Month: January 2025

Novak Djokovic defeated rival Carlos Alcaraz in the 2025 Australian Open quarterfinals with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory at Rod Laver Arena.

The 3-hour, 37-minute match — which started Tuesday and ended on Wednesday in Melbourne — gave Djokovic the title of the first men’s player in the Open Era (since 1968) to reach at least 50 Grand Slam singles semifinals. Djokovic said after the win: “I just wish that this match today was the final. It was one of the most epic matches I’ve played on this court. On any court. Thank you all for staying at 1 a.m. to watch us and support the players.”

The No. 7 ranked Serbian, who dropped his first set while battled through an undisclosed injury to rally and win the next three, totaled 27 unforced errors and converted 6 of 13 break point opportunities, compared to 40 unforced errors and a 4 of 11 conversion rate from Alcaraz. Alcaraz said after his loss: “I felt like I was controlling the match, but I let him get into the match again. That was the biggest mistake I made today. In the second set, I had to play a little better to push him more to the limit. … And I didn’t do it. After that, he started to play better.”

Djokovic said he injured his left leg and took medication to address the issue, but did not elaborate on the injury because he didn’t want to give any advantage to his next opponent, No. 2 Alexander Zverev of Germany, who beat No. 11 Tommy Paul of the U.S. in another quarterfinal Tuesday in Melbourne. Djokovic has an 8-4 record in his career meetings with the German.

No. 20 Ben Shelton of the United States will face No. 55 Lorenzo Sonego of Italy in the third men’s quarterfinal Wednesday at Melbourne Park; with the other quarterfinal to feature No. 1 seeded Jannik Sinner of Italy and No. 8 Alex de Minaur of Australia. The winners from those quarterfinals will meet in the other men’s semifinal for a chance to face Djokovic or Zverev in the men’s finale.

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The Chicago Bears have announced the hiring of Ben Johnson as their head coach. Johnson, 38, spent three seasons as Detroit’s offensive coordinator; he had been with the Lions since 2019, starting out as an offensive quality control coach before moving up to tight ends coach, and later passing game coordinator. Johnson led Detroit to top-five finishes in yards and points in all three seasons as OC.

Bears owner George H. McCaskey said in a statement released by the team: “We are elated to welcome Ben and his family to the Bears and the greatest city in the world. Ben’s leadership, poise, preparation, and detail are evident. We certainly appreciate the first-class manner in which he approached this process. We are excited to see him lead our Bears.”

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, “Johnson has been busy assembling a star-studded coaching staff. The leading candidate to become his defensive coordinator in Chicago is former Saints HC Dennis Allen, per league sources.”  Johnson said in a statement: “The Chicago Bears are a world-class franchise with a phenomenal history and incredible fanbase. I am thankful to George, Kevin [Warren], Ryan, and the entire organization for presenting me and my family with this tremendous opportunity. Having been on the opposing sideline, I can attest to how passionate Bears fans are about this city and their team, and I am honored to be their head coach. My family and I are incredibly blessed and fortunate to take this next step in our journey, and I cannot wait to lead our players, our support staff and organization, while doing so at the service of Bears fans. We are looking forward to fully ingraining ourselves in the great city of Chicago, as we work to create an impact in this special community. I am excited to partner with Ryan and the entire organization as we work to create a championship-caliber program. We are ready to get to work.”

General Manager Ryan Poles added: “A proven leader with winning pedigree and a mind toward innovation, we are excited to welcome Ben and his family to Chicago as our head coach. Throughout our search process, I was thoroughly impressed by Ben’s character, intelligence, leadership and ability to connect. A progressive offensive mind, Ben’s plan for all three phases of our team, which is centered on creating a winning and competitive environment, became evidently clear. Meeting with Ben and gaining an understanding of his process and vision, the more confident we became that Ben is the right leader for our team and that he and I will be great partners in building our team and shaping our franchise for long-term success. It is undeniable how passionate Ben is for serving in the role of head coach of the Chicago Bears, and we are primed, equipped and excited to welcome him and his family to Chicago and to commence our process of building a championship-caliber team, together. This is just the beginning.”

Bears’ President and CEO Kevin Warren shared: “I am grateful for the process that Ryan led, orchestrated and executed, and I am honored to welcome Ben, as well as his wife, Jessica, and their children, Emory, Kennedy and Halle, to our Chicago Bears family. It was a pleasure to get to know Ben and gain a true understanding, and sheer appreciation, for his passion, integrity and innovation. Ben is meticulous about the details, doing what is right for the betterment of the greater being, and motivated to push the limits of whatever is required to become a champion. His journey is honorable – Ben has not skipped a single step, and his new responsibility as head coach of the Chicago Bears is earned. It is a blessing to have Ben lead our team, and we look forward to his leadership and path toward greatness. We have been blessed with the greatest, most revered responsibility in sports – provide the best fans in the world with championship-level execution in everything that we do. Today, we take our next step in that pursuit. As we embark on the next chapter of our storied franchise, we are energized by what lies ahead.”

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Former Baltimore Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander and the Toronto Blue Jays agreed to a five-year deal worth more than $92.5 million on Monday, per MLB Network’s Jon Morosi.

Sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan that the deal, pending a physical, comes after Passan rejected a qualifying offer from the Orioles, adding that the Blue Jays will lose their second-highest draft pick in 2025 and $500,000 in international bonus pool room from signing Santander.

Santander, 30, hit .235 with 44 homers, 102 RBI, 91 runs and a .814 OPS in 2024. He was a first-time All-Star and Silver Slugger in the 2024 season and ranked third in HRs last season behind only Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. Santander’s 44 HRs in 2024 was also the fifth most for a switch-hitter in a single season, and the most for a switch-hitter since Lance Berkman hit 45 in 2006.

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Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo will be out indefinitely with a toe injury. ESPN reported that DiVincenzo – who has missed the past two games with the injury – has been placed in a walking boot, and quoted that the team “are currently seeking a second opinion to determine the best treatment options going forward.”

DiVincenzo, 27. suffered the injury at the end of last Wednesday’s game against the Golden State Warriors, and the Timberwolves said Monday that an MRI revealed a Grade 3 left toe sprain. Minnesota head coach Chris Finch said before Monday’s game against Memphis: “It’s indefinite at this stag. We’re still waiting to gather more information, and what the procedure will be.”

DiVincenzo is in his first season in Minnesota ,who was acquired along with Julius Randle as part of the Karl-Anthony Towns trade with the New York Knicks.  He has been a key part of the Wolves’ offense, averaging 11 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 40 games (eight starts) this season, including 17.5 points over his last six games. He scored 28 against the Warriors on 6-for-12 shooting from the 3-point line.

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