The sports wrap: Andy Murray posts dominant win, but hurts ankle, and other top stories

The big story: Murray advanced to the third round of the Australian Open

World No.1 Andy Murray saw off the challenge of young Russian Andrey Rublev with little fuss, cruising to a 6-3, 6-0, 6-2 win in the second round of the Australian Open. However, there was a heart-in-the-mouth moment for his crew in the box as he winced in pain in the third set.

After the game, Murray said, “I heard a few sort of little crackles, and it was sore. It was throbbing for the rest of the match. I was moving fine on it, though. I’ll see how it feels when I get up in the morning. It can sometimes swell overnight.” Murray faces American Sam Querrey in the third round.

Tennis

Sumit Nagal sent out a statement to the All India Tennis association, stating that some the allegations regarding his off-field activities that cropped up recently were false. The 19-year-old wrote, “It is unfortunate that allegations questioning my demeanor while representing the country have presented themselves on public platforms in the last 24 hours. I have a long way to go in my career and I can promise is that I will never disrespect the flag or the country.”
Australian Nick Kyrgios was booed off from the court by his home crowd in the Australian Open as he collapsed to a defeat in a five-setter against Italian Andreas Seppi. Tennis legend slammed Kyrgios, stating that he had “stopped trying” in the fifth set. Kyrgios responded by saying, ”My body was sore. I was hurting. I mean, John McEnroe. Good on him. Great career. Good on him.”
Veteran Tomas Berdych has ruled himself out of Czech Republic’s Davis Cup tie against Australia next month, stating that he wants to concentrate on ATP tours. Other Czech stars Lucas Rosol and Adam Pavlasek have also pulled out from the squad.

Football

In the I-League, Bengaluru FC moved to the top of the table with a comfortable 3-0 win against Mumbai FC at the Krantiveera Stadium. CK Vineeth netted a hat-trick. Meanwhile, East Bengal registered their second consecutive win with a 2-0 win against Churchill Brothers in Goa.
Bayern Munich midfielder Xabi Alonso is reportedly set to retire at the end of the season, when his contract with Bayern Munich ends. The Spanish World Cup winner is not in talks for a contract extension with the German giants.
Asian Champions League’s current holders Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors have been banned from this year’s competition after allegations of match-fixing in the Korean League cropped up. The Asian Football Confederation stated that either Jeju United or Ulsan Hyundai would take Jeonbuk’s place.
Former Egyptian star Mohamed Aboutrika has been put on the terror watch list on “suspicions” of financing Muslim Brotherhood, a banned outfit in the Northern African country.
Granada midfielder Sergi Samper, who is in Granada on loan from Barcelona, revealed that he turned down a move to Arsenal to nail down a place with the reigning Spanish champions.
Barcelona have denied that their star man Lionel Messi spoke to a U.K based magazine. Messi was reported to have spoken about his contract situation in the interview.
In the ongoing sexual abuse revelations that rocked English football in recent times, the police have identified 184 suspects and 526 victims.

Cricket

South African talisman AB de Villiers’ future in Test matches has been thrown into doubt yet again after he ruled himself out of the tour of England later in the year. De Villiers had already pulled out of the upcoming Tests against New Zealand in March.
Indian opener KL Rahul heaped praise on skipper Virat Kohli, stating that the 28-year-old has “show signs of being a great leader.
Former Sri Lankan World Cup winning coach Dav Whatmore lauded Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin’s displays and stated that Australia have a tough task against the off-spinner in the Test series in March.
The group of BCCI administrators is expected to be named by the Supreme Court on Friday, January 20, instead of January 19.