face Babar Azam’s Peshawar Zalmi in the final of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 on Sunday night at the Gaddafi Stadium, which will mark the culmination of the 44-match season of the league.
For the first time in the history of the PSL, a separate reward has been set for the franchises with the winning franchise getting $500,000, runners up will get $300,000, while the franchise with the best player development efforts will bag $200,000. The tournament-winning prize for players will comprise $500,000.
Hyderabad Kingsmen will be looking to conclude their fairytale season with the PSL title, while Peshawar Zalmi are eyeing their second title after 2017. Zalmi were the runners-up for 2018, 2019 and 2021 seasons.
On the back of Babar’s record 588-run tally, Kusal Mendis’ 541 runs and Sufyan Moqim’s 21 wickets, Peshawar Zalmi won eight of their 10 matches in the league stage including a seven-match winning streak.
They outclassed Islamabad United by 70 runs in the Qualifier to secure the ticket for the final.
Express fast bowler Nahid Rana has also rejoined the Peshawar Zalmi squad and will be available for selection.
He picked up seven wickets in four league matches for Zalmi.
Hyderabad Kingsmen began their campaign with three outright losses by 69 runs against Qalandars, by 40 runs versus Gladiators and by six wickets against Sultans.
Their fourth consecutive loss came against Peshawar Zalmi as the two teams played out a last-ball thriller.
Zalmi chased the 146-run target with four wickets in hand.
Kingsmen then won four matches on the trot before falling flat against Islamabad United.
They thumped Rawalpindiz by 108 runs in their last league game to oust defending champions Lahore Qalandars on net run rate.
Kingsmen knocked out Multan Sultans in Eliminator 1 and came from behind to stun Islamabad United by two runs in the Eliminator 2.
At the pre-final captains’ press conference, Babar said: “We have played really good cricket in the tournament. Our focus has been on assessing the conditions first and then executing the plans.”
“The performance of our team this season has been a combined effort of the local and overseas players. We hope to win the trophy by giving our best.”
Labuschagne, the skipper of the Kingsmen said that leading his side has been really exciting and he’s enjoyed every moment.
“There have been certainly ups and downs but I think that’s what makes it so good. [it’s] just another game and we will make sure that we stick to our processes.”
Pakistani mountaineer Sajid Ali Sadpara successfully summited Mount Makalu, the world’s fifth-highest mountain, on Saturday, marking another major achievement in his high-altitude climbing career.
According to details, Sajid reached the summit of Mount Makalu at around 5am. The mountain, located in Nepal, stands at a height of 8,485 metres above sea level.
The successful ascent marked Sajid’s 10th mountain above 8,000 metres, further strengthening his record among Pakistan’s prominent high-altitude mountaineers.
Makalu is located in the Mahalangur Himalayas, 19 km southeast of Mount Everest, on the China–Nepal border. It is considered one of the world’s most challenging peaks because of its steep ridges, difficult terrain and extreme weather conditions faced by climbers during expeditions.
Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) congratulated Sajid on his remarkable and successful summit of Mount Makalu (8,485 metres), the fifth-highest mountain in the world.
In a statement, ACP President Maj Gen (retd) Irfan Arshad along with all members of the club, extended heartfelt felicitations to Sajid on achieving the feat, terming it a moment of great pride for the nation.
The statement noted that summiting one of the world’s most technically challenging peaks reflects Sajid’s courage, determination, and exceptional mountaineering skills.
“This outstanding achievement is not only a personal milestone but also a proud moment for the entire Pakistani mountaineering community,” it added.
The ACP President lauded his perseverance and dedication, saying his accomplishment would inspire young climbers across the country and further strengthen Pakistan’s presence on the global mountaineering stage.
ACP Vice President Karrar Haidri also congratulated Sajid on the successful ascent and wished him a safe descent and continued success in his future mountaineering pursuits.
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