Sports World, January 27, 2024: Rohan Bopanna-Matthew Ebden Win Australian Open Men's Doubles Final; Aryna Sabalenka Retains Women's Singles Crown - As It Happened

India lose their hold on the first Test match in Hyderabad after a dominating Day 2. Ollie Pope's unbeaten 148-run innings has put England back on track as the visitors took a 126-run lead with four wickets in hand. Down Under, Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden won the historic Grand Slam title in the men's doubles finals of the Australian Open 2024. Aryna Sabalenka beat Qinwen Zheng in women's singles to retain her title. The Africa Cup of Nations and the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup hosted key games, with the former commencing its round-of-16 stage. (Cricket News | Football News)

A spectator at a Bundesliga game was recruited to step in as the fourth official Saturday after the assistant referee was injured. The game between Wolfsburg and Cologne was stopped in the 14th minute when Cologne player Max Finkgräfe hit a powerful clearance straight into the face of assistant referee Thorben Siewer, who was on the sideline nearby.

Harry Kane scored his 23rd Bundesliga goal for Bayern Munich in a 3-2 win over local rival Augsburg on Saturday when Kingsley Coman went off hurt. Elsewhere, Stuttgart hammered Leipzig 5-2 and a spectator unexpectedly became a game official in Wolfsburg. Kane needed a video review to be sure of scoring Bayern's third goal. He was in an offside position when Jamal Musiala played the ball, but the replay showed it came off Augsburg's Kristijan Jakic. It followed two Bundesliga games without scoring for Kane, his longest such break since signing for Bayern.

Struggling French club Lyon signed veteran defensive midfielder Nemanja Matic from Rennes on Saturday to boost its bid to avoid relegation. The 35-year-old Serb brings a wealth of experience from long stints with both Chelsea and Manchester United. Seven-time French champion Lyon lost 3-2 at home to Rennes on Friday night and sits in 16th place. 

Patna Pirates made a stunning comeback to play out a 32-32 draw against Puneri Paltan in the Pro Kabaddi League match in Patna on Saturday. Puneri Paltan skipper Aslam Inamdar (13 points), Patna Pirates captain Sachin (nine raid points) and Mayur Kadam (five tackle points) were the key performers of the match. Patna Pirates came into the game following a win over Bengal Warriors but were unable to ride the momentum in the early stages of the game and were at the receiving end of the first all-out.

Indian women's hockey team defender and penalty corner specialist Deep Grace Ekka on Saturday announced her international retirement, ending an illustrious career during which she represented India in two Olympic Games. "It is with immense gratitude and humility that I officially announce my retirement from International Hockey today. The journey from 2011 to 2023 has been the highlight of my life, and I am deeply honoured to have represented India at the pinnacle of the sport," Ekka said in a social media post.

Women's Premier League (WPL) side Royal Challengers Bangalore suffered a jolt on Saturday as their England recruit Heather Knight pulled out of the upcoming second season of the lucrative T20 league beginning February 23, according to reports from PTI. The Bengaluru-based franchise did not give any reason for Knight's pulling out but England cricketers involved in the WPL were in a dilemma, as staying back for the business end of the T20 League could lead to them missing out on their country's five-match T20I series in New Zealand.

India's Arjun Babuta and Sonam Maskar combined to claim the silver medal in the 10m air rifle mixed team event of the ISSF World Cup in Cairo on Saturday, according to reports from PTI. The Indian pair scored 14 in the gold medal contest and finished two points behind Seonaid Mcintosh and Dean Bale (16) of Great Britain. 

Rohan Bopanna has made history! At 43, he has become the oldest men's Grand Slam winner, mere days after he was guaranteed to become the oldest men's top-ranked player in tennis history. He and Mattew Ebden beat Italy's Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavasssori in straight sets to claim the coveted crown. 

Read more here. 

It is 6-5 in the second set and Sania Mirza just said on air that Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden are "smelling victory" here. The duo have broken the Italian serve and are one game away from the Australian Open 2024 title. They will be serving for the championship now.

After a productive day session, England have surpassed India's total and are now en route toward setting a target for the hosts to chase. The two are on Day 3 of their test match in Hyderabad, with England amid their second innings, having returned the entire Indian team for 436 earlier in the day. 

Indian paddlers Manika Batra, Sreeja Akula and Archana Kamath pulled off stunning victories to reach the women's singles pre-quarterfinals of the World Table Tennis (WTT) Star Contender Goa, PTI reports. Star Indian paddler Batra, who's ranked 38 in the world, looked in complete control of the match from the start as she won the contest 3-1 (11-6 9-11 11-9 11-7) comfortably against South Korea's Suh Hyo Won.

Manchester City's losing run at Tottenham is over. Their defence of the treble is very much alive, as Nathan Ake struck in the 88th minute to secure a 1-0 win in the fourth round of the FA Cup, Associated Press reports. Defending champions City lost all of their previous five visits to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and failed to score. It looked like being another frustrating night until Ake's late intervention. Even then, VAR had to confirm the goal after Spurs players complained goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario was fouled by Ruben Dias before Ake poked home following a corner.