Bruno Fernandes praises Mata after A-League stunner
By Lee Seng Foo2 days ago
Juan Mata’s sublime free-kick for Melbourne Victory against Sydney FC on Saturday drew praise from Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes, who was watching from the other side of the world.
The 37-year-old opened the scoring in the Big Blue clash with a perfectly struck goal before the match finished 2-2.
Novak Djokovic set a new milestone after advancing to the Round of 16 at the Indian Wells Masters.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion defeated world No. 72 Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 to reach the last 16 of an ATP Masters 1000 event for a record 113th time since the format was introduced in 1990.
According to OptaAce, the previous record was held by Rafael Nadal, who retired in November 2024.
Nadal recorded his 112th and final Masters Round of 16 appearance at the Madrid Open earlier that year.
Djokovic, who also played in the men’s doubles alongside Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, will next face defending men’s singles champion Jack Draper for a place in the quarter-finals.
113 - Novak Djokovic has reached a 113th career round of 16 at an ATP Masters 1000 event, surpassing Rafael Nadal (112) for the outright most of any player since the format’s introduction in 1990. Eternal.#TennisParadise | @BNPPARIBASOPEN@atptourpic.twitter.com/eRSGtkMiEi
Greg Rusedski believes it is only a matter of time before Filipino tennis sensation Alex Eala breaks into the top 10 of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) rankings.
The 20-year-old currently sits at world No. 32 after enjoying a good start to the 2026 season with a 10-6 win-loss record.
Eala most recently exited the Indian Wells Masters in the third round, having earlier defeated Dayana Yastremska before advancing past Coco Gauff via walkover.
Despite her exit, Rusedski backed Eala to continue improving and challenge the world’s top players.
"[Eala] is a good lefty, moves exceptionally well and competes incredibly well," he said on the Off Court with Greg Rusedski podcast.
"I like the way she thinks tactically; she’s very astute out there. And for all the pressure and expectation on her shoulders, she’s finding a way to push through.
"She is the real deal. I think she is going to get into the top 10.
"You don’t beat players like [Iga] Swiatek, [Coco] Gauff, even though Gauff wasn’t at her best.
"She is somebody who is great for the women’s tour."
The World Baseball Classic (WBC) has been held since 2006, with this year’s edition marking the sixth installment of the tournament.
Traditional powerhouses such as Japan and the United States have dominated much of the competition, with the former alone capturing three titles so far. Yet the WBC has also produced its fair share of shock results. Even in the current edition, fans have already witnessed Chinese Taipei’s dramatic 5-4 win over South Korea and Japan surviving a major scare against Australia.
With that in mind, here are five of the most memorable upsets in WBC history.
Australia reach quarter-finals (2023)
Before 2023, Australia had struggled to make an impact in the WBC, winning only two games across several tournament appearances. Placed in a difficult group featuring Japan and South Korea, expectations were modest for the Australians.
Instead, the Southern Thunder stunned the baseball world with an 8-7 victory over South Korea. The result helped propel Australia into the quarter-finals for the first time.
Netherlands silence South Korea in Seoul (2017)
South Korea entered the 2017 tournament as both host nation and one of the favourites. Many expected them to make a deep run, but their campaign unravelled almost immediately.
After losing their opener to Israel, the Koreans were convincingly beaten 5-0 by the Netherlands in front of their home crowd in Seoul. The defeat contributed to South Korea’s shocking first-round elimination.
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 7, 2017
Italy edge Mexico in dramatic fashion (2013)
Italy had long been regarded as one of Europe’s strongest baseball teams but rarely threatened the tournament’s elite sides.
That changed in 2013 when the Azzurri stunned Mexico 6-5 in a dramatic group-stage clash as a crucial ninth-inning double from Anthony Rizzo allowed Italy to overturn a late deficit. The victory, followed by a 14-4 win over Canada, helped Italy advance to the next round.
#WBC#TeamItaly Classic Moments: 3/7/2013 vs Team Mexico … Anthony Rizzo’s go-ahead two-run double in the ninth propelled #Italy to a 6-5 win and opened their tournament with a bang. 🇮🇹 ⚾️ 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/NpKea2f3Lk
— Italian American Baseball Foundation (@IABF5) April 1, 2023
Double Dutch shock for Dominican Republic (2009)
Perhaps the most famous upset in WBC history came in 2009. The Dominican Republic entered the tournament with a star-studded roster featuring MLB stars such as David Ortiz, Jose Reyes and Hanley Ramirez.
Yet the Netherlands stunned the baseball world by defeating the Dominicans twice in the opening round: first 3-2 and then 2-1 in an extra-innings elimination game.
In the inaugural 2006 edition, Venezuela fielded a formidable squad featuring MLB stars such as Johan Santana, Miguel Cabrera, Omar Vizquel and Bobby Abreu. Cuba, by contrast, relied entirely on players from its domestic league. Many observers expected the Cuban side to struggle against MLB talent.
Instead, Cuba produced a dramatic 7-6 victory over Venezuela and went on to reach the final, where they eventually finished runners-up to Japan. Their remarkable run established Cuba as the first great underdog story in WBC history.
The cast of the live-action One Piece made a special appearance at a World Baseball Classic (WBC) game between Japan and Chinese Taipei at the Tokyo Dome on Friday.
The actors portraying the Straw Hat Pirates — Inaki Godoy (Monkey D. Luffy), Emily Rudd (Nami), Mackenyu (Roronoa Zoro), Jacob Gibson (Usopp) and Taz Skylar (Sanji) — were greeted enthusiastically by the sellout crowd of 42,314 as they walked out for a pregame ceremony.
Godoy was given the honour of throwing the ceremonial first pitch, with Japan catcher Seishiro Sakamoto crouched behind the plate.
However, the Mexican actor’s effort sailed high over the strike zone, drawing laughter from his fellow cast members and fans in attendance.
On the field, Shohei Ohtani led Japan to a 13-0 victory over Chinese Taipei in a seven-inning mercy-rule game, blasting a grand slam in the second inning and finishing with five runs batted in.
The 10-run second inning set a WBC record for most runs in a single inning.
